Ever since Wen JunXi returned from his business trip and found out that his wife had disappeared, the mansion was in a brink of collapse.
The furniture in his bedroom and office was turned upside down. Wen JunXi had completely lost all control. He became a completely different man. Albeit, he had been cold before, however after he brought his wife to live with his mother in the Wen residence his cold personal had thawed overtime.
Wen JunXi had affection only for his wife and occasionally his mother. The rest of the Wen relatives he did not care about. Everyone working in the Wen family residence had learned this from watching his interaction with his wife. While he was sweet and doting with his wife, he was strict and cold with his subordinates.
Wen JunXi had always been sensitive toward people and cleanliness. He never liked anyone touching him or his things with bare hands. As soon as someone touched his things, he would feel it was sullied and therefore would make the items disappear. No matter how valuable such thing was, he will always get rid of it.
It was a phenomenon for everyone to discover that the only person whom he could tolerate to touch him, and his things was his wife, Yan Yan. After two years of her living in the residence, she had become a beckon of hope for everyone as she was the only person that seemed to be able to control Wen JunXi's ever changing mood and temper.
Now that beckon of hope was gone, the workers of the Wen Residence walked on eggshells each and every day. Such a stressful environment was not good for their health. One by one, the staff of the Wen residence began to deplete.
If one worker did not quit from exhaustion, they would become hospitalised due to stress.
Madam Wen saw this and could not do anything about it, only keep replacing the staff and compensate those that had their health comprised.
Everyone who left had signed an NDA to never speak about the ongoings of the Wen Residence.
This is why despite Wen JungXi having married Yan Yan for two years, no one knew about her outside the Wen family.
Part of it was because of the security of Wen family residence was that strict.
Another part was because Wen JunXi's wife had been eighteen years old when they married, therefore too young to marry in the mainland China. And so, they had to hold the ceremony and certificate abroad where he had dual citizenship.
In the beginning Madam Wen had made sure no word got out about her son's marriage partner. She did not want the world to know that her son had married an inferior woman of such a background. An orphan with no family and status.
Madam Wen was now realising that there was no medicine for regret.
She was realising just how much she had taken Yan Yan's presence for granted. She was realising just how much of impact Yan Yan had toward her son.
Why had she not just stayed put, became a good mother-in-law and treat Yan Yan well? She could only put aside her regrets and focus on raising her grandchild. The lovely son Yan Yan had given birth to.
Madam Wen was currently burping this nameless child when she felt an omnipresent presence of her son behind her. He came forward and sat opposite her, his wan eyes watching her like how a beast would watch its prey.
Madam Wen involuntary shivered. A latent reaction evoked ever since that day Wen JunXi almost killed Bai Jiu.
Had she not intervened, she really believed Wen JunXi would have choked Bai Jiu to death.
As a result of her actions, Bai Jiu was now institutionalised per Bai Family's reluctance. The Bai Family Corporation was a budding technology company that was making a name for itself in the computing industry. However, they heavily relied on the Wen Family's influence and therefore always bowed down to them.
Whatever demands Wen JunXi had of them, they had no choice but to see-through-no-questioned-asked. Permanently institutionalising their only daughter in a mental health facility was one of the compromises they had to make in order to maintain such connections with the Wen Corporation.
"JunXi, why don't you hold your son? You have not held him since he came to us. Even to this day he has no name." Madam Wen spoke, offering the child to him.
Wen JunXi frowned deeply, glancing briefly at the child before looking away.
Madam Wen could only sigh as she retracted the child back to her embrace.
This grandson was lovable. At only a few weeks old, he never fussed or brought trouble. He was quiet like a mouse. If you didn't pay attention to him, it was almost as if he did not exist.
Such a lovable quiet baby was adorable. Madam Wen doted on him more and paid more attention to him because of this. This poor baby had lost his mother at such a young age. His only father refused to hold him. He was very pitiful.
Madam Wen could only blame herself and focus her attention on him to appease her guilt.
She vaguely could guess why Wen JunXi did not want to hold his son. He was brooding and his attention was not in the current present. He was putting all of his focus on finding Yan Yan.
To this day, his investigation had led to nowhere. There was no trace anywhere of Yan Yan's body and with the only person to have last seen her now mentally unstable. It was impossible to get information out.
Wen JunXi would not believe that Yan Yan was truly gone until he saw it with his very own eyes.
Even Madam Wen still had a trace of hope that somehow Yan Yan had survived whatever she went through in the hands of Bai Jiu. However, seeing how skewed Bai Jiu's mentality was, she could only shudder at the prospect of having completely lost her.
There really was no medicine for regret. Because she had brought Bai Jiu into the house, it had led to this moment.
Now with her disappearance, Wen JunXi was even more unruly. He has not had a proper sleep since. With the added duties of running the Wen empire, his mood was very shifty.
He also did not speak much in the house. He would trash the furniture upon his sobriety, as if waking up was a nightmare. Then he would continue drinking and smoking boxes of cigarettes in his room, never letting anyone in.
Madam Wen had tried to speak sense to him, but one look from him and she will retreat with a tail behind her hinge leg.
What right had she anymore to speak sense to him when she was the cause of it all.
Just as she was about to shed a remorseful tear, the child in her arms suddenly gurgled and smiled at her. His pure soul bringing her a warmth like no other.
In the end she could not help but shed tears,
"JunXi look, he's smiling." She showed him.
Wen JunXi once again glanced at the baby in her arms. He was about to quickly look away when he saw that the child's smile was so similar to hers. His heart suddenly felt sour and bitter.
"Wen Xi Lan." Suddenly Wen JunXi spoke.
"Mm?" Madam Wen looked up to him.
"His name is Wen Xi Lan. Xi for hope and Lan for orchid. She hoped to grow orchids in the back garden once he was born. She never got the chance."
A warm hope for orchids. Madam Wen smiled bittersweetly. Although it was partly her fault that Yan Yan never got to do what she truly wanted in this household, Madam Wen was still pleased at the fact that these were the most words Wen JunXi had spoken toward her.
"Then we shall call him Wen Xi Lan as his official name. As for his baby name let's go with Ah-Lan." Madam Wen decided.
"Hao."
"Little Ah-Lan, finally you have a name." She softly cooed at her grandson evoking more smiles from him.
Madam Wen felt her whole being soften. Although the feeling was bittersweet, she grasped it firmly. She did not want to take advantage of someone's sincerity ever again.