After the Sickly Child Differentiates into A - Chapter 69.3

Lin Li didn’t know why Grandpa Wen was calling her sister aside, but she instinctively panicked, grabbing her sister’s wrist and looking up at her anxiously.

“It’s alright,” Wen Jingzhi reassured her, patting the back of her hand and gently stroking her cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”

Her hand was taken away without any room for argument. As her palm emptied, Lin Li watched Wen Jingzhi follow Old Master Wen and disappear from the hall.

Wen Xize, having observed their interaction, also looked displeased. He called Wen Xihe over and questioned her quietly, while Lin Li was led by the butler to rest on the sofa.

Stepping out of the hall and turning two corners, they arrived before a solemn pair of redwood double doors, the Wen family ancestral hall.

Old Master Wen gently pushed the door open and entered. “Come in.”

Wen Jingzhi pressed her lips together, stepped inside, and softly closed the door.

Above the incense burner stood more than ten memorial tablets, all ancestors of the Wen family who had sacrificed their lives in the line of duty, including Wen Jingzhi’s grandmother and parents.

Old Master Wen’s face was stern as he pointed his cane at the cushion in front of the tablets. “Kneel!”

Wen Jingzhi lowered her gaze, walked behind the cushion, and stood with her lips tightly pressed.

Seeing her refusal to kneel, Old Master Wen stamped his cane angrily. “I said kneel!”

Gazing at the names of her parents on the tablets, Wen Jingzhi closed her eyes briefly, then slowly bent her knees and knelt.

“I asked you to take care of Xiao You is this how you do it?” Old Master Wen looked at her stubbornly straight back and felt a pang of reluctance. Softening his tone, he continued, “You’re her sister. Xiao You has already given up on that plan. Why must you insist on going through with it?”

Wen Jingzhi’s long lashes trembled. “I can save her.”

“How could you bear to watch her?”

“How could I possibly bear it?” Old Master Wen sighed deeply, his expression conflicted. “But I don’t want you to be the one to make this medicine.”

Both were as dear to him as his own flesh and blood, he would ache for whoever suffered.

“I’ll have the research institute find another way. You must not.”

“Grandfather.” Wen Jingzhi interrupted him for the first time. She raised her head and met the old man’s stern gaze firmly. “I love her.”

“You!” Old Master Wen had deliberately avoided this topic, but her mention of it ignited his fury. He raised his cane and struck down. “You disgrace!!”

The solid cane landed mercilessly on her slender back. Wen Jingzhi winced, gritting her teeth as her body trembled. Yet she steadied herself, remaining kneeling upright, her gaze unwavering as she faced her grandfather.

Seeing her face instantly pale, Old Master Wen’s hand shook. He withdrew the cane and stamped it on the ground. “Do you still think you’ve done nothing wrong?”

Suppressing the metallic taste in her throat, Wen Jingzhi replied, “I don’t believe this is wrong.”

Had it been anyone else, Old Master Wen wouldn’t have thought his granddaughter was at fault. But! Lin Li was the only legacy of his deceased dear friend!

He couldn’t overcome that hurdle.

Though the two shared no blood relation, in Old Master Wen’s mind, Wen Jingzhi was Lin Li’s sister, the one who had personally nurtured and raised her.

That very relationship was the barrier he couldn’t cross.

He wasn’t entirely rigid in his thinking; upon reflection, it wasn’t completely unacceptable. Though he spoke of having the research institute find another solution, he knew deep down that aside from Wen Jingzhi, there was no other way to save Lin Li.

But Wen Jingzhi’s attitude was the problem!

Old Master Wen took a deep breath. “Do you dare look at your parents’ memorial tablets and say you’ve done nothing wrong?!”

“If you weren’t feeling guilty, why would you be willing to kneel?!”

He understood this child, she had always been strong-willed, more mature and steady than her elder brothers. If she wasn’t willing, no one could force her to do anything.

If she truly felt no guilt or wrongdoing, she would never have bent her knees today.

Wen Jingzhi lowered her gaze, lips pressed tightly together.

She did feel guilty.

It was she who had forced Lin Li to accept.

This was the only thing she felt guilty about.

But she still didn’t believe she had done anything wrong.

She knelt out of guilt for her forceful methods.

“You’re feeling guilty yourself! How dare you say you did nothing wrong!?” Old Master Wen took a moment to catch his breath before asking, “What about Xiao You?”

“Was she willing?”

Wen Jingzhi lowered her eyes and remained silent.

Old Master Wen glared angrily, “You didn’t even know if she was willing, yet you dared to do such a thing recklessly!” As he spoke, he raised his cane again, “Utterly disgraceful!”

In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to strike her. He withdrew his hand, opened the door, and said, “You will kneel here all night!”

Old Master Wen stormed off and slammed the door shut.

In the ancestral hall, only the warm glow of candlelight remained. A slender figure knelt upright before the memorial tablets, head bowed in silence.

A few minutes passed, and she suddenly covered her mouth, coughing a few times. A few drops of blood splattered onto her pale palm, staining the corner of her lips crimson.

She trembled as she took a breath, closed her eyes, and clenched her fist.

The blow from the old master in his fury had been far from light. A seasoned veteran from the military, he knew how to strike with precision force. Though the surface appeared unharmed, the damage was internal, affecting her organs and bones.

When Old Master Wen reached the main hall, he thought of the blow he had delivered. He knew it must have injured her, but his anger made it difficult for him to swallow his pride and call her to rise.

“Grandpa Wen.” Lin Li had been waiting anxiously. Seeing Old Master Wen, she rushed over and glanced behind him, but there was no sign of the familiar figure. Worried, she asked, “Where’s Sister?”

Old Master Wen’s face was stern as he snorted coldly, “Come with me first.”

Lin Li bit her lip, still concerned, “Can I go see Sister first?”

“No!” Old Master Wen snapped at Lin Li for the first time, his tone intimidating. Wen Xihe, afraid that Lin Li might provoke the old man further and face punishment, walked over and tugged at her sleeve. “Grandpa won’t really punish Jingzhi. Don’t worry, come with Grandpa first, alright?”

Lin Li was unwilling but had no choice. Suppressing her emotions, she followed the old man upstairs.

Once inside the study, Old Master Wen closed the door and looked at Lin Li without speaking. After a long pause, he suddenly bowed to her. Lin Li’s eyes widened in shock, and she jumped back, not daring to accept the gesture. “Grandpa Wen!”

“What are you doing?”

“Jingzhi is my granddaughter, and you are Junyan’s granddaughter.” Old Master Wen straightened up and sighed. “You voluntarily gave up that treatment plan, it was your choice, and you were willing to bear the consequences.”

“For her to go behind your back and forcefully ‘treat’ you was wrong of her.”

“Regardless of her intentions, forcing you and acting against your will was her mistake. As her grandfather, I owe you an apology, and I owe Junyan an apology as well.”

Lin Li stared in astonishment, taking a moment to regain her composure before frantically waving her hands. “Grandpa Wen, there’s no need to apologize! If anything, I should be thanking you and thanking Sister. She saved me.”

“Saving you is a fact, but disregarding your wishes is also a fact.”

Lin Li thought of something and grew anxious. “Sister did nothing wrong! You didn’t punish her, did you?”

Old Master Wen snorted coldly, “She deserves to be punished.”

“Sister did nothing wrong!” Lin Li was both worried and frantic. “I was willing! It was my choice! She didn’t force me!”

Old Master Wen didn’t believe her. “You were even willing to give up that plan. How could you suddenly be willing just because it was her?”

Seeing his disbelief, Lin Li grew flustered and blurted out, “Because I like Sister!”

Old Master Wen trembled from head to toe. “What did you say?”

Realizing belatedly what she had said, Lin Li gritted her teeth, deciding to throw caution to the wind. With a flushed face, she confessed, “I like Sister, and I couldn’t bear to let her force herself to be my ‘antidote.’ But I also couldn’t accept anyone else. That’s why I gave up on that plan.”

“So?” She closed her eyes, her throat tight with shame as if clogged with cement, and forced out the words, “So, if it’s Sister. I’m willing.”

“Sister didn’t didn’t force me.”

Old Master Wen shut his eyes tightly, then after a long moment, opened them and sat down in his chair. He sighed deeply and waved a hand at Lin Li. “I understand. You may go.”

“What about Sister’s punishment?”

“Even if it was voluntary, she is the elder and should have known better. The punishment cannot be waived.”

Lin Li frowned. “But—”

“Enough,” Old Master Wen said wearily. “I’ll let her out in an hour.”

As if he had the heart to keep her locked up any longer.

Lin Li breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Grandfather!”

After she left and closed the door, Old Master Wen clasped his hands over his cane, his gaze falling on the empty photo frame on the desk. He sighed again. “Junyan, let the younger generation handle their own affairs.”

If Wen Jingzhi had truly failed in her role as the elder, he could have reprimanded her. But now, it seemed the feelings were mutual, and he had no place to interfere.

Lin Li’s words might have sounded like an attempt to absolve Wen Jingzhi of responsibility, but he had lived long enough to rely not just on what he heard, but on what he observed her genuine expression, her sincere eyes.

He saw clearly and understood: those words were no excuse.

In the dimly lit study, the old man’s complex sigh echoed once more.

Lin Li went downstairs but didn’t see Wen Xihe. Just as she was about to search for her, Wen Xize called her over for questioning.

Meanwhile, Wen Xihe had slipped quietly into the ancestral hall. Peering through a crack in the door, she was startled to see the person kneeling rigidly before the memorial tablets. “You’re really kneeling?”

“Close the door,” Wen Jingzhi said without turning her head. “This is the ancestral hall.”

Wen Xihe pouted, stepped inside, shut the door, bowed to the memorial tablets, and lit a stick of incense before speaking again. “You said you did nothing wrong, yet you’re willing to kneel?”

Wen Jingzhi remained silent.

In the candlelight, her aloof face appeared pale and sickly. Wen Xihe frowned. “You!” Her eyes widened as she noticed the blood at the corner of Wen Jingzhi’s lips. “Did Grandfather hit you?!”

“How many times?”

“Once,” Wen Jingzhi replied flatly.

Once was serious enough!

Wen Xihe grew frantic and reached out to pull her up. “Why are you still kneeling? Let’s go to the hospital!”

She tugged but couldn’t move her.

“Stubborn mule! Don’t you know how strong Grandfather is? You’re coughing up blood, and instead of going to the hospital, you’re kneeling here all night? Do you want us to collect your corpse tomorrow?”

Wen Jingzhi shot her a sidelong glance. “It’s not that serious.”

“Fine, you won’t get up?” Wen Xihe released her hand and turned to leave. “Then I’ll tell Xiao You that you’re being punished by Grandfather, that you’ve been beaten, and let her come ‘invite’ you herself.”

“Wen Xihe!” The person who had refused to budge despite all the pulling suddenly stood up, staggering slightly from the abrupt movement that aggravated her injury. “Don’t you dare tell her!”

Wen Xihe looked at her meaningfully. “So, you’re willing to get up now?”

“Ahem!” Wen Jingzhi covered her mouth and coughed a few times, faint flecks of blood splattering onto her palm. She wiped the blood from the corner of her lips, then pulled a tissue from her coat pocket, meticulously drying the blood from her hand. Suppressing a tremble, she took a breath and looked up: “I’ll go out with you.”

Wen Xihe watched her series of actions with mixed feelings, hesitating to speak.

Truly a sight unseen in a hundred years.

To think that someone so cold-hearted and detached could become this “careful” when love stirred within her.

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