My Wife Always Thinks She's Right - Chapter 5

“From now on, stay away from that person named Sun Heng.”

Shen Mu Ran said this without a ripple of emotion, as if she were simply giving her sister a mundane reminder. However, Su Nian could hear the underlying disdain and looked at her in shock.

“Sister, why would you say that?” Su Nian defended Sun Heng. “I was the one who suggested meeting up, and running away from home had nothing to do with her. On the contrary, she helped me and took me in. Why would you speak like that?”

Shen Mu Ran felt it was necessary to have a serious talk with her confused sister. She pulled the car over to the side of the road, engaged the parking brake, and leaned back against the seat.

“I do not care how you talked to her before, but I can tell that woman named Sun Heng is up to no good.” Shen Mu Ran still remembered how Sun Heng had leaned lazily against a pillar with a rowdy air, her eyes drifting over to her. She had also noticed Sun Heng pretending to take selfies while they were talking, only to realize she was actually taking photos of her.

Moreover, Sun Heng clearly had plenty of worldly experience. Su Nian, who had yet to step out of school, was naive and simple-minded. She was no match for Sun Heng.

She might not have done anything to Su Nian yesterday, but there was no guarantee about tomorrow or the day after. As long as her sister remained in contact with her, there was a risk of being taken advantage of. Shen Mu Ran did not want that to happen.

Su Nian disagreed. She tilted her chin up and said to Shen Mu Ran, “That is not true. Sister Sun Heng is a very good person. She came looking for me last night, and if she hadn’t taken me home, I would still be sleeping in that park.”

Shen Mu Ran replied, “Do you not have my phone number? Do you not have Mom’s number? You ran away just because that woman hit you? Even if you did run away, why sit in the park in such cold weather? Why not buy some food and sit in a convenience store all night until I could come to pick you up?”

Su Nian blinked and asked in surprise, “How did you know exactly what Sister Sun Heng said to me?”

“Regardless, it is your freedom to call whoever you want, but that is no excuse to go meet an internet friend,” Shen Mu Ran criticized her sister severely. “Sun Heng is ten years older than you. You two are not compatible, and she said herself she has no interest in you. Do not see her again.”

Su Nian sat in the passenger seat, listening to Shen Mu Ran’s nagging. She kept her head down and remained silent. When Shen Mu Ran looked over, she found the child crying again.

The little girl sat in the chair, weeping silently with red-rimmed eyes, tears streaming down her face. Shen Mu Ran lowered her eyes and handed her a tissue.

“I am going to call Mom and Dad. You say a few words to them later,” Shen Mu Ran said.

Su Nian nodded and sniffed.

Although the family was separated, they still had a small group chat including Shen Mu Ran, Su Nian, and their parents. Shen Mu Ran started a group voice call and invited their parents; their mother joined immediately.

Shen Qing’ai spoke up anxiously, “Ran Ran, have you found Nian Nian?”

“I found her, Mom,” Shen Mu Ran replied. “She stayed at a classmate’s house last night. I just picked her up. She is fine, and I have already scolded her.”

Su Nian sniffed and said in a small, tearful voice, “Mom, I know I was wrong. I will not run away from home again.”

Shen Qing’ai sighed and coaxed her younger daughter, “What couldn’t you tell Mom or your sister? Why did you have to run away? And Su Yiming, honestly, to let his wife bully you like that? What kind of man is he, daring to hit you?”

Su Yiming joined the call just in time to hear his ex-wife scolding him. Unhappy, he said, “Who are you scolding? Why are you being so rude?”

Shen Qing’ai sneered, “If the shoe fits, wear it. Is Nian Nian not your daughter? You only care about that little vixen’s daughter; why did you not consider Nian Nian? I must have been blind to fall for you back then.”

The two began arguing loudly. Shen Mu Ran turned the volume down to dampen their noise. Finally, Su Yiming, too frustrated to win the argument, left the group call. He sent a transfer of twenty thousand yuan to Shen Mu Ran with a message asking her to look after Su Nian for a while.

Shen Mu Ran accepted the transfer without hesitation and said to Su Nian, “See? Dad also wants you to stay with me.”

Su Nian pouted and muttered, “He just has a new daughter and forgot his old one. The three of them are a family; I am just an outsider.”

Shen Mu Ran patted her head and coaxed her gently, “That is not true. Do not think like that. At least Mom and I are still by your side.”

“Mm,” Su Nian nodded.

After comforting her sister, Shen Mu Ran said to her mother, “Mom, Nian Nian will be living with me for a while. I will go pick up her textbooks and homework later. Are you coming over for dinner tonight?”

Shen Qing’ai’s hostility vanished, and she smiled. “Let us not cook at home. Shall we go out? A client gave me a voucher for a new rooftop restaurant. It just opened and is very popular. It would be perfect for our family to go tonight.”

“Sounds good,” Shen Mu Ran agreed. “Then Nian Nian and I will meet you at your company at five o’clock.”

“Alright, you two go ahead and be busy. I have a meeting.”

After ending the call, Shen Mu Ran looked at Su Nian. “Let us go get your things.”

Su Nian was reluctant, but Shen Mu Ran insisted, “You sit in the car. I will go get your things. You just have to tell me what you need.”

Su Nian thought about it and nodded unwillingly.

After Shen Mu Ran left, Sun Heng looked through her social media posts over and over. Shen Mu Ran rarely posted, and when she did, it was mostly work-related, like meetings or promotional articles. Sun Heng clicked on everything to read, occasionally finding small traces of her personal life.

For instance, she would post photos of a home-cooked meal that looked simple but clearly meant for one person. She would post photos of autumn leaves with simple captions like “Autumn is deep.” Besides that, there were photos of Shen Mu Ran in a suit with her colleagues. Even in a crowd, Sun Heng could spot her instantly—beautiful, fair-skinned, and stunningly elegant.

Sun Heng pondered, “How could someone be so exactly to my taste?”

She puzzled over it and kept browsing Shen Mu Ran’s social media. She even looked at her profile picture, which was an abstract painting of a sunflower. Clicking on it, she noticed two small characters written in the bottom right corner: Su Nian.

It was likely a portrait Su Nian had given to Shen Mu Ran—a bit ugly, yet strangely cute.

Just as Sun Heng was observing more closely, her phone pinged. Shen Mu Ran had sent her a red envelope with a message: “Thank you for taking care of my sister. This is for her stay and meals last night. It is not much, but I hope you do not mind.”

Sun Heng grinned, resting her chin on her hand.

Sun Heng: “Why are you calling me Ms. Sun? That is too formal. I will accept the money, but if Su Nian needs anything in the future, feel free to come to me.”

She opened the envelope and found six hundred yuan.

Sun Heng replied: “Aren’t you being too polite? This is too much.”

She tried to send a red envelope back, but Shen Mu Ran did not accept it.

Shen Mu Ran: “My sister is willful and loves to make trouble. She must have caused you a lot of trouble last night. Aside from the food and lodging, the rest is just my sincere thanks.”

Sun Heng: “I cannot take advantage of you like that. How about I treat you to a meal instead?”

Shen Mu Ran took a long time to reply: “It is fine. Just keep the money.”

After that, no matter how many times Sun Heng poked her, she did not reply. Sun Heng raised an eyebrow and smiled at the sunflower profile picture.

As expected, beautiful women are hard to chase.

In the afternoon, Sun Heng tidied up her home and headed out after four o’clock. Her hotel had just opened a couple of days ago, and yesterday’s revenue was quite impressive. The manager had been eager to take credit, mentioning that many big clients were coming to dine today and inviting Sun Heng to meet them. Sun Heng did not refuse and headed over once she finished her work.

The newly prepared hotel was in the city’s most luxurious district. It was not a five-star hotel, but its location was excellent. Sun Heng had leased the top three floors of a fifty-story building: two for the hotel, one for dining, and the very top floor had been converted into a rooftop garden.

At that moment, a choir was performing on the grand stage in the rooftop garden. As Sun Heng and her manager arrived, they were greeted by a lively atmosphere. Melodic music, packed tables, and lush greenery created a beautiful, aesthetic scene that felt like a trip through Alice’s Wonderland. Sun Heng was very satisfied.

In the magnificent rooftop restaurant, Sun Heng simply glanced at the dining crowd and caught sight of a familiar figure.

Shen Mu Ran was sitting with her back to her, eating with a woman in her forties who wore a white suit and had long black hair. They seemed to have a close relationship, with the woman constantly putting food on Shen Mu Ran’s plate and occasionally leaning in to whisper something.

Sun Heng felt that the heavens were truly trying to set her up with Shen Mu Ran. She had just seen her at noon and had already run into her again.

Showing up directly would be too much of a coincidence. Although Sun Heng was fond of her, would it be too obvious to pursue her so aggressively?

Just as she was torn between walking over to say hello or having someone find her a seat to stage a “chance encounter,” she saw Su Nian walking over from a small flower path.

Sun Heng raised an eyebrow. Well, that settles it.

Before Sun Heng could even make a move, she shifted slightly to the side. Su Nian’s sharp eyes spotted her immediately. Her eyes widened, and without even returning to her own seat, she shouted Sun Heng’s name and ran toward her.

“Sister!”

Su Nian was wearing a casual white dress with matching white shoes, her hair tied back with a white, flower-shaped scrunchie, looking exactly like a blooming lily. She jumped lively in front of Sun Heng and grabbed her hand happily. “Sister, are you here for dinner too? What a coincidence!”