Xie Cheng’s brow twitched slightly, the cigarette between his fingers crushed flat.
Wen Yan didn’t look at him again. She pushed back the covers, got out of bed, picked up the clothes scattered across the floor, and dressed herself piece by piece.
After freshening up in the bathroom, she grabbed her bag and walked toward the door without looking back.
By the time she returned to Greenfield Villa and finished showering, Qi Siye had already sent a message saying he was almost there.
Fortunately, the housekeeper was on leave recently, so no one knew she had been out all night.
This villa was bought by Qi Siye as their marital home after their engagement. Because it was close to the television station, she had moved in here.
She tidied up briefly and waited outside.
Before long, a black Maybach slowly approached and came to a stop. Qi Siye stepped out from the driver’s seat.
He was dressed in a perfectly fitted gray suit, tall and elegant in demeanor.
“Why are you driving yourself?” Wen Yan asked.
“It’s just the two of us today. I’m your personal driver.”
Qi Siye smiled as he took Wen Yan’s bag and opened the passenger door for her.
Every word and action was refined and courteous.
If it weren’t for Jiang Wantang, he would have been the perfect husband.
Wen Yan thought this to herself, sighing quietly.
Her life always seemed to be this way—whenever she had something good, it would soon be lost for one reason or another.
She settled into the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and the car pulled away from the villa.
They chatted intermittently, with Qi Siye asking about Xie Cheng’s visit to the television station for a recording.
Wen Yan’s mind was filled with the scene from the hotel that morning, and she responded absentmindedly.
Qi Siye noticed her distraction and asked with concern, “Are you in a bad mood?”
Wen Yan looked at his gentle eyes and softly said, “Siye, maybe we should call off the engagement?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the car jolted abruptly, the screeching sound of brakes unsettling.
Wen Yan lurched forward from the momentum, only to be pulled back into her seat by the seatbelt.
Gripping the seatbelt to steady her breathing, she looked at the man beside her in surprise.
Qi Siye’s profile was tense, no longer as calm as before.
After a moment of silence, he spoke in a low voice, “Yan Yan, haven’t we already discussed everything?”
“I’m narrow-minded, jealous, and can’t tolerate any complications, so…”
Wen Yan didn’t continue. Qi Siye was smart enough to understand what she was referring to.
“Wantang is just my sister. Her brother gave his life for me!”
Qi Siye took Wen Yan’s hand, his expression softening slightly.
“Yan Yan, don’t force me to be heartless and ungrateful.”
“Even though our engagement was arranged by our families, I know you care for me.”
“When Wantang is a little older, she’ll have her own family. She won’t affect us at all.”
After more than two years of engagement, Wen Yan had been considerate and gentle toward him. He couldn’t believe there was no affection in it at all.
Friends who knew them all said he had found a good wife.
Wen Yan withdrew her hand, frowning in disappointment.
She could understand Qi Siye’s need to repay a life-saving debt.
But she owed Jiang Wantang nothing. He shouldn’t sacrifice her feelings to uphold his sense of duty.
Moreover, when she woke up beside Xie Cheng this morning, some things had already changed irreversibly.
But she couldn’t bring herself to say it, even feeling some resentment toward Qi Siye.
If he hadn’t left her drunk and alone last night, none of what followed would have happened.
She was clearly the victim, yet she had to swallow all the bitterness alone.
Wen Yan had nothing more to say and turned to look out the window.
In Qi Siye’s eyes, the twenty-one-year-old Jiang Wantang was still the fourteen-year-old girl from all those years ago.
With her brother gone, she was left alone and vulnerable, in need of care.
Among them, she was, at best, an outsider.
Qi Siye did not receive the answer he had hoped for, and his gaze fell silently.
The car started again, and after the two finished lunch in a tense atmosphere, they entered the pre-booked bridal boutique.
The staff were already prepared; today, the shop was reserved exclusively for them.
Qi Siye glanced around and pointed to a white wedding dress with a skirt adorned with diamonds. "Yanyan, what do you think of that one?"
"It's fine."
Three months ago, when the date for the wedding dress fitting was set, Wen Yan had secretly looked forward to it.
As an ordinary twenty-four-year-old woman, she had her own romantic fantasies.
But now, as she looked at the exquisite and expensive wedding dress, she felt no interest at all.
The shop assistant smiled and chimed in, "Mr. Qi has excellent taste. With Miss Wen's fair skin and elegant demeanor, she will surely look stunning in this dress."
Faced with such enthusiasm, Wen Yan couldn't bring herself to respond coldly and curved her lips slightly.
Qi Siye, assuming she had come to her senses, breathed a sigh of relief. "Go try it on."
Three assistants led Wen Yan to the fitting room, while another invited Qi Siye to wait in the VIP lounge.
Half an hour later, as Wen Yan looked at herself in the mirror wearing the wedding dress, she noticed several ambiguous red marks below her collarbone.
Knowing Xie Cheng as she did, it was likely he had left them there on purpose.
The wedding dress she was trying on was a strapless style, and Qi Siye would see them at a glance.
"Could you please use some concealer to cover the exposed skin?"
"Of course, Miss Wen."
The shop assistant was well-trained and asked no further questions.
Wen Yan thought for a moment and then said, "Never mind, leave it as it is."
If Qi Siye saw the marks, he would surely become suspicious.
As a man of propriety, he wouldn't question her directly, but such humiliation would be unbearable for him.
Calling off the engagement might then proceed naturally.
As she was thinking this, her phone rang from inside her bag.
The assistant handed it to her, and the screen displayed the words "Mrs. Lan."
Wen Yan stared at it for a few seconds before answering. "Mrs. Lan."
"Are you trying on wedding dresses with Xiao Qi?"
The woman's voice on the other end was neither warm nor cold, as if making a routine inquiry.
Wen Yan replied with a soft "Mm," her face devoid of any extra emotion.
"Behave yourself. Once you're married, I'll consider allowing Wen Ci to return to the country for the wedding."
Wen Yan pursed her lips and asked softly, "What if the Qi family wants to call off the engagement?"
"The Qi family won't," Lan Mingzhu said with certainty, her tone turning colder. "Wen Yan, don't try any tricks. It's been three years; you should have forgotten that poor boy from Europe by now."
"Even if not for the Qi family, think about Wen Ci."
Hearing her sister's name, Wen Yan instantly deflated.
"Understood."
The path of actively calling off the engagement was now closed to her.
She tugged the neckline of the wedding dress downward, making the red marks more visible.
Qi Siye, I'm sorry.
She lifted her head, took a deep breath, suppressed all her emotions, curved her lips into a smile, and stepped out of the fitting room holding the hem of her dress.
"Siye, how do I look?"
Qi Siye was hurrying out of the VIP lounge, his phone pressed to his ear, not looking at her.
"I'll be right there. Stay where you are and don't run off."
His expression was flustered, but his tone was gentle.
Wen Yan didn't need to guess to know it was Jiang Wantang on the other end of the call.
In just one month, this scene had played out several times.
Whenever Qi Siye was with her, no matter what they were doing, a single call from Jiang Wantang was enough to make him obediently leave.
"Yanyan, Wantang got lost alone in the mountains. I have to go find her. You try on a few more sets, and I'll come back as soon as I find her."
After hastily explaining, he strode out the door.
Wen Yan lifted her skirt and chased after him, but at the entrance, she tripped on the steps and fell heavily to the ground. Pain shot through her instantly, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Qi Siye, let someone else go."
She raised her eyes to look at him, while in her heart, she tossed a coin.