Wen Zhiyan noted down the name of the beauty salon before saying, "Don't alert the snake. You've all worked hard recently. Make sure everyone stays safe. If you notice anything unusual, don't confront them directly. I'll give everyone a bonus after this is over."
Xin Xuanlai chuckled foolishly, "Thank you, Master Wen, thank you, Madam. I'll pass the message on when I get back."
"Good. Work hard, and let me know if anything comes up."
"Yes."
After Xin Xuanlai left, Wen Zhiyan picked up his phone.
He looked at the characters on the screen.
He let out a scoff.
"What is it?"
"The same beauty salon that Zhou Wenjing and Hong Lu go to every day," Wen Zhiyan said in a deep voice.
Moreover, he realized something. The so-called Heavenly Dao could conceal certain things from ordinary people like them, but to law enforcement, it was nothing.
"Then that explains what they were up to last time," Fang Miaomiao said after some thought. "But we still need to figure out Hong Lu's connection to the Ran family."
The thought of Ran Lian, whose name Xin Xuanlai had mentioned as the account holder, made her feel uncomfortable.
Didn't Ran Lian like An An the most? Why would she spend money to harm her An An? That seemed impossible.
"Don't worry, we can do this."
They could fight against the Heavenly Dao and live a little longer, for each other, for An An.
"Mm-hmm."
Fang Miaomiao nodded heavily and put the information Xin Xuanlai had found into the study. "I feel like my brain is going to fry."
Wen Zhiyan smiled. "I believe in Miaomiao."
Fang Miaomiao curled up on the sofa.
"Why are you suddenly so listless?"
Fang Miaomiao shook her head. "Tired."
The things she had learned in the past few days had shaken her worldview.
"Then, shall we go to bed to rest?"
Fang Miaomiao shook her head again. "I need to sort some things out."
"Okay."
Fang Miaomiao yawned and waved casually at Wen Zhiyan. "Did you name Wen Yan'an?"
Wen Zhiyan nodded. "When my sister-in-law was pregnant, my eldest brother asked me to name the baby. If it was a boy, it would be Yan'an, and if it was a girl, Anle."
"Hoping the child would have a peaceful life?"
Wen Zhiyan was silent for a moment, then nodded and shook his head. "Hoping the child would have a peaceful life, and also hoping that there would be no such thing as kidnapping crimes in the world, and that the seas would be calm and the rivers clear. Looking back, my initial thoughts were quite naive."
"Not at all," Fang Miaomiao beckoned Wen Zhiyan over. When he sat on the sofa, she put her arms around his neck. "These two names have such good meanings. I think both my eldest brother and An An would love these names very much."
Wen Zhiyan wrapped his arms around Fang Miaomiao, his body trembling almost imperceptibly. "I hope you and An An can both be safe and sound."
His An An had come into this world with the love of their parents. He absolutely would not allow anything in this world to harm An An.
His An An would never have to go through some damn tragic and powerful journey.
"Don't worry. I'm telling you," Fang Miaomiao patted Wen Zhiyan's shoulder. "The old man said I have good fortune, and you all have my fortune around you, so nothing will happen."
"Mm."
After Fang Miaomiao comforted him for a while, she said, "I think we should go see Mother."
Compared to An An's safety, Ran Lian's accusations were insignificant.
"I'll go, you go pick up An An."
Fang Miaomiao was silent for a moment. "Okay."
...
"What are you doing here?" Ran Lian asked impatiently as she looked at Wen Zhiyan at the door.
"Just came to see you."
Xin Xuanlai bowed his head, pushed Wen Zhiyan into the ward, and placed the fruit on the table.
"You can go now."
Xin Xuanlai glanced at Ran Lian, nodded, and left, not forgetting to close the door.
"What, you here to see if I'm dead?"
Wen Zhiyan shook his head. "You are my mother."
"Do you still consider me your mother?"
Wen Zhiyan was confused. "Why do you say that?"
"I asked you, didn't I ask you to go back and be the vice president and manage the company with the Zhi family?"
Ran Lian, despite wearing a hospital gown, exuded an imposing aura.
"I'm tired, I don't want to manage the company."
Ran Lian laughed. "Tired? You just can't stand to see the Zhi family do well, thinking they stole your things? But have you forgotten? From the time you were little, I've always told you that you are a jinx. You should be grateful for being kept in the Wen family, and treat your brothers well."
"But you? If you had sent the money over earlier, Zhi Mo wouldn't have died. If your leg hadn't been broken, Zhi Yu wouldn't have left home for five years."
"Tell me, are you the black sheep of our Wen family? You stole your brother's nutrients, causing him to die in my womb, making me have a difficult labor. As you grew up, you bullied your own brother. Tell me, why should I love you?"
Ran Lian's voice rose to a near shout towards the end.
Wen Zhiyan looked at her hateful eyes. There was a time when she had looked at him with kindness.
When had things changed?
Wen Zhiyan didn't know.
"I came this time to ask you something."
"What?"
"Do you know Xiang Ling?"
"Who is Xiang Ling?" Ran Lian asked, confused. "Are you getting a divorce?"
"No, we found out your account transferred a sum of money to Xiang Ling."
"Why would I transfer money to someone I don't know?"
"She harmed An An at the kindergarten. The police said she knows Xie Wanqing."
"Nonsense."
"Mom, what are you talking about? How did you even get out of bed?"
Xie Wanqing entered, holding a thermos, a smile on her lips. "Zhiyan, what brings you to visit Mom?"
"Don't mention him," Ran Lian said displeased. "I've been in the hospital for several days, and he hasn't even called to ask about me. Now he's here to accuse me, saying I transferred money to someone named Xiang Ling, and that Xiang Ling bullied An An at school."
"I told you long ago not to send the child to that kind of public school. You insisted on it, and now look."
"Oh, right." Ran Lian looked at Xie Wanqing. "Wen Zhiyan said that the person named Xiang Ling knows you?"
Xie Wanqing's hand, which was holding the food, paused for a moment before she quickly recovered and shook her head with a look of surprise. "I don't know, Mom. You know, I only went out for a while when we got married. I've been taking care of you all the time, so how could I have had time to meet other people?"
Ran Lian thought about it. It seemed Wanqing had indeed been by her side the whole time.
"Zhiyan, I'm sorry, but I really don't know the person you're talking about."
"Is that so?" Wen Zhiyan's lips curved into a smile. "However, Xiang Ling has already confessed. She said you two were friends for a while, and you coincidentally found out she was teaching at An An's school. It was also a coincidence that she was An An's teacher. You told her to scare An An, to make An An become quiet and withdrawn again."
"Wanqing!" Ran Lian looked at Xie Wanqing with increased seriousness. "Is what Wen Zhiyan is saying true?"
She remembered that when Wanqing and Wen Zhiyu went to get married, she had given Wanqing one of her cards to ensure Wanqing wouldn't suffer. More importantly, that card wasn't linked to SMS notifications, so she didn't know how Xie Wanqing had used the money.