After Wei Yumeng left, Yin Fang slapped Wei Jin, her tone blaming.
"You almost ruined everything, do you know that?"
Wei Jin covered the spot where she was hit and yelled indignantly.
"What did I do? Did Wei Yumeng dare to talk to me like this before? Since marrying into the Zhan family, she probably doesn't even know her own surname. Look at her smugness just now, and Dad, why didn't you slap her hard? When did you, as a father, become unable to even discipline your own daughter?"
Yin Fang yelled at her, "What do you know? This is about your lifelong happiness. If it weren't for you, do you think we'd be willing to let her treat us however she wants?"
Wei Jin remained unconvinced, instead lifting her head proudly. "I don't think I'm any worse than Wei Yumeng. If Zhan Mohan could fancy her, would the second young master of their Zhan family not fancy me?"
She had many suitors outside, but her heart had always been set on one person.
Yin Fang truly wished Wei Jin would show more promise. She poked Wei Jin's head hard with her finger.
"I think you're becoming more useless. You are beautiful, yes, but you don't understand the temperament of that second young master of the Zhan family. How can you be so sure he would fancy you?"
Wei Jin pouted.
"If he doesn't fancy me, I don't fancy him either."
"I've inquired about this second young master of the Zhan family. He's no different from those dissolute young masters. He enjoys frequenting flowerbeds, but he's never had a girlfriend. Moreover, he despises those 'white lotus' types the most. So this time, when you meet him, you cannot reveal your true nature. You must genuinely treat him well, let him feel your sincerity, and then we can talk about what's next."
"These rich young masters, the people they usually interact with are more hypocritical than each other. They can't make true friends. If your appearance makes him feel warmth at this moment, won't things be much easier later on?"
Wei Jin admitted that what Yin Fang said had some truth to it.
"But even if I marry Zhan Yichen, won't my status still be below Wei Yumeng's? I'll have to call her 'sister-in-law' against my will, and I'm not willing."
She didn't want to be outshone by Wei Yumeng again.
Yin Fang pulled Wei Jin and earnestly persuaded her.
"If you're unwilling to interact with Zhan Yichen, then your father will introduce you to other men. Those men are trickier than monkeys. Are you sure you can outsmart them?"
She was truly planning for Wei Jin's future. For families like theirs, in an awkward position, their daughters were destined to marry out to secure benefits for the company. Rather than marrying some uncles who could be her father, it was better to choose a younger man.
Although Wei Jin was very reluctant, she also knew she wasn't as good as she used to be.
She grabbed Yin Fang's hand, her face filled with disappointment.
"Mom, will Xin Ran really not want me anymore?"
Yin Fang thought of her daughter's deep affection, how she had liked that Xin Ran for so many years.
She patted Wei Jin's hand with regret.
"Mom knows you've liked him for many years, but you also have to know that he only has Wei Yumeng in his heart, and he doesn't have you at all. If it's not a mutual love, you'll be very tired. Mom doesn't want you to get hurt."
Rather than working hard for someone with no future, it was better to plan for her own future, so she wouldn't end up losing both love and money in the end.
Wei Jin drooped her head, "Okay, I'll agree for now."
As long as she could be with Zhan Yichen, it would be equivalent to having an extra helper. Then, they could deal with Wei Yumeng together. Once Wei Yumeng was gone, Xin Ran would surely see her good qualities.
At that time, they could be together legitimately.
Wei Yumeng was in a taxi, about to return to the Zhan family, when Xin Ran's call suddenly came through. Her heart skipped a beat. Had Zhan Mohan kept his promise and let Xin Ran out?
She quickly swiped to answer, unable to suppress the excitement in her voice.
"Xin Ran, is that you?"
"Yumeng, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. How about you? Are you out?"
"Of course, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to call you, right?" Xin Ran's voice on the phone was as gentle as ever, with a faint laugh.
Wei Yumeng's heart finally settled.
"You can still laugh. It's all my fault."
"It's not your fault. I was too careless myself." If he had been more cautious, Wei Yumeng might not be here now.
Speaking of this, Wei Yumeng remembered what Wei Jin had said. In the end, Wei Jin hadn't told her the truth.
But it didn't matter, Xin Ran was already out.
"Xin Ran, let me ask you, why did Wei Jin know about you helping me escape?"
"What's wrong? I told her. Originally, I wanted to postpone it by two more days, but Wei Jin said you were living a difficult life in the Zhan family, so I couldn't help but speed things up. Who knew Zhan Mohan would catch me red-handed?"
Wei Yumeng angrily hit her leg. The truth was finally revealed.
She had been wondering how Xin Ran could possibly tell Wei Jin about their plan. Now it seemed Wei Jin had exploited Xin Ran's kindness, gradually leading Xin Ran into her trap.
So Zhan Mohan also found out about their plan after receiving Wei Jin's call.
She sighed, not blaming Xin Ran.
"This is my fault. I shouldn't have not told you about my relationship with Wei Jin. We are not as good as we seem on the surface. In fact, we fight to the death in private, and she's long disliked me."
Xin Ran suddenly understood upon hearing this.
"You mean... it was Wei Jin who told Zhan Mohan, and that's why we were intercepted by Zhan Mohan on the spot?"
"Yes, that's what I mean."
"Wait a moment, I have to take a call. It's my mom. I'll contact you tomorrow."
"Okay, since you're back, rest well."
Wei Yumeng hung up the phone and leaned against the car window, watching the neon lights flicker, her mood complicated.
Upon returning to the Zhan family, the living room was still brightly lit. As soon as she stepped in, she saw Wen Yulan sitting in a chair, and a bad premonition welled up in her heart.
Could she be waiting for her?
She walked forward and greeted Wen Yulan.
"Aunt."
"Just in time, I need to talk to you about something." As she spoke, Wen Yulan patted the chair beside her, gesturing for Wei Yumeng to sit down.
Wei Yumeng truly regretted coming back so late, but since she had encountered her, she could only brace herself and sit down.
Her attitude was respectful, mainly because she didn't want to cause any more trouble.
"Please speak directly, Aunt."
"Yichen went to the company to find Arhan today, didn't he?"
"Yes."
"I heard from Yichen that he saw you two in the office with disheveled clothes?"
Wen Yulan didn't rush to get to the bottom of things but asked step by step.
Wei Yumeng couldn't figure out what Wen Yulan wanted to do, but she couldn't avoid answering her questions.
"Aunt, Mo Han and I are husband and wife. The term 'disheveled clothes' is probably not very appropriate."
"I just want to say that even if you are husband and wife, you should still pay attention to your image in the company. Besides, Arhan hasn't officially acknowledged your identity at the company yet, has he?"