“What are you doing here?” Si Yan’s tone was displeased. He had never seen Wen Ran staying with a man so late at night.
Lin Hao explained, “Young Madam sprained her ankle. President Si asked me to check on her.”
As a highly-paid doctor hired by the Si family primarily to monitor Master Si’s health, Lin Hao had been with the family longer than Wen Ran. Being perceptive, he recognized the tension between the two Si gentlemen and quickly excused himself.
Si Yan had already descended the stairs. Noticing Wen Ran wore only pajamas, his voice grew heavier, “Why are you dressed so lightly? Go back to your room immediately.”
He then turned to Si Huaiyu beside him, “Uncle, I need to return to the company with the Secretary for some urgent matters.”
Even just from his tone, one could hear how forced that “Uncle” sounded.
Seeing that Si Yan was actually preparing to leave with Ruan Tang, completely ignoring Wen Ran’s presence, Si Huaiyu declared, “Stop. You can’t leave.”
Hearing the lecturing tone, Si Yan snorted coldly, “Does Uncle really think that just because you hold the title of elder, you can actually control me?”
How dare he overstep? Was he even worthy?
The young master of the Si family had never been one to accept authority. Calling Si Huaiyu “Uncle” was merely out of respect for his grandfather – and now he was putting on airs?
Sensing the situation escalating, Wen Ran immediately interjected, “If A-Yan has matters to attend to, you should go quickly…Si Huaiyu shot her a subtle look upon hearing this. Wen Ran didn’t dare meet his gaze, her voice growing softer and less confident, “We shouldn’t delay work…”
By the end, she had even lowered her head, resembling a timid and cowardly turtledove. This infuriated Si Huaiyu even more.
A suffocating anger lodged in his chest, neither rising nor falling. Since even Wen Ran was letting Si Yan leave, what more could he say?
Once they were gone, Si Huaiyu immediately questioned, “Don’t you understand what they’ll do after leaving?”
Working overtime at the company so late at night? He’d never seen Si Yan work so hard before. How could such an excuse so easily fool anyone? No wonder Si Yan dared to bring women home and fool around right in front of her.
To his surprise, Wen Ran looked back at him with complete confusion, “Do what?”Seeing the woman gazing at him with her dewy eyes, as if genuinely unaware, Si Huaiyu felt a surge of malice rising within him. He approached her and said maliciously, “They’ll engage in the most vulgar acts this world has to offer.”
The woman retreated a step, her face showing confusion, though internally Wen Ran was thrilled.
Come on, elaborate! She wanted to hear exactly how vulgar it could get!
Noting her apparent panic, Si Huaiyu made his words even more explicit, as if deliberately trying to embarrass her, “Your husband will caress every inch of that woman’s body, kiss every part of her skin. They’ll pant and moan over and over again.”
Hearing this, the woman before him instantly flushed crimson, shame washing over her. She whispered, “Uncle, you… you…”
She stammered for a long time without forming a complete sentence, too embarrassed to continue. How could he speak so openly?
Seeing her utterly mortified, Si Huaiyu loosened his tie at the collar, his voice low and hoarse, “You’re the one who let him go philandering. You gave him the opportunity to release his desires on someone else.””Stop, stop talking!” Wen Ran retreated, stumbling back onto the sofa, while Si Huaiyu stood right in front of her.
The woman looked up at him, his figure towering over her like a mountain. She felt like a soft, helpless little creature, her words utterly powerless.
She murmured, “They just… how could they possibly go again…”
Wen Ran wanted to argue, but the man suddenly smiled. Si Huaiyu said playfully, “It seems my nephew’s wife doesn’t understand men very well.”
Looking down at the woman beneath him, his eyes darkened. Wen Ran didn’t respond, but in the quiet, empty hall, the sound of her nervous, rapid breathing was unmistakable to Si Huaiyu. Even the air seemed to grow thick with tension.
But before he could take any further action, Si Yan unexpectedly returned from outside.
Wen Ran noticed that the score above Si Huaiyu’s head had already risen by eight points. She had been hoping to engage with him a bit longer, but Si Yan’s return ruined the moment. How disappointing.
From Si Yan’s perspective as he entered, he only saw Wen Ran sitting on the sofa and Si Huaiyu standing in front of it, with a noticeable distance between them. Si Yan didn’t suspect anything between the two.
He said to Wen Ran, “Come upstairs. I need to talk to you.”
Wen Ran immediately followed him, stealing a glance at Si Huaiyu as she left. She noticed he was watching her too and quickly averted her gaze.
…
As soon as they entered the room, Si Yan pinned Wen Ran against the wall and demanded, “What did you say to Si Huaiyu?”
In private, he never referred to that man as “uncle.” In Si Yan’s eyes, Si Huaiyu was nothing more than an illegitimate child. The only ones worthy of being called sons of the Si family were his father and himself.
“Nothing, nothing at all,” Wen Ran replied. How could she possibly tell him that she was scheming to cuckold him?
And she wasn’t the only one. Wen Ran had noticed the way Ruan Tang looked at Si Huaiyu earlier—like a starving person eyeing a feast. She guessed Ruan Tang would make a move too.
Thinking about this, she couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Si Yan, the Green Turtle. Both his wife and his mistress wanted to put a colorful hat on his head.
But then again, he had brought this on himself.
“Nothing?” Si Yan was skeptical. Wen Ran and Si Huaiyu rarely exchanged more than a few words at home, and Si Huaiyu wasn’t the type to engage in idle, meaningless conversations.
He asked, “Does he know about my relationship with Ruan Tang?”
Si Yan had never intended to hide his affair with Ruan Tang from Wen Ran. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought her home so openly.
He had always wanted a divorce. Just six months into their marriage, he had grown tired of his dull, unremarkable wife.
Bringing Ruan Tang home and flaunting their relationship was his way of pushing Wen Ran to her limits, hoping she would eventually break and ask for a divorce.
Theirs was a marriage of convenience, with deep financial ties between their families. Ending it wouldn’t be easy. If Wen Ran initiated the divorce, he wouldn’t have to pay a heavy price, and it would be easier to explain to the elders.
But Wen Ran’s calm, uncomplaining demeanor was beyond his expectations.
In her previous life, the original host had cried and made a scene upon discovering her husband in bed with another woman. Even the gentlest woman had her limits, especially since the original host had genuinely loved Si Yan.
“Husband, can you please stop seeing that woman?” Wen Ran’s voice was pleading, though she knew it was a futile request.But she had no intention of letting Si Yan get his way, so she immediately suppressed his budding idea of taking advantage of her tantrum to push for a divorce.
She said, “I can pretend this never happened. From now on, let’s get along peacefully and live a steady life, alright?”
Si Yan frowned. He knew Wen Ran had a soft temperament and was easy to manipulate, but surely not to this extent?
He asked, “Aren’t you angry at all?”