Chapter 39: No One Is Worth It

"Sister, she's not a good person!"

"Ruan MiaoMiao knows Wen Ling isn't a good person, but she can only placate Qin Yuyang now, fearing that if he returns angry and the Qin family finds out, there'll be nothing they can do."

"Cousin, the eldest miss of the Wen family is, after all, our cousin—she's different from us; she just has a bad temper, so don't get angry with her. Tell Grandpa I'm afraid he'll be angry and upset."

"Don't worry, sister, I won't tell Grandpa." Qin Yuyang smiled at Ruan MiaoMiao.

Wen Ling had grown tired of sitting on the sofa, stood up, stretched her body, and called Aunt Zhou to come with her to go shopping.

Aunt Zhou was a bit puzzled; Wen Ling had been holed up at home for days, with clothes, jewelry, and accessories all delivered by designated people—why the sudden urge to go shopping?

Wen Ling replied, "The point of shopping is in the act of strolling itself, Aunt Zhou. You've never gone out to play in Sijiucheng with me; today let's go together—I'll give you a hairstyle and a manicure, okay?"

Aunt Zhou hesitated, and Wen Ling clung to her arm, coquettishly saying, "Even though we could have someone come over, going out to play is a different kind of fun—come on, let's go."

"Fine, my little ancestor, I'll go next door to change clothes." Aunt Zhou helplessly patted her hand, got up, and went next door.

Wen Ling changed into a simple short-sleeve shirt and long pants, too lazy to dress up further.

Seeing her like that, Aunt Zhou paused, then said earnestly, "Ah Ling, you can't just give up on yourself because you're in a bad mood."

Wen Ling covered her mouth and laughed, then softly said, "I've just been lazy at home for too long, I don't want to dress up—how could I be self-destructive?"

Only then did Aunt Zhou relax. Wen Ling lowered her eyes and whispered, "No one is worth me destroying myself."

Aunt Zhou didn't hear clearly; Wen Ling smiled and shook her head.

Near Lang Po Wan lies Sijiucheng's biggest mall; the two strolled about, and Wen Ling bought Aunt Zhou several outfits and pieces of jewelry, also remembering Qiao Hongyun, who had returned to M Country a few days earlier, and bought her the same.

Wen Ling was looking down at the privately designed jewelry in the case, her expression bland, giving no sign of whether she liked it or not.

Although her attire was simple, the clothes were tailor-made and she wore a limited-edition bracelet; the shop assistant, sharp-eyed, waited on her respectfully.

Aunt Zhou suddenly poked her twice; Wen Ling looked up and saw Zhou Yinhe following behind a noblewoman.

Zhou Yinhe's hair had been dyed back; at that moment he wore thin silver-frame glasses, a black shirt and black pants, his gaze aloof, and he froze for a moment when their eyes met.

"I brought you out to keep Mom company while she shops, and you look unhappy—Mom's affection for you is wasted."

"The designer of this store is Mom's good friend; Mom likes her style and wanted to show support, so after you finish shopping you'll go back to the company."

Wen Ling lowered her gaze, withdrew her eyes, turned to look at something else, and Aunt Zhou had no choice but to follow.

Ning Qing saw Zhou Yinhe not speaking, frowned at her own son, saw him blankly staring at a girl's figure, and realized what was happening.

Ning Qing hesitated, then stepped forward to approach Wen Ling, but Zhou Yinhe grabbed her arm and said in a low voice, "What are you doing?"

"I just want to go say hello—after all, she used to live in the same compound as your grandfather when she was at the Qin family. Do I really not even have the right to greet her?" Ning Qing's tone inevitably carried a hint of sarcasm.

"Don't cause trouble, okay, Mom?"

Ning Qing opened her mouth to speak, but just then Wen Ling walked past from the side, as if she hadn't seen them, and left the store silently.

Aunt Zhou watched Wen Ling's mood visibly drop and said softly, "Mrs. Zhou is here too—why not go say hello to them?"

"No need, they might not even want to see me." Wen Ling curled her lips, glanced back, and exhaled.

Since that day, she hasn't contacted Zhou Yinhe, and he hasn't contacted her either; she couldn't be bothered to guess his intentions, so she didn't want to seek him out.

"That's fine too; once things are settled we'll head back—Sijiucheng really has nothing to offer." Wen Ling leaned against Aunt Zhou, coquettishly saying, "M Country is more fun; my good friends are all around me, and there's Lu Zhaoye, that idiot."

"Right." Aunt Zhou relaxed, going along with Wen Ling's words, and Wen Ling pulled her into a studio, telling the stylist, "Make me look young, a bit like a noblewoman—basically, however beautiful, just do it."

Behind them followed two bodyguards, each holding several paper bags, all brand-name; the stylist naturally didn't dare ignore them, responding respectfully, "All right, Miss."

Wen Ling lounged lazily on the sofa, waiting, in excellent spirits, legs crossed and swinging as she played with her phone.

At that moment, a chorus of greetings came from the front desk; hearing it, Wen Ling frowned slightly.

"Welcome, Mrs. Zhou."

Ning Qing also saw her and could only remark, "What a fateful encounter."

This time Wen Ling had no choice; she lifted her head and stood up: "Mrs. Zhou, long time no see." She looked at Zhou Yinhe, curled her lips in a smile, and greeted, "Fifth Young Master, hello."

She appeared unfamiliar with them, so Ning Qing couldn't press further and merely offered a composed smile: "Miss Wen."

Aunt Zhou had already finished her hair, so Wen Ling softly said, "I won't disturb you any longer—goodbye."

Aunt Zhou gave the two a cool nod, and they walked to the front desk to check out; the clerk, having just seen her greet Ning Qing, asked, "Do you know Mrs. Zhou and Fifth Young Master Zhou?"

Wen Ling shook her head: "We've met, but we're not close." She handed over her card and said bluntly, "Just process the payment normally."

In other words, don't try to give me a discount just because I know people from the Zhou family, hoping to curry favor with them in front of them—I'm not close with them.

The clerk felt embarrassed, then took the card with both hands.

Zhou Yinhe's face darkened as he watched Wen Ling leave; he was about to chase after her when Ning Qing pulled him back.

Ning Qing warned, "They've already said all that, and you still want to shamelessly go after them? You'll just make me furious."

"Mom, let go." Zhou Yinhe's voice was a bit urgent.

"Fine, if you dare to go look for her—even if you tell Dad about that photo of me and the pretty boy—I'll go talk to Wen Ling myself, and I'll demand to know how she plans to hurt my son this time!"

Zhou Yinhe pressed his lips, looking at Ning Qing, who let out a cold snort and continued, "I'm not joking, Xiao Wu—Mom will never forgive her."

Wen Ling had no idea about the mother and son's affairs; after leaving the studio, Aunt Zhou suggested heading home.

Back home, Wen Ling hugged Hehe upstairs, took a bath, changed into pajamas, drew the curtains, tucked Hehe into the blankets, and prepared to catch up on sleep.

Aunt Zhou sat on the sofa with a worried frown, sighing.

The phone in her pocket rang; she picked it up and glanced at it, feeling a bit anxious.

It was a call from Wen Laoxiansheng.

Aunt Zhou feared he might detect something odd, so she smiled and said, "I went out shopping with Ah Ling; Ah Ling just got back and went to her room to nap. Is there something you need? If it's urgent, I'll go call Ah Ling."

Aunt Zhou was afraid he would notice something odd, so she smiled and said: "I went out shopping with A-Ling; A-Ling just came back and went to her room to nap. Is there something you need? If it's urgent, I'll go call A-Ling."