The young girl couldn't bear it anymore and, since home was close, ran back in one breath.
As she closed the door, she couldn't resist peeking through the gap to see Yu Wenli, whom she had left behind.
On the wide avenue, under the soft glow of the streetlights, the tall, slender teenager in plain black clothing stood with his hands in his pockets, gazing at her with a smile.
His noble demeanor held a hint of predatory possessiveness.
His gaze burned like fire, making the young girl's heart skip a beat, and she quickly shut the door.
Her heart pounded as she clutched her chest, her legs weak as she leaned against the door, panting.
Aunt Fang, hearing the commotion, came out and saw this scene.
She was startled at first, then understood.
Wiping away the tears at the corner of her eyes, she spoke as if nothing had happened:
"Did you eat enough dinner? Do you want me to make you something else?"
The young girl quickly stood up straight and shook her head obediently:
"No need, Aunt Fang, I'm very full."
"Alright, call me if you're hungry."
Aunt Fang smiled and turned to leave, then remembered something and turned back: "Mr. called just now.
He said he wanted to video call you, but you didn't answer. He asked me to tell you to call him back when you have time, he misses you very much."
"Video call?"
Wen Tingxue subconsciously touched herself, then remembered her phone was in her schoolbag, likely left upstairs.
"I'll call back now, Aunt Fang. You should go to bed, it's getting late."
The young girl hurried upstairs, not noticing the redness at the corner of Aunt Fang's eyes.
Upstairs.
After finding her phone, she indeed saw more than ten missed calls and video messages.
Wen Zhong'en and Yu Xiuxiu had sent several consecutively, clearly worried about her safety.
Wen Tingxue felt a warmth spread through her heart. This feeling of being cared for was rare.
Especially after seeing the Xie family's situation, she truly felt she had come into this world because of love.
Thinking this, the hardships of the past didn't seem so difficult anymore.
Her slender fingers tapped on the screen. After sending two messages, the young girl stared at the video call option, but ultimately didn't dial.
She was worried about disturbing her parents and decided to wait for their reply.
The young girl nestled in her chair, cradling her face in her hands, gazing blankly at the WeChat interface.
Less than a minute later, Yu Xiuxiu directly initiated a video call.
Wen Tingxue's eyes lit up. She tidied her clothes briefly and answered.
First, a jumble of voices, male and female, as if arguing about something, entered the call.
Then, the image connected to a standard hotel suite. Three to five people were squatting on the floor, with papers spread out on a table.
"Yiyi, have you finished dinner? Are you hungry?"
Yu Xiuxiu's brows were furrowed with fatigue, but she tried to put on a gentle smile for the camera.
Wen Tingxue nodded obediently, "I've eaten, Mom. How about you? Are you busy with work? Am I disturbing you?"
"Silly child, what are you talking about disturbing..."
Yu Xiuxiu chuckled and stood up, leaning on the table.
However, perhaps from sitting too long, her legs felt weak, and she started to fall.
Wen Tingxue was startled and instinctively called out, "Mom!" then saw several hands reach out to support her in the camera's view.
"Master, be careful."
"Lawyer Yu, don't get too excited."
"Slowly, it wouldn't look good to fall in front of your daughter~"
Worried exclamations and teasing voices arose one after another, indicating a good relationship among them.
After regaining her balance, Yu Xiuxiu gave a few brief instructions and walked out with her phone.
Wen Tingxue breathed a sigh of relief and chided her softly.
Yu Xiuxiu leaned languidly against a marble wall, smiling as she accepted the reprimand, the fatigue in her eyes fading. She then said: "Your father is extremely worried about you. If you have time, video call him quickly. Otherwise, he keeps asking me, it's annoying."
Though she complained, her face was radiant with happiness.
Her expression was completely different from when she mentioned her husband to Madam Xie.
Wen Tingxue smiled and agreed, and they chatted briefly before hanging up.
Seizing the moment, the young girl initiated a video call to Wen Zhong'en.
However, it didn't connect for a long time. As it was about to automatically hang up, the young girl pouted in disappointment.
She reached for her phone, intending to send a message and then take a bath.
Unexpectedly, the video suddenly connected, and a face, both unfamiliar and beautiful, appeared on the screen.
Wen Tingxue froze.
The other person also looked surprised for a few seconds, then smiled and said, "You must be Mr. Wen's daughter, you're so cute. I'm Mr. Wen's secretary. Mr. Wen has gone out for a meeting. Is there anything you want me to tell him?"
The woman was charming, the kind who would captivate with a single glance.
Unlike Yu Xiuxiu's intellectual elegance, she was more likely to attract men.
Wen Tingxue couldn't help but recall what Yu Wenli had said.
Secretary?
And so pretty...
And traveling together...
Wen Tingxue quickly blinked, shaking away those chaotic thoughts.
Dad would never do such a thing!
She must be overthinking!
It must be!
After calming down, the young girl smiled faintly and said, "It's nothing, just tell him not to worry. I'm going to sleep now."
"Okay, I'll relay the message."
The woman paused, then asked, "If Mr. Wen asks why you went to the Xie family tonight, how should I answer?"
Wen Tingxue suddenly looked up, "How do you know?"
Her mother hadn't even asked about her visit to the Xie family.
The woman smiled charmingly, "I'm Mr. Wen's secretary. When Aunt Fang called, I answered."
Wen Zhong'en couldn't reach Wen Tingxue and was worried, so he directly called Aunt Fang.
However, Aunt Fang was busy with something, and her phone was on call.
Just as the technical department came over, Wen Zhong'en went to work.
Therefore, when Aunt Fang called back, it was the secretary who answered.
Wen Tingxue blinked slowly, "Oh... it's nothing, she was injured, so I went to see her."
The secretary nodded. Seeing that she had nothing else to say, she hung up.
Wen Tingxue sat blankly in the chair, holding her phone, her mind in a bit of a mess.
She hadn't slept well all night, tossing and turning, and her eyes were a little swollen.
When they got into the car, Yu Wenli narrowed his eyes. "Something on your mind?"
He gently touched her slightly red eyelids and instructed the driver to buy a boiled egg.
Wen Tingxue absently shook her head and closed her eyes, feigning sleep.
Yu Wenli moved closer, letting her rest her head on his lap. He took the boiled egg from the driver and slowly rolled it over her eyes.
Perhaps it was the comfortable technique, or perhaps it was simply because he was there.
Whatever the reason, Wen Tingxue slept soundly all the way to school, and her eyes felt much better.
The morning classes passed quickly. When school ended, Xu Kexin told Wen Tingxue, "The homeroom teacher wants to see you."
Wen Tingxue paused her hand while packing her schoolbag, then nodded expressionlessly.
Xu Kexin turned and ran off, holding her slightly worn phone, hurrying with her response, as if in a rush.
After a moment of hesitation, Wen Tingxue took out her phone and sent a message to Yu Wenli, asking him to wait for her in the car.
She didn't want anyone to know about her grandmother's matter for now, especially him.
After he replied, Wen Tingxue sat in the classroom for a while longer before getting up and heading to the office.
On her way downstairs, she encountered several boys, known troublemakers from the second year.
Wen Tingxue, afraid of causing trouble, instinctively moved to the side, but her path was still blocked.
A long leg stretched out in front of her, leading up to a somewhat fierce-looking face.
"You're Wen Tingxue, right? Yu Wenli's... little sister?"
The playful voice, mixed with the strong smell of smoke, instantly pulled Wen Tingxue back to the alley last night.