Chapter 7: Past Events

“Fan Xia, it’s been so many years since we last met. Let auntie toast you a drink.” When an elder offers a toast, one cannot refuse. Even though Fan Xia disliked drinking, she had to force herself to drink it down. The spicy taste filled her mouth, making her uncomfortable.

After toasting everyone, she leaned tiredly against the table. The phone beside her hand vibrated slightly and lit up. It was a message from Rong Xiu.

To be fair, although Rong Xiu was meticulous in his work, it was rare for him to message her about work after office hours.

But now, Fan Xia felt that even discussing work with Rong Xiu would be more relaxing and comfortable than dealing with these familiar strangers in front of her.

Moreover, the content Rong Xiu sent was about how to dilute the final 5% of shares that his sister Rong Yan had obtained from their father.

Involving professional knowledge, Fan Xia’s fingertips quickly danced across the screen, outlining several rough plans for Rong Xiu.

Beside her, Wen Lan Sheng watched as Fan Xia only focused on her phone, neither speaking nor eating, but with a serious and concentrated gaze, as if only the person in the phone was important, while he, her fiancé, had become a mere accessory, an insignificant existence.

Secretly glancing at her phone and seeing that the person was Rong Xiu, Wen Lan Sheng’s face immediately fell. He instantly concluded that Rong Xiu was doing this on purpose, unable to bear seeing him happy.

“Xia Xia, the guests are all here. Play with your phone later.” Wen Lan Sheng suppressed his anger and gently tugged at Fan Xia’s sleeve.

Fan Xia looked up, saw Wen Lan Sheng’s displeased expression, and put down her phone, saying, “Alright.”

But Rong Xiu’s messages kept coming one after another. Fan Xia had to occasionally pick up her phone to check. Finally, she simply apologized to the guests at the table and went straight into the room.

Seeing the varied expressions on the faces of those at the table, Wen Lan Sheng wished he could snatch her phone and delete all of Rong Xiu’s contact information.

The meal he had carefully prepared ended with Fan Xia barely eating a few bites, all her attention stolen by Rong Xiu.

After the guests left, Wen Lan Sheng was washing dishes in the kitchen while Fan Xia was still in the room talking with Rong Xiu. They even started a voice call, and although they were discussing business matters, it still made Wen Lan Sheng’s teeth itch with anger.

Looking at the plate in his hand, Wen Lan Sheng’s heart hardened, and he smashed the plate on the ground, creating a jarring noise.

Fan Xia was indeed drawn over, asking with concern, “What happened?”

Wen Lan Sheng crouched on the ground, lowering his head to pick up the shards of the broken plate. Although his expression couldn’t be seen clearly, his dejected tone revealed his mood: “It’s nothing, just slipped while washing dishes. Fan Xia, you go back to what you were doing. Don’t worry about me, really.”

Fan Xia smiled and also crouched down to help him clean up the mess, her voice as gentle as a breeze: “Are you angry?”

Wen Lan Sheng bit his lip and looked up, his eyes filled with grievance: “So you still know how to care about me? I thought you were completely focused on Senior Rong Xiu, and I was dispensable.”

Fan Xia shook her head and chuckled lightly: “What are you thinking? The CEO and I were just discussing business matters.”

“Who knows if you were really just discussing business? Fan Xia, have you forgotten what you promised me before? You said you would keep your distance from Senior Rong Xiu.”

Wen Lan Sheng didn’t care about anything else. When Fan Xia had left earlier, their former neighbors had all looked at him with a strange gaze, as if gauging whether he had truly captured Fan Xia’s heart. Otherwise, why would she leave him alone at the dinner table?

“Of course I remember, but he’s my superior and I’m his subordinate. We can’t avoid work-related matters,” Fan Xia explained softly as she picked up the shards.

Wen Lan Sheng stood up silently. He understood that he was being unreasonable, but he just couldn’t feel secure.

Over the years, Fan Xia had become increasingly dazzling, more and more someone he had to look up to. In everyone’s eyes, he wasn’t good enough for Fan Xia, leading to an extreme lack of security.

The intense fear of loss made him show off their relationship online and often make unreasonable demands of Fan Xia. He used these methods to repeatedly remind and emphasize that Fan Xia loved him.

The year Director Fan had the accident, he and Fan Xia were both fourteen years old.

It was the age when young people first experience the stirrings of love. Because of her excellent grades, as well as her exceptionally good looks and personality, she was like the moon hanging high in the sky, a flower blooming in a distant horizon. Love letters from lovesick boys filled her desk drawer like fluttering cherry blossoms.

While the fourteen-year-old Wen Lan Sheng had average grades, average looks, and was even introverted and timid, afraid to speak much to others.

They were like two extremes drawn with a single stroke, making him secretly admire her in his heart, but too insecure to express it.

After school, because they lived in the same direction, Wen Lan Sheng would quietly walk behind Fan Xia, watching her walk along the long tree-lined path with her other friends. The scattered sunlight fell on her smooth black hair, the cool breeze blowing through her strands, beautiful and immaculate.

But such beauty wasn’t blooming for him alone. In fact, she never even noticed him walking alone behind her from beginning to end.

He would steal glances at her focused expression during class; would devoutly and carefully write her name all over his diary; would even learn to write love letters with pressed flower petals like those lovesick boys, but never dared to slip them into her drawer, let alone sign his own name.

It was a long and bitter unrequited love.

Until that day arrived.

His mother was driving their newly bought Santana car, taking him and his father to celebrate his sister Wen Jing’s birthday. His mother, Wen Ming Yue, was very happy and had a few extra drinks. On the way back, there was a sudden loud bang, as if they had hit something.

The cheerful atmosphere in the car instantly froze. Wen Ming Yue’s face turned pale. After getting out to check, she hurriedly returned to the car and quickly left the scene, heading to her grandmother’s house in the countryside. They even sold the newly bought car.

At that time, Wen Lan Sheng had a bad feeling that they might have hit someone.

But he never imagined that the person they hit was Fan Xia’s mother, Director Fan.

Half a month later, when the heat had died down and they dared to return home, they learned that Director Fan hadn’t survived. Fan Xia’s father had also passed away, and relatives, using the excuse that she was underage, had taken her house and sent her to an orphanage.

From being everyone’s praised darling to an object of pity, Fan Xia’s world had shattered.

Watching Fan Xia being taken away by the orphanage’s car, Wen Lan Sheng suddenly realized that this moment was the closest he had ever been to Fan Xia.

Before, she was the moon in the sky, and even basking in her moonlight was a luxury for him. But now the moon had fallen, and he might have a chance to embrace the moon, to make her his alone.

After her parents passed away, Fan Xia was depressed for a long time. During that period, her temperament was gloomy, and her academic performance plummeted.

From being pursued by classmates before, to being avoided, even the teachers’ eyes were filled with disappointment when they looked at her.

The love letters that once filled her desk drawer like flower petals quickly withered.

The whole world was isolating her.

A twisted joy arose in Wen Lan Sheng’s heart. How wonderful, now that everyone else had left, he was closer to Fan Xia. He would let Fan Xia know who truly loved her.

Knowing that the orphanage often skimped on meals, he bought a box of milk and bread every day, slipping them into her desk before class. Although compulsory education didn’t require tuition fees, the costs of various exercise books and materials were beyond what Fan Xia could afford at that time.

He took out his New Year’s money and secretly gave it to Fan Xia, running away quickly when she looked at him in surprise.

Slowly, the two who weren’t very familiar before gradually came together, and Fan Xia finally picked herself up.

In their second year of high school, they secretly kissed in the school’s small grove.

The moon had finally become his alone.

But Fan Xia, who had pulled herself together, was like a bright pearl with its dust wiped away, radiating even more brilliantly than before, standing at a height he couldn’t reach.

The people pursuing Fan Xia came back with a vengeance, even more frenzied than before. Wen Lan Sheng was constantly on edge, fearing that Fan Xia would be seduced away by some man.

The pain of losing after obtaining was something he couldn’t bear.

Suddenly, a pair of warm hands embraced him from behind. Fan Xia hugged his waist and said softly, “I’m sorry. I’ll try not to handle work at home in the future. Tomorrow’s a day off, shall I take you out to play?”

The sadness in Wen Lan Sheng’s eyes disappeared instantly, replaced by surprise: “Really?”

Fan Xia nodded and kissed his hair lightly: “Don’t be upset anymore.”

Wen Lan Sheng rested his head on her shoulder, his voice soft: “Actually, as long as you come to comfort me, I’m not upset anymore.”

Xie Cen looked at the couple cuddling in the kitchen, gave Wen Ming Yue a look, and said in a low voice: “Look, our Lan Sheng is being coy. But the young couple’s relationship seems quite good.”

Wen Ming Yue looked up from the financial news, gazed at Fan Xia’s shadowy figure in the kitchen, and fell into thought.

After Fan Xia came out of the kitchen, she took the initiative to speak: “Fan Xia, finished with work? Come sit down.”

Fan Xia nodded slightly and sat down beside Wen Ming Yue at a leisurely pace, asking with concern: “Auntie, is your leg feeling better?”

“Much better, now I just need to rest.” Wen Ming Yue turned down the volume of the TV and asked, “What Aunt Zhou said earlier, don’t take it to heart. She was just asking, not trying to get inside information from you.”

Fan Xia nodded lightly: “Of course I know. It’s just that some inside information shouldn’t be known by too many people. Otherwise, it spreads from one to ten, ten to a hundred, and then inside information becomes public information.”

Wen Ming Yue heard the other layer of meaning in her words and quickly asked: “You mean there really is inside information?”

Fan Xia lowered her eyes slightly and nodded: “Yes, but it’s not good to say too much to outsiders, right?”

“Of course, who knows if they can keep their mouths shut. But what exactly is this inside information you’re referring to?” Wen Ming Yue asked.

“It’s about a pharmaceutical company. Their newly researched drug has a great effect on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The news will be released in a while, and the stock price should see a significant increase then.”

Hearing this, Wen Ming Yue clenched her hand and immediately asked: “Which company is it exactly?”

Fan Xia was silent for a moment.

Wen Ming Yue knew Fan Xia was hesitating, but with a money-making opportunity right before her eyes, how could she bear to let it slip away? She took Fan Xia’s hand and said earnestly: “Fan Xia, you’re about to marry our Lan Sheng. You’ve been together for so many years, and we didn’t even ask for much bride price. Why? It’s because my husband and I truly consider you as family. The most important thing in a family is trust. I absolutely won’t tell anyone else, rest assured.”

Fan Xia’s eyes wavered slightly, seeming to waver. After a while, she said: “It’s… Suman Pharmaceutical.”