"We haven't gotten our marriage certificate yet, isn't it too informal to go back?" Wen Cheng asked shyly, her bright, watery eyes blinking as she looked at her.
Wen Qi particularly liked Wen Cheng's adorable little gestures and how he could accept her words without any reservation, but Wen Qi really wasn't used to saying such heartwarming things.
"Should we go back and get a temporary marriage certificate before going?" Wen Qi reached out and affectionately curled Wen Cheng's small curly hair on her forehead, then lazily curled it up.
Wen Cheng directly said no to this proposal that lacked any ceremony! She playfully and fiercely slapped the other person's hand away, saying, "After finishing our goat milk, it's time to go out for a snowball fight!"
After two days of fun, Wen Cheng said goodbye to her new friends and went back to the provincial capital with Wen Qi, then took a private plane home.
Having lived in the family for so long, Wen Cheng knew exactly who held the power. She bought so many gifts that she couldn't carry them all in two hands, one of which was for Wen Yin. Wen Yin was overjoyed and kept patting Wen Cheng's head, saying that her child had grown up.
Wen Cheng also sensed that the trip her father took with her mother had taught Wen Yin to let go of a lot. Now, her eyes no longer held the distance and caution she had before, and she seemed to have come back to life, with much more light in them.
“Dad, you should let Mom play outside for a longer time,” Wen Cheng said earnestly.
Looking at his unfilial son, Wen Yongwang felt his blood boil. Not long ago, he was feeling sorry for the child, but now this little brat was like a leaky cotton-padded coat to him.
"We've only just arrived in Southeast Asian countries, how long have we been traveling! And this month's allowance is gone!" Like father, like son, Wen Cheng's face instantly fell. The allowance had just increased!
Wen Yongwang said several things, but finally managed to calm down after a look from his wife.
"Aqi, come up with me for a moment," Wen Yongwang said gruffly.
Wen Qi didn't say much, and was about to follow when his cell phone rang in his pocket.
"Hello,"
"Hello, is this Mr. Wen? Mrs. Li would like to see you." It was a call from the police station. The policeman sounded somewhat helpless, probably because he was annoyed by the caller.
"How dare she!" Wen Yin exclaimed indignantly!
Wen Yongwang quickly stopped his wife, "Aqi, we don't need to agree to this. We have no obligation to do so for the time being."
Although the couple's emotions differed in intensity, their underlying goal was the same: out of sight, out of mind. This was completely contrary to Wen Qi's thinking.
"Brother Qi, can you take me there?" Wen Cheng whispered to Wen Qi, pressing her ear close to him.
Seemingly weak, but actually...
Wen Qi could see the burning desire for battle in Wen Cheng's eyes!
Author's Note:
Goodnight~ I'll be posting a huge update tomorrow!!!
Chapter 157 Bet
Wen Cheng finally got into Wen Qi's car without any trouble. She didn't sit still at all the way, and it wasn't until they reached a traffic light that Wen Qi finally had a chance to look down and see what she was doing.
At this moment, someone was very seriously engaging with a super topic, the topic of which was called, "How to insult someone without using profanity."
Wen Qi silently turned her head away halfway through the reading, not intending to say anything more and affect her boyfriend's excited mood.
The two arrived at the police station just as they were having lunch. The policeman who had taken the old lady away last time was enjoying his lunch, and he didn't even need to check his phone to confirm their arrival. That's the advantage of being a celebrity.
"Hey, you two are back from your trip! Did you have a great time?" the policeman greeted them warmly.
Wen Cheng was stunned. "You know us?" Wen Cheng had always believed that there was a difference between being known in real life and online, especially since the person who knew them was a police officer.
"Hey, my sister talks about you guys every day at home. She's been nagging me so much lately, seeing you guys is like seeing family." The policeman put down his lunchbox and walked over.
Wen Cheng chuckled, finding the police quite amusing.
Wen Qi stood silently beside Wen Cheng, watching her chatter away with the police. Although he didn't intervene, he kept Wen Cheng within his protective sphere.
"I have to say, you two really look like a perfect match! In the future, when you have more time—well, let's just say you're 'working'—my single sister won't be so bored and bullying me every day," the guy said frankly.
Wen Cheng had actually considered this.
"Sigh, I really don't understand. It's not a big deal. The identities of those international bodyguards have been confirmed, there's nothing wrong with them. We can just send someone to bail them out, but the Li family just won't send anyone. I genuinely believe that President Wen isn't that kind of person, but the Li family... well, who knows?" The police officer had been bothered by that old lady these past few days.
Several of my colleagues agreed.
When she saw the old lady, she had lost her initial spirit and was completely listless. Her eyes were filled with even more resentment as she looked at Wen Qi and Wen Cheng.
"Wen Qi, you can hold off the Li family for a while, but can you hold them off forever? Now you're preventing my son from bailing me out and making me suffer here, but once I'm out, do you think you'll have a good life?"
Looking at the old lady, Wen Cheng suddenly felt a pang of pity. "Your kids are all waiting to get benefits from Brother Qi, who even thinks about you?"
Instead of getting angry, Wen Qi laughed, "Grandma, how about we make a bet?"
Author's Note:
Well, how should I put it? Near the end, I couldn't resist revising some of the previous content, so there haven't been many updates. I know I'm sorry to everyone who's been waiting, but I'll make up for it later!
Chapter 158 I'm Not Interested in Money
The next day, all the news outlets were updated with the same major topic: the head of the Li family had fallen ill at the police station and was hospitalized in critical condition, requiring urgent assistance from abroad!
Some unofficial sources even managed to capture photos of the elderly woman in the intensive care unit, with various tubes inserted into her body, like a skeleton clinging to life. These photos spread like wildfire, appearing on the front page of almost every major news outlet, with the severity of her condition described as so dire that a mere gust of cold wind could summon a suona horn to her door.
The general public can only sigh that these days, stories of the wealthy are more interesting than the trivial matters of the entertainment industry; they're like a TV series with a plot full of ups and downs.
This incident sparked a frenzy of discussion on the forum. Some criticized Wen Qi, while others criticized the Li family. The general consensus was that the old lady bore responsibility for both sides. A common stereotype is that no matter what wrong elders have done, they are still elders, and you must understand and be considerate of them; you can't be so heartless.
The Li family had calmed down a bit after Wen Qi's donation, but this sudden reaction got them all fired up. They even registered a domestic account and recorded a video. The person in the video was none other than Li Gaoyi, the current second-in-command of the Li family.
The other party was clearly well-prepared; the video was shot like a love story, so sentimental that Wen Cheng rolled her eyes repeatedly.
In the video, Li Gaoyi looked to be in his fifties, with a dignified appearance. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, a silver-gray suit, and his sparse hair was neatly styled with hair gel. He bowed to the camera and said, "If the Li family has wronged Aqi in any way, I, as Aqi's uncle, apologize to Aqi here."
The video was conducted in the form of an interview, and the logo of a well-known foreign TV station was also visible in the lower left corner of the screen. Even at a time like this, they didn't forget to advertise. It seems the Li family is truly poor now.
"Many citizens in our country believe that the Li family did not actively try to bail out Madam Li. Do you have any explanation for this?"
Li Gaoyi sighed at the camera and said in fluent American English, "Actually, ever since my mother went in, the Li family has been actively involved in her bail process. We even had all our stores close for a week because of this. My nephew was so heartbroken that he didn't want to go to school. You know, my mother is the most special person to him. I've made countless phone calls to negotiate, but Aqi has always refused to answer. I think he might hate me as his uncle."
Why would Mr. Wen dislike you?
“I think it must be related to my sister, Aqi’s mother,” Li Gaoyi said after a moment’s hesitation.
"Would Mr. Li be willing to elaborate on this matter?"
"Oh, of course. We found the radio station so that Aqi would understand our good intentions and give us a chance to negotiate. Here's what happened: It was my mother's birthday that year, and my sister brought her family to the United States. My mother and we were all very happy because we suddenly changed the location of the birthday party. We sent a car to pick up my sister, but Aqi was young at the time and didn't want to go out because of the rain. My sister really wanted my mother to see her grandson, so she had to spend time persuading the child, but Aqi still didn't want to go out. It started pouring rain after 10 o'clock. I called my sister and told her not to come yet because, as you know, I was worried that something might happen on the road in this kind of weather. But my sister hadn't seen my mother for a long time and insisted on coming. On the way, she encountered a landslide. The police said that if it had happened two days earlier, my sister would have been able to arrive at the party safely."
As Li Gaoyi spoke, he pulled a handkerchief from his chest pocket and wiped away his tears. "I feel very guilty about this. If I had been able to persuade Aqi to come over on behalf of my sister, this wouldn't have happened. Later, after my sister passed away, I was the first person to suggest that Aqi be registered in our household. But Aqi refused and even went missing and threatened my family multiple times. We had no choice but to entrust the child to Mr. Wen. I thought Aqi would understand his family and live well in Mr. Wen's house. But later, I never expected that he would be removed from the Wen family's household registration at the age of eighteen. I always thought Mr. Wen's family was a wonderful family. But after Aqi turned eighteen, he refused to call Mr. Wen 'father' anymore. I don't know where things went wrong. Now Aqi has driven his grandmother to the hospital. I think it must be because of me."
Every word Li Gaoyi spoke was tinged with self-reproach, an emotion that could easily affect viewers.
The TV station representative also said, "I think, Mr. Li, this matter is definitely not your fault. Mr. Wen's actions are truly disheartening. So, is there anything you would like to say to Mr. Wen regarding this matter?"
Li Gaoyi put away his handkerchief and looked at the camera very sincerely: "Aqi, your uncle has no other requests, he only asks you to stop suing Mother and let us bring her back to China for treatment. She is not only the head of the Li family, but also our most respected elder. As Mother's eldest son, I beg you to let Mother return to China."
The video ends here, with Wen Cheng trembling with anger at her workstation.
"You have money to hire a TV station, huh! Who's afraid of who!" Wen Cheng suddenly stood up, and Shen Feimo and the other colleagues in the office quickly pulled him back.
"Chengcheng, calm down, calm down! You can't be so impulsive at a time like this!"
Wen Cheng was still trembling all over. Although he knew that Brother Qi would make a next decision, or that he had already anticipated this step, he felt extremely angry when he heard that others were spreading rumors about him!
"He's talking nonsense!" Wen Cheng said through gritted teeth.
"Bullshit, of course it's bullshit! How could we employees not know what kind of person President Wen is? Before, my mother came here for treatment of a minor illness, and President Wen directly approved two months of sick leave for me. Where can you find such a good boss these days? That guy looks hypocritical and is a scoundrel. Let's calm down and think of a solution. We can't let him lead us by the nose!" Shen Feimo advised.
Other colleagues echoed this sentiment.
Wen Cheng gradually calmed down, but the emotions she had tried so hard to control weren't so easy to dissipate. She pouted and couldn't hold back her tears.
The office was in complete turmoil. Some were handing out tissues, while others immediately engaged in online arguments. The IT department had this one advantage: they could easily design a program that could take on ten opponents at once, significantly reducing the online trolls' influence.
"And Rou Rou too! Let Rou Rou tear people apart! She'll make these haters question their existence in just one day, and she'll even cause trouble on that beast's personal page!" The office colleagues' emotions immediately soared.
Wen Cheng felt as if she had come back to life from this world, and she was grateful to have met so many friends.
"Okay, let's get started," Wen Cheng encouraged herself.
If you can't cause trouble directly, then dig around it indirectly. For example, find out what mistresses they've had, what scandals they've been involved in. Anyway, people like that don't seem to have a clean private life, and their character is definitely not that good. Wen Cheng may not be good at other things, but he's very good at discrediting the system.
However, to his surprise, Jian Cheng actually sent him a message.
"Hello Mr. Wen, I don't know if this matter will be of any use to you. I spent some time in the United States before and came into contact with some things about the Li family. I hope some of the information will be of use to you."
Jian Chengren looked at him with a smiling, harmless expression. This statement was followed by three full pages of secrets about the Li family.
Finally, they added, "We hope the Wen family can resolve this thorny issue soon. Our studio is very much looking forward to your joining us."
Wen Cheng suddenly felt restless. Yes, she needed to resolve this mess as soon as possible and then realize her own value.
It would be even better if I could propose to Brother Qi later on.
"Chengcheng, come on, I've already found a TV station, let's go to my office!" The clattering of keyboards in the office suddenly stopped, and Wen Yunyi was seen standing panting at the office door, his face showing a determination to fight the Li family to the end.
Wen Cheng left her seat, moved.
"Thanks,"
"What are you thanking me for? He's still my brother. I can't stand those bastards barking outside." Wen Yunyi's face seemed to say, "Does my brother even deserve to be talked about by those little bastards?"
Wen Cheng felt that she needed to clarify this matter with Wen Yunyi, otherwise a pragmatist like Wen Yunyi would be going head-to-head with the Li family at any moment.
"Come on, let's go outside and talk." Wen Cheng pulled Wen Yunyi out and explained everything to him first.
As the two entered the elevator, before Wen Cheng could get to the point, Wen Yunyi's phone rang. It was an international number. The two brothers exchanged glances, and then Wen Yunyi answered the call.
"Hello, is this Mr. Wen Yunyi? This is Li Gaoyi, Aqi's uncle. May I talk to you?" A familiar voice came from the phone.
So that bastard has already arrived here?
"What do I have to talk to you about?" Wen Yunyi's tone was anything but pleasant.
"No, no, no, Mr. Wen, you're mistaken. With your intelligence, I'm sure you've already seen through the exaggeration in some of what I said in the video."
More than just a little, the two brothers rolled their eyes at their colleague.
"Actually, we have a common enemy, don't we? I'm right downstairs at your company right now. If you think I'm sincere enough, then come down and talk to me about our next plan," Li Gaoyi tempted.
"I'm talking about your big... um," Wen Yunyi began, but Wen Cheng covered his mouth before he could finish.
Then, imitating Wen Yunyi's speaking habits, Wen Cheng said, "I don't understand what you're saying at all, but you're my brother's uncle, and I believe you're doing this for my brother's own good."