One second before Chi Yanyu received the police phone call, he was still complaining to Shen Lingge about the trouble of raising his little sister, “Tell me, how can this little girl have such guts? Meeting internet friends is one thing, but even following internet friends and running to Licheng?”
He held back a stomach full of anger, “When we catch her, I’ll definitely teach her a good lesson. We’re just too good to this girl! I’m so pissed off!”
While Chi Yanyu picked up the call, Shen Lingge received a message from Wen Xian.
[Wen Xian: Gege, today two people broke into my house.]
Shen Lingge’s expression slightly changed. Before he had time to call her, he saw a photo sent immediately afterward in the chat window.
[Wen Xian: Image]
[Wen Xian: I called the police, it’s fine.]
After Shen Lingge saw the appearance of the girl in the photo, he immediately looked up at Chi Yanyu. Chi Yanyu happened to have just hung up the call: “Ge, that little girl was found, inside a villa on Wen Mountain.”
Shen Lingge was silent for a moment, then pressed off the lit phone screen and said: “It’s good she was found. I’ll wait for you here.”
Chi Yanyu was stunned, “Ge, you’re not coming with me?”
Shen Lingge’s expression did not change, the warm yellow light from the roadside was still reflected in his eyes, his voice faint: “Leave the little girl some face. If you scold her in front of me, next time she won’t dare to see me.”
Chi Yanyu nodded. “That’s true, young girls have thin skin.”
After Chi Yanyu left, Shen Lingge returned to the car.
The car lights were not on, most of his figure was shrouded in darkness, his silhouette reflected on the car window flickering on and off, as if a gust of wind could blow his shadow away.
He lowered his head seriously typing.
[Shen Lingge: Where are you?]
[Wen Xian: I went home, suddenly wanted to come take a look.]
[Shen Lingge: In the afternoon, what did you hear from Qin Huai?]
Wen Xian was surprised at Shen Lingge’s sharpness. The questions he asked always hit straight at the heart, as if he knew whatever she was thinking.
Wen Xian paused for a moment before replying to his message.
[Wen Xian: Grandpa Qin told Qin Song that my mother left me an inheritance. I don’t know if it’s true, but there’s a high probability it is. But the Qin family people are all very strange, especially Eldest Brother Qin.]
[Wen Xian: He’s the only one I don’t know what he wants.]
[Shen Lingge: What did he say to you?]
[Wen Xian: He asked me if I wanted to change my fiancé. He said he’d take care of me, wanted nothing, and even gave me a rabbit.]
[Wen Xian: Zanzan is quite cute, much cuter than the Qin family people.]
When Shen Lingge saw the three words “fiancé,” he slightly furrowed his brows. Just what does Qin Zan want from Wen Xian?
And this little girl, carefree as usual, still thinking about the rabbit.
[Shen Lingge: ?]
[Shen Lingge: Zanzan?]
[Wen Xian: The name I gave the little rabbit, does it sound good?]
[Shen Lingge: Confiscated.]
[Wen Xian: Ah?]
[Shen Lingge: I forgot something, I’m coming back, that rabbit—I’m taking it with me.]
[Wen Xian: …]
[Wen Xian: Gege, why do you want everything? Do you know how to raise a rabbit?]
[Shen Lingge: I know how.]
[Wen Xian: Talk to you later, the police are here for questioning.]
Shen Lingge lightly hummed, his voice calm: “Go to Licheng Garden.”
The driver slowly started the car, “Yes, Young Master.”
On this side, Shen Lingge was on the road heading toward Licheng Garden. On that side, Wen Xian was answering the police’s questions.
The young police officer in front of her first looked at her carefully: “This is your house? You’re the one who called the police?”
Wen Xian answered calmly: “This is my house. It was me.”
After hearing this, the young police officer turned his head and shouted to the other side: “Hey, this young lady says this is her house. You say it’s your house. You two come over and confront each other.”
That man froze for a moment when he saw Wen Xian, touching his nose with some guilt.
He clearly heard before that no one had lived in this place for four years. It used to be the residence of some big business tycoon, but now it had been left empty.
Why would a young woman suddenly appear tonight claiming this was her house? Could it be she was the same as him?
Thinking like this, the man became even more brazen. He steeled his heart: “This is my house.”
Wen Xian didn’t want to entangle with this kind of person. She directly walked to the fireplace and pressed a button. Everyone’s attention was drawn to her action.
Originally, there was a landscape painting hanging above the dark-red fireplace.
After Wen Xian pressed the button, the wall suddenly rotated. The large family photo Wen Xian had hidden appeared in front of everyone.
A girl wearing a school uniform stood in the garden with curved eyebrows and eyes, holding a bouquet of light-colored roses in her hands. A couple stood side by side not far away, looking at this girl. Smiles were on both of their faces.
And the background of the photo was exactly the villa they were in.
This time, there was one experienced older police officer and one newly employed young police officer.
The middle-aged police officer paused for a moment when he saw Wen Tianlin. Four years ago, the Wen family’s incident had caused a big uproar in the entire city. At that time, all the news was full of Wen Tianlin’s photos.
He stopped the young police officer who wanted to continue asking questions: “No need to ask anymore. This is this young lady’s home.”
And the little girl who had been on edge from the moment the police came in finally burst into tears when she heard this was Wen Xian’s home: “Wuwuwu, you lied to me. You’ve been lying to me all along.”
The man’s expression changed a few times, but he immediately softened his expression and said: “Jiaojiao, I didn’t lie to you. I just… I just worried that you’d dislike my family background being bad. After all, your family…”
The girl named Jiaojiao looked at the gentle young man with tearful eyes: “Really… really? You weren’t deliberately lying to me?”
Seeing her attitude soften, the man quickly explained: “How could I deliberately lie to you? It’s just that I got a little carried away.”
After speaking, the man also explained to the two police officers: “I’m her older brother. We got lost in the mountain at night, that’s why we accidentally entered this villa. We didn’t do it on purpose.”
The two police officers looked at the man suspiciously. One moment he said it was his house, another moment he said he got lost. Every word was full of contradictions.
Wen Xian: “……”
She furrowed her brows, glancing at the pitifully crying little girl: “Your name is Jiaojiao?”
Jiaojiao raised her head and timidly looked toward Wen Xian.
She had already felt earlier that this older sister was very pretty. So she slightly nodded her head: “Mm, my name is Jiaojiao.”
Wen Xian sized up this little girl. The clothes she wore were all this season’s new releases, and the necklace around her neck was also a classic model from a certain luxury brand. But oddly enough, what she carried on her back was a schoolbag.
Thinking of the scene she saw earlier on the surveillance footage, she said to the police: “I suspect this man of abducting a minor girl.”
The man was greatly shocked, and he hurriedly tried to pull Jiaojiao, but was stopped by the two police officers. He shouted: “Jiaojiao, explain to them, we know each other, I didn’t lie to you.”
Jiaojiao bit her lip and didn’t say anything.
At this moment, the older police officer also received a phone call. After responding a few times, he said: “Take them back to the station. The family of this little girl has come looking. Cuff this man first.”
When Wen Xian heard that Jiaojiao’s family had arrived, she didn’t say anything more.
After the police cars had all left, she raised her head and stared at that oil painting on the wall for a long time. In the end, she pressed the button again and rotated the painting back.
Before long, the entire villa once again fell into darkness, returning to the cold and quiet state it had when Wen Xian first arrived.
Wen Xian walked slowly outward against the night wind. Not once did she look back.
—
Wen Xian thought that when she got home, the only one greeting her would be Qiuqiu. But the moment she opened the door, she saw a bit of light pouring out from the crack in the door, and she froze slightly.
After opening the door fully, Wen Xian completely stopped where she was.
The man sitting in the living room was clearly the face she was familiar with, yet his appearance looked very unfamiliar.
The man dressed in a full custom-made suit had his hair slicked back meticulously. The sharpness and edge hidden between his brows and eyes were fully released. Under his broad, full forehead were those cold and indifferent eyes.
His tall, straight nose traced a surprising arc in the air. Beneath his jawline was his long neck, wrapped by a white shirt, and a black bow tie pressed neatly against his chest.
His cold white fingers lightly stroked the round and plump cat in his arms.
The only thing that didn’t match his identity was the pair of dark snowflake-patterned slippers on his feet.
Wen Xian stammered and called out: “Ge… Gege?”
Shen Lingge glanced at the cage Wen Xian had placed next to the coffee table. Inside, a ball of fluffy little thing was moving around. He lifted his chin slightly, voice indifferent: “It’s this rabbit?”
After changing into slippers, Wen Xian leaned next to Shen Lingge and carefully looked for quite a while before believing that this was her cub.
She blinked: “Gege, why are you dressed like this?”
Shen Lingge answered with an unchanged expression: “I found a job in Mingcheng. This is the work uniform.”
Wen Xian’s eyes immediately widened. She blurted out: “You went to find a job? What kind of job? You weren’t tricked, were you? If you don’t have enough money, you can tell me. Weren’t you going out just to have fun?”
Seeing her so anxious like this, Shen Lingge’s mood finally improved a little: “I’m working as a private bodyguard for a rich young master. I wasn’t tricked. I have enough money. From now on, I’ll earn money to support you.”
Upon hearing this, Wen Xian’s heart almost melted into a puddle.
She wanted to reach out and touch Shen Lingge’s hair, but seeing that he had styled it back, she withdrew her hand again. She said emotionally: “Cub, I didn’t expect you to grow up so fast.”
Shen Lingge stretched out his foot and kicked the cage, scaring the little thing inside into hiding in the corner.
He spoke indifferently: “Sent by Qin Zan?”
Wen Xian nodded repeatedly.
Shen Lingge got up and stuffed Qiuqiu into Wen Xian’s arms.
He leisurely unfastened his bow tie as he walked toward the bathroom. When he reached the doorway, he deliberately turned back to look at her, his gaze extremely arrogant: “This little thing belongs to me now.”
Wen Xian helplessly said: “Then you have to take good care of it, send me a video if you have time.”
Shen Lingge lightly hummed to express reluctant agreement.
After Shen Lingge finished showering, Wen Xian went into the bathroom holding her pajamas and towel. He lay on the familiar sofa bed, using one hand to message Chi Yanyu, the other hand holding the clingy Qiuqiu.
[Chi Yanyu: Ge, Jiaojiao and I just came out from the police station. That man met Jiaojiao online, saw that she had money and tricked her into coming to Licheng. He’s locked up now.]
[Chi Yanyu: Jiaojiao got scared. We’ll stay in Licheng for the night.]
[Chi Yanyu: Which hotel to go to?]
[Shen Lingge: You guys go, I have a place to stay.]
[Chi Yanyu: ?]
[Chi Yanyu: Where are you staying?]
[Shen Lingge: None of your business.]
[Chi Yanyu: ……]
—
Half an hour later, the bathroom door opened.
Wen Xian walked out of the bathroom slowly, eyelids drooping.
Everything that happened all day had left her feeling tired. Right now, she just wanted to get back into bed and sleep well.
Wen Xian walked to her bedroom door. Just as she was about to go in, her wrist was suddenly caught by a strong hand, carrying a slightly cool sensation.
She subconsciously looked up, meeting Shen Lingge’s slightly dark gaze.
He lowered his eyes and quietly looked for a while. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand and placed it onto his lowered head. What she touched was soft to the hand.
Wen Xian froze.
Shen Lingge’s clear and cold voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible rasp. Along the still air, it reached Wen Xian’s ear, neither too heavy nor too light.
He said: “Now, you can touch.”