However, as Jian Yiling did not know how to lie, she softly replied: "I won't forgive her."
Upon hearing this, an awkward expression appeared on Grandma Wen and Grandpa Wen's faces.
"Yiling, Grandma and Grandpa are apologizing to you on behalf of Wen Ruo," Grandpa Wen said quietly.
"You shouldn't apologize on behalf of someone else," Jian Yiling replied.
Jian Yiling's reply made the atmosphere very awkward.
All of a sudden, the smiles disappeared from Grandma Wen and Grandpa Wen's faces.
"Mother, please don't make things difficult for Yiling," Wen Nuan said to her mother.
Upon hearing this, Grandma Wen said awkwardly: "Ahh, it's my bad. The incident happened not long ago. It's normal for Yiling to feel this way."
It was a way for her to get out of the embarrassing situation.
###
Wen Nuan continued to speak with her parents in the living room.
On the other hand, Jian Yiling found an excuse to leave. She walked into the courtyard of the Wen Residence.
There, she ran into Wen Yan.
Wen Yan was seated in his wheelchair. For some reason, he seemed to be lost in thought. He did not notice Jian Yiling as she approached him.
Jian Yiling noticed that he was looking at a sparrow that flew into the courtyard.
And thus, she quietly stood there for a while as well.
Despite what Jian Yiling assumed, Wen Yan had noticed her approaching him.
However, he did not want to speak to her. Therefore, he didn't say anything.
After a while, he realized that Jian Yiling had no intentions of leaving.
"What do you want?"
Finally, Wen Yan spoke up.
"Nothing," Jian Yiling responded in a small and soft voice.
"Are you here to laugh at me again?" Wen Yan asked.
His cousin had a nasty personality. She had mocked him more than once after he became paraplegic.
"Nope," Jian Yiling replied. She did not have many memories of Wen Yan in her mind. As a result, she did not know whether she had mocked him in the past.
"Then stay away from me. I don't want to see you," Wen Yan growled. Every cell in Wen Yan's body detested Jian Yiling.
"How did I… Mock you?" Jian Yiling asked.
"You have the nerve to ask that?" Wen Yan replied. He did not want to continue to speak to Jian Yiling.
As he realized that Jian Yiling was not leaving anytime soon, Wen Yan instead decided to leave.
Wen Yan pressed a button on his wheelchair and the wheelchair moved away from the courtyard.
Jian Yiling watched Wen Yan as he left. Then, she stood there for a long time.
She only left when Wen Nuan called for her.
On the way back, Jian Yiling asked Wen Nuan: "In the past… Did I mock Wen Yan?"
Wen Nuan froze for a moment before she said: "You don't remember? Forget it if you don't remember."
"I mocked him?"
"You didn't know better at that time. And thus, you mocked him a bit," Wen Nuan replied tactfully.
As a matter of fact, this incident was a big deal back then.
Everyone from the Wen family knew about it.
###
That night, Jian Yiling dreamt about Wen Yan.
That year, Wen Yan was seventeen years old. On the other hand, Jian Yiling was only nine years old.
A year had passed since Wen Yan's accident.
Jian Yiling went with her parents to visit the Wen family in Jiangnan.
In her dream, Wen Yan locked himself in his room. He almost never left his room.
Jian Yiling wanted to play with her cousin. However, everyone in the Wen family told her not to approach him as he was easily angered.
However, Jian Yiling refused to believe this. She insisted on approaching Wen Yan.
After pushing open the door, Jian Yiling entered a dimly lit room. She saw Wen Yan seated in a wheelchair in a corner.
"Wen Yan, let's go and play together, okay?"
"Get lost!"
Her soft request was met with a cold shout.
After hesitating at the door for a moment, Jian Yiling quietly left.
Not long after leaving Wen Yan's room, Jian Yiling ran into Wen Ruo.
"Sister Wen Ruo, Brother Wen Yan yelled at me. Does he not like me anymore?"
"He can't walk anymore. That's why he's in a bad mood."
"Then how can I get him to come out of his room to play with us?"