Su Nian opened the map application and entered the location. At first, nothing felt out of the ordinary but as the navigation line appeared on the screen, her heart skipped. The route… was the same. Almost exactly the same as the road Wu Qingyi was already driving on. Su Nian slowly lifted her gaze toward the windshield, then toward Wu Qingyi's back.
Could it be… She swallowed….
Perhaps it was just another coincidence, she told herself. Maybe Wu Qingyi's husband lived somewhere along the same stretch of road as Wu Qingyi already said it was nearby. Yet deep down, an inexplicable unease began to rise, soft at first, then steadily growing with every turn the car made toward Back Willow Alley.
Soon, something strange happened. Wu Qingyi slowed the car and then stopped. Su Nian's breath hitched. The location on her phone… matched exactly. Wu Qingyi turned back with a gentle smile and announced casually, "We're here. This is my husband's small house." The words landed like thunder for Su Nian. Wu Qingyi stepped out of the car and moved toward the trunk to take out the shopping bags. Almost instinctively, Fang Liyun followed her down, intending to help but when Fang Liyun glanced back, her steps halted. Su Nian was still sitting in the driver's seat was completely still with her phone clenched tightly in her hand, her eyes locked onto the screen as though she had been turned to stone.
A chill crept up Fang Liyun's spine as she wondered if her son found about Su Nian's insider or he found about Aunt Qiao giving every detail about his bride to her. Then she turned to Wu Qingyi and said softly, "You go ahead with the bags. I'll come in a moment." Wu Qingyi nodded without suspicion and carried her things toward the house. Fang Liyun walked back to the car and leaned closer to Su Nian. "What happened?" she asked quietly.
No response… Su Nian didn't blink. Didn't move.
"Su Nian," Fang Liyun called again, her voice sharper now.
Still nothing… Her assistant sat there, staring at the glowing screen in her hand as if the truth it displayed had stolen her voice entirely and in that frozen silence…
Fang Liyun reached out and placed her hand firmly on her assistant's shoulder, giving it a sharp shake and that was when Su Nian finally reacted. She inhaled sharply, as though coming up for air after being submerged for too long. Fang Liyun's voice was low and controlled, yet it carried an unmistakable urgency. "What happened?"
Su Nian didn't answer… She simply raised her phone and held it out.
Fang Liyun's gaze dropped to the screen where the navigation app displayed a single, unmistakable line:
"You have arrived at your destination."
For a brief second, Fang Liyun didn't understand. Then… It clicked. That was the location she had asked Su Nian to navigate.
Her son's location…
She had wanted to see how far Lingxuan was staying from Wu Qingyi's husband's house. So that after visiting Wu Qingyi's place, she could call him over without arousing suspicion by saying that she has come to visit a friend's place. But she had never imagined that this would be his location as well. That the place Wu Qingyi called her husband's home… and the place where Wang Lingxuan was currently staying in… Were the same. Fang Liyun's breath faltered. Slowly, she lifted her head, her gaze drifting toward the small house ahead and her mind went blank. Now, it was her turn to be frozen beside her assistant, both of them staring ahead, disbelief written plainly across their faces as they realized that they have arrived at Wang Lingxuan's location.
The moment Wu Qingyi stepped into the house with a bright smile, the atmosphere shifted completely like winter melting into spring. The biting cold that had been lingering in the room vanished in an instant. Aunt Qiao and Wang Hao exchanged glances, relief flooding in their hearts as they silently thanked the heaven. The bride had returned and with that the storm they feared had passed away. Wu Qingyi walked straight toward Wang Lingxuan. He was seated in the hall, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the doorway, as though afraid she might disappear again if he blinked. The instant their eyes met, something fragile yet hopeful flickered in his expression.
She stopped in front of him and said with a playful smile, "I have a surprise for you. Can you guess what it is?" Wang Lingxuan answered without hesitation, "A gift for me." Wu Qingyi laughed softly. "That was too easy. What I want you to guess is what kind of gift I bought for you." Wang Lingxuan frowned slightly, his eyes drifting to the brand name on the shopping bags she was holding. After a moment of thought, he answered or rather guessed, "Clothes?" Her eyes widened in delight hearing the answer. "Wow! My husband is so smart. You have guessed it right."
She smiled brightly, but soon the light in her eyes dimmed. Lowering her head, she hesitated for a moment before lifting her gaze back to him. "Actually… while I was looking around earlier, I opened your cupboard. You don't have many clothes, and the ones you do have are all quite old." Her voice softened, tinged with sadness. "I know everyone wants to look their best on their wedding day and I also know that you've been under financial pressure." She paused, then continued gently, "You spent everything on preparing the betrothal gifts for me, so you couldn't buy new clothes for yourself."
Wang Lingxuan stiffened, his throat tightening. Wu Qingyi exhaled quietly and smiled again, this time with quiet resolve. "But that's all in the past now." She stepped closer, her voice warm and firm. "You have me now. How could I let you go to get our marriage certificate wearing old clothes?" She lifted the bag slightly. "So, I went out and bought new ones for you." At that moment, Wang Lingxuan felt something crack open in his chest, something he had been holding together with sheer will. The room remained silent, but his world had never felt warmer.
Wang Lingxuan never would have imagined that, at the lowest point of his life when the world mocked his fall and turned its back on him, someone would appear to warm his days again, to quietly piece together the life he himself had already abandoned. What stunned him even more was this: that person was someone he had met only recently. Before he could fully process the weight of it, Wu Qingyi suddenly remembered something and exclaimed, "Oh no… I forgot about Pretty Sister and her assistant!"
Wang Lingxuan frowned slightly. "Pretty Sister? Assistant? Who are you talking about?" Wu Qingyi smiled as she explained, her words tumbling out naturally, "It's Pretty Sister. She's very beautiful." She paused, then sighed. "But she's pitiful too. She runs a small business, yet she still takes extra jobs to save money for her son's medical treatment." She continued without noticing the subtle change in the man's expression beside her, "Luckily, she got a job as a manager at the boutique in the mall I went to. And you know what? Even her son is getting his marriage certificate today and he lives nearby as well." Wu Qingyi glanced toward the door, puzzled. "Ah—where are Pretty Sister and Sister Su? I told them to come inside. Maybe they're feeling shy. I'll go bring them in." With that, she turned and walked out.
The moment the door closed behind her, the warmth in the room evaporated. Wang Lingxuan's expression hardened instantly. He turned to Wang Hao, his voice cold and sharp. "You said everyone in the surrounding area had been cleared. Then how is it that the 'Pretty Sister' Wu Qingyi mentioned has a son living nearby?" Wang Hao stiffened, confusion flashing across his face. After a brief pause, he lowered his voice, unease seeping through. "Could it be… that someone is deliberately trying to approach Young Madam? Fabricating tragic stories, claiming their son lives nearby, gaining her sympathy and trust, so they can later scam her?"
Wang Lingxuan's eyes narrowed, the gentleness from moments ago completely gone.
"Wang Hao." His tone was icy. "Tell the bodyguards to stay on full alert. Once those women enter, run a background check on them immediately." Then he turned slightly toward Aunt Qiao. "Aunt Qiao, stay close to Qingyi. Do not let her be alone. Observe those women carefully – each and every word and their reaction as well." Aunt Qiao nodded solemnly. Wang Hao lowered his head and swiftly sent instructions to the bodyguards through the group chat.
Meanwhile, outside the house, Su Nian finally broke the silence after staring at her phone for a long while. Her voice was low, cautious. "Boss… are you certain this is Young Master Wang's exact location?" Fang Liyun frowned, equally confused. "It should be. This was the location sent by Sister Qiao." Su Nian hesitated before speaking again, her instincts refusing to settle. "Aunt Qiao is quite old now. It's possible she made a mistake and sent the wrong location. Should I ask my insider to confirm Young Master's exact whereabouts?" Fang Liyun immediately shook her head. "No. That would alert my son." Her gaze hardened slightly as she continued, "Besides, the location your insider sent earlier was nearby. We'll just wait until we get news that he's heading towards Civil Affairs Bureau."