"The Eve of Chapter 45" "You can go whenever you want..."

Seemingly surprised by this explanation, the emotions churning in Wen Hong's eyes froze for a moment, and she still hesitated: "Go find me?"

“Yes!” Qiao Yunzheng nodded, stung by his incredulous expression, a pang of pain shooting through her heart. She forced a smile, squinting at him, “I didn’t see you all day, so I came to find you.”

"Is something the matter?" He subconsciously felt that if she took the initiative to contact him, it must be something else, and it couldn't be because of him.

Qiao Yunzheng shifted slightly to face Wen Hong. Even though her heart ached, she pretended to be relaxed: "That's why I wanted to come find you, since I had nothing else to do!"

She cautiously extended her little finger, and froze for a moment because of the somewhat awkward movement.

She hadn't made these affectionate gestures to Wen Hong in a long time.

Back in Luyao Town, whenever he pretended to be angry with a stern face, she would quietly tug at his sleeve, twisting it silently. She didn't even need to admit her mistake or apologize; with just this small gesture, he would obediently surrender within minutes, snuggling up to her and bowing his head in apology.

She had him completely under her thumb, knowing that he couldn't resist her coquettishness.

After only a brief pause, Qiao Yunzheng finally grabbed a corner of Wen Hong's shirt and twisted it gently a few times.

Sure enough, Wen Hong's tense expression showed signs of easing slightly because of this small gesture.

She pressed on, half-jokingly saying to him with a hint of flattery, "You've arranged everything so perfectly. Everyone is so busy, but I have nothing to do. So, I had no choice but to come to Junyu to find you. I just happened to get lost and ended up near the high-speed rail station."

She explained earnestly, "I didn't intend to run away."

Wen Hong looked down at the slender, pale fingertip that was wrapping around her, her Adam's apple bobbing almost imperceptibly. Then, she looked up at her and asked, "What do you want?"

The three questions were all very similar, yet he kept asking them over and over again, as if he needed to repeatedly confirm her answers to find a moment of peace.

Qiao Yunzheng's impression of Wen Hong was that she shouldn't have such a worried and anxious look, her heart felt like it was being crumpled up.

Miss you.

I want to see you.

Almost instinctively, she wanted to blurt out what was on her mind.

But when she realized her own thoughts, she belatedly revealed her timidity.

She blinked, suppressing the stinging in her eyes, before meeting his gaze again: "What's wrong, Lawyer Wen? Does your law firm have a rule prohibiting outsiders from entering?"

She rested her chin on her hand, her gaze following him, her big eyes blinking rapidly, her face clearly showing her "deliberate" intent.

She hadn't been this relaxed and playful in his presence in a long time.

His lips remained pursed, and he said nothing. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card-like object, handing it to him.

"What?" Qiao Yunzheng subconsciously took the card; Wen Hong's photo was printed in the center of the white card.

The photo looks like a candid shot; he's sitting behind his desk, casually glancing at the camera.

His features were exceptionally striking, with a haughty and arrogant edge, as if he were born to stand at the top.

A few rays of sunlight shone softly through the glass curtain wall onto his shoulders, perfectly softening his sharp features.

This is the access card for Wen Hong's office; his name is printed below the photo.

“Junyu’s access card,” Wen Hong said calmly, revealing no other emotion, “leads directly to my office. You can go whenever you want.”

Qiao Yunzheng was taken aback.

She had only made a simple joke, yet she had easily earned his serious trust.

She didn't refuse, and after a long while, her gaze reluctantly left the photo. She put the card into the inner pocket of her handbag, zipped it up, and patted it gently.

"good."

Wen Hong called her assistant to drive her car back, while she and Qiao Yunzheng drove home together.

He remained quiet the whole way, not saying much, but his body was no longer as tense as before. Qiao Yunzheng wasn't sure if she had managed to appease him.

It was already evening when we returned to the villa.

The villa was filled with unfamiliar faces, mostly people who lived quite far away and needed to arrive the night before to attend the wedding.

Qiao Yunzheng didn't recognize most of these people; they were mostly young people around the same age as her.

Everyone tacitly kept quiet about this somewhat strange wedding.

This also includes Qiao Yunzheng.

In her view, Shencheng was like a utopia where she and Wen Hong could temporarily escape the shackles of reality. And the wedding that Wen Hong held with almost obsessive determination was like a concrete manifestation of a kind of obsession in his heart.

This wedding had no elders or relatives, no formalities or social interactions; it was simply a dream woven freely, exclusively for him and her.

Therefore, Qiao Yunzheng was surprised when she saw Wen Miao in the crowd.

She even wondered if Wen Miao had just come to visit them and accidentally stumbled upon the wedding. But Wen Miao's next words shattered her assumptions.

Upon seeing Qiao Yunzheng walk in, Wen Miao was the first to rush towards her.

She buried her face in Qiao Yunzheng's arms, pouting with an extremely aggrieved expression: "Sister-in-law, you're finally back! You must help me get justice."

Qiao Yunzheng chuckled and ruffled her hair, asking patiently, "What's wrong? Who bullied our Miaomiao?"

Wen Miao lifted her face in her arms and pointed angrily at Wen Hong, who was standing half a step behind Qiao Yunzheng: "It's him! He promised to pick me up at the airport, but when I got off the plane, not only was there no sign of him, but he didn't answer his phone either." As she spoke, she even sniffed seriously, "In the dark, I, a young girl, had to lug this big suitcase all by myself and huff and puff as I searched for him. I felt so wronged..."

Wen Hong frowned when he saw her bright new hair color, but ultimately said nothing.

Even when Wen Miao made accusations, he didn't refute them.

Of the three, only Qiao Yunzheng felt a mix of emotions. She had a rough idea of ​​why Wen Hong had stood Wen Miao up.

To everyone's surprise, he notified Wen Miao in advance to attend their wedding.

And she...

Wen Hong didn't say anything. After Wen Miao had vented, she simply asked, "WeChat or bank card?"

Wen Miao straightened her back, displaying considerable backbone: "You think you're so great just because you have a few stinking coins? This time, I absolutely, definitely, certainly, will not, forgive you!"

As if she had anticipated this move, Wen Hong didn't even lift her eyelids, and took out her phone: "Three times."

Wen Miao's initial arrogance vanished instantly. After hesitating for a long time, he finally succumbed to the lure of money.

Shen Qingli and Song Nanchen arrived last, and it was already completely dark when they arrived.

Shen Qingli was one of only two girls Qiao Yunzheng knew among those present, besides Wen Miao, and she was also one of the bridesmaid candidates for tomorrow.

This villa serves as a gathering place for "women," and is mostly inhabited by girls. Wen Hong, however, doesn't seem to care at all. She stands silently beside Qiao Yunzheng, occasionally whispering something to her, without feeling the slightest bit uncomfortable.

Song Nanchen, on the other hand, had only been standing there for a short while when he was swept around by the gazes of the girls coming and going, and he already felt very uncomfortable.

He whispered a few words to Shen Qingli, then walked over and patted Wen Hong on the shoulder: "Old Wen, enough of this clinging, time to go?"

Wen Hong glanced at him sideways, her face full of displeasure.

Song Nanchen: "In some places, it is customary for the man and woman not to meet before marriage, otherwise it is considered unlucky."

Wen Hong scoffed at all this nonsense. Although she looked disgusted, she obediently followed Song Nanchen outside.

The two drove back to their large apartment in the city center. Song Nanchen drove, and Wen Hong sat in the passenger seat.

The car window was half open, and Wen Hong rested his forearm on the window. Smoke rings drifted slowly in the night breeze, and the scarlet light between his fingers quickly spread to the base of his fingers.

Song Nanchen glanced at him sideways: "What's wrong? You're getting married soon, and you seem unhappy? Do you have some kind of pre-wedding jitters?"

Wen Hong stubbed out the nearly burnt-out cigarette in the ashtray on the center console, took out a lighter, lit a new one, took a puff, and after a long while, said softly, "I don't know if this is right or wrong."

Others might not understand, but Song Nanchen naturally knew what he meant: "When it comes to matters of the heart, there's no right or wrong."

Wen Hong shook his head and turned to look at Song Nanchen: "Sometimes I really envy you. Once you've made up your mind, even if it's like searching for a needle in a haystack, even if it's a long and uncertain process, you can still search and wait day after day."

When the topic suddenly turned to himself, Song Nanchen wasn't annoyed. He even smiled with relief: "You're not bad either. Otherwise, why would you have taken a liking to me at first glance and been willing to spend a lot of money to poach me from Junyu when I hadn't achieved much back then? In the end, we're the same kind of people."

Wen Hong recalled his first encounter with Song Nanchen, a man who was taciturn and somewhat mature and composed—the kind of personality he disliked the most. However, this man's abilities were truly outstanding, so he decided to have a talk with him.

At the time, four or five law firms were trying to poach Song Nanchen.

He asked Song Nanchen how much he was asking for, but to his surprise, Song Nanchen replied, "How large is Junyu's business nationwide?"

Wen Hong thought he was an ambitious man who was keeping a low profile, but unexpectedly, he said next, "I want to go to as many places as possible to find someone."

Later, Wen Hong realized that he couldn't even remember the person's name and appearance clearly, yet he had gone to look for them so recklessly.

“Who the hell cares about you?” Wen Hong laughed and cursed. “I only helped you out of pity because I felt sorry for you.”

Recalling their somewhat foolish behavior back then, the two looked at each other and suddenly laughed.

The night was deep and dark. Two rows of streetlights stretched out along the roadside, like an endless road for one person. No one could be sure whether what awaited them ahead was the long-awaited light or an even deeper darkness.

Wen Hong's gaze was fixed on the end of the road, and he murmured softly, "Old Song, do you think someone who has made a mistake can be forgiven?"

Song Nanchen thought for a moment and said, "To know one's mistakes and correct them is the greatest virtue. That's what the ancients said, so it's generally true."

Wen Hong sighed.

Is it possible?

My mother made a fatal mistake by choosing Wen Jinliang. She paid the price with her entire family and her own life, but she never had the chance to correct her mistake.

And what about him?

Author's Note: Subsidy Announcement:

Thank you to "71741935" for the landmine! Thank you to "Sunshine" for the nutrient solution!

Bow~

Mwah~