Chapter 22 "I'll be at your house right away"
As Xu Shaoting's secretary and assistant, Lin Youzhe was aware of everything, big and small, both public and private, including Xu Shaoting's plan to find someone to cancel the engagement.
Wen Jia is right. As the eldest son of the Xu family and the successor of the Tianxu Group, power seems to be his birthright. He can make decisions about everything except his own marriage. A man like him has everything since birth, but he loses everything one by one as he grows up, the most important of which is his freedom in matters of the heart.
He needs a partner who is his equal in social standing and power to create a seemingly perfect family and maintain his public image.
This seems to have become a rule that is unspoken but universally accepted among the upper class.
But Xu Shaoting refused.
To outsiders, this is strange. Logically speaking, he should be the kind of man surrounded by beautiful women, yet the spot next to him on his pillow has remained empty until now.
In fact, he wasn't without those who coveted him, those who coveted him, and those who were eyeing him covetously. However, the moment someone reached out, he could see through them and tell whether they wanted his power or his money.
Therefore, he would only glance at those who kept throwing themselves at him, whether actively or passively, and then ruthlessly shut them out.
Xu's mother, Zhao Xinglan, was naturally anxious as well. She arranged for one girl after another, whom she had personally selected, to be sent to his side. They were either young ladies from her circle of wealthy women or socialites.
However, usually within half a day, these young ladies and socialites would return with long faces, complaining:
"He's very generous, but he won't say a single word to me..."
Whenever this happens, Zhao Xinglan can only shake her head helplessly and then seek Xu Bozheng's opinion.
Xu Bozheng was a good father most of the time, handing over the entire Tianxu Group to his son and giving him enough power. However, on the matter of Xu Shaoting's marriage, he wanted to have absolute say.
Whenever the topic of marriage came up, the father and son would either blush or fall silent, each time ending with Xu Shaoting saying, "I know what I'm doing." Xu Bozheng had no choice but to whisper in the ears of those around Xu Shaoting, and Lin Youzhe became the go-between, suffering from this matter for a long time.
Xu Shaoting could naturally understand Lin Youzhe's dilemma, so every time he brought it up, Xu Shaoting would just listen quietly, but remained unmoved.
Everyone knows he has everything, but no one wants to truly love him, not because they don't want to, but because they dare not.
His love was too heavy, so heavy that being loved by him even a little bit made one feel like they would have to sacrifice something.
So when Xu Shaoting mentioned his plan to Lin Youzhe, Lin Youzhe was very understanding. However, he never expected that Xu Shaoting would agree to Wen Jia's unreasonable request.
For a year, you have to give them any resources they want.
Xu Shaoting could certainly afford it. However, Lin Youzhe felt that if someone else had made this request to him, he would have simply smiled at them and casually asked, "Why do you think I should agree?"
Xu Shaoting's quick agreement was already beyond his expectations, but there was something even more unexpected—
How much should we give Miss Wen?
"One hundred million."
Lin Youzhe's foot almost slipped off the accelerator, and he could barely hold the steering wheel. He calmly uttered the word "one hundred million" and handed it over so casually.
Lin Youzhe hesitated, then asked, "Why don't you just tell Miss Wen directly?"
"say what?"
He coughed twice, as if it were a performance, "...tell me your feelings."
Xu Shaoting looked out the window, as if this was the first time he had felt so powerless. "My image in her heart is probably even worse than Zhou Jingcheng's," he said, his brows furrowed. "Besides, now is not the time."
Lin Youzhe opened his mouth as if to say something, but when he glanced in the rearview mirror, he saw that Xu Shaoting had calmly closed his eyes. He was obviously not resting, but thinking about something.
He swallowed his words and remained silent.
However, inside the villa, Yu Kaiqing had no intention of letting Wen Jia off so easily.
She sat down calmly on the single sofa. "Should we tell Sister Zhang about this?"
In fact, not only Xu Shaoting, but Wen Jia also lacks freedom in her relationships to some extent. However, fortunately, she is not an idol who relies on fans' votes for a living. No matter how much she lacks freedom, she ultimately has the right to make her own decisions. Others have the right to know, but they have no right to interfere.
Wen Jia watched the Maybach slowly drive away before turning her gaze away and shaking her head. "Not telling them, and how could we even bring it up? Calling it a contractual relationship? How absurd!"
Yu Kaiqing's eyes lit up. "So, does that mean I'm the only one who knows the truth about this relationship, both now and in the future?"
Wen Jia patted her on the shoulder. "What, are you honored?"
"Of course, if outsiders knew that I knew the truth about the relationship of a top female star, they would also think I was lucky."
With a half-smile, Wen Jia pulled her up from the sofa and pushed her out of the bedroom door. "Alright, I promise I'll only let you know, okay?"
He then coldly closed the bedroom door, shutting Yu Kaiqing out.
-
Wen Jia stayed home for two days, and on the third day, her mother, He Lingyi, came to the villa.
At nine o'clock in the morning, Wen Jia had been exercising on the fitness equipment for almost an hour. He Lingyi was coming, and without notifying anyone, she walked straight across the stone path and opened the fingerprint lock on the villa.
Yu Kaiqing was preparing breakfast for Wen Jia when she heard the noise at the door. She turned around, looked at the door, and exclaimed in surprise, "Auntie!"
He Lingyi dressed up very carefully when she came to see her daughter. She wore a whole set of LV items, her hair was tied up high, and she didn't miss any opportunity to wear jewelry. She piled up a bunch of seasonal accessories from various luxury brands.
She heard Yu Kaiqing greet her, smiled and said "Hey," then asked, "Where's Jiajia?"
Yu Kaiqing pointed in the direction of the small gym. As if on the same wavelength, He Lingyi had just turned her gaze over when Wen Jia walked out in her workout clothes.
She looked up and stared intently, "Mom?!"
"What's wrong? Why are you so surprised? Don't you even recognize your own mother?" He Lingyi's voice was loud, but her tone was gentle.
Wen Jia went over and hugged her. Just then, Yu Kaiqing brought breakfast to the table. Wen Jia pushed He Lingyi to the table and pulled out a chair for her. "What brings you here today?"
"I'm so bored staying at home all day, I came to see you."
Wen Jia chuckled lightly, seeing right through her, "You came because of that trending topic about me, didn't you?"
She had been counting down the days, already anticipating He Lingyi's arrival. The trending topic had only been up for a few days; He Lingyi was definitely even more anxious than she, the person directly involved.
He Lingyi blushed and wiped her face. "Lin Xi has come to tattle on you again."
"I could guess even if she didn't say it."
Who is that man?
Wen Jia was spreading jam on her toast when she heard this. She replied calmly, "I'm dating him."
Yu Kaiqing, standing next to her, also widened her eyes. Her mouth was stuffed full, and she dared not chew anymore. She only dared to move her two eyeballs to glance at He Lingyi.
He Lingyi quickly turned her head, "What did you say?"
Her tone instantly rose several decibels.
“I told you I’m dating him,” Wen Jia repeated seriously.
He Lingyi dropped her fork, making a loud, jarring sound as it hit the plate. Yu Kaiqing flinched, her eyes darting between the mother and daughter, unsure who to look at.
"The reason you told me you wanted to get rid of Zhou Jingcheng was because you met other people."
Wen Jia was speechless and choked with emotion. "These are two different things. I didn't get rid of Zhou Jingcheng because of him. Besides, you've never been optimistic about me and Zhou Jingcheng. Why are you unhappy that I've actually gotten rid of him?"
He Lingyi flung her hand away, "I don't approve of any man."
Wen Jia fell silent, unable to speak. She wanted to refute, but she couldn't utter a single word. Deep in her heart, there was a tender spot that belonged to He Lingyi.
Others might not understand, but Wen Jia, as the daughter, knew best what He Lingyi had been through. Her experiences were like a sponge soaked in bitterness, now weighing heavily on her tongue.
When she was young, He Lingyi loved beauty very much. She worked as a nail technician and also learned hairdressing, but what she loved most was running a women's clothing store on an old pedestrian street.
By then, she was financially independent. She had traveled from a small town to a big city on her own, gaining extensive knowledge and an open mind. She wanted to pursue freedom, but her parents refused to grant her wish.
At the age of twenty-five, He Lingyi was forced by her parents to marry Wen Yongli, the father of Wen Lingyi's daughter, Wen Jia. Two years later, she gave birth to Wen Jia. Wen Yongli was not a good father. Before Wen Jia's birth, he could still pretend to be a decent person. However, after his daughter turned six months old, Wen Yongli began to leave early and return late. At first, he just went out drinking, but it eventually escalated to stealing the money that He Lingyi had worked hard to save to gamble. At that time, He Lingyi was not entirely without feelings for Wen Yongli; she wanted to try to make their life better. The woman who used to stand up for others over trivial matters began to tolerate and yield, turning a blind eye to her husband's behavior. However, this tolerance did not earn Wen Yongli's repentance.
Wen Yongli's behavior escalated until one day He Lingyi could no longer afford to let him gamble. She knelt before him, holding her daughter, begging him to turn back. However, to He Lingyi's surprise, instead of awakening his conscience, she was verbally abused by him.
She couldn't take it anymore and filed for divorce from Wen Yongli.
That day, when Wen Yongli knelt in front of her and slapped himself, she didn't even look at him. She gritted her teeth, hardened her heart, and got a divorce, and won custody of her daughter.
The mother and daughter lived quietly alone for several years. Wen Jia finally grew up a bit, and He Lingyi remarried, taking her with her.
He Lingyi and Zhang Shu met on a green train when Wen Jia was four years old. In those days, there were no electronic products. The two sleeper berths faced each other, and they could always chat for a while during the more than ten-hour journey. At first, He Lingyi was very wary of Zhang Shu, but later, seeing his smiling face and his willingness to help her get hot water and take care of her child, she naturally let down her guard. The two chatted for the entire journey and exchanged phone numbers before getting off the train. They then kept in touch intermittently for half a year. During this period, Zhang Shu often visited her city. Every time he saw her, the words he said most often were that he was willing to share the burden of taking care of her child.
After her divorce from Wen Yongli, He Lingyi endured several difficult years alone. She did consider finding someone else to rely on, but she dared not. Her first relationship had been such a failure, and she didn't want to repeat the same mistake. Therefore, she rejected Zhang Shu. However, Zhang Shu didn't give up. He treated her even better, taking care of her in every way. He rented a clean and tidy two-bedroom apartment for the mother and daughter in the city, and he also arranged for Wen Jia to attend primary school. After some time, He Lingyi looked at her own wounded state and her still-childish daughter. She realized that while she could live her life alone, her daughter needed a complete family. So, she accepted Zhang Shu's advances.
However, the two did not register their marriage, but lived together peacefully for three years until one day, He Lingyi accidentally discovered that Zhang Shu actually had a wife and child back in his hometown, and did not have a respectable job as he claimed. His "business trips" over the years were just a pretext for him to travel between different cities and have relationships with different girls.
He Lingyi was very calm that day. She didn't have the hysteria she had when her first relationship ended, nor the heartbreak of discovering the second face of her husband. She simply dressed Wen Jia calmly and left the two-bedroom apartment without looking back.
Wen Jia still remembers what He Lingyi said to her that day.
That day, He Lingyi half-knelt down in front of her and helped her zip up her clothes. She said, "No one will hurt us anymore."
At that time, Wen Jia did not know what the word 'harm' meant. In Wen Jia's eyes, Zhang Shu did not hit her or scold her. On the contrary, he took good care of her.
She wanted to ask, but she saw the salty tears welling up in her mother's eyes. Although she didn't understand, she didn't say anything, but just obediently hugged her mother and nodded.
He Lingyi faced many hardships raising Wen Jia alone, but she gave generous love and provided Wen Jia with the best conditions she could. She poured all her heart and soul into raising her daughter and never complained to Wen Jia about her poverty or emotional trauma.
Wen Jia never felt she lacked anything, and therefore grew up with great confidence, even feeling that the love He Lingyi gave her surpassed that of many complete families. As she grew into adulthood, the scenes of her mother's injuries during her childhood replayed in her mind, and she gradually understood what her mother meant by 'hurt' when she left the two-bedroom apartment.
She began to understand her mother's feelings and actions.
Until the night of her coming-of-age birthday, He Lingyi looked at her daughter through the dim candlelight on her birthday cake:
"Mom hopes you will never be hurt by love in your life. If you are happy, even if you don't get married or have children, Mom will be willing."
Wen Jia remembered these words year after year. She entered an arts exam class in high school and studied at the top drama academy in the country, both places with the most handsome men and beautiful women. In those moments when her heart was fluttering and she was just beginning to fall in love, she never disobeyed her mother.
It wasn't until her sophomore year that Wen Jia was spotted by a director who came to the school to scout for talent, thus beginning her career. She starred in her first film, became her first leading lady, and met her first boyfriend.
Because of her mother's words, Wen Jia didn't dare to take the first step at first. It was He Lingyi who saw through her restless heart and took the initiative to say, "If you are in a relationship, bring it back for me to see."
Wen Jia introduced her first love to He Lingyi, but unfortunately, He Lingyi's worst fears did not come true. Wen Jia eventually broke up with her first love because she was unable to balance her relationship and work at the time, so the two broke up peacefully.
As a mother, He Lingyi knew all too well what kind of complicated situation her daughter was in, so she naturally focused most of her attention on Wen Jia's love life.
He Lingyi was not optimistic about Zhou Jingcheng when he first appeared, so Wen Jia couldn't say anything to refute him now.
She could only explain calmly, "He's different from Zhou Jingcheng."
He Lingyi tapped her head and exclaimed in surprise, "What's the difference between them, they're all men?"
“He’s richer than Zhou Jingcheng,” Wen Jia said, stuffing a piece of toast into her mouth. “He’s also more handsome and more gentlemanly than Zhou Jingcheng.”
She hadn't forgotten He Lingyi's words, nor did she dare to disobey them. However, since her relationship with Xu Shaoting was a contractual one, she naturally couldn't use the same principles as a normal relationship to measure it.
However, she dared not say the word 'contract' in front of He Lingyi, so this was the only answer she could give.
He Lingyi slammed her hand on the table. "Are you out of your mind?"
Wen Jia kept her head down and didn't say anything.
Seeing that things were not going well, Yu Kaiqing quickly swallowed what was in her mouth and wisely got up at this moment, gently pushing He Lingyi up. "Auntie, can you teach me how to make chicken soup? I made a pot a couple of days ago, and she said it wasn't as good as yours. I can learn today since you're here."
Wen Jia pursed her lips, turned her head to watch He Lingyi's back as she walked into the kitchen, and said nothing. She had nothing to say either.
The phone on the dining table started vibrating, a very inopportune moment. Wen Jia was in a bad mood, and the noise sent chills down her spine. She glanced at the caller ID, then cautiously gripped the phone and tiptoed up the stairs.
She waited until the bedroom door was completely closed before answering the phone; the sound of the lock clicking shut and Xu Shaoting's deep voice rang out simultaneously.
"What are you doing?" Inside the car, he glanced out the window while holding his phone, and before she could answer, he asked again:
"Get ready, I'll be at your house soon."
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Author's Note: Wen Jia's first love was extremely, extremely, extremely pure.
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