After contracting to have a child, the icy female CEO became addicted.

I glanced at the time; it was 7:30 PM.

Li Yan had come down from the second floor and left, but Jiang Ran had not come down.

Wen Ling didn't know what Li Yan meant by helping her. She only saw in the surveillance video that the two of them didn't have any close contact, they were just talking.

How could a few words make Jiang Ran remember her good qualities?

Wen Ling sat on the sofa and waited for a long time.

Like when I was a child waiting for my tutor to come to class, I felt nervous and uneasy.

Time passed second by second.

Wen Ling didn't see Jiang Ran come downstairs, but she did see the delivery guy.

"Hello, miss, your takeout is here."

At the door, Wen Ling stood silently watching the delivery guy hand her a large bag of beer with an ingratiating expression.

"It's really difficult to get into your villa. I had to check the takeout order with the security guard at the gate several times to make sure it was from this household before he let me in..."

The delivery guy handed the beer to Wen Ling with a smile.

This was the first time Wen Ling had ever personally gone out to pick up takeout.

Without a doubt, Jiang Ran ordered this wine.

Is he in a bad mood?

Carrying the wine into the house, Wen Ling frowned and went upstairs.

The elevator on the second floor descends into the basement, and around the corner, you can reach the Zihua Villa where she currently lives.

Wen Ling saw Jiang Ran lying on the sofa in the living room on the second floor.

"Sister Wen? You haven't left yet?"

Jiang Ran caught sight of Wen Ling bringing up the beer out of the corner of her eye. Startled, she reached out and took it, saying, "Why didn't the delivery guy call me... and you had to bring it up yourself..."

"..."

Wen Ling didn't say anything, but just watched quietly as Jiang Ran took the bag, skillfully pulled out a bottle of beer, opened it, and drank it in one smooth motion.

Sitting down on the sofa next to Jiang Ran, Wen Ling asked, "Are you in a bad mood?"

"No, I'm just craving something sweet."

Jiang Ran muttered something to himself, ignoring Wen Ling, and began to drink the wine sip by sip.

"..."

Watching Jiang Ran's actions, Wen Ling frowned. Seeing that he finished a bottle in just a few gulps, Wen Ling bit her lip and reached out, saying, "Give me a bottle."

"Do you want to get appendicitis?"

Jiang Ran, who was drinking in silence and didn't even look at Wen Ling, gave a casual reply and continued drinking.

"..."

He still remembered how she developed appendicitis from drinking alcohol.

Wen Ling felt a warmth in her heart as she watched Jiang Ran gulp down drinks as if he was determined to get her drunk.

She couldn't help but say, "If you're in a bad mood, we can chat. I don't have anything to do today anyway."

She always had time, whenever Jiang Ran needed her.

Jiang Ran glanced at Wen Ling with slight surprise, smiled, tossed aside the second empty bottle of beer in her hand, and said, "There's nothing much to talk about. I'll finish this today, and I'll be fine after a good night's sleep tomorrow."

"...But I want to know."

Wen Ling's hands, which were resting at her sides, suddenly clenched. Meeting Jiang Ran's gaze, which had abruptly turned to her, she swallowed hard, then a slightly relieved smile appeared on her face. "Anyway, we'll be off soon, so let's just treat this as a farewell chat between friends. It's nothing, isn't it?"

She really is making concessions.

She wanted to know what Li Yan had said to Jiang Ran, what Jiang Ran was thinking now, and what he planned to do in the future.

She wanted to know.

"..."

Looking at Wen Ling in surprise, I didn't expect her to use the word "friend".

But because of Wen Ling's words, Jiang Ran's guard was lowered considerably. He looked down at the can in his hand and asked in a muffled voice, "Sister Wen Ling, what do you think marriage really is?"

"Um?"

Wen Ling was so nervous that her palms were sweating, never expecting Jiang Ran to ask such a question.

She took a deep breath and answered briefly, "Two people, together."

"That's it?"

"Um."

Wen Ling nodded solemnly.

Jiang Ran was stunned: "It's that simple?!"

"It's that simple!"

Wen Ling's answer was resolute.

Looking at Wen Ling, Jiang Ran suddenly felt that the beer in his hand had lost its flavor. He stared at her and asked again, "Why?"

"Why? Why?"

"Why would you think that way? Shouldn't marriage be the union of two families, working together to procreate?"

Wen Ling gently shook her head, her tone calm yet resolute as she said, "I believe that marriage is never just the union of two families, but the collision of two souls."

"So-called family background should only be an aid for the couple to start their own life after marriage."

"No one can get involved in this relationship except themselves."

This was Wen Ling's idea.

Jiang Ran forgot to drink the wine in his hand after listening to the whole thing.

This was the first time he had ever heard such a statement.

However, Wen Ling's philosophy is somewhat similar to his; it's a collision of two souls.

Isn't that just fate?

A piece of jade that is incomplete must be replaced by another piece to be considered complete.

but......

The gap between him and Wen Ling was ultimately too great, and there were still many past conflicts; Jiang Ran was truly exhausted.

He downed the third bottle of wine in one gulp, and then opened the fourth one.

He didn't stop drinking.

Wen Ling watched him drink bottle after bottle, and he drank them very quickly. She took a deep breath and finally couldn't help but ask him, "Jiang Ran."

"Um?"

"What did Li Yan say to you?"

"..."

Jiang Ran glanced at Wen Ling, swallowed his beer, and suddenly smiled. "Didn't say anything."

"You know that's not what I want to hear... Just treat this as a chat."

"...It's nothing. She just said she wants to move in with me now, and that she wants to get a marriage certificate with me after I divorce you, so she wants to build a relationship with me."

"?!"

Wen Ling's eyes instantly darkened. What kind of bullshit plan was this?!

What if Jiang Ran had actually agreed? Would Li Yan really have moved in right away?!

"So what did you say?"

Wen Ling didn't even realize that her tone was very anxious.

"They didn't say much, how could I possibly agree to this? Living together without any feelings? Do you expect us to have a marriage of convenience that blossoms into love?"

Jiang Ran said casually, even laughing self-deprecatingly, "But, Sister Wen, I didn't mean to mock you. You're much better than them. Li Yan, Qin Yiyao, and Xia Yunxi are all the same. They're after my divorce from you, which is this villa. They want money."

Men are all the same.

Women are the same; they're all the same.

It's pretty much the same.

Two blushes crept onto Jiang Ran's face, as if he had drunk too much too quickly. He leaned back on the sofa, his arm on his forehead, covering his eyes.

Beside him, Wen Ling watched him quietly, not happy at all because of his words, "You are much better than them."

There might have been moments of happiness, but they were only fleeting.

It was only when Jiang Ran uttered the complete names "Xia Yunxi" and "Qin Yiyao" for the first time that Wen Ling suddenly realized it.

Whether it's Qin Yiyao, Xia Yunxi, or Li Yan, besides the three of them, even she herself is one of them.

Jiang Ran, after leaving home, seems to have never been truly loved...