Upon arriving at the restaurant, Mu Wanqing felt discomfort in her chest from being out for too long. Shortly after taking her seat, she stood up again and headed to the restroom.
Once she left, Chen Haoyang immediately asked his wife, “Huanhuan, you’ve known her since high school and have been good friends for so many years. What’s wrong with asking her for a favor? You’ve helped her many times before when you knew her family was struggling.”
Ye Huan, flipping through the menu, didn’t even look up. “You know her family background, so how do you think she’s faring in a wealthy household? How could she possibly have any say in business matters? Aren’t you just putting her in a difficult position on purpose?”
“How would we know without trying? You’ve been working for a few years now—don’t you understand how the world works? It’s all about connections; having the right people makes things happen. A massive company like Wen Yuan Group has countless prestigious law firms eyeing it. If I don’t pull some strings and build relationships, how can I possibly win the bid?”
Ye Huan finally looked up from the menu and sighed helplessly. “Honey, don’t aim too high all at once, okay? Our law firm has just started and hasn’t even made a name for itself yet, and you’re already dreaming big.”
“If I secure Wen Yuan, won’t that make our reputation? An instant success!”
“You’re really…” Ye Huan was exasperated with her husband, but no matter what, she didn’t want to trouble her good friend. “In any case, you can’t bring this up with Xiaoqing again, or I’ll get really mad at you!”
By the time Mu Wanqing returned, the two had resumed their usual demeanor.
The three of them ordered a table full of delicious dishes, chatting and reminiscing about their college days while reflecting on their lives over the past few years. The atmosphere remained pleasant.
Halfway through the meal, Ye Huan accidentally knocked over her juice, staining her clothes, and had to go to the restroom to clean up.
Left alone together, the atmosphere grew somewhat awkward. Mu Wanqing was considering whether to find an excuse to step away briefly when the man across from her suddenly half-stood to pour her some water.
She could only politely thank him.
“Wanqing, you’re so fortunate to have Dragon-Phoenix Twins—it’s truly enviable!”
Chen Haoyang began with praise, leaving Mu Wanqing forcing a smile, unsure how to respond.
“Your husband’s family must be overjoyed, right?”
Sure enough, he brought up “the husband’s family” again.
“You must be exhausted taking care of the children. Eat more—this soup is excellent. Let me serve you a bowl.” Chen Haoyang acted the part of a refined gentleman, standing up to take her bowl and fill it with soup.
Mu Wanqing felt she couldn’t accept such attention and quickly rose slightly, reaching to take it back. “No need, Mr. Chen, I can help myself…”
“Don’t be polite,” Chen Haoyang avoided her hand, insistently serving her a bowl of soup, then smiled as he returned it to her. “Drink it while it’s hot.”
“Thank you… Um, please sit down and eat. I can manage on my own.” Seeing him stare intently at her, Mu Wanqing felt extremely uneasy, her expression visibly uncomfortable.
She hadn’t noticed at all that, from the corridor on the other side of the restaurant, Wen Zhan was surrounded by a group of people, crossing the hall toward a private room.
Wen Zhan had been away on a business trip for several days and had returned to Chongcheng early that morning.
Urgent matters awaited him at the company, so he went straight from the airport to the office. After handling the affairs, he had an important client to meet.
Since it was mealtime, the client suggested discussing matters over a meal, so the group came to this restaurant.
As Wen Zhan entered the restaurant, his eyes filled with shock upon spotting his wife dining by the window with an unfamiliar man.
The man was staring directly at her with an unmistakably inappropriate gaze, attentively and gallantly serving her soup, while the two chatted and laughed together.
Wen Zhan’s previously decent mood suddenly darkened, feeling as though a field of lush green weeds was swaying above his head.
Last time they argued over the divorce, she had vehemently denied it, insisting she had no other intentions—yet now the truth was right before his eyes. She truly did have a lover.
Wen Zhan stared at the two, suppressing the urge to rush over and flip the table.
Although the man’s attire and demeanor were passable, they were far inferior compared to Wen Zhan himself.
What did she see in him?
To abandon two infants still crying for their mother for a man nowhere near as good as her own husband—had her brain been eaten by dogs?
Once inside the private room, Wen Zhan grew angrier the more he thought about it, his face so gloomy it seemed ready to drip water. This made the client beside him nervous, glancing at him several times but not daring to speak.
Eventually, his assistant quietly approached and mustered the courage to ask, “President Wen, is something wrong?”
Only then did Wen Zhan snap out of it. Picking up his phone, he stood and said, “My apologies, I just remembered something urgent at home. I need to make a call.”
The client, aware that he had just returned from a business trip and hadn’t been home yet, politely urged him to “go ahead.”
Stepping out of the room, Wen Zhan glanced back toward the main hall.
That glance only made things worse.
The sleazy man was lifting a dish and placing it in front of the woman, seemingly encouraging her to eat more.
And that flirtatious, giggling woman acted as if she were a young girl experiencing her first crush.
He dialed his personal bodyguard’s number and, without waiting for a response, demanded in a tense, gloomy voice, “When the madam went out today, why didn’t you accompany her?””
Yi Hang immediately knew something was wrong and hurriedly explained, “President Wen… Madam said she was meeting a friend today and told me not to drive her.”
“She told you not to, so you didn’t? Who exactly is your boss?”
“…” Yi Hang didn’t dare utter another word.
Fuming, Wen Zhan hung up, more convinced than ever that the woman had cuckolded him.
Deliberately ditching his men to date another man openly—how brazen could she be!
When Ye Huan returned, she looked at her husband and best friend and asked with a smile, “What were you two talking about?”
Chen Haoyang smiled back, “Just casual chat. Don’t worry, I didn’t give your best friend a hard time.”
Ye Huan glanced at Mu Wanqing, who gave her a reassuring look, indicating that he really hadn’t.
Chen Haoyang hadn’t directly asked her to help make connections, but while showering her with attentiveness, he casually lamented the hardships he and his wife had endured over the years.
Between the lines, he was clearly hoping Mu Wanqing would assist him—if his career improved, Ye Huan would benefit too.
Mu Wanqing was softhearted.
Moreover, her unique upbringing had left her yearning for love and being loved.
She recalled how, when she went to the city for high school, her insecurities made her an outcast, and it was Ye Huan who had always looked out for her and helped her.
Later, when they attended university in the same city, their bond grew even stronger—she felt deeply guilty, thinking she couldn’t help her best friend and was failing their friendship.
But asking Wen Zhan for favors was something she simply couldn’t bring herself to do.
After the meal, Ye Huan and her husband planned to go shopping at the mall.
“Xiao Qing, you’ve been out for half a day and must be missing the babies. You should head back first.” Having nursed children herself, Ye Huan understood perfectly.
Mu Wanqing indeed needed to return home, so she bid them farewell and left ahead of them.
Sitting on the subway, she let out a soft sigh.
Her emotions were tangled—indescribable gloom, irritation, confusion, and helplessness.
She longed to confide in someone, but over the past two years, aside from maintaining contact with Ye Huan, she had lost touch with all her former classmates.
Oh, wait—there was one old friend. Every New Year, he would email her from abroad.
He was the boy next door she had known since childhood.
Later, his family moved to a big city, and he went abroad for his studies. After completing his education, he stayed overseas to work.
Several years ago, during a visit back to his hometown to see his grandfather, he had left his contact information with her.