Chapter 28: You’d Better Explain Yourself First About Harassing That Woman

Wen Ran did not expect her mother to act so quickly, even leaving work early.

She must have gone to buy fruit.

Sighing inwardly, she hurried back. She was moving so fast that she accidentally bumped into Fu Kaiyu’s arm.

Fu Kaiyu jumped back as if he had encountered a plague. "Song Wenran, I’ve gone to such lengths to avoid you, yet you still come here to 'accidentally' run into me!"

"Accidentally run into your head!" Wen Ran did not give him a pleasant look. "The path is so wide, did you not see me in front of you?"

Fu Kaiyu: "..."

He had been distracted and truly hadn't noticed.

Still, he stubbornly insisted that Wen Ran was trying to get his attention. He lifted his chin with an arrogant air. "That’s because I don’t have you in my eyes. Let me tell you, I don’t have you in my eyes, and even less so in my heart. I will only marry Wenxin in this life; don’t think that sending her to the countryside will break us apart. You had better stop your little schemes, or however much suffering Wenxin endures in the countryside, I will make you suffer just as much here in the housing complex!"

"You’re great, you’re amazing, go and guard your precious Wenxin!" Wen Ran wished they would stay locked together forever. In reality, the Fu Kaiyu in the book was a coward who loved to act tough, but she had always viewed him through a filtered lens.

Or rather, several layers of filters: one due to their arranged childhood marriage, one because of the Fu family's substantial background, and the most important one being Wenxin’s retelling of events.

Wenxin had described him too perfectly, painted their life as too blissful, and constantly used her own happiness to disparage Wenran, to the point that Wenran had believed it all.

Otherwise, her depression would not have worsened.

In truth, the parts of her life that were not in Wenran’s memory were the reality of Wenxin’s existence.

She not only had to navigate the conflicts between her mother-in-law and herself but also had to prop up Fu Kaiyu, who was as useless as a puppet.

Fu Kaiyu was a complete mama’s boy, and later, while Wenxin was pregnant with their second child, he even crawled into another woman’s bed.

There was no such thing as "peaceful, quiet years"—it was merely Wenxin’s self-delusion.

She didn't want to break them up; supporting her mother’s efforts to stop them from getting their marriage certificate had only been to ensure Wenxin was sent to the countryside.

She didn't want Wenxin to be comfortable, and she didn't want Fu Kaiyu to have peace of mind. She added, "Wenxin is so wonderful, like a blooming flower—where wouldn't she attract admirers? You think she’ll suffer in the countryside? Heh, how naive!"

"Song Wenran, what do you mean by that?" Fu Kaiyu felt a flicker of panic. He was terrified that someone else would snatch Wenxin away, and even more afraid that others would covet her beauty.

Wen Ran raised an eyebrow. "You’re not stupid; can’t you figure it out yourself?"

"Speak clearly. You’re not leaving until you explain yourself." Fu Kaiyu couldn't stand the uncertainty; it kept him from sleeping.

Wen Ran said deliberately, "What do you want me to say? That Wenxin is more outstanding than me and more popular with the men? That someone even changed their assigned countryside location just for her?"

Fu Kaiyu’s face darkened visibly.

Wenxin was indeed popular with the men; the young men in the housing complex and her schoolmates all buzzed around her like flies.

Especially that one classmate who could have been assigned to a nearby village but had specifically requested to be transferred to the bitter, frigid lands just to accompany Wenxin.

Wen Ran stopped there. Saying too much might ruin the effect; leaving it half-said was the most maddening approach.

She walked around Fu Kaiyu and continued forward.

Fu Kaiyu, desperate for details, followed her. "Song Wenran, what else do you know?"

"Stop following me, or I’ll report you to the security department." Song Wenran warned him, picking up her pace to put distance between them.

The less she said, the more convinced Fu Kaiyu became that she knew something else, and he chased after her.

Hearing his footsteps getting closer, Wen Ran didn't look back and barked, "Get lost! Keep at least two meters away from me. I don't want to hear any gossip!"

"He has already gotten lost."

"..."

Wen Ran turned around, dark lines forming on her forehead. "You... when did you get here?"

"Are you all right?" Shen Nanzheng did not hide the concern in his eyes. If anything had happened to her, he would have taken down that man, even if it meant stripping off his uniform.

Wen Ran shook her head and looked behind him. Fu Kaiyu was struggling in a nearby water basin.

The basin wasn't deep enough to drown anyone. At most, it just left him soaking wet and smelling of stagnant water.

Fu Kaiyu stood up shakily from the water, still dazed.

He hadn't even clearly seen how Shen Nanzheng had acted; only when he saw Shen Nanzheng speaking to Wen Ran did he realize they knew each other.

He pointed at Shen Nanzheng and roared, "You call yourself a soldier? You pushed me into the water for no reason! I’m going to report you to your unit!"

"Suit yourself!" Shen Nanzheng replied calmly. "But you’d better explain your harassment of a female comrade first!"

Song Wenran certainly wouldn't let Fu Kaiyu report him, so she chimed in, "This comrade was just acting in righteous defense. The fact that you were harassing me is the truth!"

Fu Kaiyu was so angry he felt like exploding.

With them both saying this, his report would surely fail, and he might even end up in a disastrous position himself.

He punched the water, splashing it all over his own face.

Shen Nanzheng understood that Fu Kaiyu could no longer make a scene. He asked as they walked, "Auntie Lu is your mother, correct?"

Wen Ran paused. "Yes, how do you know her?"

Shen Nanzheng curled his lips. "Auntie Lu just went to deliver fruit to Auntie Liu and Uncle Wei, and she’s helping out in the kitchen now. Auntie Liu asked her to stay for dinner and told me to come find you as well."

"What???"

Wen Ran’s mind went blank.

It was truly a case of "fear leads to reality." If she hadn't been delayed by that jerk Fu Kaiyu, she might have been able to stop her mother.

Shen Nanzheng couldn't help but smile. "Let’s go, I’ll take you."

Wen Ran said decisively, "I won't go; it’s inappropriate. You are a guest of Teacher Liu’s; don’t let me hold up your dinner."

"If you don’t go, I won’t either." Shen Nanzheng looked at her. "Inviting you to dinner was a task Auntie Liu gave me. How could I have the face to eat if I didn't complete the mission?"

Wen Ran rubbed her forehead. In her memories, the Shen Nanzheng outside of the military wasn't someone who followed orders so easily. She had no idea how he had become so close to Director Wei and his wife. She sighed helplessly, "Asking me over was just a polite gesture; you don't have to treat it like a mission."

Shen Nanzheng insisted, "No, Auntie Liu was very sincere and repeatedly urged me to make sure you were invited. Besides, if you don't go, what will you eat at home alone?"

"I'll just make do with something," Wen Ran said, still reluctant. "You go ahead, just tell Teacher Liu I’ve already eaten."

Shen Nanzheng had not expected her to be so stubborn at eighteen. He played dumb: "But you haven't eaten, have you?"

Wen Ran stopped in her tracks. "Just pretend I have. Do you understand what 'pretend' means?"

"I understand," Shen Nanzheng said with a straight face, "but you are still hungry."

Wen Ran: "_(|3)∠)_"