After the Sickly Child Differentiates into A - Chapter 24

“Wen Jingzhi! Don’t think you can act recklessly just because you’re from the Wen family!”

Chen Qing’s left knee had been skillfully kicked by Wen Jingzhi, and now it hurt so much she couldn’t straighten it. Gritting her teeth, her face twisted with pain and anger.

Ugly.

Still not leaving?

This was a misunderstanding of Chen Qing. Although Wen Jingzhi had only used thirty percent of her strength, Chen Qing had long indulged in sensual pleasures, leaving her body weaker than the average Alpha. At this moment, she genuinely couldn’t stand up.

Even if she wanted to leave, she couldn’t.

Wen Jingzhi glanced at her furious eyes, found it uninteresting, and turned away.

Wen Xihe checked her phone and frowned. At that moment, Chen Qing, blinded by rage, suddenly pulled out her vibrating phone from her pocket and raised her hand.

Lin Li lowered her gaze to Xiao Xi beside her, her hand holding the leash behind her back slowly loosening. Her slender fingers lifted, as if unintentionally pointing toward Chen Qing in front of her. Her lips moved slightly, silently forming the word,

“Go.”

“Woof!!”

Xiao Xi, receiving the command, dashed forward, swiftly passing Wen Jingzhi and pouncing on the person kneeling in the snow.

“Ah!!!”

Chen Qing, knocked down by Xiao Xi, let out a sharp scream. The sudden turn of events seemed to snap her back to her senses. Clutching the phone she hadn’t managed to throw, she waved Xiao Xi away. Ignoring the pain in her knee, she scrambled to her feet and fled in panic.

Xiao Xi was about to give chase when Lin Li, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up. Feigning urgency, she called out softly, “Come back, Xiao Xi!”

“Woof!” Xiao Xi immediately stopped and trotted back to Lin Li, wagging her tail.

Wen Xihe looked at Xiao Xi in surprise and laughed. “Our Xiao Xi is really impressive.” She bent down to pick up the leash dragging on the ground and handed it to Lin Li. “Did you not hold it tight? Xiao You, you need to be careful and always keep the leash secure outside. But if Xiao Xi suddenly lunges forward, remember to let go. Your small frame can’t handle being dragged by her.”

“Mm! I’ll remember, Sister Xihe.”

Wen Jingzhi watched the child’s soft, squinting smile, her gaze lingering on the small hand holding the leash. She raised an eyebrow with an ambiguous expression and let out an almost inaudible breathy chuckle under her breath. “Heh.”

This little one,

Quite fierce.

“President Wen.” A man in a security guard’s uniform ran up to Wen Xihe, panting heavily from the left corner. Leaning on his knees to catch his breath, he said, “Sorry, we didn’t catch them.”

Wen Xihe had already received a message from the hotel manager and knew the outcome. Frowning, she asked, “How many were there?”

“Two.” The security guard wiped the sweat off his shoulder, utterly exhausted. “One was a man dressed entirely in black, wearing a hat and mask. He ran incredibly fast, but he didn’t have a camera. The one with the camera was a paparazzo who often stakes out near the hotel. The man in black dragged him along as they ran, and I just couldn’t catch up.”

They couldn’t catch up even when the other was dragging someone along?

Wen Jingzhi sized up the security guard. His physique wasn’t too bad, which meant the other party’s physical condition was exceptionally good.

Something wasn’t right about this. She lowered her head in thought, then reached out and ruffled Lin Li’s hair.

The child’s hair was fine and soft, and it felt quite nice.

Lin Li smiled cheerfully, letting her sister tousle her hair.

Wen Jingzhi’s actions snatching the gift box and kicking Chen Qing had struck a chord of admiration in the child’s heart. Her attitude toward Wen Jingzhi had warmed by several degrees.

“Where are the people outside?” Wen Xihe turned to the hotel manager who had finally appeared and asked the security guard, “Were they stopped?”

“The other staff went out and were all stopped,” the security guard replied. “But that Ms. Chen was seen by the fans and sasaengs both when she entered and when she left.”

“I was just about to inform President Wen about this,” the manager said, stepping quickly over to the two Wen sisters and sighing. “A few fans took photos of Ms. Chen running out earlier and posted them online. It’s spreading fast.”

“There are also photos of Ms. Wen and the little girl.”

Wen Jingzhi’s face instantly darkened. She pulled out her phone and tapped the screen, her cold eyes deepening like the ocean.

It was already trending.

[Chen Qing boldly declares love for Actress Wen, what do you think of this CP?]

[The Ice Queen has fallen! Love child exposed for the first time!]

[Chen Qing’s love confession fails, leaving her devastated]

Scrolling through the posts, the comments were already nearing ten thousand.

That paparazzo had posted as soon as he got the shots seems like the news article was prepared well in advance.

It was clearly premeditated.

Wen Jingzhi suppressed her anger and took a deep breath. Suddenly, a soft warmth wrapped around her waist. She looked down, her gaze softening slightly.

“Don’t be angry, sis,” Lin Li hugged Wen Jingzhi, lifting her sickly pale face. “It’s not good for your health.”

Her anger dissipated by half.

Wen Jingzhi closed her eyes for a moment and ruffled Lin Li’s hair. “I’m not angry.”

She skimmed through the comments under a few of the trending topics. Her fans had always been highly united, and they had already largely steered the public opinion in the right direction.

[What do I think? I’ll think with your head, okay? If that works, mail it over and I’ll take a look.]

[Seriously? Chen Qing, the ultimate time-management expert who cheated during her engagement, being compared to Actress Wen? Are you drunk or am I still dreaming?]

[She cheated because Lin Ye tricked her into marriage! And besides, she’s just a Beta.]

[Oh? Did Betas eat your rice or steal potatoes from your field? What era is this, discriminating against Betas?]

[What? Did Chen Qing strangle you with her hair to make you post this?]

[Daughter? When did my wife get pregnant? I’m going to ask her, how could she hide this from me! I’m her partner too!]

[Ma’am, I mean, sis, wake up first.]

[Love child? I suggest you retake language classes. My wife and I are already married, so if anything, it should be a legitimate child.]

[Sis, you should go wash your face too.]

[This kid’s eyes really look like and the mouth. Ah, whatever, I can’t even keep this up. The OP’s skill at talking nonsense is truly masterful.]

[This kid looks at least five or six years old. Five or six years ago, my wife was running between Director Han’s and Director Li’s film sets, just so you know.]

[Love confession failed? Looks more like she got beaten up.]

[Wow, she’s gotten a hundred times uglier. Love really ruins your looks tagging my love-struck bestie to see this immediately.]

[What, doesn’t she have the right to pursue love?]

[Sure, but public confessions like this are just emotional blackmail, no matter who does it. Got it?]

[Exactly, and she even bought a trending spot. How shameless!]

[What was that thing she was holding when she went in? A great-grandma’s special courtship gift box?]

[You can just call it tacky, sis.]

The comments were still manageable. The rest could be left to the PR team.

Wen Jingzhi felt the chill in her ease slightly, turning her head to look at Wen Xihe, who was communicating with the manager nearby. Just as she was about to call him over to take Lin Li to the amusement park, her phone suddenly rang.

It was her eldest brother, Wen Xize.

She hesitated for a moment before answering the call. “Eldest Brother.”

“Xihe took Xiao You to find you. Did he bring Xiao Xi along too?” Wen Xize had rushed home only to find no one there not even the dog. When he called Wen Xihe, the guy didn’t even pick up.

Wen Jingzhi glanced at the child still clinging to her and smiled faintly. “Yes, they’re here celebrating her birthday.”

“Alright, I’ll give Xiao You her gift when she gets back.” But that wasn’t the reason Wen Xize had called. His tone grew serious. “Which media outlet leaked Xiao You’s photos?”

It seemed he had seen the trending topic.

Wen Jingzhi sighed softly. “We’re still investigating.”

“Tell Xihe to remove the trending topic immediately. If he can’t take down the entire topic, at least make sure Xiao You’s photos are removed.”

Huh?

This request took Wen Jingzhi by surprise.

Since the old master had decided to introduce Lin Li to their social circle, there had been no intention of hiding the child.

This leak was an accident, but since the family had no plans to conceal Lin Li, the logical next step would be to make her identity public.

The previous banquet had only included long-established elite families in the capital, all of whom had strong ties and years of mutual understanding. The purpose of Old Master Wen introducing Lin Li to them was to ensure that if Lin Li were to take on the responsibilities of the Wen family in the future, these families would lend their support.

As for minor favors in daily life, there was no need for a formal banquet, a simple phone call would suffice.

The reason Lin Li’s information hadn’t been leaked before was that those who attended the banquet wouldn’t disclose anything without the Wen family’s consent.

Young heirs of wealthy families are the most vulnerable to kidnapping and threats.

If someone wanted to obtain a photo of Lin Li, they would have to try to catch her on her way to or from school. However, Lin Li was always picked up and dropped off directly in the garage, emerging only at the school gate. With tight security around her, there was no opportunity for anyone to take a photo.

Other wealthy families in the circle only knew that the Wen family had gained a young miss, but none had seen her face.

“Little Sister?” Not hearing a response for a while, Wen Xize urged anxiously, “We must remove the photos as soon as possible. No delays!”

They absolutely cannot be seen!

Wen Jingzhi frowned but didn’t reply.

She was wondering why her eldest brother was so frantic.

It seemed as if he was afraid.

Afraid of what?

The photos?

No.

Wen Jingzhi looked at Lin Li and suddenly understood.

He was afraid that someone would see the child’s photos.

Who could that “someone” be?

Or was her eldest brother simply worried that Lin Li, being so young, was vulnerable to kidnapping?

“Little Sister!” Wen Xize urged again.

Such panic was unlike him.

Wen Jingzhi lifted her gaze and responded coldly, “I understand.”

Wen Xize breathed a sigh of relief and hung up. Wen Jingzhi put away her phone and happened to lock eyes with Wen Xihe. She raised an eyebrow at him, and Wen Xihe immediately ended his conversation, waving at the manager. “That’s all. Oh, and remove all rose-scented or similarly fragranced products from the hotel.”

He then walked over to Wen Jingzhi and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Wen Jingzhi glanced at the child clinging to her and gently ruffled her hair. “Eldest Brother wants Xiao You’s photos removed from the internet as soon as possible.”

“Huh?” Wen Xihe was also puzzled. “But we’ve already introduced her to everyone. Wouldn’t it make sense to just go public with it now? Why remove them?”

Wen Jingzhi pointed to the phone in the other person’s hand. “Big Brother called you.”

What kind of answer was that?

Wen Xihe, utterly baffled, unlocked her phone. Oh, he really had called. She had been busy dealing with Chen Qing’s matter earlier and hadn’t noticed.

Scrolling down, she saw more.

He had also sent a message.

【Take Xiao You’s photos off the internet immediately!!!】

Wow, with three exclamation marks, he must really be in a panic.

Wen Xihe dialed the head of the PR department. While waiting for the call to connect, she asked Wen Jingzhi, “You don’t know the reason?”

“Nope.”

“Fine.”

When the call connected, Wen Xihe gestured ahead, twirling the car keys around her finger as she started walking. “Remove all photos of my sister from the internet. Not a single one can be left.”

“That’s right, the photos of Wen Yinghou’s daughter, she’s, my sister.”

“What do you mean you can’t do it? Don’t you want your year-end bonus anymore?”

“What!?”

Wen Xihe abruptly stopped in her tracks. Wen Jingzhi and Lin Li, who were following behind, halted as well. She hung up the phone, turned around, and shot Wen Jingzhi a strange look, her expression odd.

“Ten minutes ago, all those photos vanished from the internet.”

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