Looking at Lu Ze'an's embrace, which offered comfort, both Fu Wenwen and Lu Chengse felt a pang of sadness. It was as if they had given birth to a daughter, only for her to belong to Lu Ze'an. Their daughter never sought them out.
Were they such failures as parents? Their daughter loved her brother more.
"You're just letting Wei Lan go?" After returning home, Lu Chengse was surprised to see Fu Wenwen had let Wei Lan escape.
Was it because she had become a mother? Had she softened?
"Who said I was letting her go!" Fu Wenwen blinked and bared her teeth in a smile at Lu Chengse.
"Then you?" Lu Chengse paused, recalling Fu Wenwen's tracking abilities, and fell silent.
"With Yueyue here, I didn't want her to see such a gruesome scene," Fu Wenwen looked at Lu Chengse and kissed his cheek.
She was already capable of providing her daughter with a safe environment; she didn't want her to encounter things prematurely that she shouldn't.
Even if... she was bound to experience them later, it wouldn't be now.
"Mhm."
Lu Chengse understood Fu Wenwen's intentions and held her close.
"She won't get far!" Fu Wenwen said with a faint smile, looking in the direction Wei Lan had fled.
Once Wei Lan successfully escaped to Lincheng, believing she had outsmarted them, Wei Lan smiled smugly. In a secluded spot, she rented a room, intending to hide there for a while.
As long as she could weather this storm, she could make a comeback.
Her plan was well-intentioned, but she underestimated Fu Wenwen.
Under the dark and windy night, Fu Wenwen arrived outside Wei Lan's room and gently knocked.
"Who is it?" Wei Lan lazily got up, thinking it was another man she had seduced coming to find her.
The moment she opened the door, Wei Lan froze.
"Hello there, Wei Lan," Fu Wenwen leaned elegantly against the wall and greeted her warmly.
"Fu Wenwen! How could you be here!" Wei Lan's face turned pale, unable to believe Fu Wenwen would appear here.
Wei Lan violently shoved Fu Wenwen aside and ran out, shouting for help to attract attention.
However, the place she had rented was remote, and combined with Wei Lan's loose reputation, the local women kept their distance, looking down on her desperate attempts for male attention now that she was alone.
Even if they were awakened by the commotion, they didn't want their husbands to go out. The men, fearing that Wei Lan might have attracted someone they couldn't afford to offend, were also held back by their wives, so none dared to step out.
Thus, no matter how much Wei Lan screamed, no one came to her aid.
Fu Wenwen ambled towards Wei Lan. Wei Lan gritted her teeth, glanced at the mountains and the road leading out of the village, and decisively turned to run up the mountain.
Little did she know, this was a choice that led to her own demise.
Wei Lan ran desperately up the mountain, while Fu Wenwen calmly followed behind. In the dense forest, no matter where she ran, she couldn't escape Fu Wenwen's sight.
Wei Lan didn't know how long she ran until she found a cave and dared to stop for a breath.
The cave was utterly silent. Wei Lan thought she was safe, but then she heard heavy breathing.
Wei Lan's heart leaped. She turned back to see pairs of eerie green eyes appearing in the darkness of the cave.
Terrified, Wei Lan immediately fled the cave. However, the wild boars she had disturbed had no intention of letting her go.
They charged at Wei Lan, their long tusks piercing deeply into her leg.
"Ah!" Wei Lan screamed miserably, but she didn't realize her cries would only attract more beasts.
The forest at night was a hunting ground for animals. The danger of the night was compounded by the fresh blood gushing from Wei Lan's impaled leg, turning the beasts' eyes bloodthirsty and scarlet.
Pairs of green eyes stared at Wei Lan. The wild boar seemed to be looking for an opportunity, pawing the ground as if preparing for a decisive blow.
Wei Lan frantically shouted into the air, pleading with Fu Wenwen for help.
"Fu Wenwen, save me."
Fu Wenwen's figure slowly appeared, and she calmly walked to Wei Lan's side.
"Save you? On what grounds?"
Fu Wenwen's presence made the beasts, who were poised to attack Wei Lan, cower. Her power was so immense that even the wild animals dared not offend her.
Seeing the menacing beasts retreat, Wei Lan immediately addressed Fu Wenwen.
"If you save me, I'll let bygones be bygones. I'll never trouble you again."
"So, you were still planning to trouble me? To harm my family?" Fu Wenwen spoke slowly, piercing through Wei Lan's fabricated lie.
"..." Wei Lan dared not nod.
Fu Wenwen glanced at Wei Lan.
"I originally didn't want to deal with you, but you insisted on provoking me, even trying to harm my daughter..."
"I thought you'd never dare to confront me again. Please, save me!" Wei Lan gritted her teeth. "I swear on my life."
"Sorry, I'm not someone who likes leaving threats in the world," Fu Wenwen's calm eyes flickered with a bloodthirsty glint.
"Fu Wenwen, you can't do this! I've already promised you I won't bother you again!"
Wei Lan was terrified. The blood flowing from her leg made her increasingly weak.
"If only you had realized this earlier! Now, it's too late," Fu Wenwen said with a cold laugh, looking at Wei Lan. "My daughter is only four years old, you know?"
"And you wanted my daughter to see a dismembered corpse. Do you know... that would leave a permanent scar on her heart?"
"Fu Wenwen, I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong..." Wei Lan begged tearfully.
She didn't want to die.
"One must always pay the price for their foolishness," Fu Wenwen smiled faintly at Wei Lan and waved her hand.
"Fu Wenwen!!!" Wei Lan screamed. She had run too far; no one would come to this desolate wilderness.
Fu Wenwen's figure gradually disappeared into the darkness. The wild beasts, sensing that the person who frightened them had left, could no longer resist their hunger and pounced on Wei Lan.
"Ah!!!"
Wei Lan tried to scream for help, but her neck was seized by a bite. She collapsed in pain as the beasts tore at her.
The next day, someone finally reported Wei Lan missing, and the police came to search for her. In the depths of the forest, they eventually found Wei Lan's clothes and some skeletal remains.
When Fu Wenwen returned home, Lu Chengse was still reading, waiting for her.
They looked at each other without a word, simply embracing.
With the threat gone, the family of four resumed their peaceful lives.
After the reform and opening up, Fu Wenwen helped Xiao Hong fulfill her dream by investing in a clothing factory for her. Xiao Hong possessed an innate sense for clothing, which Fu Wenwen called talent.
Because Xu Guangzong and Xu Yaozu were brothers, their wives also mostly gave birth to twins.
Xiao Hong gave birth to a pair of twins. Seeing the twins, Mother Xu kept muttering about being cursed and urged Xu Yaozu to strangle their younger son.