"When did you bring Auntie Li back, brother?"
Upon seeing Auntie Li, Wen Ran couldn't help but feel a pang of bittersweet emotion. Previously, it was Aunt Zhang from Mo Xiuchen's household who delivered meals to Wen Jin, and now, during her brief business trip, her brother had already asked Auntie Li to return.
Mo Xiuchen hadn't mentioned a word of it to her.
"I only brought her back yesterday," Wen Jin replied gently. "Ranran, though our parents are no longer with us, we still have each other."
His tone was warm and reassuring. Auntie Li had worked in their household for over a decade—he trusted her implicitly.
"Brother, I'm sorry... When everything happened at home, I didn't know what to do..."
"Silly girl, I never blamed you," he interrupted her self-reproach with a smile. "I understood why you sent Auntie Li back to her hometown. Today, I asked her to prepare extra dishes—stay and have dinner with me."
Though Wen Ran had only shared part of the truth with him, Wen Jin had already pieced together much of what had happened while he was unconscious.
Their parents had passed away, the company was mired in crises, debt loomed like a tidal wave threatening collapse, Zhou Mingfu had used the opportunity to press his advantage, and all the while, Wen Jin lay comatose, his treatment requiring a staggering sum…
Wen Ran pushed aside her emotions and smiled brightly. "Alright, I'll eat with you."
Auntie Li beamed, unpacking the meal from its thermal container. "You two take your time. I'll take a little walk and come back shortly."
That night, Mo Xiuchen worked late again. Wen Ran, having barely rested the previous night and waking up early that morning, had already fallen asleep by the time he returned.
After showering, he climbed into bed and pulled her soft, delicate body into his arms. She murmured softly, burrowing closer into his chest, and quickly slipped back into deep sleep.
A tender warmth flickered in Mo Xiuchen's deep eyes. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and closed his eyes, soon drifting into slumber beside her.
The next two days passed in a flurry of meetings and site inspections. He left early and returned late, with little time to spare for Wen Ran.
On Friday afternoon, Wen Ran went to the hospital to deliver some documents to her brother. She brought medicine for Gu Kai as well and stayed to accompany Wen Jin through his rehabilitation. When he asked her to stay for dinner, she declined, saying Mo Xiuchen had invited her out that evening.
"If Xiuchen's invited you, then as your brother, I won't stand in your way," Wen Jin said teasingly. Though he still worried that Mo Xiuchen might hurt her again, he understood—especially after they had only just truly become husband and wife—that she could not walk away from him.
Wen Ran playfully shot him a look. "Brother, I'm off tomorrow. I'll come keep you company all day—and cook dinner for you myself. You'll finally get to taste my cooking."
Wen Jin chuckled and nodded. "Alright, it's a promise. I'm looking forward to your culinary masterpiece."
As Wen Ran left the hospital, her phone suddenly rang.
She pulled it out, and upon seeing the caller ID, her bright eyes softened. Pressing the answer key, her voice floated sweetly from her lips: "Hello?"
"Are you still at the hospital?" came Mo Xiuchen's low, magnetic voice. Earlier that day, he'd told her he wouldn't be working overtime and would take her out to dinner. She had texted him to say she was heading to the hospital.
A smile spread unconsciously across her lips. Her steps lightened. "I just left. Are you off work?"
"I'm still at the construction site. Something happened. I won't be able to join you for dinner tonight. I might be home late—don't wait up, just rest."
"What happened? Are you hurt?" Wen Ran's steps halted abruptly, a crease forming between her brows. She could hear the wail of a distant ambulance through the line. Her heart tightened in alarm.
"Just a minor accident. I wasn't the one injured," Mo Xiuchen replied calmly. He hadn't intended to tell her, but since she'd heard the siren, he couldn't hide it.
"Oh, I'm glad you're alright… Was it one of the workers?" she asked softly, concern lacing her voice as she stood bathed in dusk, fragile and worried. Even if he hadn't been hurt, any accident on site would still bear responsibility.
"No… It was Cheng Jia."
There was a brief silence on the other end before Mo Xiuchen spoke again.
Wen Ran's heart clenched. Her grip on the phone tightened slightly. She didn't know why, but instinct told her Cheng Jia's injury was somehow connected to Mo Xiuchen.
And she hated the uneasy feelings that instinct stirred within her.
She pressed her lips together and asked, "How did she get hurt? Is it serious?"
"It's fairly serious. I'll explain everything when I get home. For now, go home and rest. I'm hanging up."
Whether it was too complicated to explain or simply difficult to speak of, he ended the call under the guise of telling her later.
Staring blankly at the screen, Wen Ran felt a mess of emotions swell within her.
Cheng Jia... seriously injured?
"Ranran? Why are you still here?"
Gu Kai's voice sounded behind her, pulling her from her thoughts. She turned to see him approaching with a group of medical staff.
"I was just about to head home. Are you here to receive a patient?"
"It's Cheng Jia. Xiuchen called earlier—she was injured, and they're bringing her here now," Gu Kai explained with some hesitation.
"Do you know how she got hurt?" Wen Ran's gaze fixed on him, her heart heavy with worry. The fact that he was already waiting here with a team suggested that Cheng Jia's condition was likely quite serious.
Gu Kai's eyes flickered. He gave a vague laugh. "I'm not sure. You'll have to ask Xiuchen yourself. They should be here soon—if you're curious, you could wait and ask him."
His suggestion wasn't purely out of concern for her. He knew the reason for Cheng Jia's injury, and he also knew Mo Xiuchen had secretly investigated the lottery winnings of her father...
Now that Cheng Jia had been ruled out as the lost sister he'd been searching for, Gu Kai, like Mo Xiuchen, instinctively leaned toward Wen Ran.
It was just a feeling—a strange, inexplicable intuition.
Wen Ran considered it and politely declined. "No… I'll go home. I wouldn't be of any help even if I stayed."
Earlier, when Mo Xiuchen asked if she was still at the hospital, she had told him she'd just stepped out. He hadn't asked her to wait. If she stayed now, it might be inconvenient.
With that thought, she offered Gu Kai a faint smile and turned toward the roadside.
The company car that had brought her to the hospital was still waiting. As soon as the driver saw her approaching, he opened the door. Wen Ran stepped inside and softly instructed, "To the Commercial District construction site."