Chapter 70: The moment she opened her mouth to speak, something shifted.

Wen Yanli spoke only once, “I’ll carry you over.” Song Mi truly had no strength left anywhere, so she could only let him turn her over and lift her up. When she was settled securely in his arms and carried all the way to the bathroom, she didn’t utter another word. She forced her eyes open, drowsily watching him.

Once in the bathtub, the warmth and buoyancy of the hot water blurred her senses even further, and soon she slipped into unconsciousness. She fell asleep.

When she woke again, she was lying clean and fresh on the bed, dressed in a new set of pajamas. They looked familiar—probably ones she’d worn before, likely brought over by his female bodyguard at his request.

The man was not in the room. Song Mi stirred slightly, stretched and adapted for a moment, and just as she was about to get up, noises came from outside.

He entered, bags in both hands, apparently having gone out for food. “Awake?”

“Hungry?” Song Mi’s gaze landed on his right hand. The wound had been treated and bandaged. The spot injured during his fierce beating of Huang Weiguo had only just fully healed, but now it was bloodied again. She’d seen it when he carried her into the bathtub—he’d smashed the mirror.

—He’s really punishing himself!

Wen Yanli placed the bags on the coffee table by the floor-to-ceiling window, took out a medicine box, and went out for half a glass of filtered water. When he sat by the bed with water and pills, the woman didn’t speak a word.

He knew she was waiting for him to explain—waiting to hear how he’d hurt his hand.

Leaning against the headboard, her brows lowered, lost in thought. Even though it was hard to say, he opened his mouth, “Mi’er, take this first.”

“It’s my fault!”

He lacked experience, but basic common sense told him that taking too much of this medicine was ultimately bad for the body. This incident was a man-made accident.

Finding out who was behind it would come later. Right now, the most important thing was to ensure there was no next “accident.” Nothing else mattered—her body could not endure another moment of torment!

He would never allow such a thing to happen again!

As soon as he sat down, Song Mi understood. It was a very real issue.

She agreed with taking the medicine. But she couldn’t bear to see him like this—he wasn’t forcing her at gunpoint; she had chosen it herself. Besides, she had enjoyed it!

The mirror was smashed, his hand injured, he’d already gone out and back—yet he still looked as if he might strangle himself at any moment.

Song Mi disliked him in this state, and even more disliked being affected by it, feeling pain for him.

Their relationship was supposed to be built on pleasure, yet now it was growing ever more complicated! Not only him, but herself as well.

Earlier, at the door of Room 1688, the reason she’d been so ruthless with that woman named Wang Lisha was precisely because concern breeds chaos.

She couldn’t stand that woman approaching him, and even less could she tolerate their attempt to ruin him with such despicable means!

Drug him, force the issue, then falsely accuse him of rape!

Though she’d stopped herself in time, she knew very well that given her level of anger, she could easily have snapped that woman’s neck right then!

If one were to count, she too could be accused of violent assault.

After all, the marks on Wang Lisha’s neck would certainly be convincing if examined.

Thinking of this, Song Mi suddenly realized something and frowned.

Seeing her unresponsive, the man waited a while before handing her the glass, “Mi’er?”

Then he explained why he smashed the mirror, “I was upset with myself for disregarding the injury on your back!”

Hearing this, Song Mi finally looked up at him.

His voice was low, as if confessing, “It won’t happen again.”

Her heart softened instantly, but she controlled herself and took the pills he’d prepared, her lips curling, “No need to blame yourself—I enjoyed it too!”

She laughed, “Let’s call it… a new game.”

“Though Lawyer Wen’s skills hardly need any help, it was certainly more exciting!”

With that, she placed the pill in her mouth, seemingly oblivious to his gaze, took the glass from him, and drank.

Wen Yanli’s brow furrowed, his gaze fixed tightly on her. It was the same face, but something had changed.

From the moment she spoke, something had shifted!

But it was not unfamiliar.

This playfulness, frivolity, and teasing—he’d seen it in her many times before.

For instance, after the car accident in the capital, when she lay on the gurney and asked if he was interested in meeting again.

Or the first time he invited her to dinner and she trapped him against the wall, saying she wouldn’t wrong him when he asked how she wanted to play.

So many times!

Wen Yanli had no doubt—this was her true nature.

But since that night in the capital, after he remarked “you’re afraid,” for more than half a month, he’d almost believed he was succeeding.

He’d managed to break through the first barrier in her mind!

Yet, in just a few words, everything had returned to the beginning?

Wen Yanli didn’t know what went wrong, but he clearly sensed her change.

And for the moment, he had no idea how to turn it around.

Song Mi could certainly sense the subtle shift in his expression, especially since she was the cause of the problem.

But she wasn’t ready to make any decisions, and more importantly, now was not the right time to discuss it.

So she acted as if nothing had happened, tilting her head toward the bags on the coffee table, “What delicious things did Lawyer Wen buy? I’m famished!”

Hearing this, Wen Yanli quickly came back to himself and stood up, “Alright, I’ll bring the food to the table outside.”

Song Mi was indeed hungry.

The man probably was too.

Besides, after all that exertion, their energy was spent.

The two of them shared a particularly similar habit while eating—they focused solely on the meal and didn’t talk much.

So for a long while, the room was silent.

But they couldn’t finish the meal peacefully. The man’s phone, placed on the table, suddenly vibrated.

Just as before in her apartment, when they were about to eat takeout together—the reason was the same.

His mother’s health had taken a turn.

The difference was, last time his mother was in Jinzhou, but now she was far away in the capital.

After he hung up, Song Mi said, “It’s still early, there should be flights left.”

Wen Yanli had already pulled up the ticket app, checking for flights. “Eat a bit more. Once you’re done, I’ll take you back to your apartment first.”

Song Mi didn’t hesitate, “Ye Zhao can take me. You make sure to leave time to get to the airport from here and book the earliest flight.”

After a moment, the man replied, “Alright.”

He didn’t even look up.

Song Mi watched him for a while, and before he looked at her, she stood. “I’ve finished eating, I’ll go lie down for a while.”

...

By the time she returned to her apartment, it was late.

After washing up, Song Mi went to her bedroom and lay down on her side.

Her back hurt, which kept her from tossing and turning.

But she didn’t sleep.

She waited until the man messaged her that he’d landed, then switched off her phone, slowly turned over, and gradually drifted into sleep.

The next day, she went to work as usual.

Near noon, she received a call from Qiao Weiwei, who happened to be nearby and asked if she was free to have lunch together.

Song Mi didn’t refuse.

Since the four of them had dinner together in her hotel room in the capital over half a month ago, she and Qiao Weiwei hadn’t met once.

Though they’d talked on the phone several times.

She occasionally replied to messages.

As for what happened between her and Pei Qiuyang after drinking, Song Mi hadn’t deliberately asked—Qiao Weiwei had brought it up a few times, stammering.

Song Mi had never been curious about others’ privacy. If someone spoke, she listened. If not, she wouldn’t ask.

Speaking of which, Pei Qiuyang had visited her apartment a week ago. Aside from some initial awkwardness, he seemed no different from before.

But Pei Qiuyang was more incredulous about Wen Yanli cooking himself than he was about witnessing their cohabitation.

Most men are like this—their hearts think one thing, their actions reflect another.

Like Pei Qiuyang, always saying he wanted to pursue her, yet turned around and had drunken sex with another woman.

He truly wanted to pursue her, and he truly slept with Qiao Weiwei.

Song Mi wasn’t interested in analyzing Pei Qiuyang’s psychological patterns; she simply wondered what kind of behavioral logic a man like Wen Yanli followed at heart.

If he gave his heart and was played and trampled upon, what would he do?

Would someone so calm and self-contained heal from heartbreak faster, or find it harder to recover?

She hadn’t figured it out yet when the car stopped smoothly, and Ye Zhao reminded her, “Miss Song, we’re here.”

Song Mi glanced through the window at the sign for Tianxiang Restaurant. “You and A Zhe haven’t seen each other in a while.”

“I had Uncle Zhang notify him that you’d be coming too.”

Ye Zhao smiled for once. “Alright.”

...

After sitting down, Song Mi chatted with Uncle Zhang and decided to sample some of the new dishes for next month’s menu. Qiao Weiwei arrived soon after.

She was loud and careless and didn’t notice Song Mi knew Uncle Zhang.

Song Mi had no intention of introducing them, and Uncle Zhang soon left.

Since they were tasting new dishes, Song Mi asked Qiao Weiwei for her opinion.

Qiao Weiwei was very generous, not only praising the taste but also cleaning her plate to prove it.

Song Mi couldn’t find anything needing improvement and, with Qiao Weiwei present, simply texted Uncle Zhang, “Passable.”

After eating and drinking, Qiao Weiwei began to speak with hesitation. “Mi’er, my brother… seems to be in Jinzhou.”

Song Mi glanced at her. “Yes, I saw him yesterday, in my office.”

Qiao Weiwei’s eyes widened. “He actually went to find you?”

Song Mi stayed silent.

“Mi’er, listen, don’t pay him any mind, don’t do me any favors!” Remembering what Qiao Yudong had said and done, Qiao Weiwei grew angrier, her eyes nearly rolling to the ceiling. “Shameless!”

“Do you know what he did to me the night I went home? It was outrageous!”

Song Mi didn’t react, waiting for her to continue.

“He said I was siding with outsiders and called us ‘polyethylene sisters’… Just past Xishan, he kicked me out of the car and made me walk half an hour along the road, eating dust for thirty minutes…”

Qiao Weiwei grew angrier, ready to slap the table, but Song Mi suddenly asked about those words, “Polyethylene? Thermoplastic resin?”

“That’s your focus?” Realizing what Song Mi meant, Qiao Weiwei’s eyes rounded again—her Mi’er’s mind truly worked differently than most. A real boss.

She quickly remembered that she’d been so busy venting about Qiao Yudong that she hadn’t even asked the real question. “What did my brother say to you yesterday?”

“My grandfather’s birthday banquet—will you go?”

Qiao Weiwei clearly had something on her mind.

That night she’d called him an adulterer, accused him of cheating, called him a scumbag, and pushed Qiao Yudong to the edge—until he blurted out, “If you want a divorce, I can do it anytime!”

That really startled her!

Qiao Yudong had been married to her sister-in-law for nine years—whatever their true feelings, even if love was gone, there was still responsibility, and consideration for their elders and family members.

Divorce?

—She’d never even considered it!

Had anyone in the Qiao family ever divorced?

Song Mi was always observant. Seeing the complexity on Qiao Weiwei’s face, she made a few connections.

She wasn’t much interested in other people’s marriages, but since Qiao Yudong was now obsessed with her, even if she wanted to stay out of it, she might not be able to.

“I refused. You can pass along my gift,” Song Mi paused and rephrased what Qiao Yudong had said, “But your brother doesn’t seem ready to give up…”

At that, Qiao Weiwei cut in, “Did he say he can divorce anytime?”

Song Mi’s brows moved and she repeated Qiao Yudong’s exact words from yesterday.

“He really said that!” Qiao Weiwei was thoroughly agitated. “That Qiao Yudong is unbelievable!”

“Mi’er, don’t be fooled by his polished face and slick words. Does he really think he can divorce whenever he wants?”

“Even if we all know he and my sister-in-law do their own thing, as long as they don’t tear their faces, our families…”

—Do their own thing.

So that’s how it is.

But as Qiao Weiwei said, in high society, marriages are bound by deep ties and interests—breaking them isn’t so easy.

Of course, that’s none of Song Mi’s business.

If she cared, it was only about that line from Qiao Yudong: the Wen family’s doors are no easier to enter than the Qiao family’s.

Clearly, he meant that Wen Yanli’s “Wen” was not ordinary.

She had a general idea about the Wen family in the capital—she’d once wondered if Wen Yanli was related.

But she’d concluded that this Wen wasn’t that Wen, since all the Wen family’s children had a “Yan” character in their names.

Yesterday, after Qiao Yudong’s remark, she thought again—“Yan” and “Yan,” the pronunciation is the same.

Add to that Wen Yanli correcting Ye Zhao that his mother wasn’t “Mrs. Wen.”

It all seemed to fit.

But she didn’t need details to confirm it; with Qiao Yudong’s status and ability as the future heir of the Qiao family, he wouldn’t fail to uncover the background of someone he wanted to investigate.

So, Lawyer Wen was no ordinary man.

Across from her, Qiao Weiwei, having spoken herself hoarse, paused for tea. Seeing Song Mi distracted, she quickly asked, “Mi’er, what are you thinking?”

Her gaze flickered, and Song Mi returned to herself instantly. “Nothing—just work.”

As if to prove it, her phone rang right after—Assistant Lin.

“Chairwoman, there’s a situation.” Even so, Lin’s tone was as steady as ever. “It’s about Third Young Master Shen and Mrs. Shen.”

Song Mi instinctively frowned. “Details?”

“A scandal. I’ll send you the link now.”

Within half a minute, Song Mi had read through an article on a gossip site about Shen Yanye and Tang Lishi’s illicit relationship.

Her eyes lingered on the view count—already over thirty thousand.

She exited, refreshed, and watched as the number climbed rapidly.

Just then, Qiao Weiwei exclaimed, “Whoa, that’s explosive!”

Seeing Song Mi on the phone, Qiao Weiwei picked up her own and scrolled—a notification popped up, and whether she clicked it or not, the content soon appeared. “Is this real? Are all wealthy families this messy?”

“Wow, she’s basically a stepmother now…” Remembering the Shen family was Song Mi’s family, Qiao Weiwei quickly held her tongue. “Uh…Mi’er, I just saw a scandal…”

Song Mi already knew what she meant. “I’ve seen it.”

As she spoke, her outgoing call connected. “Have PR intercept everything. Notify the cyber police.”

With this level of clicks, someone had definitely spent big money to stir things up!

No more than a handful of people knew about Shen Yanye and Tang Lishi’s relationship. Who exposed it or tried to frame her was secondary.

The most urgent issue was tomorrow’s groundbreaking ceremony for the West Suburb Old City renovation project.

Whoever was stirring trouble had chosen this exact moment—clearly deliberate!

Although Shen Yanye and Tang Lishi held only honorary board positions at Sihai Group, in Jinzhou everyone knew Third Young Master Shen and Little Mrs. Shen—their names were tied to Sihai Group.

Today, anyone who saw this scandal would think of Sihai Group countless times.

Infamy spreads, public opinion surges, and if everyone denounces these two, what will the authorities think?

A major civic project, under public scrutiny, closely linked to two depraved figures—creating negative buzz for the leadership would be all too easy!

They might even be replaced at the last minute!

She had to find a way to turn the tide immediately!

But just as she finished instructing Assistant Lin to convene a meeting with the relevant departments and hung up, her phone rang again.