Jiang Wantang smiled faintly, "Officer Lu, you've misunderstood. I'm his adopted sister. Wen Yan is his fiancée."
Lu Zheng looked at Wen Yan in surprise. "You're engaged?"
He had worked with Wen Yan a few times, but their relationship wasn't close enough to casually inquire about personal matters.
Seeing how independent Wen Yan usually was, he had always assumed she was single.
"I've been engaged for over two years."
At that gathering, Wen Yan had been relieved that Lu Zheng didn't know Qi Siye. It would have been embarrassing to admit that her fiancé had gotten into a fight over another woman.
But in the end, some embarrassments are unavoidable.
Lu Zheng's smile stiffened, and he scratched his head.
He had handled many cases, some involving men who got into trouble with their "adopted sisters."
The way Qi Siye had protected Jiang Wantang that day didn't seem like ordinary sibling behavior at all.
He didn't ask further and instead turned to Xie Cheng. "Doctor, is Miss Wen's foot alright?"
Xie Cheng didn't answer but asked instead, "Are you two close?"
Lu Zheng nodded. "Miss Wen and I work together often. We're quite familiar."
Wen Yan smiled gratefully. "Officer Lu, thank you for bringing me to the hospital last night."
Although they only had a professional working relationship, Lu Zheng genuinely cared about her.
Xie Cheng recalled their encounter last night. She had looked unwell then, but there had been no other signs of injury.
"You were already injured when we met?"
His tone was cold and carried an accusatory edge.
Meeting his sharp gaze, Wen Yan felt like a child caught in a lie, somewhat flustered.
"Yes, it hurt a lot when I fell. You mocked me for being tacky, and I was afraid you'd laugh at me for being clumsy too, so I just endured it."
Xie Cheng frowned. He had clearly said the wedding dress was tacky.
So this policeman brought her to the hospital. That meant Qi Siye wasn't even there at the time?
He laughed in exasperation. This little liar, too proud for her own good, suffering in silence, and now blaming him for it.
"Well, with Officer Lu here to play the hero, I suppose enduring it was worth it."
With a dark expression, he stood up and, before leaving, casually took two sunflowers from the bouquet.
Jiang Wantang, thinking he simply disliked Wen Yan, followed him out gleefully.
The room fell quiet. Lu Zheng asked, puzzled, "Miss Wen, Dr. Xie seemed upset. Did I say something wrong?"
"It's just his bad temper. Don't mind him. Let's get down to business."
Wen Yan didn't know what had gotten into Xie Cheng either. She collected her thoughts and sat on the sofa.
Lu Zheng was here on official business, and she needed to take it seriously.
Lu Zheng took a folder from his briefcase. "Miss Wen, this is the case I'd like your help investigating."
Wen Yan took it and read carefully. By the end, a chill ran down her spine.
The case involved missing persons, with over thirty disappearances currently linked to it.
Seeing her tense expression, Lu Zheng said lightly, "Miss Wen, you're completely free to refuse."
Wen Yan closed the folder and extended her hand. "Officer Lu, here's to a successful collaboration."
Lu Zheng was taken aback, then shook her hand. "Miss Wen, looking forward to working with you."
"But this might take a while. I'll need to approach relevant individuals under the guise of other interview topics first. Building trust takes time."
This was Wen Yan's first time dealing with a criminal case of this magnitude, and she felt quite apprehensive.
Not because she feared danger, but because she worried she might not be capable enough.
"We're prepared for a long-term effort, Miss Wen. Just proceed with confidence and don't feel pressured."
Lu Zheng always felt there was a certain tenacity in Wen Yan, a kind of fearlessness toward death.
Yet, knowing so little about her private life, he couldn’t pinpoint where this tenacity came from.
Before leaving, he took out a locator with a recording function and handed it to Wen Yan. “Whether you turn it on is up to you, but if you do, I will protect your safety.”
“Thank you.”
After seeing Lu Zheng off, it was nearly noon. Sunlight streamed into the hospital room, and Wen Yan sat bathed in its warm glow.
Sunbathing helps replenish calcium, she thought, so she should soak up more sun for her injured foot.
When Qiao Xi entered, she immediately spotted the propped-up foot.
Setting down her laptop and a change of clothes, she leaned in for a closer look.
“Goodness, it’s swollen like a roasted sweet potato! What happened?”
Wen Yan motioned for her to sit beside her and briefly recounted the events of the previous day.
Qiao Xi was Qi Siye’s cousin, and given her temperament, she was sure to report this to the Qi family.
But Wen Yan told her the truth not to pressure Qi Siye.
Rather, she wanted to pave the way for a retreat in advance, so that if things fell apart later, at least the Qi family would know the fault didn’t lie with her.
After listening, Qiao Xi grumbled angrily, “Ever since that woman Jiang Wantang returned, my cousin has become a different person. How could he let the bride try on the wedding dress alone? Why doesn’t he just let you get married alone!”
If Jiang Wantang had something come up on the wedding day, that wasn’t entirely impossible, Wen Yan thought.
Qiao Xi grew angrier as she spoke. Qi Siye was her cousin, and Wen Yan was her best friend—she only wished for both of them to be well.
Back in middle school, Wen Yan often visited her home. Sometimes Qi Siye would be there too, and they would chat together.
After Wen Yan went abroad, Qi Siye would frequently ask Qiao Xi about how she was doing.
Back then, Qiao Xi vaguely sensed that her cousin had feelings for Wen Yan. Later, when the Qi family took the initiative to propose a marriage alliance with the Wen family, it confirmed her suspicions.
Wen Yan took her friend’s hand. “Qiao Xi, if I break off the engagement with your cousin, will you be angry?”
“Of course not. He doesn’t deserve you anymore,” Qiao Xi replied without hesitation.
Their friendship, inseparable since kindergarten, made her understand Wen Yan’s struggles better than anyone else.
Despite everything, Wen Yan still worked hard to live her life.
Take her engagement to Qi Siye, for example—it was a marriage alliance between two families, decided by their parents.
Unable to sway her parents, Wen Yan focused her efforts on Qi Siye, delaying the wedding again and again for a full two and a half years.
Only after confirming that he was someone she could entrust her life to did she finally set a date for the wedding.
Unfortunately, just as the date was fixed, Jiang Wantang returned…
“I’m glad you understand.”
Wen Yan’s eyes grew warm, and she even considered telling Qiao Xi everything about Xie Cheng.
But the words lingered on the tip of her tongue before she swallowed them back.
After all, she was now Qi Siye’s fiancée, and Xie Cheng was Qi Siye’s close friend. Speaking up would only stir up unnecessary trouble.
Qiao Xi didn’t rush to leave. In the afternoon, she accompanied Wen Yan for a specialist’s examination.
The results were the same as the day before: a moderate sprain, nothing too serious.
Jiang Wantang, on the other hand, had only a mild muscle strain and could have simply gone home to rest.
That evening, Qiao Xi decided to stay over.
Until bedtime, there was still no sign of her cousin.
She wanted to rush next door to confront him but was stopped by Wen Yan.
“Xi Xi, for Jiang Wantang, your cousin would even risk his own life. What am I compared to that?”
“Does he plan to stay trapped in the past forever? You’ve moved on and are living your life well.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Qiao Xi realized she had said something wrong and quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
“Wen Yan, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I’m not that fragile.”
Wen Yan smiled faintly, but a shadow settled over her heart.
Qiao Xi hugged her. "Sleep well, I'll stay with you."
She turned off the light and lay down on the adjacent caregiver bed, lightly slapping her own mouth while silently cursing, "Stupid mouth."
Wen Yan opened her phone's photo album, staring at the bright-smiling little boy on the screen as her gaze gradually grew distant.
It wasn't until her phone vibrated, interrupting her wandering thoughts.
[Xia Qing: Wen Yan, Dr. Xie's interview has gone viral. The boss wants you to supplement the interview draft for Dr. Xie next week.]