Wen Yunwan had heard those words in her previous life too.
But Song Yanzhou had not.
He was not exactly a good man, but he was not the sort to let an innocent woman bear the blame for him.
“If you’re so envious, isn’t it because you can’t curry favor with her and are jealous?”
Just as he was about to speak, the young woman standing in front of him drawled lazily, “You’d rather waste time here than report it to the authorities and demand your money. Hey, are you feeling guilty because you’re actually a thief? Don’t tell me the evidence you have is fake.”
Song Yanzhou looked at the girl’s fluffy crown of hair, his expression unreadable.
She was clever.
She seemed to be bickering without any particular aim, but she always steered the conversation back to the question of whether the evidence was fake.
“You…”
Song Yanhuai had been making his way around Suzhou for two years, but he had never encountered a woman this difficult to deal with.
Most women would be so humiliated and furious upon hearing such words that they could not get a word out. Yet she had lazily seized upon the most crucial point.
He did not dare report it to the authorities.
Seeing Song Yanzhou walk up behind the girl, Song Yanhuai abandoned his confrontation with her and shouted at him, “Song Yanzhou, you’re the one who owes money! Are you going to hide behind a woman and pretend you’re dead?”
Song Yanzhou had heard worse insults.
He also knew that Song Yanhuai was trying to provoke him.
He knew exactly what was going on, yet an unusual surge of anger still rose in his heart.
Long-dormant savagery churned in his calm eyes. Without a word, he lifted his foot and started toward the exit.
He wanted to tear Song Yanhuai’s mouth apart.
But an arm blocked him.
“You’re loud enough to shake the heavens when you’re cursing people, but you don’t dare go to the authorities? I say you came here deliberately to swindle him!”
Suddenly, Song Yanhuai saw the girl flash a brilliant smile.
“You don’t dare report it, so I’ll report it for you. No need to thank me.”
Song Yanhuai turned around, only to see a squad of constables heading toward him.
He instinctively tried to run, but the household servants surrounded him from all sides, leaving him unable to move.
There was an arrogant smile on the girl’s beautiful face, but the chill in her eyes made him shudder.
In her previous life, these men had nearly injured Song Yanzhou as well.
Afraid that his right hand might still end up crippled, Wen Yunwan had simply not let them enter.
She had brought plenty of people with her, so restraining a group of thugs was well within their ability. But since the authorities had been called, the person involved also had to go to the government office.
Wen Yunwan looked at the calm-faced young man. There was not the slightest trace of confusion on his face. When he noticed her looking at him, he nodded at her.
“This one will go to the government office shortly.”
Her eyes fell to Song Yanzhou’s feet. The soles of his shoes were nearly worn away.
Song Yanzhou had understood how to observe people’s hearts since childhood, so naturally he did not miss her gaze.
He also saw her brow crease.
Then the young miss folded her arms across her chest, her face filled with impatience.
The young man lowered his eyes, his long lashes concealing the hint of mockery that had surfaced there.
See? No one was truly different.
“I’m the one who reported it, so I have to go too. I have to wait for you as well. Do you have any idea how tiring that is?”
She spoke imperiously. “Come with me in the carriage. Once it’s over, you can walk back if you like.”
His long lashes trembled faintly. When he raised his eyes again, raging waves were hidden deep within them.
“All right.”
She really was different.
She was more spoiled than anyone.
And more considerate than anyone, too.
In the carriage, Dongzhi diligently massaged Wen Yunwan’s legs, faithfully playing the part of someone whose legs were sore from walking.
But Wen Yunwan had been personally attended to by Chancellor Song in her previous life, and no matter how Dongzhi massaged her legs, it was nowhere near as comfortable as when Song Yanzhou did it.
Wen Yunwan glanced at the young man, who had not uttered a word since getting into the carriage, and desperately resisted the urge to order him around.
What was she supposed to do when her ex-husband was simply too good at taking care of people?
If this had been the old Wen Yunwan, she would of course have chosen to snatch him up without hesitation.
Men could forcefully seize what they wanted—why couldn’t women do the same?
But she did not want to repeat the same mistakes, so she could only endure, and endure again, while “enjoying” Dongzhi’s somewhat inadequate massage.
“Three inches higher. If you work that spot loose, Miss Wen’s leg will feel better.”
The young man’s cool voice suddenly sounded inside the carriage. Perhaps he spoke so calmly, and with such natural authority, that Dongzhi did not find anything strange about it. She simply followed his instructions and began massaging the spot.
Wen Yunwan: …
He really was worthy of becoming the brilliant zhuangyuan of the future.
She was certainly much more comfortable now.
The carriage also arrived at the government office.
As soon as she got out, Wen Yunwan, who had been languid moments earlier, instantly tensed. Then she gave Wen Zhiyuan, who was standing at the entrance, a sweet smile.
“Father.”
After confirming that his daughter was unharmed, Wen Zhiyuan’s eyes swept over the young man behind her. In a deep voice, he said, “Come inside first.”
He was angry.
Wen Yunwan lowered her head like a quail and trotted after Wen Zhiyuan.
Wen Zhiyuan had someone ask Wen Yunwan a few routine questions, then told her to go wait in the back. She nodded and, without a care in the world, ran off to the resting room behind the offices.
In her previous life, after interrogating the men, her father had been furious. He had paced back and forth at home, cursing and grumbling for several days. If he had not been the prefect and required to handle the case impartially, he would have detained them until Song Yanzhou had obtained an official position before releasing them.
Her father had not been reborn, so naturally nothing would go wrong in this life.
“You little ingrate. You scared your father and mother half to death, and now you’re hiding here to play?”
Wen Yunwan’s fingers stopped picking at one another. She looked up to see the younger version of Madam Lin approaching. She wore a long sapphire-blue gown, and although her brows and eyes carried a hint of authority, they were filled with laughter.
It was her mother!
“Mother!”
With no outsiders present, Wen Yunwan called her mother the way she had as a child and threw herself into Madam Lin’s arms. In a muffled voice, she said, “Father told me to wait here. He seems angry.”
“I did a good deed.”
Madam Lin laughed helplessly and pulled her out of her embrace.
“No one said you did anything bad. Your father and I were just worried about you. It’s fortunate you weren’t hurt.”
Then they only had to handle the matter impartially.
As her parents, they would naturally make the rumors disappear.
If her precious daughter had been injured, she had plenty of ways to make this group of thieves pay a price they could never afford to compensate for.
Wen Yunwan did not argue.
Before she married Song Yanzhou, she really had been impulsive by nature.
But after staying by Song Yanzhou’s side for so many years, she had learned quite a lot from him.
Being prepared for every eventuality was the most basic principle.
“All right, come home with me.”
Madam Lin took her hand and led her away. Naturally, no one dared stop them.
The interrogation ended much sooner than she had expected. By the time she and her mother reached the entrance, Song Yanzhou had just left.
Wen Yunwan’s gaze fell unconsciously upon his broad, lean shoulders.
It was already late. His lonely figure trudged on through the darkness, gradually swallowed by the thick night until he disappeared from sight.
“Still looking? He’s already gone.”
Wen Yunwan came back to herself at the sound of Wen Zhiyuan’s voice. With a grin, she asked indirectly, “What exactly happened? Did Song Yanzhou really owe money?”
Wen Zhiyuan did not answer her immediately. It was only after the family of three had boarded the carriage that he spoke, his face full of anger, and explained the situation.
It was no different from what had happened in her previous life.
Wen Yunwan quietly let out a sigh of relief, but then she remembered an interlude.