Zheng Wanwan knew that Pei Lan would be thinking about her phone, but she simply refused to show it to him. It wasn’t her who was being driven crazy with curiosity.
“Honey, I have a press interview in a bit. If you get bored, you can head back with Tianming,” Pei Lan said as he straightened his collar and re-pinned the lapel pin he had removed earlier.
Zheng Wanwan glanced at him. He seemed like a completely different person from the one who had just said he wanted to “turn up the heat.” Now he was all proper again.
After finishing catching up with the elders, Zheng Tianming ran back to the car and gulped down bottled water.
“What’s wrong?” Zheng Wanwan’s voice was languid. She was starting to feel drowsy and had just been about to doze off.
Zheng Tianming braced himself with his legs, resting his arms on his thighs as he leaned forward: “Don’t even mention it. They all kept asking whether I had a girlfriend.”
“Tell them you have a boyfriend,” Zheng Wanwan said, barely suppressing a laugh.
Zheng Tianming clicked his tongue: “Mom would break my legs over that.” He let out a long sigh as he spoke.
“Forget that for now. What about you? What’s your plan?” Zheng Tianming had barely touched his phone while he was in the military.
Zheng Wanwan’s expression shifted slightly, and her voice turned a bit hoarse: “I’ve already filed for divorce. But if Pei Lan doesn’t agree, it probably won’t go through.” She looked up helplessly after speaking. “Don’t tell Mom and Dad.”
Zheng Tianming sank heavily into his seat: “Sis, do you think if a person makes a mistake, there’s no way to make up for it for the rest of their life?” The question seemed more like he was asking it for himself.
“What ‘making up for it’? Honestly, it’s just about easing your own conscience.” Zheng Wanwan sat up straight, leaning sideways against the seat as she fixed a serious gaze on Zheng Tianming: “Come on, what’s really going on with you?”
Zheng Tianming tilted his head back, trying several times to speak but failing to produce a sound. “I’ll handle it myself.”
Just then, a scream erupted from outside. Zheng Wanwan threw open the car door as fast as she could and stepped out.
Pei Lan stood in front of the museum, his body splattered with chicken blood. The blood was dripping from his short black hair. He pushed up his glasses with one hand while security personnel stepped forward to shield him.
Ye Yuncheng, Pei Xiuyan, and some of the elders were resting in the back and had no idea what was happening.
Zheng Wanwan reached out to part the crowd: “Excuse me, let me through.” She squeezed her way into the crowd as she spoke.
“It was him! He killed my son!” A middle-aged woman, clutching a small basin in her hands and her face streaked with tears, shouted at Pei Lan.
Pei Lan looked at the woman before him calmly.
Zheng Wanwan stepped forward: “Ma’am, whatever happened, you can tell us. Let everyone hear you out.”
She didn’t believe Pei Lan was capable of harming anyone, but if the woman wasn’t allowed to speak, who knew what tomorrow’s trending topics would look like.
“It was him! He bought my son’s porcelain vase worth millions for just two hundred thousand. When my son went to reason with him, he had his men beat him up. Not long after my son got home, he died.” The middle-aged woman hurled her basin to the ground and plopped herself down on the floor.
The moment those words left her mouth, the already restless crowd erupted completely. The more sensible media and reporters had already turned off their cameras.
As they say, it’s hard being the good guy.
Truth be told, Zheng Wanwan wasn’t confident about this. Pei Lan was indeed a professor, but he was also a businessman. In business, you win some and lose some—misjudging a deal and buying high or selling low was a common occurrence.
“Your son brought a counterfeit, but I saw that his hair had fallen out and his face was pale—clearly he was undergoing chemotherapy for a serious illness. So I gave him two hundred thousand, and I didn’t accept his porcelain vase.” Pei Lan’s tone was steady, with not a trace of panic.
The middle-aged woman pulled a photo from her pocket and held it up. “My son is already dead because of you, and you still dare to slander him—are you even human?” She pounded the ground in anguish.
Having seen plenty of power struggles among the wealthy, this was rather beneath the standard.
“We record every transaction we make. If you don’t believe me, we can report this to the police.” Pei Lan said as he pulled out his phone and dialed. He had a clear conscience; there was nothing to fear.
The middle-aged woman clearly had been used by someone and had no idea how serious this was.
Regardless of the other party’s motives, they had achieved their goal. With so many media outlets present and interviews scheduled later, her outburst would surely be twisted and taken out of context by those chasing clicks.
Having the opening ceremony disrupted like this—who could feel good about it? Whether things succeeded or not no longer mattered; the goal was simply to spite Pei Lan.
Zheng Wanwan never imagined this could have anything to do with her…
Amid the murmurs, the middle-aged woman was escorted away, and Pei Lan had his lawyer follow along. He still had matters to attend to and couldn’t leave.
Pei Lan entered the lounge, and Zheng Wanwan followed silently behind him.
“The three years you disappeared—did you… did you go excavating something?” Zheng Wanwan’s own heart raced as she said it. She hadn’t thought in that direction before, but when the middle-aged woman mentioned the porcelain vase just now, she suddenly connected it to something she shouldn’t have.
Pei Lan took off his suit jacket and hung his tie over the arm of the chair. His glasses were splattered with chicken blood, barely visible through.
“Wife, I am a legitimate businessman. The education I received doesn’t permit me to do such things.” Pei Lan said in a low voice, then sat in the chair and wiped his glasses.
Pei Lan was furious at this moment, his long eyes growing deep and dark.
Zheng Wanwan sat to the side. Pei Lan was in a bad mood, and she didn’t want to provoke him. Though she was dying to know what he had been doing these three years, she had already pressed him this far and he still wouldn’t say—that meant he never would.
A personal assistant walked in with a change of clothes.
Zheng Wanwan turned her head away…
“Wife, can you help me grab that?” Pei Lan’s tone had softened considerably.
Zheng Wanwan turned her head, refusing to look at him.
Pei Lan frowned at the pungent smell on his clothes and wiped himself with a towel nearby.
“There was a major security breach this time. I’m sorry.” Zheng Wanwan said as she stood up, only to see him changing his pants.
Not bad looking—half of his thigh visible, the color symmetrical too. Mind you, Pei Lan was 1.9 meters tall, with legs that long…
Pei Lan didn’t intend to blame Zheng Wanwan: “I received a threatening letter a few days ago.” He glanced at her as he said it.
Zheng Wanwan squinted. He had specifically brought a change of clothes when he went out, and the police had arrived shortly after his phone call. Coincidentally, he’d also brought his lawyer today.
“You…” It was hard not to be suspicious.
Pei Lan adjusted his glasses. “Wife, the problem right now is that your husband needs a pair of underwear.” His voice was low and deep, not sounding like he was joking.
“What if I give you mine?” Zheng Wanwan leaned back in her chair, replying just as seriously. As if she couldn’t play that game too.
Pei Lan picked up the trousers beside him and put them on directly. “Fine, I’ll take it when we get home.” He then picked up his cufflinks from where they lay.
“…”
“I may be shameless, but you’ve surpassed the master.” Zheng Wanwan handed over the shorts she’d hidden away.
Pei Lan adjusted his tie. The smell of chicken blood still clung heavily to him, so he didn’t step closer, only murmuring, “Since my wife likes them, then they’re a gift for my wife.” With that, he headed for the door.
A water bottle smacked him in the back. He walked out with a smile tugging at his lips.
Zheng Tianming strolled in slowly with his hands clasped behind his head, saying casually, “That middle-aged woman came by taxi. No suspicious characters in the vicinity.”
Zheng Wanwan stuffed Pei Lan’s trousers back where they belonged, then said flatly, “Whoever’s behind this is wicked, not stupid.”
“Provoking the Pei family—that’s stupid.” Zheng Tianming plopped down into a chair. “Sis, what’s wrong? Why’s your face so red?”
Zheng Wanwan’s fair skin was flushed pink. “It’s stuffy in here—no ventilation.” She pulled out her phone and glanced at it.
She was worried this incident would make the news and cause a bad impression. Pei Lan had poured so much money into opening this private museum—it would be a shame if a few rotten fish and shrimp ruined it.
Zheng Tianming glanced at the air conditioner set to twenty-five degrees. Stuffy?
“Mom and Dad called. They want us to come home.” Zheng Tianming pulled out a cigarette and held it between his lips. This wasn’t a smoking area—he was just getting his fix.
Zheng Wanwan nodded. Quite a few people had shown up to this event, but their parents hadn’t come, which said enough about how they were still upset.
“Wanwan.”
Ye Yuncheng’s voice came from the doorway.
Zheng Wanwan opened the door to the lounge and looked at Ye Yuncheng. “Mother-in-law, the matter just now is already being handled.”
“Pei Lan can handle this kind of thing himself.” Ye Yuncheng took Zheng Wanwan’s hand. “Since Tianming’s back, I’ll be bold and invite myself over to your place for a meal.”
Zheng Tianming grinned at Ye Yuncheng. “Auntie Ye, that’s a bit unfair. Most people get older and look it, but you’re going in reverse?”
Ye Yuncheng touched her own face. “You little rascal, with a mouth this sweet, and still no girlfriend to show for it.” Though she said that, she was beaming inside.
“Come on, let’s go home and eat. My mom’s cooking herself.” Zheng Wanwan took Ye Yuncheng’s hand.
Ye Yuncheng whispered, “Good thing it’s not your dad cooking. That stuff’s awful.”
Zheng Wanwan let out a snort of laughter. How to describe her dad’s cooking? It wouldn’t kill you, but that was about it.
Zheng Wanwan sat in the back seat. Along the way, they passed countless billboards and scrolling screens, all featuring a vibrant young woman.
“Our big star—who knows when she’ll finally come back to the country.” Zheng Wanwan pulled out her phone and checked the group chat with her girls.
She had a close friend named Xu Mengyu, the daughter of Pei Lan’s cousin-uncle. They’d grown up together. Xu Mengyu was lively and free-spirited, gifted in both singing and dancing. She’d held several concerts, became a Best Actress last year, and had endorsement deals coming out her ears. This year, she’d even founded her own media company.
A real busybody.
Zheng Tianming stared at the promotional posters, his gaze darkening.
Ye Yuncheng pursed her lips. The children around her had grown up one by one, gotten married, and built their own careers. She often felt dazed, as if they were still stacking blocks on the floor, crying for food.
“I heard the unspoken rules in the entertainment industry are seriously twisted.” Zheng Tianming finished speaking and turned his head to look at Zheng Wanwan: “Have you talked to the big star about it?”
“I don’t get it—who’s pulling the strings on whom?” Zheng Wanwan glanced at the billboard outside the window. Last month there was still a trending topic about Xu Mengyu kicking a male celebrity out of her room…
Zheng Tianming held his phone, staring at a screen full of profanity: “…”
Once within arm’s reach, now an unreachable dream.
After Zheng Wanwan got out of the car, Feng Xi spotted Ye Yuncheng and walked over with a smile: “Tianming came back today—I was planning to head over later, but the kid went on his own without bringing us two along.”
Ye Yuncheng held Feng Xi’s hand: “I just want to freeload a meal, plain and simple. The kids’ business is theirs to handle—what does it have to do with us? I want braised pork ribs and crispy fried pork strips.”
Zheng Wanwan watched the two mothers enter the courtyard. She leaned against the low wall and glanced at her phone: “Big star, I haven’t seen you in person for half a month already.”
Xu Mengyu: “Babe, I’ve been so busy lately. Your birthday is coming up soon—I’ll definitely make it back.” There was a kissing emoji after it.
Zheng Wanwan replied with an emoji of someone sitting on the ground crying pitifully.
Xu Mengyu: “I heard Brother Lan is back. Ask him where the hell he’s been gallivanting—if he doesn’t give an explanation, tie him up…” Followed by an indescribable and lecherous emoji.
Zheng Wanwan played along and sent a lecherous drooling emoji.
Zheng Tianming leaned over and saw his sister chatting with the big star. He pressed the voice message button: “I’m back too—when are we gonna meet up?”
Xu Mengyu sent a voice message back: “You piece of sht, you have the nerve to show your face? Go to hll, you f*cking idiot—scram!”
Zheng Wanwan: “…” What kind of unforgivable thing had he done to provoke her like this, to the point where she’d throw away her Best Actress image?
Zheng Tianming rubbed his nose.
Zheng Wanwan turned her head and looked at her younger brother with a strange expression, then curled her lips in disgust. Her best friend’s enemy was her enemy too.
Pei Lan sat in the reception room, his clothes perfectly neat. To mask the smell of chicken blood, he had even sprayed on some cologne.
A reporter asked Pei Lan why he had opened this kind of museum and what the original meaning behind it was.
Pei Lan didn’t spout a bunch of high-sounding platitudes: “I like it myself, and I also want more people to understand history and culture.”
The reporter asked again: “Then let me ask something everyone is more concerned about—will the museum charge admission in the future?”
Pei Lan said seriously: “The museum will be free forever.”
After the interview ended, Pei Lan stood up and shook hands with the reporters, then had his assistant escort them to the hotel.
“Mr. Pei is also a professor at Aster University—young and accomplished. Sigh, why is the gap between people so huge?” the young reporter muttered quietly.
Pei Lan sat in the back seat of the Rolls-Royce. He lit a cigarette, and the smoke obscured the deep, unfathomable eyes behind his glasses.
His phone rang. He took it out and glanced at it.
Lu Huai: “Eight o’clock tonight—don’t forget. Make sure to bring the sister-in-law. I love the sister-in-law!!”
Pei Lan pressed a button on his phone.
About ten-odd minutes later, Lu Huai said, “The gathering tonight is cancelled. My mom wants me home. I have a flight to catch, so I need to leave right away.”
Pei Lan pressed his lips together. “Alright, we’ll catch up another time.” With that, he put his phone away.
Zheng Wanwan was in the middle of eating when the doorbell rang. The moment she opened the door, she saw Pei Lan standing at the doorstep, holding a bag of nutritional supplements.
“Why are you here?” Zheng Wanwan hadn’t expected this—wasn’t he supposed to be drinking with Lu Huai and the others?
Pei Lan bent down and lowered his voice. “Missed my wife.” He set the supplements on the ground.
Clingy little thing…