Night Fire Lingering

Chapter 148 Everything Abandoned Was Planned

Just as Wen Yan arrived at the entrance of the Gu family's old residence, a servant came to find her, saying that Old Madam Gu was waiting for her.

Wen Yan subconsciously looked at Gu Yanci.

Ji Chang called her; she's probably waiting for him now.

"Go ahead, Grandma is waiting for you." Gu Yanci gestured for Wen Yan to follow. "Mom's not in a hurry."

Gu Yanci glanced at the servant subtly.

The maid immediately said, "Young Madam, this way please. The Old Madam has been looking forward to your return for a long time!"

Wen Yan found it difficult to refuse, so she decided to go and talk with Old Madam Gu for a while before going to Ji Chang's place.

She walked for a while and suddenly realized that Gu Yanci had not followed.

"Young Madam, what's wrong?" The maid asked when she stopped. "Are you looking at these plum blossoms? The old lady planted them especially for you, saying that there are fewer flowers in winter and that you'll be happy to see them."

Recalling the kind and loving appearance of Old Madam Gu, Wen Yan quickened her pace.

This is the Gu family home; Gu Yanci can't afford to get lost.

……

Ji Chang and Old Madam Gu lived in opposite directions, and Gu Yanci went west alone.

Ji Chang sat upright in the main seat of the living room. When she saw Gu Yanci return, her eyes softened: "Why did you come back? You've finally decided to visit your mother?"

"Didn't you call Wen Yan back?" Gu Yanci sat down to the left of Ji Chang.

Ji Chang's eyes sharpened: "You came back in place of Wen Yan? Where is Wen Yan?"

She stood up and looked behind Gu Yanci, but couldn't see Wen Yan at all.

"Please tell me what's on your mind."

Gu Yanci looked like he wasn't giving Ji Chang a chance to cause trouble for Wen Yan.

"Gu Yanci, I'm looking for Wen Yan! Is she afraid to come see me and sent you to fob me off?!" Ji Chang was furious and slammed her hand on the table. "So! So she knows she's doing something inhumane, interfering in other people's family affairs!"

"Are you referring to the He family's affairs?" Gu Yanci asked calmly.

"if not?"

"Then you should also know that it was my people who stopped the He family from entering; it was my order."

"Gu Yanci!" Ji Chang knew this, of course, but hearing it from Gu Yanci himself still made her furious. "Even at a time like this, you're still protecting Wen Yan? Do you know how humiliated I was when Zhong Xue came to me? My daughter-in-law instigated another daughter-in-law to go against her husband's family and even tried to take over the child. What kind of behavior is that!"

Gu Yanci smiled, his face practically screaming, "I'm going to protect her, so what?"

"Call her to see me, immediately! Right now!" Seeing that Gu Yanci was unmoved, Ji Chang was about to call Wen Yan.

Her daughter-in-law wouldn't come to see her, and her son disobeyed her. Ji Chang felt abandoned by the world, unable to educate anyone!

"Wen Yan is with Grandma," Gu Yanci reminded her unhurriedly. "She should be with Grandma right now."

Ji Chang stopped moving abruptly and looked at Gu Yanci in disbelief.

"You...you did this on purpose? You knew I was looking for Wen Yan, so she ran to hide in front of the old lady!"

Now that Ji Chang has lost her husband, she lives in the Gu family and always has to consider the feelings of Old Madam Gu and Old Master Gu.

Ji Chang took a deep breath in anger.

After a long pause, he suddenly said, "It seems you really don't want to divorce Wen Yan and are planning to keep her by your side by offering yourself up?"

When Gu Yanci heard the words "paying extra", he raised his eyelids slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Gu Yanci, do you think what you're doing will be of any use?"

Ji Chang sneered, "You all think that Wen Yonghai had an affair with Wan Ying and abandoned Wen Yan's mother back then, but how many of you know that Wen Yan's mother was never a good person to begin with! If she didn't have someone else in her heart, would she have let her husband stay in the capital for so long? Gu Yanci, genes can't be changed. Wen Yan's mother is a fickle woman. She only had your brother in her eyes before, and now that she's with you, she'll still like someone else in the future! Listen to your mother's advice, don't be obsessed with this woman!"

Gu Yanci narrowed his eyes.

His mother actually knew about Nan Yun's affairs?

……

"Oh my goodness, it's been so long since you've come back to see Grandma!" Old Madam Gu happily grasped Wen Yan's hand.

"Here we are!" Wen Yan said sweetly.

Madam Gu showered Wen Yan with concern and care.

First, I asked how the internship went. Wen Yan had already resigned and was planning to pursue a doctorate.

Madam Gu nodded: "It seems to be a bad company! It's good that you left!"

Madam Gu then asked which university Wen Yan would choose for her doctoral studies, and Wen Yan replied that she would return to Beijing University.

Madam Gu said, "Imperial University is truly blessed. They didn't hold it against Xiao Yan for their previous underhanded tactics!"

In short, whatever Wen Yan said, the old lady agreed with.

Madam Gu then asked if there had been any happy or unhappy events recently.

Several faces immediately flashed through Wen Yan's mind: Nan Yun, Nan Zhiyi, and Luo Beiqing...

“My good friend is pregnant, but she’s had some trouble with her husband’s family.” Wen Yan considered for a moment and decided to tell Old Madam Gu about it. “I’m on my friend’s side and will help her deal with her husband’s family.”

"That little girl surnamed Luo?" Old Madam Gu immediately guessed who it was.

Wen Yan nodded and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Grandma. I know my behavior was somewhat indecent and might have an impact on—"

"What did you do?" Old Madam Gu interrupted Wen Yan.

Wen Yan was a little uneasy, like a child who had done something wrong: "She moved out on her own, and I arranged for bodyguards to turn away everyone from the He family who came looking for her..."

Madam Gu asked very seriously, "Do you have enough manpower? Do you need Grandma to help you?"

Wen Yan: "..."

"Does Aci know about this? Isn't he going to help you? That's outrageous!"

Madam Gu was furious, and looked ready to hit Gu Yanci with her cane at any moment.

"No, no, no!" Wen Yan immediately said, "The bodyguards are his men! He has connections!"

"Ok?"

The man's footsteps approached from afar, and as he drew nearer, he let out a questioning nasal sound.

Wen Yan ignored him and continued to speak to Madam Gu: "I was originally worried that you would blame him, after all, this matter has caused an antagonism with the He family."

A qualified family heir should not act impulsively.

Old Madam Gu glanced at Gu Yanci and smiled at Wen Yan, saying, "Xiao Yan, whether or not we make enemies is something he should consider and bear the responsibility for. You don't need to worry about it! Besides, our Gu family isn't afraid of making enemies. How could we let our daughter-in-law hold back for the sake of profit? Our Gu family wouldn't dare do such a thing! -- How is Miss Luo's health? Perhaps Grandma could send two people who know how to take care of pregnant women over there?"

"No, no!" Wen Yan immediately refused.

If the old lady sends people over, it would truly represent the entire Gu family going against the He family, which would be too much of a fuss!

Gu Yanci leaned back in his chair, a habitual smile on his lips, not at all surprised by Madam Gu's reaction.

The old lady is a hypocrite. If someone else did this, she would probably say, "The young girl is so insensible, meddling in other people's business."

But when it happened to Wen Yan, she would only worry that her precious granddaughter-in-law might be bullied because she was insignificant and lacked manpower, and she would wish to personally confront the bullies.

"What are you looking at? What are you making up about me?" Old Madam Gu glared at Gu Yanci.

Gu Yanci shrugged, indicating that he didn't.

Madam Gu asked, "Have you dealt with things on your mother's side?"

Wen Yan looked at Gu Yanci in shock: "You...you just went there?"

Gu Yanci hummed in agreement, picked up the teacup in front of Wen Yan, and took a sip of tea.

"Hey—!" Wen Yan tried to stop him, but it was too late.

That's her teacup!

Gu Yanci tasted it; it was the 1921 Lao Tongxing tea cake that the old lady liked. It had a high aroma, a smooth and delicate texture, and a sweet aftertaste.

Gu Yanci didn't like this overly delicate style; she felt it was too gentle and lacked something.

"What's wrong?" Gu Yanci asked Wen Yan, who had spoken earlier.

Wen Yan: "...It's nothing."

Old Madam Gu winked mischievously at Gu Yanci.

That grandson of yours, he's got so many little schemes up his sleeve!

Wen Yan glanced in the direction where Ji Chang lived several times. Gu Yanci patted her shoulder and said, "You don't need to go there."

"What did Aunt Ji Chang say to you? Did she scold you? Did she hit you?"

Gu Yanci's heart softened, and he looked down at Wen Yan, "What, are you worried about me?"

"Yes." This time, Wen Yan admitted it very frankly.

Gu Yanci was slightly taken aback, then ruffled her hair. "No."

Before leaving, Madam Gu had the servants put about ten boxes of bird's nest supplements in Gu Yanci's car, saying they were for Luo Beiqing, without giving Wen Yan a chance to refuse.

Wen Yan thanked Madam Gu on behalf of Luo Beiqing and was also moved by Madam Gu's attitude—she did not choose the He family based on interests, but rather on her side and chose Luo Beiqing.

Old Madam Gu pulled Gu Yanci aside and asked in a low voice with a face full of joy, "You've made up?"

"Not yet," Gu Yanci replied honestly.

Old Madam Gu's face hardened: "Useless thing!"

Gu Yanci: "..."

Old Madam Gu compromised, saying, "Then you should try your best to take good care of the young lady from the Luo family. It can't hurt!"

"……it is good."

The old lady's abacus was clicking away rapidly.

-

After getting in the car.

Wen Yan asked with concern, "Do I really not need to go to Aunt Ji Chang's place?"

Gu Yanci turned the steering wheel, and the car entered the main road. He said, "I brought you back just to keep Grandma company."

Gu Yanci never intended for Wen Yan to meet Ji Chang.

It's not like I'm living a too comfortable life and want to be scolded.

Wen Yan vaguely remembered that after she married Gu Yanci, Ji Chang's attitude towards her changed drastically. After her first harsh reaction to her, Gu Yanci accompanied her every time she went to see Ji Chang.

Ji Chang's anger was never directed solely at her.

He wasn't as indifferent to her as she had previously thought.

These details, which I had never noticed before, now evoke a mix of emotions in my heart when I think back on them.

Wen Yan was so flustered that she didn't even notice when Gu Yanci parked the car downstairs at her apartment building and took her hand to enter the elevator; she was just following along absentmindedly.

Ding-dong-

The elevator door opens.

It wasn't until Wen Yan saw a middle-aged woman standing at her doorstep that she realized what was happening.

The woman, dressed elegantly in a black cashmere coat, paced back and forth with her hands clasped together, looking somewhat apprehensive and nervous.

Several boxes of gifts and fruits and vegetables were placed at her doorstep.

The moment their eyes met, Nan Yun was stunned for a moment, then her eyes lit up with surprise.

"Know!"

Nan Yun walked quickly to Wen Yan, wanting to hug her, but found that Wen Yan and Gu Yanci were walking side by side, very close, so she couldn't reach out to hug her.

"Is there something you need?" Wen Yan asked.

Her expression was extremely calm, almost too calm, which appeared somewhat indifferent against the backdrop of Nan Yun's intense joy.

Nan Yun sensed her attitude and felt a little awkward: "Zhizhi, Mommy's here to see you. We didn't have time to have a proper chat last time—how have you been all these years?"

Wen Yan smiled politely, but there was no smile in her eyes: "It's fine. We don't have anything to talk about, do we?"

She was very polite, so courteous that it created a sense of distance between them.

Nan Yun felt incredibly sad, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears: "Zhi Zhi, are you blaming Mommy?"

"No," Wen Yan said truthfully.

How could I blame her?

Over the years, she has lived in longing and remembrance of her.

I never imagined that in the end, it would all turn out to be a joke!

“Zhizhi…” Nan Yun didn’t know what to say for a moment, and could only look at the tall and silent Gu Yanci beside her.

Although she didn't like this son-in-law, he was still her daughter's current husband, so they could at least exchange a few words.

Wen Yan moved slightly, blocking Gu Yanci with half of her body.

Gu Yanci was about to speak, but upon seeing this, he obediently shut his mouth.

"I'm a little tired, could you please make way for me?" Wen Yan said.

Nan Yun is blocking her door.

Nan Yun's expression darkened for a moment, but she quickly composed herself, smiling as she stepped aside and asked Wen Yan with concern, "Did you go out to play today? If you're tired, how about Mommy cooks for you? Mommy has learned a lot of dishes over the years, I'm sure you'll like them!"

Wen Yan entered the house, and Nan Yun followed uninvited.

She said happily, "I bought this house for you back then, right? I'm so glad you like it!"

This was something Nan Yun suddenly bought for her before she 'died'.

It turns out that everything was abandoned in a planned way.

When Wen Yan looked at the house again, she suddenly felt a chill.

I don't want to live here anymore.

Wen Yan suddenly said, "I have something for you."

Nan Yun thought it was a gift and waited happily in place.

Wen Yan took out a sandalwood jewelry box and opened it—

Inside was the imperial green jadeite that Wan Ying and her daughter had blocked, but which Gu Yanci had bought back at a high price.

"The property returns to its original owner."