Three Sentences That Made My Ex-Wife Spit Blood (LILY, ABO) - Chapter 13

She had been Yan Qinglan’s mother for more than twenty years. She knew better than anyone how strange and stubborn her daughter could be.

For Yan Qinglan to tolerate this much, Wen Huaxi was clearly one of a kind.

Even if it was not love—no, to let Wen Huaxi behave so boldly, how could it not be love?

At first, it was already surprising that Yan Qinglan allowed Wen Huaxi to pick food from her bowl. But when she actually started picking food for Wen Huaxi in return, that changed everything.

If not for that, Yan Mingzhu might still have suspected her daughter was just putting on an act.

After all, her daughter’s bad habits were not limited to her obsessive cleanliness. She had learned to act as well.

If she did not perform, she could not survive. Yan Mingzhu understood that and only felt sorrow for her.

But now, Yan Qinglan did not even bother pretending. She was openly teasing and interacting with Wen Huaxi, taking and offering food like a couple in love. That alone eased most of Yan Mingzhu’s doubts.

She thought about it honestly. Even among friends, she would not feel comfortable fighting over food from someone else’s bowl, especially something already bitten.

Then she noticed the faint kiss mark on the back of Yan Qinglan’s hand. What little doubt she had turned into near certainty.

If Yan Qinglan did not truly have feelings for Wen Huaxi, she would never allow someone to get so physically close. Letting her kiss her and leave a mark like that was completely out of character.

Yan Mingzhu was confident the mark could not have been washed off. She remembered a time before dinner when she had given Yan Qinglan an unpeeled orange.

Yan Qinglan had thrown it away and rushed to wash her hands five times.

So she wondered how many kisses it had taken to leave that mark.

And it was not even on a visible spot like her face. It was on the back of her hand, a place that most people would not notice.

If they were pretending, they would not have chosen a spot like that.

“Alright, Qinglan. Xiaoxi is still young, and she is your wife. Be more patient with her.”

Yan Mingzhu spoke up at the right time and stopped Yan Qinglan before she could start another argument.

Yan Qinglan unwillingly exchanged a glance with Wen Huaxi, silently agreeing to a ceasefire.

Wen Huaxi gave her a sheepish smile that seemed to say, “You are not really angry with me, are you?”

Yan Qinglan felt tightness in her chest and could only look away. She buried her head in her food and focused on eating.

For the rest of the meal, most of the conversation was between Wen Huaxi and Yan Mingzhu.

Every now and then, Yan Qinglan would receive a portion of food. When she looked up, she realized it was Wen Huaxi serving her with the public chopsticks.

Wen Huaxi would always smile at her afterward, as if waiting for praise.

It felt like she was being scolded one moment and rewarded the next.

Yan Qinglan quietly complained in her heart, but she still obediently ate whatever Wen Huaxi gave her first.

She was afraid Wen Huaxi might suddenly take it back again.

After the meal, Wen Huaxi could tell that the mother and daughter had something to talk about. She found an excuse to step outside with Butler Chen, giving them space.

“Mom, if there is nothing else, I need to leave. There are things to handle at the company.”

Work had been stressful lately. A new project was starting, and her cousin and niece were practically living in the office. Only Yan Qinglan had to come home every day because of Wen Huaxi.

“You should spend more time with Xiaoxi. She is your wife.” Yan Mingzhu tapped her cane on Yan Qinglan’s shoulder.

“I will.” Yan Qinglan’s expression softened a little when she heard Wen Huaxi’s name. Of course, it was only for show. She was doing her best not to be driven crazy by that troublemaker.

Yan Mingzhu did not notice. She nodded in approval.

“I really hope you can live a good life. I do not want you to end up like me. But never mind that now.”

Yan Qinglan knew her mother was talking about Gu Lian. She wanted to ask but did not know how. She feared the answer would only bring more sorrow.

“Sometimes, I wish you could live a little more freely.” Yan Mingzhu gently patted her on the head. “Are you tired?”

“Not really.” Yan Qinglan looked up, feeling a bit lost. If it was about work, she would rather be exhausted than risk losing everything she had.

But Yan Mingzhu looked at the corners of her daughter’s mouth, still tense and unrelaxed, and sighed silently in her heart.

“You can call Xiaoxi back in. I have a gift for her.” Since the girl had passed her unspoken test, it was time to reward her.

Yan Qinglan was not easy to deal with. Being with her was surely difficult.

After asking a few more questions out of care, Yan Qinglan finally left the room and headed to the garden to find Wen Huaxi.

Yan Mingzhu watched her daughter walk away and felt a touch of loneliness.

She and Yan Qinglan were not as close as they seemed.

She had failed to protect her daughter in the past. Now that her daughter had returned, she wanted to give her a future filled with peace and light.

When Yan Qinglan found Wen Huaxi, she was playing with some of the younger children in the family.

They were all chosen from branches of the family with no direct competition against Yan Qinglan.

Wen Huaxi could be very considerate when she wanted to be. That earlier gesture of kindness had clearly worked. Now, Yan Qinglan could still taste its sweetness.

She moved closer and overheard one of the children speak freely.

“Sister Wen, now that you and Aunt Qinglan are married, will you be having a baby soon?”

Wen Huaxi did not seem offended at all. She answered the child’s question with calm patience.

“Not necessarily. A child is a miracle. We will need to gather a lot of good luck before we can meet that miracle.”

“Oh, that is too bad. I thought we would get to play with the baby soon,” the little girl pouted. She continued to cling to Wen Huaxi and chat with her. That was when Wen Huaxi finally noticed Yan Qinglan standing nearby.

“Ready to go?” Wen Huaxi asked with a smile. She stood in the light. The wind lifted her red hair, setting it aflame with color. It danced with the breeze, full of life and energy, vibrant and free.

That single glance made Yan Qinglan’s heart clench.

She suddenly felt as if Wen Huaxi might drift away from her at any moment.

She rushed forward and hugged Wen Huaxi just before she could blink.

Wen Huaxi instinctively caught her. But then she remembered that she had been reborn.

She and the current Yan Qinglan had never been this close. They had never embraced like this, not with such emotion, not with something that might be called love.

“Do you need me to keep pretending?” Wen Huaxi asked softly. She assumed Yan Qinglan had come up with another scheme.

With so much drama, she was definitely going to end this marriage someday.

Yan Qinglan pushed away the sour feeling in her chest and stood up.
“Mom has something for you.”

As she said this, Wen Huaxi suddenly remembered.

There was something missing in this life—a set of jade jewelry.

In the previous life, almost right after the wedding, Yan Mingzhu had handed this heirloom set to her. She had spoken in a pleading tone, asking her to take good care of Yan Qinglan.

At the time, Wen Huaxi didn’t understand. Only later did she realize it had been a mother’s final wish.

This second life had truly brought many changes.

Wen Huaxi felt a slight regret. Before the car accident in her previous life, she had been planning to return the heirloom to Yan Qinglan. It belonged to the Yan family, and she could not keep it.

She never expected that both she and her unborn child would end up left behind on the road.

Following Yan Qinglan to the third floor, where Yan Mingzhu usually stayed, Wen Huaxi suddenly heard a commotion.

“How could it be missing? It’s been over twenty years—over twenty years without being touched! Who entered this room? Find out right now!”

They did not even need to get close to hear Yan Mingzhu’s voice.

She was almost shouting, filled with panic and fury—emotions rarely seen on her.

“Mom?” The two of them rushed inside. They saw Yan Mingzhu clutching a wooden box while the attendants stood off to the side, trembling and speechless.

“What happened?” Yan Qinglan asked. She already knew what her mother wanted to give to Wen Huaxi and understood her intention.

She never saw Wen Huaxi as someone who cared for material things. Giving her the family heirloom was not a problem. If it brought comfort to her mother, all the better.

If they divorced later, she could always ask for it back and replace it with something even better.

Wen Huaxi noticed the box in Yan Mingzhu’s hands right away.

The hairpins, jade pendants, and bracelets were all there—except for one missing item. The pair of jade thumb rings.

Her first thought was that they had been stolen.

But in the previous life, the heirloom had remained intact. This room was always locked, and entry required Yan Mingzhu’s permission. She was the only one who had the key.

So who could have taken them?

Wen Huaxi looked around. The room did not seem like it had been broken into.

Besides, if someone had really come to steal, why leave behind the more valuable pendants and bracelets?

“Mom, please calm down. It’s only a pair of thumb rings,” Yan Qinglan said gently, stepping forward to soothe her.

Wen Huaxi followed her, offering support.

But Yan Mingzhu was stubborn and could not let it go.

Suddenly, a name flashed through her mind. Her face went pale, and she gasped sharply before falling straight forward.

“Mom!” Yan Qinglan reacted quickly and caught her before she collapsed.

“Gu…” Yan Mingzhu barely managed to say one word before completely losing consciousness.

Outside the hospital room, Yan Qinglan stood silently, her expression dark and unreadable. The curve of her lips made her look almost unsettling.

Wen Huaxi stayed beside her the entire time.

Of course, she was mainly worried about Yan Mingzhu.

“I’m sorry.” Wen Huaxi lowered her head. She never thought things would turn out like this.

Yan Mingzhu had always been in poor health. But with Yan Qinglan providing medication and care, she had been stable for a long time.

“This isn’t your fault.” No one could blame Wen Huaxi for what had happened. Yan Qinglan closed her eyes and spoke with much of her usual anger softened.

“Are you the patient’s family?” a nurse asked, stepping out. “She’s out of danger now and should wake up soon.”

Wen Huaxi stepped forward faster than Yan Qinglan.

On the hospital bed, Yan Mingzhu’s face was completely pale. She looked nothing like the person who had been chatting with them just two hours earlier.

Wen Huaxi’s chest tightened. She was reminded again that her rebirth only gave her a head start.

Without any supernatural powers, she would not have been able to save Yan Mingzhu.

For once, Yan Qinglan could not keep up her usual calm smile.

She held her mother’s hand and stood there in silence for a long time.

“She’s safe now,” Wen Huaxi said softly, placing a comforting hand on Yan Qinglan’s back.

No matter how she felt about her, Wen Huaxi did not want to see Yan Qinglan like this.

“Alright,” Yan Qinglan replied, blinking once.

They stayed by Yan Mingzhu’s side until she woke up.

As soon as she opened her eyes and regained her strength, she wanted to return to the old house.

Even if the most important piece was missing, the heirloom still had to be given to her daughter-in-law.

“You should rest for now. There’s no rush,” Wen Huaxi said, gently holding her down.

“I’m fine. It was just a rush of bl00d that made me faint,” Yan Mingzhu replied, now the one trying to comfort Wen Huaxi, who looked visibly anxious.

After talking for a while and making sure Yan Mingzhu was truly recovering, Yan Qinglan agreed to bring her mother home.

Even so, she could not stop thinking about that one word her mother had said before fainting.

Gu.

Could it be Gu Lian?

Yan Qinglan’s eyes turned cold in an instant.