“Open it yourself!” She stood rooted to the spot, turning her head away, leaning against the wall, pressing the envelope in her hand tightly.
His gaze held a hint of helplessness. “Your temper has really been growing lately.”
But he didn’t press her further, nor did he suspect she was hiding something behind her back. He simply went inside.
In the end, it was Aunt Chen who opened the package, while Jian Zhi quickly hid her exam results and retreated to the guest room.
“Jian Zhi, get ready to leave.” Wen Tingyan called out to her from outside.
“Wen Tingyan!” She turned around. “Could you show me some respect? Don’t just inform me of everything at the last minute.”
He walked to the guest room door. “Mrs. Wen, is this really last-minute? Today is your father’s birthday.”
Jian Zhi: …
“Or should I go alone?” He raised an eyebrow and continued.
“Wait a moment, I need to change.” She closed the door.
Unexpectedly, he reached out to stop it, his gaze deep and suspicious. “Is it really necessary to close the door? Is it because of that dancing guy?”
“Ridiculous!” She slammed the door shut.
In their five years of marriage, had there ever been a time when they didn’t close the door to change? And it was him who started this habit in the first place! As if marrying her would somehow tarnish his purity, he was always meticulously covered up in front of her—even his pajamas were buttoned up to the very last button! And now he suddenly thinks it’s unnecessary?
What is he if not insane?
After changing, she came out to find Wen Tingyan waiting for her on the sofa.
“Let’s go.” She noticed the red envelope on the coffee table. At a glance, she knew it was prepared by Wen Tingyan for her father—a thick stack, probably tens of thousands of yuan.
It was like this every year for her family’s birthdays.
The giver was willing, the receiver was happy, but she, caught in the middle, felt more suffocated the larger the red envelope was.
Sitting in Wen Tingyan’s car, she also saw cigarettes and alcohol on the back seat—premium brands, packed in boxes.
Her boastful father loved them.
Her parents lived in a neighborhood half an hour’s drive away, in a new house Wen Tingyan bought for them after their marriage.
Wen Tingyan didn’t like her family, she knew, but he always gave them whatever they asked for.
For example, when he married her, he paid a hefty bride price. Of course, her parents would never let her take it back. Her mother said, “I raised you all these years. Should I just give away a grown daughter for free? Besides, he’s so rich. Why would he care about this bride price?”
Another example: after their marriage, every time they saw Wen Tingyan, her parents would complain about how damp and cramped their old house was. Wen Tingyan was smart—what wasn’t he aware of? So, he bought them this four-bedroom house.
Yet another example: two years ago, when her younger brother graduated from university, her parents and brother sighed in front of Wen Tingyan about how hard it was to find a job. Wen Tingyan understood again and opened a company for her brother.
And another: once, she heard Wen Tingyan’s phone ring and glanced at it unintentionally. It was a reminder he had set: “Jian Zhi’s brother’s birthday.” It turned out he had recorded every important date for her and her family, setting reminders. So, he always remembered her family’s birthdays better than she did…
Such instances were too numerous to list.
Her parents loved to boast, bragging everywhere about how rich and generous their son-in-law was. As a result, everyone said she had married a good husband.
She admitted that as a son-in-law and brother-in-law, Wen Tingyan was nearly perfect. Even as a husband, it was difficult for outsiders to find any flaws in him.
If one were to describe Wen Tingyan with the word “good,” she would agree.
But she was also acutely aware of one thing: all the goodness Wen Tingyan exhibited did not stem from how much he loved her, but from atonement.
The phrase “never able to dance again” was a devastating blow to both her and him.
She still remembered Wen Tingyan’s reaction upon hearing those words—after the initial shock, he seemed as if his soul had been drained from him.
From that moment on, the vibrant Wen Tingyan died.
Both of them were simultaneously shackled by the word “forever”—she had forever lost the stage, and he would forever atone for it.
” I’ve wronged her”—these five words became the unbearable burden of his entire life.
From then on, Wen Tingyan died, and what remained was Jian Zhi’s husband—a walking robot, devoid of warmth, devoid of emotion, a stagnant pool, mechanically performing the duties of a husband, son-in-law, and brother-in-law.
But now he had come back to life…
Luo Yucheng had returned, bringing back the light of his life.
He began to smile again, his eyes gleaming with light and fire.
She sighed heavily in her heart. Since things had come to this, why wouldn’t he let her go and free himself as well?
“We’re here.”
Wen Tingyan’s voice interrupted her thoughts. They had already arrived at the underground parking garage of her residential complex.
She silently got out of the car, and Wen Tingyan opened the door to unload everything from the back seat.
She noticed that not only were there premium cigarettes and alcohol for her father, but there was also a large gift box, though she didn’t know what was inside.
There were several large boxes, and it took him three trips to move them all into the elevator.
If his friends saw him like this, they would probably gossip behind her back again, saying: “This woman was born to torment our A Yan. What status does our A Yan hold? She’s just the daughter of a down-and-out family, and yet our A Yan is running around, working like a slave for her family.”
She couldn’t help but sneer coldly.
On this point, even she herself felt that Wen Tingyan was going too far—such an insatiably greedy family truly wasn’t worth it.
Just then, he brought in the last item and noticed the lingering cold smile at the corner of her lips. After pressing the elevator button, he asked her, “What are you smiling about?”
“Nothing.” She couldn’t very well say she was laughing at his foolishness, could she?
The elevator ascended to the floor where her family lived.
“You go in first. I’ll bring the things,” he said.
She stepped out of the elevator and stood waiting for him at the door.
When he came out carrying a box and saw her standing there, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat helpless. “Otherwise, are you going to stand here blocking the elevator?”
She finally moved away.
“You…” He shook his head. “This is your own home.”
She lowered her head.
Was this her home?
She didn’t acknowledge it as such.
This was her brother’s and her parents’ home.
A home that hadn’t shown an ounce of concern when her leg was injured in a car accident, only worrying about how much compensation they could extort—how could this be her home?
Moreover, in this home, Wen Tingyan was clearly more welcome than she was.
After Wen Tingyan had moved all the items out, he went to ring the doorbell.
Her parents knew they were coming back, so they rushed to open the door as soon as they heard the doorbell. When her mother saw Wen Tingyan, she beamed like a flower and ushered him inside.
Jian Zhi almost suspected that if she hadn’t followed Wen Tingyan in, her mother wouldn’t even have noticed she hadn’t come.
The first thing Wen Tingyan did upon entering was present gifts.
Cigarettes, alcohol, red envelopes, and that large box.
When it was opened, Jian Zhi discovered it was actually a fishing set.
Her father had somehow become obsessed with fishing recently, but this fishing gear costing six figures absolutely stunned her.
“My good son-in-law! You actually bought it for me? Excellent! Excellent!” Her father repeatedly praised.
So, her father had asked for this fishing set?
How dare he!