[Wen Qi]: I didn't wake you because you were sleeping so soundly. After you get up, quickly wash up. The driver will come back to pick you up at 10:30.
10:30?
Wen Cheng discovered that Brother Qi knew her habits perfectly well. Even on holidays, she would never wake up before 10 o'clock!
The thought of Wen Qi made Wen Cheng's ears turn slightly red. Then, recalling what happened last night, he realized how incredibly stupid he had been! Not only had he done it, but he had also shyly clung to Qi-ge's hand, not letting him leave. Even Wen Cheng, in his naiveté, understood that this wasn't just simple brotherly affection; his dependence on Wen Qi had gone too far.
Wen Cheng slowly got up and washed up, actually thinking about how to bring it up with Qi Ge when he got off work. Although Wen Cheng really didn't understand what Qi Ge liked about him. Did he like his laziness? Did he like his laid-back attitude?
Well, we can't think so badly of ourselves. He does have some good points, like his appetite!
Wen Cheng proudly puffed out her little chest while brushing her teeth, and then white foam fell onto the pajamas her mother had bought for her, which cost over nine thousand yuan.
......
The driver was very fast and arrived twenty minutes early. As instructed by Aunt Li, he brought Wen Cheng some soft and sweet millet porridge and fried dumplings from his favorite breakfast shop, enough for two people.
Wen Cheng thanked the driver sweetly and then finished all her food on the way back.
The driver dropped Wen Cheng off at the door and left. His family was wealthy but not extravagant; they only had one driver. So, after dropping Wen Cheng off, he had to go back to the company.
The family had prepared an electric wheelchair for Wen Cheng, so after getting out of the car, she slowly sat in the wheelchair and pushed her suitcase forward.
As Wen Cheng walked through the courtyard of her house, she saw a little old man lurking suspiciously at their front gate.
Wen Cheng's curly hair tightened!
Have thieves become so competitive these days? At their age, why would they bother stealing in broad daylight?!
Since Wen Cheng is now unable to fight due to the loss of her legs, she might not be a match for even an old man. So, Wen Cheng originally wanted to secretly retreat and call Brother Qi for help, but she was spotted by that sneaky old man.
"Who are you looking for?" The old man looked to be in his sixties or seventies, but he was still quite energetic and had bright eyes. However, his attire was poor. He was wearing a tattered gray sweater, and his hair looked like it hadn't been styled in a long time. His back was also a bit hunched, and he spoke in a rather unpleasant way. You're the kind of person who cries "stop thief!"
Wen Cheng secretly dialed Wen Qi's number, then looked up and bravely confronted him head-on!
"This is my home!" Wen Cheng said this with a strong voice, trying to make herself look more like the host than the old man.
The old man stared at Wen Cheng with wide eyes, showing none of the guilty conscience Wen Cheng had expected. He even couldn't help but laugh out loud: "I've lived here for so long and I've never seen anyone like you! Do you believe I'll call security?"
Wen Cheng was also amused, "Go ahead and yell!"
Calling security is just right, so he won't suffer in his wheelchair!
The old man hadn't expected Wen Cheng to be so audacious, not even afraid of calling security. Even he himself had been suspected by the security guards for quite a while before being allowed to return. He didn't have his phone now, and if the security guards came later, they'd definitely give him a dressing down first.
Thinking it over, the old man switched tactics.
He gave Wen Cheng a deep look, then said earnestly, "Young man, you can't let losing hope in life and letting yourself fall into such a state just because you've broken both legs!"
? ? ?
"Grandpa, I think you're the one who shouldn't act like an old man just because you're old! This is my house!" Wen Cheng said, her eyebrows raised, refusing to back down.
The atmosphere gradually fell silent. The two even subconsciously checked the house number carefully to make sure they hadn't gone to the wrong place, since the other person was overly confident!
"Wen Cheng, this is our grandfather."
The call Wen Cheng made connected a few seconds before it ended, still on speakerphone. Wen Cheng, along with his automatic wheelchair, froze on the spot.
Huh? What did he just hear?
...
The old man's sudden return disrupted the family's schedule. Wen Yongwang and Wen Qi rushed back after finishing the company's most important meeting of the quarter, and Wen Yin even apologized to her best friend and hurried back as well.
Before this, Wen Cheng awkwardly made cup after cup of tea for her grandfather.
When her parents and older brother all rushed back, they found Wen Cheng sitting on the sofa, looking as tense as a frozen groundhog.
"Where is Grandpa?" Wen Yongwang asked.
Wen Cheng pointed to the toilet in the corner.
Just then, Grandpa Wen came out of the restroom, supporting his back.
Wen Yongwang immediately noticed his grandfather's back. "Dad, what happened to your back?"
Upon hearing this, the family immediately noticed Grandpa Wen's slightly hunched back, which made him impatient. "It's such a small matter, why are you still dawdling like before!"
Grandpa Wen has a fiery temper and speaks bluntly, quite unlike the calm and gentle Wen Yongwang.
“Grandpa,” Wen Qi stepped forward.
Grandpa Wen's attitude softened considerably immediately. He stepped forward, measured his grandson's height with his eyes, and said with particular pride, "Hmm, you've grown taller again."
“Grandpa, I’m way past the age of growing taller,” Wen Qi chuckled, but the overall atmosphere was completely different from his usual coldness. “This is Chengcheng, the one I mentioned in my letter before. I thought you would reply sooner.”
Wen Qi walked to Wen Cheng's side.
Wen Cheng kept her head down, unaware of the panic that flashed across Grandpa Wen's face.
"Oh, Chengcheng, I saw your letter. Is it... your boyfriend?" Grandpa Wen asked tentatively.
He was met with black faces from the whole family, and a startled look from Wen Cheng!
Grandpa Wen: Oh no, I guessed wrong. Could it be that she's already my fiancé?
The head of the family, Wen Yongwang, stepped forward and asked in a solemn tone, "Dad, have you read the letter we sent you?"
Grandpa Wen coughed heavily.
Wen Yongwang didn't press further. He picked up his phone and made a call. Grandpa Wen wanted to intervene, but his good daughter-in-law stopped him with a cold face. Grandpa Wen wasn't afraid of his son, but he was terrified of his daughter-in-law, mainly because he doted on Wen Yin like a daughter, and his daughter was angry with him.
Hmm, I dare not make a sound.
Completely bewildered, Wen Cheng gripped Wen Qi's clothes tightly, startled by the word "boyfriend"!
Wen Qi's gentle gaze fell on the neat whorl of hair on Wen Qi's head. He reached out and gently pinched Wen Cheng's little finger to calm him down a bit. Just as the family was about to settle accounts with Grandpa Wen, the two brothers sat together and whispered among themselves amidst the chaos.
"Did you just have a fight with Grandpa?"
"Hmm, I've never seen this before. I thought all thieves were this competitive," Wen Cheng said fearfully, clutching Wen Qi's little finger.
A muffled thud came from above, as if someone was trying hard to suppress a laugh.
"I told you before, there were photos too, have you forgotten?"
Before? Before what? Was it in the original owner's storyline? The book never mentioned having such an elder in the family? Wen Cheng had a crazy idea: because of his arrival, the world's setting had undergone changes he couldn't have predicted.
For example, the extra grandfather.
Wen Cheng suppressed her panicked heart. "I did mention it before, but I forgot about it because it's been so long."
“Yes, that’s true. No one in the family has mentioned Grandpa recently. He doesn’t like cell phones, so we’ve mostly communicated by letter. Before we found you, Grandpa went abroad with his old comrade-in-arms for recuperation. He didn’t take his cell phone with him. If anything happens at home, we have to write a letter because we’re worried something might happen and make him worry. So, Dad only told Grandpa about you after he officially brought you back. Judging from his reaction just now, I can tell he definitely hasn’t been staying put and recuperating properly these past few days,” Wen Qi said, a chill emanating from him.
Wen Cheng swallowed nervously, trying to back away, but Wen Qi stopped her and pulled her back.
Oh no, my ears are red again!
Wen Cheng looked ahead awkwardly.
Wen Qi continued, "Grandpa used to be a soldier, and he's quite straightforward. You don't need to take some of what he says too seriously, but he's a really good person, and he practically raised me."
"Weren't you with Mom and Dad?" Wen Cheng asked, puzzled.
"Yes, we studied together, but I went to my grandfather's during winter and summer vacations until the summer after I graduated from high school," Wen Qi said with a nostalgic look in his eyes.
Wen Cheng responded with an "oh," secretly enjoying Wen Qi telling her his past stories, because these stories wouldn't be mentioned in the book, at least not for a supporting character.
But these little stories allowed Wen Cheng to feel Qi Ge's presence more realistically.
"What?!" Grandpa Wen's booming voice successfully interrupted Wen Cheng and Wen Qi's whispered conversation!
Wen Cheng was startled and jumped back, then stared blankly as the old man who had just been glaring at her ran towards her, his breathing heavy.
"Grandpa, don't get agitated, sit down and tell me about your situation." Wen Qi stretched out a hand, instinctively pulling Wen Cheng behind him.
"My affairs are nothing compared to this! How could I only find out about this now?!" Grandpa Wen's eyes were filled with disbelief.
"Yes, right at the beginning of spring, he dragged his old comrades on a secret expedition to the snowy mountains in the north. His communicator was blown away in a blizzard, and luckily he only injured his back. He spent a month in the hospital before coming back, so of course you had no idea that such a big thing had happened at home!" Wen Yongwang didn't care about his father's feelings at all and told him everything.
Wen Qi frowned, his gaze towards his grandfather containing reproach and hidden anger, but at the same time, recognizing him as an elder, he refrained from speaking.
But what Grandpa Wen feared most was that look in his eldest grandson's eyes, and his imposing manner immediately weakened.
Wen Cheng: Wow, what a cool old man!
So, Grandpa Wen, who had just been full of energy, was scolded for a long half hour by his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, and was ordered not to go abroad for recuperation unless necessary, and to stay at home for half a year before discussing it further.
Half an hour later, Grandpa Wen finally escaped his misery for a brief moment. He coughed and his gaze fell on Wen Cheng, who had been eating melon seeds for half an hour.
"Now you can tell me about the incident of you switching babies, right?" Grandpa Wen said this seriously, without a trace of the guilt he had shown earlier.
......
Author's Note:
Our relationship is almost official, thank you all for your support!
Chapter 66 Protecting One's Own
The once lively living room fell into a deep silence after Wen Yongwang finished explaining Wen Cheng's situation.
Grandpa Wen's brow was furrowed throughout, and tears welled up in his eyes from time to time. The last time he wanted to cry was when his wife was having a difficult childbirth.
"Dad," Wen Yongwang knew this was really hard to accept, especially overcoming the guilt and self-blame in his heart.
"Don't speak yet, let me ask first," Grandpa Wen suddenly interrupted, frowning. "Chengcheng, I have a question for you."
Startled by being called, Wen Cheng immediately sat up straight.
"Is there anything you're finding difficult to adjust to living here now?"
"No, my parents, brother, and younger brother are all very good to me~" The master of impartiality is back online.
"How does it compare to Yunyi?" Grandpa Wen's question was concise and incisive.
Wen Cheng was taken aback. "They're all the same?"
"The same?" Grandpa Wen immediately raised his eyebrows.
Wen Yongwang quickly came over to explain, "Yes, the two children will definitely be treated equally, Dad, don't worry about that."
"How can they be the same? Do you think I'm praising you?" Grandpa Wen slapped his thigh unhappily. "Chengcheng has suffered for over twenty years. He's your own son, and I'm his own grandson. Now that he's back, you still have the nerve to say you treat them equally? Who is your real son?"