The major problems of the future are almost predictable. For anyone, knowing what will happen and yet resolutely heading towards it is a gamble.
Wei Yumeng wanted to encourage Mu Linjing to strive for it, yet feared that such encouragement might leave her bruised all over.
"Yumeng, you're hesitating too, aren't you?" Mu Linjing asked, her eyes full of helplessness.
Wei Yumeng had personally experienced these things; she understood the grievances and injustices the most.
They were born this way. Despite doing nothing wrong, they were labeled as unable to reach for those above them, as if any thought they had was overestimating their capabilities.
Regarding whether to take this step, the two shared the same concerns. For self-protection, Mu Linjing was unwilling to take this gamble. Yet, thinking of these injustices and Zhan Yichen's excellence, she felt that perhaps gambling might make everything worthwhile.
In this high-stakes gamble where her entire life's happiness was on the line, every choice she made was crucial.
Unsure whether to advance or retreat, the two fell into deep thought simultaneously. They looked at each other, both wanting to speak but holding back. They understood the logic, but hesitation and striving warred within their hearts.
As someone who had been through it and as an observer, Wei Yumeng knew where Mu Linjing's inner peace ultimately leaned, with only Zhan Yichen's attitude being the deciding factor.
However, such an attitude was spontaneous. Any reminder from others might lead him astray, so she chose not to interfere, waiting to see what attitude Zhan Yichen would present for Linjing to make her choice.
All she could do was offer silent support and be ready to heal Mu Linjing's wounds at any time.
Their conversation was quiet, and Zhan Yichen, in the kitchen, heard nothing. When he came out, their talk had concluded.
He placed the fruit on the table. "The soup is simmering. Replenishing what's lost with what's similar, you should drink more to recover quickly."
Such a conversation made Wei Yumeng almost mistake Zhan Yichen for the master of the house. After observing him several times, she thought the two of them were quite a good match.
However, Zhan Yichen didn't notice her gaze flitting between them. Instead, he asked, "Sister-in-law, I heard Grandpa asked you and Big Brother to move back home."
Wei Yumeng nodded. "Mo Han and I are first-time parents, and Grandpa is afraid we'll make mistakes."
Speaking of this, her face lit up with unconcealed smiles. Mu Linjing was also happy for her; it seemed their hardships had finally paid off.
But Zhan Yichen's intention was not about this. After a few minutes of hesitation, he said, "Sister-in-law, my mother's actions before were indeed wrong. I apologize to you on her behalf. In the future, if she says anything unpleasant at home, please don't take it to heart. I'll talk to her properly when I have the chance."
Wei Yumeng shook her head at this. It wasn't his responsibility, and the apology was unnecessary. Moreover, she still owed him a thank you.
However, seeing his attitude towards Wen Yulan, Wei Yumeng's concerns seemed to lessen somewhat. As long as he could steadfastly stand by Linjing's side when Wen Yulan was unreasonable, the gamble might not end in loss.
Yet, this was merely her thought, and she didn't voice it to avoid influencing Mu Linjing.
After all, this was still their matter; she could only offer suggestions.
She didn't stay for lunch but returned to the Zhan residence, not wanting to disturb the two of them in their private time, nor wanting to make Grandpa Zhan uncomfortable.
After eating lunch at home, she would also pack a portion to take to the company for Zhan Mohan.
Life at the Zhan residence, though a bit monotonous, was peaceful. In her free time, she could read, or sit with Grandpa Zhan and go fishing, which was quite pleasant.
At any rate, with Grandpa Zhan frequently at home, Wen Yunlan dared not cause trouble.
Time passed relatively quickly, and it was Friday again.
As the project had just begun, requiring initial adjustments, and dealing with Jiang Siyu, Zhan Mohan had been extremely busy all week. He would usually leave for work before Wei Yumeng woke up, and return after she had fallen asleep.
Therefore, on Friday, he ended his work early, intending to take Wei Yumeng out for dinner. It had been a long time since they had gone out together.
Wei Yumeng's appetite was growing, so after dinner, they decided to take a walk on the street, which would also help her digest her food.
Holding Wei Yumeng's small hand, Zhan Mohan intentionally squeezed it. "Your palm has gained some flesh."
Wei Yumeng's face instantly darkened. This man truly didn't know how to speak. Even if she were pregnant, she was still a woman first. Didn't he know that any comment about a woman gaining weight was a major taboo?
Feeling offended, she stopped and looked at Zhan Mohan in silence, wanting to see if he could realize he had said something wrong.
Zhan Mohan genuinely thought it was a compliment and allowed her to scrutinize him.
Wei Yumeng became even more annoyed. Coincidentally, she saw that someone on the square ahead seemed to be proposing, and a crowd had gathered. She then pulled Zhan Mohan over to watch, and also to subtly guide this man.
After all, women were easily appeased, and such a grand gesture could make a woman devoted to him.
"It's so lively over there, let's go take a look."
Initially, Zhan Mohan didn't want her to go. She was pregnant, and if she were bumped into, it would be troublesome.
But she insisted, so Zhan Mohan had no choice but to agree. Throughout, he stayed extremely close, guarding her for fear of any mishap.
Therefore, he didn't pay much attention to what kind of excitement was unfolding in the crowd, nor did he care about the protagonist.
However, Wei Yumeng had come to watch the spectacle. She strained on her tiptoes, trying to get a clear view of the situation inside. Moreover, she felt the person inside looked somewhat familiar, like... Jing Yan!
"Mohan, have you visited Jing Yan since he was discharged from the hospital?"
Zhan Mohan didn't know why she suddenly brought up Jing Yan and simply shook his head. "I've been a bit busy lately. I'll go see him in a while."
He only cared about Wei Yumeng's safety around him, but Wei Yumeng was trying hard to identify the male protagonist of this confession.
The lighting at the scene was dim, making her uncertain. It wasn't until a beam of light focused on the man's head that she could confirm the identity of the protagonist.
"Mohan, that's Jing Yan."
Zhan Mohan hadn't paid attention at first. Hearing her say that, he looked into the crowd. He was more familiar with Jing Yan's figure than Wei Yumeng. Standing there, holding a bouquet of flowers, who else could it be but Jing Yan?
Judging by the timeline, he had only been discharged from the hospital for a week, and his injuries should have just healed.
To go through such an elaborate display so soon after recovering, who else could have prompted such effort from him but Jiang Siyu?
Wei Yumeng also guessed and said with disbelief, "He's not going to confess to Jiang Siyu, is he?"
She knew Jing Yan was infatuated with Jiang Siyu, but the car accident had happened not long ago, clearly a consequence of Jiang Siyu's recklessness. She hadn't expected Jing Yan to forgive even this.