Chen Die immediately stopped her hand, gently stroking his back, and complained, “I knew you were in pain. I asked you so many times earlier, and you kept saying it didn’t hurt.”

Wen Liang grunted.

“…”

This man was getting increasingly skillful at being coquettish.

“Let me apply some medicine for you?” Chen Die took out a bag she had carried for a while from the cabinet.

Previously, when her leg was injured, Fang Ruan had stuffed various ointments into her possession.

Chen Die read the instructions on them, selecting a pain-relieving ointment, then returned to the bed and patted Wen Liang’s back. “Lie down.”

Wen Liang obediently lay down, and Chen Die pulled down the collar of his bathrobe, revealing that purplish bruise. She frowned as she carefully applied the ointment.

Halfway through, Ye Chuqing called to ask about the situation.

“I’m fine now, don’t worry,” Chen Die said.

“Take a couple more days off to rest. I’ve explained things to my mother. The others in the crew just think you suddenly fell ill, so don’t worry.”

Chen Die thanked her, hung up the phone, and finished applying the ointment before turning off the lights.

“You should sleep on your stomach tonight, otherwise the ointment will rub off on the sheets and be wasted,” Chen Die said.

Wen Liang crossed his arms, buried his head, and muttered an “mm.” After a while, he added, “Good thing it’s my back that’s injured.”

“Hm?”

“It doesn’t affect… you know. If it were my waist that was injured, Lingling would have to be on top.” Wen Liang pulled out one arm to hold her close. “But you probably wouldn’t be willing to do that with your thin skin.”

“…”

Evidence proved that while she wasn’t comfortable with Wen Liang’s earlier demeanor, she equally couldn’t accept his usual shameless crude talk when he returned to normal.

Chen Die punched him once. “Can’t your thoughts be a little cleaner? Even in this condition, you’re still thinking about those things.”

Wen Liang laughed hoarsely but said no more.

The bedroom fell silent for a moment.

Chen Die moved closer, pulled his arm open to squeeze her head inside, and with difficulty also squeezed her finger in to poke his face, asking softly, “Did you cry earlier?”

Wen Liang grabbed her finger and pulled it down under the covers, saying nothing.

“Then when you received that call today, were you terrified?”

Wen Liang pressed his face against hers. His stubble had started to grow, and Chen Die’s skin was thin, making the contact somewhat painful. Yet this domineering man pulled her back just as she tried to move away.

Wen Liang said quietly, “Yes, it was my oversight that caused you to be hurt because of my affairs.”

“I wasn’t hurt; you were the one who got hurt,” Chen Die reminded him. “And it’s not really because of your affairs, right? There’s also Chen Shuyuan.”

“Letting you be taken away alone and locked up there.” He stroked her face and sighed. “The little girl who used to cry even for a few stitches—I made you afraid.”

Chen Die thought to herself that between getting stitches and being kidnapped, stitches were actually more terrifying to her.

She kissed Wen Liang’s cheek and said softly, “I wasn’t scared.”

Of course, there was some fear.

But just a little, like she knew in her heart Wen Liang would come for her.

“I won’t let you experience such things again,” he promised. “Give me another chance.”

Chen Die paused momentarily.

“I’ve always felt that meeting you was the luckiest thing in my life,” Chen Die paused, then continued, “If I hadn’t met you back then, I wouldn’t be the Chen Die I am now. I… really like who I am now.”

He smiled. “I like you too.”

Chen Die corrected him: “That’s love. You just admitted it—you’re madly in love with me.”

The young woman couldn’t hide the excitement in her voice. Wen Liang let out a soft snort, not understanding why she was so happy.

The next day, the police contacted Chen Die again to take her statement.

Wen Liang put all company matters aside. In the morning, he first accompanied Chen Die to the hospital again to confirm that the drugs had not caused any harm to her body, then took her to the police station.

As soon as they walked in, they saw Lin Quan and Chen Ke.

It wasn’t clear if they had just arrived that morning or had been there all night. Chen Ke still looked presentable, but Lin Quan’s eyes were swollen and red from exhaustion.

Chen Die glanced at them, but before she could look away, Wen Liang stood in front of her, blocking her view.

She looked up.

“Just tell the truth. If you don’t remember something, don’t say it. If you feel tired or uncomfortable, just pause. It’s fine,” Wen Liang looked at her and instructed.

Chen Die nodded and followed the female officer into the room.

Perhaps influenced by Wen Liang’s serious attitude, and also because she was a young woman and a celebrity who might have suffered significant psychological trauma from such an incident, the police officer conducting the interview asked questions slowly and was careful to comfort her emotionally.

Chen Die narrated the entire incident from beginning to end in detail.

After a day of rest, her thoughts were very organized.

Chen Shao arrived sometime after Chen Die entered the interview room.

Because of yesterday’s incident, he and Wen Liang had temporarily declared a truce. He walked straight toward Wen Liang upon entering the police station: “How’s the situation being handled?”

Wen Liang nodded toward the interview room. Through the glass window, they could see Chen Die sitting inside.

Chen Shao, disregarding the presence of Chen Ke and Lin Quan, asked, “Do we have enough evidence? Can they be arrested?”

“Chen Shuyuan’s biological parents have been apprehended. The evidence of conspiring in the kidnapping is conclusive, and they’ve implicated Chen Shuyuan, along with transaction records. Although the information on her phone was formatted and couldn’t be recovered, the information from her biological parents’ side has been restored. The case can be established, but Fu Wanmei denies her involvement.”

Chen Shao frowned. “That’s fine. Didn’t Chen Die see her?”

“Chen Die was drugged, so her testimony needs to be re-evaluated to some extent. Fu Wanmei has carefully removed herself from other evidence chains.”

But it didn’t matter much.

Kidnapping was a major case, and the victim’s testimony was highly valued.

Chen Shao let out a cold laugh. “That’s just enough for her to struggle a bit longer. This won’t be easy to get past. She dared to kidnap someone and still thinks she can get away safely?”

Wen Liang turned his head to look at him. “This matter needs to be suppressed. Although there are no photos, once it gets out, all kinds of rumors will start to spread.”

Chen Shao understood the power of rumors better than Wen Liang.

In the entertainment industry, how many people have been criticized so severely because of rumors that they dared not leave their homes? And how many victims had been labeled as perpetrators?

Wen Liang: “I’ve already taken care of the news media. This is the business circle; there’s no need for everyone to know about your Chen family’s petty affairs.”

“?”

Chen Shao was truly amused by his attitude—it was like thankless work.

Chen Die finished giving her statement and pushed open the door.

Wen Liang walked forward and ruffled her hair, his voice immediately softening without him even noticing: “Tired?”

Chen Die shook her head.

Wen Liang knew the police chief, and this case not only involved kidnapping but was also connected to the case where Chen Shuyuan had been extorted for over a million yuan.

“Chief Song, let me meet with Fu Wanmei alone,” Wen Liang said.

Chief Song, nearly 50 years old, had met Wen Liang years ago when he went to train new recruits at a military camp. He had reprimanded Wen Liang countless times back then.

He pointed at Wen Liang. “One meeting is fine, but be careful—everything is under surveillance.”

Due to yesterday’s incident, Wen Liang was reluctant to let Chen Die out of his sight. Just as he was about to take her with him, Chen Shao called out to stop him.

Chen Shao gave him a look that seemed to say “Are you an idiot?” “What are you thinking, letting her see Fu Wanmei again?”

Wen Liang paused, unusually choosing not to argue, and stopped Chen Die. “I’ll be right back.”

Then he said to Chen Shao, “Help me look after her for a bit.”

Chen Shao gave a cold, dismissive laugh. “What gives you the right to ask me to ‘help’ look after her?”

He emphasized the word “help.”

Chen Die: “…”

She was truly exhausted.

How did these two manage to start arguing every time they met?

But Chen Die didn’t hesitate for a second. She turned her elbow outward, raised her hand, and displayed it in front of Chen Shao, showing off her pigeon-egg-sized diamond.

Wen Liang let out a light laugh, winning with a composed face, and turned to enter the detention room.

Chen Shao was furious, staring at the ring with shock. “Are you fucking kidding me? Your brain got squeezed in a door? This mess isn’t even resolved, and you’re already planning to marry him?”

“…” Chen Die rolled her eyes at him in exasperation. “Who said anything about marriage? This is just a regular ring, a piece of jewelry. Understand?”

Chen Shao retorted, “Then why wear it on your ring finger?”

“What business is it of yours which finger I wear it on?”

“Take it off! Young ladies should know what dignity means. I think you’re just love-brained, brainless!” Chen Shao scolded as he tried to grab her ring.

Chen Die was afraid he might damage it, so she didn’t resist, watching helplessly as Chen Shao removed the ring from her ring finger and pushed it onto her index finger.

“???”

Who wears a ring on their index finger?

“This is how you wear jewelry,” Chen Shao said. “Think about the contract you signed. If you dare to get married without the company’s permission, I’ll sue you for breach of contract.”

“…”

Wen Liang walked into the room where Fu Wanmei sat with handcuffs on her wrists, coldly staring at him.

Wen Liang showed no expression as he pulled out a chair, sat across from her, then took out his phone and played a video for Fu Wanmei.

It was surveillance footage showing Wen Qian’s face on the screen, lying in the middle, his face and hands covered in blood, shouting though the sound was unclear, with people surrounding him.

The video abruptly ended, and Wen Liang calmly put his phone back in his pocket.

Fu Wanmei was visibly less composed than before. “What have you done to Wen Qian!?”

“Just what you saw in the video,” Wen Liang smiled, but that smile sent chills down one’s spine. “He’s still alive for now, but if you don’t confess, I can’t guarantee that will continue.”

Fu Wanmei narrowed her eyes. “Wen Liang, are you threatening me in a police station?”

Wen Liang straightened his back, leaned forward with his elbows on the table, and smiled softly. “Well, you’ll see if I have that authority.”

Chief Song, who had watched the entire process on the monitor, now regretted letting Wen Liang in.

As soon as Wen Liang came out, the chief angrily approached him. “What’s going on with that video?!”

“Nothing special. Wen Qian just participated in an activity abroad. They were playing around—it’s not blood. I’m just using it to my advantage.”

Just as Wen Liang finished speaking, another officer came over shouting, “The suspect has confessed!”

Chief Song pointed at him. “You extorted a confession!”

Wen Liang had obtained that video yesterday. His business partners weren’t all clean, and after locating which country Wen Qian was in, he asked people there to gather information.

In reality, Wen Qian’s video was just friends playing around, but the danger was all off-screen.

At that time, Wen Liang had made all preparations to take action against Wen Qian at any moment.

Wen Liang said nothing more and turned to find Chen Die.

“How did it go?” Chen Die walked up when she saw him come out.

Wen Liang took her hand. “It’s all fine now. Let’s go home.”

Lin Quan had disappeared somewhere, and Chen Ke walked forward, suddenly calling out to her. “Chen Die.”

She paused, turned around, and calmly looked at this man who was her biological father by blood.

Chen Ke: “I never imagined something like this would happen. We won’t shield her just because we raised her for years, especially in such a serious matter. We couldn’t have imagined she was this kind of person. We can’t ask for your forgiveness, but your grandfather has fallen ill and been hospitalized because of this. If you have time, we hope you can visit him.”

Chen Die neither agreed nor refused, only saying, “I understand.”

After leaving the police station, she asked Chen Shao beside her, “What’s wrong with him?”

“Who?”

“Your grandfather.”

“Old problem, high blood pressure. He had an episode before when you were taken to the Wen family by this guy.” Chen Shao glanced at Wen Liang. “Not to mention this time when the fake granddaughter nearly killed the real one.”

“…”

“It’s up to you whether to go or not. Don’t be too saintly,” Chen Shao said with his hands in his pockets. “The Chen family already owes you enough.”

They returned to the villa in the western suburbs and had a meal.

Wen Liang received a call from a friend who was currently keeping an eye on Wen Qian abroad.

Chen Die had been tied up in that dilapidated warehouse with carelessly tied ropes, leaving her with slight abrasions on her wrists. Her hands weren’t as beautiful as before.

She took out a hand mask from the refrigerator, put it on, and sat next to Wen Liang wearing “pink gloves,” listening to him talk.

“Mm, no need. No need to block the news either.” Wen Liang leaned back in his chair, suddenly laughing. “Whatever he wants to do, I’m waiting. He can rot in prison with Fu Wanmei.”

Chen Die was startled, blinked, and asked after he hung up, “Who were you talking about?”

“Wen Qian.”

“…Is he in your hands now?”

“You could say that.” Wen Liang admitted quite frankly.

“You’re not planning to take revenge on Fu Wanmei, are you?” Chen Die’s eyes widened.

Wen Liang picked up her hand, but before answering, he noticed the ring on her index finger and frowned. “Why is it worn here?”

“…Chen Shao did it.”

Wen Liang snorted lightly and moved the ring back to her ring finger.

Chen Die kicked his leg. “I’m asking you a question.”

“I thought about it yesterday,” Wen Liang caressed her ring finger. “But not anymore.”

Chen Die was still concerned. “You need to abide by the law, okay? Don’t be like Fu Wanmei, otherwise, I’ll…”

She couldn’t think of a threat right away. Wen Liang raised his eyes and asked, “You’ll what?”

“I’ll never be nice to you again,” Chen Die said.

Wen Liang laughed, squeezing her neck as he kissed her, murmuring, “I’ll do whatever you say. You have to be good to me.”

The subsequent matters didn’t require Chen Die’s attention. Wen Liang was genuinely concerned that she might develop psychological trauma from the incident. All channels of information about what followed were tightly blocked by Wen Liang.

Even when she asked Zhu Qicong, he only gave vague answers, not daring to tell her.

Wen Liang used certain methods to complete the transfer of company shares before Fu Wanmei confessed.

Of course, such illegally obtained assets would ultimately be invalid, and the shares would be returned to Wen Liang in full. However, the fact of attempting to extort a large sum would significantly increase the severity of the sentence.

As for Chen Shuyuan, she was dragged to the police station by Chen Shao on the day of her birthday celebration. Many of the younger Chen family members were present that day, making it impossible to completely seal off the news. Now the entire socialite circle was buzzing with discussion about this incident. Fortunately, Chen Shao had firmly suppressed any connection to Chen Die in this matter. Even if people tried to guess in that direction, there was no evidence.

The Chen family could never accept her again. Even if Lin Quan had other thoughts, Old Master Chen had enough determination after all these years.

If the sentence was heavy, Fu Wanmei might truly die in prison for the latter half of her life. As for Chen Shuyuan, even if she came out after more than a decade, life would likely be worse than death.

Moreover, in a place like a prison, these two women who had always built comfortable lives with money might not even survive their sentences.

Chen Die rested at home for two days but grew restless and wanted to return to the film crew.

Wen Liang had been frighteningly accommodating to her lately. Even if he was displeased internally, his actions were very compliant as he drove her to the film set.

“Wait for me in the car for a bit,” Chen Die said. “I’ll just tell the director and come right back.”

Chen Die got out of the car after speaking.

When she walked into the set, Huang Sheng had just called “cut” and was berating two actors. The mood on set was somber until someone shouted, “Chen Die!”

Everyone’s gaze turned toward her.

Huang Sheng also stood up and quickly walked to her side. “How are you? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Everything’s been resolved.”

Others in the crew didn’t know what had happened; they only thought Chen Die had suddenly fallen ill. The two didn’t elaborate as Huang Sheng patted her shoulder. “Why did you come back so soon? I heard from Chuqing that it was quite serious. You don’t need to rush if you’re not feeling well.”

“It wasn’t anything major. I wasn’t injured, so it doesn’t affect anything.”

“I’ve already confirmed today’s shooting schedule. Let’s do this: we’ll adjust the specific shooting later. Today, you go back to rest and prepare the script. Don’t breathe in the dust on set.”

“Alright.”

Chen Die said goodbye to Huang Sheng and the other actors before leaving with Wen Liang to enter the hotel.

Her script was still in the hotel.

As soon as they walked into the hotel, the front desk clerk ran over, handing her a box and a card. “This was left here a few days ago for someone to give to you.”

Chen Die paused, took it, and said, “Thank you.”

“Who’s it from?” Wen Liang asked.

“I don’t know either.” As she spoke, they walked into the elevator. Chen Die opened the box, finding a car key inside.

Wen Liang raised an eyebrow.

Chen Die then opened the card. It was in Old Master Chen’s handwriting, wishing her a happy birthday along with other blessings.

After reading it, Chen Die felt a mixture of emotions.

She went upstairs with Wen Liang, entered the room without calling for room service, and the room was just as it had been before. Chen Die went to the bedroom to get the script, sat in the living room for a while, but found she couldn’t focus.

She picked up Old Master Chen’s card and carefully read it again.

She felt hesitant.

“Wen Liang.”

“Mm?”

“I’m wondering, should I go to the hospital to see him?” Chen Die curled up on the couch. “At his age, to have high blood pressure because of this… and also, I should return this car to him, right? It doesn’t feel right to just take it.”

Wen Liang poured her a glass of water, came over, and ruffled her hair. “It’s up to you. You decide.”

Chen Die hesitated for a few seconds, then decided, “Let’s go visit then.”

“Let’s go later. Have lunch at the hotel first, and then I’ll go with you.”

Chen Die raised her eyebrows. “You’re coming with me again?”

These days, Wen Liang accompanied her wherever she went. Even when she went upstairs to get something at the villa, he would go with her.

The kidnapping hadn’t left Chen Die with trauma, but it had traumatized Wen Liang.

“Don’t you need to go to the company? Fu Wanmei might not have stolen your shares, but you might lose your kingdom through neglect.” Chen Die paused, then remembered something and asked, “By the way, that day, did you plan to transfer the shares to her, or was it a strategic plan?”

Wen Liang said quietly, “The transfer contract was already signed.”

He wouldn’t dare risk any strategic plans when it came to Chen Die’s safety.

“Then if you had been a little later that day, wouldn’t Wen Yuan already be in Fu Wanmei’s hands?” Chen Die blinked. “Wouldn’t we be in a terrible situation now?”

Wen Liang raised his eyebrows and glanced at her, suddenly laughing arrogantly. “With me, how could you ever go hungry?”

Chen Die looked at him for a while.

Undeniably, this version of Wen Liang was truly captivating.

After finishing lunch at the hotel, they went to the hospital to see Old Master Chen.

Chen Die wore a mask and hat as she entered the hospital. To avoid drawing attention, she didn’t walk side by side with Wen Liang, maintaining a distance of several steps.

They took the elevator up.

The VIP ward corridor was quiet, with few people around.

Chen Die found the room based on the room number Chen Shao had sent her. When she pushed open the door, she froze.

There were many people in the room, some she knew and some she didn’t, all gathered around Old Master Chen’s bed.

Soon, Wen Liang also came up behind her.

Chen Die: “…”

This was becoming quite awkward.

The air seemed to solidify.

Fortunately, Old Master Chen reacted first, beckoning Chen Die to come in and asking the others to leave.

Only the three of them remained in the room.

Old Master Chen straightened his back and invited Chen Die to sit. “Why did you suddenly come?”

“I’m about to start filming again, and I heard you were hospitalized, so I wanted to come see you today,” Chen Die said. “How’s your health now?”

“It’s quite stable. I can leave the hospital in a couple of days. What about you? Are you alright?” Old Master Chen frowned, glancing at Wen Liang beside her. “I’ve been trying to inquire about your condition these days, but my attempts were blocked.”

His meaning was very clear.

Chen Die also turned to look at Wen Liang, who appeared completely unperturbed, standing there like a door god.

It was understandable that Wen Liang would block Chen family members; after giving her statement, he had tried every means to prevent her from coming into contact with related information.

“I’m fine.”

“That’s good, that’s good.”

Old Master Chen held her hand, his brows tightly knit, unable to help sighing.

Even though Old Master Chen had already understood Chen Shuyuan’s character, at the core, due to blood ties and guilt, he leaned a bit more toward Chen Die.

But this didn’t mean he could calmly accept that Chen Shuyuan would do such a thing, ending up with a kidnapping charge and imprisonment. After all, she had lived in the Chen family for so many years.

“I’ve failed you,” Old Master Chen said. “If I had handled your situations better back then, we wouldn’t be in this position now, and you wouldn’t have endured so many years of grievance.”

“I haven’t felt aggrieved,” Chen Die said, pausing for a moment before taking out the car key from her pocket. “I only received this gift today. Thank you for remembering my birthday, but I can’t accept it.”

As she spoke, she placed the car key on the bedside table, gently pushing it over with two fingers.

Old Master Chen turned his head, staring at the car key in a daze.

He didn’t try to persuade Chen Die to take it back.

If Chen Shuyuan maintained her arrogance through the Chen family name, Chen Die’s pride came from within. Even if she had nothing, the radiance from within her was enough to dazzle people.

“I know that such gifts might please some youngsters, but they won’t make you happy.”

“Some things, perhaps you once wanted but never received. Now, you’re capable of obtaining anything you desire through your abilities. Past regrets and wounds can no longer be mended.”

He still remembered one year when Chen Ke and Lin Quan were both too busy to attend Chen Shuyuan’s high school parent-teacher meeting, so he went as the grandfather.

The classroom was arranged for the parent-teacher meeting. Chen Die, serving as a small cultural and recreational officer, was setting up a bulletin board, writing “Welcome, Parents” on the blackboard with colored chalk.

Near the corridor window of the classroom, several girls from another class were leaning in, calling out to Chen Die: “Butterfly, hurry up! Let’s go to the dance room!”

Chen Die responded, finished writing the last character, then stepped back to carefully examine it for a while, making sure there were no mistakes before dusting off her hands and leaving.

At the door, she bumped into the class teacher.

“Chen Die, will your parents come to the parent-teacher meeting this semester?” the teacher asked.

“They still can’t come,” Chen Die calmly smiled, apologizing. “They can’t make it. For academic matters, please just tell me directly.”

“It’s the third year of high school; parents should start caring about grades to secure a good future.”

Fortunately, the class teacher liked Chen Die and didn’t pressure her too much, only reminding her to keep improving her academic performance to get into her dream school.

“I understand. Thank you, teacher.”

After saying this, Chen Die ran out to find the girls from earlier.

“You finally came out. Why did they leave such a big bulletin board for you to handle alone?” one of the girls complained on her behalf.

Chen Die good-naturedly shook her head. “It was just a few characters, quite quick, but I need to wash my hands first.”

As she spoke, she walked forward, her gaze suddenly noticing Old Master Chen standing at the back door of the classroom.

She paused only briefly, nodding slightly to him as a greeting, then smiled and walked away with her friends.

Her high ponytail swung cheerfully, sweeping through streaks of sunlight.

That day at the parent-teacher meeting, the classroom was packed, with some students having both parents attend.

Only Chen Die’s seat remained empty, with no one to look at her grades when they were handed out.

Old Master Chen slowly supported himself to sit up, moving his legs out of the bed.

He sat on the edge of the bed, and then his spine gradually bent down, curving into a very bent arc as he bowed deeply to Chen Die.

In the evening hospital room, the sunset spread through the window, pouring in patches, covering the white sheets and Old Master Chen’s curved back.

Chen Die knew that at this moment, she should immediately help Old Master Chen up, but her feet seemed frozen in place, unintentionally receiving such a profound gesture.

This bow lasted for several minutes.

During these minutes, they had no exchange, yet it felt as if a thousand words had been spoken.

Chen Die suddenly realized that many things didn’t need a definitive answer, and she had long since moved beyond needing one.

She wasn’t sure if she could say she had forgiven, but she had indeed let go.