Chapter 121: Wandering Thoughts

Repay him?

How could she possibly repay him!?

Song Waning thought over all the gifts Wen Jingxing had given her.

There was the house at the resort, a necklace, and a pair of earrings worth over a million. With such extravagant gifts, how could she ever repay him?

Offer herself in marriage?

Even if she gave herself entirely to Wen Jingxing, it wouldn’t be worth as much as what he had spent on her.

Could it be that Wen Jingxing would make her work under him for the rest of her life!?

After all, he had precedent for this. The employees at his company had all suffered under his personal “abuse”; Wen Jingxing was notorious for being a workaholic and a ruthless taskmaster!

Song Waning steeled herself, closed her eyes, and lifted her chin. “Go ahead! No matter what you ask, I’ll agree!”

She was prepared to endure a lifetime of torment at Wen Jingxing’s hands.

But to her surprise, when Wen Jingxing saw her adorable expression, he could no longer suppress his laughter. He covered his mouth with his hand, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

Song Waning heard nothing from the other side for a long moment. She opened her eyes, only to discover he was laughing!

“Really! I’m ready to face death for your sake, and you’re laughing at me!”

She reached out, pretending to strike Wen Jingxing’s arm, but he suddenly grabbed her wrist.

Wen Jingxing’s gaze narrowed, dangerous like a wild wolf fixated on her. He slowly closed the distance between their faces, his lips parted slightly. “You must never say such ill-omened things again.”

Song Waning was startled by his demeanor, suddenly remembering that Wen Jingxing was still Wen Jingxing—the cold, ruthless protagonist she’d always known. How could he become a gentle, warm-hearted man in so short a time?

She must have let her guard down because of exhaustion.

“What reason do I have to be so despairing…”

She pursed her lips and turned her head away.

Little did she know, she misunderstood Wen Jingxing’s gaze.

There was something Song Waning might never know: on the day the original owner died, Wen Jingxing sensed it.

When the original owner lay lifeless in bed, Wen Jingxing, after knocking and receiving no answer, entered the room.

He saw the pallid face on the bed, looking utterly dead, and approached to check for breathing.

But in the next moment, the lifeless body moved, turned over, and made a sound. Wen Jingxing quietly left the room.

At that time, Song Waning had just entered the original body, her consciousness still muddled, unaware someone had just exited.

Later, as they spent more time together, Song Waning was always sleepy, sometimes looking frail.

Wen Jingxing was genuinely worried that something might be wrong with her health.

Wen Jingxing watched as Song Waning muttered and then deliberately turned her head away from him.

So…

He reached out, his fingers squeezing the flesh of her cheeks, his palm resting on her chin, forcing her to face him.

Song Waning’s slender face instantly puffed up, her mouth involuntarily following the movement, forming an “o” shape.

“You’re fighting back!…”

With her face pinched, Song Waning’s words came out garbled.

Wen Jingxing spoke sternly, “Do you know some words should never be spoken lightly? Don’t you realize evil words are quicker to come true than good ones?”

“But I just said it offhand.” Song Waning frowned, both hands unable to break his grip, her brows knotting in frustration.

“That’s still not allowed.”

“Let go first!”

“Agree to my condition, then.”

“Fine, fine, fine!”

Song Waning nodded vigorously. At last, Wen Jingxing released her. She stared at him with resentment—why could she never win against him?

But as she recovered, she realized that Wen Jingxing’s earlier expression was just displeasure at her cursing herself?

Yet she was not his beloved.

Why did Wen Jingxing care so much about her health?

Was he worried his partner would die before finishing the show?

Song Waning was lost in thought when she felt something cold and heavy touch and pierce her earlobe.

Feeling the weight on her ear and the chill as it brushed her neck, she turned to look in the mirror—she was already wearing the earring.

Wen Jingxing was still focused on attaching the other earring.

Song Waning reached up to remove it. “You still haven’t told me how I’m supposed to repay you.”

But Wen Jingxing grabbed her hand again, this time holding her slender fingers.

“When you have time, accompany me to the Wen family. My grandfather keeps insisting he wants to meet you.”

Song Waning was taken aback. “Is it that simple?”

“You’ll see when the time comes.”

Song Waning thought it over—it made sense.

For someone as decisive as Wen Jingxing, who had been forced to get engaged because of Old Master Wen, it was a big deal.

But it was only an engagement.

He must be a difficult person to handle.

Thinking of this made Song Waning’s head ache. If not for Wen Jingxing’s reminder, she would have forgotten. Though the Wen family as a whole didn’t welcome her—

There was one exception: Old Master Wen.

He had cherished the original owner as a child. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have arranged an engagement between her and Wen Jingxing despite the vast difference in family status.

Unfortunately, the original owner grew up poorly.

Yet, despite everyone’s doubts, Old Master Wen always believed the strong-willed, kind, and adorable child would return.

Even if she grew up crooked, he was confident he could teach her right again.

Regrettably, in the novel’s plot, Old Master Wen’s death was partly due to the original owner.

This was why Song Waning felt troubled.

At that time, Old Master Wen was full of confidence in Song Waning, endlessly matchmaking her with Wen Jingxing.

She hadn’t even met him yet but could already foresee the hellish scene awaiting her.

“Time is almost up. Let’s go together soon,” Wen Jingxing said, glancing at the time and putting away his phone.

Song Waning nodded, taking another sip of tea before leaving.

Sure enough, after a short while, two attendants knocked at the door.

Song Waning raised her brows. How did these attendants train themselves? They were never seen around the guests, yet always seemed to know exactly where everyone was going. She hadn’t seen any surveillance, either.

The timing and order of entering the tea party were carefully arranged. Normally, those with the lowest status entered first, while the most distinguished guests were last.

This time, Li Weiwei had booked the venue.

All the other guests came courtesy of her invitations, drawn by her reputation as the Wen family’s daughter-in-law. So there were many female guests.

(End of chapter)