"Hmph. There's no need to flaunt how good Mo Xiuchen is to you in front of me. Deep down, you know very well—he didn't marry you out of love, but because you are the woman Mo Zixuan once adored."
Cheng Jia's words suddenly turned sharp, biting. In her eyes, Wen Ran wore the smugness of a victor, and it was that look she couldn't endure.
Had Wen Ran not married Mo Xiuchen first, the woman standing by his side now would undoubtedly have been her.
She had merely arrived a moment too late!
Wen Ran's expression shifted subtly. A chill flickered in her gaze as she rose slowly from her chair. Standing above Cheng Jia, who lay on the hospital bed, she carried an air of aloof nobility.
Cheng Jia's eyes brimmed with even more ridicule and resentment.
"Cheng Jia, have you never heard that the process is irrelevant? What matters—is the outcome."
Wen Ran smiled faintly, yet her eyes held shards of ice. She no longer addressed her politely as 'Miss Cheng,' but called her name directly, returning her mockery with a sharper one of her own.
"You truly are shameless, Wen Ran!"
Cheng Jia's face turned pale with rage, her eyes ablaze with fury.
Wen Ran gave a cold laugh, pulled out her phone, and snapped two photos of Cheng Jia's twisted, hateful expression. Then, with a serene air, she turned the screen toward her.
"Shameless? That word suits you far better. If I'm not mistaken, you usually present yourself as gentle and fragile in front of Mo Xiuchen. I wonder what he'd think of you, seeing you like this—like a deranged shrew."
Cheng Jia's face drained of color once more. Panic flickered in her eyes as she instinctively touched her face. She could not allow Mo Xiuchen to witness her jealous side.
In a sudden burst of anxiety, she struggled upright. "Wen Ran, you have no right to photograph me. Give me the photos!"
In that instant, Cheng Jia wished she could tear Wen Ran apart with her bare hands.
Alas, she lacked the strength. The injury on her head was real, and the sudden movement triggered a searing pain. A vicious glint passed through her eyes as she glared at Wen Ran, and then, with a faint gasp, she collapsed back onto the bed—unconscious.
Wen Ran's gaze sharpened with surprise. She hadn't expected her to faint so easily. Seeing her lying there, face pale, Wen Ran couldn't help a flicker of concern. She immediately pressed the call button, then turned and rushed out of the ward.
Gu Kai and Mo Xiuchen arrived shortly thereafter, finding Wen Ran standing in the hallway, brow furrowed in worry.
"Cheng Jia has passed out!"
Gu Kai nodded and reassured her gently, "Don't worry. I'll go check on her—she'll be fine."
With that, he strode into the ward. Mo Xiuchen stood at the doorway, glanced at the unconscious Cheng Jia, then turned to Wen Ran, concern deep in his voice.
"How did she suddenly pass out?"
He had only left the room for a few minutes—hadn't even finished his conversation with Gu Kai.
Wen Ran's gaze flickered. She looked into the ward, uncertain whether Cheng Jia was truly unconscious or merely feigning. But even if she was pretending, there was no way to prove it. Upon waking, she would undoubtedly shift all blame onto her.
"Ranran, what did you two talk about?"
Mo Xiuchen noticed her silence and the fixed way she stared into the ward. A trace of suspicion crept into his handsome features. He asked again.
Wen Ran withdrew her gaze and met his questioning eyes. Without a word, she pulled her phone from her bag and handed it to him, her voice cool.
"See for yourself."
"What is it?"
His confusion deepened. Sensing her reluctance to speak, he took the phone, unlocked it, and opened the photos. When he saw Cheng Jia's twisted face, her eyes brimming with hatred, his expression shifted slightly. His lips pressed into a thin line.
"You two argued?"
Wen Ran shrugged, just about to respond, when a sudden cry came from the ward. Cheng Jia had awakened. She turned her head, startled, just in time to see Gu Kai withdrawing his hand—she hadn't caught how he'd revived her.
"Ask her yourself."
Wen Ran, no longer concerned, glanced at the conscious Cheng Jia and suddenly lost all desire to remain. "I'm going to check on my brother," she said curtly, and turned to leave.
"Ranran!"
Mo Xiuchen called after her, brows knitted. Her phone was still in his hand.
Inside the ward, Gu Kai asked Cheng Jia a few questions. She complained of a headache and appeared quite unwell. Gu Kai advised her to rest and avoid agitation. Noticing her distracted manner, he didn't linger and soon left.
After Wen Ran and Gu Kai left, Cheng Jia assumed Mo Xiuchen would enter the room to comfort her, at the very least to show some concern. But she waited and waited—the door did not open.
Several minutes later, a private nurse entered. Thinking it was Mo Xiuchen, Cheng Jia's joy quickly turned to disappointment.
"Where is Mo Xiuchen?"
"He had urgent business to attend to. He asked that you rest well."
The nurse's tone remained gentle, undisturbed by Cheng Jia's coldness.
"I want to rest. Leave me."
Cheng Jia bit her lip in frustration, touched her aching nose, and shut her eyes, no longer willing to see anyone.
Mo Xiuchen and Gu Kai left together. Wen Ran was nowhere in sight. Gu Kai asked casually, "Where's Wen Ran? Why did she leave alone?"
"She and Cheng Jia had a bit of a conflict. Cheng Jia couldn't handle the provocation and fainted. Wen Ran was upset. She told me to ask Cheng Jia myself and walked off."
Gu Kai scoffed. His voice was laced with disdain. "Cheng Jia was faking. Only someone as pure as Wen Ran would fall for it."
"Faking?"
Mo Xiuchen's eyes narrowed sharply.
Gu Kai raised his brows, opened his palm, and revealed a fine needle. "I used this to wake her. I could tell the moment I stepped in—she wasn't unconscious at all."
Mo Xiuchen hadn't entered the ward, so he hadn't seen through the act. Hearing this, his expression darkened, and his voice turned cold.
"So, her talent for deception is truly impressive. In front of me, she's gentle and considerate. But with Wen Ran—her true nature emerges."
Gu Kai chuckled lightly. "If you want to know what she's really like, you could watch the video—but don't expect me to join you. I've no desire to sully my eyes."
Mo Xiuchen cast him a cold glance. "There's no need for me to view the footage personally to know what she did in that ward."
"You're not going to drag Xiao Liu into this again, are you? That poor guy—having a boss like you is truly a tragedy."
Gu Kai had known Mo Xiuchen for years. One look, one vague comment, and he could guess his thoughts.
"I don't want you to be disappointed again."
Mo Xiuchen raised an eyebrow. As Gu Kai entered the elevator, he turned and walked toward the stairwell.
"I'm going to find Wen Ran."
"I'm coming too!"
Gu Kai frowned and stepped out of the elevator, following behind. "You're just going to see Wen Ran—what's wrong with taking the elevator?"
Mo Xiuchen gave him a side-eye. "It's just one floor. You still need a ride?"
"So what? The hospital is mine anyway."
Gu Kai shot back confidently. He'd been in surgery all day and was exhausted—not like Mo Xiuchen, the future president of MS Group, always sitting in some luxurious office.
Mo Xiuchen scoffed and continued downstairs. Gu Kai, bored with his own complaints, changed the subject.
"Let's be serious—Cheng Jia is not a kind woman. You said she's two-faced. You'd better be careful what she says to Wen Ran."
Mo Xiuchen paused on the stairs, his tall figure still. He looked at Gu Kai and instead of answering, asked a question of his own.
"Why are you so concerned about Wen Ran?"
Gu Kai frowned. "Because of you, obviously. What, do you want me to help Cheng Jia break you and Wen Ran up?"
Mo Xiuchen stared at him for a long moment before speaking.
"Ah Kai, perhaps Wen Ran really isn't the girl who saved me years ago. But my feelings for her... it was love at first sight."
Gu Kai's expression flickered, disbelief surfacing in his eyes.
"What are you saying, Xiuchen? Weren't you the one who insisted she resembled that girl? Now you're saying she's not? Are you going to stop investigating Cheng Jia and accept her as your savior?"
Mo Xiuchen shook his head. His handsome face looked solemn under the dim light of the stairwell.
"No. I just don't want you to be disappointed again."
As the words left his lips, Gu Kai's face turned pale. The lines of his face tensed, and his hands—buried in the pockets of his white coat—tightened into fists.
He understood. Mo Xiuchen was reminding him: don't pin your hopes on Wen Ran being the sister he'd been searching for. Over the years, he had accompanied him through countless disappointments.
When Cheng Jia first appeared, Gu Kai had been more hopeful than anyone. But the DNA test crushed that hope once again.
Seeing the pain on his friend's face, Mo Xiuchen sighed and said gently, "If you still believe she might be, you can do what you did last time—"
"No need."
Gu Kai cut him off sharply. He pressed his lips into a hard line, his eyes quickly regaining their usual calm grace.
"You said we were going to find Wen Ran. Let's go."
Wen Ran sat beside the hospital bed, leaning forward slightly as she looked at Wen Jin.
Wen Jin reached out to gently stroke the pink scar on her cheek. His obsidian eyes brimmed with tenderness.
"Brother, I told you the scar would fade. Can you relax now?"
Wen Ran grinned. Her wound was healing quickly, the fresh skin changing day by day. In a few more days, it would be almost invisible.
"Now I can rest easy. That day, I was really worried. If that scar didn't fade, what would you do if Mo Xiuchen no longer wanted you?"
Wen Jin teased, withdrawing his hand. Wen Ran pouted, displeased.
"What kind of brother curses his sister like that? Mo Xiuchen isn't the kind of shallow man who judges by appearances!"
"You've barely been married to him, and already you're on his side?"
A shadow flitted across Wen Jin's eyes. He chuckled. "Wasn't it you who doubted earlier, wondering if Cheng Jia might be the one who saved him? That maybe he couldn't truly be heartless toward her?"
"Ugh, I shouldn't have told you."
Wen Ran dragged out the words in mock frustration. When she'd come downstairs earlier, her emotions still showed. Wen Jin noticed and questioned her, and in a moment of impulse, she confessed what happened.
He laughed. "Alright, I won't say more. But don't trouble yourself over Cheng Jia. That's Mo Xiuchen's mess—let him clean it up. From now on, don't go see her again."
Wen Ran huffed, "Of course I won't. At least not until she recovers. If anything happens to her, I won't take the blame."
Had Cheng Jia not provoked her first, she wouldn't have taken those awful photos. Who knew what Cheng Jia might tell Mo Xiuchen now?
Wen Jin nodded. "Exactly. Don't waste energy on people who don't matter. Mo Xiuchen has seen the pictures. If he lets you suffer because of Cheng Jia, it means she matters more to him than you do."
In such matters, it all came down to the man's choices. If he kept a blurry line with Cheng Jia, the one hurt would be Wen Ran.
As her protective brother, Wen Jin naturally took her side.
"Mm, I understand."
Wen Ran nodded with a smile, but then something came to mind, and the smile faded.
"Yesterday, Zhou Lin called. She said she's extending her leave by a week. Don't you think that's strange? Mo Zixuan's already back, so why is she still in F City alone?"
Wen Jin smiled faintly. "Isn't she pregnant? Maybe she thinks the scenery there is nice. She's waiting for Mo Zixuan to pick her up."
Wen Ran frowned slightly, about to speak again, when the ward door suddenly opened.
Mo Xiuchen's deep, gentle voice called from the doorway.
"Ranran."
She blinked and turned instinctively.
He smiled faintly and approached, reaching out to pull her up from her chair.
"I need to talk to you. Come with me."
Startled, Wen Ran looked back at Wen Jin. The latter gave her an indulgent smile.
"Go on. I was just about to ask Dr. Gu something anyway."
Mo Xiuchen didn't stop after pulling her from the room. He kept walking toward the elevator, holding her hand. Wen Ran, noticing his tight lips and solemn expression, suddenly grew uneasy.
She had a bad feeling—perhaps Cheng Jia had already told him something, and he had come to confront her.
That thought soured her mood. She yanked her hand away and said coldly, "Whatever it is, say it here. I need to get back soon."
His hand now empty, Mo Xiuchen narrowed his deep eyes. He looked at her chilly expression and asked softly, "You're still upset?"
"No."
Wen Ran's eyes flickered. She avoided his sharp gaze. The truth was, she wasn't angry at Cheng Jia—just unsettled by the words she'd said.