This was no pretense—Mo Xiuchen, a man so proud and exceptional, would never stoop to such charades. That realization made Wen Ran suddenly understand and let go of Cheng Jia's earlier insinuations.
No matter what reason Mo Xiuchen had for marrying her in the beginning, in this very moment, she deeply believed that he would never harm her—just as he had once said in front of Cheng Jia: even if the entire world turned against him, she, Wen Ran, would not.
Years later, Wen Ran would still remember this night, those two minutes of silent eye contact with Mo Xiuchen. In that instant, she realized with startling clarity—she had fallen for this man.
"Ranran, your brother is fine. I spoke with him briefly—he wasn't aware of anything."
As soon as Gu Kai stepped into the room, he sensed the subtle shift in atmosphere. His long eyes glanced over Mo Xiuchen and Wen Ran, and he explained gently.
It was for the best that Wen Jin remained unaware.
Mo Xiuchen stood, pulling Wen Ran up with him. His tone was calm and detached. "I'll leave the rest to you. It's getting late. Ranran and I will head home. Let me know the moment you hear anything."
"I'll stay behind," Qin Mu suddenly said, guilt lacing his voice. He, too, bore some responsibility. Mo Xiuchen had entrusted Wen Ran's safety to him upon leaving the hotel—and yet, such a thing had happened.
Mo Xiuchen remained silent, tacitly agreeing.
Gu Kai stepped aside. "Ranran was frightened. It's better you take her home to rest. Don't worry, no matter where that woman hides, I'll find her and bring her out."
To dare stir trouble on his turf—that woman was far too bold.
Throughout the drive home, Mo Xiuchen said nothing, his eyes fixed on the road ahead with unwavering focus.
Wen Ran sat in the passenger seat, her body slightly angled toward him. As she looked at his tightly pressed lips and sharply defined jawline, tinged with a cold sternness, an inexplicable wave of tenderness welled up in her chest.
Unaccustomed to such silence, she pursed her lips and broke it. "On the way to the hospital earlier, Luo Haofeng told me you went to see Cheng Jia. He seemed eager to watch the drama unfold, so I let him go. Is he still at her place now?"
Mo Xiuchen turned his head, his eyes like deep pools reflecting her delicate, fair face. The chill between his brows melted away unconsciously, and he asked softly, "You're not upset that I went to see her?"
After her repeated reassurances, he no longer believed her indifference was apathy—he trusted her now. Her lack of jealousy wasn't emotional detachment, but a sign of unwavering faith in him.
Wen Ran smiled lightly, her voice clear and buoyant. "Why would I be upset? If you went to see her, you must have had your reasons. I've said it before—if I choose to trust you, then I will trust completely."
Mo Xiuchen's mood visibly brightened at her words. A faint smile played at the corner of his lips, casual and relaxed. "You're right. I didn't go to see her out of any lingering attachment. It's just—she upset you this afternoon. And as your husband, I couldn't just stand by while you're wronged."
"Pfft! If Cheng Jia knew you overheard her on the phone this afternoon, she'd probably bite off her own tongue before saying those things. So? How exactly did you avenge me?"
Wen Ran asked with curiosity. Although Luo Haofeng and Gu Kai had shared some details, they'd been vague—she wanted to hear it from Mo Xiuchen himself.
Being gazed at with such eager eyes, something stirred in Mo Xiuchen's heart. His gaze deepened, his voice teasing as he replied, "Ranran, if you keep looking at me with that adoring expression, I might have to pull over right now."
Wen Ran blinked, momentarily stunned. When she realized his implication, a flush crept swiftly up her pale cheeks. She turned her face away in embarrassment. "Who's looking at you adoringly? I just want to know how you helped me get revenge."
Mo Xiuchen chuckled heartily. As they reached a crossroads—where he should've turned left toward home—he abruptly turned the wheel right instead, a meaningful glint in his eyes. "Since you're so curious, why don't I take you to see for yourself?"
"Sure!"
Though Wen Ran felt something sly behind his smile, curiosity quickly overruled doubt, and she agreed without hesitation.
The car sped down the road. In less than fifteen minutes, Cheng Jia's apartment came into view.
"That's her place just ahead," Mo Xiuchen said, his tone mild. "Ah Feng's in that van right there."
As he spoke, he pulled up behind the business van. No sooner had the car stopped than Luo Haofeng emerged and walked over. He opened the passenger door and greeted Wen Ran with a mischievous grin. "Wen Ran, I've got something juicy for you."
He bent down and slipped a Bluetooth earpiece into her ear.
"What is it?" Wen Ran blinked, puzzled, staring at Luo Haofeng's impish smile. The next moment, her eyes widened in shock as an unbelievable sound came through the earpiece...
"What kind of nonsense are you letting her hear?"
Mo Xiuchen shot Luo Haofeng a warning glare, swiftly removed the earpiece from Wen Ran's ear, and took the phone from him, powering it off without another word.
"That was your phone?"
Even though she'd only heard a snippet, Wen Ran was no naïve girl—she immediately understood what kind of situation those sounds implied. Her cheeks burned scarlet. Watching Mo Xiuchen take the phone, she asked in surprise.
"Mm. I use this one for business. I wanted to know how Xiao Liu was doing, so I had him stay on the call as he went up. Who knew he'd be so earnest and forget to hang up."
Mo Xiuchen didn't listen to the recording—he had simply ended the call. But even without hearing it, from Luo Haofeng's smirk and Wen Ran's blushing face, he could already guess what had transpired upstairs—it must have gone just as he'd planned.
"Xiao Liu…" Wen Ran muttered, then stopped short. Remembering who was in Cheng Jia's apartment, she suddenly didn't know what to say.
"Who would've thought Xiao Liu, a man completely inexperienced in such matters, could be so... formidable?" Luo Haofeng laughed wickedly. "Maybe it's the medicine. Judging by that energy, they won't rest until after two or three in the morning."
Wen Ran twitched at the corner of her mouth. After a moment, worry flickered in her eyes. "When Cheng Jia wakes up and finds out it was Xiao Liu, she'll probably hate him—and maybe you too."
Mo Xiuchen snorted dismissively. "She brought this on herself. I was already being generous by letting her be with Xiao Liu. If she weren't still of some use, I wouldn't have let him suffer the indignity."
"I wouldn't call it suffering," Luo Haofeng said with a lewd smile. "Cheng Jia might be cheap, but she is a beauty. For an honest guy like Xiao Liu to land a woman like that—hey, maybe it's a match made in heaven."
"Match made in heaven?"
Wen Ran frowned at his words. Based on her conversations with Cheng Jia, the woman wasn't the type to marry just because she'd shared a bed with someone. She was not the kind to accept her fate quietly—this afternoon, she'd still sworn she would win Mo Xiuchen's heart.