The scene made her mind explode. Staring at her son’s actions, the anger on her face visibly surged at an alarming rate.
Perhaps driven to madness by rage, she completely lost her ability to react, merely glaring at them until they reached the dining room.
“Mom, let’s eat.” After they took their seats, Wen Zhan glanced at his mother and reminded her.
Jiang Lijuan blinked, finally snapping back to reality. Her chest heaved as she swallowed hard before finding her voice: “Son, you… look at her behavior! And you still indulge her! Have you been bewitched by her? It’s just…”
Wen Zhan curved his lips slightly, speaking calmly: “Mom, I’m married now. The affairs of my own family don’t require your concern.”
“What do you mean? Now that you’ve grown wings, you look down on us old folks?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I think that’s exactly what you meant!” Jiang Lijuan had no appetite left for food. Slamming her chopsticks on the table, she turned to her son, ready to have a serious talk. “Did everything I just told you go in one ear and out the other? She talked back to me, and she’s asking you for a divorce!”
“It was just words spoken in anger. We won’t divorce.” Wen Zhan responded in an even tone.
Mu Wanqing was astonished once again.
Why on earth wouldn’t he agree to divorce? Spending a lifetime with a woman he doesn’t love—what a miserable existence that would be!
If they divorced, even if he couldn’t wait for Lu Kejun, at least he’d have his freedom as a single man. He could even become the other man if he wanted!
“Why not divorce? What’s so good about this kind of woman? Does she think having children means she can gain status through her son?” Sure enough, Jiang Lijuan strongly supported her son getting a divorce.
“However, divorce is one thing—but don’t even think about taking the two children with you! Get out of the Wen Family by yourself!” She turned her gaze to Mu Wanqing, making her stance clear.
No matter how magnanimous Mu Wanqing was, being insulted so directly to her face couldn’t leave her completely unaffected.
Yet the angrier she grew, the calmer she became. Looking at her haughty mother-in-law, she said: “I will leave the Wen Family—provided that your son is willing to let me go.”
“Azhan, what are you hesitating for? Divorce her! With your qualifications, countless Mingyuan Shunu would be fighting over you! The moment she steps out the door, you can marry a new bride the very next day!” Jiang Lijuan was extremely agitated, commanding her son as if she couldn’t wait for them to divorce immediately.
Wen Zhan felt extremely irritated. His temper flared under his mother’s interference, and he retorted: “If Dad got divorced now, would countless Mingyuan Shunu be fighting over him too? Could he seamlessly move on to the next?”
The dining room fell into complete silence.
Mu Wanqing was also shocked, turning to look at the man in astonishment.
These words… were truly disrespectful.
Jiang Lijuan was stunned by the retort. After standing frozen for a long moment, she suddenly rose to her feet, her hands trembling with rage: “Ungrateful son! Ungrateful son! You’ve never gotten along with me since childhood. Other people’s sons are warm and caring, they listen to their mothers and make them happy—but you, you’ve been making me angry since you were little! How unlucky I am to have given birth to such an ungrateful creature!”
Without waiting for Wen Zhan to respond, she pushed her chair back angrily and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
The butlers and servants in the villa all held their breath, not daring to make a sound. The entire building fell into complete silence.
But Wen Zhan seemed unaffected, quietly continuing his meal.
Mu Wanqing glanced at him several times, feeling somewhat uneasy inside.
Although she disliked Jiang Lijuan’s overbearing and oppressive attitude, from a mother’s perspective, wanting her son to marry a better wife was only natural.
She hadn’t intended to drive a wedge between the mother and son.
A moment later, she spoke softly, “Actually, you don’t need to anger your mother like that just to defend me. She means well.”
“Who said it was for you?” Wen Zhan retorted immediately, his anger boiling over.
He had rushed back anxiously, afraid she might be bullied by his mother, only to find his efforts unappreciated.
“What have you done to deserve me standing up against my own mother for you?” Seeing her face stiffen with embarrassment, the man not only didn’t stop but added salt to the wound, “Is it because you keep demanding a divorce every day? Or because you’ve secretly found someone else behind my back?”
“Wen Zhan, don’t make baseless accusations!” Mu Wanqing retorted angrily, her eyes trembling.
“Baseless accusations? Then tell me, what have I done to wrong you that you insist on divorce?”
“Do I need to spell out how you’ve wronged me? Was it right for you to drink with Lu Kejun late at night? Was it right to peel shrimp for her in front of her husband? Was it right to go out looking for her in the dead of night, even holding her in your arms?”
Wen Zhan stared at her, his handsome face showing a complex, indescribable expression.
“Our marriage was just a matter of convenience to begin with, and divorce was always part of the plan. I know Grandpa is unwell now, and I’m not saying we have to divorce immediately.”
Mu Wanqing paused, her tone softening as she took a deep breath. “I won’t bring it up again these days, but you don’t need to go out of your way to do anything either. It’s meaningless.”
Her words felt like a slap in the face to Wen Zhan.
Lately, he had been making noticeable changes, gradually acting more like a normal husband—even a gentle and considerate one.
But precisely these changes made Mu Wanqing even more miserable.
She was afraid of losing herself in the temporary gentleness he was feigning and abandoning her principles.
What would she do if she fell for it, only for him to reveal his true self again?
Better for him to be consistently awful, letting her heart grow cold and free of expectations—a clean break.
Silence fell over the dining room, a suffocating quiet that made both of them feel as if they were in hell.
Suddenly, a child’s cry shattered the dead silence.
Instinctively, Mu Wanqing stood up and walked to the stroller, picking up her wailing daughter and rocking her gently.
Perhaps the baby sensed something too, crying even more pitifully. Unable to soothe her, Mu Wanqing carried her to the side room to nurse.
A moment later, the sound of a chair moving came from the dining room.
Without looking back, she knew the man had gotten up and left.
Her nose stung, and she fought back the tears welling in her eyes, unable to believe she had fallen for such a man.
She had brought this upon herself.
That night, Wen Zhan did not return.
It wasn’t until the next morning when Mu Wanqing went to the hospital that she learned from Yi Hang that he had gone on a business trip.
“A business trip? Then why didn’t you go?” she asked curiously.
Yi Hang was Wen Zhan’s personal bodyguard and usually accompanied him on business trips.
Yi Hang replied, “The third young master asked me to stay and take care of things at home. He took Secretary Li and two male assistants. It’s fine.”
Mu Wanqing fell silent, her eyes staring blankly out the window.
When they arrived at the hospital and approached the ward, she quietly composed herself, forcing a smile to appear happier.
Pushing the door open, she found the old man still asleep.
These days, his periods of unconsciousness were growing longer.
Yesterday, she made a special trip to see the doctor and inquire about the elderly man’s condition. The doctor looked grave, shook his head, and indicated that there was truly no way to reverse the situation this time—the old man’s days were numbered.
To alleviate the pain, strong sedative components had been added to the medication, so Grandpa spent the entire day in a drowsy, deep sleep.
The caregiver gave her a slight nod in greeting. She sat down gently by the bedside and slowly placed the nourishing soup she had brought on the table.
Gazing at the old man’s weathered and haggard face, she was reminded of her own grandfather, who had passed away several years ago.