Chapter 117: To Him, She Was Nothing More Than a Substitute
The moment those words left Xu Wan's mouth, Wen Zhi froze.
So… this was the real reason?
Was this why Mo Tingyan—who had lived like a notorious playboy for years—had suddenly insisted on marrying her after sleeping with her just once?
Because she looked like the woman he could never forget?
Seeing the flicker of shock cross Wen Zhi's face, Xu Wan instantly understood. Seizing the opening, she laughed maliciously.
"Wen Zhi, you're just someone else's substitute. Don't tell me you didn't even know?"
She burst into laughter. "Hahaha! This is absolutely hilarious!"
Wen Zhi's eyes darkened.
She didn't want to hear another filthy word from this woman.
She strode forward, kicked Xu Wan to the ground, and planted her foot squarely on her chest, looking down at her with icy contempt.
Xu Wan gasped and cursed,
"What are you being so arrogant for? You're nothing but a substitute!"
Wen Zhi pressed down harder with her foot.
Xu Wan screamed in pain.
But Wen Zhi acted as if she couldn't hear a thing. She crouched down and grabbed Xu Wan by the throat, her stunningly cold beauty unable to conceal the murderous intent blazing in her eyes.
Xu Wan trembled at that look and stammered,
"M-murder is illegal!"
"Relax," Wen Zhi said coldly. "Trash like you isn't worth dirtying my hands."
She released her, grabbed her by the collar, and dragged her out of the room like a dead pig, shoving her straight in front of Mo Tingyan.
"Xu Wan," Wen Zhi said icily, "get the hell out of my house right now. Go find Gu Nian and make her pay your debts. If she refuses, expose the fact that she once had you forcibly locked up in a psychiatric hospital and threaten her."
She crouched down, her eyes dark and ruthless, and poked Xu Wan hard in the area of her liver.
"If she still won't compromise, then that only proves you're completely useless," Wen Zhi continued calmly.
"In that case, I'll have your son personally hand you over to the loan sharks."
She smiled faintly.
"No money? What are you afraid of? You still have your worthless life. Sell a few organs—more than enough to pay off your debts. And when you're dead, I'll make sure your son personally scatters your ashes into the sea to feed the fish."
"You—!"
No matter how shameless Xu Wan was, she felt her blood pressure spike at every single word. Being abused was one thing—but being cursed to die by her own daughter-in-law?
She nearly fainted from rage.
Wen Zhi straightened and looked at Mo Tingyan, her gaze cold and distant.
"Throw her out," she said flatly.
"And if you ever secretly give her even one cent again, I'll divorce you."
Mo Tingyan nodded without hesitation. He bent down, hauled Xu Wan up, and dragged her straight out.
The moment the door slammed shut, Wen Zhi turned and walked back into the room.
She stood on the balcony, closed her eyes, and clenched her fists tightly at her sides.
Xu Wan was right.
She really was ridiculous.
The most ridiculous part?
She had actually fallen for Mo Tingyan.
She'd even been foolishly waiting—waiting for the day he would truly fall in love with her, so she could confess her heart without hesitation.
But it turned out—
From beginning to end, Mo Tingyan had only ever treated her as a substitute.
She was furious at her own stupidity.
She had agreed from the start to a loveless marriage—so how had she crossed the line?
How had she let herself develop feelings?
Unrequited ones, at that.
Pathetic.
Utterly pathetic.
To suppress the storm in her chest, Wen Zhi took out her phone and dialed Mo Tingjue's number.
The call connected quickly.
On the other end, Mo Tingjue's surprised voice almost spilled out of the phone.
"Xiao Zhi? You actually called me?" he asked cautiously. "Is something wrong?"
Wen Zhi went straight to the point, her voice icy.
"Mo Tingjue, tell your mother this—if she wants my life, she can come and take it openly. There's no need for her to keep using Xu Wan to deal with me. Xu Wan means nothing to me."
Mo Tingjue froze.
"What did my mother do this time? Did she use Xu Wan against you again?"
"She gave Xu Wan money," Wen Zhi said calmly.
"She encouraged her to gamble. After she lost, she persuaded her to borrow from loan sharks—and then tried to sell me to pay off the debt."
Mo Tingjue was stunned into silence for a long moment.
"Are you okay?" he asked urgently.
Wen Zhi didn't answer.
Instead, she continued coldly,
"Mo Tingjue, I only dated you once, and it didn't work out. The breakup wasn't my fault. We have nothing to do with each other anymore—so what right does your mother have to humiliate me?"
Her voice sharpened.
"I'm telling you now—if there's a next time, I won't let any of you off."
"I'm sorry, Xiao Zhi," Mo Tingjue said immediately. "I didn't know about this. I already regret what I did in that group chat last time. I never meant to use Xu Wan against you again. I swear I'll talk to my mother—please don't be angry with me. I still—"
Before he could finish, Wen Zhi hung up.
She didn't want to hear any more recycled apologies.
Love?
It was all bullshit.
She would never believe in it again.
Downstairs, Mo Tingyan released Xu Wan and turned to leave.
She immediately played the victim, crying,
"Son, you're really abandoning me? Those loan sharks will actually kill me!"
Mo Tingyan replied coldly,
"Go make trouble for Gu Nian. Otherwise, I'll personally deliver you to the loan sharks. There may not be a law that says a son must repay his mother's debts—but if you die, I'll finally be free. That much is true."
He didn't spare her another glance and walked straight back inside.
Back home, Mo Tingyan entered the bedroom and saw Wen Zhi sitting alone on the balcony, lost in thought.
He walked over and hugged her from behind with a smile.
"Why were you suddenly so angry just now?"
Wen Zhi stood up and calmly stepped out of his embrace, walking to the railing and gazing at the night outside.
"Nothing," she said lightly. "I just didn't want to see her. She's annoying."
Mo Tingyan followed her.
"I'm sorry. If it weren't for a mother like mine, you wouldn't have to deal with this. I've dragged you into it."
Wen Zhi didn't look at him. Her voice was unusually flat.
"There's no dragging anyone down. We're just partners living together. Your family is a mess—mine isn't much better. We were bound to affect each other sooner or later. Call it even."
Mo Tingyan nodded and stepped closer, wanting to hold her again—
But Wen Zhi sidestepped once more.
His hand fell empty.
Sensing something was wrong, he asked gently,
"Zhangzhu, what's wrong with you?"
Wen Zhi turned her head slightly, her eyes distant and guarded.
"I'm fine. I just want to be alone for a while."
"Something on your mind?"
She didn't answer.
Nor did she want to.
They had both entered this marriage with their own motives.
Love was never part of the deal.
This time, she was the one who crossed the line.
She couldn't blame Mo Tingyan for it.
Fortunately… she hadn't fallen too deeply yet.
She could still cut her losses in time.
From this moment on—
She would protect her heart.
She would never fall in love with Mo Tingyan again.