With a sudden movement, Wen Ling stood up without hesitation, but before she could turn around and take a step, a strong hand pressed her down without mercy.
At that moment, Wen Ling hated the bodyguard profession.
Old Master Bai frowned, staring intently at Wen Ling for a long time before finally sighing and softening his tone, "You are mistaken. I didn't come here today to continue mocking you. I came to admit defeat; I have not been able to oppose you. All along, the most important person in Haonan's heart has been this old man. He would never go against my wishes; he is a very filial child. However... after meeting you, Haonan no longer regards me as he used to. Regarding you, I once sternly told him that he must not take it seriously... but..."
Old Master Bai smiled bitterly, shaking his head, a sense of tragic despair enveloping him. Wen Ling looked at the old man's graying hair and nearly cried.
"I... I didn't make him unfilial to you..."
"I know. In other matters, Haonan doesn't hold grudges, just like before. But with you, only with you, he insists on defying me! He insists on getting engaged to you, insists on being involved with you."
"I didn't force him into anything, like engagement or anything..."
Old Master Bai nodded, smiling bitterly. He took out a check from his pocket and placed it on the table, pushing it toward Wen Ling, saying, "Here are two million... for you..."
Wen Ling was stunned, looking at the valuable piece of paper, then in shock raised her eyes to Old Master Bai, trembling as she said, "You want to buy my feelings with money?"
Two million!
What an astronomical figure!
For her, little Wen Ling, it was a shocking amount that she could never earn in a lifetime!
With a self-deprecating smile, Wen Ling's fingers trembled, but she firmly said, "Thank you, old sir, your generosity is truly extraordinary. Two million is indeed an enormous sum. However, unfortunately, I don't have the habit of sleeping on piles of money; having too much money would make me uncomfortable. I cannot accept this money. Furthermore, let me say it again: whether to date or not, whether to give up or hold on, whether to get engaged or not, none of these things have anything to do with your money! Whether or not I have this huge sum, I will still do what I think is right. Please take this money back; I don't want it."
Old Master Bai was taken aback.
This was unexpected!
He thought that no matter who it was, as long as they were human, they would love money. Why would this girl, who was always working hard and lacking money, refuse such a large fortune without hesitation?
Wen Ling seemed to understand the surprise and doubt in his eyes, so she said, "I am poor, I lack money, I can't live without money, I need money, I have a money-making addiction, and I would laugh out loud if I found money. But! Please listen carefully, dear grandfather, I am not a prostitute selling my body; I have never sold my dignity! I have never actively seduced your grandson, nor have I ever tried to get close to him. I have not! And one more thing, I really dislike you! Every word you say and every action you take is so hurtful, it wounds people deeply. I dislike you!"
Old Master Bai silently put away the check and said heavily, "I am about to leave this world; my time is limited. I have a terminal illness... I want to ask you to help me fulfill my last wish..."
Wen Ling, who was about to leave, suddenly froze in place.
Terminal illness?
Is this a joke?
Uncle Hao's grandfather has a terminal illness?
What does that mean?
"You... you won't live long?"
Wen Ling blurted out, immediately making Old Master Bai's face turn cold. This girl spoke so bluntly.
"Oh, I'm sorry, what I meant was..."
"Yes, I won't live long, at most eight months. It's late-stage pancreatic cancer."
Are you hoping I die soon?
"Ah..." Wen Ling blinked, her face filled with pity and sorrow. "Only eight months left? That's really pitiful. But you look quite well; you don't seem like someone who is about to die from a terminal illness. Isn't it said that evil people live long...?" After all, Old Master Bai wasn't exactly a good person; at least when he scolded her, he was so vicious that he had already categorized himself as a villain. Would a villain live a short life?
This girl who drives people crazy with her words!
The more Old Master Bai listened, the angrier he became, his face tightening, gripping his cane tightly, banging it on the ground, and growling, "Do you think at my age, I would curse myself with a terminal illness? Do you need to see my medical records to believe it?"
Wen Ling raised an eyebrow, grinning, and felt a shiver run down her spine.
Wow, whoever's grandson he is, it's true; Bai Haonan's bad temper is inherited from the old man.
Both grandfather and grandson have enough bad temper to make people despise them.
"Um, um... Old sir, I really don't understand why you called me here today. You said you have a terminal illness and won't live long, but what does that have to do with me? Also, what does this check mean? I'm a bit slow, so please just tell me directly; I'm getting confused with all this roundabout talk."
She wasn't a business rival; there was no need for such cryptic business tactics against her, right?
Old Master Bai finally realized how exhausting it was to talk to a rare female like Wen Ling.
He was almost so angry he could spit blood.
"I am about to die, and I want to see my grandson get married perfectly before I die, to fulfill my last wish. Do you understand?"
Wen Ling obediently nodded, "I understand... but you should talk to Bai Haonan about this; I'm not your grandson."
Pfft... Old Master Bai's mental state finally collapsed, and he was so angry he almost spat blood.
"In a prestigious family like ours, we must find a well-matched noble family for marriage; otherwise, we will become a laughingstock in society and be ridiculed by our business peers..."
Wen Ling impatiently interrupted Old Master Bai's efforts to elaborate, "Um, um, I'm sorry, old sir... I must interrupt you. This, this, your Bai family looking for a daughter-in-law has nothing to do with me! I'm not clinging to Bai Haonan, insisting on marrying him. Well, I have to go to class now, so I'm leaving."
With the agility of a dancer, Wen Ling sprang up, and Old Master Bai exclaimed, "Stop! I haven't finished speaking! Even if you don't want to marry Haonan, he is determined to marry you! I don't know how this child has become so foolish; he is doing the most idiotic thing. I am just using the heart of a dying man to ask you, plead with you, to let our Haonan go, to not pay attention to him anymore. Whatever it takes, please make Haonan dislike you!"
The heart of a dying man...
Wen Ling, feeling sorrowful, stopped, her shoulders trembling slightly, and said sadly, "Okay, I promise you, I will try my best to make your grandson dislike me. But..." Wen Ling turned sharply to glare at Old Master Bai, "But, old sir, don't you think what you're doing is very cruel and selfish? For the honor of your Bai family, for your so-called pride, you want to control Bai Haonan's feelings. So this is how a grandfather's deep love for his grandson is interpreted."
After finishing, Wen Ling strode out.
Not stopping for a moment, not looking back.
This sharp-tongued girl...
Old Master Bai was left stunned, watching the direction in which the girl disappeared, remaining in a daze for a full ten minutes before he finally reacted.
Touching his nose, he muttered to himself in a daze, "I am cruel? I am selfish? Isn't this for Haonan's future? This little brat really knows how to talk." He picked up the two million check, looking at it in disbelief, muttering, "But she really surprised me; she actually refused such a large sum of money... This woman is not simple; she must have calculated it clearly. By capturing Haonan, she could get countless two millions... But did she really mean it when she said she would fulfill my request?"
Old Master Bai suddenly laughed, "Hehe, talking to this girl may make me so angry I could pull my beard, but it's still quite interesting."
At the very least, talking to a girl like her isn't so boring.
Wen Ling walked out of the café, aimlessly wandering, her head down, ignoring the people and things around her.
After walking out from in front of Uncle Hao's grandfather, her mood suddenly plummeted to the lowest point.
It hurt; an indescribable ache washed over her, making her want to cry.
Why am I so sad?
Why are my eyes wet?
I haven't lost anything; the money for the coffee wasn't even mine, but why do I feel so sad and so torn?
What does it matter if Uncle Hao dislikes me?
I was never in the same world as him; it wouldn't be a loss for us to dislike each other. After all, I've always complained about him being bad, lecherous, domineering, and bullying. If I don't see him from now on and he grows to dislike me, shouldn't I be laughing out loud?
Why... do I want to cry?
This bad uncle, this lecherous uncle, this stinky uncle who makes me both hate and fear...
As Liao Kai drove by, he saw the petite Wen Ling curled up on a stone bench by the roadside, her head down, looking desolate as if the sky had fallen. Tears were falling on her clothes, making her infinitely lovable.
Screech!
Without thinking, Liao Kai immediately slammed on the brakes.
As he walked over, he saw her narrow shoulders shaking, and he could hear her suppressed sobs.
"Oh my, what happened? Dear Ling, what's wrong?" Liao Kai's heart ached as if it were breaking. He pulled the girl into his arms, stroking her silky hair, and softly comforted her, "Come on, dear, what's wrong? If something's bothering you, tell me about it."
Click, click... In the distance, someone was secretly taking photos.
Lian Kang threw away the cigarette in his hand, his breath heavy, and his eyes burned with anger.
Why does he feel so furious whenever he sees that woman being close to another man?
Could it be that he has developed feelings for her?
No way! Absolutely not!
He should only treat this woman as a means to cure his hidden ailments, as a deadly weapon to take revenge on Bai Haonan!