Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The couple barely spoke to each other on their way home.

When they did exchange a few words, it was only about their daughter, Meimei.

Little Chen, the experienced chauffeur for the Wen family, could sense that something was amiss.

Something was off—Mr. and Mrs. Wen must have had an argument.

Judging by their demeanor, it seemed like a serious one.

Mrs. Wen must be angry at Mr. Wen over something. Otherwise, how could she resist not talking to him during the entire ride back, which wasn't particularly long or short?

Based on his understanding of Mrs. Wen's character and temper, she couldn't possibly hold herself back from speaking to Mr. Wen for tens of minutes.

So, they definitely had an argument.

But what could it be about?

As Little Chen drove, he was preoccupied with these thoughts, his mind already playing out an eighteen-episode drama.

After safely delivering the family of three back to Cuiming Water Garden, he immediately gossiped about the incident in a private group chat.

Being Wen Mochuan's driver, Little Chen was also an employee of Wen Mochuan's company. As such, he naturally had a few close colleagues within the company.

They would occasionally chat idly about gossip when they had nothing else to do.

Perhaps it was human nature to be gossipy. The moment Little Chen sent the message to the WeChat group, someone immediately responded.

Since Wen Mochuan wouldn't need the car for the rest of the day, he let Little Chen go home early and come back to pick him up the next morning. While driving out of the residential area, Little Chen continued interacting in the group chat, dutifully providing the latest explosive news to satisfy everyone's curiosity.

Just as they were discussing heatedly and speculating about the reason for Mrs. Boss's cold war, someone who had been silent suddenly spoke up.

"If I'm not mistaken, it should be because Miss Shu is coming back."

Someone immediately asked, "Miss Shu? Which Miss Shu?"

"The one who is Mrs.'s non-blood-related older sister, the Jiang family's eldest miss."

There was another round of heated discussion in the group about who the Jiang family's eldest miss was and why Mrs. would be angry at Mr. because of her return.

In just a few minutes, hundreds of messages were exchanged.

By the time Little Chen had driven out of the residential area, he was already struggling to keep up with the pace of the gossip in the group.

.

Cai Wenqing had been uneasy all day. She calculated the time and realized that it was around eight in the morning in the United Kingdom, so her daughter should be awake. Cai Wenqing then called her daughter.

She was afraid that someone might overhear their conversation, so she locked herself in her room.

Cai Wenqing wasn't afraid of her husband, Jiang Cheng, or her stepson, Jiang Xu. She was only afraid of this stepdaughter, Jiang Yiyan.

This Jiang Yiyan was the variable in their stable life. In the past, she was arrogant, difficult, and mean-spirited, but she could be said to lack any ulterior motives. To deal with her, Cai Wenqing only needed to show weakness and retreat strategically.

As long as Yao Yao could secure tangible advantages, as long as she could firmly establish her place in Shenzhen by leveraging the wealth and influence of the Jiang family, and as long as her prospects were promising, what did it matter if she endured verbal assaults and grievances?

Compared to the days when they had no fixed abode, she was very content and grateful now.

She hoped that Jiang Yiyan would continue to be mean-spirited.

Only her unruly and vicious behavior could highlight the innocence and vulnerability of them, allowing them to continue receiving protection from the Jiang family's father and son.

However, Jiang Yiyan had changed.

She became reasonable and even cunning.

Her sudden change in personality disrupted all of Cai Wenqing's plans.

She was at a loss... unsure of what to do next.

No matter what, she was Jiang Cheng's biological daughter. The reason for the estrangement between father and daughter was due to their incompatible personalities. Jiang Cheng valued his reputation, while Jiang Yiyan deliberately trampled on it.

If Jiang Yiyan changed and stopped opposing her father, and instead started playing the role of a filial daughter, Yao Yao would lose her position in the Jiang family.

Cai Wenqing considered many things and grew increasingly anxious the more she thought about it.

She wanted to call her daughter as soon as possible and discuss countermeasures together.

Therefore, the brief ten seconds before the video call connected felt incredibly long.

Just as Cai Wenqing was about to hang up and redial, the call was suddenly answered.

"Yiyan is back today." As soon as the WeChat call connected, Cai Wenqing eagerly shared the news with her daughter.

Her tone was urgent, and Shu Yao could tell something was wrong.

She had just woken up and was still in her nightgown after washing up in the bathroom.

Connected to the bedroom was a small balcony. She pulled aside the heavy curtains, opened the sliding door, and stepped onto the balcony filled with potted plants.

At around eight in the morning, the sun had just risen, the air was fresh, and the scenery outside was pleasant.

After taking a deep breath, Shu Yao asked, "What's wrong?"

Afraid that someone might be eavesdropping outside the door, Cai Wenqing quickly went to the window and lowered her voice. "This morning, Yiyan suddenly called and said she was coming home for lunch. From the moment I saw her this morning, I felt something was off. She's like a different person today—she's become reasonable and understanding. Not only did the father and daughter not argue today, but their relationship has even improved. Yao Yao, what do you think she's up to?"

Shu Yao listened carefully and replied after her mother finished speaking, "Wouldn't it be better if she genuinely wants to live in peace?"

Cai Wenqing: "Of course, it would be best if she came with good intentions. But what if she didn't?"

Cai Wenqing also hoped that the family could be harmonious and that Jiang Yiyan would genuinely and kindly accept them, mother and daughter.

But what if she was just pretending? What if her actions today had ulterior motives?

She knew her too well, even better than her father. She was like a hedgehog covered in thorns. She had her dignity and pride, and it was impossible for her to suddenly change her character in such a short time.

Unless she was up to something.

On the other end of the phone, Shu Yao remained silent.

Because Shu Yao wasn't sure either. She didn't know whether Jiang Yiyan's sudden change over the past few days was a sincere attempt at reconciliation or if she had ulterior motives.

Struggling to understand Jiang Yiyan’s motives, Cai Wenqing started counseling her daughter, "Yaoyao, you must tread more cautiously. You know better than anyone the trials and tribulations you've endured to reach this point. It's alright if Mother endures some injustice, but I don't want you to suffer. You mentioned wanting to teach at a university upon your return, and Mother supports you, but you need to consider this carefully. Once you choose this path, you'll simply be a college professor." If she renounced all ties to the Jiang family business from the outset, there would be no future opportunities.

"Of course, working at a university is an honor. But do you really want your life to be like this? You can aim higher and go further."

Shu Yao didn't say anything.

In the face of benefits, she couldn't simply refuse outright.

"Mom, let me think about it some more."

Seeing that there was room for negotiation, Cai Wenqing immediately felt relieved.

"Then you must think about it carefully."

.

A few days later, Wen Meimei officially finished her life in the kindergarten's small class and started her vacation.

Little Wen Meimei remembered the promise her mother had made, so when she came back with her schoolbag that evening, she immediately threw herself into her mother's arms.

"Mama said she would teach Meimei how to paint?" she asked innocently, full of anticipation.

Over the past few days, she hadn't mentioned it, and Jiang Yiyan thought that children had memories like goldfish, only seven seconds long, and that she must have forgotten about it. But she didn't expect that the little one could hold her breath and wait until the holiday to claim her promise.

Jiang Yiyan was a person who kept her word. Since she had promised, she would naturally fulfill it.

So she immediately said, "Mama remembers, of course. Mama was afraid you forgot and wouldn't want to learn."

With her mother's confirmation, Wen Meimei immediately jumped up excitedly.

That night, when Wen Mochuan returned home, Wen Meimei eagerly greeted him at the door and immediately shared the good news with her father.

"Mama is going to teach Meimei how to paint!"

When his wife said she would teach their daughter how to paint that day, Wen Mochuan was listening nearby. He didn't know that his wife could paint, so he assumed she was just humoring their daughter and didn't take it seriously.

But now that it was brought up again, Wen Mochuan couldn't help but feel suspicious.

"Okay, Daddy understands." Bending down to pick up his daughter, he affectionately rubbed his cheek against hers before saying patiently, "Daddy needs to talk to Mama, so Meimei, why don't you go play by yourself?"

Meimei was obedient and immediately climbed down from her father and ran off to play.

Looking at his wife, who had been sitting on the sofa playing with her phone, Wen Mochuan took the initiative to approach her.

The way the couple interacted these days was like this - they didn't interfere with each other.

They slept separately and did their own things, only coming together during meals.

Jiang Yiyan, of course, heard the sound of her husband returning, but she didn't pay any attention. She didn't rush to greet him as the original body would have done, asking solicitously about his day.

She continued doing her own thing.

It wasn't until Wen Mochuan approached and sat down on the sofa beside her that Jiang Yiyan put her phone aside for the moment.

"What's the matter?" Given the relationship between her and him, there was indeed nothing that shouldn't bring him over, which was why Jiang Yiyan subconsciously asked this.

But as soon as the words left her mouth, she quickly realized that it was inappropriate to ask.

After all, she was currently in the original body's body, and the original body was his wife.

A wife deeply in love with her husband.

So Jiang Yiyan immediately corrected herself: "I mean...you're usually very busy, and even when you come home from work, you go straight to the study to work for a while. But not today...do you have something to say?"

Perhaps because he couldn't fathom what the woman in front of him was thinking, Wen Mochuan couldn't deal with her confidently. So before speaking, he subconsciously pushed up the frames of his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

The eyes behind those gold-rimmed glasses were deep and distant, with very dark pupils. At such close range, one could even see the curled, thick eyelashes on the upper and lower lids...his eyebrows were thick and black, like they had been cut with a knife, slanting upwards, adding a touch of heroism to his delicate appearance.

His originally scholarly and elegant demeanor was thus imbued with a touch of dominance.

Seeing this face, the words that came to Jiang Yiyan's mind were - a gentleman of integrity.

"There is something to say," Wen Mochuan's brows rose slightly, seemingly somewhat dissatisfied with his wife's unblinking scrutiny of him.

He raised his voice slightly, "You're going to teach Meimei how to paint? Do you realize that every word an adult says, a child will take seriously. If Meimei finds out that you actually can't paint, or that you're not as good as she is, she'll be very disappointed."