Chapter 17.2

Wen Yi covered her ears, not wanting to hear his rebuttal.

She did not want to argue with him either. She could not blame the baby for this, and he was not at fault. In the end, it was her impulsiveness—without making a clean, decisive choice. Since she chose marriage and children, she had to bear the consequences and her lack of power to resist being manipulated.

Since coming of age, Wen Yi had rarely fallen into such self doubt. She never felt inadequate anywhere, nor questioned her decisions. Even at sixteen or seventeen, she had the mind of someone in their late twenties—clear headed and independent.

She knew right from wrong and understood the situation was irreversible. The only thing left was to accept the new job quickly and start over. But these days, her emotions exploded like crazy. She could only desperately suppress them.

She had suppressed emotions before—usually, they faded on their own. Now he crashed into her, determined to burst open the reservoir in her heart filled with unease, anxiety, irritability, and anger.

Wen Yi was deeply upset. Her emotions spilled out. “You could never understand me. You were born enjoying everything you have—a complete family, outstanding talent. How could you know the feeling of something earned through desperate effort being casually toyed with?”

“Human nature is selfish. When they need you, they grovel and fawn. When they do not, they discard you like old shoes. Especially you men—so rotten and selfish, always thinking of yourselves. Scumbags.”

Qin Nanshan did not take it personally. Wen Yi seemed to be venting deeper frustrations through this. His mind worked quickly, gradually piecing it together. He asked softly, “Did your company stop your work because you are pregnant?”

Wen Yi looked up, her starry eyes rimmed with dark red, staring at him heavily. “Yes! From now on, I will be in administration—clock in and out on time, comfortably take maternity leave, coast along waiting to die, just taking care of the child. Happy now?”

Yet Qin Nanshan smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting gently.

Wen Yi grew angrier. “What are you smiling at!”

Her temper was out—that meant she was okay.

His expression remained as steady as ever. “Want a hug? I heard people say hugs are very effective for relieving emotions.”

“……” Wen Yi froze for two seconds, unsure if he was out of touch or if pregnancy had made her stupid.

Without waiting for her agreement, Qin Nanshan pulled her into a hug, his hand resting on her shoulder—loosely, with the enjoying big dog still between them. Wen Yi’s heart trembled. For a moment, she did not know how to react, her hands stiffly at her sides.

Though they had shared a bed so many nights, in reality, there had always been an invisible boundary. They had not even touched hands. Wen Yi felt she was practically a pure love warrior.

Qin Nanshan’s tone was as calm as usual, yet carried a faint, almost imperceptible gentleness that softened to the bone. “What position are they transferring you to in administration?”

His freshly showered scent filled her nose—clean body wash with a light lemon note, tart and astringent, making her mind foggy. “HR…”

But suddenly remembering something, she pushed him away and settled scores. “You knew already, did not you? Why pretend?”

Xuan Ying would not message her out of nowhere for no reason. She continued, “What did you do?”

Qin Nanshan replied, “Nothing. I vaguely guessed some things, but did not expect it to come so fast. Our family is not in business. Mom, Dad, and my circle are all in academia. I do have a few close hospital directors, but not much relevance to your work.”

“I asked Mom about Uncle’s company business, thinking if it could help you. Did she tell you?”

Wen Yi nodded, her tone much calmer. At least she could tell the difference. “No need for that. It is useless.”

Qin Nanshan said, “Before you got back, I called Uncle. He said he could arrange a dinner with your General Manager Li, but you would have to go too. From Uncle’s meaning, there might be room to turn this around. But I did not agree yet. I cannot make this decision for you.”

Upon hearing that sentence, a flash of surprise passed through Wen Yi’s heart, but it vanished in an instant.

After three or four minutes, she said calmly, “Thank you. And thank Uncle for me too. No need for now.”

A turnaround was right in front of her, yet she hesitated. No one understood the power of “connections” in the workplace better than Wen Yi. It was not that she disdained using them; it was just that, in her fragile sense of pride, she preferred to prove herself with ability.

Wen Yi smiled lightly and asked, “Am I wasting a good opportunity?”

Qin Nanshan also smiled faintly in response. “No. You are gaining a new one.”

Wen Yi froze, looking at him, unable to speak.

Silence was the norm between them. Qin Nanshan did not like talking during meals or while working—often, she was the one chatting through an entire dinner. But now, the silent one was her.

Qin Nanshan asked, “Do you remember what happened the week before the college entrance exam?”

“I do not…”

“The results of the final mock exam came out. You scored 89 in math—failing.”

“……” Wen Yi gritted her teeth. “Do you have to bring this up now?!”

Around the time of the college entrance exam, Wen Hongyu had just been diagnosed with uterine fibroids. She tried to hide it, not wanting Wen Yi to know, and secretly took medication to control it. One day, Wen Yi discovered the pill bottle and searched online herself. Confused by the chaotic information, she grew scared but did not dare let Wen Hongyu know she had found out.

That affected her final mock exam and the actual college entrance exam. After the exam ended, Wen Yi confronted her, and they went to the hospital together. Fortunately, the tumor was small with no serious issues. The doctor said no treatment was needed for now.

Wen Yi had never told Wen Hongyu she knew in advance, nor had she grieved over her poor exam performance. She was more relieved that her fears had been a false alarm.

Being forced to recall this now gradually calmed Wen Yi down.

A bombed college entrance exam, her mother’s illness—she had gotten through those. What was this in comparison? A transfer without a pay cut. She would be the highest paid HR manager in the company—how impressive.

Fine. After struggling for so many years, she would treat it as a rest. A constantly taut string needed time to relax too.

Qin Nanshan smiled faintly. “No choice. You swore it loudly enough for the whole class to hear. You said you would definitely conquer math in the college entrance exam, or you would not take the surname Wen.”

“But in the end, you still did not do well—just around 110 or so.”

“At least passing.”

Wen Yi’s gaze turned unfriendly, but the earlier surging anger and unwillingness had faded. “Fine. I know you got full marks. Happy now?”

Qin Nanshan pressed his lips together. “There was another time…”

“Stop. I do not want to hear it.” Wen Yi interrupted him, narrowing her eyes. “Qin Nanshan, how do you remember my things so clearly—even down to the exact 89?”

Qin Nanshan’s eyelashes trembled slightly before he smiled lightly. “No choice. Good memory.”

Wen Yi made a gagging motion. “I hope our daughter does not inherit your narcissism.”

“Though I do not agree with your description, I hope she inherits my memory.”

“That is fine.”

The atmosphere eased. Qin Nanshan quietly watched her, saying nothing more, returning to his usual wooden state.

Wen Yi did not avoid his gaze. Their eyes met in the air, condensing and intertwining into a thin thread, drawing them toward each other.

Since coming of age, Wen Yi had rarely shared her troubles with Ms. Wen or friends. In six years of work, she had faced low points—doctors disliking her, sales targets unmet, harsh leaders scolding her publicly. She had pulled through waves of self doubt.

Now, it seemed she could share the burden with someone. Regardless of romance, Wen Yi suddenly understood a bit of marriage’s meaning—mashing two people together, reforming them into each other’s pillars.

For the first time, she felt that the stuffy Qin Nanshan was pretty good.

After a long while, Summer could not stand the quiet, warm atmosphere. He jumped off the sofa. The noise startled Wen Yi awake. She cleared her throat lightly, somewhat unnaturally. “I need to take my folic acid.”

Qin Nanshan got up, went to the room for the folic acid, poured water, watched her take it, then said slowly, “Wen Yi, I am sorry.”

She held the cup, looking at him, a smile curving her eyes. “No need to apologize. I have the baby.”

“If something like this happens again, tell me in advance. Do not keep it inside. We are not playing house.”

“Mm.”