Even without seeing her in person, she could immediately identify the voice as belonging to Lu Nianxin.
The memory had already formed.
"Aunt Zhang, you've taken the money, how are things going?"
Lu Nianxin asked while looking at herself in the mirror.
Aunt Zhang?
Wen Tang repeated the name in her mind, immediately connecting this person with the caretaker named Aunt Zhang.
But she wasn't sure if the person on the phone with Lu Nianxin was the same one.
"I've always been following your orders, I wouldn't dare to disobey!" the woman's voice came from the other end.
Wen Tang, hiding inside, faintly heard the voice, which matched exactly with that of caretaker Aunt Zhang, triggering a wave of fear inside her.
So they were in cahoots; Aunt Zhang's concealment of the scar removal ointment must have been at Lu Nianxin's behest.
Ha!
Wen Tang gave a mocking laugh and felt relieved that she had dismissed Aunt Zhang.
Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
On the other end, Lu Nianxin was still talking outside with Aunt Zhang, "As long as you listen to me, the benefits won't just be for now."
"The best thing would be to finish off Wen Tang; I'll take care of the rest of your life, including all expenses."
Wen Tang clenched her teeth; that was cruel.
She burst through the door to appear in front of Lu Nianxin, startling the woman so badly that she trembled and turned around, her speech stuttering as she spoke, "How... how are you here?"
Wen Tang went up to her and challenged, "So, the officials are allowed to start fires, but the citizens aren't even allowed to light lamps?"
"Miss Lu, this is a restroom, not President Pei's office; any Pei Group employee can come here."
Lu Nianxin lost some of her composure but feigned calm and hung up the phone.
She then spoke in a condescending manner, "This is eavesdropping!"
"No wonder the elders of the Lu Family don't acknowledge you; you're simply an embarrassment."
Her words were like salt on Wen Tang's wounds, who retorted, "So, because you have the support of the Lu Family, you think you can cause trouble and do whatever you please?"
Lu Nianxin raised an eyebrow, "Or what?"
"Besides the Lu Family, I also have the Pei Family behind me, do you think you can compare?"
"You should see if you even qualify, just like your mother, a lowly creature; even Grandma said that people like you living is just a stain on the Lu Family's reputation." Lu Nianxin gloated proudly.
The status of being Miss Lu was her lifelong pride.
Using this identity, she had never missed a chance to belittle Wen Tang in private.
"I don't care what you say," Wen Tang accepted that arguing was pointless, "I just wish you happiness then."
She was about to leave when Lu Nianxin stood behind her and said as she watched her figure walk away, "As long as you're alive, you'll always be beneath me, don't even dream of taking Pei Heyan back, or I've got plenty of ways to make you suffer."
Wen Tang didn't argue back; at this moment, her eyes revealed an unwavering determination.
She hated Lu Nianxin and she also despised Pei Heyan.
Hated that Lu Nianxin was devoid of mercy, and always seemed to be stabbing at her heart.
As a child, not being the favorite meant suffering her bullying, and growing up meant enduring her oppression and difficulties. She could no longer sit back and take it.
And Pei Heyan, she never expected this man to show her the slightest bit of concern, but for Lu Nianxin's sake, he wouldn't even distinguish right from wrong.
Even more than once, he unreasonably stood on Lu Nianxin's side, trying to force herself not to hate him was just self-deception.
Leaving the restroom, Wen Tang lifted her head and started walking towards the President's office.
Knock, knock, knock—
She rapped on the door and pushed it open.
Peering at Pei Heyan, who was engrossed in his work, she halted and spoke, "President Pei, the interface with Qi Group has been fully completed. I was hoping to use this lull to take some time off to go to the Hospital for Doctor Cao to help check my wound and see how it's healing."
Pei Heyan lifted his eyes.
A tiny knot formed in Wen Tang's heart.
That daunting gaze, to say it wasn't intimidating would be a lie.
However, she didn't waver.
Pei Heyan spoke, "Half a day."
Wen Tang lowered her head to look at her leg. Failing to request a full day off, she reckoned half a day wasn't too bad.
It was an exception after all.
"Okay, thank you, President Pei." Wen Tang left the office.
Anxious to not cause herself trouble and to avoid running into Lu Nianxin, she hurriedly hailed a cab to the Hospital.
She had taken a number for Doctor Cao Yinqiong. With dozens ahead of her waiting, she sat anxiously on a bench.
From time to time, she checked the names flashing on the large screen.
Her name seemed eons away, and as the time to return to Pei Group approached, Wen Tang turned off the screen and stood up.
It looked like she wouldn't make it today and would have to find another time to come back.
As Wen Tang was about to leave, Cao Yinqiong, dressed in casual clothes, noticed the scene and hurried over.
"Why leave just after you've arrived?"
Wen Tang turned around at the sound of the voice to see it was indeed Cao Yinqiong.
"You…" she stared at the woman before her, a hint of hesitation in her eyes.
Cao Yinqiong smiled, "I saw the waiting list inside and noticed your name in the waiting area. It just so happened to coincide with the end of my shift, so I changed clothes and came out to find you. Luckily, I made it in time, otherwise, I would have been too late."
Wen Tang shifted her gaze, "Did you come here specifically for me?"
Cao Yinqiong pursed her lips, "What else?"
"Let's go," she led the way.
Wen Tang followed her into the dressing room.
Cao Yinqiong carefully unwrapped the bandage on Wen Tang's leg and noticed that the stitches had not been absorbed yet, and the skin around it was red and swollen. Frowning, she said, "You clearly haven't been taking good care of the injury, it's inflamed."
Wen Tang glanced at the stitched-up wound, the red and swollen area around it making it resemble a centipede even more.
If she were a man, she probably wouldn't like her woman to have flaws either.
After all, she wasn't Pei Heyan's woman, just a toy used to fulfill his needs.
"Hissss—" Doctor Cao looked closer, "These stitches haven't dissolved for so long, and you've been busy with work. I'm afraid it's time to take them out; we can't wait any longer."
"In this case, we have to remove the stitches for better healing of the wound, and get some anti-inflammatory medication to take on schedule."
Wen Tang braced herself, "I'll follow your advice."
Doctor Cao used tweezers to begin removing the stitches, comforting her, "Don't worry, the inflammation is just on the surface of your wound. The flesh inside is mostly healed and has merged with the stitches. We're only removing the superficial part, so there's no need for psychological burden."
Upon hearing this, Wen Tang felt a great weight lifted off her.
Looking at Doctor Cao's diligent demeanor, she suddenly felt quite fortunate.
To have such a competent doctor.
"All done," Doctor Cao set down the tweezers and placed a square piece of gauze on Wen Tang's wound and fixed it securely, giving instructions carefully, "When you take care of the wound at home, you can let it air out a bit, which is beneficial for the wound to scab over more quickly."