Chapter 42

On the way home, Jin Zijin was in an excellent mood.

The blaze of neon lights spilled through the car window and washed over her, softening the sharp lines of her brows and eyes with a warm glow.

Even when she took a work call from her secretary halfway through the ride, the coolness in her usual voice had been laced with unmistakable warmth.

She kept holding Wen Yan’s hand the entire time; the two of them sat close together in the back seat.

Even while listening to her subordinate’s report and giving brief instructions now and then, her fingers would unconsciously rub over Wen Yan’s knuckles, one light stroke after another.

A faint smile never once left her face.

Wen Yan quietly let her hold on; her gaze rested on the beautiful line of Jin Zijin’s profile.

Watching that joy radiating from the bottom of her heart, she felt something warm slowly fill her own chest as well, and the corners of her lips lifted without her noticing.

Only after Jin Zijin ended the call and casually set her phone aside, then turned all her attention back to her, did Wen Yan speak softly, with a trace of knowing amusement. “You’re in such a good mood?”

Jin Zijin answered without the slightest hesitation. “Of course.”

She turned slightly, looking at Wen Yan more intently; the smile in her eyes rippled like spring water. “You finally got a rare day off today, and you don’t have to go to the lab to tidy up all those bottles and jars. I’d originally planned to take you to a quiet, nice place and spend a whole evening there with you.”

As she said that, she pouted a little in regret, but her tone stayed light. “Then Qingchi suddenly came back, and my perfect ‘just the two of us’ plan was completely ruined.”

“Still,” she changed tack, a glint of mischief flashing in her eyes, “she did end up being useful by accident.”

“Who would’ve thought that in just one meal, she’d manage to pry open our Dr. Wen’s mouth and hear so many things that make a person’s heart blossom.”

She leaned in a little closer, almost brushing Wen Yan’s ear, her voice lowered to a warm whisper. “That meal was worth every penny.”

Wen Yan was infected by the joy and closeness in her words; the tips of her ears turned faintly hot.

She could see it clearly: Jin Zijin was truly very happy.

That happiness came from some long-hanging worry finally settling, from receiving emotional return far beyond what she had expected.

After thinking it over, Wen Yan decided to ask the question that had been circling in her mind for a long time. Her tone was calm and serious. “So what you said before about ‘reluctantly’... you meant you thought my agreeing to marry you back then was actually because something happened at home, and I had no choice but to make that decision under pressure, right?”

The smile on Jin Zijin’s face froze for a moment; then she nodded openly without dodging. “Yes.”

After a brief consideration, her gaze drifted into the distance. “If it hadn’t been for the trouble your family ran into back then, if there hadn’t been that ‘replacement’ opportunity...”

“With your personality, it would probably have been very hard for our lives to ever cross paths like that.”

She paused, pressing her lips together slightly. “As for agreeing to marry me, that would have been even less likely.”

Wen Yan listened quietly, then slowly shook her head.

“I’m not sure,” she said, her voice clear and steady, her eyes as calm as a still lake as she looked straight into Jin Zijin’s. “If that night, or at any time after that, you had come directly to me and told me that the person you chose was me.”

She paused, each word falling with absolute certainty. “I would have gone with you without hesitation too.”

Jin Zijin froze.

It was as if that sentence had squeezed her heart just a little; a soft, sour tenderness spread through her, followed by a surging wave of warmth.

That unexpected, straightforward answer made her heart tremble. The light in her eyes grew dazzling, and the curve of her mouth simply would not come down.

“Ah... you really are...”

With a helpless sigh, she leaned back against the seat and looked out at the flowing night beyond the window. Her voice lowered a little, carrying the caution and self-reflection of an adult. “No matter how willful a person is, there has to be a limit.”

“What if... what if you weren’t? If I did that, how would I be any different from those people who use power to force others into doing things?”

Wen Yan answered quickly, her tone innocent yet unwavering. “No one can force me to make any decision.”

She looked at Jin Zijin, her eyes clean and transparent. “If I wasn’t, if I didn’t feel that way about you, I would reject you outright.”

“I’d tell you clearly that I can’t.”

I can’t.

Just like on their wedding night.

If she hadn’t liked it, if she had wanted to refuse, she would definitely have pushed Jin Zijin away.

Jin Zijin looked into her eyes and spoke with a hint of resigned helplessness. “What I was afraid of back then... was precisely your rejection.”

Wen Yan froze.

So that was it?

So even someone as strong as Jin Zijin, when she truly fell for someone, the first thought that surfaced wasn’t fearless certainty, but caution; fear of taking one wrong step.

Realizing that, Wen Yan only felt sweetness and heartache together.

Then she laughed softly, reached out on her own initiative, and enclosed Jin Zijin’s slightly cool hand completely in her warm palm, gripping it tight.

Wen Yan lifted her eyes to Jin Zijin’s and said each word as though making a solemn vow, “I would never reject you.”

“Never.”

Jin Zijin looked at the seriousness and certainty in her gaze, and couldn’t help but curve her lips.

They tacitly did not go further into why the one who had made Jin Zijin fall in love was Wen Yan, yet the original marriage process had still gone through with Wen Chen.

All those complicated calculations, the family’s maneuvering, the twists of timing and chance; under the tide of such pure emotion at this moment, they seemed to fade into nothing more than irrelevant background noise.

The process may have been circuitous, even mistaken; as long as the result was right, that was enough.

In many things in the adult world, sometimes paying attention only to the result makes the heart feel lighter instead.

Feeling the reassuring warmth in her palm, Jin Zijin gave Wen Yan’s fingers a gentle squeeze in return.

Then, as if remembering something, she raised a brow and asked with a hint of probing curiosity, “By the way, I saw Qingchi acting a little weird when she stopped by the car window before she left.”

“What exactly did you two talk about in the office earlier?”

Wen Yan’s expression didn’t change; not even her lashes trembled. She answered lightly, “Nothing special. Just exchanged greetings and said a few polite things.”

“Oh...” Jin Zijin drew out the syllable, clearly unconvinced.

But seeing Wen Yan’s calm expression that plainly showed she didn’t want to talk about it, she only smiled and didn’t press further.

Her fingertip just lightly scratched Wen Yan’s palm, a silent tease between the two of them.

They exchanged a few more trivial bits of conversation. The car drove steadily into the upscale apartment district in the city center and stopped downstairs at Wen Yan’s home.

After the door opened, warm lights turned on automatically.

Wen Yan bent down and opened the pet carrier; Mi Tang meowed once, then leaped out lightly.

First it warily surveyed its familiar territory; then its little nose twitched, and it dashed straight toward the cat-food bowls with pinpoint accuracy, burying its head in its late dinner and crunching away. Every so often it paused to lap some water.

Wen Yan walked over, crouched down, and stroked the kitten’s fluffy head, her voice full of amusement. “Looks like our Mi Tang was really starving.”

Jin Zijin stood nearby with her arms crossed, watching the extra-warm scene between the big and the small under the lights, her eyes softening.

Quietly, she took out her phone, adjusted the angle, and with a click captured Wen Yan’s lowered profile as she gently stroked the kitten.

Wen Yan heard it and looked up, her clear eyes tinged with a little confusion, like a deer glancing over by chance from the woods.

Jin Zijin’s heart stirred; her finger hit the shutter again in quick succession.

“Documenting it,” she said, shaking the phone with righteous confidence, though the smile in her eyes gave away how pleased she was.

Wen Yan laughed helplessly and stood up, holding out a hand to her. “Come on, together.”

Jin Zijin followed her lead and walked over, letting Wen Yan take her wrist.

The two of them crouched together beside the kitten, who was focused entirely on eating. Wen Yan raised her phone and aimed the camera at them and the fluffy little bundle between them.

“Mi Tang, look here,” Jin Zijin called softly.

Whether it had understood the call or simply been drawn by the sound, Mi Tang actually lifted its head and looked blankly at the camera with its round amber eyes.

Click.

The photo froze the moment.

The two of them were leaning close, both wearing similar soft smiles; between them, the kitten tipped its head up, making the whole picture warm and full of quiet tenderness.

After the photo was taken, Jin Zijin stood up and stretched her slightly numb legs. “I still have a little closing work to handle. I’m going to the study.”

“Okay.” Wen Yan nodded.

Jin Zijin leaned over and left a soft kiss on her cheek, her tone carrying a hint of coaxing affection. “When I’m done, I’ll come keep you and our daughter company, okay?”

Wen Yan’s ears turned slightly warm from the kiss. She obediently answered, “Mm.”

After seeing Jin Zijin enter the study and close the door, Wen Yan played with Mi Tang for a bit while it finished a few more bites of cat food, then got up and headed for the kitchen.

She moved with practiced ease, taking oranges, apples, and lemons from the fridge, washing and slicing them.

Then she found a cinnamon stick, cloves, and star anise.

She put the sliced fruit and spices into a small pot, poured in an appropriate amount of red wine, and turned the heat to low.

The wine gradually warmed in the pot, making a faint bubbling sound. Rich fruit aroma mixed with the cozy scent of spices, slowly spreading through the kitchen.

Jin Zijin had only just finished her period a couple of days ago, so she was probably still prone to fatigue; something warm would help her feel better.

Besides, from Wen Yan’s observation, she actually quite liked having a little drink before bed.

It helped relax tense nerves and made sleep more restful.

Just as the red wine was about to boil and the aroma was at its richest, Wen Yan’s phone rang.

She glanced at the name flashing on the screen.

It was Wang Manyu.

After answering, Wen Yan’s voice returned to its usual calm. “Mom, what is it?”

On the other end, Wang Manyu’s voice came through, carrying its usual anxious urging. “Wen Yan, your mother-in-law’s birthday is on Sunday, and isn’t she holding that small charity concert? Zijin sent invitation cards to me and your dad, and to your uncle too...”

“Mm, I know.” Wen Yan stirred the hot wine in the pot with a wooden spoon, her tone flat. “That’s a good thing, Mom.”

That answer was practically the model of perfunctory.

Wang Manyu clearly heard it too, and she didn’t bother circling around any longer. She went straight to the point. “Today, your cousin’s boyfriend came to the Wang family to formally propose.”

“He agreed to marry into our family!”

“You know what they say; family doesn’t need to keep things from one another. I was thinking that this charity dinner is a rare chance anyway, so it’d be perfect to take your uncle’s whole family to broaden their horizons...”

She paused, finally revealing her real purpose. “So, see if you can ask Zijin and get one more invitation card? Let your cousin’s fiancé’s family come along too?”

“Now that they’ve just become ‘one of us,’ they should be taken out to meet people, right?”

Oh.

Wen Yan’s hand on the spoon paused slightly; the corner of her mouth pulled into a mocking smile.

So this was turning Jin Zijin and her family’s venue into a tool for social climbing and trading favors.

She smiled silently, but her tone remained calm, even carrying just the right amount of difficulty. “Mom, you know I’m only the one who married in.”

She began to “complain” in a measured, unhurried way. “Everything I do now has to be approved by Zijin.”

“Last time at home, your side kept belittling Zijin’s taste... Zijin wasn’t too happy afterward, and she specially told me to have less contact with Uncle’s family in the future.”

Wang Manyu immediately panicked. “Isn’t it just one word from Zijin? Why are you so useless? You don’t even dare ask this?”

Wen Yan let out a sigh, and through the line it sounded especially helpless and weak. “It’s not that I don’t want to help; it’s just...”

“You child! You’re completely useless! You can’t even coax a woman properly!”

Wang Manyu’s voice rose sharply, full of exasperation and impatience, and she blurted out before she could stop herself, “If this were your brother...”

Wen Yan’s eyes cooled, but her voice stayed unhurried, even taking on a trace of innocent confusion. “Mom, Zijin never intended to marry my brother back then. The person she wanted in the end was me, wasn’t it?”

She continued with that soft, choking logic. “I’ve been this kind of person since I was little.”

“You taught me to listen to you and Dad at home, and after marriage, to listen to my husband’s family.”

“I’m very obedient.”

“My wife said she wants me to have less to do with Uncle’s family, so I’ll definitely not have anything to do with them.”

She paused and lowered her voice even more, as if afraid someone might overhear, her tone carrying a bit of careful panic. “Sigh, Mom, please don’t make things hard for me.”

What if I really angered Zijin? Then the one in trouble wouldn’t be just me; our whole family would be...

Wang Manyu was choked speechless by that string of soft-spoken but pointed refusals. After a long moment, she finally spat out in fury, “...Useless thing!”

The call was hung up rudely.

Wen Yan set down her phone without expression, as if that conversation full of scheming and belittlement had never happened.

She turned off the heat, carefully poured the perfectly brewed, fragrant hot wine into a prepared mug, and added two slices of fresh orange for decoration.

Carrying the warm cup, she walked to the study door and knocked lightly.

“Come in,” Jin Zijin’s voice came from inside; she seemed to be finishing a voice call.

Wen Yan opened the door and went in, setting the steaming cup on the corner of the desk.

Jin Zijin had just muted her microphone; when she turned and saw the enticing amber-red wine with spices floating in it, her eyes lit up.

“Why are you being so thoughtful today?” she asked with a smile, reaching out to touch the cup. The warm heat made her squint in comfort.

Wen Yan blinked, her expression sly. “I borrowed President Jin’s prestige and did something ‘bad.’ So of course I had to hurry and make an offering.”

That made Jin Zijin laugh. Amused, she pressed, “What bad thing? Tell me.”

“My mom just called,” Wen Yan said succinctly. “She wanted me to ask you for one more invitation card—for my cousin’s fiancé’s family. He just agreed to marry into our family.”

She paused, then imitated the tone she’d used on the phone, deliberately helpless and aggrieved. “‘My wife won’t let me have anything to do with Uncle’s family,’ I said, and I refused her very reluctantly.”

At first Jin Zijin was stunned; then she couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

Her laugh was bright and pleasant, full of unhidden delight and approval.

She set down the pen in her hand, leaned forward, and reached out with both hands to cup Wen Yan’s face, then bent down and gave her a loud kiss on the lips.

Pop.

Even after the kiss, she still held Wen Yan’s face, their foreheads touching, her eyes full of brilliant laughter as she said firmly and proudly, “Exactly!”

“That’s how it should be! From now on, if anyone tries to make things difficult for you or asks for anything unreasonable, you just say...”

She drew the words out, each one crisp and domineering. “‘My wife won’t allow it!’”

————————

Do you know the benefit of marriage?

You don’t.

If someone comes to borrow money from you, or drags you into doing tiring, draining things, you can just say: my wife won’t let me~

That’s right; having a “wife-scared” image can eliminate ninety-nine percent of the trouble in your life.

A good relationship is two people joining hands to beat the world down!

Not two people trying to wreck each other’s mental state under the blankets.

You can wreck each other; just don’t wreck each other’s mental state [splitting apart]

If this relationship makes you uncomfortable, run immediately [panda head]