CH 92

She made up her mind and suddenly took two steps forward, bypassing him and entering the study, firmly standing between Song Yan and her uncle.

Wen Yan didn't know what she was trying to do. He furrowed his brows, "You go out and wait first. I'll talk to Song Yan alone."

"Why do you want to talk alone? He is my husband, and you are my uncle," Wen Li said firmly and unquestionably, "Is there anything you two can discuss that I can't hear?"

After saying that, she sat down with her arms crossed, tilting her head up, with an air of arrogance.

Wen Yan stared at her for a while, but Wen Li didn't flinch and met his gaze boldly.

"What are you doing?" He couldn't help but find it amusing and looked at Song Yan, raising an eyebrow, "Are you afraid I'll do something to him?"

Wen Li scoffed, "Hmph. If you two fight, Uncle, you might not even be a match for Teacher Song, right? Our Teacher Song is really good at fighting, don't you know that?"

Song Yan's expression flickered slightly. He lowered his eyelids calmly, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he involuntarily bit his lip.

Wen Yan chuckled, "Who are you putting on this protective face for?"

"You said many unpleasant things to Teacher Song before," Wen Li said, "In the past, I was naive, which allowed Teacher Song to suffer so much. Now that I'm here for him, don't even think about laying a finger on him or saying anything hurtful to him."

Wen Yan felt somewhat surprised and casually said, "So now you're also protecting someone?"

Back then, she used to come to him with a bunch of unopened letters, asking him to help her deal with those annoying boys. It was only through those letters that he discovered Song Yan's letter.

Wen Yan still remembered when he told his father, Wen Xingyi, about it. His father seemed guilty and flustered at the time, asking a string of questions.

What did the Song family want? What did his son want to do? What was their purpose in getting close to my granddaughter?

At that time, both he and his father firmly believed that they were protecting Wen Li.

And now, the girl who was protected by her family back then was standing on the opposite side, protecting another man.

"Uncle, I know what you and Grandfather are worried about. You used to forbid me from doing this and that, but I never complained. But now, I don't rely on the family, I don't use the family's resources. You can earn money, I can too. I have my own thoughts and judgments."

Wen Li choked up at this point, took a deep breath, and continued, "Grandmother left Grandfather a long time ago, making him sad for so many years. My mother left my father because of an accident, making him a lonely man. But I'm sure that even if the outcome remains the same, given the chance, my grandfather and my father would still choose to be with my grandmother and my mother. If you're afraid of what might happen in the future and are hesitant in love, then I think life would be too boring."

Her words hit the mark. Wen Yan suddenly furrowed his brows, silent in response.

"This person is so good, you don't know, but I do," Wen Li asserted firmly, "I'll say it again, if you want to harm him, you'll have to go through me first. Let me see if I will let go."

Wen Yan's gaze became complicated and he remained silent for a while.

Wen Li grabbed Song Yan's hand from behind. He initially thought she was afraid that her uncle would still argue and needed his reassurance. But instead, she held his hand back, just like he had comforted her before, patting the back of his hand, silently telling him, "I'm here."

"..."

Song Yan couldn't help it and smiled as he bit his lip.

Wen Yan also smiled lightly, saying, "Is that all? Let's go home."

Just as Wen Li was about to say the phrase "old relic", Wen Yan added casually, "The car is downstairs. Dad specifically instructed me to bring you two home together for New Year's."

"What?" Wen Li's mind took a moment to process, "...Oh."

She had prepared a whole speech, but the old relic suddenly changed his mind, catching her off guard.

The group of people got into Wen Yan's private car and returned to the Wen residence. It was only then that Wen Li realized that her uncle not only brought her and Song Yan back but also brought Xu Li back to celebrate New Year's together.

Originally, Wen Yan had also contacted Xu Shimao, but the year-end plane tickets were tight, and Xu Shimao was stuck overseas, only able to return during the Lunar New Year.

As soon as Wen Yan arrived home, he went to his father's room. Just as Wen Li was prepared to confront her grandfather once again, Wen Yan came out and called her in to talk.

However, this time, Wen Xingyi didn't call Song Yan for a private conversation but called Wen Li instead.

Wen Li found it strange, "Grandfather, are you only looking for me? Aren't you going to talk to Teacher Song, anymore?"

Wen Yan sarcastically said, "With you protecting Song Yan, who would dare to approach him?"

"...Makes sense," Wen Li didn't catch her uncle's hidden meaning and felt quite proud, "With me here, no one can trouble him, not even Grandfather."

As a result, Wen Li went in and repeated the things she had said to Wen Yan to Wen Xingyi.

She never understood why they had such a bias against Song Yan.

As her granddaughter kept pressing for answers, Wen Xingyi no longer wanted to hide and revealed the fact that she and Song Yan had a marriage engagement many years ago.

Wen Li fell silent for a while and calmly summarized, "So, Grandfather, your bias against him is actually because you feel guilty, right?"

Caught off guard, Wen Xingyi's face twitched.

"A few months ago, I went to Aocheng City and met his parents," Wen Li said, "I'm only glad they didn't have any prejudice against me because of my relationship with you, Grandfather."

Wen Xingyi nervously opened his lips, unsure of what to say.

"Well, just because of this little stunt of yours, I love Song Yan even more now," Wen Li said with a mischievous expression, sounding arrogant, "If you dare to bully Song Yan again, don't blame me for making a choice between family and love."

"...What choice would you make?"

"I would give up my status as a wealthy family's daughter for love and elope with him."

Wen Xingyi's face was filled with black lines, "Have you been watching too many TV dramas, you little rascal?"

"Don't you know this isn't a TV drama? No one watches these kinds of plotlines when they're made into shows," Wen Li retorted, and then she defended Song Yan again, "Speaking of TV dramas, I have a complaint. When you send my uncle to break up the couple, you should at least give him a check of five million in his pocket."

Wen Xingyi was utterly confused, "What nonsense?"

Wen Li emphasized seriously, "I'm saying our family is so rich, Grandfather, you shouldn't be stingy."

"..."

"Grandfather, back then, you didn't have high expectations for my dad, but did he disappoint you?" Wen Li suddenly became serious in tone, "I know your bias against him wasn't because he had no money or ability at that time, but because that year, my mom accompanied him abroad, and as a result, she had an accident and passed away while he survived. You blamed him for indirectly causing my mom's death. But if he could choose who should live and who should die back then, my dad would definitely have chosen himself to die without hesitation."

The grandfather and granddaughter talked in the room for a full hour. As for what they talked about, the people outside the room didn't know. They only knew that when Wen Li came out, she was holding a piece of paper in her hand, while Wen Xingyi immediately called for a caregiver to bring him his blood pressure medication.

——

Wenli was called into the room by her grandfather for a private conversation, while Song Yan was summoned by his brother-in-law, Xu Li, to his room to talk.

Xu Li had nothing else to discuss with his brother-in-law, but the main reason was that Song Yan had previously invited him to collaborate on a song, and Xu Li had kept this matter in mind.

Now that he had almost finished writing songs for his own new album, he finally found some time to help his brother-in-law with songwriting.

"The melody is already written, only the lyrics are missing," Xu Li said, "I'll send you the demo in a couple of days. As for the lyrics, Brother Ah Yan, do you want to give it a try yourself?"

Song Yan never boasted about his abilities in areas where he lacked expertise.

"I've never written lyrics before."

"No problem, give it a try, I'll help you with the revisions," Xu Li changed the subject and said, "But regardless of whether you make changes or not, as long as it's written by you, my sister will love it."

"In that case, please help me with the revisions," Song Yan smiled and said, "I shouldn't neglect preparing a gift for her just because she's easy to please."

Xu Li felt an inexplicable sourness, like being hit by extremely sweet dog food.

"Brother Ah Yan, in high school, did you really have feelings for my sister..." Xu Li hesitated.

Song Yan nodded, "What's wrong?"

Xu Li looked at him with complex emotions and said, "It's nothing, it's just that you hid it too well, brother."

He hadn't noticed anything when they were children. When he saw it trending on social media, his shock was no less than that of any gossip observer.

Ten years ago, both his sister and brother-in-law were just inexperienced high school students, not to mention Xu Li, who was still a child at that time.

"But it's not surprising that I didn't notice, after all, I could only see you when you came to our house to tutor me after school," Xu Li looked puzzled and very confused, "But how come Brother Bai Sen didn't notice?"

Just as both of them fell into silence, Wenli came to knock on the door.

"Little rascal, Teacher Song, come downstairs. Bai Sen is here at our house."

Speak of the devil.

Bai Sen suddenly came without any notice today, startling everyone in the Wen family.

He had been drinking a bit, displaying a lazy and carefree demeanor. However, he maintained a decent attitude in front of the elders. He first greeted Wen Xingyi in the room, then wished Wen Yan a happy new year.

Bai Sen was puzzled, "Huh? Where's Uncle Wen Zheng?"

"He went to celebrate the New Year with his girlfriend," Wen Yan couldn't stand Bai Sen's nonchalant attitude and spoke with a slightly cold tone, "Have you been drinking?"

"Everyone has someone, only I am all alone," Bai Sen's tone turned melancholic, then he suddenly remembered something and looked at the cold-faced iceberg in front of him with a gratified expression, "Oh, I almost forgot, there's still you, Uncle."

Wen Yan's face immediately grew more displeased, and right at that moment, Wenli and the others came downstairs.

Looking at the disheveled Bai Sen, Wen Yan cast a contemptuous glance and then turned to look at Song Yan. The cold and aloof uncle suddenly found his nephew-in-law extremely unsightly.

"He's in your hands now."

Wen Yan waved his hand dismissively and went upstairs to his room.

As soon as his uncle left, Xu Li quickly stepped forward to greet Boson, "Brother Bai Sen, why did you suddenly come?"

"I heard that your family planned to celebrate New Year's Eve together, so I came to join the fun," Bai Sen turned his head and looked at Song Yan and his wife standing beside him, then suddenly said, "Both of you, come here."

Usually, the couple would ignore him, but for some reason today, when Bai Sen called them over, they obediently went.

Boson pointed to his head and said, "What's this?"

Wenli replied, "Hair?"

"No," Boson said seriously, "The vast grasslands."

Song Yan: "..."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Wenli couldn't help but retort, "Our relationship is purer than pure milk. Don't label me wrongly. If people who don't know find out, they'll think something happened between us."

"I know our relationship is purer than pure milk, but other people don't know that! Because of you, damn girl, I've been ridiculed by those bunch of friends!" Boson also became excited suddenly, "You were my fiancée in high school, and you! Plastic brother, that's you! Song Yan! You two have to give me an explanation today. When did you get together? Even if you got together, couldn't you have told me? What nonsense childhood sweethearts, what nonsense brothers! Did you both lose your voices?"

Faced with this long string of accusations, Wenli didn't accept them. She confidently said, "We got together two years ago. Didn't we inform you when we got married? What do you mean by losing our voices?"

"You think I don't have an internet connection at home?" Bai Sen's face grew even more stern, "If nothing happened between you two in high school, then what about the first kiss? Sneaking around behind my back and exchanging kisses!"

Song Yan and his wife were extremely speechless, and Xu Li, his younger brother-in-law, was currently in quite an awkward situation.

Faced with his sister's love triangle, as a younger brother, he really didn't want to get involved and wanted to slip away. However, he was afraid that Boson and Brother Ah Yan would start fighting the moment he left. His sister, the scum woman, couldn't persuade them, so he reluctantly endured the awkwardness and continued to stand there and eavesdrop, hoping to intervene in case they started fighting.

Song Yan sighed and said helplessly, "Have you lost your memory? Did you forget about the days when you laughed at me?"

Boson paused for a few seconds, his confused mind began to rearrange his memories.

"Damn, so it was this damn Wenli who got your mouth bloody because of..." Boson suddenly realized, sitting down on the sofa with a helpless tone, "I was the clown all along."

"..."

"..."

Xu Li waited for a while, but the two men didn't start fighting. Despite feeling relieved, he also felt a slight disappointment in his heart.

His sister's charm wasn't working that well.

After a moment of calm, Boson, with a typical second-male lead attitude, said, "I wish you both happiness," But his last shred of dignity was shattered by Wenli's heartless comment "get lost", so he sadly left, facing the cold December wind.

"This is strange. We've been married for two years, but why does he look like he's heartbroken now? Is he secretly in love with me too?" Wenli couldn't understand, feeling puzzled.

Song Yan also found Boson's behavior unusual, but later, when he saw a WeChat Moments post on Wenli's phone, where her boss, Zhang Churui, posted a moment at a nightclub drinking with several young handsome guys, he understood.

It turned out that all the mess wasn't because he was "betrayed" by his childhood sweetheart and his brother. It was because Boson got hurt by his ex-girlfriend and didn't have the right to interfere with whom she drank with. To vent his frustration, he came to trouble them.

Boson's sudden arrival and departure didn't cause much commotion in the Wen family.

The family gathered around the table for a New Year's Eve dinner. Grandfather was getting old and couldn't stay up late. Soon after dinner, he was going back to his room to sleep. Before leaving, he asked Song Yan a question.

"How are you and Li Li arranging things for the lunar New Year this year? Are you taking her back to Aocheng or are both of you staying in Yancheng?"

Song Yan replied, "It's up to her."

Wenli said, "We've spent the past two years celebrating New Year in Yancheng. Let's go to Aocheng this year."

They thought their grandfather wouldn't be happy with Wenli going to Aocheng for the New Year, but unexpectedly, he didn't stop them. He nodded and said, "Okay, if we don't have many relatives visiting this year, I'll also go to Aocheng."

Wenli and Song Yan were both stunned.

In the end, it was the granddaughter who was not afraid to offend the grandfather. She asked in a low voice, "Grandpa, are you going to Aocheng to find someone to fight?"

Unable to control himself, Wen Yan, who usually maintained a serious expression, burst into laughter.

"Wen Yan, what are you laughing at?! I am your father!" Wen Xingyi scolded his son and then shouted at his granddaughter, "I regret it! Regret!"

Wenli: "..."

In other words, he was going to find someone to fight.

Wen Xingyi angrily went back to his room, and not long after, Xu Li suddenly got the inspiration for a song. Once inspiration struck, he couldn't focus on anything else, so he hurriedly returned to his room.

Suddenly, in the living room, only three people were left.

Wen Yan, who was unmoved by his niece's expression, remained sitting in the living room like an immovable rock.

Wen Li couldn't help but ask in a tactful manner, "Uncle, don't you feel like your forehead is glowing?"

Wen Yan calmly replied, "Are you bothered by my presence? Can't you two go to your rooms?"

...So this old fossil understands everything and deliberately sits here like a light bulb to annoy me.

"Just glaring at me won't kill me."

Wen Yan leaned back lazily. It was New Year's Eve, and with no work to bother him, he was enjoying the rare leisure and good mood as he engaged in a verbal battle with his niece.

Wen Li diverted her gaze and suddenly spoke in a filial tone, "Uncle, I've decided to go to the temple during the New Year to pray for a good marriage for you."

Wen Yan raised an eyebrow, nonchalantly saying, "Instead of praying for useless things on my behalf, why not pray for a better financial fortune for the entire Wen family in the coming year?"

Wen Li flatly refused, "No, our family is already wealthy enough. I want to pray for your marriage."

Wen Yan: "..."

Wen Li chuckled, "I'm praying that you'll meet a woman next year. You'll love her desperately, but she won't love you back. The heartless capitalist will become a lovesick dog and end up with nothing in the end."

Wen Yan was so irritated by this extremely venomous remark that his temples throbbed. He smirked, tugging at his lip, "You're really wasting your talent as an actor with such imaginative thoughts. You might as well switch careers and become a screenwriter."

"Just wait, Uncle. That temple works wonders."

"It's feudal superstition."

The uncle and niece continued their banter, while Song Yan, on the side, listened until his ears ached. He couldn't even focus on the TV. Fortunately, Wen Yan didn't want to waste his breath in pointless arguments any longer, so he unilaterally declared a truce and went upstairs.

Song Yan pondered for a moment, then decided to follow him.

Wen Yan turned to look at him. "Anything on your mind?"

Song Yan went straight to the point, "Why did you keep the agreement secret from Grandfather?"

The fact that the grandfather had a normal reaction today meant that Wen Yan definitely didn't tell him about the agreement.

"She said to beat her up before beating the mandarin ducks. How could I, who watched her grow up, bear to do that?"

When Song Yan returned to the living room, Wen Li was somewhat surprised, "You went to the bathroom so quickly?"

"I just washed my hands."

"Oh," Wen Li didn't doubt him and gestured for him to come over, "Come and sit here."

Once he sat down, she immediately snuggled up to him.

At this point, Song Yan also had no interest in watching TV. He held Wen Li's hand, playing with her palm, and softly asked, "You talked with your grandfather for so long in the room today. What did you talk about?"

Wen Li leaned against his shoulder and shrugged indifferently, "We didn't talk about much. I just gave my grandpa a good lecture. Didn't I tell you? With me protecting you in the Wen family, I won't let you suffer even the slightest grievance!"

Song Yan simply smiled and thanked her.

Wen Li felt that she couldn't bear the weight of that "thank you" and murmured, "Grandfather told me about our previous engagement. In order for your parents to accept me, you must have said a lot of good things about me, right?"

"No, I didn't."

"No need to comfort me, it's only natural," Wen Li took it lightly.

"No, really, it didn't take much effort," He said, "You're naturally likable."

Wen Li didn't believe it and asked with a scoff, "Then why did you tell my grandfather not to make me your wife when he showed you my photo when we were children?"

As a child, he had a bit of a spoiled temperament, a bit proud, and he wouldn't have been interested in any little girl, it wasn't specifically about Wen Li.

But that was the truth he absolutely couldn't say, so he said, "I was blind when I was a child."

Wen Li was very satisfied with this answer and arrogantly hmphed, "You have a clear self-awareness."

Stirred by Song Yan's words, Wen Li started feeling conceited again, "Wasn't I cool when I argued with my uncle for you today?"

"Cool," Song Yan whispered in her ear, "So cool that I couldn't focus."

Wen Li instantly felt goosebumps all over her body and smiled foolishly.

She kept clinging to him, while the TV became nothing more than a decoration.

Song Yan hinted to her, "Shall we go back to the room? Hmm?"

"But it's not midnight yet, I still have to count down." Wen Li said.

"Count in bed."

"..."

It turned out that counting was useless. Once they got in bed, who had the time to care about the New Year? After midnight passed, it was Song Yan who reminded her that it was the new year.

"We made it from last year to this year," Wen Li gave Song Yan a thumbs up, "You're amazing."

Song Yan always enjoyed Wen Li's flattery and had no resistance to it. His Adam's apple moved slightly as he made an affirmative sound.

"Oh, right," Wen Li suddenly remembered something, got up and wrapped herself in the blanket, went to find her clothes, and took out a piece of paper from her pocket, handing it to him, "This is for you."

Song Yan took it and looked at it. It was a check for five million.

"What's this?"

"It's what my grandfather owed you," Wen Li blinked her eyes and giggled, "Take it and buy spicy sticks."

Song Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He casually put the check on the bedside table, then he hugged her and patted her head, saying, "Junior, Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year, Senior." Wen Li said with a smile, "Love me even more in the new year."

"Okay."

Song Yan knew he was lying.

Because he knew very well that his love for her had already reached its peak, he couldn't possibly love her more than he did now.

——

After a short New Year holiday, Wen Li and Song Yan once again devoted their energy to the filming set.

Before the holiday, Qiu Ping gave Wen Li a crying scene assignment, initially not expecting much, but after the New Year holiday, she surprisingly gained an understanding.

On the monitor, Wen Li cried with a runny nose and tears, and even some staff members with high empathy started shedding tears.

When Qiu Ping called for a cut, she hadn't snapped back yet, and it was Song Yan who held his wife and comforted her incessantly until her sobbing gradually subsided.

Qiu Ping felt that he had truly underestimated Wen Li's potential. After the shoot, he specifically called her over and asked how she had gained the understanding.

"Just as Director Qiu said, I just imagined that moment as if it were me dying, and that it was the last time I saw Teacher Song."

Qiu Ping suddenly choked in his throat, his eyes trembling.

"When I thought that after I died, he might remarry in just a few years," Wen Li sighed, "It's painful. Men are unreliable. I'd rather fight to live a few more years to watch over him."

"..."

Qiu Ping's "You really love him" got stuck in his throat.