Night Fire Lingering

Wen Yan did not sleep well that night.

In her dream, various bizarre scenes flashed by—she tried her best to deal with the Wen family for the jade necklace, she returned the jade necklace to Nan Yun, the jade necklace appeared at the auction house, Nan Yun's smile, Nan Yun's protection of Nan Zhiyi, Nan Yun's face full of guilt... In the end, they all turned into Nan Yun and Nan Zhiyi mocking her.

When Wen Yan woke up, it was already bright outside, and the empty space next to her still had a little warmth left. Gu Yanci had been up for a while.

The final buyer of the jade bead necklace was the richest man in Lincheng. After the gavel fell, the richest man in Lincheng asked the host, "I wonder if the donor of this collection is here? I would like to meet him."

The host hesitated for a moment, looked at Wen Yan, and said, "The donor didn't come, but she said that if anyone wants to know anything about this collection, they can ask Mrs. Gu, who is very knowledgeable about the collection."

There was a deathly silence.

Isn't this implying that this necklace belongs to Wen Yan?

As Wen Yan was lost in thought, the door to the master bedroom was pushed open from the outside, and Gu Yanci walked in, dressed in a suit and tie. When he saw that Wen Yan had woken up, his expression softened.

"Up so early?" He walked closer, gently kissed Wen Yan's forehead, and then kissed the tip of her nose.

When she tried to kiss him on the lips again, Wen Yan blocked her mouth first.

"Aren't you going to work yet?" Wen Yan reminded him when she saw that he was still lingering.

The man sat down on the edge of the bed, lifted her onto his lap, and held her small figure in his arms.

"Gu Yanci, are you worried about me?" Wen Yan turned her head and asked the man who was standing close to her.

The man remained silent, neither denying nor admitting anything.

Wen Yan knew he was awkward, a little arrogant, and even a little too lazy to talk.

“I returned everything to her and haven’t paid any more attention to it. I’m fine,” Wen Yan said. “I was just a little curious.”

"What are you curious about?"

"I'm curious... what exactly are those two trying to do?" Wen Yan nudged the man. "Hurry up and get to work, don't be late."

Gu Yanci abandoned his workaholic ways and said in a spoiled manner, "I'm the boss, it's okay to be late."

Wen Yan was speechless for a while. After much persuasion, the man finally got into the car, just barely making it late. Zhou Qi, who had come to pick up Gu Yanci with the driver, gave Wen Yan an extremely grateful look.

noon.

A person she hadn't contacted in a long time suddenly called Wen Yan: Wen Yonghai.

"Hey--"

Before Wen Yan could even utter the word "Dad," she was interrupted by Wen Yonghai's furious outburst: "You met with her? When did you meet with her?"

"Who?" Wen Yan asked, puzzled.

"That promiscuous bitch Nan Yun!" Wen Yonghai said through gritted teeth.

Wen Yonghai, who also had an extramarital affair, was able to righteously accuse Nan Yun of being promiscuous, which Wen Yan found ridiculous.

"Why are you suddenly bringing her up? Didn't you always know she was alive? Wasn't her departure just a deal between you and Daniel?"

Wen Yonghai was stunned for a moment, not expecting Wen Yan to know even this, and was speechless for a moment.

"Wen Yan, you should know that it was your mother who wronged you! I raised you, you should be grateful to me!"

Wen Yan chuckled softly and said calmly, "I know you just regret that I didn't die in a mental hospital."

"Wen Yan, I'm warning you, if you let that bitch pretend to be dead, then she can pretend to be dead forever, otherwise your life won't be easy either!" Wen Yonghai said and then hung up the phone.

However, Wen Yonghai's 'warning' came too late.

A photo quietly circulated within the elite circles—it showed two women. The younger one had a pretty face, her eyes crinkling as she smiled and flirted with the person next to her. The woman next to her was very well-maintained, looking to be in her thirties. Her hat was askew as she turned her head, revealing most of her face. She looked at the younger girl with gentle and doting eyes.

Several second-generation groups directly tagged Wen Yan to inquire:

[Yan Yan, this person looks just like your mom, don't you think?]

[Wen Yan, didn't your mother pass away ten years ago? How did she come back to life?]

[Yan Yan, that girl next to you looks a bit like you. Is she your older or younger sister?]

[Wen Yan, what's going on? Is this your mother? Someone said it is!]

[Yan Yan, isn't that Nan Zhi something, the young mixed-race student who transferred to your school as an exchange student before? The donor mentioned at the auction that day also had the surname Nan.]

……

Several people even posted photos of their mothers and Nan Yun from over a decade ago, and the Nan Yun in those photos looked remarkably similar to the woman in this new photo.

They are practically identical, even in their eyebrows, eyes, and expressions!

Wen Yan stared at the messages on her phone, her eyes cold and irritated.

The discussion continued to heat up, and seeing that Wen Yan hadn't responded, everyone gradually became more unrestrained:

[I've heard that Nan Zhiyi's mother has never made a public appearance, so perhaps Nan Yun is Nan Zhiyi's biological mother.]

They look so alike and even share the same last name! What do you mean "maybe"? It's obviously true!

[Holy crap! Wen Yan is so pitiful. Her biological mother abandoned her and ran off with another man to raise another daughter. Nan Zhiyi is living a thriving life in Europe, while Wen Yan was probably still struggling to survive under her stepmother's care.]

[Nan Yun couldn't have abandoned her biological daughter for no reason; Wen Yan must have done something.]

[I think so too. Otherwise, Nan Yun could have taken Wen Yan with her. I don't know what Wen Yan did to make her own mother hate and abandon her!]

……

She tossed her phone aside, sat down in the rocking chair in the garden, closed her eyes, and pretended to doze off, temporarily ignoring the whispers and gossip from the outside world.

Perhaps it was a kind of emotional dependence, but at this moment, Wen Yan missed Gu Yanci terribly.

However, she didn't want to disrupt his work schedule because of her personal matters.

"Wen Yan!"

After an unknown amount of time, a sudden, anxious shout startled Wen Yan awake.

Gu Yanci strode over and pulled the woman, who hadn't even reacted yet, into his arms.

He was so strong that the rocking chair swayed backward in an arc.

"Why did you suddenly come back?" Wen Yan remembered that he had a board meeting today, and he shouldn't be at home at this time.

"Why didn't you answer my call?" Gu Yanci replied, seemingly changing the subject.

Wen Yan inexplicably sensed the man's lingering fear and deep worry in his voice, and unusually obediently replied, "My phone is in the living room, I didn't hear it."

"Oh." Gu Yanci kissed Wen Yan's lips reassuringly and said, "It's right to spend less time on your phone."

These words sounded like they were being taught to a child, leaving Wen Yan both amused and exasperated.

It's just that I don't want her to see what people outside are saying about her.

She proactively wrapped her arms around the man's neck, and Gu Yanci tacitly picked her up, lifted her off the rocking chair, and sat her in the chair next to him.

"Gu Yanci, how did you find out so quickly? Aren't you working properly? Mr. Gu, you have to work to support many people." Wen Yan looked at him with a smile on her lips.

“Luo Beiqing called me.” Gu Yanci didn’t hide Luo Beiqing’s contribution, raising his hand to wipe the smile from her lips. “Don’t smile if you don’t want to.”

Wen Yan's previously secure mask crumbled at Gu Yanci's words, her face instantly turning cold, and the suppressed heartache spread out in an overwhelming way.

Wen Yan buried her face in Gu Yanci's chest, her fingers gripping his shirt tightly, as if she wanted to suffocate in his arms.

A moment later, the woman's muffled voice came: "That's why that jade beaded necklace appeared at the auction."

The auction seemed to be just the beginning of their carefully selected event, announcing the return of Nan Yun!

"Looks like she doesn't want to be dead anymore." Wen Yan sneered, gazing at the bright, clear sky, and said sarcastically, "Indeed, who wouldn't want to live openly and honestly in the sunlight?"

"Baby……"

"They said it was because I did something wrong that she abandoned me and left me."

Wen Yan's voice was calm, but Gu Yanci could read the grievance in every word.

Gu Yanci's heart ached and softened, a mix of emotions swirling within her. How intense must her grievances have been to make the strong-willed Wen Yan take the initiative to complain?

“They’re talking nonsense,” Gu Yanci said, trying to reassure Wen Yan. “Who are they?”

The man, inherently strong and domineering, was already plotting his revenge.

Wen Yan was both amused and exasperated: "The law doesn't punish everyone, Mr. Gu. Everyone's gossiping, you can't possibly hold each person accountable one by one."

"Kill the chicken to scare the monkey, haven't you heard of that, baby?" Gu Yanci never minded being the villain. He didn't need to think to know how those people would slander Wen Yan. "My wife is not someone to be ridiculed and bullied."