The next day.
Wen Ning opened her eyes to the crystal chandelier.
After spacing out for a few seconds, she thought, Awesome. Survived another day.
With this will to survive, anyone who didn't know better would think she'd transmigrated into the apocalypse.
While washing up, Wen Ning had nothing else to do, so she started assigning herself the day's missions in her head.
Mission one: send Bo Yan a good-morning message on WeChat to check in.
Mission two: chase up the custom posters and body pillows she'd ordered last night.
Mission three: persuade Wen Jing to turn back from his misguided path-turn around, and the shore was right there.
Thinking of Wen Jing's eventual ending, Wen Ning sighed.
Little brother, of all the people you could like, why did you have to fight the male lead for his woman?
Look, even the big villain couldn't win against him, let alone a bottom-tier supporting male character like you.
Wen Ning's head hurt a little.
Actually, she'd noticed something was off with Wen Jing's mood at dinner last night. When he came to see her afterward, she could more or less guess what he wanted.
But then Wen Jing had gotten busy helping her deal with the roomful of merchandise and probably hadn't found a chance to bring it up.
If Wen Jing still didn't mention it today, Wen Ning planned to ask him herself.
From what she'd observed, Wen Jing had clearly already fallen in deep. She had to fish him out before he sank any deeper.
After washing up, Wen Ning headed downstairs while messaging Bo Yan on her phone.
She'd sent him a good-night message last night, but Bo Yan hadn't replied.
Wen Ning silently cursed the rude bastard, then beamed as she sent him: [Good morning, baby! Remember to eat properly even when I'm not there. Don't miss me so much you can't eat or sleep, okay? (*^▽^*)]
Bo Yan was already awake, because Wen Ning saw the name at the top change to "Typing..."
Only after she'd said good morning to her parents and ruffled her dumb puppy of a brother's love-addled head did Bo Yan reply: [...]
He probably hadn't known how to answer her and, after all that effort, had managed to produce six dots.
Wen Ning couldn't help laughing.
Teasing the big villain when she had nothing to do was pretty fun.
Provided, of course, that the big villain didn't feed her to the wild boars as an extra meal.
Wen Ning was just checking in and didn't chat with Bo Yan. She had other things to do.
First, she went onto Taobao to check the orders she'd placed last night.
Most of the shops she'd ordered from were local, and she'd paid for rush orders. Everything would arrive today.
Most of the sellers had already sent her photos of the finished products that morning. Wen Ning took a look. Aside from the limited selection of photos and the many duplicate posters, she was quite satisfied overall.
Especially with that wedding photo!
It used a photo of the original owner and Bo Yan at their wedding.
Their wedding had been arranged in a hurry, but it hadn't been the least bit shabby.
In the photo, the original owner wore a diamond-studded white wedding dress and held a bouquet of white flowers.
Bo Yan stood beside her in a crisp black suit that accentuated his tall frame, broad shoulders, and long legs.
Neither of them showed the slightest smile, though. They stared expressionlessly at the camera. It looked less like their wedding and more like a funeral they were holding for each other.
Of course, thanks to the seller's superb photo-editing skills, the "Wen Ning" in the photo now wore a brilliant, dazzling smile. Even the corners of Bo Yan's mouth had risen by two pixels.
The revamped wedding photo looked sweet and happy.
Wen Ning's lips curved in satisfaction.
"Sis, who are you chatting with? You look so happy." Wen Jing was agonizing over how to fish information out of his sister when he looked up and saw her smiling so sweetly.
"Hm?" Wen Ning looked up, sounding a little puzzled. "What is it?"
Wen Jing eyed his sister suspiciously for a few seconds, then, while Wen Ning wasn't looking, darted his head over to sneak a peek at her phone screen.
Wen Ning: "?"
Wen Jing: "???"
Wen Jing pointed at his sister's phone wallpaper, his jaw practically hitting the floor. "Sis, you're actually using a wedding photo of you and that dumb-my brother-in-law as your wallpaper!"
Under his sister's threatening gaze, he forcibly changed "dumbass" to "brother-in-law"!
Her parents perked up at that. "Really? It seems Bo Yan really is a fine young man. Ningning's very happy with him." As her father spoke, he shot her mother a meaningful look.
Her mother shook her head at him and sighed inwardly.
The two of them still thought their daughter was just doing this out of anger at that Bo Xubai boy.
Taking down the merchandise in her room and using a wedding photo as her wallpaper-what could it be if not spite?
But neither intended to talk her out of it. They'd always doted on their daughter. She could do whatever she wanted, and if things really didn't work out, they would help stir the waves from behind the scenes.
Wen Ning had no idea what her parents were thinking. She raised her chin. "What's wrong with using a wedding photo of me and my husband as my wallpaper?"
Wen Jing shook his head blankly, then thought of something and asked in disbelief, "So, sis, you were just grinning like an idiot at this photo?"
Wen Ning scratched her cheek. Surely she hadn't been grinning like an idiot.
Just then, the family's housekeeper came over to ask the siblings what they wanted for lunch.
Wen Jing looked utterly done with life. "Wild greens. My sister's going up the mountain to dig some up later."
Wen Ning: "..."
Once she caught on, Wen Ning promptly unleashed the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms on Wen Jing's back.
Wen Jing yelped and howled. "No, sis, my brain has accepted the fact that you've fallen for Bo Yan, but my heart can't take it! Do you really like Bo Yan that much? Why? Just because he's good-looking?"
Wen Ning didn't deny it. "Yep."
Wen Jing didn't understand. "Then, putting his looks aside?"
Wen Ning was perfectly unapologetic. "Can't put them aside."
Wen Jing choked. "But... Brother Xu's good-looking too!"
Wen Ning sneered. "You really think Bo Xubai's better-looking than Bo Yan? Then you're blind. I'll book you an eye appointment right now. Early detection, early treatment."
Wen Jing: "..."
Wen Jing was convinced. "Uh, okay, Bo Yan is better-looking than Brother Xu, but you can't just fall for someone else because he's handsome! You've liked Brother Xu since you were little. He was the only one in your heart, the only one you had eyes for!"
Wen Ning spread her hands. "And? So what? He's a cheating scumbag. What's wrong with me falling for someone else? Is it illegal?" At that, Wen Ning's delicate brows knitted. "You're acting a little strange, kid. From the sound of it, you're dying for me to keep pestering Bo Xubai and ruin their relationship, aren't you?"
Wen Jing hadn't expected his sister to be so sharp and hit on exactly what was on his mind. Guilt flickered through him, and he hurried to argue, "I'm not! I didn't! I just think it's a bit too sudden..."
That was genuinely how he felt. Wen Ning was his sister. He wouldn't go so far as to use her for his own secret crush that couldn't see the light of day.
He was just... a little down.
Ah!!! He couldn't figure himself out either! This was so frustrating!
Seeing every emotion written all over his face, Wen Ning was momentarily speechless.
After spending time with them yesterday, she could clearly tell that her parents were both intelligent people.
She had no idea why the children of two intelligent people had brains smoother than the next...
Maybe this was what happened when two positives made a negative.
Seeing the siblings bickering, and hearing Wen Jing go further and further out of line, their mother said, "Enough. Even food can't shut you two up. Hurry up and eat! Once you're done, go find somewhere cool to stay. Stop being an eyesore here."
Wen Ning and Wen Jing immediately behaved and shut their mouths.
Sure enough, parental love was even more fleeting than a meteor streaking across the night sky.
The siblings finished breakfast with their heads down, then Wen Ning grabbed Wen Jing and dragged him back to her bedroom.
Once the door closed, Wen Ning folded her arms and narrowed her peach-blossom eyes. "Out with it. How far have things gone between you and her?"
Wen Jing froze for a long moment, then his face flushed red and he turned away. "Sis, what are you talking about? I don't understand."
Wen Ning smacked his arm. "Still playing dumb with me! I saw everything! Earlier, you two-"
She was deliberately bluffing, but Wen Jing instantly reacted like his tail had been stepped on, panicking. "Sis, you saw me hug her! Sis, I'm sorry! I-I-I didn't mean to, and this has nothing to do with Wanwan! It's all one-sided!"
Wen Ning: "..."
This kid really didn't have a single wrinkle in his brain. He was far too stupid!
No wonder Jiang Tingwan had him running in circles later on. He gave her whatever she wanted, and in the end, even threw away his own life.
Looking at her innocent, naive little brother, she rested her right hand on his shoulder and let out a long sigh. "Wen Jing, you should know that Jiang Tingwan likes Bo Xubai. They even have a daughter together. If I hadn't interfered before, they'd already be married by now. Even so, it's only a matter of time before they get married."
"Wen Jing," Wen Ning said earnestly, "one-sided love gets you hurt. Haven't I been hurt enough by Bo Xubai already?"
Seeing Wen Jing's eyes slowly redden, Wen Ning sighed again. "It's not because she's Jiang Tingwan, or because she has a child, and certainly not because she used to be my rival in love. I just want you to be happy. Jiang Tingwan only has Bo Xubai in her heart. Don't you know that even better than I do?"
Tears swam in Wen Jing's eyes as he looked at her like a hurt little child.
Wen Ning stroked his head. "Because you're my only, most cherished little brother. Wen Jing, I don't want you to get hurt. Can you understand how I feel?"
The moment she finished speaking, Wen Jing couldn't hold back anymore and threw himself into her arms.
"Sis!! Waaaaah, sis!!!"
Wen Ning patted his back soothingly. "It's okay. You'll definitely meet a girl you like who likes you just as much."
Wen Jing sobbed. "But, sis, what do I do? I really like her, waaaaah."
Wen Ning's mouth twitched. Rolling her eyes, she pulled him off her. "Then go dig up wild greens!"
With that, she opened the door, leaned over the railing, and shouted to the housekeeper downstairs, "Auntie Zhao, we're having wild greens for lunch! Wen Jing's going up the mountain to dig them up!"
She'd barely finished shouting when Wen Jing chased after her and leaned over the railing beside her. "Auntie Zhao, my sister's coming to dig them up with me!"
"Who said I was digging with you?" Wen Ning was speechless!
Wen Jing said through his sobs, "You! Aren't you madly in love with Bo Yan now too?"
Wen Ning scoffed. "Bo Yan's my husband. We're legally married. It's perfectly reasonable for me to like him!"
Wen Jing: "I-"
Wen Ning: "Convinced now, inside and out?"
Wen Jing's face flushed from holding it in. Turning away, he shouted downstairs, "Mom! Sis is bullying me!"
Downstairs, their mother had changed her shoes and was elegantly holding her handbag. Humming a tune, she called upstairs, "Are you dying? If not, save it. Your mother's busy going out to play mahjong."
Wen Jing threw his head back and howled, "Mom!!!!!!!!"
Wen Ning nearly died laughing!
Finally, she patted Wen Jing's shoulder. "If you really can't let go, confess to her."
Wen Jing's eyes lit up.
Then he heard Wen Ning say, "If she turns you down, give up. If she neither makes a move nor turns you down, congratulations."
Wen Jing: "?"
Wen Ning smiled. "With a first love like that, you've practically run into a ghost. My condolences, little brother. Learn to live with it~"
With that, she floated downstairs to collect her packages.
Wen Jing bristled. "...Ah!!!"
Everyone was bullying him! He'd only just had his heart broken!!!
Over the next two days, Wen Ning was like a hardworking hamster, frantically "stockpiling supplies" in her bedroom.
When Wen Jing came to talk to his sister about his teenage-boy troubles that afternoon, he'd barely stepped into her bedroom before the roomful of "Bo Yan" scared him half to death!
Wen Jing couldn't resist commenting, "Sis, you-how about I book you an appointment with a neurologist? You seem to have a suspected terminal case of love brain!"
Wen Ning tossed out, "What the hell do you know, kid? This is how your brother-in-law and I spice up our marriage," and got ready to leave.
"Sis, where are you going?" Wen Jing followed her like a little tail.
"To pick up the wedding photo," Wen Ning said.
After it arrived yesterday, she'd felt it still wasn't big enough, so she'd sent it back and asked the seller to make it bigger.
The seller wasn't expecting to ship it until tomorrow. Figuring she had nothing to do anyway, Wen Ning decided to pick it up herself.
Besides, who knew whether Bo Yan would launch a surprise attack?
She'd been home for almost three days now. Apart from Bo Yan occasionally replying to a couple of her WeChat messages, things were usually so quiet that she thought her husband had died.
Wen Jing chased after her. "I'm coming too!"
And so the siblings went out together. By the time they returned, it was almost evening.
As soon as Wen Ning got back, she saw Auntie Zhao waiting at the door.
Before she could ask Auntie Zhao to lend a hand, Auntie Zhao smiled and said, "Miss, your husband is here. He's waiting in your bedroom."
Wen Ning froze.
Her husband?
Bo Yan???
Seriously, dude, you really launched a surprise attack!
First Wen Ning was surprised, then she actually felt a little excited!
She'd prepared a whole roomful of surprises for him!
After only a few seconds of excitement, Wen Ning quickly calmed down again!
She shoved the person-height wedding photo into Wen Jing's arms and, looking ready to march heroically to her death, told him, "Tell Ma I'm no coward!"
With that, she strode toward the upstairs bedroom without looking back!