Chapter 27

Chapter 27

After showing everyone around the courtyard, Wen Zhi led them to the sofa to sit down, and staff promptly served fruits and snacks.

Wen Zhi and Liu Yiru naturally sat together, while Wen Bingchun and Lin Jiyao each sat separately.

After marveling, Liu Yiru suddenly asked, "Wen Zhi, is the Wen Group also part of your family?"

Wen Zhi nodded. "Yes, but it's managed by others now. I only hold shares."

Everyone present was stunned.

The Wen Group?

Even people outside finance knew: the late chairman of the Wen Group had long ranked among the top ten wealthiest individuals globally—unassuming and charitable.

Unfortunately, the good die young.

"The Wen Group? Which Wen Group? Anyone care to explain?"

"Is it the one I’m thinking of?"

"You don’t know this? My dream after graduation was to work at the Wen Group. I heard the benefits are amazing, and the bonuses are crazy good."

"Quick search says: Wen Technology Co., Ltd., once China’s biggest taxpayer and home to the richest person in China. After the chairman passed away two years ago, it seems to have declined, selling off a ton of assets."

"Sold off? Like, into property?"

"Hahaha, were they worried Wen Zhi would be too incompetent and just set her up for life?"

"Legit jealous. So why did Wen Zhi rush into marriage and kids so early? Was that loser just after her cash and looks?"

Liu Yiru got emotional. "No wonder I felt a connection when I first met you. Technically, your family was my benefactor."

Wen Zhi was puzzled. "Benefactor?"

Liu Yiru: "I mentioned before that I grew up in an orphanage, right? The Wen Group paid for my college." And not just her—many from the orphanage were sponsored by the Wen Group.

Wen Zhi was surprised. "Really? What a coincidence."

Across from them, Wen Bingchun chimed in, "Uncle and Auntie had hearts of gold. They did even more charity work back when you disappeared."

That left everyone silent for a moment.

Everyone was confused.

Disappeared? What disappeared?

Wen Zhi vanished?

The Wen heiress vanished, and how come nobody knew?

"Did some creep kidnap her?"

"Did the Wen couple die back-to-back because of Wen Zhi?"

"Was Wen Zhi once a naive simp who threw away her fortune and ran off with some loser?"

"Stop twisting my words—it's just one sentence!"

Having witnessed the Wen family's wealth, netizens grew even more curious about what charm that jerk could possibly have.

Wen Bingchun, realizing she'd misspoken, covered her mouth with an apologetic smile.

Liu Yiru quickly changed the subject: "I just noticed your room has a lot of painting supplies and quite a few paintings—they look really good."

Wen Zhi shot a warning glance at Wen Bingchun before responding with a smile, "Yes, I really enjoy painting..."

The two chatted happily, with Lin Jiyao chiming in occasionally. Every time Wen Bingchun tried to interject, they seamlessly changed the subject.

Wen Bingchun felt frustrated, regretting her earlier impatience. She picked up her freshly poured tea and took a small sip, only for a gross salty-bitter taste to burn her throat, nearly making her spit it out.

Her gaze swept around the room, landing on Uncle Zhong diagonally across from her, who was grinning at her like a smug grandpa.

Was this his way of getting back at her?

Damn, even the Wen family's staff were fiercely protective of their masters.

She clenched her jaw and swallowed.

It was so salty she wanted to puke.

Unable to join the conversation or even drink tea and eat snacks, she turned her attention to the four children feeding the little black dog by the sofa.

Mu Mu had somehow gotten a bag of dog food and was pouring it into the dog's bowl, the little black dog wagging its tail and rubbing happily against his legs.

Sen Sen, tapping the dog bowl, asked, "Mu Mu, is this bowl really an antique? Your family must be so rich, using antiques for the dog to eat from."

"Your house is so big and beautiful too, way nicer than a McMansion."

Xiao Xiao quickly added, "Yeah, yeah! It's even prettier than our villa, prettier than a museum. Mu Mu, your family is so rich—richer than my dad!"

Ever since he got here, Mu Mu had noticed how much nicer the house looked after renovations, but compared to Mom’s Lotus Palace, his own palace, or even the courtyards of many officials' homes in *Great Yong*, it was nothing special.

Yet everyone seemed to think his family was incredibly wealthy.

Mu Mu bit his lip, his dark eyes serious as he looked at Sen Sen and Xiao Xiao.

"You really think my family is rich?"

Both children nodded like bobbleheads.

Xiao Xiao gestured excitedly, "Your house is the absolute prettiest house I've ever seen."

What counts as 'rich' here... seemed different from *Great Yong*’s.

His totally clueless look amused the live audience.

"Does Mu Mu really not know how wealthy his family is?"

"Hahaha, no way he knows. He wouldn’t stop saying he needed to earn money to buy his mom a villa on the show."

"When I was little, I thought my family was poor too. Then right after graduation, they bought me an apartment outright in Beijing's Third Ring Road. Felt kinda sad, kinda happy, kinda confused—all those emotions."

"Hahaha, what's it like for a try-hard to suddenly realize they're rolling in it?"

"So confused and clueless, Ughhh I want that kind of experience too."

Wen Xiaowen, who had sidled over, pouted and said, "We get it, you're rich, stop asking already, it's annoying."

Thinking back to Mu Mu's earlier jab at him, he added, "Your mom must not love you—she didn’t even tell you how rich your family is."

Seeing Mu Mu’s little brows furrow, Wen Xiaowen was overjoyed.

Finally got him back.

Putting on a generous act, he said, "Don't be upset. If you call me Uncle Xiaowen, I’ll give you my collection of Ultraman. Ultraman loves all kids and protects every kid too."

Mu Mu couldn’t be bothered with him, carrying Little Black as he headed upstairs.

Xiao Xiao scratched her head and asked in a little voice, "Brother Sen Sen, why is Brother Mu Mu unhappy?"

Sen Sen shook his head. "I don’t know."

By lunchtime, Mu Mu still hadn’t come down.

Xiao Xiao and Sen Sen offered to go find him, and Wen Xiaowen blinked twice before following them.

The cameraman trailed behind the three kids, tiptoeing across the expensive hardwood as they went upstairs.

Once upstairs, the three children looked around wide-eyed and began searching, eventually finding Mu Mu sitting quietly behind the piano.

Little Dumpling hugged Little Black, curled up on the floor, his head drooping onto his knees, looking completely miserable.

He looked so sad.

The audience wondered what was wrong with Mu Mu.

Xiao Xiao hurried over, squatted in front of him, and asked softly, "Brother Mu Mu, what’s wrong?"

Hearing her voice, Mu Mu turned his head, looking at Xiao Xiao and then Sen Sen. His dark eyes blinked twice before he said sadly, "I lost my dream."

"What?" Sen Sen didn’t quite understand.

Mu Mu continued, "My dream was to become a big boss and buy Mom a villa. But you said our house is even better and more valuable than a villa, and we already have plenty of money… So now I don’t have a dream anymore?"

The cameraman almost fumbled the camera in shock.

If an adult had said this, it would’ve been total rich-people bragging.

But coming from this child…

"Ughhh, I want to experience this kind of problem too."

"If you can just have everything handed to you, why bother with dreams?"

"Ughhh, rich people problems are joys I’ll never know."

"I pitied Mu Mu for a second, but turns out I’m the fool."

"Ouch, that hurts."

The livestream exploded with dramatic complaints.

The kids, of course, paid no mind. After hearing Mu Mu’s words, Xiao Xiao puckered her lips and comforted him in her little voice, "Then Brother Mu Mu can just pick a new dream."

Sen Sen also hurried over: "Yeah, if you really can't think of one, you can take your time."

Mu Mu: "But Shifu said, once you decide on something, you should stick to it." His dream had only lasted a few days before disappearing.

For the first time, Mu Mu felt childlike sadness.

The cameraman was torn between laughter and exasperation.

The children hadn’t come downstairs for a while, so Wen Zhi couldn’t sit still and got up to head upstairs. Liu Yiru, Wen Bingchun, and Lin Jiyao followed her.

As soon as Wen Zhi reached the top, she heard Mu Mu whisper, "I’ve already changed my dream once. It’s not good to change it again." His previous dream had been to become an emperor, and later, a tycoon.

After listening for a while, she finally understood and felt both touched and amused.

Mu Mu had always believed his family was poor, so his dream of becoming a tycoon was to earn lots and lots of money. Now that he knew his family was actually wealthy, it was only natural for him to feel lost.

"Mu Mu, don’t rush. Let’s go downstairs and eat first," Wen Zhi crouched in front of Mu Mu and gently stroked his hair. "If you really can’t think of one, you can be like Mommy. My dream is to *lie flat* and be a 'happy couch potato.'"

Liu Yiru, standing behind her, burst into laughter. "Who teaches a kid like that?"

The live stream viewers typed furiously.

"Sister Zhi, that’s too much, ruining the youth. A hardworking kid like Mu Mu shouldn’t lie flat—let me handle that burden."

"Mu Mu, honey, don’t listen to your mom’s nonsense. Kids should strive. Leave the lying flat to us adults."

"Hahaha, what a bunch of creepy uncles and aunties, messing with a kid."

Both on and off-screen, everyone was in stitches. No one noticed Lin Jiyao’s gaze fixed on the piano nearby.

The piano looked all too familiar, matching the one from his memories.

Unable to resist, he lifted a corner of the golden silk curtain to examine the body of the piano.

When his eyes landed on the words "Nuan Nuan" carved into the lid, he went stock-still. As Wen Zhi helped Mu Mu stand up, he hastily and nervously let the curtain fall back into place.

When the group headed downstairs, he lingered at the back, staring at Wen Zhi’s retreating figure with his heart in turmoil.

Earlier, when they first entered the living room, Butler Zhong had mentioned that the piano was carved with Wen Zhi’s childhood nickname.

Was Wen Zhi’s nickname Nuan Nuan?

Was it just a coincidence?

During lunch, Lin Jiyao made sure to grab the seat opposite Wen Zhi, his gaze frequently flicking to her.

He was searching for hints of the girl from his memories.

Her eyes seemed somewhat similar, and she also had a mole at the corner of her left eye, but overall, the impression she gave was night and day.

Lin Jiyao gazed distractedly, while Xiao Xiao, clutching her spoon, alternated glances between him and the pretty sister across the table.

Why was this brother staring at the pretty sister so much?

After lunch, Wen Zhi took Liu Yiru, Wen Bingchun, and the children to sip tea and chat in the garden’s pavilion.

Lin Jiyao slipped away for a walk and, avoiding the cameras, found Butler Zhong in the living room.

Butler Zhong beamed at him, "Mr. Lin, what can I do for you?"

Lin Jiyao tried his best to appear less aloof, forcing a small smile. "Nothing in particular, I just thought the piano upstairs looked familiar." He seemed lost in memories. "I learned to play the piano at Teacher Yu's place during middle school—Yu Yun Piano Studio. They had one just like it."

Butler Zhong was surprised. "Our Nuannuan Xiaojie also learned piano at Yu Yun Studio. This piano was the one she played. Though she was too mischievous and never took it seriously. Once, she hid in the studio, and the old master and nanny Wu searched for her for ages before finding her."

The name "Nuannuan" made Lin Jiyao's scalp tingle.

"Nuannuan? Wen Zhi's nickname?"

Butler Zhong nodded. "Yes, the madam chose it, saying the young lady was as warm as a little sun." Then, remembering Wen Zhi's instructions, he quickly changed the subject. "Mr. Lin, you and our young lady really share a fate—practically classmates, you could say."

That was putting it mildly.

Lin Jiyao had imagined ten thousand scenarios of reuniting with his classmate Nuannuan.

Romantic and poetic ones, sudden encounters around a corner, or naturally seeing each other while admiring the same view.

Never in his wildest dreams did he expect that when they met again, his first love would already have a child.

To borrow an internet phrase—what a clichéd mess!

Before he could wallow in sorrow, Nuannuan's voice suddenly called out from behind. The little one came running over, arms up, wanting to be picked up.

Mechanically, Lin Jiyao picked up his sister and walked outside. Xiao Xiao wrapped her arms around his neck, whispered in his ear, "Brother, were you just asking about the pretty sister?"

Lin Jiyao, who wasn't in the mood to answer, stayed silent.

Xiao Xiao continued in a hushed tone, "You were staring at the pretty sister during lunch too. Do you like her?"

Lin Jiyao immediately snapped, scolding, "What nonsense are you talking, kid?"

Xiao Xiao pouted. "I’m not talking nonsense! Let me tell you, I really like the pretty sister too. If you and the pretty sister get together, then Mu Mu and the pretty sister will be part of our family. Go get her, bro! Xiao Xiao supports you."

Lin Jiyao: "..."

He mused up her hair in retaliation, warning, "Stop talking nonsense!"

Xiao Xiao giggled, leaning back and putting a finger to her lips. "Xiao Xiao knows, Xiao Xiao won’t blab."

Afterward, Lin Jiyao returned to filming, acting normal.

As the show was wrapping up, Director Fang held a tablet and said, "Wen Zhi, the audience still has many questions for you. We’ve picked the top-voted ones for an interactive segment. Would that be okay?"

Wen Zhi nodded. "Sure, but no promises I'll answer."

Director Fang hesitated for a second before awkwardly asking the first question: "You mentioned earlier on the show that you’re widowed. So… is there any hope for the rest of us?"

Wen Zhi: "No."

Her assistant couldn’t help but ask further, "Why not?"

Wen Zhi glanced at her and replied deadpan, "What's wrong with money?"

The audience was speechless: rich, beautiful, and young—why would she need someone to take her money?

"Hahaha, Sis keeps it real. If I were her, I wouldn’t want to remarry either."

"Sister Zhi's out of everyone's league."

"Now I see where Wen Zhi gets her comeback game."

Director Fang continued, "The second question, Wen Zhi, what is your ideal type?" He added with a smile, "Netizens are wondering if they can see if they can measure up."

Liu Yiru, Wen Bingchun, and Lin Jiyao in the pavilion couldn't help but glance at her.

Wen Zhi thought for a moment and replied, "Not right now, but my detested type is very clear."

"A cruel, ungrateful, paranoid, cold-blooded, selfish, arrogant idiot."

The group went quiet.

The audience froze for a beat.

"Is Wen Zhi throwing shade at someone? Could it be her ex?"

"She’s not even trying to hide that death glare. I think so."

"Dang, now I kinda wanna see that idiot show up. Cue the dumpster fire."

Director Fang then asked another pointed question, and Wen Zhi gave him a cool glance. He got the message loud and clear and put away his tablet, laughing, "That's enough for today. Let’s wrap it up here."

After Wen Zhi saw off the production team, Liu Yiru, and Lin Jiyao, Wen Bingchun, still loitering at the door, finally spoke up, "Xiao Zhi, earlier on the show, it slipped out. I didn’t mean to bring up your disappearance."

The setting sun cast its glow, and a faint fragrance wafted by the wrought-iron gate.

Wen Zhi turned her head, her flawlessly delicate profile facing her, and said, "No one’s gonna think you’re mute if you shut up!"

Wen Bingchun’s face darkened, ditching the meek act. "Wen Zhi, I am still your cousin." She took a deep breath and added, "I was there picking up your slack when Uncle and Aunt were sick. At least show me some respect for that."

Wen Zhi scoffed. "I heard Uncle brought up the adoption idea twice while you were 'picking up my slack.' That desperate to take my place?"

Wen Bingchun’s throat tightened. Back then, when her parents suggested the idea, she couldn’t deny she had secretly hoped for it—to be doted on like Wen Zhi was.

But Uncle and Aunt had refused without hesitation.

They said, "Nuan Nuan is irreplaceable."

Wen Bingchun shot back, "That was my parents’ idea. I genuinely cared for Uncle and Aunt."

Wen Zhi’s phoenix eyes bore into her coldly. "You're lucky you actually cared for my parents. Otherwise..."

She gave an icy laugh that sent shivers down Wen Bingchun’s spine.

"Or what?"

Before she could hear the rest, the door was slammed in her face.

Wen Bingchun: "..."

After shooing her away, Wen Zhi gazed at the garden full of roses and murmured the rest of her sentence, "You wouldn’t be standing here unharmed."

Her phone pinged twice.

Wen Zhi steadied herself and pulled out her phone to check.

Liu Yiru had sent a voice message: "Reserve the NUANGUI penthouse for now. Got things to deal with. See you on the show."

Wen Zhi replied with an "Okay," scrolling through Weibo as she went.

An old residence livestream unexpectedly garnered eight million views on Weibo, flooding her DMs.

The hashtag #WenZhiOldResidence# remained at the top of the trending page, followed closely by #WenZhiLandlady#, #MuMuDreamShattered#, and #LinJiyaoTopFollowsWenZhi#.

The first few were easy to understand, but Lin Jiyao—someone so aloof—made her his top follow? Did her money win him over?

As a fellow show guest, she felt obliged to tap follow out of courtesy. So she casually tapped the button.

Before she could log off Weibo, two more hashtags quickly trended: #JiangchengPoliceAnnouncementOnAntifansHarassmentAndDefamation# and #AntifansCollectiveApologyToWenZhi#.

Wen Zhi headed into the living room and clicked to read more.

"Jiangcheng Police reported that after receiving complaints, they verified incidents of 'antifans' harassment and malicious defamation, finding them to be true. The antifans were fined 1,000 yuan and ordered to make public apologies to Ms. Wen through these accounts xx, xx...xx."

The next post was a Weibo clip by Gardenia fans compiling the antifans' public apologies, especially the one from 'IceBeautyDiehardFan,' bolded for emphasis.

Gardenia fans piled on.

"Serves you right for insulting our Sister Zhi—messed with the wrong person, didn’t you?"

"Hahaha, Sister Zhi doesn't play around, striking when it’s time!"

"Way to go, officers!!"

The antifans complained: they’d actually stopped wanting to criticize Wen Zhi long ago—it was just habit...

Wen Zhi chuckled. "Asking the police for help was definitely the right move."

Another DM notification sounded. Still amused, she opened it—the latest was from 'IceBeautyDiehardFan.'

"IceBeautyDiehardFan": "Ms. Wen Zhi, I’ve publicly apologized on Weibo and paid the fine, but the police deemed my case severe and sentenced me to ten days of detention. I’m still in college—I can’t afford this. Could you please ask them to drop the detention? I swear I’ll never criticize you again (praying and crying)."

Took you long enough!

Detention exemption just because you’re in college?

You showed no mercy when you were bashing her online.

Wen Zhi: "Did you take those photos yourself?"

"IceBeautyDiehardFan": "No, a stranger sent them to me via DM. This account."

Wen Zhi: "Fine, I’ll talk to the police."

After a pause, the fan suddenly added: "...You’re actually not bad. Sorry—that’s sincere." Then they realized they'd been blocked.

"IceBeautyDiehardFan": "..."

Well, take that back then.

After blocking, Wen Zhi searched the stranger’s account and saw it had been deleted an hour prior.

She exited Weibo, found Lin Jiyao’s number, and called directly: "Do you still have backstage footage from the concert day? Can you send me a copy?"

"Okay," came the immediate reply. After a brief pause, they added, "Add me on WeChat for easier contact."

A friend request arrived quickly, and Wen Zhi accepted it. The other end kept showing "typing..." for a while.

She waited a few minutes, only to receive a single message: "Hold on, I’ll get back to you later."

All that typing for just one line?

Wen Zhi: "...K."

A/N: Keep scrolling—next chapter below.