Sharing Dreams with My Bestie's Cousin

Early the next morning.

Wen Zhi did not bring luggage, she only brought those two strings of Buddha Beads and took a ride to the airport with Chong Wanyin.

The only person accompanying them on this trip was Zhao Qin, who was responsible for carrying Chong Wanyin’s luggage, booking the hotel, scheduling the transportation, and handling all matters.

At the airport, seeing Zhao Qin bustling about, Chong Wanyin turned to Wen Zhi and said, "I can’t even imagine what I would do if Zhao Qin weren’t by my side. Without her, I would be completely clueless."

Wen Zhi continued the conversation, "Aunt Qin will always be by your side."

"I do hope she can always be by my side, but Zhao Qin’s daughter-in-law is almost due in two months, and I even gave Zhao Qin a month’s leave. It’s hard to think about letting her go," Chong Wanyin said with a look of reluctance on her face.

Suddenly, Wen Zhi said, "One month might not be enough..."

Chong Wanyin looked at Wen Zhi, "Do you also think one month is too short?"

Wen Zhi said understandingly, "From what I know, Aunt Qin has always been by your side working, and rarely takes long vacations. Her daughter-in-law giving birth is a major event, and the postpartum period is very important. Poor care during this time can lead to longstanding health issues."

Chong Wanyin smiled and said, "Zhizhi, how do you even know about these things?"

Wen Zhi replied, "I don’t really understand much, I’ve just heard some things."

"What you’ve heard is all correct," Chong Wanyin said. "The postpartum period indeed is very important. I might as well give Zhao Qin another month off, so she can take good care of her daughter-in-law."

When Zhao Qin heard this, she looked at Wen Zhi gratefully.

Wen Zhi returned a faint smile.

Soon, the group boarded the plane.

Meanwhile, after receiving the news, Chen Jinhai reported immediately to Shang Hexing, "Mr. Shang, Miss Wen has already boarded the plane with Mrs. Shang. The hotel they have booked is near West Lake."

Shang Hexing tossed aside the jacket he had changed out of and picked up another coat, "Is anyone else with them?"

"So far, no suspicious vehicles have been found following them. However, Miss Wen’s friend, Gu Rang, has already arrived in Lin City last night," Chen Jinhai informed completely.

Shang Hexing put his phone in his pocket, "Is the car ready?"

Chen Jinhai nodded.

Shang Hexing turned and headed downstairs, "Let’s go."

-

After nearly four hours of flight, Wen Zhi and her companions finally arrived at Lin City International Airport.

After disembarking, Wen Zhi didn’t have to worry about a thing, simply took the car arranged by Zhao Qin to the hotel.

In the evening, Chong Wanyin invited Wen Zhi to stroll around West Lake together.

Wen Zhi did not refuse and accompanied her throughout.

The night view of West Lake was beautiful. Visiting familiar places naturally stirred different feelings in Chong Wanyin, who kept telling Wen Zhi, "This place isn’t the same as it was back then, and this fence over here must have been reconstructed, this part is different too..."

As she reached a certain point, Chong Wanyin suddenly turned to Wen Zhi, "Come to think of it, your parents met at West Lake."

The hands Wen Zhi had in her coat pockets suddenly clenched tightly.

The darkness was deep, the street lights dim, and the occasional passersby distracted attention, so that Chong Wanyin couldn’t see the fleeting expression across Wen Zhi’s face.

Chong Wanyin continued, "Actually, they didn’t exactly meet at West Lake. They met first, then visited West Lake together where they became committed to each other."

Wen Zhi’s lips slightly curled up, "I’ve heard them mention it. Mrs., could you share with me some interesting stories about my parents here back then?"

The expression on Chong Wanyin’s face turned a bit colder, "I don’t remember it very well."

Wen Zhi showed regret, "I thought I could learn some details about my parents’ past acquaintanceship from you."

"We knew each other well..." Chong Wanyin chuckled lightly, "Zhizhi, I won’t hide it from you, I was actually the first person your father knew well."

Wen Zhi seemed composed, but the hand in her pocket was clenched tighter and tighter.

Her fingernails dug into her palm, leaving crescent-shaped marks.

Chong Wanyin noticed the change on Wen Zhi’s face and called out, "Zhizhi?"

Wen Zhi came back to her senses and smiled lightly, "Yes, madam?"

Chong Wanyin asked, "You don’t believe me?"

Wen Zhi shook her head with a smile, "I’ve just never heard this story before."

Then, Wen Zhi suddenly took Chong Wanyin’s arm, saying affectionately, "Madam, why don’t you tell me about it? I’m curious and would like to hear."

This affectionate gesture made Chong Wanyin somewhat uncomfortable.

However, given the current situation, she didn’t push Wen Zhi away and allowed her closeness, beginning to recount some events of the past, "That year, your mother and I came to West Lake together, but because we were unfamiliar with the area, I lost track of your mother by accident. I was timid, and since I wasn’t used to using a mobile map and couldn’t find anyone, I almost cried. Then Mu Yanzhou appeared and kindly took me back to the hotel."

"Actually, there were some bad people who were targeting me at first, and Mu Yanzhou helped to fend them off. I was afraid he was also a bad guy, so I was very guarded when he offered to take me back to the hotel."

"It wasn’t until my phone died that I had to muster the courage to trust him, and unexpectedly, he really did take me back to the hotel."

As she recalled the past, Chong Wanyin’s face bore a gentle smile.

At this moment, Wen Zhi suddenly spoke up, "My dad took you back to the hotel, but what about my mom?"

Chong Wanyin was smiling, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes, "Your mom disappeared, and I called the police as soon as I got my phone when we returned to the hotel."

Wen Zhi said, "Someone deliberately lured my mom away."

Chong Wanyin suddenly turned her head to look at Wen Zhi, "What?"

Wen Zhi met Chong Wanyin’s eyes, "I’ve heard it from my mom; she said someone deliberately lured her away, and she almost couldn’t make it back."

Chong Wanyin’s face showed a look of realization, "So that’s what happened; no wonder I’ve never understood why she suddenly disappeared that night when there weren’t many people around..."

Wen Zhi said, "Maybe someone was aiming to harm her."

At this point, the fingernails of her hand in her pocket were nearly embedding bloody marks in her palm.

Chong Wanyin passed over it lightly with a comment, "Maybe. That incident is so far back, I can hardly remember the details. I only remember that your mom eventually came back fine."

With that, Chong Wanyin forcibly ended the topic.

She turned her head to Wen Zhi, "I am a bit tired, let’s go back to the hotel."

Wen Zhi replied, "But I don’t want to go back yet; the night view of West Lake is so beautiful, I want to enjoy it a bit more."

"Then take some more time here, I’ll go back first," Chong Wanyin smiled at Wen Zhi, "Be careful."

Wen Zhi nodded, "Alright."

The hotel they booked wasn’t far from West Lake, just about a hundred meters away.

After watching Chong Wanyin head back to the hotel, Wen Zhi planned to stand a little longer before returning, but at that moment, her attention was caught by a stall of ornaments ahead.

She walked over, her eyes scanning the diverse array of ornaments on the stand, and casually picked one up to ask, "Is this a decorative dagger?"

The vendor replied, "Yes, they are all blunt."

Wen Zhi chose one and paid for it, "I’ll take this one; can you sharpen it for me?"

The vendor showed a QR code for payment and advised, "I don’t have the tools to sharpen here, and I would suggest keeping it for decoration only. Sharpening it could be dangerous."

Wen Zhi took out her phone, scanned the QR code, and paid, "I understand."