The moment the call connected.
Wen Ruan had not yet reacted. She held the phone and carefully called out, "Qinghan?"
"Hmm."
Perhaps due to not sleeping well, the man's voice sounded a bit weary, "Why did you call in such a hurry? What happened?"
Wen Ruan opened her mouth. She had a lot to say to Lin Qinghan, and she even wanted to ask him if he had really agreed to let Su Lanlan come to their house for a few days at the request of his aunt. But when she heard his slightly tired, hoarse voice, her eyes immediately became red.
Interrogation turned into concern.
Softly, she asked with concern, "Did you sleep well? Your throat sounds hoarse. Is the project in France not going well?"
It's not going very well.
However, Lin Qinghan didn't intend to tell Wen Ruan about work matters that she didn't need to worry about. "It's fine."
He said casually and then asked, "Did you call just for this?"
It had been a long time since Wen Ruan had seen him, and an even longer time since she had heard his voice. She had wanted to talk to him a bit more, but sensing his tone, she knew he probably had other matters to attend to. So she could only make it short and advise him to take care of himself.
In the end.
Wen Ruan pursed her dry, red lips. With one hand holding the phone and the other holding a cushion, her fingers gripping tightly, she said, "Qinghan."
She called to him.
Her voice was soft and uncertain, "Aunt said you agreed to let Su Lanlan come to our house for a few days. Is that true?"
"Su Xu's sister?" The voice on the other end of the phone seemed to ponder for a moment, then spoke dispassionately, "Since it's Aunt's request, if she wants to come, she can. I'm busy, I'll hang up."
Wen Ruan hastily said, "Qinghan"
But the sound of the call being disconnected came from the other end of the phone.
Listening to the "beep beep" sound, Wen Ruan lowered her head. The darkened screen of her phone reflected her delicate yet pale face and her slightly red eyes
At this time, at the Raphael Hotel in France.
On the top floor, a man in a high-end black suit stood facing the floor-to-ceiling window. It was afternoon, and the sun outside shone through the glass onto his body. His features were not clear, but he seemed tall, around 188 cm.
"Boss."
Li Ze pushed the door open and looked at the man, speaking softly, "The director of Dauda Group has arrived."
"Hmm."
The man pinched his tired forehead, his voice deep as he put away his phone and turned around.
No longer in the backlight, his figure became clearer. He wore impeccably tailored pants, a white shirt with elaborate cufflinks, and a neatly done tie.
He had phoenix-like eyes, black and sharply defined eyebrows, and a handsome, yet distant and reserved temperament, making him hard to approach.
He walked over.
He handed the phone to Li Ze.
Li Ze took the phone and thought about how the man had paused the meeting that had been going on for a day and a night, just to answer the call.
He asked softly, "Is there an urgent matter, madam?"
Thinking of the warm and gentle questions just now, Lin Qinghan lightly opened his thin lips, "No." After a few more steps, he asked, "What's the matter with Su Xu's sister?"
"Ah?"
Li Ze was taken aback, thought it over, and replied, "Miss Su encountered some private fans a while ago. The Su family has been abroad recently and is worried about her living alone outside, so she plans to let her stay at home for a few days until she finds a suitable place to move."
"Madam personally called, I mentioned it to you."
Did she?
Lin Qinghan couldn't remember.
He hadn't slept much in the past few nights due to this contract, and his phone was with Li Ze. If it wasn't for the warm and gentle calls just now, he wouldn't have come out to pick up.
He didn't pay much attention to this matter.
He gave a faint "oh," and didn't say anything more.
***
Warm and gentle married Lin Qinghan right after graduating from college.
At that time, Mr. Lin was seriously ill, and Lin Qinghan was only 23 years old. With such a large business in the Lin family, it wasn't easy for him to take over. Warm and gentle didn't understand the business world, but she knew how to take care of Lin Qinghan.
So, she gave up the opportunity to go abroad for further studies and stayed in the Lin family to take care of Lin Qinghan, accompanying him through the most difficult times.
Three years passed.
Lin Qinghan had become the head of the Lin family.
Those who opposed him in the past either retreated or left, leaving only heroes and trusted aides.
It can be said that now, the entire Lin family listens only to Lin Qinghan. He rightfully became the richest man in the city and was admired by the masses.
Only she.
Three years ago, and three years later.
Lin Qinghan's wife, an unremarkable woman, was admired and envied by the socialites and wealthy women in the city. They felt that she must have burned incense every day in her previous life to be able to marry Lin Qinghan in this life.
But they all forgot that three years ago when Lin Qinghan first took over the Lin family, a group of shareholders had their eyes on him, none of them having high hopes for this new person of power in the Lin family, believing that he was destined to lose.
They also forgot.
Initially, at A University, she entered with the top grades, and was also awarded a place at the Paris High School of Fine Arts. If she had not married Lin Qinghan, she would probably have already graduated from the leading art academy and become a good designer.
The characters in the painting were vivid and lifelike.
Warm and gentle sat by the French window, looking at the man in the painting, a smile on her face.
But she had no regrets.
Marrying Lin Qinghan was the happiest thing in her life.
There was a knocking on the door from outside, "Madam, Miss Su is here."
The smile on warm and gentle's face stiffened, she bit her lip, did not say anything, and only after a long time lightly said, "Okay, I'll be down in a while." After hearing the footsteps outside moving away, she looked at the portrait for quite a while before putting down the brush and walking out.
It was very lively downstairs.
Mrs. Lin Xiue was obviously very happy today. Her laughter could be heard from the second floor, "I've been wanting you to come and keep me company at home for a long time, but you've been busy. Your mother specifically asked me to take good care of you. Treat this place as your own home and don't be shy."
Following that was a melodious and pleasant female voice.
"With Mrs. Lin here, how could I be shy?" Su Lanlan sweetly said, "Last time, when it was your birthday, I happened to be unable to leave the drama set, so this is the gift I prepared for you. Do you like it?"
"Oh, you. You've come, and you've brought a gift as well?"
Mrs. Lin Xiue chided with a smile, but she was still very pleased as she opened the jewelry box. When she saw the jewelry inside, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Is this a Q&K earring?"
Warm and gentle's footsteps paused when she heard the name.
Su Lanlan continued, "Yes, I had my brother specially bring it from France. But unfortunately, I couldn't get the matching brooch and necklace from the same series. Otherwise, I could have given you a whole set."
Mrs. Lin Xiue hurriedly said, "Just this pair of earrings was already difficult to get."
She wasn't wrong in saying that.
Q&K had just risen to fame in recent years because of its unique design style and the slogan "each piece of jewelry is unique," which was greatly sought after by wealthy women both domestically and abroad. Nearly every new release would be snatched up.
Mrs. Lin Xiue had set her eyes on this pair of earrings long ago, but she was never able to get them.
She never expected someone to give them to her today.
She couldn't fully enjoy the smile on her face, carefully putting on the earrings, and then turned to Su Lanlan, asking, "How does it look? Nice?"
"It looks good."
Su Lanlan sweetly said. In addition, with the intention of pleasing Mrs. Lin Xiue, she wouldn't stingily praise, "You have fair skin, and these earrings complement your complexion even more. If we go out together, it's likely that people will think we are sisters."
"You."
Mrs. Lin Xiue playfully scolded, but her smile faded and her attitude became much colder when she saw Warm and gentle walking down from the second floor, "We have guests at home. Why did it take you so long to come down?"
Su Lanlan immediately stood up when she saw her coming down, walked over with a smile, held her hand, and said, "Sister Wen has arrived. I just mentioned you to Mrs. Lin, we haven't seen each other for a long time."
After saying that.
She hesitated and said apologetically, "Sorry, Wenjie, I'm afraid I'll be disturbing you and Auntie during this time. I don't know how those fans found out where I live. My brother and mother are abroad."
The girl in front of her had a melon seed face, fair skin, and when she smiled, her eyes curved. She was dressed in a gentle manner, without any of the frivolous airs of the entertainment industry.
There were many women who liked Lin Qinghan. But Wen Ruan really didn't like this "pitiful" Su Lanlan. She discreetly retracted her hand and nodded politely and somewhat distantly, "Miss Su." Then she nodded to Lin Xiue, "Aunt."
Lin Xiue furrowed her brows and ignored her, only addressing Su Lanlan, asking her to come and sit down, and then she turned to Wen Ruan and said, "Is Lanlan's room ready? She's afraid of the cold, so remember to choose a sunny room on the second floor. I'll see."
A sunny room on the second floor would be right next to Lin Qinghan's.
Wen Ruan's face darkened slightly, pursing her lips, and said nothing.
Su Lanlan looked at Wen Ruan's expression and hurriedly took Lin Xiue's hand, anxiously saying, "Aunt Lin, don't worry about it. I can live anywhere; I was already imposing to begin with."
Lin Xiue took Su Lanlan's hand, "I'm asking you a question, why are you so clueless?"
Aunt Li couldn't stand it any longer.
This aunt had taken care of the old man earlier, so she always acted like a proper lady. She had a good temper and didn't argue with her, and she was afraid of causing discord in the family, so she didn't even let the old man know. "Aunt, the lady of the house is the mistress of the family. How can she be expected to clean the guest's room?"
"The room has already been prepared, it's on the third floor, right next to yours. I'll have someone move Miss Su's things up later."
She was an elder in the family.
Even Lin Xiue was somewhat wary of her. Although she was unhappy, she just pursed her lips and didn't say anything more.
Wen Ruan, on the other hand, felt relieved.
After glancing at the two who were no longer paying attention to her, she walked over and smiled at Aunt Li.
Aunt Li looked at her helplessly, took her hand, and only said after they had walked a distance, "Madam, you don't have to be so good-natured all the time. There are things that need to be said to the old man."
Wen Ruan shook her head.
She wasn't good-natured. It's just that the less trouble, the better, especially since Qinghan's company was busy. She didn't want him to be worried about family matters.
Besides, although her aunt wasn't very good to her, she had indeed taken care of Qinghan in the past.
When Qinghan's parents died, his grandfather was busy with work, so it was thanks to her aunt's care that she would endure it if she could.
"I'm going upstairs. If there's anything, call me." Wen Ruan said to Aunt Li and didn't pay attention to the two others in the living room, going straight upstairs.
Back on the second floor.
Wen Ruan finished the unfinished painting.
She didn't expect that it would take almost two hours. She rubbed her slightly stiff neck and was about to take out some new paper to design some new things when she heard footsteps outside.
Wen Ruan frowned, put down the paper, opened the door, and saw Su Lanlan standing outside the door on the second floor, her hand already on the doorknob.
"What are you doing?" Wen Ruan looked at her, her expression not very good.
"Huh?" Su Lanlan didn't expect her to come out, was a bit surprised, but quickly smiled, "Aunt Lin asked me to wander around, did I disturb you?"
"Aunt Li didn't tell you that the second floor is where Qinghan and I stay?" She walked over, grasped Su Lanlan's hand, and gently shook it off, "Even if you don't know, you should be aware that there are places you shouldn't trespass."
This is Qinghan's study.
The servants usually don't dare to go in, but Su Lanlan didn't care.
"I..." Su Lanlan's face turned red, feeling wronged, "I'm sorry, Wenjie, I didn't mean to."
After all, she was a guest and was brought by her aunt. Wen Ruan took a deep breath, not wanting to argue with her, casually instructing her, and was about to go back to her room. But for some reason, Su Lanlan suddenly grabbed her arm and choked, "Wenjie, I really know I was wrong, please don't be angry."
"What are you doing?" Wen Ruan didn't like being touched by unfamiliar people and frowned, gently shaking off her hand.
Then she saw Su Lanlan falling down the stairs in a strange posture, accompanied by a scream and a very faint "Mr. is back."
The rest of the people were somewhat surprised to see Lin Qinghan return and they all bowed their heads respectfully, calling out, "Master."
Only Lin Xiue squatted beside Su Lanlan, anxiously saying, "Qinghan, come quickly, Lanlan seems unable to move, could something be wrong?" She was genuinely worried, as Su Lanlan was from the Su family, and her mother had entrusted her with her care.
It had only been the first day and things had turned out like this.
If something had really happened, how would she explain it to the Su family?
Seeing Su Lanlan in this state, Lin Qinghan frowned and didn't say anything. He walked over, squatted by her side, and glanced at her. It seemed that she had twisted her neck when she fell and couldn't get up.
He casually instructed, "Call an ambulance."
"Okay."
Aunt Li was about to make the call.
Su Lanlan spoke up, grabbing Lin Qinghan's arm and with teary eyes said, "Qinghan, don't call an ambulance, if people find out that I left your house in an ambulance, it will definitely trend online."
Lin Xiue interjected anxiously, "But you can't not go to the hospital either. How did you fall down the stairs out of nowhere?"
"Um."
Su Lanlan hesitated for a moment and answered softly, "It was my own carelessness, it has nothing to do with Wen Jiejie."
Her words seemed ambiguous, but anyone could tell they were not the whole truth. Everyone looked up to the second floor and indeed saw a pale-faced woman standing at the top of the stairs, holding onto the wall and looking downstairs.
Following Su Lanlan's words, Lin Qinghan also glanced up to the second floor. Seeing Wen Ruan's pale complexion, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, and his thin lips pursed.
"Ouch."
At the timely cry of pain from Su Lanlan, she clutched his arm and choked, "Qinghan, it hurts so much, am I going to die?"
The sweet and gentle voice of the woman pulled Lin Qinghan's thoughts back. There seemed to be no change in his expression, he only glanced at the arm she was holding, and the slight frown on his face deepened.
He never liked physical contact with others.
However, it wouldn't be appropriate to push her away at this moment, so he instructed, "Bring the car over, and call Doctor Wang."
After speaking, he picked her up and walked out.
Looking at the man leaving, Wen Ruan finally regained her composure, stumbled down the stairs, but was intercepted by Lin Xiue before catching up with Lin Qinghan's steps.
"You!" Lin Xiue grabbed her arm, her face cold, glaring at her, "You better pray that Lanlan is okay. If anything happens to her, see if I spare the Su family and you!"
When Wen Ruan broke free from her grasp and ran out, the car had already left.
There were still plenty of cars in the garage, but she
"Madam." Aunt Li came out with a woolen shawl, draped it over her and gently advised, "You should go in first. This matter is being handled by the Master, surely nothing will happen."
"I didn't"
Wen Ruan gazed into the distance, murmuring, "I didn't push her." Turning back, she looked at Aunt Li and grabbed her hand, anxiously said, "I really didn't push her."
Even though Aunt Li had always been by her side, her eyes were evasive, and she softly reassured, "Madam, everything will be fine."
She didn't believe her.
Looking at the other maids in the house, each one of them were watching her, but upon noticing her gaze, they would quickly lower their heads.
None of them believed her.
Yes.
Su Lanlan had been fine, how could she have fallen from the second floor? She was a popular female star, who usually took great care of her body and face. Could it be possible that she had fallen by herself?
But Wen Ruan dared to guarantee that when she had pushed Su Lanlan, the force had been very light, not enough to make her fall down the stairs.
***
Twenty minutes later.
Lin Qinghan's car entered the VIP lane of Jinlan Hospital and went directly to the 23rd floor via the VIP elevator.
The medical staff were already there and as soon as they saw him carrying Su Lanlan, they came forward and helped her onto a surgery stretcher.
Li was also waiting nearby.
Upon seeing Lin Qinghan, she nodded her head and called out, "boss."
"Hmm."
Lin Qinghan responded, and just as he was about to instruct someone to stay at the hospital to take care of Su Lanlan, she suddenly grasped his arm, pitifully saying, "Qinghan, can you not leave, I am scared to be alone."
"Mom and Dad are not here, I, I'm scared."
Lin Qinghan pursed his lips, looked at her for a while before nodding.
As if relieved of a burden, Su Lanlan's tearful face blossomed into a bright smile when he finally nodded, and she let go of his hand contentedly.
After she left.
Lin Qinghan glanced at the medical staff in the corridor, and furrowed his brow.
He was born with good looks, even better looking than the top stars in the entertainment industry, but he had a bad temper. His menacing gaze was like a sharp knife, striking at those around him.
The group of blushing girls from earlier all lowered their heads, their faces turning pale.
Lin Qinghan walked towards the bench, taking off his coat and throwing it to Li Ze, instructing him lightly, "Throw it back later."
Knowing his boss's habits, Li Ze didn't say much and followed behind him, saying, "Madam just called me. She said she couldn't reach you."
Lin Qinghan paused, took out his phone and glanced at it, realizing that it was probably switched off due to low battery.
Li Ze asked him, "Do you want to call Madam?"
"You can tell her," Lin Qinghan said just that and leaned against the bench, closing his eyes to rest.
***
After returning to her room, Wen Ruan held her phone tightly. When she saw Li Ze's call, she quickly answered, "Li Ze, how is it?"
On the other end of the phone, Li Ze briefly mentioned some things. Wen Ruan relaxed a bit and thought of Lin Qinghan. She tightened her grip on the phone again, hesitated, and said, "Qinghan..."
Li Ze answered softly, "Miss Su's handwriting isn't finished yet; the boss is still in the hospital."
Qinghan is still in the hospital?
Wen Ruan was somewhat stunned; she remembered that Qinghan hated being in the hospital.
"Madam?" Li Ze hadn't heard her voice for a while and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"
"It's nothing." Wen Ruan took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said, "Please take care of Qinghan. If anything comes up, you can contact me."
"Alright."
The call ended, but the matter was far from over.
In a well-known socialite WeChat group, a photo suddenly appeared - Lin Qinghan holding onto Su Lanlan at the Jinlan Hospital. The angle of the photo was quite skew, indicating it was taken without their knowledge, but their faces were clear.
[What the heck, what's going on? I'm so scared my manicure is ruined.]
"No way, does this mean Lin Qinghan and Su Lanlan really have a thing? I thought those rumors were all made up!"
[If I could have a thing with Lin Qinghan, I'd be willing.]
"Wake up, sisters. He's married, even though Wen Ruan is not that great, but isn't it too much for Su Lanlan to chase after him like this?"
The group was in an uproar, but eventually, it all ended up in the hands of Ji Xi, who said, "[Ji Xi: Who are you saying is not great?]"
Knowing Ji Xi's relationship with Wen Ruan, no one else spoke. Even in the realm of socialites, there were different levels, and Ji Xi belonged to the elite. If it weren't for the financial ruin of Wen Ruan's family, she would have been among those who were revered.
Unfortunately, the defeated phoenix settled for a life as a poultry.
Seeing the quiet WeChat interface, Ji Xi was so angry that she didn't want to write anything, and she casually pushed the keyboard, directly sending the photo to Wen Ruan and then dialed her phone.
"Hey, Xiaoxi, what's wrong?" Wen Ruan's voice sounded tired.
"What's wrong? Don't you see the message I sent you on WeChat? What's going on with Lin Qinghan and Su Lanlan being together?" Ji Xi was straightforward, her anger evident from her words, "If that bastard Lin Qinghan really betrays you, I'll come to your house and chop him up!"
A photo?
Wen Ruan was at a loss. She removed her hand from her eyelids, opened WeChat and looked at it. Even though she had seen Qinghan leave with Su Lanlan just now, when she saw the photo, her face still turned pale.
The two people in the photo, the man was handsome, the woman beautiful.
Su Lanlan was leaning into Lin Qinghan's arms; one had raised eyes, the other lowered, maybe due to the angle, their expressions seemed especially poignant.
"Ruan Ruan?"
Ji Xi called out several times but didn't hear Wen Ruan's voice, and she became anxious, "What's wrong? Don't scare me. I can come over now to keep you company," she said as she got up, casually putting on a piece of clothing and wanting to leave.
"Xiaoxi, no need."
Wen Ruan closed the photo, exited WeChat, and sat up. After talking to the person about today's events, she lowered her head and hesitantly said, "Xiaoxi, I really didn't push her. I don't know how she fell off."
She feared that Ji Xi wouldn't believe her.
But Ji Xi just asked her in return, "Who said you pushed her?"
Thinking about the situation at her home, without waiting for Wen Ruan to speak, Ji Xi scolded again, "That shameless Su Lanlan, after spending some time in the entertainment industry, learned nothing else except to play mind games. You wait, I'll go find her tomorrow and make her speak up about what happened."
"If she dares not to speak, I'll twist her head off and make sure she can't make any more scenes."
With Ji Xi saying this, the clouds on Wen Ruan's face dispersed a bit, and she laughed, "But if Ji Yan finds out, he'll definitely come looking for trouble."
Thinking about her cousin, Ji Xi gritted her teeth, "That brat must be blind to have fallen for such a hypocritical person."
She didn't talk about it anymore.
Ji Xi hesitated for a moment and asked again, "Do you really not want me to come over and keep you company?"
"I really don't need it."
Wen Ruan smiled. The atmosphere at home was intense, and it wasn't suitable for Ji Xi to come over. After speaking for a few more moments, assuring that she would be fine, she hung up the phone.
Lin Qinghan didn't return until midnight.
He stayed at the hospital until the surgery was over and everything was fine, then left directly. There were follow-up matters in France, so he went to the company to handle them before going home.
He didn't wake anyone up.
He went straight to the bedroom on the second floor, thinking that Wensoft should have been asleep. But when she heard the sound of the door opening, the woman lying in bed immediately sat up and in a hoarse voice called out, "You're back."
"You're not asleep yet?"
Lin Qinghan was somewhat surprised. He turned on the night light and looked at Wenrou, "I'm going to take a shower."
After saying that, he picked up the clothes that Wensoft had prepared for him and went into the bathroom.
When he came out, Wensoft was still sitting on the bed. Although she was clearly so tired that she couldn't keep her eyes open, she still managed to look up, smile, and then as before, took the towel he handed her and began to dry his hair.
Lin Qinghan was used to it and didn't say anything.
As Wensoft was drying his hair, she asked, "How is Miss Su?"
These days she hasn't rested much. Lin Qinghan closed his eyes, pinched his brow bone, and casually replied, "Nothing happened."
"I..."
Wensoft's hands didn't stop moving, but her words were hesitant, "I didn't push her. I don't know how she fell." She could allow others to slander and suspect her, but she couldn't let Lin Qinghan misunderstand her.
Lin Qinghan didn't care about this matter and only said indifferently, "This matter has already been resolved."
Today, he took the person to the hospital not only as the host, but also to instruct Su Lanlan. Although he didn't understand the entertainment industry's tactics, he knew the terror of fans.
He was used to resolving matters from the root to prevent unnecessary trouble in the future.
But Lin Qinghan didn't notice that when he finished his sentence, Wensoft's movements stopped, and she looked at his figure with a pale face. After a long time, she muttered, "You don't trust me."
Hearing her emotional tone, Lin Qinghan became somewhat impatient. He had been dealing with business matters for the past few days.
"Wensoft," he released his hand from his brow bone, turned to look at her behind him, his tone somewhat heavy. But seeing her fragile figure under the warm light, he pursed his lips, reached out to stroke her hair, and softened his tone, "I said, this matter has been resolved."
"Okay, your hair is dry. Go to sleep."
He lifted the blanket and lay down on the bed.
Wensoft didn't move. She lowered her head, looked down, and didn't know what she was thinking.
The room was very quiet. Just when Lin Qinghan was trying to cajole her to sleep, Wensoft finally spoke. She looked down at him, her hands clenched into fists.
Three years after marriage.
For the first time, she called his name directly, "Lin Qinghan, let's get a divorce."