Wen Lan stared at the line of text on her phone for a very long time, unable to look away.
Her heart felt as though it had been soaked in warm water, so soft and tender that it seemed as if the slightest poke would make it burst.
Only after a long while did her pale fingertips scroll downward.
His very first Moments post contained no words.
There was only a single photograph.
Beneath a white, stainless flower were two tightly clasped hands.
Most striking of all was the man’s hand.
Contrary to what she had expected, it covered hers completely.
He was gripping her so tightly that his knuckles protruded and his fingertips had turned pale.
It was as though he were holding something more precious than his own life, something he dared not let go of.
Warmth surged through Wen Lan’s chest.
She instinctively enlarged the picture and examined it bit by bit.
The longer she looked, the redder her ears became.
Did her husband really like her this much?
Her face grew warm.
She looked up at the mature man quietly working at his desk.
After thinking for a moment, she walked over.
“Wife?”
Lu Zhixing looked up at her.
Meeting his cool, clear eyes, Wen Lan originally wanted to tell him to take a break and not overwork himself.
Yet somehow those simple words became lodged in her throat.
She couldn’t say them.
“What is it?”
Lu Zhixing tilted his head slightly, looking at the silent Wen Lan in confusion.
His long eyelashes fluttered, casting shadows beneath his eyes.
His light amber pupils carried an unmistakable hint of innocence.
Wen Lan: …
Her throat bobbed.
For some reason, it suddenly felt dry.
She coughed lightly and mumbled,
“I’ll go check on Dudu. She should be waking up soon.”
“Alright.”
Lu Zhixing nodded.
Only after watching his wife leave the room did he finally unclench the hand he had been gripping tightly all this time.
He clicked the black mouse, restoring the previous page on his computer.
Large, bold words immediately filled the screen.
108 Little Tricks to Win Your Wife’s Affection
It was currently the bestselling book for men on the market.
Lu Zhixing had purchased the full version.
He had only read a small portion of it before becoming so embarrassed that even his toes curled up. He scarcely dared to breathe.
He seriously doubted whether the methods described in the book would actually work on his wife.
They seemed… rather shameless.
That was what he had been thinking.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he noticed his wife approaching.
He immediately switched the screen back to his work documents.
His heart pounded nervously.
When she stood there without saying anything, his anxiety only grew worse.
The more flustered he became, the calmer his face appeared.
Seeing that his wife seemed completely unaware, he suddenly remembered one of the book’s suggestions.
Almost as if possessed, he tilted his head in an attempt to look cute.
Regrettably…
His wife didn’t seem to react at all.
For once, Lu Zhixing felt both irritated and embarrassed.
He was already twenty-seven years old.
Trying to act adorably like that felt rather ridiculous.
That sort of innocent charm belonged to eighteen or nineteen-year-old boys, bright and lively, smiling with a slight tilt of the head like flower buds just beginning to bloom.
Those were the ones who could truly capture a woman’s heart.
Leaning back against the black leather chair, he irritably undid the top button of his collar.
Only after taking a deep breath did he finally calm himself.
Following a short break, he lowered his head and resumed handling company affairs.
Yet, for reasons even he couldn’t explain, he never deleted the book that he had just dismissed as completely useless.
On the other side, Wen Lan sat on the edge of the bed, awkwardly fiddling with her phone. Its interface was simple, much like what she had been used to before. After playing a few mini games, she opened the Duoxin app. She saved the only photo in the man’s Moments and, on a whim, decided to make a post of her own.
Her Moments was completely empty, making it feel rather deserted. Staring at her phone, Wen Lan’s fingertips hovered motionless over the keyboard as her mind went blank. What should she write?
The photo was already attached below, yet the text box at the top remained completely blank. Lowering her head, Wen Lan concentrated on thinking, so absorbed that she failed to notice the little bundle on the bed had already opened her eyes. Those bright, grape-like eyes darted around, full of curiosity and life.
Wen Wu blinked and tilted her head, curiously watching her mommy. After waiting for quite a while without getting the hug she had been expecting, she pouted in disappointment. The little girl clambered off the bed, grabbed onto Wen Lan’s knee, and tried to climb into her arms. Her chubby little hand landed with a smack on the top of the black phone.
Startled, Wen Lan had only just lifted her fingers from the screen when she watched helplessly as the little girl’s plump hand pressed the “Post” button at the very top.
Snapping back to her senses, Wen Lan looked at her very first Moments post.
It was exactly the same as her legal husband’s, except hers had just been posted, while Lu Zhixing’s had been posted seven years ago.
The little girl had no idea what she had just done. Completely satisfied, she snuggled into Wen Lan’s arms and called out sweetly, “Mommy,” before planting a kiss on Wen Lan’s chin, leaving behind a damp little mark.
Holding the child in her arms, Wen Lan looked at her Moments with a complicated expression. In the end, she gently patted the little girl’s soft, chubby bottom.
Wen Wu did not feel any pain at all. Instead, she thought her mommy was playing with her and immediately burst into cheerful giggles.
Infected by the little girl’s carefree laughter, Wen Lan could not help smiling as well.
Just as she picked the little girl up, the black phone vibrated.
Wen Lan looked at the new like on her Moments, and her gaze shifted to the profile picture of a pink strawberry candy…
Wen Wu curiously pinched her mommy’s ear. It had suddenly turned red.
“Mommy, are you hot? I can walk by myself,” the little girl said in her sweet, childish voice, already trying to climb down. She could not bear to make her mommy tired.
Wen Lan quickly hugged her tighter.
“Don’t move. I’m… not hot.”
Wen Wu blinked in confusion. If Mommy was not hot, then why was her face so red?
“Ahem, let’s go.” Keeping her eyes fixed straight ahead, Wen Lan walked out of the room. “Where would you like to play?”
The villa was so big that it should have a children’s playroom. Wen Lan remembered having a toy room of her own when she was little.
“I want to ride the horsie!” Wen Wu’s eyes curved into happy crescents as she eagerly pointed downstairs with her tiny hand.
Wen Lan gave a soft acknowledgment and carried the little girl downstairs, following her directions to the playroom.
The playroom was quite spacious. The floor was covered with soft, fluffy carpeting. There was a little piano, a little violin, even a small easel. Most of the room was filled with children’s toys, especially rocking horses and toy cars. At the very back stood a bookshelf packed with children’s books. Beside it were two wooden chairs, one large and one small, painted with adorable flower patterns that gave the room a wonderfully childlike charm.
Walking over to the chairs, Wen Lan could almost picture the man sitting there in the sunlight, reading stories to the little girl across from him.
“Mommy, I want to hear a story.”
Wen Wu drove her little toy car right up beside Wen Lan.
“Please?” the little girl pleaded in her soft, childish voice as she tugged on Wen Lan’s pant leg. Her face looked remarkably like Wen Lan’s own when she had been a child, leaving Wen Lan momentarily stunned.
“All right.”
Coming back to herself, Wen Lan bent down, selected a nursery rhyme book from the shelf, sat in the chair, and prepared to read it aloud to the little girl.
“Daddy said that when I was really, really little, Mommy used to read to me just like this.”
Nibbling on her finger, Wen Wu repeated what Lu Zhixing had told her in her sweet, childish voice.
“Daddy would never lie to me.”
Wen Lan’s fingers paused.
Looking at the little girl sitting on the rocking toy, speaking those innocent words with such certainty, she thought for a moment before bending down and gently stroking the child’s hair.
“Mm. Daddy wouldn’t lie to you.”
Touching her hair, Wen Wu looked unusually shy.
She actually did not know whether Mommy had ever read to her before.
But she believed Daddy.
Nibbling on her finger, the little girl gazed at Wen Lan as she read the nursery rhyme. Her face grew redder and redder.
How could Mommy be so, so beautiful and gentle?
She had heard the children in her class say that their mothers never read nursery rhymes to them, and many of them were rarely even hugged.
But ever since Mommy recovered from her illness, she not only hugged her often but also read stories to her.
Did that mean Mommy liked her very much?
Thinking of this made the little girl feel terribly shy. Covering her eyes with her chubby little hands, she secretly peeked through the gaps between her fingers at Wen Lan and thought to herself:
I like Mommy too. I really, really like her!
Delighted, Wen Wu happily rode her rocking toy around the room. Daddy had once told her that this playroom had been specially prepared for her by Mommy.
Wen Lan quietly accompanied her. Then the phone beside her made a soft notification sound.
She glanced at the little girl, who was happily playing not far away, took out her phone, and opened Duoxin.
The Moments post she had made not long ago had already received four likes.
He Luo, Zhou Nian, and Professor Li Ruohua had all liked it, and each of them had left a comment beneath it.
He Luo: Sister Lan, congratulations on your recovery.
Zhou Nian’s comment was filled with surprise. She first sent several strings of exclamation marks before cautiously asking,
“Sister Lan?”
Professor Li Ruohua was much more reserved, simply writing,
“Congratulations.”
As Wen Lan tapped the screen, a thoughtful look flashed through her eyes.
It seemed all three of them knew she had been sick.
Yet she herself had no idea what illness she had suffered from.
How strange.
The phone chimed again.
Wen Lan switched it to silent mode before returning to the app.
Seeing one of Zhou Nian’s messages, Wen Lan raised an eyebrow.
Zhou Nian: Sister Lan? Has your amnesia finally gotten better? Let’s all get together sometime when you’re free. We haven’t met up in four years. 【Grin】
Zhou Nian: Bring Brother Xing along too. That rascal He Luo ran off overseas, so he definitely won’t be able to make it. 【Frown】
Zhou Nian: Oh right, I almost forgot to tell you, I have a boyfriend now too! Haha. He’s handsome, kind-hearted, and ridiculously cute. I’ll introduce him to you guys when the time comes! 【Grin】
Wen Lan tapped on the keyboard. In the end, she simply replied with:
“Mm.”
After a moment’s thought, she felt that was inappropriate.
Her friend was being so warm and familiar with her, yet her reply was far too brief.
Her fingers moved a few more times before she added two more words.
“All right.”
Only then did she feel satisfied.
On the other end, Zhou Nian replied almost instantly, the screen nearly filled with:
“Hahahahaha.”
Zhou Nian: I knew it, Sister Lan, you still haven’t changed this little habit! Hahahahahaha. Every single time, you have to send two short messages! Hahahahaha. 【Grin】
Zhou Nian: Welcome back! 【Confetti】
Wen Lan: …
Zhou Nian: Hahahahahaha.
Closing Duoxin, Wen Lan found herself in a much better mood.
Having a friend who remembered even your little habits and sincerely welcomed you back was truly one of life’s blessings.