Wen Ning held her breath and waited intently.
Then she saw-
[Typing...]
[Typing...]
[Typing...]
The contact name at the top switched back and forth with "Typing..." for almost five minutes before a message finally popped up in the chat.
Darling hubby: [.]
Wen Ning: ...?
Seriously, dude, you hesitated for five minutes just to send a period??
Wen Ning laughed in exasperation and viciously typed: [Hubby, why are you still awake? (*^▽^*)]
She wore the fiercest expression while sending the most simping words.
A few seconds later, the other side replied-
[...]
[I told you, don't call me that]
Oh, quite the temper.
Wen Ning: [Fine, fine, I won't call you hubby, then Ծ‸Ծ]
Then her lips curved, and she smiled like a wicked little fox: [Baby, how are you feeling now? Are you okay?]
Bo Yan was probably rendered speechless by her antics. It took him ages to reply: [What do you think?]
Even though she hadn't drugged him, Wen Ning still felt somewhat guilty when Bo Yan threw that question back at her.
She wrote: [I acted on impulse this time. From now on, as long as you're unwilling, I won't force you to do anything again. I swear!]
Meanwhile.
The basement lights were off. The only light in the room came from Bo Yan's phone screen.
His injuries made lying down uncomfortable, so Bo Yan sat propped against the sofa's armrest, holding his phone in one hand while pressing the other against the fresh knife wound he'd added to his arm in the bathroom that morning.
He lowered his eyes to the long string of words on the screen. His lips curved mockingly, and the hand pressed against his arm suddenly pushed harder.
The wound, which had only just begun to close, tore open again. Blood soaked through the gauze in the blink of an eye.
Bo Yan seemed utterly unable to feel the pain. He didn't even furrow his brows.
He thought listlessly, Didn't she get tired of putting on this act all day long?
Bo Yan didn't believe a word of Wen Ning's bullshit promises. He was just a little surprised that she had taken the initiative to show concern for him.
He'd thought that, seeing him reach out first, she would humiliate him, just as she had before.
He wasn't sure why he'd opened their chat of his own accord, either.
Perhaps the basement was too quiet at night, so quiet that even if he died here, no one would care.
Occasionally, Bo Yan realized that, rather than slipping away without a sound, he was no different from most ordinary people: he still hoped his death wouldn't be quite so silent.
That way, at least it would prove that his coming into this world hadn't been a mistake.
Even if everyone thought his very existence was a mistake.
After waiting a long time without a reply, the person on the other end seemed to lose patience and sent another message.
Wen Ning: [Fine, fine, I know I've used up all my credibility with you. Don't worry, baby. In the future, I'll prove my sincere heart to you through my actions!]
Wen Ning: [[Kitten holding a heart.jpg]]
Bo Yan: "..."
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Bo Yan still didn't reply. He simply watched the not-so-quiet chat window in silence.
Even the cold, gloomy basement seemed to grow livelier.
Wen Ning was very chatty. Even without a reply from Bo Yan, she could perform this one-woman show without the slightest embarrassment.
She went from what she'd eaten after coming home today to asking what he'd eaten all day.
Finally, she even asked: [I heard from Doctor Xie that you asked about my injury, baby!]
Bo Yan: "..."
For some reason, Bo Yan's ears grew a little hot.
He turned his head away with a scoff, thinking impatiently that Xie Luping really was a busybody. He'd only asked in passing.
His long fingers hovered uncertainly above the screen. Bo Yan pressed his thin lips together, unsure what to say.
He actually rarely chatted with anyone on WeChat.
He'd never had any friends growing up. The only people he could contact on WeChat were Xie Luping and those at the fighting arena.
He rarely chatted with anyone on WeChat late at night about random nonsense, and... he rarely stared for this long at a whole pile of nonsense someone had sent him.
Because no one sent him messages.
Nor would anyone take the initiative to ask him, "What did you eat today?" "Make sure you eat properly." "How are you feeling? Does anything feel uncomfortable?"...
Bo Yan suddenly grew a little agitated, even beginning to loathe himself. The feeling came out of nowhere, and he couldn't understand exactly what had caused it. All he knew was that not knowing how to reply right now really annoyed him.
In the end, he merely kept his head lowered and continued staring unhappily at the screen.
The person on the other end didn't care at all whether he replied, firing off several messages in rapid succession-
[So you actually care about me a tiny bit now too, right, baby? Yes, you do]
[Baby, why aren't you replying? Are you shy because I hit the nail on the head?]
[Okay, I know you're shy, baby~ Don't worry, baby, my injury isn't serious. It just hurts a little o(╥﹏╥)o]
Wen Ning kept typing at lightning speed: [It really hurts a lot. I bled so much this morning, sob sob sob]
Once the message had sent, Wen Ning couldn't help rubbing the goosebumps on her arms.
She really was nauseatingly mushy.
Wen Ning hadn't expected Bo Yan to reply anyway. This was her solo act to begin with, so she didn't feel that he was giving her the silent treatment, nor did she feel disappointed or anything.
After sending a few more pitiful, mushy messages, Wen Ning heard a knock at her bedroom door.
"Ningning, are you asleep?"
It was Mother Wen.
Wen Ning quickly locked her screen and went to open the door.
Outside, Mother Wen stood in her pajamas with a first-aid kit in her hand, looking at her tenderly.
After entering the bedroom, Mother Wen noticed that the frightening posters on the walls and the scary cushions on the bed were all gone. Her brows rose slightly. She said nothing, but began weighing things up inwardly.
She took Wen Ning's injured hand and glared at her. "It's one thing to fool that brat Wen Jing, but you thought you could fool your dad and me too? You know what your brother's like. Even if that boy were cured, he'd probably still drool."
Mother Wen roasted her own son mercilessly. Then her brows knitted tightly, and she said sternly, "How exactly did you get hurt? Tell your mother the truth."
Wen Ning's gaze flickered evasively.
Mother Wen narrowed her eyes. "Did Bo Yan hit you?"
Wen Ning quickly waved her hand. "No, no, actually..."
Seeing the genuine worry and concern in Mother Wen's eyes, Wen Ning felt warmth in her heart and a sting in her nose.
Original owner, you really were born into a happy family.
She couldn't fool the two elders about her wound, so Wen Ning selectively told Mother Wen about the drugging.
The moment she finished listening, Mother Wen slapped her on the back.
Wen Ning yelped, thinking Mother Wen would surely give her a proper scolding. After all, drugging someone really was utterly unconscionable.
Instead, Mother Wen said, exasperated at her failure to live up to expectations, "Honestly, what am I supposed to say to you? You already drugged him. You could at least have slept with him! How could you just run home like that? Useless!!"
Wen Ning: "...?"
No, uh, was this right??
Wen Ning was utterly dumbfounded!
Mom, you really are my own mother!
At a time like this, you're still thinking about whether I slept with him!
But Mother Wen quickly warned her, "Since Bo Yan already knows, don't use... don't pull any more of these tricks. That boy has a fiery temperament too. You need to learn to overcome hardness with softness..."
Ding-ding~ Mother Wen's little classroom was now in session~
For the next half hour, Mother Wen passed on her experience to Wen Ning, telling her how to win Bo Yan over step by step.
In short: with someone like Bo Yan, winning his heart was a far better strategy than conquering his body.
Wen Ning was awestruck.
After listening to this half-hour lesson, she said admiringly, "Master, I've attained enlightenment!"
Mother Wen gave a regal, aloof smile. "Watch and learn. You've still got a long way to go, little girl."
"But," Mother Wen changed tack, her face stern again, "that boy was far too heavy-handed. No matter how angry he was, he shouldn't have hurt my precious daughter!"
Mother Wen thought for a moment, then said, "Don't go back for the next few days. Even if it's only out of consideration for our Wen family, that boy will have to come pick you up. I'll give him a proper talking-to then."
Wen Ning had the same plan. Mainly, she was afraid that if she went back now, while Bo Yan was still angry, he would simply make her an extra meal for the wild boars on the back mountain.
Mother and daughter exchanged a few more intimate words before Mother Wen went back to rest.
It had been so long since Wen Ning had received such care from family. Her heart felt warm.
Even though this wasn't truly her family.
Only after lying on the bed for a while longer did Wen Ning remember she'd just been chatting with Bo Yan on WeChat.
She figured she'd say goodnight to Bo Yan, and that would fulfill today's simping quota.
Who would have thought that when she opened WeChat, she would see several red notification dots by Bo Yan's profile picture!
That NPC Bo Yan had actually replied to her!
Wen Ning sprang upright in bed and opened her WeChat chat with Bo Yan!
When she saw what Bo Yan had sent her, she couldn't help bursting into laughter.
There it was-
[An injury that doesn't hurt? Are you dead?]
[You brought it on yourself. It has nothing to do with me]
[You]
After that "You," another five minutes passed before Bo Yan sent-
[Remember to change your dressing before bed]
Another five minutes passed-
[I've been meaning to say this. First, don't call me hubby. Baby isn't allowed either. Second, you're really noisy...]
Yet another five minutes passed-
[If there's a next time, I'll definitely kill you]
Holding back her laughter, Wen Ning replied: [Ah, is it that scary? I'll be killed just for calling my hubby baby? So loving someone really is a capital offense QAQ]
The other side spent a full minute typing before replying: [I meant what happened this morning]
As though he could bear it no longer, Bo Yan very seriously typed: [Wen Ning, are you an idiot?]
Wen Ning replied: [Hahahaha and hahahahahahahahahaha]
Bo Yan frowned, then, a moment later, couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from lifting.
He had no idea what this woman was laughing about. Nutcase.
Still, she did seem... different from before in a lot of ways...
Was she really still Wen Ning?
Just as he was thinking this, Bo Yan heard two knocks.
The smile vanished from his lips in an instant. Like a leopard that had been disturbed, Bo Yan's expression turned cold, his whole body on alert.
He looked toward the cold door with a chilling gaze, locking his phone screen with his left hand while his right found the knife in the gap between the sofa cushions. In a low, icy voice, he demanded, "Who is it!"
"It's me, A-Yan."
The person outside spoke softly.
Bo Yan's brows immediately drew together.