Night gradually blanketed the sky. The streetlights on the road became the only light source illuminating the canopy of heaven. Under the soft, dim yellow glow of the streetlights, a pink Mercedes Benz G-Wagon wove through the traffic.
The research institute wasn’t too far from Lin Wanshuang’s duplex apartment, but it was quite a distance from Runjing Huafu, where her mother lived.
Knowing that Lin Wanshuang was suffocating with pent-up anger, Ming Pride didn’t dare delay. She could only chat about lighthearted topics with her employer while stepping on the gas pedal all the way to the floor.
In everyday life, Lin Wanshuang was a very easy person to understand. When she was unhappy, feeding her something sweet or delicious would naturally cheer her up. But this time, the thing that made her unhappy was an issue at the research institute, and for a moment, Ming Pride really didn’t know how to coax her.
Thinking back to when Lin Wanshuang had previously been given a hard time by Lan Liru and could only run off to complain to her deceased mentor, Ming Pride felt that perhaps this time, letting Lin Wanshuang go home to complain and chat with her parents might make things a bit better.
Therefore, when Ming Pride looked through the windshield from afar and saw that highly modern-style villa, her heart eased slightly with relief.
Steering the car steadily into the garage, she immediately saw that it was packed full of luxury cars upon stepping out. Sports cars, business vans, everything was there. Even those seven sports cars were arranged according to the colors of the rainbow.
Ming Pride had only met those two elders once, but she firmly believed that this slightly “childish” arrangement was definitely not the aesthetic of those two. Thus, the owner of the seven sports cars had a prime candidate.
She lowered her head slightly, the depths of her eyes brimming with a smile that was hard to dissipate. Clearly, she was a noble, cold, and glamorous researcher doing experiments on the outside, yet at home, she was a little girl who would do childish things.
But at the thought of what Qiao Yi had said, Ming Pride’s heart sank again, and the smile in her eyes gradually vanished.
Those low, disgusting rumors should not become sharp blades used to slander Lin Wanshuang, nor should Lin Wanshuang have to bear such unprovoked misfortune.
With a plan formed in her mind, Ming Pride looked at Lin Wanshuang, who was walking past the front of the car, and smiled, proactively saying, “I made plans with Summer Cicada earlier to spot-check her training. I’ll give her a call to supervise her now. Go on in first, Eldest Miss.”
Lin Wanshuang nodded with low spirits and quietly left the garage.
Watching Lin Wanshuang’s silhouette, which looked a bit thin and frail in the night, Ming Pride tightened her grip on her phone. After a moment of deliberation, she dialed Boss Cai’s number.
Ming Pride didn’t know many people in Jincheng, but if she wanted to find someone to get things done, she could still manage it.
“Boss Cai, it’s me, Solar.”
“Oh my, busy person, how do you have time to call me at this hour?”
Ming Pride smiled, not beating around the bush either. “Calling Boss Cai definitely means there’s something I’d like to ask for your help with.
Only after finishing the call with Boss Cai did Ming Pride completely set her mind at ease. Wrapping her somewhat thin jacket tightly around herself, she shrugged her shoulders and walked toward the main house.
The moment she stepped inside, a blast of warm air rushed over her face. The floor heating was turned on in the main house, making the jacket she was still wearing seem a bit redundant.
It so happened that Left Xiangjun was carrying a fruit platter toward the living room. At a single glance, she spotted Ming Pride standing at the door. She hurriedly greeted her, “Ming Pride, you’re done with your call? Quick, come in. Auntie just washed some fruit, come have some.”
As Left Xiangjun spoke, she was actually throwing a meaningful glance at Ming Pride, signaling her to wait in place for a moment.
Once she set the fruit down, she walked briskly over to Ming Pride, lowering her voice to ask in a whisper, “Ming Pride, did you and Frosty have a fight? The moment she walked into the house, her face looked awful, and she’s in a terrible mood.”
Ming Pride benchmarked her head. “No fight. Eldest Miss is in a bad mood because of an issue at the research institute, but it’s not a major deal either.”
Left Xiangjun sighed, nodded, and casually brought up past events. “She rarely tells me or her mother about things at the research institute. The last time she was this sad was when Professor Xin passed away. She started crying the moment she came back from the funeral, and in the end, she had no choice but to take some time off to adjust her mood.”
Hearing this, Ming Pride suddenly recalled what had happened in the cafeteria last time. She still remembered that Lin Wanshuang had indeed said she didn’t cry at the funeral but cried after going home. Hearing Left Xiangjun bring it up proactively now, she said curiously, “I thought Eldest Miss was the kind of person who is very rational. I didn’t expect her to be very emotional too.”
“What rational or irrational? She has been a crybaby and a snotty brat since she was little. Hug her and she cries, don’t hug her and she still cries, hug her but don’t kiss her and she cries anyway. Her mother and I have such a headache over it.”
Though she said it that way, Ming Pride could see the happiness radiating from Left Xiangjun’s face. They truly loved this child.
Ming Pride felt as though, through the long river of time, she was catching a glimpse of a corner of Lin Wanshuang’s upbringing in this villa. She wanted to pry deeper, but unfortunately, the protagonist herself interrupted this conversation.
“Mom, how long are you and Ming Pride going to chat?”
Left Xiangjun hurriedly called out in response, “Coming, coming! Mom is just checking in on Miss Ming to see if you’ve been bullying her.”
An displeased, soft snort from Lin Wanshuang was what answered her.
“Alright, alright, we’ll chat more when we have time later.” Left Xiangjun reached out again to take the jacket Ming Pride had taken off. Upon feeling it, she said disapprovingly, “So thin. The temperature has been so low these past few days, why didn’t you wear something thicker?”
Ming Pride hadn’t received such meticulous care since coming to Jincheng. For a moment, she was a bit at a loss and could only make up a few casual excuses to brush it off.
She took off her jacket, wearing a deep coffee colored, long-sleeved shirt underneath, pulling the cuffs up to stack at her elbows, revealing a small section of fair and strong forearm.
Walking over to the living room, she finally saw Lin Wanshuang, who was completely hidden by the sofa.
By this time, Lin Wanshuang had already changed into a comfortable, cream-white loungewear dress, her feet tucked into a pair of fluffy long socks, sitting cross-legged on the rug.
Just then, the nanny mentioned that dinner could be served. Lin Wanshuang subconsciously reached out both arms toward Ming Pride.
Her original intention was to have Ming Pride pull her up, but it wasn’t until her entire body was suspended in mid-air that she blankly snapped back to reality.
“Ming Pride! What are you doing?!” Lin Wanshuang cried out in great shock, only feeling that the tight sensation coming from her armpits was extremely uncomfortable.
Ming Pride looked up at the person she had lifted up, her own brain crashing for a moment.
Just now, when she saw Lin Wanshuang reaching out both arms toward her, for some unknown reason, that sentence from Left Xiangjun suddenly echoed in her mind.
【Hug her and she cries, don’t hug her and she still cries, hug her but don’t kiss her and she cries anyway】.
And so, driven by some ghost or god, she bent her waist and reached out her hands, catching the person by the “roots of her wings” and lifting Lin Wanshuang straight up.