When Song Qiao received Ning Wan’s phone call, she was almost falling asleep watching a dull Korean drama.
Suddenly, the phone on the table rang, startling her awake. She picked it up and saw Ning Wan’s number. Hurriedly, she swiped the answer key and held it to her ear, "Wanwan, why didn’t anyone pick up when I called you just now?"
"Qiaoqiao." After half a minute of silence, Ning Wan’s voice finally came through, "Can you come pick me up?"
...
Half an hour later, Song Qiao saw Ning Wan standing all alone on the roadside in the suburbs. As soon as the driver stopped the car, she jumped out and walked quickly to Ning Wan. Concerned, she opened her mouth to ask, "What’s going on? Why are you here all by yourself? This place is in the middle of nowhere. Don’t tell me you got here on your own."
This is the suburban road; it takes half an hour to get here from the Mu Mansion and an hour from the city center.
In this deserted place, Ning Wan had to give a convincing reason, or Song Qiao wouldn’t believe it.
Ning Wan tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing a smile, and reached out her hand to Song Qiao, "Quick, help me up, damn it, walked for over ten minutes, stood for half an hour, my feet are about to break."
Song Qiao hurried over to support her, instantly feeling Ning Wan’s weight fall entirely on her, forcing her to take a step back, but she steadied herself.
Realizing Ning Wan was so light that she felt it wasn’t heavy, Song Qiao’s face darkened as she directly asked, "Since you were discharged, have you been eating properly?"
Ning Wan was startled, then she explained, "No, after being discharged, I’ve not only eaten well but also slept well. What’s up? Why are you asking like this?"
Song Qiao said nothing, knowing Ning Wan was just brushing her off. Since she didn’t want to say anything, she didn’t want her to worry. So she didn’t expose her but asked, "You haven’t explained why you’re here yet."
At this question, Ning Wan’s expression turned unpleasant, even showing anger on her face as she said, "It’s all because of Ning Yan’er, that bitch..."
Listening to Ning Wan, Song Qiao roughly understood. Ning Yan’er was displeased with her but couldn’t do anything harmful because Xi Mohan had issued a strict order. If Ning Wan got hurt, it would be blamed directly on the Ning Family.
Unable to harm Ning Wan, Ning Yan’er thought up a vile scheme: she bribed a taxi driver to take Ning Wan to another city, ideally not allowing her to return.
Initially, Ning Wan was too tired from the previous night to rest well, so she dozed off as soon as she got into the taxi. When she woke up and realized they were on the wrong route, it was fortunate the driver was timid. After being scared by Ning Wan, he took her wallet and left her here...
Luckily, her phone was always in her pants pocket. Initially, it had run out of battery and shut off. After forcing it on several times, she finally got a chance to call Song Qiao.
After hearing Ning Wan, Song Qiao couldn’t help but twitch her mouth, silently sighing at Ning Yan’er’s sheer childishness.
"Alright, enough talk, let’s get in the car first." Although the sun wasn’t very strong, standing too long made one feel a bit dizzy from the heat.
Ning Wan hummed in agreement, letting Song Qiao and the driver help her into the car. Because she had walked so far in high heels and stood for so long, she had initially planned to hail a ride halfway. But today, for some reason, not a single car passed by.
Back at the Mu Mansion, Ning Wan sat at the dining table, eating the lunch made personally by Zhang Ma, and couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by happiness.
Ning Wan’s words made Zhang Ma’s smile deepen. Watching Ning Wan gobble down her food, knowing her situation, she began to feel sorry for the child, saying, "Miss Ning, eat slowly, no one is going to take it from you."
Observing Ning Wan eating joyously, Song Qiao felt a pang of discomfort inside.
Xi Mohan’s call came after Ning Wan had finished her lunch and gone upstairs for a nap.
Walking over to a swing by the lawn, she sat down and her gaze fell on Mu Shinian and Lu Yulin playing happily with a husky nearby. Only then did she swipe the answer key and bring the phone to her ear, speaking coolly, "Young Master Xi, anything you need?"
To Song Qiao’s sarcastic tone, Xi Mohan seemed entirely unconcerned, directly asking the purpose of his call, "Is Ning Wan with you?"