Chapter 265 - 201: Wenren Lan

That evening, Shen Meng sent a message saying she was going back to her hometown tomorrow. This time, she would be going with her aunt, Jia Lian. She said it had been a while since she’d last been back, and her family had called to ask her to come home for the weekend.

Yang Hui figured her parents must miss their daughter. He remembered Shen Meng once saying that she usually went back twice a month. Because of her new relationship with him, she hadn’t been back for a few weeks. Last week she went to Sanyang, but she hadn’t gone all the way out to the countryside.

"Then you should go back and see them. Say hi to your mom for me. And drive carefully on the way."

Shen Meng hummed in agreement and told him not to worry; she was going back with her aunt and Wu Min this time.

Yang Hui went to the living room. The young nanny, Wenren Meng, was still busy. Wenren Du’Er had already gone to bed early because she was excited about going to the amusement park with Wenren Meng for the weekend.

Hearing a sound from the living room, she poked her head out of the kitchen, shuffling in her fuzzy slippers. The collar of her loose, coral fleece loungewear was slightly askew, revealing a portion of her alabaster collarbone.

Yang Hui beckoned to her. Wenren Meng came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.

"Sit." Yang Hui gestured to the sofa opposite him, then sat down on the long couch himself.

Wenren Meng sank gently into the velvet sofa, crossing her long legs as the hem of her chiffon skirt cascaded like water. The moment her legs crossed, Yang Hui thought he saw a flash of black. Although he guessed it was probably her underwear, he couldn’t help but let his imagination wander. She was wearing a skirt, and sitting opposite him like that did make an accidental reveal quite possible. She wasn’t wearing safety shorts at home, after all. Yang Hui was rarely home, and when he was, he was usually in his study or bedroom. Ever since Wenren Meng had started working here, they had never sat down for a formal conversation like this, aside from the usual greetings.

Seeming to notice where Yang Hui’s gaze had landed, Wenren Meng grew a little flustered. Her shimmering eyes seemed to hold a hint of intoxication. The light cast a honey-colored glow on her porcelain skin, and her raven-black eyelashes cast faint shadows on her cheeks.

"Are you settling in okay here?"

She nodded quickly. Of course she was. The pay was much higher than at the factory back home, and she had no living expenses here. She could save money to send back to her family, and more importantly, she could take care of Du’Er.

She had been very nervous when she first arrived, but she was much better now. She felt that Mr. Yang was a truly good person. She’d even been a little scared back then, so she had only dared to wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts as loungewear. Now that she was gradually getting to know his character, she had started wearing the skirts that all girls love.

"The monthly allowance I give you—if it’s running low, just let me know. All the expenses from when you take Du’Er out should come from it. Also, if Du’Er needs to take any extracurricular classes, you can just go ahead and decide. If there’s not enough money, tell me."

A clear spring seemed to well up in Wenren Meng’s almond-shaped eyes, which tilted up slightly at the corners. As she nodded, she felt incredibly lucky.

’Du’Er has really had her fortunes turn around. Meeting Mr. Yang... he’s truly raising her like his own daughter. Sigh... my heartless sister, how could she bear to abandon such an adorable daughter and just leave?’

Just as she was lost in thought, she suddenly heard Mr. Yang say softly, "I’ve never asked about Du’Er’s mother, mainly because I was afraid of bringing up painful memories for her. You can tell me about it."

Wenren Meng seemed to drift into her memories. After a moment of contemplation, she said, "My sister was very beautiful."

Yang Hui waved his hand dismissively. "Don’t state the obvious. I already know that. Get to the point."

’Looking at a stunner like Wenren Meng, not to mention Wenren Du’Er’s good looks, it was obvious her mother must have been a beauty back in the day.’

Thrown off by the interruption, Wenren Meng completely forgot what she had been planning to say. She understood that Mr. Yang wanted her to be concise, so she chose her words carefully and said, "My sister’s name is Wenren Lan. When we were young, our family wasn’t well-off. When I was two, my sister was adopted by a wealthy lady."

’Hm, adopted by a wealthy lady? Could it be that when she left a year ago, she went back to that lady? But that’s still no reason to abandon Du’Er.’ He didn’t interrupt Wenren Meng, just logged the questions in his mind to ask her all at once later.

"After that, we never saw her again. We had no way to contact her. Until 14 years ago, when my sister suddenly appeared before us. And by then, she was already married."

She had originally wanted to describe her parents’ joy at seeing their daughter again, and their anguish upon learning she had married without telling them. But then she decided against it, figuring Mr. Yang wouldn’t want to hear those details.

Little did she know, however, that those words—"14 years ago"—had also triggered a memory for Yang Hui. For the Wenren Family, Wenren Lan’s sudden appearance 14 years ago was a joyous occasion.

But in Xiahe Village, 14 years ago was when someone had suddenly vanished. No matter how they searched, there was never another word, as if she had never belonged to this world at all. The best playmate he’d had since he could remember had vanished without a trace.

"During her time in Qingzhou, she rarely came home. My brother-in-law even said she was rarely at their own home, either. She would often say she was going out to study or on a business trip, which led to a strained marital relationship. The last time she left was a year ago. She said she had something important to take care of. Before she left, worried that my brother-in-law wouldn’t be able to take good care of Du’Er, she made a special trip back to our family home and gave them a card with two million yuan, asking them to help look after her. Who knew that, well, this whole mess would happen later."

Yang Hui listened as if it were a story from a novel; the whole thing felt a bit disconnected from reality. ’There are so many suspicious things about this Wenren Lan’s actions. A wife who never comes home... it’d be a miracle if their marriage wasn’t strained. From Wenren Meng’s explanation, it was clear her husband had no idea what she was doing all those years she was away. What man could tolerate that? No wonder Du’Er said that after her mother left without a word, her father started drinking every day and became obsessed with getting rich quick on the stock market. He probably thought his wife had run off with a sugar daddy.’