Across the ocean, in a high-rise building.
A tall, imposing man stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, a cigarette held between his slender fingers as he lowered his gaze to scroll through his phone.
Behind him, his secretary Li Rui was reporting the upcoming itinerary.
This trip abroad was to inspect the branch offices, and they still had several more countries to visit. It would be at least another half month before they could return home.
As Li Rui was speaking, he heard his boss’s phone chime briefly—likely a text message.
Then, the man raised his hand with its distinct, elegant knuckles, signaling for Li Rui to be quiet.
Li Rui immediately fell silent.
Gong Hengye’s gaze deepened slightly as he looked at the phone screen. The person who had never sent him a message before had just sent a very strange one:
Uncle, could you please help me collect my body
It didn’t even end with a punctuation mark.
The sender was Wen Yue.
Gong Hengye lifted his eyes to gaze into the distance—toward the direction of their home country.
Considering the time difference, it should be around nine in the evening there, not too late.
He dialed the number.
No one answered.
Gong Hengye’s brow gradually furrowed. He glanced at the strange message again and suddenly asked, “Where is Gong Chen?”
Li Rui thought of the current trending topics back home and assumed his boss was asking about that. He quickly explained, “It’s been confirmed. Third Young Master did go to the film studio this afternoon. Tomorrow’s wedding has also been confirmed to be postponed. The guests…”
Gong Hengye turned around, his dark eyes fixed intently on Li Rui. “Postponed?”
Li Rui was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, that’s Third Young Master’s decision. He has already discussed it with the Wen family, and they have no objections. The old master has also agreed. Third Young Master said you don’t need to worry, he will handle it properly.”
A cold edge seeped into Gong Hengye’s previously indifferent expression.
After a moment of silence, he stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray, walked to the sofa, grabbed his suit jacket, and casually slipped it on before striding toward the door.
As he passed the bewildered Li Rui, he left only two brief instructions: “Immediately send someone to the top floor of Haiting Building No. 3.”
“Prepare the helicopter. We’re returning home.”
~
At the film studio, Gong Chen’s expression darkened after Wen Yue hung up on him.
But he didn’t dwell on it too much.
Wen Yue had a difficult temperament. Whenever it involved Wen Xi, she was bound to throw a tantrum.
Yet she never considered that, given Wen Xi’s current state, how could he possibly abandon her?
Besides, if Wen Xi hadn’t been lost in her youth, Wen Yue wouldn’t have had the fortune to be adopted by the Wen family and become their eldest daughter.
She should have cherished and doted on her sister, who had suffered so much hardship and injustice, but instead, she constantly opposed Wen Xi.
Sometimes, he truly found Wen Yue utterly baffling and unreasonably demanding.
On the soft hotel bed.
Wen Xi looked pale and weary, her cheeks flushed with a sickly redness.
Due to her fever, her eyes were moist and glistening, evoking a deep sense of pity.
She watched Gong Chen standing by the doorway of the room, clearly noticing the flicker of tenderness in his eyes when he answered the call.
But soon, that tenderness vanished, replaced by impatience.
It sounded like the two of them had gotten into an argument.
Wen Xi twisted her fingers nervously. “A Chen, is Sister unhappy because tomorrow’s wedding is being postponed?”
Her voice was filled with self-reproach. “It’s all my fault. I just acted on impulse.”
Hearing this, Gong Chen’s frown deepened.
Truth be told, he was feeling rather irritable himself. He hadn’t expected things to escalate to this point.Although tomorrow’s wedding was urged by Wen Yue, he had also been waiting for this day for a long time.
After all, his feelings for Wen Yue were genuine.
His anticipation for their wedding was no less than Wen Yue’s.
But who could have expected something like this to happen today?
Suppressing his irritation, Gong Chen put away his phone and walked back to the bedside, patting Wen Xi’s head. “It’s fine, she just has that kind of temper. She’ll be fine by tomorrow.”
Wen Yue was easily impulsive and prone to tantrums when it came to Wen Xi, but she was also easy to placate.
Sometimes, he didn’t even need to coax her—just leaving her alone for a day or two would be enough for her to calm down on her own.
Although this time, because of the video and the wedding, Wen Yue’s anger was likely to be more intense.
Still, he had already made up his mind: once Wen Xi’s fever subsided, he would go back and properly console her.
Just as he was thinking this, a lazy male voice chimed in, “Her temper is all because you spoiled her. I’d say what you’re doing now is just right—you should let her stew a bit more, so she doesn’t become increasingly unreasonable.
It’s bad enough that she’s embarrassing our Wen family now, but if she marries into your Gong family in the future and ends up disgracing you, you’ll have a hard time dealing with it.”
Wen Ze walked in from outside, his tone casual. “Your uncle isn’t exactly easygoing. With Wen Yue being so troublesome, aren’t you afraid that by marrying her into your family, your uncle might just kick you both to the other side of the Pacific to farm?”
Hearing this, Gong Chen’s expression darkened. “My uncle isn’t that unreasonable. Wen Yue is my fiancée, and she’ll be my wife in the future. No matter how troublesome she is, he won’t say much.”
Or rather, given his uncle’s temperament, he probably couldn’t be bothered to pay attention.
This much, Gong Chen was quite confident about.
Wen Ze scoffed lightly. “So, you plan to keep indulging her like this?”
Gong Chen frowned. His mood was already poor today, and having Wen Yue take the blame for Wen Xi was no easy matter for him either.
At this moment, he couldn’t stand hearing Wen Ze speak about Wen Yue this way.
After all, she was his person. What he thought or said about her was one thing, but others had no right to comment.
So, his tone cooled. “I’ve said it before—Yueyue is my fiancée. It’s only right for me to indulge and cherish her. Wen Ze, she’s also your sister. Can’t you treat her a little better?”
“Sister?”
Wen Ze sneered. “I, Wen Ze, have only one sister. As for Wen Yue, ever since she pushed Xi Bao into the water, she no longer deserves that title.”
Not to mention these past few years, Wen Yue had constantly opposed Wen Xi, taking everything Wen Xi wanted.
When she realized Wen Xi liked Gong Chen, even though Wen Xi had done nothing and never intended to compete with her, Wen Yue forced Gong Chen to hold the wedding immediately.
How could such a malicious woman be worthy of being the eldest daughter of the Wen family?
If it weren’t for Gong Chen’s connection, and if their mother didn’t still have some affection for Wen Yue, he would have long since driven Wen Yue out of the Wen family.
Wen Ze walked to the bedside, leaned down, and gently ruffled Wen Xi’s hair, his tone instantly softening. “Xi Bao, are you feeling any better?”
Listening to their argument, Wen Xi didn’t say much, only obediently replied, “Much better.”
Then she asked, “Brother, are Mom and Dad asleep?”
Wen Ze nodded. “They’re getting older and can’t stay up late, so they’ve already gone to rest. You should sleep early too since you’re not feeling well. Let your A Chen stay here with you, okay?”
As he spoke, he raised an eyebrow and glanced at Gong Chen. “How about it? Not too much trouble, right?”
Gong Chen sighed. “Taking care of Xi Bao is what I should do. It’s no trouble at all.”Wen Xi hesitated, “Brother, this isn’t appropriate. Let the caregiver aunt handle it, A Chen he…”
“There’s nothing inappropriate about it. Even if A Chen marries Wen Yue, he’ll still be your brother-in-law, which makes you even more his sister. It’s only natural for a brother-in-law to take care of his sister, isn’t it?”
As he spoke, he winked at Wen Xi.
Wen Xi was taken aback, understanding his implication.
She knew Wen Ze was creating an opportunity for her and Gong Chen.
But Gong Chen, he truly loved Wen Yue.
Although she liked Gong Chen, she had never considered competing with Wen Yue.
She never dared to be too greedy.
She only wished to quietly accompany Gong Chen, to remain his sister just as she was now.
Wen Ze straightened up and stretched, patting Gong Chen on the shoulder, “I’m heading back to my room to sleep too.”
Gong Chen nodded. After Wen Ze left the room, he turned his gaze back to Wen Xi.
Wen Xi bit her lip, her watery eyes blinking gently, “A Chen, don’t feel pressured. If you don’t want to…”
“A Chen isn’t unwilling.”
Gong Chen interrupted her, stroking her forehead, “Sleep well. A Chen will stay here with you. Call me if you feel uncomfortable anywhere.”
Wen Xi murmured an “okay,” grabbed the blanket, lay down, and obediently closed her eyes.
Gong Chen watched her for a moment.
He knew all too well that he owed Wen Xi far too much and simply couldn’t abandon her.
He touched her forehead again, feeling that it was indeed less feverish, then walked over and sat on the nearby sofa.
After that earlier phone call, Wen Yue hadn’t called him again.
He rubbed his temples irritably, glanced at the now-sleeping Wen Xi, and gave up on calling. Instead, he sent a message: “Baby, are you feeling any better? If you’re really unwell, call the doctor.”
After waiting a while, Wen Yue didn’t reply.
He thought for a moment and asked again, “Do you want me to call the doctor for you?”
Still no reply.
Gong Chen pressed his lips together, patiently coaxing her, “Baby, don’t be upset. I’ll give you a surprise when I come back, okay?”
Again, no reply.
Gong Chen’s expression darkened.
Gritting his teeth lightly, he put away his phone.
Since she didn’t want to acknowledge him, he’d just give her the cold shoulder for a couple of days.