In the night breeze, a wisp of fragrance drifted by.
“It smells so good.” Jiang Wan and Gu Shilan stopped under a pomegranate tree. “Are there flowers here?”
Gu Shilan’s gaze passed over Jiang Wan, looking toward the greenhouse straight ahead, and nodded. “Yes, would you like to go take a look?”
Jiang Wan nodded.
Then, the two walked toward the greenhouse at a leisurely pace, as if taking a casual stroll after dinner.
As Jiang Wan approached, she saw it was a sunroom made of glass.
Under the faint moonlight, she could make out the blurry shapes of flowers and plants inside.
With a soft click, Gu Shilan turned on the light, and warm lighting illuminated the space.
This place had always been tended to by professionals, so it maintained its original appearance. Although the flowers and plants had changed with the seasons, they were all still varieties favored by Gu’s Mother.
“What you smelled earlier was the fragrance of lilies,” Gu Shilan said. “If you like them, we can place a hydroponic lily in your room.”
Jiang Wan looked at the white lilies and asked, “Is that really okay?”
“Of course.”
As soon as Gu Shilan finished speaking, Jiang Wan’s phone suddenly rang.
She glanced down, hesitated for a moment after seeing the caller ID, and then declined the call.
“Why didn’t you answer?” Gu Shilan noticed Jiang Wan’s almost imperceptible frown and asked hesitantly, “It’s someone from the Jiang family.”
His tone was certain.
Jiang Wan didn’t want to hide anything from Gu Shilan. Since she had chosen to be with him, she had to gradually accept that he was now family, and family should be honest with each other.
Her fingers tightened around her phone. “Yes.”
She didn’t know why Jiang Ting was calling her, but it certainly wasn’t for anything good.
The mocking faces of that mother and daughter when she left the villa yesterday still lingered in her mind.
Now that she was with Gu Shilan, she had finally escaped them and left that prison-like house behind.
Jiang Wan absolutely did not want to have any further dealings with them.
Gu Shilan lowered his gaze, his eyes fixed on Jiang Wan’s pitifully delicate face.
With concern in his expression, he asked, “Do you need me to handle it?”
“No,” Jiang Wan shook her head, not wanting to trouble Gu Shilan. “I can handle it myself.”
They probably didn’t even know where she was now. At most, they would just bombard her with calls, and she could simply ignore them.
Gu Shilan didn’t want to forcefully interfere in Jiang Wan’s life. She had her own space.
He only needed to protect her from behind and step in when she was in danger.
“Alright, Wanwan.” Gu Shilan adjusted her slightly slipping jacket and reassured her once more. “If you encounter something you can’t handle, you must tell me. Uncle Gu will always be your support, understand?”
Jiang Wan looked up. The gentle moonlight shone on Gu Shilan’s sharply defined face, making his expression especially clear. His dark eyes were filled with concern and reassurance.
Suddenly, Jiang Wan felt a slight warmth where Gu Shilan’s fingers had touched her shoulder.
She nodded without speaking, afraid she might stumble over her words under Gu Shilan’s gaze.
“It’s late. Let’s go back and rest.” Gu Shilan didn’t notice the turmoil in Jiang Wan’s heart.
Jiang Wan nodded.
After escorting Jiang Wan back to her room, Gu Shilan didn’t leave. Instead, he quietly stood guard outside her door.
He smiled helplessly to himself.
With a mix of coaxing and persuasion, he had finally managed to bring her home.
It felt a bit like luring a child.
Jiang Family Villa.
Jiang Ting simply couldn’t believe that Jiang Wan had dared to hang up on her.
She must have eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard—who gave her the nerve?
Wide-eyed and fuming, she called Jiang Wan two or three more times, only to be hung up on every single time.
“That damn girl.”
She kicked the solid wood door but forgot she was wearing slippers.
A sharp, piercing pain instantly made her grimace, and she blamed this on Jiang Wan too.
“You just wait, you damn girl.”
Then, she ran to Meng Fenyu’s room.
Jiang Yi was abroad on business and hadn’t returned yet.
Meng Fenyu was sitting on the bed, enjoying a foot massage from a therapist. Seeing Jiang Ting burst in, she thought something had happened.
“What’s wrong, Tingting?”
Jiang Ting said irritably, “You, get out first.”
The foot therapist quickly gathered her things and left the room.
“It’s that wretched girl again,” Jiang Ting sat on the bed, huffing angrily. “She’s off somewhere fooling around with some man and won’t even answer my calls.”
Meng Fenyu didn’t mind: “If she doesn’t answer, she doesn’t answer. Why bother with her?”
It’d be better if she didn’t come back, so she wouldn’t have to be reminded of that woman every time she saw her.
Jiang Ting complained, “It’s about the painting my mentor asked me to submit for the competition. It’s not finished yet, and if Jiang Wan doesn’t come back, who’s going to paint it for me?”
“Is that all? Tingting, you can just paint it yourself.”
Jiang Ting fell silent.
If she knew how to paint, why would she need Jiang Wan?
Jiang Yi had just hired a famous tutor for her at a million per lesson.
If she admitted she had no talent at all and hadn’t learned anything under the tutor’s guidance, Jiang Yi would definitely not let her off.
Apart from playing mahjong and buying luxury goods, Meng Fenyu spent her days being endlessly confident in her daughter.
So, she didn’t take Jiang Ting’s earlier words seriously: “Tingting, if there’s nothing else, go to sleep. Staying up late is bad for your skin.”
But Jiang Ting didn’t move: “Mom, what if Jiang Wan is pregnant with a bastard child?”
“What else can we do?” Meng Fenyu pulled back the covers and got into bed. “When your dad comes back, we’ll tell him. That wretched girl will have it coming.”
Jiang Ting’s eyes lit up, and she leaned closer: “Mom, why don’t we help her? Help that bastard child find a father, so our family’s reputation won’t be damaged.”
Meng Fenyu paused while pulling the covers, frowning as she looked at Jiang Ting: “What are you thinking, dear?”
Jiang Ting sneered, her face filled with anticipation for the drama: “That small-time boss who delivers groceries to our house recently lost his wife. He has two kids, and I overheard him talking to the butler the other day about wanting to remarry.
He’s in a hurry, and that wretched girl’s pregnancy won’t stay hidden much longer. Why don’t we set them up? That way, the old man gets a wife, and the bastard in Jiang Wan’s belly gets a father.”
Seeing Meng Fenyu hesitate, Jiang Ting continued: “Mom, I know what you’re worried about. You’re afraid the old man won’t agree if he finds out Jiang Wan is pregnant, right? But think about it—if we don’t say anything, who will know? That old man will become an instant stepdad without even realizing it.”
Meng Fenyu was convinced, thinking Jiang Ting made perfect sense. They absolutely couldn’t let that damn girl ruin the family’s reputation.
“You’re right, Tingting. When your dad comes back tomorrow, I’ll talk to him.”
Then, Jiang Ting sent Jiang Wan a message.
[Jiang Wan, come back right now, or I’ll throw out your mother’s belongings.]
Immediately after, Jiang Wan’s call came through.
“Jiang Ting, you can’t touch my mom’s things. If even one thing goes missing, I won’t let you off. I’m coming back this Sunday.”
“You worthless girl, all you have is a sharp tongue. Let’s see how you won’t let me off—you’re not even a match for one of my fingers.”
Jiang Ting sneered a few more words over the phone before hanging up.