After the Sickly Child Differentiates into A - Chapter 8

Arriving at the children’s clothing store, Wen Xihe wanted to carry Lin Li to pick out clothes, only to be refused by Wen Jingzhi again. The latter personally carried the child to browse outfits, making Wen Xihe stomp in frustration behind them.

Lin Ye found her pouting expression amusing. “Why do you have zero authority as an older sister?”

“Hah, who can control this ice block Wen Jingzhi?” Wen Xihe gritted her teeth. “She’s been this uncommunicative since childhood completely lacking in charm.”

Wen Jingzhi had the manager bring over this year’s new arrivals. She set Lin Li down, considering having her try something on, but worried the child might catch cold while changing. After hesitating, she abandoned the idea and picked Lin Li back up, returning to Wen Xihe and the others. “We’ll have someone come take measurements at home for custom tailoring.”

“That works too. Last time we only had winter clothes made, and spring is coming soon.” Wen Xihe paused, asking Lin Li, “What do you think, Xiao You?”

Lin Li didn’t quite understand the difference between the options, nor was she particularly interested in these colorful clothes. She flashed her signature smile again: “I’ll listen to my sisters.”

Lin Ye pinched Lin Li’s cheek but didn’t comment further after all, this was the Wen family’s private matter.

Looking at that sweet, youthful face, Lin Ye suddenly understood the appeal of having an adorable little sister. Just gazing at this soft, sugary child lifted one’s spirits.

“Custom or ready-made both work.” Wen Xihe shrugged, equally unconcerned. “She’s still growing anyway. We can always have new measurements taken when she outgrows them.”

Wen Jingzhi: “Mn.”

“Shall we go for afternoon tea then?”

Lin Ye laughed at her: “Didn’t we just have bubble tea?”

Exiting the store, Wen Xihe grinned. “I’m craving LC’s desserts.” She looked at Lin Ye and Wen Jingzhi both public figures needing to watch their figures and teased mercilessly: “Oops, forgot you two can’t indulge freely.”

Wen Jingzhi ignored her, taking out her phone to call their eldest brother.

“What’s up, little sister?”

“Eldest brother, can Lin Li have sweets?”

“Let me check.”

After a pause, he replied: “Dr. Su says she can try one bite. If there’s no vomiting, she may have a small piece.”

“Understood.”

Hanging up, she looked up to find Wen Xihe, Lin Ye, and Lin Li all staring at her. Her eyebrow twitched. “What?”

Wen Xihe shook her head, dragging Lin Ye forward while texting Wen Jingzhi:

[Since when did you become so concerned about Xiao You? What happened?]

Weren’t you completely indifferent before?

Wen Jingzhi glanced at the message before locking her screen and pocketing the phone without reply.

This wasn’t so much concern as it was fulfilling her responsibility as an “older sister.” The sickly child was far too thin and fragile, barely having strength to walk. If she fell ill from unsuitable food, Wen Jingzhi would never forgive herself.

Wen Xihe withdrew her gaze, biting her lip.

After descending to the parking garage, the group boarded the car heading toward Qinghu Commercial District.

LC’s desserts were famous, available only from 2 PM to 8 PM with no chain outlets their entrance perpetually crowded with long queues.

With the Lunar New Year thinning the city’s population slightly, the line remained substantial at thirty-plus people. Wen Xihe parked across the street, resting her chin on the steering wheel as she nodded toward the crowd outside the window. “Well?”

“Do you even need to ask?” Lin Ye pointed at herself and Wen Jingzhi. “Do you think your little sister and I can go wait in line?”We’d be trending on hot search headlines by evening, with an ‘explosive’ tag added.”

“I’ve even thought of the headline ‘Lin Xiaohua ditches scumbag Alpha for the embrace of the unattainable flower, sparking an OO romance.'”

Wen Xihe found it both amusing and exasperating, waving her hand. “Alright, alright, I’ll go. I’ll go, okay?”

“You’re all high-maintenance, leaving me, the only non-public figure to do the grunt work.”

Lin Ye chuckled. “Not entirely. You’re a public figure in the finance section too.”

“The youngest entrepreneur, heir to the Wen family.”

“Stop!” Wen Xihe rubbed her ears. “I’m sick of hearing those labels.” She rolled down the window and pointed at a nearby café with a decent atmosphere. “You two go wait inside.”

Lin Ye: “Fine.” She turned to Wen Jingzhi in the back seat. “What do you think, Professor Wen?”

Wen Xihe rubbed her arms. “Ugh! I’m also a Wen. Change the title; it gives me goosebumps.”

Lin Ye smirked coldly, narrowing her eyes. “Go wait in line!”

“Absolutely heartless!” Wen Xihe pouted, slipping on a pair of amber sunglasses before stepping out of the car.

Wen Jingzhi glanced at Wen Xihe obediently lining up across the street, then looked meaningfully at Lin Ye. “Just call me by my name.”

Lin Ye didn’t hesitate. “Sure. Jingzhi, then?”

“Fine.”

The car door opened, and Lin Ye stepped out first, heading into the café. Two minutes later, Wen Jingzhi carried Lin Li out from the other side.

Inside, they spotted Lin Ye waving at them from a second-floor window seat. They walked over and sat across from her.

The window was slightly ajar, and worried Lin Li might catch a chill, Wen Jingzhi settled her on the aisle-side chair before taking the seat by the window herself.

The spot was tucked against a wall, partially hidden by a bookshelf perfect for these two public figures to avoid attention.

They scanned the menu to order. Lin Ye had already pulled it up on her phone and handed it to Wen Jingzhi, who glanced through it before selecting a black coffee and a mango juice. Lin Ye opted for two mochas.

The drinks arrived quickly. Wen Jingzhi slid a straw into the mango juice and placed it in front of Lin Li.

“Thank you, sister.” Perched on a chair padded with cushions, Lin Li held the glass and took a sip through the straw. Sweet. She smiled at Wen Jingzhi and nodded. “It’s good.”

“Stop if you feel unwell.”

“Mm!”

The petite, frail girl sat quietly, sipping her mango juice in small, careful gulps. Beside her, the aloof woman’s expression remained cool, but her gaze never left the child, faint concern lingering in her eyes.

Lin Ye watched the scene, covering her mouth.

It’s just juice, no need to stare so intently.

This is downright spoiling her.

Is this really the same ice-cold goddess who keeps everyone at arm’s length?

Wen Jingzhi was cold not sharp, but like snow. At first glance, soft and delicate, but touch it, and you’d feel the bite.

Polite and composed, she’d answer harmless questions and offer patient guidance if asked. But pry into her private life or cross a line, and those pale, frost-laced eyes would fix on you, forcing retreat under their chill.

Because she was too difficult to approach, with looks and figure far too outstanding and abilities beyond reproach, within just a few years of her debut, she had earned titles like “Flower on the High Peak” and “Aloof Goddess.”

Since her debut, Wen Jingzhi had never taken on variety shows. Apart from acting, she only did commercials and magazine covers. Her exposure was much lower compared to other trending stars, yet she rose to fame quickly and steadily.

She only accepted movie scripts, and with her textbook-perfect acting, she was hailed as a new-generation young artist.

Lin Ye, now twenty-six, was actually a year or two older than Wen Jingzhi, but she had no qualms calling her “senior” or “teacher.”

Wen Jingzhi debuted at sixteen. A leading role in an art-house film brought her to the attention of the Golden Qi Awards jury, and by twenty, she had already won the Best Actress award at the Golden Qi Awards.

One could only say she was born with a silver spoon, gifted beyond measure, yet she worked harder than most. She had bled and suffered injuries on set without so much as a frown, always getting back up to continue.

Famous for being unapproachable and keeping herself pristine, no scandals could be dug up about her.

No one could find fault with her, nor were there any tabloid rumors. Her fans were well-behaved. In her first two years, there had been some ambiguous negative news, but her fanbase was inexplicably cohesive, no one believed the rumors or made a fuss, and those stories sank without even needing a rebuttal.

Anyone in the industry with a bit of experience and brains wouldn’t mistake Wen Jingzhi for a soft target without backing. Only the truly brainless would dare provoke her.

Thinking of this, Lin Ye recalled a certain “brainless” individual and felt a wave of disgust.

Chen Qing had the audacity to flaunt those cheap tricks for chasing young girls in front of Wen Jingzhi precisely because she lacked brains.

The Chen family wasn’t part of the upper echelons of the capital’s elite. They were nouveau riche, not even close.

Ten years ago, when Wen Xihe and her brother lost their parents in the line of duty, the Wen family withdrew from the spotlight, rarely hosting events and only occasionally attending others’ soirées, usually represented by Wen Xihe, the heir.

So it wasn’t surprising the Chens knew nothing about Wen Jingzhi.

“Chen Qing brought this on herself by walking too many dark paths.” Sooner or later, she was bound to slip.

The mango juice in the glass was down by a third. Noticing that Lin Li had stopped drinking, Wen Jingzhi took the glass and set it aside before coolly replying to Lin Ye, “The bouquet of roses she brought triggered Lin Li’s asthma.”

“Asthma?!” Lin Ye was stunned. “I thought you didn’t accept them?”

“They brushed against my neck and left a scent.” Wen Jingzhi lowered her gaze to Lin Li, her cold expression softening slightly. “She’s very sensitive to smells.”

Lin Ye looked at the sweetly smiling Lin Li and thought to herself: No wonder.

No wonder Wen Xihe was so furious this time, digging up every last bit of dirt on Chen Qing and not even sparing the Chen family.

They had messed with the Wen family’s little treasure.

Another half-hour passed before Wen Xihe strode up to the second floor, sunglasses on, long boots clicking, and a bag of desserts in hand. Along the way, she drew countless gazes. Curving her red lips, she removed her sunglasses and turned to a young woman at the next table who had been staring. She threw her a flirtatious wink, instantly making the girl blush.

Arriving at their table, she tossed the bag down with flair and arched a brow. “As expected of me so beautiful people can’t look away.”

Lin Ye massaged her temples. “You’re like a peacock in full display.” She yanked her down into a seat. “Stop embarrassing us.”

“What do you mean by a peacock showing off its feathers? I’m stunning enough to outrage gods and mortals even without flaunting, okay?” Wen Xihe raised an eyebrow as she opened the bag, placing a matcha mousse in front of Lin Ye before taking out her own dark chocolate cake. Finally, she set a mango mousse and a pancake in front of Wen Jingzhi and Lin Li, saying to the latter, “Try this, Xiao You.”

“Thank you, Xihe-jie.” Lin Li turned to look at Wen Jingzhi and asked, “Which one would you like, sister?”

“Either is fine.” Wen Jingzhi unwrapped the packaging and picked up a fork, scooping a small piece of mousse cake to feed Lin Li. “Try it.”

“Thank you, sister.”

Lin Li took the bite, noticing it tasted slightly similar to that juice earlier.

Seeing her remain silent, Wen Jingzhi set down the fork and turned Lin Li to face her. After studying her for a moment, she asked, “Do you feel like throwing up?”

Lin Li swallowed the cake and shook her head.

Only then did Wen Jingzhi turn to unwrap the pancake.

Wen Xihe, holding her spoon between her teeth, stared in astonishment before whispering to Lin Ye, “Am I dreaming?”

Lin Ye chuckled at her reaction and replied in a hushed tone, “She was just as doting when feeding her juice earlier. I thought all you Wen family members were like this.”

We Wens are affectionate! And protective of our own! But the youngest Wen is different! She’s an exception!

Hiss! Xiao You is truly impressive.

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