“Ruan Tang, I don’t think I’ll be getting divorced anytime soon.”
Ruan Tang’s mind was still preoccupied with thoughts of Si Huaiyu’s face when she abruptly heard Si Yan’s statement, leaving her momentarily stunned.
Si Yan continued, “Wen Ran doesn’t mind your presence.”
“Did she say that?” Ruan Tang was astonished. How could any woman tolerate such a situation?
“Not in those exact words, but that was the implication.” Wen Ran’s earlier gesture of stopping him had already proven as much.
Si Yan declared, “She loves me.”
Had Wen Ran heard this, she would have laughed herself silly. She had only said it casually, yet Si Yan actually believed it.
Ruan Tang immediately countered, “If she truly loved you, she wouldn’t be so calm about this.”
What woman could endure being treated like this? During her days with Si Yan at the Si residence, though she hadn’t formally encountered Wen Ran, there was one time she was certain the woman had seen her and Si Yan together… In short, she didn’t believe Wen Ran loved Si Yan.
But Si Yan dismissed Ruan Tang’s words. “Wen Ran has always been this way—mild-tempered, never speaking harshly.”
The original owner in his memories was indeed like this: a lily nurtured in a greenhouse, refined and reserved in nature, yet too gentle—Si Yan always found her dull.
“Could it be she has ulterior motives?” As a woman herself, Ruan Tang felt she understood women well enough.
If someone truly loved a person, watching their man love another woman wouldn’t leave their heart as still as dead water. She insisted, “She might not really love you—she’s probably just after a larger share of the assets.”
As Ruan Tang spoke these words, her mind was entirely focused on speculating about Wen Ran’s psychological state, failing to notice the man in the driver’s seat had grown dark with anger.
Si Yan had been pampered since childhood, surrounded by admirers, with women vying for his attention. For Ruan Tang to claim his wife didn’t love him felt like a direct challenge to his masculine pride.
He said coldly, “Wen Ran isn’t like you. She comes from a well-off family and isn’t so obsessed with money or so scheming.”
Ruan Tang froze. She turned to look at the man, unable to believe Si Yan would belittle her while defending Wen Ran.
“Are you saying I’m with you for your money?”
Si Yan frowned. “That’s not what I meant.”
He believed he was merely stating facts. Although the Wen family’s company couldn’t compare to the Si Group, Wen Ran was their only daughter. Was there anything she wore or owned that wasn’t of the finest quality?
Based on his understanding of Wen Ran, Si Yan knew she wasn’t particularly materialistic. But he couldn’t initiate the divorce—otherwise, he’d have a hard time explaining things to his grandfather.
“Comparing me to her makes me seem like the villain,” Ruan Tang said with a hint of grievance. “If you don’t want to divorce her, we can just end things here.”
Si Yan knew she was throwing another tantrum. In the past, he might have indulged her, but after comparing her attitude with Wen Ran’s, he began to reflect.
He asked Ruan Tang, “You say Wen Ran doesn’t truly love me, but what about you? Do you really love me?”
The question caught Ruan Tang off guard. Given their usual dynamic, shouldn’t he be coaxing her instead?
Si Yan pressed on, “Wen Ran never puts me in difficult situations. What about you?”Even when he hurt Wen Ran, she never resented him, and by extension, she didn’t blame Ruan Tang for competing with her for her husband.
But Ruan Tang, fully aware of his predicament, repeatedly pressured him. She claimed Wen Ran didn’t love him, but how much did she truly care for him herself?
Ruan Tang: “You…”
This typical scumbag logic left her speechless. She wanted to refute it but couldn’t find an opening.
Si Yan added another blow: “I think you don’t love me as much as Wen Ran does.”
If Ruan Tang truly loved him so deeply, why was she so fixated on the title of Mrs. Si? Si Yan thought that if it were Wen Ran, she would never make so many demands—staying by his side would be enough.
“Ding, Si Yan’s Affection points +5.”
Wen Ran was already in bed, ready to sleep, when she suddenly heard the system’s notification.
“Huh? Isn’t Si Yan with the female lead? This time, instead of losing points, he actually gained some?” The Zha Zha system found it unbelievable. Had the female lead’s charm lost its effect?
“You just don’t get it,” Wen Ran chuckled. “It’s obvious they had a fight.”
Men are fickle. If they can’t find happiness with one person, they naturally start thinking of another.
Moreover, at this stage, Si Yan and Ruan Tang’s relationship wasn’t deep enough for him to willingly share her with others. A little conflict was enough to spark arguments, and with each quarrel, their bond would inevitably fade.
Just as Wen Ran predicted, Si Yan and Ruan Tang had their first major argument since they’d met.
That night, Si Yan didn’t stay with Ruan Tang, nor did he return to the Si residence. Instead, he checked into a hotel.
………
“Ran Ran, it’s bad enough that Si Huaiyu is never around, but now Si Yan has started staying out too?”
The system was frustrated. Without face-to-face interaction, the progress of their mission was moving at a snail’s pace.
In contrast to its anxiety, Wen Ran remained perfectly calm, leisurely watering her flowers with a sprayer.
“Don’t worry. Even if we can’t see them, the Affection points keep fluctuating. We’ll meet eventually.”
Lately, every night, Si Huaiyu’s Affection points would rise and fall unpredictably.
Wen Ran remarked, “Haven’t you noticed that Si Huaiyu has been returning to the Si residence every night these days?”
In the past, Si Huaiyu avoided staying home whenever possible, but recently, he’d been coming back almost daily.
The system grumbled, “He’s home, but we haven’t exchanged a single word.”
It noted that Si Huaiyu had been deliberately avoiding Wen Ran lately, not even giving her a chance to speak. If not for the fact that his Affection points hadn’t dropped to zero, it would have assumed he despised her.
The system sighed, “We haven’t had any chance to communicate with him. What should we do?”
Wen Ran smiled faintly. “Who said Affection points can only be gained through communication?”
“No wonder you’ve been around so long and still don’t even have a system serial number. You’ve aged, but you haven’t gained any experience.”System: Sob~ Ran Ran is disliking me again…
Wen Ran gently stroked the petals of the flower in front of her.” She was waiting for Si Huaiyu to seek her out first.
Although they hadn’t spoken, Wen Ran hadn’t been idle. She maintained her best appearance at all times—her outfits, makeup, and even the styling of her hair were flawlessly elegant.
Visual impact, at certain moments, far outweighs verbal communication for the opposite sex.
For instance, at that moment, Wen Ran was wearing a form-fitting white dress that accentuated her curves, with a lace fabric adding a touch of sophistication—sexy yet not vulgar.