There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "Is President Wen with you?" the voice asked in a very soft voice.
With a smile in his eyes, Wen Qi took out his usual ointment from the drawer.
Startled, Wen Cheng sprang to her feet, only to have her aching back suffer a severe blow.
"Hmm!"
"Hey, Orange, what's wrong? Did the Li family start bullying you?"
"You know about this too? The exam is over?" Wen Cheng warned Wen Qi with her eyes not to come over.
However, the warning was ignored, and Wen Qi squeezed out the ointment on his own.
"Yes, I'm very confident this time. You have no idea how hard I've been studying these past few days, practically hanging myself by my hair or pricking my thigh with an awl. Now I can even chat in English with people in my own country!" Yao Xingwei exclaimed confidently. Wen Cheng was too preoccupied to pay attention.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh! Ugh!" Wen Cheng retreated step by step in fright.
"Holy crap!" Yao Xingwei was startled. "Chengzi, what are you doing? Even a roller coaster isn't as thrilling as this!"
Wen Cheng was speechless. After the initial shock, she realized that Wen Qi had no intention of coming over to apply the medicine for her at all. Instead, he was busy applying the medicine to the arm she had just bitten.
Even after becoming her boyfriend, he still has to be a little mischievous in front of her.
Wen Cheng threw a pillow at him.
"It's nothing, just practicing my voice. Please continue."
"Oh right, right, it's important," he said. Sometimes being a bit slow has its advantages; he's the type to believe anything. "The Li family is infamous abroad. Tell President Wen there's no need to back down. Also, the youngest son of the Li family is actually a history teacher at our school, and he was even kicked out of his home. There's definitely something to uncover here. Do you need any information? I happen to be free lately, I can look it up for you tomorrow."
Wen Cheng looked at Wen Qi.
Wen Qi nodded and applied the ointment.
Wen Cheng agreed to this, and since she wouldn't be cooking, the two of them opted to order takeout for dinner.
In the past, Wen Qi would never have allowed food to be served in bed, but that's no longer an issue after they started dating. Wen Cheng scooped up the steamed egg in her bowl, still thinking about the fried chicken she hadn't ordered earlier.
"From now on, I want to eat delicious food every day, once every two months."
"Don't you like the eggs?" Wen Qi put another dumpling in his bowl. It was translucent, and the meat inside was springy and smooth.
"Don't try to change the subject," Wen Cheng said, looking at Wen Qi with a hint of resentment.
Wen Qi paused with his chopsticks, "You'll get used to it eventually,"
"Don't you have a clear understanding of yourself? How could I possibly adapt to this!" Wen Cheng was completely unaware that Wen Qi heard her words as a compliment.
“This is indeed a problem,” Wen Qi said, looking down and taking out his phone.
Wen Cheng was overjoyed, thinking that Wen Qi had finally shown signs of reflection, and leaned closer to see what Wen Qi was thinking.
Wen Qi: Zhuo Rui, I want a set of the ones you told me about before, [picture].
In a fit of anger, Wen Cheng bit Wen Qi's existing wound again, this time hard.
After resting for a few days, Wen Qi reluctantly agreed to Wen Cheng's request to be a little spy, despite her dark expression, on the condition that she not leave his sight.
The reason is that even a rabbit will bite back when cornered. Indeed, in Wen Qi's view, the Li family is now weaker than a critically ill rabbit.
As Wen Qi continued to put pressure on the Li family, Li Gaoyi's hypocritical facade couldn't last long. Every few days, he would come to ask Wen Qi how things were going.
“Mr. Wen, my time is limited. If this drags on, public opinion will shift in Wen Qi's favor again, and you will lose control of the Wen family. Putting aside Wen Qi, do you really want Wen Cheng, that good-for-nothing, to take your place? I believe that with your abilities, it is the right thing for the Wen family to be in your hands.”
What a passionate and inspiring brainwashing campaign! Unfortunately, not only Wen Cheng, but even Wen Yunyi listened with a completely numb expression.
"Yes, I understand. I'm trying my best. Remember, I'm not persecuting my brother. I'm helping him get out of this predicament and, incidentally, leading the Wen family to a brighter future."
"Yes, it's good that Mr. Wen knows. I need to know the results the day after tomorrow, at the latest the day after tomorrow. My mother's condition doesn't allow her to hold on for much longer."
"Actually, you could have taken her back. You could have just said you begged my brother, or secretly brought her back. Otherwise, what if the old lady really passes away?"
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.
After a long pause, Li Gaoyi's voice became indistinct, "Actually, the passing of the old lady is a great thing for our Li family. But don't worry, for the sake of the Wen family's reputation, I will take her back when she takes her last breath. You can rest assured about that."
Now that you've said that, I'm completely worried, okay?
"That Li Gaoyi is really ruthless. She's his own mother, after all." Wen Yunyi's face showed a hint of anger.
“The old lady’s actions over the years are not what a biological mother would do; it can only be said that both mother and son are wicked,” Wen Cheng said.
"Chengcheng, remember to give me the recording," Wen Qi said.
"Okay!" Wen Cheng didn't even need to ask for a reason.
"By the way, brother, it's been a few days since those things happened online. Are you sure you don't want to deal with them? Ultimately, it's bad for your reputation. Last night I even saw someone online saying you have mental problems, and they've created several hashtags on Weibo trying to get you removed from your position at the Wen family," Wen Yunyi said angrily.
He's been wanting to hold a press conference for a while, but everyone seems so slow, leaving him anxiously waiting here every day.
Wen Cheng silently watched the drama unfold, only to be glared at by Wen Yunyi. "And you, don't you even look at your account? Do you know how many people are cursing you right now?" Wen Yunyi looked at her with exasperation. Some people spend their whole lives trying to become famous, doing all sorts of things to achieve it. This guy next to her has a natural talent for becoming famous, but he doesn't seem to care at all.
Sometimes he even wondered if it was because he had been with you for so long that he could completely ignore these external things.
Wen Cheng spat out the seeds with a puff of air. "No rush, the fish has only just taken a bite. We can't scare it."
"Do you think you're acting? Shouldn't you take the initiative in this kind of situation? It's such a waste of energy to waste time with him." Wen Yunyi said blankly.
Wen Cheng: ..... Qi Ge has been dealing with them for over a decade, what's there to be afraid of now?
"Don't worry, let's see tomorrow." Wen Cheng patted her younger brother on the back.
"Tomorrow?" Wen Yunyi frowned, vaguely sensing that these two were planning a huge scheme, but they just wouldn't tell him for sure.
"Can't I even tell you a little bit?" Wen Yunyi said, feeling wronged.
Wen Cheng quickly comforted her younger brother, "It's like watching a TV series. I've already told you the plot, so are you still interested in watching the show?"
“I do,” Wen Yunyi firmly stated his opinion.
Wen Cheng thought for a moment, then patted Wen Yunyi's back with a serious expression, "Then your brother needs to correct this kind of thinking."
......
That evening, although Wen Yin frequently glanced at Wen Qi during dinner, she ultimately respected her child and didn't ask any more questions. Wen Cheng also sensed that her parents were anxious about the matter, but her bottom line was to respect her child's wishes.
The current situation is that Li Gaoyi keeps creating public opinion online, and even shamelessly took photos of his nephew secretly wiping away tears and missing his grandmother. He has gone to great lengths to play the victim. The public will only believe the facts in front of them. The Wen family is not refuting it, right? That is tantamount to admitting it.
Given Wen Yongwang and Wen Yin's positions, although no one dared to ask him openly, they were still subtly probing behind his back. Wen Yin simply stopped going out during this period to avoid causing trouble for the child.
Wen Qi wiped his mouth, looked up at the two elders, and said sincerely, "Thank you for your hard work these past few days, Uncle and Aunt. You've worried a lot about me."
"What's there to worry about, Aqi? You haven't asked us for help once, so it's hardly a concern," Wen Yin said with a helpless smile.
Wen Cheng quickly went over to try and win over Qi Ge, "Mom! Qi Ge is confident in himself. If he keeps asking you to do things, how serious would that be?" Wen Cheng deliberately flattered the two elders.
Wen Yin smiled and gently tugged at Wen Cheng's ear, "We've only been together a short time, and you're already practically clinging to him."
Wen Cheng's face turned red, which was quite embarrassing.
Wen Yongwang snorted unhappily.
Wen Qi then revealed his most genuine smile of the night, "Auntie, I don't want your help because I feel it's not worth it for you to get involved. There are too many troubles in the Li family, and I don't want you to get involved in too many bad things. The day after tomorrow, this matter will be over."
"The day after tomorrow will be fine?" Wen Yongwang asked in surprise.
This mess looks like it won't be cleaned up for at least a few months.
“Yes, Yu Xi the day after tomorrow,” Wen Qi nodded firmly.
Although Wen Yunyi was surprised, his brother had promised the day after tomorrow, so it had to be the day after tomorrow.
The next day, news of the old lady's critical condition topped the headlines, accompanied by photos of various ventilators that looked incredibly real.
Li Gaoyi called very early in the morning.
"How is Mother doing now?!" The tone of the voice was genuinely anxious.
Wen Cheng genuinely thought he was anxious, so she pretended to say, "The situation was bad last night. The doctor performed surgery all night and only came out of the operating room this morning, but the situation is not optimistic. He's in critical condition. My brother is still busy at the hospital."
"Oh, I see. Then it's true," the tone on the other end suddenly softened.
"You're not planning to take anyone back with you?" Wen Cheng retorted.
“Mr. Wen, whether we can bring this person back now depends on your evidence. Or, if you can’t handle this, I’ll have no choice but to expose our chat history. When we fall, how many people will be willing to genuinely help you, a fake young master mistakenly taken in by the Wen family?” Li Gaoyi’s attitude suddenly changed.
"You!" Wen Cheng pretended to be angry.
"Mr. Wen, we're all in the same boat now. The choice you make is up to you." Li Gaoyi hung up the phone with a sinister tone.
Wen Cheng turned off her phone, then looked at the person sitting next to her with starry eyes, asking for praise: "How was my acting? Was it good?"
"Hmm, not bad." Wen Qi praised sincerely.
"Mr. Wen, it's time to board." Zhao Si handed Wen Qi two plane tickets.
Wen Cheng took the card; the destination on it was the United States.
His next stop was the company that Wen Qi had also run for nine years, except that this company was registered under Shi Zhuorui's name.
"Uncle, please! Please bring Grandma back first!" In a luxurious old house in the United States, a freckled boy with a not-so-bad-looking face pleaded with a man in a suit, his eyes red.
Author's Note:
Ah~ Goodnight~
Chapter 161 Secret
The annoyance in Li Gaoyi's eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by the understanding uncle's demeanor. "Bernie, it's not that your uncle doesn't want to bring your grandmother back, but look at the current situation. If we rush over there, we don't know what crimes Wen Qi might pin on us. Do you want the entire Li family to be controlled by Wen Qi?"
Bernie Li, his eyes red, was deep in thought, while the servants around him exchanged glances.
Only the woman sitting in the middle of the sofa calmly looked at her newly done nails. Although over thirty, they were very well maintained, though her eyes looked a bit fierce, with inverted triangles; looking at them even for a moment longer would make something seem off.
"Bernie, go home after you've had your fun. You have your entrance exams coming up, why are you always meddling in adults' affairs? I heard you had people call Wen Qi's company repeatedly, and what happened? Were they moved by your filial piety?" the woman said, not wanting to miss out on the drama.
Bernie Lee glared at the woman with hatred.
“I’m not a cold-blooded person like you. Filial piety is the most important virtue. I grew up abroad and I know this principle. You’ve forgotten your roots after being abroad for a few years! All you do is make sarcastic remarks!” Li Boni wasn’t intimidated by this woman at all.
You Ling, her uncle's second wife, married him right after graduating at nineteen. She's always up to no good, and her grandmother doesn't like her either.
"I think it's just what you want, that Grandma can't come back. After all, if she did come back, you wouldn't even be worthy to sit on the sofa in the house!"
"You!" The woman was angered by those words.