Wen Zhi was never the type to bury problems in her heart and pretend nothing was wrong.
She opened her contacts, found Mo Tingyan's number, and sent a short message:
"Come back. We need to talk."
Mo Tingyan was in a private room at the bar, going through documents related to an old accident with Jiang Nanzhong. When he saw the message, his brows furrowed slightly.
This tone… wasn't right.
He casually closed the files that hadn't yielded much yet and said to Jiang Nanzhong,
"I need to head home. Send these materials to my phone later—I'll review them again."
Jiang Nanzhong had accidentally glimpsed the message earlier and couldn't help hissing softly.
"Big brother, aren't you getting a little… henpecked lately? Your wife tells you to go home, and you don't even hesitate?"
Mo Tingyan curled his lips.
"You don't understand. When that girl is upset, she really cuts off my benefits."
Jiang Nanzhong: "..."
"Big brother," he stared at him, "you've seriously fallen for her, haven't you?"
"Enough," Mo Tingyan's voice turned firm. "This is the second time you've said this nonsense. Like, love—those things mean nothing to me. I don't need them."
With that, he handed the documents to Jiang Nanzhong, stood up, and left.
When Mo Tingyan got home, Wen Zhi was sitting at the dining table, eating noodles.
Her expression was icy, as if a layer of frost covered her face.
He changed his shoes, walked over, sat down across from her, and asked with a roguish smile,
"My Zhangzhu called me back so urgently—what orders do you have for me?"
Wen Zhi put down her chopsticks and turned to face him.
"What—did I interrupt something important?"
Mo Tingyan: "Hmm?"
Seeing his confused look, Wen Zhi crossed her arms and asked coolly,
"Where did you go? Who did you see?"
He chuckled and leaned closer, trying to sling an arm around her shoulder.
"Why does this sound like an inspection?"
She leaned back, dodging his hand, and looked at him coldly.
"Mo Tingyan, can you answer a question properly?"
Her seriousness made his brows lift slightly. He answered honestly,
"Didn't I tell you before I left? I went to that same bar and met Nan Zhong."
Then, as if remembering something amusing, he laughed.
"Oh right, something interesting did happen today. After I left, I noticed someone tailing my car. When I got to the bar, your stepsister tried to seduce me. I figured I'd see what she was up to. Not long after, she showed her true colors—throwing herself at me, even asking me to give you back to that Jin guy, saying she could 'compensate' me by staying with me instead. It was ridiculous…"
Wen Zhi: "..."
She'd already decided that if he dared lie, she would expose him on the spot and kick him out of her life.
Who would've thought—
He'd confess everything so openly, even treating it like a joke?
Only someone completely innocent could be this straightforward.
Mo Tingyan leaned over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, looking smug.
"You're mine. If you hadn't stopped me, I would've slammed our marriage certificate right in her face today."
He snorted proudly.
"The funniest part is—someone like her actually dared to compare herself to you? After she finished acting, I scolded her and kicked her out. A toad like that thinks she's worthy of my swan meat?"
Wen Zhi: "..."
Look at him—so proud of himself.
Mo Tingyan dropped the leg he'd crossed and asked,
"Alright, enough of that. You dragged me back in such a hurry—what's really going on?"
Since he was honest, Wen Zhi had no intention of lying either. That was how people who lived together should be.
She took out her phone and showed him the photo Wen Xue had sent.
"This is why I called you back."
Mo Tingyan's expression darkened as he looked at it. He frowned at her.
"So you called me back to test me? If I'd lied just now—if I hadn't told you about this—would you have believed her and misunderstood me?"
Wen Zhi fell silent, not denying it.
The smug look on his face vanished. His voice dropped.
"When we got married, you made three conditions. One of them was that I control myself. What—do you think I can't do that? Zhangzhu, do you really trust me so little?"
Wen Zhi: "..."
Given how flirtatious he usually was, he really didn't look very trustworthy.
But doubting him over one photo and summoning him home like this…
She wasn't exactly innocent either.
Knowing she'd crossed a line, she said,
"If my behavior offended you, I apologize."
"Then why did you doubt me?" he pressed. "Because you don't trust me?"
She frowned slightly.
"It's not that I don't trust you. I don't trust men."
She spoke calmly.
"I haven't known many men. My father was unreliable. I always wanted a dependable man, which is why I chose Mo Tingjue. He looked upright and honest—but he couldn't control himself either. I heard… men are all the same. So when I saw that photo, I…"
Anger surged in Mo Tingyan's chest.
"So you lump me together with those scumbags? Did it ever occur to you that I already have a woman like you—why would I look twice at someone like Wen Xue? Are you looking down on me, or on yourself?"
Wen Zhi lowered her eyes. She could hear the anger in his voice and spoke softly.
"I don't like talking about my mother, but… if you'd met her, you'd understand why I lack a sense of security in marriage. She was… incredibly beautiful. Yet my father still cheated."
Mo Tingyan froze.
He suddenly stood up, looked down at her for a long moment, and then said slowly,
"People aren't the same. I'm different from your scumbag father and your trash ex. I have basic moral boundaries. If I promise you something, I will do it. Don't compare me to those people again. I really don't like it."
With that, he turned and walked into the bedroom.
The door closed.
Wen Zhi stared at it, helpless.
She'd made him angry again—again and again.
This time, she really hadn't been calm. If Wen Xue had actually succeeded, she wouldn't have sent just a shoulder-leaning photo.
She let out a long sigh.
She used to be rational, detached, unconcerned with other people's affairs.
But now…
No—she hadn't called Mo Tingyan back because she cared.
It was because that woman was Wen Xue.
If it were any other woman, she would've simply divorced him.
She wouldn't have cared at all.
Yes. That was it.
She looked down at the photo on her phone again, her eyes turning cold.
Since Wen Xue was unhappy with her own life and decided to come disgust her instead—
Then she shouldn't expect Wen Zhi to let it go.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Fine.
Then Wen Xue could suffer the consequences herself.