Wen Jin did not place his trust in Mo Xiuchen's promise. This concerned the lifelong happiness of his most cherished sister—he could not afford the slightest carelessness, nor could he bear to see her harmed again.
With a cold snort, he said:
"You speak so sweetly of not hurting Ranran, but what about your so-called savior, Cheng Jia? You were never truly ill, merely devoted to someone else. The reason you kept yourself from other women, even after marrying Ranran, was not physical, but emotional. Was it not because of Cheng Jia?"
Mo Xiuchen's gaze darkened, the corners of his thin lips pressed into a frigid line.
An oppressive silence fell over the ward.
He could not wholly refute Wen Jin's accusations—not because he harbored feelings for Cheng Jia, but because of what his investigation had uncovered...
—
Outside the hospital, Wen Ran had just purchased bananas. Walking out of the fruit shop with Gu Kai, her phone rang. As she reached into her bag to retrieve it, she failed to notice a group of boys skating recklessly out of a nearby alley.
Whether due to uneven ground or poor skill, one boy suddenly lost his balance as he passed her, and veered uncontrollably in her direction.
Seeing the boy about to crash into her, Gu Kai, walking slightly behind, reacted instantly. His eyes flashed with alarm as he pulled her protectively into his arms, warning softly, "Ranran, be careful!"
Startled by his sudden movement, Wen Ran accidentally hung up the call. Looking up, she saw the boy sprawled at her feet, groaning in pain from the fall.
"You should be more cautious when skating. What if you had hurt someone?" Gu Kai reprimanded sternly, still holding Wen Ran's arm tightly. Two more boys skated over, helping their friend up. Noticing the scars on Wen Ran's face and the injury on her arm, they quickly apologized, "We're so sorry. We didn't mean it."
Wen Ran looked up at Gu Kai and said softly, "It's alright, Gu-ge. They didn't do it on purpose."
"But what if he'd hit your arm and reopened the wound? It could have delayed your recovery."
His expression remained tense. Seeing the guilt on the boy's face, Gu Kai waved a hand to dismiss them, then glanced down at the phone in his hand and said, "Let's go. We should get back to the hospital."
"Alright."
Wen Ran tucked her phone away. That call—she hadn't wanted to answer it anyway.
—
F City
As soon as Zhou Lin returned to the hotel, she took out her phone and called her father, Zhou Mingfu.
The more she thought about what had happened that afternoon, the more unsettled she felt.
When the call connected, Zhou Mingfu answered with a terse "Hello." His tone was clearly displeased. Zhou Lin's brows furrowed with concern.
"Dad, what's wrong? You sound upset."
"Don't mention it. Everything was going according to plan last night, but Mo Xiuchen showed up and ruined everything. Those men ended up at the police station. If I hadn't covered my tracks well, the police would already be knocking on our door."
"Mo Xiuchen? Isn't he supposed to be in G City? Are you saying he went to F City?"
Zhou Lin was visibly startled. She had been busy all day taking wedding photos with Mo Zixuan and was unaware of anything else that had occurred.
"Mo Xiuchen suddenly appeared in F City last night and saved Wen Ran. He had those men arrested and taken to the station. Even though I left no evidence behind, Wen Jin will definitely grow suspicious. For now, we can't make any moves against Wen Ran."
His voice was heavy with frustration. He had gone as far as faking a car accident to injure his own leg, missing the pharmaceutical expo, all to see this plan through. Now, with Wen Jin taking time off work, he would likely strengthen his grip on the company.
His strategy had hinged on destroying Wen Ran. If she fell, he would emerge victorious.
He hadn't expected everything to fall apart so abruptly.
"Dad, I have something to tell you. It's about Wen Ran," Zhou Lin said suddenly, her tone grave.
"What is it?"
Zhou Mingfu sounded disinterested, assuming it was more of the same—that Mo Zixuan had feelings for Wen Ran.
"Today, the place where Zixuan and I took our wedding photos—it used to be Wen Ran's hometown. During a break, Zixuan asked a local old woman if she recognized Wen Ran. Guess what she said?"
"What? She didn't recognize her?"
Zhou Mingfu replied casually. It had been sixteen years since Wen Hongrui moved the family from F City to G City. Back then, Wen Ran had been just a child. It was perfectly normal if she wasn't remembered.
"That old woman said that not long ago, a man also came asking about Wen Ran, holding a photo of a little girl. But after I gave her a large sum of money, she admitted—the photo he showed wasn't of the real Wen Ran."
"Are you certain?"
"Of course I'm sure. That woman used to live in the same neighborhood as Wen Hongrui—she wouldn't lie. I even showed her a photo of Wen Ran from my phone, and she said she didn't look like the Wen Ran she remembered from childhood."
Zhou Lin became more animated. "I asked her what the man looked like—the one who had brought the photo. She said he was very handsome but didn't smile much. Based on her description, I think it could've been Qin Mu, Mo Xiuchen's assistant."
There was a long pause on the other end of the line before Zhou Mingfu asked, "Does Mo Zixuan know about this?"
At the mention of Mo Zixuan, a flash of irritation passed through Zhou Lin's eyes, and her tone grew colder. "No. Before we finished the photoshoot, he got a call and left in a hurry."
"He went back to G City?"
Zhou Mingfu asked, confused. Could it be that Mo Zixuan had also found out what had happened last night?
"I don't know. Dad, should I keep digging into Wen Ran's background? She's from F City, yet never once has she returned. Now that I think about it, she doesn't resemble either of her parents. Do you think it's possible she's not their biological daughter?"
Zhou Lin's suspicions were born not of evidence, but jealousy. She desperately hoped that Wen Ran was nothing—that she had no identity, no family, no standing.
If Wen Ran wasn't truly Wen Hongrui's daughter, then she would be nothing more than an orphan with no roots, no claim to compete with her for Mo Zixuan. (Never mind that it was Zhou Lin who had tried to steal a man—she laid all blame at Wen Ran's feet.)
"Stay there a few more days. Keep investigating the Wen family. If Wen Ran isn't their biological daughter… then the show's only just begun."
"Understood, Dad."
Zhou Lin's heart surged with excitement at the possibility that her assumptions might be proven right.
—
Kangning Hospital, G City
When Wen Ran and Gu Kai returned to the hospital room, the conversation between Mo Xiuchen and Wen Jin had already ended. From their expressions, it was impossible to discern what had passed between them.
A few minutes later, Mo Xiuchen received a call—something urgent at the construction site required his attention.
After he left, an old family servant, Aunt Li, brought dinner. When she saw Wen Ran, her face lit up with delight.
"Ranran! You're back!"
Wen Ran looked momentarily surprised, then turned to the sickbed, her eyes questioning.
Wen Jin smiled faintly and said in an even tone, "We can't keep troubling others. I asked Aunt Li to return."