Zhang Xinyi did not forget the purpose of her trip. She was genuinely uncomfortable, but not to the point of fainting at any moment.
She acted this way precisely to use her apparent weakness to elicit sympathy from Zhan Yichen.
She slightly parted her eyelids, her voice weak as she uttered, "Sister, I know my parents did wrong, but they are truly pitiful. They don't even have a place to live and have to sleep in the kitchen. Can you take pity on us?"
She figured that if Mu Linjing refused, she would appear heartless, and if she agreed, they would have a place to stay.
However, she didn't know that such a ploy would never sow discord between Mu Linjing and Zhan Yichen.
Mu Linjing had long seen through her disingenuousness and didn't fall for her act. She didn't continue the conversation based on Zhang Xinyi's words.
"If you're sick, I'll send you to the hospital. If you can't stand living here, you can go back. You're still a student; focusing on your studies is the most important thing."
Realizing Mu Linjing wasn't taking the bait, Zhang Xinyi immediately shifted her target to Zhan Yichen. "Brother-in-law, can you help us? My parents already know they were wrong, and if my sister refuses to forgive them, they'll have to continue like this."
Zhan Yichen had already witnessed her unreasonable behavior yesterday. Moreover, the level of this "tea-shade" talk wasn't too high for him to discern.
With his hands behind his back, he didn't approach Zhang Xinyi. "It's useless to tell me. I'll listen to your sister."
Mu Linjing, not wanting to endure her pretense of weakness any longer, directly called an ambulance.
"Go to the hospital and get a thorough check-up. I won't ask you to repay the medical expenses this time. Once you're better, go back. This is my advice to you."
After speaking, she closed the ambulance door, showing no intention of accompanying her.
With the ambulance gone, their ears finally had some peace. She looked at Zhan Yichen and asked with mild annoyance, "Did you understand what she meant?"
Zhan Yichen chuckled. "Of course. But I'm not interested in this kind of woman. Don't worry."
"I'm worried? That's laughable."
Mu Linjing didn't consider herself so insecure as to be bothered by a rival of Zhang Xinyi's caliber.
She wouldn't waste her time on such trivial matters. There were many important things to attend to, not only Wei Yumeng's wedding in March but also Qiao Ningzhi's approaching due date.
Including the six months she was missing, it had been a long time since she had seen Qiao Ningzhi. She had contacted her during the New Year and learned that her due date was nearing. She had planned to buy some things and visit Qiao Ningzhi upon her return.
After finishing her day's work, she took time off after work to go shopping with Wei Yumeng. Qiao Ningzhi was already in the hospital awaiting delivery, so they went directly to the hospital.
Qiao Ningzhi, having not seen Mu Linjing for a long time, missed her dearly. Seeing them arrive, she busied herself trying to get out of bed with her heavily pregnant belly, startling Mu Linjing so much that she almost dropped the gifts in her hands.
"It's inconvenient for you to move around, so please don't get out of bed. Yu Meng and I came to see you and brought you some gifts."
With the experience of preparing for Wei Yumeng's child, she had bought several sets of baby clothes and some essentials for after childbirth. Wei Yumeng, on the other hand, brought some parenting books.
"I've selected these from books I've read for you. Take a look when you have time; these books are very helpful for expectant mothers."
These gifts were exactly what Qiao Ningzhi needed. She accepted them gratefully and began asking Wei Yumeng for advice.
The women chatted until late. It was then that Wei Yumeng noticed something. "Where's Lin Jia? Why haven't I seen him for so long?"
"Don't you know? Mr. Zhan called her away, saying he had something to discuss with her."
Wei Yumeng instantly understood. "Look at my memory, I forgot to tell you, I'm getting married."
The Zhan family's wedding had not yet been disclosed to the public. After all, Feng Shiqing and Ji Tong were still lurking in the country. If they learned of this wedding in advance, they would undoubtedly try to sabotage it.
Zhan Mohan didn't want this once-in-a-lifetime sacred moment to be disturbed by these people, so he hadn't made any announcements. Furthermore, the wedding venue was on a small island, which ensured better security and confidentiality.
After inquiring about the date from Wei Yumeng, Qiao Ningzhi expressed some regret. "Then I probably won't be able to make it. By the time you have your wedding, I might still be in my confinement period."
There was nothing that could be done about it, as no one could decide when the little ancestor in her belly would decide to come out.
Seeing the regret on Qiao Ningzhi's face, Wei Yumeng proactively changed the subject. "Speaking of which, there's another good thing you might be able to make it to. Lin Jing and Yichen are also getting engaged. The date should be shortly after our wedding."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Ningzhi's eyes lit up with joy. "Then congratulations! You've finally seen the dawn after a long night. It was worth it before..."
She almost mentioned Wen Yulan and instinctively covered her mouth, smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry, Lin Jing."
Mu Linjing chuckled. "It's nothing. Our relationship was indeed not easy. Of course, if she hadn't insisted on forcing you two together, we wouldn't have become good friends, would we?"
Seeing that she didn't shy away from mentioning it, Qiao Ningzhi also breathed a sigh of relief. "It's just a pity that a good person now has to stay in a nursing home for treatment. My mother told me her current life is quite miserable."
"Nursing home?"
Mu Linjing frowned. "What do you mean? Isn't she living in a detached apartment in the western suburbs?"
Seeing this, Wei Yumeng recounted the events of the first day of the Lunar New Year. "There was no other way. Her illness was too severe, and she posed a constant danger of attacking others, so she had to be sent to a nursing home."
Listening to this, Mu Linjing didn't know how to feel, so she remained silent.
Wei Yumeng pondered for a moment and then asked Qiao Ningzhi, "How did Aunt Qiao find out?"
This matter wasn't exactly glorious, so the Zhan family hadn't made a big fuss about it. Not many people knew about Wen Yulan's current condition, so how did Aunt Qiao find out?
Qiao Ningzhi didn't understand the intricacies and simply replied truthfully, "My mother even personally visited her. After all, they knew each other before, so she should have gone to see her."
Wei Yumeng's attention was fully captured by the first half of her statement. Aunt Qiao had visited Wen Yulan in the nursing home. This meant that Wen Yulan's condition in the nursing home had not been kept confidential, and even her room and bed number were not secrets.
If more people found out about this, it would undoubtedly cause another sensation.
This gave her a headache. However, now was not the time to investigate who leaked the information. Preventing further spread of the information was their top priority.