Chapter 19 Unexpected Events "Then, he grabbed the other person's hand and wouldn't let go..."

Qiao Yunzheng clearly remembered that when she went out with Wen Hong, she didn't have this earring in her ear.

Suddenly remembering what he had been fiddling with at the bar, she realized what was going on.

Wen Hong maintained this tilted posture towards her and persistently asked, "Does it look good?"

It wasn't until Qiao Yunzheng softly replied "Beautiful" that his eyes lit up like stars suddenly appearing in the dark night.

That smile was so clean and pure, like unadulterated crystal, untouched by any dust. It was nothing like his usual arrogant and unrestrained demeanor.

Looking at Wen Hong like this, Qiao Yunzheng suddenly understood.

"Wen Hong?"

She stared at his face, not missing a single micro-expression.

"Ah Zheng, what's wrong?" He remained calm and responded promptly, showing no sign of anything amiss.

If it weren't for those eyes giving away a clue, Qiao Yunzheng probably wouldn't have realized that this man was actually drunk.

Otherwise, how could Wen Hong, who hated her so much, speak to her in such a tender tone?

Since their reunion, he has mostly omitted any form of address, at most simply calling her by her full name, "Qiao Yunzheng."

She hadn't heard him call her "A-Zheng" in far too long.

What's remarkable is that Wen Hong, when drunk, is completely different from his usual self. Gone are his eccentric and sharp traits; instead, he becomes exceptionally quiet and gentle.

Qiao Yunzheng couldn't help but reach out and, taking advantage of his bent-over posture, patted the top of his head: "So good."

His hair was fine and soft, with a light shampoo scent, and felt very nice to the touch.

If Wen Hong were sober, Qiao Yunzheng thought she would never dare to do that.

Wen Hong's expression seemed to freeze for a few seconds before she accepted her praise of "so good".

He smiled and casually raised his arm to grasp her hand that was "wantonly" hovering above his head.

Qiao Yunzheng's heart skipped a beat. Even though she knew he was drunk, she still felt guilty for being caught.

She checked again; her eyes were clear, her expression calm, and she was indeed not fully conscious.

Otherwise, why would he so naturally take her hand into his palm?

His large hand gently pulled her hand down and wrapped it in his palm.

His fingertips even unconsciously rubbed her palm twice.

"go home."

In the brief moment that Qiao Yunzheng was distracted, Wen Hong had already led her towards the courtyard.

He walked slowly but steadily beside him.

The dim streetlights of the town cast their side-by-side shadows onto the concrete backdrop.

Like a faded, silent film.

The next day, after sobering up, Wen Hong indeed forgot about what happened the night before.

When he saw the extra thing on his ear in the mirror, he even raised his eyebrows and questioned Qiao Yunzheng, "Where did this thing come from?"

Although he said it as a question, the meaning in his eyes was very clear: Who else could it be but you?

Qiao Yunzheng stared wide-eyed in disbelief, pointing at Wen Hong, then at herself: "You...me?"

Wen Hong shrugged rudely: "What's so hard to admit?"

Qiao Yunzheng gave a series of cold laughs without saying a word.

Sure enough, whenever she changed her opinion of him even slightly, he would always do something to make her impression of him go back to square one.

However, Qiao Yunzheng did not intend to take the blame.

She blinked and began to imitate Wen Hong, spouting nonsense: "It's not that I don't want to admit it, it's just that your behavior was too outrageous..."

Wen Hong: "Hmm?"

Qiao Yunzheng doesn't lie often and can't do it as smoothly as Wen Hong. She uses the act of fixing her hair to slightly distract herself and says slowly, "You got drunk at the bar last night and met a girl."

Wen Hong raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing it.

"Then, he grabbed the other person's hand and wouldn't let go..."

As she spoke, Qiao Yunzheng felt a warmth spreading through her palms, which had been caressed by Wen Hong the day before.

After calming down, he continued, "He was crying and begging for someone else's ear needle."

Wen Hong looked as if she had heard something out of the blue, her face full of disbelief. She gritted her teeth and squeezed out her name: "Qiao, Yun, Zheng..."

Qiao Yunzheng gave him a very understanding smile: "But don't worry, I'll keep this embarrassing thing a secret for you... No need to thank me, it's just that I'm kind-hearted."

As he spoke, he slipped away before Wen Hong could have an attack.

Once she was out of sight, Qiao Yunzheng quietly breathed a sigh of relief, and then inexplicably felt a sense of joy, even her steps became lighter.

Completely unaware that Wen Hong was still standing behind him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Qiao Yunzheng thought that, given Wen Hong's personality, he would probably throw that little thing as far away as possible.

During the meal, she noticed that the earring was still on his ear piercing.

Qiao Yunzheng took the opportunity to steal a few glances while adding dishes.

Wen Hong remained calm, pretending not to have noticed.

My grandmother, who is usually quiet, seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood today.

Her gaze darted between the two of them, then suddenly she beckoned to Qiao Yunzheng with a mysterious look: "Girl, come here..."

This was the first time her grandmother had spoken to Qiao Yunzheng in such an enthusiastic tone since she arrived at the courtyard. She felt a little uncomfortable, but still obediently moved closer.

Then she saw her grandmother warmly wrap her arm around hers, and with her other hand behind Qiao Yunzheng's ear, she asked in a wary voice, "Who is that person?"

Qiao Yunzheng looked in the direction she indicated and then froze.

"He is Wen Hong, Grandma." This was all far beyond her expectations, and she could only offer a dry explanation.

"Ah! His surname is Wen?" Grandma's expression became excited. "No, no! No way!"

Her grandmother suddenly tightened her grip on her arm. Qiao Yunzheng hadn't expected that such dry bones could unleash such power, almost breaking her arm.

She trembled violently, desperately pulling at Qiao Yunzheng: "Nannan! This person is no good. He doesn't look honest at all. Shall we find someone else? We should find someone we know well, otherwise what if you get bullied?"

Qiao Yunzheng sat there stunned, unsure of how to react.

Wen Hong had already put down her chopsticks and sat down opposite them, motionless, just watching quietly.

"Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say, alright?" Qiao Yunzheng didn't know what to do, so she could only try to calm the old woman down, gently patting her back. "I'll do whatever you say, please don't get agitated."

After a long while, Grandma's guilty conscience seemed to calm down a bit.

She stole glances at Wen Hong again and again, and only when she saw that Qiao Yunzheng seemed to really ignore him did her tense nerves relax a little.

She patted Qiao Yunzheng's hand: "My dear girl! Be good, don't make your father and me worry, okay?"

After all that fuss, the old man was quickly exhausted and began to feel sleepy.

At Wen Hong's prompting, the aunt helped her grandmother back to the bedroom.

Qiao Yunzheng stared at the old lady's hunched back, unable to calm down for a long time.

The restaurant, now empty except for the two people, was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Wen Hong sat there like a statue, without sadness or anger, just calmly watching everything, as if it were commonplace for him.

Qiao Yunzheng suddenly felt as if countless thorns were pricking her heart, causing a fine, dense pain.

She spoke with difficulty, "Grandma... how long have you been sick?"

She blamed herself for being careless; she had stayed there for several days without noticing anything unusual.

Wen Hong said calmly, "It's been a few years, hasn't it?"

"Is it...Alzheimer's disease?" Qiao Yunzheng had heard that this disease had a high incidence rate among the elderly, and her grandmother's symptoms matched those of Alzheimer's.

Wen Hong softly hummed in agreement: "I'm getting old, there's nothing I can do about it."

Seeing Qiao Yunzheng's surprise, he continued, "Just now, she mistook you for my mother."

This was the first time Qiao Yunzheng had heard anything about Wen Hong's mother from him.

"You don't know, do you? My mother passed away when I was very young, and the current Mrs. Wen is my stepmother," Wen Hong said.

Qiao Yunzheng had just heard some inside information from Wen Miao, so she wasn't very surprised.

Wen Hong continued, "Grandma probably mistook me for Wen Jinliang and wanted to abduct her precious daughter, which is why she was so agitated. After all, Wen Jinliang and I do look quite alike."

The secrets of wealthy families, the grudges and entanglements within, are even more fascinating than those depicted in movies and TV dramas.

Qiao Yunzheng carefully chose her words and cautiously asked, "Then what about them..."

"It's nothing much, just a story about a top-notch poor guy from a poor background and a rich girl with a love-struck brain!"

Wen Hong was unwilling to talk too much about their past, but Qiao Yunzheng had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on: a complete and rather unpleasant tragedy.

Wen Hong gazed in the direction of the bedroom and murmured softly, "Actually, Grandma being like this isn't necessarily a bad thing."

Unlike him, you don't have to be trapped in the grudges of the past, unable to shake them off or break free.

When Grandma woke up again, she had indeed forgotten everything that happened yesterday and had returned to being the dignified and elegant old lady, still gently calling Wen Hong, "My dear."

Perhaps because she had rested well, she seemed to be in exceptionally good spirits today.

She sat under the paulownia tree and chatted with Qiao Yunzheng about everyday things.

She rarely thought of her, gazing at the lush tree, and said, "Guai Guai has always been sharp-tongued and didn't have many playmates. Since his mother and grandfather passed away, I've been the only old woman looking after him... That year, he came back and told me that a strange little girl had moved in next door... During those days, I could see that Guai Guai was genuinely happy..."

Qiao Yunzheng listened quietly. She never imagined that the seemingly glamorous and arrogant young master of the Wen family lived such a life inside.

Grandma stared at Qiao Yunzheng, reaching out to brush a stray hair behind her ear: "Grandma can see that you're a good child with your own mind. My dear, this child has always been stubborn; he'll never back down even if you break his teeth. If he acts up again, you can scold or hit him, but..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qiao Yunzheng unexpectedly understood.

Suddenly, I remembered Wen Miao's words: Don't abandon him.

Author's Note: Ahem, (sound of tapping microphone) Thank you to "Sunshine," "Shangtang Baicai," and "National Mental Hospital" for the nutrient solution they provided! This is what keeps me going every day. Thank you all, mwah!