Big Miss and White Moonlight, Stop Fighting! - Chapter 48
Chapter 48: So-called Truth
Jiang Qingyue asked softly again, “Did she force you to get engaged to Jiang Qingyue?”
Wen Wuxin bit her lip and shook her head.
Jiang Qingyue pressed on, “Then did Jiang Asheng force you?”
“No. It was my own choice. Sister, I really fell in love with her.”
Wen Wuxin thought her tone was sincere enough, but Jiang Qingyue didn’t believe her at all.
Jiang Qingyue sighed. “…It’s my fault. I’m not strong enough, so you were forced to choose her. Wait for me for a while, okay?”
Wen Wuxin knew that the other person wasn’t listening to what she was saying, so she simply remained silent.
But Jiang Qingyue asked again, “What did they use to threaten you?”
They used you.
But how could Wen Wuxin say that? She could only offer a weak explanation. “They didn’t force me. It was really my own choice. I’m already very content to be engaged to Qingyue, to be able to see you, and to be able to see my mom and dad later.”
Seeing that Wen Wuxin wouldn’t tell the truth, Jiang Qingyue didn’t press her any further.
“Just wait for me a little longer. It’ll be soon.”
Jiang Qingyue said, word by word.
Releasing her from the hug, Jiang Qingyue discarded the dark thought of imprisoning Wen Wuxin. She prepared to sit up. “I’ll take you home.”
But Wen Wuxin tugged on her sleeve. “How have you and your family, and my mom and dad, been doing these past few years?”
Jiang Qingyue countered, “Did Jiang Asheng and Jiang Qingyue tell you anything?”
Wen Wuxin nodded and then shook her head. “President Jiang told me a little about you, but she kept it very brief. She only said that you were all doing well and wouldn’t tell me anything else.”
Jiang Qingyue hummed. “After the car accident, a few of us were secretly rescued. But I was separated from the elders, so I don’t know the specifics of their situation. However, your family is doing well.”
These few understated words covered up Jiang Qingyue’s past bloody wounds.
Wen Wuxin paused. “Really?”
“…Really.”
Wen Wuxin saw a flash of hesitation in Jiang Qingyue’s eyes.
Jiang Qingyue is lying to her.
This realization sent a chill down Wen Wuxin’s spine. She said calmly, “That’s good.”
Jiang Qingyue couldn’t bear to tell Wen Wuxin the truth and could only say softly, “When the time is right, you’ll see your family. Then our two families can have a meal together.”
Wen Wuxin also stared into the other person’s eyes and murmured, “You know…”
I can tell you’re lying.
The more Jiang Qingyue lied to Wen Wuxin, the more she would stare directly into Wen Wuxin’s eyes.
When Jiang Qingyue was seventeen, she got caught in the rain. She was sick with a fever, but she still insisted on looking at Wen Wuxin and saying she was fine.
The way Jiang Qingyue was looking at her now was no different from then.
But Wen Wuxin didn’t expose her. She quickly came back to her senses and abruptly changed the subject. “I want to go home.”
Jiang Qingyue didn’t stop her this time. “I’ll take you home. The Jiang family will be very turbulent during this time, so it’s a good thing for you to have less contact with them.”
Wen Wuxin sat up with her back to her. “Okay.”
Jiang Qingyue got up and came in front of Wen Wuxin. She stared at her. “Just wait for me a little longer.”
She had told Wen Wuxin to wait for her many times today.
“After everything has settled down, the six of us, no, wait…” Jiang Qingyue paused. “Our two families can get together and have a meal for the first time in a while.”
There were some things she didn’t want to tell Wen Wuxin right now.
Wen Wuxin hummed softly.
…
During the time Wen Wuxin was staying at home, Jiang Qingyue would come to see her every few days.
Jiang Qingyue, however, was rarely there even once.
Of course, she had explained to Wen Wuxin that she was going on a business trip.
Without Jiang Qingyue’s obstruction, the atmosphere between Wen Wuxin and Jiang Qingyue had a bit of the old feeling to it.
Wen Wuxin, who had just returned from a cafe, opened the refrigerator. Inside were the meals Jiang Qingyue had prepared for her in advance.
She reached for the cold plate, but in the end, she didn’t take it out.
Closing the refrigerator door, Wen Wuxin returned to the living room, curled up in the corner of the sofa, and took out an envelope from her bag.
…
An hour ago.
In a small, not-so-famous cafe with very few customers.
Wen Wuxin looked at the man in front of her who seemed to have been waiting for a long time. “What do you want to talk about this time, Mr. Tang?”
Tang Yanzhen was dressed very casually today, with a bit of a college student vibe.
He smiled slightly. “Naturally, I’ve come to discuss our plan with you, Miss Wen.”
Wen Wuxin took a sip of her matcha latte and frowned slightly.
She didn’t like this flavor.
“Mr. Tang, I don’t have a habit of doing things for people for free.”
Tang Yanzhen smiled gently. “Naturally. I also promised you before, Miss Wen, that I would let you see your parents.”
Wen Wuxin remained unmoved and didn’t respond.
Tang Yanzhen wasn’t annoyed by the awkward silence. He took out an envelope from his bag. “Miss Wen, take a look. And I’ll tell you the truth of these past few years.”
The photos in the envelope were still of Wen Wuxin’s parents. Some were of their daily lives, but most were of them in the hospital.
“After that car accident, the five people besides you all faked their deaths and escaped. Your parents were also sent abroad to live under new identities. The Jiang family, of course, wouldn’t allow your parents to find you, so your mother fell ill from missing you so much. She had a major illness and still hasn’t fully recovered.”
The fingers Wen Wuxin used to hold the photos turned white.
Tang Yanzhen struck while the iron was hot. “As long as you successfully set the fire, and the Jiang family is in chaos, I can take the opportunity to bring your parents back.”
Wen Wuxin let go of the photos. “Why should I believe what you say? What if these photos are doctored?”
Tang Yanzhen laughed. “Miss Wen, you’re a famous painter. You should be able to tell if there are any signs of editing in these pictures.”
Wen Wuxin was silent.
She could, of course, tell that these photos were real. There were no issues with the overall lighting, or the edges and details of the people.
But Tang Yanzhen couldn’t be so kind.
So Wen Wuxin finally spoke. “I want to see my parents first.”
Tang Yanzhen said patiently, “Miss Wen, your family is currently overseas. I don’t have the ability to bring them back with my current power.”
Wen Wuxin said, “Oh.” “Then how can you guarantee that after I help you with the arson, you’ll help me bring my family back?”
Tang Yanzhen smiled. “I am a man of my word. And I believe that the information I’ve given you now is enough to show my sincerity.”
Wen Wuxin leaned back in her chair and said slowly, “But, Mr. Tang, I’m about to get engaged to President Jiang. Even if I can’t see my parents now, I will be able to in the future.”
Tang Yanzhen didn’t expect Wen Wuxin’s sudden change. “This… But your parents also really want to see you. If you don’t get rid of the Jiang family, they’ll always be able to use your parents as leverage to control you.”
Wen Wuxin crossed her arms. “But the Jiang family is very rich.”
The two fell into a brief silence.
Tang Yanzhen spoke first, laughing. “Don’t worry, Miss Wen. After the matter is done, I’ll give you enough money so that your family can live out their lives in peace.”
Wen Wuxin remained unmoved. “From what I know, the Tang family’s power is not even one-tenth of the Jiang family’s.”
Seeing Tang Yanzhen’s expression get worse, Wen Wuxin added, “Don’t worry, Mr. Tang. I haven’t told anyone about our meeting. The Jiang family doesn’t know about us. But I’ve been thinking about it these past few days, and I feel that even if I had some grievances with the Jiang family in the past, to be fair, President Jiang hasn’t mistreated me financially all these years. So, I don’t necessarily have to live with hatred.”
In Wen Wuxin’s previous conversations with Tang Yanzhen, Tang Yanzhen was always the dominant one. Wen Wuxin didn’t like that.
Even if she pretended to agree to the collaboration, Tang Yanzhen had to offer something real.
The more casual Wen Wuxin’s attitude was, the more anxious Tang Yanzhen became.
He gritted his teeth. “Miss Wen, do you know why I chose you?”
Wen Wuxin didn’t answer.
Tang Yanzhen said to himself, “Because we are both people who have been terribly harmed by the Jiang family. Before, the only people you hated were Jiang Asheng and Jiang Qingyue, right?”
Wen Wuxin frowned slightly. “What do you mean by that?”
Tang Yanzhen stared at Wen Wuxin. “Jiang Qingyue is actually different from what you imagine.”
Wen Wuxin took another sip of the awful matcha latte.
“She actually already knew her identity before the car accident happened, but she still hid it from everyone.”
Wen Wuxin placed the coffee cup back on the table with a crisp sound.
“It’s normal for her to choose to protect herself.”
“But what if the price of her choosing to protect herself was to use and harm you?” Tang Yanzhen said sharply.
Wen Wuxin’s attitude seemed to have softened a lot. “…I don’t understand.”
Tang Yanzhen finally got excited. “The car accident wasn’t an accident. Jiang Qingyue knew it was going to happen. But you all couldn’t fake your deaths in this car accident, or the enemy would become suspicious, so she chose to save you. She knew that not only would you be grateful, but you would also painfully live on for all of them.”
“But Jiang Qingyue never considered how painful and helpless it would be for you to live alone. Now she’s back in the Jiang family, and you still have the same feelings for her as before. But Miss Wen, from beginning to end, Jiang Qingyue only used you. In fact—”
Tang Yanzhen’s tone was serious. “I shouldn’t say this, but I think she was even worse to you than Jiang Qingyue.”
Wen Wuxin’s cherry lips trembled slightly. “…Why should I believe what you say?”
Although it was a question, Wen Wuxin’s expression already showed that she believed Tang Yanzhen’s words.
Tang Yanzhen was confident of victory. “Whether this is true or not, Miss Wen, you’ll understand if you think about it more. So, can we have a good collaboration now?”
Wen Wuxin let out an almost inaudible hum.
She suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with panic. “After this is over, I’ll be able to see my parents, right?”
Tang Yanzhen said with certainty, “Of course.”
The two of them talked about the plan for a while longer. After arranging their next meeting, Wen Wuxin went home.
Looking at the food Jiang Qingyue had prepared for her, Wen Wuxin lost her appetite.
Of course, she couldn’t fully believe what that man, Tang Yanzhen, said, but…
She was really worried about her parents.
In addition, Jiang Asheng wouldn’t let her see her parents now, and Jiang Qingyue was also being evasive about it. It was hard for Wen Wuxin not to doubt whether her parents were doing well.
She looked at the photos in her hand several times before putting them in a locked drawer.
The scale in her heart was wavering. Wen Wuxin decided to trust the Jiang family one more time.
That evening, at the Jiang family’s main residence.
“President Jiang,” Wen Wuxin, who had rushed over, said submissively, “I’d like to talk to you again about the engagement between Qingyue and me.”