On the way home, the three children noticed their mother was unusually quiet, so they also behaved themselves—no noise, no trouble.
Once they got home, they automatically put away their schoolbags, changed out of their uniforms, and then went downstairs to quietly watch cartoons.
After Song Wenxi returned and turned on a cartoon program, she sat on the sofa in deep thought.
Qi Hao’an, Qi Muzhang… the surname Qi. She should have realized it earlier—the most powerful aristocratic family in Nancheng: the Qi family.
In the book:
Huangqi Entertainment had once schemed against the original host.
And Qi Muzhang had teamed up with others to beat up Mo Beiyu. Mo Beiyu fought back and accidentally struck Qi Muzhang on the head with a stick, killing him by mistake.
The Qi family bore a grudge. Later, they joined forces with the male and female leads to frame Mo Dongchen. The wife of the Qi family was especially vicious…
The Qi family was like a disaster star for Mo Hanche’s family. Their relationship was written as irreconcilable—mutual hostility, life-and-death enemies with deep hatred.
She hadn’t expected to encounter people from the Qi family so early.
In Nancheng, shaking the entire Qi Group was no easy task. And with the current strength of the Mo Group in Nancheng, it would still be somewhat difficult to compete head-on with the Qi family.
But she believed that one day, Mo Hanche would make the entire Nancheng fear underestimating him.
Thinking of the man lying in the hospital, Song Wenxi finally let go of the worry in her heart.
That man had been in Nancheng for over five years. If he had put all his energy into the Mo Group, the Qi family probably wouldn’t be a problem at all by now. Mo Hanche was not some obedient office worker—he was extremely skilled at playing both sides and bending the rules.
She turned her head and saw the three children quietly watching TV. So adorable… she had to protect these little ones properly.
But before that—
“Come here, babies. Massage Mommy’s shoulders and legs.”
Song Wenxi lay back on the sofa. One child massaged her shoulders, two massaged her calves, while she picked up her phone and sent Mo Hanche a message:
“Is someone taking care of your meals?”
Mo Hanche was eating when his phone lit up. He picked it up, and a faint smile appeared on his lips as he replied:
“Alone. No one to take care of me. I can’t even swallow my food.”
Song Wenxi’s mouth twitched. Looking at the three well-behaved children beside her, she suddenly felt that leaving him alone in the hospital did seem a little… pitiful.
“Mommy, thank you for picking us up from school.”
Mo Beiyu’s little face was flushed pink, his voice soft and sweet. Song Wenxi paused slightly, warmth spreading in her heart. She put down her phone, sat up, and pulled him onto her lap, gently touching his cheek. “You’re welcome.”
The little boy’s dark eyes—so much like Mo Hanche’s—sparkled brightly. Then he shyly buried his face in her arms.
“Mommy, I want a hug too,” Mo Dongchen said sweetly.
Song Wenxi lifted him onto the sofa in one arm. Mo Nanqing immediately stretched out his arms. “Mommy, hug me.”
Soon, Song Wenxi was surrounded—one on each side, and one clinging tightly in the middle.
The home was warm and lively, while Mo Hanche stared at the silent phone screen, a faint sense of loneliness creeping in.
The sudden ringtone broke the cozy atmosphere in the living room. Song Wenxi glanced at the caller ID and remembered something.
Jiang Ran’s birthday party.
She answered the call, and loud music mixed with Jiang Ran’s urging voice poured out. Song Wenxi simply said, “I’ll be there later,” and hung up.
After ending the call, she hesitated. She really didn’t feel like going. But since the venue was near Meizi and Shengze Hospital, she might as well stop by.
After the children fell asleep, she asked Aunt Zhao to stay home and watch them for the night. She put on a trench coat, picked up her gift, and headed to Meizi.
Finding Room 317, Song Wenxi pushed the door open.
The first thing she saw could only be described in one word: chaos.
Colorful flashing lights swept across the room. Figures slouched on purple sofas. Bottles and glasses were scattered across the marble table. In the center, a few men and women were dancing wildly. The air was thick with the smell of smoke, alcohol, and perfume.
Song Wenxi dressed conservatively, without deliberate makeup. She looked completely out of place in this environment—yet her natural, striking beauty made her stand out almost immediately, and she quickly became the center of attention.
Jiang Ran, wearing a tight, sexy red dress, walked toward Song Wenxi with an exaggerated expression.
“Sis Xi, you’re finally here! I’ve been waiting forever.” She looked her up and down with a hint of satisfaction. “What’s with that outfit? So plain. Don’t tell me you’ve really run out of clothes to wear?”
A few snickers rose from the crowd.
Song Wenxi remained expressionless. She knew Jiang Ran had often shared “jokes” about her behind her back with these people.
The original owner of this body didn’t have many friends. Jiang Ran was the one she usually got close to. Jiang Ran liked going shopping with her—but not because she enjoyed her company. It was because whenever they went out, “Song Wenxi” would casually buy her luxury bags, clothes, and jewelry worth tens of thousands.
In return, Jiang Ran would give cheap gifts from boutique stores—worth tens or hundreds of yuan—and always say, “Friendship is about sincerity. Money doesn’t matter.”
The original host was foolish enough to enjoy the sense of superiority Jiang Ran gave her, not caring about anything else.
When Jiang Ran saw the large gift bag in Song Wenxi’s hand, her eyes instantly lit up. She quickly put on a flattering smile.
“Oh wow, Sis Xi, you’re the best. You really understand me—you really are my good friend. This is my gift, right?”
Even though she was eager, she restrained herself from grabbing it in front of everyone, but inside she was already thrilled.
The 200,000-yuan luxury bag she had been dreaming of… was finally hers today.
“Picked especially for you,” Song Wenxi said, handing over the bag.
Two women nearby whispered:
“That’s a limited edition.”
“Retail price is 200,000 yuan.”
“Jiang Ran’s ‘Sis Xi’ is really generous.”
“Tch, more like foolishly generous.”
Under envious gazes, Jiang Ran happily took it.
Hm? Why was it so light?
She opened the gift—and her smile froze instantly.
The room went silent. A sudden sneer from the crowd broke the stillness, igniting Jiang Ran’s anger.
“Heh. Sis Xi, what do you mean by this?”
Song Wenxi replied calmly, “What’s wrong? It’s a birthday gift. I picked it with great care and put a lot of thought into it. Didn’t you say friendship is about sincerity and money doesn’t matter?”
Jiang Ran had already “casually” told others she would be receiving a 200,000-yuan luxury bag as a birthday gift. She never expected Song Wenxi to humiliate her like this. Tonight she was supposed to be the star—but now everything was ruined. She could already imagine the ridicule behind her back.
Then she thought of how Song Wenxi had taken away her variety show opportunity yesterday. The more she thought, the angrier she became.
She tossed the plastic box aside and sneered, “Sis Xi, being beautiful really is an advantage, huh? With so many luxury bags, I wonder how many sugar daddies you’ve got supporting you?”
Song Wenxi smiled lightly. “Not many. Just one.”
Jiang Ran froze in shock. She hadn’t expected her to admit it so openly—so shamelessly.
Song Wenxi swept her gaze over the mocking, judgmental faces around the room and found it amusing.
Most of them were either unknown minor entertainers or small internet influencers. Everyone in the industry knew how things worked—but they still pretended to sit above each other on some imaginary hierarchy.
She glanced at the time, cleared her throat, and spoke loudly:
“Jiang Ran, in the year and more that I’ve known you, I’ve spent no less than two million yuan on you—bags, clothes, shoes, necklaces, earrings, everything. I have all the transaction records on my phone, so you don’t need to deny it.”
“Meanwhile, I’ve only received five boutique-store gifts from you, totaling about 250 yuan. You treated me like a fool, and even talked behind my back. That’s what you call having it both ways.”
“Today I came here to officially announce: Jiang Ran is not worthy of being Song Wenxi’s friend.”
“And this gift on the ground—a transparent plastic lotus—it suits you perfectly. Just 250 yuan. A perfect match.”
“Finally… hehe. Happy birthday.”
Song Wenxi turned around, waved casually, and walked out of the room.
Only after a moment did Jiang Ran react and chase after her, hurling curses at her back.
Without turning around, Song Wenxi raised her left hand and extended her little finger in disdain, right hand in her coat pocket, and walked away without hesitation.
“Click.”
At the other end of the corridor, a man captured the scene on his phone—the moment she raised her little finger.
He tapped the screen and sent it to a WeChat chat.