Mo Xiuchen's voice was deep and magnetic, rich in texture. Especially when he uttered the final syllable "Chen"—as it left his thin, resolute lips, it inexplicably carried a trace of tenderness that sent a sudden warmth across Wen Ran's face.
Her clear, luminous eyes widened in surprise, and she bit her lip awkwardly, at a loss for words.
Noticing her silence a few steps away, the man patiently added in a tone that brooked no opposition—a tone even more forceful than before:
"We've already registered our marriage. Even if we haven't consummated our union, you are still my wife!"
Fearing that he might continue, Wen Ran quickly nodded and said, "Alright, I understand."
Mo Xiuchen's eyes flickered briefly as he waved her off. "Go back to your room and rest," he instructed.
"Please, you rest early too. Good night!"
Wen Ran quickly replied, not daring to linger as she hurriedly retreated to the adjacent room.
Though the guest room wasn't as luxurious or as exquisitely decorated as the master suite—or even as her old home—it wasn't bad at all. Exhausted and drowsy, she had no heart to complain. After a quick shower, she climbed into bed and, within ten minutes, fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, when Wen Ran went downstairs, the atmosphere in the living room was strangely charged.
On the spacious leather sofa, besides Mo Xiuchen, sat a man with somewhat similar features and a commanding presence—someone Wen Ran recognized. This was Mo Xiuchen's father, Mo Jingteng, the current chairman of MS!
It was unclear what the two had been discussing just now. Mo Xiuchen wore a cold, stern expression with his lips pressed in a sneer of ridicule, while Mo Jingteng, seated opposite him, looked ashen—seemingly so enraged that he was barely holding back his anger.
Hearing her footsteps approaching, Mo Xiuchen glanced in her direction, then withdrew his gaze. Turning to the man opposite him, he coldly said, "Next time, don't bring that woman to my house again!"
Wen Ran's eyes flickered with surprise. It was only then that she noticed there were three cups on the coffee table—two on the table in front of Mo Jingteng. Whoever he referred to as "that woman"—she wasn't sure who it was.
"You…"
Mo Jingteng spat out a single word in irritation. When he saw her coming down the stairs, he forced himself to stand up from the sofa. As he passed the stairwell, he stopped abruptly and said to Wen Ran, who was coming down, "Since you've married Xiuchen, you'd better not get entangled with Zixuan any longer!"
A flash of astonishment crossed Wen Ran's face. What did he mean by that—redirecting his anger towards her instead of Mo Xiuchen?
She turned her gaze and looked at Mo Xiuchen standing near the sofa. Seeing his indifferent expression, she pursed her lips and, meeting Mo Jingteng's sharp, severe gaze without subservience, replied calmly:
"Dad, shouldn't those words be directed at Mo Zixuan? It wasn't me entangling with him—it was he who betrayed me! You can ask him yourself if you don't believe it!"
Mo Jingteng's already unsightly face transformed in an instant, his entire being radiating a fierce, overwhelming aura as he advanced toward Wen Ran. For his own son, he held back out of guilt; but toward Wen Ran, an outsider, he no longer concealed his fury.
Had Mo Xiuchen not acted unilaterally, he would never have agreed to let his eldest son marry the ex-girlfriend of his younger son!
"This is your family's upbringing—so is this how you speak to your elders?" Mo Jingteng thundered.
Wen Ran's face drained of color as she clenched her fists. In response to Mo Jingteng's harsh reproach, her voice emerged cool and steady:
"I don't believe there's any problem with my upbringing. It was you, as my elder, who warned me without discerning right from wrong. What I said was simply the truth. I did date Mo Zixuan before, but it wasn't that I betrayed him—it was he who betrayed me. If you don't believe me, you can go and ask him yourself!"