Wen Yunsheng thought for a moment and agreed.
Qin Cisui cheered, then jumped up and ran off.
Wen Yunsheng took out her phone and sent another message to Ji Beicun: [I have something to do tomorrow. The welcome dinner is postponed to the day after.]
The Yinghang Middle School that Qin Cisui attended was an extremely prestigious private school in the capital city, offering programs from elementary through high school.
The school’s reputation was excellent not only because it catered to children of the wealthy and powerful but also because its academic standards were exceptionally strict.
This was also the school Wen Yunsheng had once attended.
Wen Yunsheng left home at nine o’clock, saying only that she was going out for an interview. She had the family car drop her off at the CBD, then took a taxi from there.
If she were exposed, Qin Cisui’s fate would be bleak.
By the time Wen Yunsheng arrived at Yinghang Middle School, it was already 9:40. The scheduled parent-teacher meeting was set for ten o’clock sharp.
With time still relatively ample, she slowed her pace.
From childhood to adulthood, she had never quite adapted to a fast-paced rhythm, mainly because those around her had always accommodated her, willing to wait for her to take things slowly.
Walking through the familiar campus, seeing the youthful faces coming and going around her, Wen Yunsheng felt as if she had returned to that late summer when she was seventeen.
Her steps grew lighter.
Suddenly, someone tentatively called out, “Is that you, Miss Wen?”
Wen Yunsheng turned around in surprise and saw a somewhat familiar face. The woman was dressed in a beige professional suit, her long hair tied into a low ponytail, looking efficient and sharp.
Her mind raced as she searched her memory, and when she remembered, her gaze faltered slightly.
“It really is you,” the woman walked up with a smile. “What a coincidence, running into you here.”
Wen Yunsheng’s lips moved slightly. “Miss Tong, what a coincidence.”
Tong Lu stepped closer, her tone warm and friendly. “I just graduated and returned to the country last year. I’m now working as a music teacher at Yinghang. Miss Wen, are you here to…”
Wen Yunsheng replied in as calm a voice as possible, “I’m here for my younger brother’s parent-teacher meeting.”
“I see.”
Tong Lu paused for a moment, then tentatively asked, “Miss Wen, are you… doing better now?”
Suddenly, a sharp, buzzing sound seemed to ring in Wen Yunsheng’s mind.
She forced a slight smile. “I’ve been fine for a long time.”
“It was my fault back then. I misunderstood you, but I never had the chance to apologize to you in person. Ji Beicun wouldn’t let me see you again…”
“It’s nothing, it was just a misunderstanding.” Wen Yunsheng suppressed the buzzing in her mind, though her voice trembled almost imperceptibly.
“Well, if there’s a chance, I’d like to treat you to a meal to make up for it.”
“No need.” Wen Yunsheng refused quickly, her tone abrupt.
It wasn’t that she particularly disliked Tong Lu, but rather that a flood of terrible memories surged up, and she could barely hold on.
“I’m running late. I have to go.”
Wen Yunsheng hurried away.
Tong Lu watched her retreating figure with a dazed expression, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
“That Miss Wen just now was so beautiful. Do you know her?” a friend beside her asked curiously.
Tong Lu nodded. “You could say we know each other. I met her once last year when I was still studying in the UK.”
“Oh? Did things not go well?”
Tong Lu remained silent for a moment before saying, “At the time, a scumbag I was dating suddenly broke up with me, saying he was tired of me. I suspected he was cheating. A friend told me he had reserved a restaurant for another woman to celebrate her birthday. I rushed over, threw a glass of wine in her face, and said some harsh things.”
“Oh my god! You really went all out!””Later I found out, she wasn’t his new girlfriend, just a regular study partner. I had misunderstood her.”
And the reason Ji Beicun gave her for the breakup was also true—he really had just grown tired of her.
She later learned that none of his relationships lasted more than three months. It had nothing to do with Wen Yunsheng; he was simply a playboy who loved to fool around.
Her friend covered her mouth in shock: “What happened then? She didn’t slap you?”
Tong Lu shook her head: “No.”
She paused: “Then, she started crying.”
“Crying?”
Tong Lu’s eyes held a hint of pity: “She cried in a way that truly broke your heart.”
Wen Yunsheng suddenly gripped the stairwell railing, barely steadying her swaying body.
The buzzing in her mind grew louder, and the memories she had deliberately suppressed and forgotten surged back once more.
December 17th was her birthday.
In a foreign land, the only person she knew was Ji Beicun. He had said he would celebrate her birthday, reserved a restaurant, and bought a cake.
She had only just sat down when a woman stormed in furiously and threw a glass of wine in her face.
Her reaction was slow; she couldn’t dodge it and was drenched.
Ji Beicun exploded in rage: “Tong Lu, have you lost your mind?!”
Tong Lu pointed at her nose and shouted: “You shameless woman, do you really enjoy stealing what belongs to others? Taking someone else’s place? Do you think you’ll come to any good end? I’m telling you, you’ll get what’s coming to you sooner or later!”
Furious, Ji Beicun shoved Tong Lu aside: “What nonsense are you spouting! She’s my friend!”
“Friend? How interesting—a friend from bed?!”
“Tong Lu, watch your damn mouth!”
As the two were locked in a heated argument, Ji Beicun suddenly turned and saw Wen Yunsheng’s face streaked with tears.
Wen Yunsheng never cried. She had a gentle temper, easy to bully, but almost no one had ever seen her shed tears.
When she first arrived at the Qin family, anxious and unsettled, she hadn’t cried.
In high school, when she accidentally fell and fractured a bone, she hadn’t cried.
In college, when she broke up with Qin Yanchuan, she never cried in front of others.
Yet now, this stranger’s words felt like a sharp arrow, striking directly at her heart, piercing the deepest, most profound shame buried within her.
Tears she had long suppressed burst forth like a broken dam, pouring down uncontrollably.
Ji Beicun noticed something was wrong and hurried over to support her: “Yun Sheng, Yun Sheng, what’s wrong?”
Wen Yunsheng seemed unable to hear him. Amid the sudden buzzing in her mind, Tong Lu’s words echoed relentlessly.
—”Do you really enjoy stealing what belongs to others, taking someone else’s place?!”
She gradually felt it hard to breathe, and her tears flowed even more uncontrollably.
“Yun Sheng! Don’t scare me!” Ji Beicun was terrified.
But her eyes grew heavier, and she cried until she could barely catch her breath, leaning weakly against the chair, murmuring faintly: “I’m sorry.”
Even Tong Lu was frightened, frozen in place, unsure what to do.
Seeing her about to lose consciousness, Ji Beicun quickly scooped her up, rushed out of the restaurant, and drove her to the hospital.
The cheerful, light “ding-dong, ding-dong” of the class bell rang out.
Wen Yunsheng finally pulled herself out of the emotional turmoil. Leaning on the railing, she took a steadying breath, wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks with the back of her hand, and inhaled deeply to calm her emotions.
She had long buried this incident deep in her heart, never recalling it again. She just hadn’t expected the world to be so small that she would run into Tong Lu once more.Tong Lu wasn’t wrong; she didn’t blame her. She just couldn’t face herself.
Wen Yunsheng walked to the door of Class 3, Grade 11 and knocked cautiously.
“Come in,” said the homeroom teacher.
Wen Yunsheng pushed the door open and apologized, “I’m sorry, I was delayed by something and arrived late.”
“It’s fine. Which student’s parent are you?”
“I’m Qin Cisui’s older sister.”
The homeroom teacher looked at her with surprise and asked suspiciously, “Have you graduated yet?”
Wen Yunsheng knew the teacher doubted her reliability, so she deliberately straightened her back and spoke in a steady tone, “Of course.”
Wen Yunsheng had only recently graduated, and her gentle, soft face made her look young.
That’s why she had deliberately dressed more maturely today—a light blue shirt paired with solid-colored wide-leg pants, her long hair specially curled with a curling iron into loose waves cascading over her shoulders. She looked gentle and elegant.
The homeroom teacher reluctantly trusted her. “Please take a seat, parent.”
As soon as the teacher finished speaking, Qin Cisui excitedly waved at Wen Yunsheng.
Wen Yunsheng walked over and sat down in his seat, which was in the last row.
“I thought you weren’t coming! You scared me!” Qin Cisui whispered.
“I promised, so of course I came,” Wen Yunsheng replied with a faint smile.
Qin Cisui suddenly leaned closer and asked, “Why are your eyes red?”
“Some sand got in my eyes earlier. I tried to get it out for a while. Are they very red?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. It doesn’t affect my sister’s beauty,” Qin Cisui said, puffing up with pride again.
Wen Yunsheng smiled once more.
Xinyu Group.
Top floor.
The meeting had just ended. The conference room door opened, and Qin Yanchuan walked out, unbuttoning his suit jacket with one hand and striding forward.
Fang Zhu, who had been waiting outside, followed his pace. “Mr. Qin, the final proposal from Huiteng just came in. Would you like to review it?”
Qin Yanchuan never bothered with such trivial matters.
But since he had shown unprecedented interest this time, his subordinates had to take it even more seriously, seeking his approval at every step.
Qin Yanchuan asked, “Has their creative department finished hiring?”
Fang Zhu paused for a moment before nodding. “Yes, it’s already concluded.”
Qin Yanchuan frowned slightly. But Wen Yunsheng still hadn’t found a job.
Fang Zhu seemed to guess something and quietly reminded him, “If Mr. Qin gave a word, Huiteng probably wouldn’t mind adding one more candidate.”
Qin Yanchuan shot him a cold glance. “Mind your own business.”
Fang Zhu: “…Understood.”
A trace of restlessness appeared between Qin Yanchuan’s brows as he tugged impatiently at his tie.
“Is there anything else?”
“Oh, there’s one more small thing.”
Fang Zhu said, “I just received news today that the third young master’s school is holding a parent-teacher meeting.”
“You’re telling me about this?”
Fang Zhu paused. “The third young master asked Miss Yun Sheng to attend on his behalf.”