Before Wen Xian could refute Shen Lingge’s words, Gong Yan first furrowed his little brows, he said discontentedly: “I am not a child, and who are you? That stupid woman’s parent?”
Wen Xian reminded: “I am his parent.”
Gong Yan: “Don’t think you can trick me.”
Shen Lingge watched for a while as two elementary school students quarreled, then raised his brows and repeated: “Stupid woman?”
Wen Xian’s pair of deer-like eyes opened round, she said fiercely: “Not allowed to call like that!”
Gong Yan lightly snorted: “This woman on her first day of class almost got tricked by our teacher, if not for me telling her, I’m afraid right now she would already be making friends with people whole-heartedly.”
Wen Xian: “……?”
Wen Xian lowered her head and muttered in a small voice: “I don’t need friends.”
Hearing this, Shen Lingge swept a glance at her without leaving a trace, then bent down and extended his hand towards her: “Go pick grapes first or go eat barbecue?”
Wen Xian raised her eyes to look at the large palm in front of her, she knew his palm was warm and strong, she slowly handed her hand into his: “Pick grapes, if it gets dark we won’t be able to pick anymore.”
Shen Lingge used a little force and pulled Wen Xian up.
Wen Xian glanced at Gong Yan, asked: “Where are your dad and mom?”
Gong Yan expressionlessly said: “My dad went fishing, my mom went to play mahjong, they aren’t the least bit worried that young and weak me might get abducted by strangers, I’m very sad.”
Wen Xian: “…Then do you want to come pick grapes with me?”
Gong Yan: “Since you sincerely invited me, I will generously agree.”
Wen Xian silently recited a hundred times in her heart that bullying minors is against the law before she barely held back the urge to grab this little ice block and hit him, so she chose to bully Shen Lingge beside her instead.
She pinched his hand, hummed: “Sometimes you’re exactly the same as this childish ghost, I think you better not have children in the future, otherwise I’ll be angered to death by you all.”
Shen Lingge’s steps suddenly paused, he turned his head and looked at her with a half-smile, he deliberately lowered his voice and leaned closer to her: “What’s this? Already thinking about whether or not to have children in the future?”
Wen Xian: “…Your children have what to do with me?”
Shen Lingge’s gaze darkened deeper, he didn’t want to discuss this issue with her here, only said in a light voice: “If you don’t like children, then in the future we won’t have, all up to you.”
Wen Xian: “……”
Right now she really wished she could travel back and strangle the self from that night in the car who asked Shen Lingge whether or not to get married with her, this person always holds onto this point and won’t let go, and she just can’t refute.
From Shen Lingge’s point of view, it really was her who first provoked him.
She let out a faint sigh, all blame Yu.
Yu: Right right right, all blame me.
After arriving at the orchard, Shen Lingge didn’t join in the excitement with those two little friends, he sat on the bench outside with indifferent gaze looking at Wen Xian, maybe afraid that little brat would get lost in the woods, she asked the staff for a red balloon and tied it to that little brat’s wrist.
She squatted down again and smiled as she said something to him.
He could tell, she was very happy today. Maybe because he brought her to play in the manor, or maybe because Chang Shang came to see her, she smiled more than usual.
For the first eighteen years, Wen Xian was raised soaked in the love of her parents. In these past years, people came and went around her, yet no one ever stayed by her side. She hid away her soft and fragile heart.
Until his appearance, only then did those uneasiness and longings gradually get released by her.
Shen Lingge was not sure whether Wen Xian liked him or not, but what he was certain of was that Wen Xian had once thought about living together with him for a lifetime.
Today Wen Xian wore a pale yellow floral dress, a long silk ribbon hung down from the edge of her hat, floating along with the slightly warm wind. She was holding that little brat’s hand, walking inward.
Shen Lingge looked at that figure and thought faintly: as long as she had ever thought like that, then she could only stay by his side.
When the sky gradually darkened, Shen Lingge walked into the orchard and pulled out the crazy-playing Wen Xian and that little brat together. The little girl was carrying a basket full of grapes, smiling happily.
She muttered in a small voice: “Bring it back for Duoduo and them, and also Uncle Housekeeper to eat. Shen Lingge, do you want some?”
Shen Lingge glanced at her: “Sweet?”
Wen Xian blinked: “Some are sour, some are sweet, this depends on luck.”
Shen Lingge: “I only want to eat sweet ones.”
Wen Xian glared at him: “Childish!”
When they walked to the entrance of the orchard, Gong Yan’s mom also came to pick him up. Wen Xian felt a little embarrassed to introduce herself as his extracurricular classmate, only said she met Gong Yan on the road.
But as soon as she finished speaking, Mother Gong smiled with narrowed eyes and said: “Little girl is our Yanyan’s deskmate, right? Yanyan always mentions you at home, we rarely see him like this, liking his own classmate so much.”
Mother Gong glanced at her own son, asked: “Yanyan, isn’t it so?”
Wen Xian and Gong Yan looked at each other, although Gong Yan pulled his mom away with a red face, his voice still carried a bit of anger: “Mom, what are you talking about? I never said that!”
Mother Gong smiled without speaking.
Shen Lingge took the basket from her hands, walking while saying: “Give your younger brother a call. What do you want to eat for dinner? Eat vegetarian stir-fry or eat barbecue outside?”
Wen Xian didn’t hesitate at all: “I want to eat meat!”
…
Night fell.
The barbecue area was very lively, Wen Xian observed for a while and found that most were parents bringing children out for the weekend. There were also quite a few adult combinations like them.
Shen Lingge brought Wen Xian three bottles of beer, after putting them down he raised his eyes to look at the always silent Chang Shang: “Do you want one?”
Before Chang Shang could speak, Wen Xian blocked him: “Children can’t drink alcohol.”
Children?
Shen Lingge thought of the scene he saw earlier on the study balcony, the teenager lowering his head not knowing what he was thinking about, a point of crimson between his fingers, before long smoke blurred his face.
Next to each barbecue table there was a service staff helping them grill. The barbecue table was filled with dazzling arrays of ingredients, Wen Xianxian in Wen Xian’s arms was staring eagerly at the table.
Wen Xianxian’s dinner had long been prepared. Wen Xian asked Shen Lingge for the car keys and then carried it to the car to feed it. After Wen Xian left, only Shen Lingge and Chang Shang were left in front of the table.
Shen Lingge thought this teenager wouldn’t talk to him, but amid the sound of oil sizzling, he suddenly opened his mouth: “My jiejie is not the same as others. She is alone in Licheng. If you have not thought about a long-term relationship, then break up with her earlier.”
Chang Shang understood Wen Xian too well. She couldn’t bear the pain of being abandoned again and again.
Shen Lingge almost didn’t even think before responding: “If she is willing, I will marry her.”
Chang Shang raised his eyes and looked at Shen Lingge for a moment, the seriousness and firmness in the man’s black eyes did not seem fake. He lowered his gaze and said in a light voice: “You might not know, my jiejie in the past was always surrounded by people, among those people there were those with good intentions and those with bad intentions.”
“She is not stupid, also very sensitive. But she has one flaw, she has never put up even half a guard towards her own family, including me and Chang Yuan.”
He seemed ashamed to bring up the person in his mouth, the line of his lips unconsciously tensed: “She doesn’t know what Chang Yuan is thinking every time before going to the Wen family, Chang Yuan is only thinking about what she can get from her this time.”
“She never cared, but… but Chang Yuan only became greedier and greedier.”
His words abruptly stopped there.
Chang Shang recalled the past years, every time they went home, Chang Yuan would always show off to their mother about what Wen Xian gave her this time again, how much money Wen Xian swiped for her this time again. Their mother only smiled and said as long as she was happy.
His father at first would still teach Chang Yuan not to casually ask for things from her younger sister, but after realizing these things were just insignificant expenses for the Wen family, he never said anything about Chang Yuan again.
Such embarrassing days continued until Wen Tianlin and Chang Shuang passed away.
At that time, Chang Yuan’s first reaction wasn’t that she had lost her gugu and gufu [paternal aunt and uncle], but that she could no longer get those expensive and gorgeous clothes and jewelry from Wen Xian.
That was the first time Chang Shang realized, his jiejie was already beyond saving.
After the Chang family moved away, the haze in Chang Shang’s heart gradually dissipated, because his parents had brought up more than once the idea of letting Wen Xian move to Mingcheng to live with them, this made Chang Shang think his parents still had some conscience.
But Chang Shang was disappointed again. After Chang Ligu learned that Wen Xian spent 260 million to buy that empty villa, he rarely mentioned such things again. His mother even secretly complained with Chang Yuan about whether Wen Xian had gone crazy.
Shen Lingge slightly furrowed his brows: “What do you want to say to me?”
Chang Shang instinctively swallowed once: “I want to tell you, don’t hurt her, and don’t deceive her, she won’t be able to take it in the future.”
After saying that, he added in a low voice: “I’m tired, I’ll go back to rest first, help me tell my jiejie.”
Shen Lingge watched Chang Shang’s departing figure with a heavy gaze, this teenager seemed to know something, but something was stopping him from speaking those words out loud. He was struggling.
Shen Lingge frowned—could there be some problem with the Chang family?
–
When Wen Xian came back, she didn’t see Chang Shang. After asking, she learned he went back to rest already. She said in surprise: “Did he eat something before leaving? That child looks like he has something weighing on his mind.”
Shen Lingge handed her a skewer: “I had someone send dinner to him, you don’t need to worry about him being hungry.”
Only then did Wen Xian feel at ease. She took the skewer and began to eat dinner in satisfaction. Half an hour later, all the beer bottles on the table were already empty. Wen Xian used a small fork to pick up a few slices of watermelon and eat them.
She puffed up her cheeks and asked Shen Lingge: “Are we going back tonight?”
At this time, there was already drunkenness on her face, a flush on her cheeks, but her pair of eyes were still as clear and bright as always. Shen Lingge stared at her for a while before speaking: “Not going back, tomorrow I’ll take you to see the sunrise, didn’t you want to paint?”
Wen Xian wrinkled her face, needing to get up early again.
The moon hung on the branch tip.
Shen Lingge was carrying the dizzy Wen Xian back to their lodging. The little girl seemed drunk. Her eyes were bright as she looked at the moon in the sky, joyfully saying: “Gege, the moon is as round as the grapes I picked.”
Shen Lingge let out a low sigh, only when she was drunk would she be willing to call him Gege, when sober she never called him like this.
Not knowing what she thought of, she struggled to wrap her arms around his neck, she lowered her voice and leaned close to his ear, speaking mysteriously: “Gege, I’ll tell you a secret, don’t tell him.”
Him?
Before Shen Lingge could think deeper, the little girl’s voice suddenly became shy, but every word she spoke was incomparably clear: “I’m only telling you, I… I like Shen Lingge, I like him, I really like him.”
In an instant, the wind stopped, the moon hid.
Shen Lingge’s whole person froze in place.