It was 3:00 PM when Wen Haowen rushed back to the Wen Family.
Ning Shuqian stood before the shelves of roses in the backyard. The pure-white petals of the roses were patterned with blood-red strands-beautiful, elegant, dignified, and alluring-just like the current Ning Shuqian, whose gentle, pretty face carried a red palm print, looking like a rose in full bloom in its most gorgeous colors.
Upon seeing him, her eyes filled up with misery, her eyelashes trembled tragically, and her slender waist which she strained to straighten was frail and weak-like a quivering flower petal resting on a branch which may fall with the slightest wind, needing help to support her. "Hao... Haowen..."
Tears fell before she could speak! The silent tears spoke of her suffering!
Wen Haowen stood motionless and speechless as he looked at her teary eyes as if they could speak, and her grievance was transmitted to his heart bit by bit. Feeling the warmth in his heart, he rushed over and helped her up. "What happened-who caused the injury on your face?"
Ning Shuqian leaned on his chest gently without a word as her tears fell silently.
Rolling drops of tears landed on her red skirt and left deep red marks, as though the drops of fresh blood blossomed into enchanting flowers on the skirt, and extended systematically downwards like squashed flowers.
Wen Haowen's heart immediately softened. "Shuqian, what happened? I've been in a meeting the whole afternoon and couldn't take your call. But my assistant said you sounded urgent, so I've rushed back right after the meeting."
As Ning Shuqian heard his words, she became worked up and said with a sobbing and pitiful voice, "Haowen, the Old Man received Xinya back to the Wen Family today."
Wen Haowen was stunned speechless-indeed, the Old Man had meant it when he said yesterday that he would receive Wen Xinya back today-he actually received her back, as if he couldn't wait any longer.
Wen Haowen recalled his argument with the Old Man last night, which ended with him receiving a tight slap from the Old Man, and felt increasingly loathful towards Wen Xinya. His anger shot up from his heart to his throat instantly-he held Ning Shuqian's hand and said angrily, "Did she do anything to you? Did she cause the injury on your face?"
Ning Shuqian shook her head pitifully and sadly. "It wasn't her!"
Wen Haowen's brows furrowed deeply. His heart made as soft as mud with Ning Shuqian's fragility, and with her leading him on as such, he felt extremely unsettled and anxious, wanting to know the truth. "Not her, then who hit you-you're Madam Wen of the Wen Family, who dare to lay a finger on you?"
With Wen Haowen's words, tears gushed out of Ning Shuqian's eyes again. Her blouse and skirt were filled with dark and light red patches, like fallen fresh blood, speaking volumes of her fragility and misery. "It was me-I hit myself."
Wen Haowen was shocked. "What's the matter-why did you hit yourself?"
Wen Haowen's suspicion had already turned to Wen Xinya-the foreplay was complete. Ning Shuqian said, sobbing, "This morning, Yuya and I went to the hospital to take care of some injuries. When we returned to the Wen Family, Father and Wen Xinya sat talking in the living room, and upon seeing us, Father angrily gave Yuya a tight slap. Then, he instructed Old Yu to go to the local police station to strike Yuya's off the family account. He wants to drive Yuya out of the Wen Family and send her abroad."
As she completed recounting, Ning Shuqian was already choking with tears.
Wen Haowen first thought about his own violence towards Ning Shuqian the previous day and felt guilty. Then, when he heard that the Old Man had actually hit Yuya, drove her out of the Wen Family, and wanted to send her abroad, he was furious. "What-Father actually wants to drive Yuya out of the Wen Family, and even wants to send her abroad?"
Wen Haowen stared in disbelief, his sudden raised voice escalated his rage to its limit, almost to the point of eruption!
A look of accomplishment and viciousness flashed past Ning Shuqian's teary, depressed eyes, and her voice got even more pathetic. "Yes, I've been trying to reach you today because of this!"
The swelling on his face, given by the Old Man the previous night, had already gone down and only felt faintly numb and painful in the morning. However, Wen Haowen now felt his face burning painfully-he had made the decision to adopt Yuya as the foster daughter of the Wen Family, and he had been the one who added Yuya's name into the Wen Family's account. Although he didn't treat Yuya as his own, he couldn't let go of their fifteen years of relationship.
Now hearing that the Old Man actually wanted to drive Yuya out of the Wen Family, he felt a blaze of rage burning up with a "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sound. "Wen Xinya must have said something in front of the Old Man, making Father do something like this."
Ning Shuqian cried bitterly, her tears pouring out incessantly as if they would never run out. "Yuya and I knelt on the floor and begged piteously-Yuya even apologized to Xinya with a kowtow and pleaded with her to speak with Father not to drive her out of the Wen Family. In order to obtain Father and Xinya's forgiveness, Yuya knelt on the floor and slapped herself-her tender face was so unbearably badly beaten and swollen, it was agonizing for me to watch! No matter what, I carried Yuya in my womb for ten months and given birth to her-they're simply shaving flesh off my heart!"
Wen Haowen's eyes were ablaze with raging flames, and as he recalled that Father had also slapped him the previous night because of Wen Xinya, his heart crackled like burning oil. "This evil creature, Wen Xinya, stirring up matters right upon her return till there's no peace at home."
Ning Shuqian cried herself hoarse, her eyes as red as walnuts. "I know I didn't come from a good background, didn't give the Wen Family any offspring despite marrying into the family for fifteen years, and instead brought with me a daughter from a previous marriage. But, how can Father be so ruthless and heartless-regardless, Yuya has been in the Wen Family for fifteen years. But now, he's driving her out because of Xinya, and even wants to send her abroad. Yuya's only fifteen years old, yet to be of age-forced to leave her home alone, how can she survive!"
Wen Haowen had already lost his sense of logic, controlled by his hot-headedness and rage, and turned into a slave at the service of his anger. "I'll go ask Father what's all this about-I will never allow Father to drive Yuya out of the family."
As he finished, he turned and stormed towards the living room clad in furious fires, as if he were going to burn everything down.
With a vicious face, Ning Shuqian stood by the shelves of roses-the alluring beauty of the roses in stark contrast to the poison on her face.
Old thing, if you dare drive Yuya out of the Wen Family, I'll turn your son against you and let you have a taste of the enmity between father and son.
Wen Xinya! So what if you have the support of the Old Man, I'll have you going head-to-head with your father-we'll see if, in the eyes of others, you, the Miss Wen who is heartless and ungrateful towards your foster parents and at odds with your birth father, can still maintain your classy and elegant image.