He refused to believe it—how could any woman remain indifferent to her own husband’s infidelity?
Si Yan thought of his own mother, who would argue for hours if Si’s Father so much as glanced at another woman. Could Wen Ran truly endure this?
Her response came in the form of tears.
Wen Ran’s tears fell like rolling pearls from her eyes, large drops cascading down, her gaze filled with profound sorrow. “Of course I’m angry, terribly angry, and deeply hurt.”
Si Yan: “Then you…” Why not bring up divorce?
Wen Ran cried with such genuine emotion, her words piercing to the heart: “But I love you. I can’t bear to be angry with you, and I can’t bear to leave you.”
“I don’t even dare blame that woman for taking you away. Since she’s someone you love, I can’t bring myself to hurt her either.”
These words left not only Si Yan stunned but even the system bewildered.
Seeing Wen Ran’s seemingly helpless devotion to the man, the system feared its hard-found host was about to be ensnared by the scoundrel again, nearly jumping out of its virtual skin in panic.
Just then, Wen Ran cursed inwardly: “You absolute fool, stunned now, aren’t you? Heh, this was all an act!”
System: “…” So you’re this good at acting? You should’ve said so earlier—you nearly scared me to death.
Si Yan silently pursed his lips, unsure how to respond, an unexpected wave of guilt washing over him. He truly had wronged her in this matter.
“Ding. Si Yan’s Affection points +5.”
Throughout their marriage, Si Yan had sensed Wen Ran’s love for him, but he never imagined it ran so deep that she wouldn’t leave even after his infidelity, without so much as a harsh word of reproach.
Looking at Wen Ran cornered against the wall by his actions, he took a step back and said, “Stop crying.”
Si Yan was both emotionally detached and promiscuous, but having been with Wen Ran for so long, even if his feelings had faded, he couldn’t stand to see a woman cry.
He even reached out to wipe the tears from her face, comforting her: “It’s late. You should rest.”
Wen Ran asked softly, “Will you stay?”
Si Yan lowered his gaze. He had already left but returned upon remembering Si Huaiyu being alone with Wen Ran. Ruan Tang was still waiting in the car.
He said, “From now on, limit your conversations with Si Huaiyu. Avoid contact with him.”
Wen Ran ignored his statement and pressed, “Will you stay tonight?”
Si Yan: “…”
His silence was answer enough. Seeing his reluctance to speak, Wen Ran bowed her head. “I understand.”
She then walked to the walk-in closet, retrieved a trench coat, and handed it to Si Yan. “Husband, the night is cold. Wear more so you don’t catch a chill.”
Such virtuous devotion—as a wife, she had fulfilled her role to perfection. No man could find further fault.
Wen Ran remained by the upstairs floor-to-ceiling window, watching Si Yan’s departing figure until he exited the Si family ancestral home.
“Host, that’s enough,” the system couldn’t help interjecting. “He’s already left. You’re practically turning into a ‘longing wife stone’ statue.”
It added, “Si Yan can’t see you now. There’s no need for this, right?”
Wen Ran chuckled in response, “How can you be so sure he doesn’t know?”
No sooner had she spoken than the mechanical point announcement rang out.
“Ding. Si Yan’s Affection points +3.”
Now it was the system’s turn to be astonished. “But I clearly saw Si Yan never looked back.””That’s because he doesn’t dare look back,” Wen Ran said. “The more devoted I appear, the more it highlights his scumbag behavior, doesn’t it?”
Human perception is remarkably sharp. How could he not notice being constantly watched?
Si Yan pretended not to know Wen Ran was gazing devotedly at his back. He understood the woman wanted him to turn around, but he had no intention of doing so. By feigning ignorance, he could lessen his guilt over the affair—though this was merely his own self-deception, since the Affection points never lied.
The system was instantly won over by Wen Ran, yet it worriedly said, “Host, we’re in a book world where the male lead will be unconsciously drawn to the female lead due to plot influence. This significantly impacts our mission.”
This world’s mission difficulty wasn’t low. Typically, task-takers would start from beginner villages, but its newbie cards had long been exhausted by previous hosts.
The system felt somewhat guilty toward Wen Ran. “If I fail this mission again, both the task-taker and system will be eliminated. Should it come to that, I’ll expend all my energy to protect you.”
This was its promise to Wen Ran—the only host who’d agreed to partner with it without making any demands. Previous bindings were either with those seeking bodily resurrection after death or those wanting to earn billions through missions, all purely transactional.
“Zha Zha, where’s your backbone?” Though touched inwardly, Wen Ran’s tone remained disdainful. “Planning your funeral arrangements before we’ve even begun?”
She was the type who thrived on challenges—mundane tasks held no interest for her.
In her original world, Wen Ran’s family was among the wealthiest. She never lacked money yet never experienced genuine warmth in relationships. From her earliest memories, she’d watched her father bring countless women through their home.
This shaped her current personality. Wen Ran held no attachment to the world—neither needing wealth nor fearing death. She bound with the system purely for amusement.
She never expected this casually adopted system to be so conscientious. Wen Ran teased, “Are you sure you weren’t misplaced in the system classification?”
If every Scumbag System were like this, wouldn’t they all get played to death by men?
“No misclassification,” the system said. “I just haven’t produced results yet.”
Centuries had passed without a single success—it felt small and helpless too!
Wen Ran chuckled. “Truly a Zha Zha.”
“Host, please refrain from giving System-san nicknames.” Being called this regularly—didn’t it deserve some dignity?
“But you said you’re still in internship phase without an official number,” Wen Ran laughed. “Shouldn’t a Scumbag System be called Zha Zha? Or perhaps Zhen Zhen? True love conquers all?”
The scumbag system: “…”
Seeing it speechless, Wen Ran laughed brightly, her voice clear as wind chimes. Noting her delight, the system conceded, “Fine, fine, call me what you want.”
It was persuaded—her happiness mattered most. After all, Ran Ran was its meal ticket.
……
Inside the car.
The moment Si Yan closed the car door, Ruan Tang asked, “Was that person just now President Si?”
Having recently joined the conglomerate, she typically assisted Si Yan with business matters. Si Yan rarely encountered Si Huaiyu at the company, and Ruan Tang had only heard of Si Huaiyu’s reputation with few opportunities to meet the head of the Si financial group.Instead of asking Wen Ran first, she was curious about Si Huaiyu, which was quite intriguing. However, Si Yan didn’t overthink it and simply responded with “Mm” before starting the car.