Wen Zhan glanced at her and explained, “The confinement nanny said the baby is crying because she’s hungry, and there’s nothing she can do about it.”
“…” Mu Wanqing was left speechless.
How could there be nothing to do? There was frozen breast milk in the refrigerator. She had been treating herself like a dairy cow every day, drinking nourishing soups like water, and storing any excess breast milk in the fridge.
Not wanting to argue further, she carried her daughter over to the chaise lounge and began feeding her son first.
By the time both little ones were full and had drifted off to dreamland, more than half an hour had passed.
It was getting late. Seeing that she had put the children down, Wen Zhan cleared his throat and said softly, “Stay in the master bedroom tonight. It’ll be easier for you to feed them during the night.”
Mu Wanqing, with her back to him, hesitated before replying, “If the children sleep here, they might wake you up at night.”
“It’s fine. They’re my own children—I can handle being woken up.”
She hadn’t expected him to say that. Unable to help herself, Mu Wanqing glanced at him.
Since the guest room was no longer an option, and she was already here, she had no choice but to return to the master bedroom.
She remained silent, which he took as tacit agreement.
Seeing her acquiesce, Wen Zhan finally felt somewhat relieved. He lifted the covers and said, “It’s late. Let’s sleep.”
“Mm.”
They both climbed into bed from opposite sides, moving cautiously. Once they lay down, a “Milky Way” of distance stretched between them.
“I’m turning off the light,” the man said.
“Mm.”
With a soft click, the room plunged into darkness, but Mu Wanqing’s nerves suddenly tightened.
She held her breath, subtly adjusting her breathing, and gradually relaxed.
Wen Zhan, too, was weighing his thoughts, deciding he should clarify what had happened during the day.
Secretary Li had told him that what women want is a man’s attitude.
After a long while, he finally mustered the courage. In the quiet, dimly lit night, his deep, measured voice broke the silence: “About what happened today with Lu Kejun…”
Just as he began, the phone on the nightstand suddenly vibrated. The buzzing sound startled them both.
Who could be calling so late?
Wen Zhan propped himself up, reached for the phone, and squinted at the screen—Gu Xinchen.
“Hello, what’s wrong?”
On the other end, Gu Xinchen sounded anxious. “Has Kejun been in touch with you this afternoon?”
Wen Zhan tensed and sat up. “We haven’t spoken since this afternoon. Why?”
“Nothing, just asking.” Gu Xinchen clearly didn’t want to say more and was about to hang up.
But Wen Zhan quickly understood and pressed further, “Did you two have a fight? Did she run off?”
The three of them had grown up together and knew each other too well to hide anything.
Gu Xinchen had no choice but to tell the truth: “After lunch with you guys, I said a few things to her in the car, and she got out and left right then. I thought she was just throwing a tantrum and planned to make it up to her when I got back tonight. But she still hasn’t returned, and her phone is off.”
Wen Zhan turned on the light, swung his legs over the side of the bed, and slipped on his slippers. “Did you call Uncle Lu?”
“Yes, she hasn’t gone back to the Lu family either.”
After answering, Gu Xinchen sighed wearily and said, “It’s late. You should rest. I’ll have people search for her.”
“I’ll go out and look around too.”
“No need,” Gu Xinchen refused outright, his tone serious. “Wen Zhan, think about your position. Show some consideration for Miss Mu’s dignity—don’t go too far.”
Wen Zhan hesitated, but the other end had already hung up.
The room was quiet, and Mu Wanqing had overheard most of the conversation.
She understood exactly what was going on.
It must have been because of the “shrimp peeling” incident during lunch that Mr. Gu felt somewhat bothered. He might have said a few words to Lu Kejun, perhaps partly to save face for himself.
Then Lu Kejun got angry.
As a pampered young lady who grew up being the center of attention, how could she tolerate even the slightest grievance?
Running away from home was likely a deliberate act—she wanted to see if these two men still cared about her.
Holding his phone, Wen Zhan hesitated for a few seconds before turning to look at the large bed.
Mu Wanqing wasn’t asleep either; she was staring at him with wide-open eyes, as if waiting for him to speak.
Understanding the man’s dilemma, she broke the brief silence and took the initiative to say, “Go find her. It’s so late, and a young, beautiful woman alone outside is in danger.”
Wen Zhan’s eyelashes trembled slightly as he fixed his gaze on her, his brow furrowing slightly.
She was actually urging him to go find Lu Kejun.
His heart relaxed instantly, the inner conflict vanishing, but soon, his conscience stirred, and he explained, “Their marital quarrel is partly because of me. I should take responsibility…”
Mu Wanqing chuckled inwardly, thinking, At least you know it’s because of you.
Peeling shrimp for another man’s wife right in front of her husband—he was lucky he didn’t get punched on the spot.
“No need to explain. Just go,” Mu Wanqing said, not wanting to look at him. She turned over as she spoke, her face filled with desolation.
Wen Zhan turned and headed to the walk-in closet, quickly changing his clothes before coming out.
As he reached the door and pulled it open, he turned back and added, “I’ll come back as soon as I find her. You should get some rest early.”
Mu Wanqing gave no response, only hearing the soft click of the door closing.
A tear slid from the corner of her eye, seeping into the other eye. She buried her face deeper, letting the tears silently soak into the pillow.
Pathetic!
What’s there to cry about?
He’s always been like this—it’s not just tonight.
Take a deep breath, calm down, close your eyes, and sleep!
As Wen Zhan went downstairs, he dialed Lu Kejun’s number, only to find it turned off.
After driving away from the villa, he called Gu Xinchen.
As soon as the call connected, the other end asked, “So you went out after all?”
Wen Zhan ignored the question and instead demanded, “What’s going on with you two? You’ve been away on business for days, and as soon as you’re back, instead of spending time with her, you pick a fight?”
Gu Xinchen, irritated by the tone, retorted bluntly, “Wen Zhan, are you this concerned about my wife? Have you asked your own wife how she feels? Women tend to be sensitive. Even if you’re lucky enough to have married someone magnanimous, you shouldn’t take advantage of her like this.”
Wen Zhan flared up at this. “Gu Xinchen, are you out of your mind? Your wife has run away from home and is missing, and you’re wasting time being jealous of me?”
Gu Xinchen had been at a social event that evening and had been drinking. His driver was at the wheel while he leaned back in the rear seat.
Hearing his friend’s angry words, he sobered up a bit. Irritated, he loosened his shirt collar and replied more calmly, “You really don’t need to look for her. I’ve sent plenty of people out. We’ll have news soon. Go back home—you have two kids to take care of.”
“Enough nonsense. Finding her is what matters!” Wen Zhan could tell he was drunk from his slurred speech and decided it wasn’t worth arguing.
After hanging up, Wen Zhan searched all the places the three of them had frequented since childhood.
From 11 p.m. until 1 a.m., just as Gu Xinchen was about to call the police, Wen Zhan’s phone suddenly rang.
Seeing it was Lu Kejun calling, he answered immediately, “Hey, Kejun!”
“Hello, I’m not your sister. Your sister had too much to drink. I turned on her phone and saw a contact named ‘Third Brother’ in the call log—are you her brother?” A young male voice explained over the phone, amidst loud background noise.
Wen Zhan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly responded, “Yes, we’ve been looking for her. Where are you—”
“Soho Bar in Binjiang City.”
After hanging up, Wen Zhan immediately turned around and headed straight for the bar, while simultaneously calling Gu Xinchen.