She sent the email with a tentative mindset, never expecting to receive a reply.
However, they didn’t stay in frequent contact. Only when the New Year approached would he send her a greeting, accompanied by some scenic photos or landmark buildings from abroad.
Mu Wanqing yearned for such experiences, but she lacked both the means and the opportunity to travel overseas.
Reflecting on her narrow life, she couldn’t help but sigh again, feeling increasingly that her marriage was nothing but a cage.
Now, a sense of awakening freedom stirred within her.
She wanted a divorce, to leave Chongcheng, to work, to earn money—lots and lots of it.
Then, she would travel to different places, meet different people, and experience different landscapes.
She wanted to scatter the pain and suffering of these years to the wind, healing herself along the journey.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t even notice her phone ringing in her bag until a girl beside her reminded her, “Your phone is ringing.”
Startled, she snapped back to reality and retrieved her phone from her bag.
Looking closely, her brows furrowed slightly, and her expression turned hesitant.
Wen Zhan.
They hadn’t been in touch these past two days.
But she knew that her every move was undoubtedly under his surveillance. Even if she deliberately avoided Yi Hang, he would still find a way to know something.
Was he calling now because he had returned from his business trip?
At this thought, Mu Wanqing’s hesitant and uneasy heart suddenly tightened. She took a moment to compose herself before swiping the screen and putting the phone to her ear. “Hello…”
“What were you doing, taking so long to answer?” Wen Zhan’s deep, displeased voice came through immediately, laced with accusation.
He assumed she was still on a date with her lover and had deliberately ignored his call, which explained his harsh tone.
Mu Wanqing was taken aback by his inexplicable anger, and a rebellious streak flared up inside her. “Who has nothing better to do than wait by the phone all day, ready to answer at a moment’s notice?”
“Hah! With your mind divided in so many directions, of course you’re too busy.”
His words carried an insinuation, and Mu Wanqing naturally caught it. But before she could retort or question him, he abruptly said, “Grandpa is critically ill. I don’t care where you are—get to the hospital as fast as you can!”
“What? Grandpa is critically ill?” Mu Wanqing’s mind went blank, and panic instantly overwhelmed her.
She had no energy to dwell on the man’s cold and excessive attitude. Standing up, she glanced at the subway route map in the carriage. “I… I’m on the subway. I’ll transfer to the hospital right away! Immediately!”
Before she finished speaking, her voice already carried a sob.
Just then, the subway stopped at a station. She rushed out in a flurry, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the hospital.
When Wen Zhan heard she was on the subway, he initially wanted to ask for her location to see if he could arrange to pick her up.
But all he heard from her end was rustling and noise, and then the call cut off.
When he left the restaurant earlier, he had deliberately glanced at the table where she and the man had been—they had already finished their meal and left.
Now she was on the subway. Had she gone somewhere else for another date?
The thought made him feel as if he were wearing a cuckold’s horns, suffocating him with frustration. Clutching his phone, he resisted the urge to call her again and instead urged his assistant to drive faster.
Mu Wanqing rushed frantically to the hospital. It wasn’t until she was in the elevator that it dawned on her.
Had Wen Zhan returned from his business trip?
Or had he not returned but received the news and informed her so she could see Grandpa one last time?
Before she could figure it out, the elevator doors opened. Pushing through the crowd, she hurried toward the ward.
Sure enough, the ward door was open, and dozens of members of the Wen Family were packed inside, spilling all the way to the doorway.
Hearing the commotion, everyone turned to look at her, their eyes filled with disdain, contempt, or resentment.
Clearly, she was late.
“What are you standing there for? Come here quickly!” Wen Zhan, standing by the hospital bed, called out sternly upon seeing her delayed arrival.
She pulled herself together, wiped her bloodshot eyes, and hurried forward.
Old Mr. Wen was already at his last breath.
The medical team had initially wanted to take him to the operating room for intubation, which might have sustained him for a few more days, but he had refused.
The elderly man had long understood the nature of life and death. He didn’t want excessive treatment or to cling to life without dignity.
He refused intubation and resuscitation, only asking for his children to gather so he could take one last good look at them.
One last look, and then he would depart without regrets to reunite with his late wife and old friends in the next world.
Wen Zhan stood closest to the bed, alongside his father, uncles, and his two cousins, Wen Lei and Wen Yan.
The women of the family stood by their respective husbands.
Only Mu Wanqing was pulled forward by Wen Zhan, who reached out, grabbed her wrist, and dragged her to Old Mr. Wen’s bedside.
This action immediately drew dissatisfaction from everyone present.
But what shocked them even more was that when Old Mr. Wen saw Mu Wanqing, he made an effort to soften his expression, weakly raised a finger, and struggled to speak: “All of you… go out now. Don’t be sad… I’m going to a better place, free… from this pain and suffering… You two… stay…”
The “you two” clearly referred to Wen Zhan and Mu Wanqing.
Everyone was even more astonished!
The men said nothing, but the women muttered as they turned to leave: “The old man must be delirious… He didn’t even say a word to his own grandsons, yet he’s keeping an outsider here alone.”
“Hey, do you think… the old man secretly left her additional assets?”
“Huh? That can’t be, right? Didn’t they say the old man revised his will and left her a share? It’s all written in black and white with the lawyer. Would he secretly give her more?”
“Hard to say… the old man always played favorites…”
“Enough! Aren’t you ashamed to say such things?” The eldest uncle of the Wen Family scolded them in a low voice, and the women finally fell silent, slinking out of the room.
Only Wen Zhan and Mu Wanqing remained by the bedside.
“Child…”
“Grandpa…” Mu Wanqing fell to her knees with a thud, tears streaming down her face like a flood.
The pain in her heart was indescribable—another person in this world who genuinely cared for her was about to leave.
“Don’t cry…” the old man comforted her, though he could no longer lift his hand.
Wen Zhan stepped closer, took his grandfather’s hand, and held it tightly, his own eyes red and brimming with tears.
“Ah Zhan… promise me one thing—” The old man closed his eyes, struggling for breath, his words growing increasingly labored.
“Grandpa, tell me. I promise!” Wen Zhan gritted his teeth silently, his heart aching intensely, but he refused to show it fully.
His grandfather didn’t want them to grieve or suffer; he had to let the old man depart in peace.
“Since… you don’t… love Xiaoqing, then… let her go… Let the children stay with you for now… In the future, if she… has the ability to raise them… and she’s willing… then let the children… go with her… She’s just a young woman… with no family… It’s not easy for her. Don’t… make things hard… for her…”
Wen Zhan’s expression tightened abruptly. He glanced down at the woman kneeling by the bed, his heart shaken by waves of astonishment.
Never in his wildest dreams did he expect that during his brief business trip, this woman would manage to persuade the old master to force him into agreeing to a divorce.
He had truly underestimated her!
Random recommendations: The Blue Crystal Divine Ring of Immortal Cultivation, Rebirth: Getting Rich and Raising Babies, Scent of a Woman, Invincible Cultivation System, Green Branches, My Rich and Beautiful Boss, The Pampered Prince’s Beloved Consort: Shi Han and Yu Hongyuan, Yu Jin and Xiang Chu Ye, Cyber Storm.