Wen Mochuan and Shu Yao had always been WeChat friends. Before that incident had ever happened, they naturally kept in frequent contact.
But in the past few years, ever since Wen Mochuan got married and Shu Yao went abroad for further studies… they had silently maintained a certain distance, never contacting each other again.
They were still on each other’s friend lists, but neither had ever opened the other’s profile.
Only occasionally, while scrolling through their Moments, would they catch glimpses of each other’s updates.
For instance, Shu Yao knew that shortly after he got married, he had a daughter and became a father. Wen Mochuan knew that after completing her master’s in the UK, she continued on to pursue a doctoral degree.
Now, five years had passed in the blink of an eye, and she had graduated with her doctorate.
Not only had she graduated, but she was returning home.
After that incident, they had both remained calm, a sort of peaceful separation.
He had been rational, she had been clear-headed. He needed to take responsibility for what he had done, even though, in truth, he had not been at fault. She also knew that, at this stage, the best choice was to quietly step back.
But the calmer it had been at the time, the more painful it became as the years trickled by, when he recalled their breakup.
Grievance, resentment, anger… all these emotions came flooding back one after another.
Like a bottle of wine, the longer it aged, the stronger the aftertaste.
Even now, seeing the news that she was about to return, Wen Mochuan felt ripples stir in his heart, even knowing that there was no possibility between them anymore.
His finger hovered over her latest Moment post, several times gathering courage to like it, but each time he hesitated and ultimately refrained.
Just as he was about to scroll past it, a familiar nickname caught his eye.
If he remembered correctly, this should be Jiang Yiyan’s WeChat account.
“Shallow Likes, Deep Intentions”—she had liked Shu Yao’s latest post.
Wen Mochuan frowned deeply, knotted with confusion. What exactly did she intend? He just couldn’t figure it out.
But Jiang Yiyan had no ulterior motive. She had simply been bored after returning home, sitting on the sofa scrolling through Moments, and had stumbled upon Shu Yao’s post about returning home.
She thought, since she saw it, she might as well give a light acknowledgment. After all, they were family, and sooner or later, she would have to meet her in person.
She had no intention of ingratiating herself with Shu Yao or her circle, but she didn’t want to make enemies either. A nod of acquaintance now would suffice—later, when they met, a simple greeting would do.
They would each live their lives peacefully, without interfering in the other’s affairs.
Jiang Yiyan didn’t dwell on liking Shu Yao’s moment. After seeing it and liking it, she simply scrolled on to other posts.
She knew that now that she was here, she probably couldn’t easily leave. So she needed to carefully observe and understand the original person’s social circle.
For example, beyond the novel, in areas unseen by the readers, what was her life like?
To learn that, starting with her Moments and friend list was the most direct and effective method.
From top to bottom, Jiang Yiyan carefully scanned each post.
Whenever she saw something interesting, she would exit Moments, locate the friend in her list, and check the chat history with the original person to judge their relationship.
As she went through everything, she realized that most were just casual acquaintances, no deep friendships apparent.
After a while, Jiang Yiyan exited WeChat.
A simple, careless gesture from Jiang Yiyan not only knotted Wen Mochuan’s brow but also surprised Shu Yao.
Since Shu Yao had entered the Jiang household, the two women had never been on good terms. Over the past five years, they hadn’t interacted at all.
Shu Yao didn’t know why, but today Jiang Yiyan had proactively liked her moment.
Hopefully, it was a friendly gesture. Five years had passed; both should have matured.
When they met again, she didn’t want to continue as enemies.
Wen Mochuan arrived home around 4:40. He hadn’t stepped inside yet when Wen Meimei, engrossed in playing with her LEGO, immediately stood up.
She called out, “Daddy’s home!” and ran to the door to greet him.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yiyan, sitting on the sofa reading a novel on her phone, only belatedly noticed the faint sound of the car door closing outside.
By the time she got up and put on her shoes, a young man in a suit and tie was already carrying his daughter inside.
Due to work, Wen Mochuan wore a shirt and trousers. Now, with his sleeves rolled up to the elbows, half of his toned forearms were exposed.
A watch adorned his wrist, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, hair neatly slicked back… the elegant and refined appearance of the Wen family’s third young master.
Jiang Yiyan instinctively smiled at him, a friendly gesture.
Wen Mochuan glanced at his wife briefly, his gaze calm. Just a fleeting look before he focused back on his daughter, speaking to her for a moment, then putting her down before returning his attention to his wife.
He moved toward the sofa, not sitting beside her but on a separate seat, keeping a deliberate distance.
Noticing his intentional distance, Jiang Yiyan pursed her lips, unconcerned.
In fact, she found this distance preferable—it spared her the trouble of hiding her true identity. She didn’t have to fully impersonate the original person, but at least her behavior shouldn’t be extreme enough to alert him.
This arrangement was convenient, non-intimate, and avoided the complications of marital closeness.
Yet in conversation, Jiang Yiyan still showed concern.
“How was the business trip? Everything went smoothly?” she asked in a gentle voice.
“Mm,” Wen Mochuan replied simply. Even though it was an answer, he didn’t elaborate.
Thinking of his wife’s unusual behavior over the past few days, and recalling that Shu Yao was returning, he had several times wanted to ask if she was plotting something, but every time, he swallowed the words.
He didn’t want to argue, knowing that mentioning Shu Yao would inevitably lead to conflict.
So he chose to ignore the matter for now, asking about other things first.
“How did Meimei’s day at school go? Did her teacher say anything?” Wen Mochuan cared most about their daughter, Meimei. He hadn’t attended the parent meeting and wanted details from his wife.
This question was easy to answer; Jiang Yiyan only needed to recount the day at school truthfully.
However, she omitted the small episode involving Wu Jingmeng.
Yet even without mentioning it, Wen Meimei leaned over, saying to her father, “Jiang Yinghao’s mom was really mean to Mommy, but she wasn’t a match. Mommy still made her leave in the end.” The little girl proudly lifted her chin.
Jiang Yiyan was surprised that a four- or five-year-old could understand adult matters. Not only that, she even knew to report on her mother’s behalf.
Although she knew that Meimei was protecting her biological mother, not herself, Jiang Yiyan was moved by her thoughtfulness.
Seeing such a sensible and clever child, willing to protect her mother, how could one not be fond of her?
Her fondness for the child deepened.
She stayed silent, merely observing her daughter, waiting for Wen Mochuan’s reaction.
Wen Mochuan was aware of the relationship between Wu Jingmeng and Shu Yao. He didn’t judge who was at fault, nor did he inquire in detail. He simply affectionately smoothed his daughter’s soft hair and said in a gentle voice, “Adults’ matters, children don’t understand,” then redirected the conversation to Meimei’s performance at school.
“Starting in the middle class, she’ll begin systematic English lessons. Daddy’s thinking of hiring an English teacher for you during summer break,” he said seriously.
Naturally, the little girl, eager to play, ran away two meters immediately, forgetting all about reporting for her mother, and dove back into her LEGO world with a grin.
Watching his lively, adorable daughter, Wen Mochuan’s eyes filled with warmth.
As his gaze returned from his daughter to Jiang Yiyan, his expression returned to its usual calm and distant demeanor.
Though he didn’t state it outright, his choice was clear: between his wife and his first love’s best friend, he sided without surprise with the first love’s friend.
Perhaps in his heart, his wife was a troublemaker, hypocritical and malicious. Any conflict or friction she caused was her fault.
Jiang Yiyan was not truly Jiang Yiyan, so she didn’t care about Wen Mochuan’s attitude.
She wasn’t seeking his concern, she only wanted peaceful coexistence under the same roof.
So she shrugged subconsciously and spoke first, “If you’re tired, go take a shower and relax. Dinner should be ready soon.” She got up, moving away from him, and said, “I’ll check in the kitchen to see if Feng Ma needs help.” She preferred to stay with Feng Ma and avoid Wen Mochuan.
This was seemingly the first time she had voluntarily moved away from him.
Her unexpected calm, without crying or fussing, even after Meimei’s reporting, surprised Wen Mochuan.
Watching her walk away, he was left even more perplexed.
He couldn’t tell what she was plotting, nor whether she had a hidden plan.
Her unusual behavior was indeed unlike her usual approach.