The Venomous Wife Let Me Go - Chapter 2

Lin Song pressed her lips tightly together, her eyes brimming with a struggle that Bai Jun couldn’t quite decipher like a lake shrouded in mist.

She looked so fragile, as if anyone could bully her. Just a few words from Bai Jun had already reduced her to such a state.

Not wanting Lin Song to exhaust herself further, Bai Jun mustered all her energy, calling her “wife” over and over in an attempt to persuade her.

Lin Song’s ears visibly reddened, her entire demeanor radiating shyness and endearing vulnerability.

Lin Song was really too adorable.

Originally, Bai Jun hadn’t felt the slightest bit embarrassed, but seeing Lin Song’s flustered expression, she swallowed hard, her own cheeks suddenly growing warm.

Under Bai Jun’s relentless efforts, Lin Song finally curved her lips into a faint smile, casting a conflicted glance at her before lowering her head and softly agreeing, “Okay.”

Lin Song relented, but before leaving, she made a call to summon her assistant.

The assistant, Feng Xing, was around the same age as Bai Jun’s mother stern-faced, sharp, and efficient, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Bai Jun’s homeroom teacher. The moment Bai Jun saw her, her eyes widened in terror.

Oh heavens! How could someone as gentle and beautiful as Lin Song have such a terrifying assistant?

But then again, Lin Song was so delicate that she probably needed a strong-willed assistant to help hold the fort.

And considering the hidden murderer lurking in the shadows, Bai Jun couldn’t deny that she was a little scared to be alone.

“Aunt Feng has no children. She was Grandfather’s secretary before he passed and has taken care of you for over a decade, treating you like her own daughter.”

“After Grandfather’s death, Aunt Feng wasn’t in the best state,” Lin Song explained. “I wanted her to get away from that environment for a while, so I brought her to work with me.”

“If there’s anything you want to know, you can ask Aunt Feng.”

Bai Jun secretly pouted her mother was definitely lying to her again. Aunt Feng was probably the “new secretary” her mother had mentioned when she was twelve.

Aunt Feng looked far too serious to be the type who’d take her to amusement parks. Most likely, her mother had tricked her into going to her grandfather’s house back then so Aunt Feng could force her to study during summer break.

Her mother was getting sneakier by the day!

She had no idea how her mother was doing abroad now whether her illness had been treated or not. But given that Bai Jun had just been in a car accident and the murderer was still at large, she didn’t dare reach out recklessly for fear of worrying her.

Fortunately, Bai Jun was an adult now. She was the one paying Aunt Feng’s salary, so she didn’t have to be afraid of her.

“Got it!” Bai Jun nodded, lowering her voice in an attempt to sound like a composed adult. “Go home and rest. I can take care of myself.”

“I’ll finish my work as soon as possible and come back to keep you company.”

Lin Song thoughtfully turned on the TV in the hospital room, adjusted the bed to a comfortable angle, and then, with downcast eyes, hurriedly left.

Once Lin Song was gone, Bai Jun “focused” on watching TV.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could feel Aunt Feng scrutinizing her, sending a shiver down her spine. Still, she maintained a calm facade, pretending nothing was amiss.

Her mind was in turmoil there were too many questions she wanted to ask, but she didn’t know where to start. So she just stared blankly at the TV.

She had originally intended to use the drama to get a sense of current societal trends. But after watching for a while, she frowned: fifteen years had passed, and while the production quality had improved, the plotlines were somehow even worse than they’d been over a decade ago!

Has the television industry really declined to this extent?

Bai Jun’s heart skipped a beat as she couldn’t help but think of her own family’s company: Could their conglomerate be starting to decline as well?

Bai Jun took her mother’s surname. Her family had always been in the spice trade, but dissatisfied with the domestic perfume market being dominated by foreigners, her great-grandfather ventured into the perfume business. By her grandfather’s generation, the Bai family’s perfume brand had already gone international, gaining influence in the global fragrance industry.

Her grandfather had only two daughters. Bai Jun’s mother was the eldest and the publicly announced successor. However, due to her mother’s poor health, she couldn’t have more children after giving birth to Bai Jun. It was tacitly understood that Bai Jun would inherit the Bai family enterprise in the future.

The TV drama playing before her had exquisite production quality, but the actors’ performances were lackluster, and the plot followed tired tropes from over a decade ago. Bai Jun struggled to watch for a while before losing interest.

Aunt Feng was still observing her, her deep gaze seemingly pondering something of great importance, making Bai Jun increasingly restless.

“Alright! No need to pretend. If you don’t want to watch, then don’t. Later, I’ll find a movie starring Lin Song for you.”

Aunt Feng stared at her for a moment, then suddenly sighed, turned off the TV, and looked up to see the astonishment in Bai Jun’s eyes. She paused, then burst into laughter: “You didn’t know Lin Song used to be an actress?”

With this laugh, Aunt Feng seemed to have resolved something, her demeanor becoming much lighter, shedding all traces of her earlier seriousness.

“Lin Song isn’t from your social circle. She was incredibly talented, one of the youngest award-winning actresses, consistently delivering outstanding performances before even turning 26. She had a limitless future ahead, but half a year ago, she abruptly announced her retirement from the industry to marry you. At the time, everyone said you must have put a spell on her.”

Bai Jun’s eyes widened.

Though Lin Song was stunningly beautiful, Bai Jun had never imagined she was an actress.

Her mother had strict expectations for Bai Jun in every aspect. From a young age, Bai Jun had been prepared for the likelihood that her spouse would be the heir of some conglomerate, and she wasn’t opposed to such an arrangement. So when she learned Lin Song was her wife, Bai Jun had naturally assumed Lin Song was the daughter of some family within their circle.

“Did I make Lin Song quit acting?”

After a long pause, Bai Jun finally processed the information, her voice hoarse as she spoke.

If that were the case, she was truly a scoundrel!

In that brief moment, her mind had already conjured up a melodramatic storyline of “Lin Song, rejected by her mother-in-law, forced to abandon her career and marry her in resignation.”

Her own mother was a hopeless romantic who had defied her grandfather to marry Bai Jun’s father, a man with good looks but little substance. Over the years, her mother had cleaned up countless messes caused by him. Now that her mother had gained power, she was tearing down Bai Jun’s umbrella in turn.

Lin Song was so sweet and adorable, an award-winning actress to boot. Though one shouldn’t speak ill of their parents, Bai Jun’s good-for-nothing father who only knew how to sweet-talk people and squandered money on failed investments was nowhere near Lin Song’s league.

“Not at all. Lin Song chose to retire on her own,” Aunt Feng shook her head.

Seeing Bai Jun’s disbelief, Aunt Feng sighed. “If you don’t believe me, you can ask her yourself. I don’t know the details, and it wasn’t my place to interfere too much in your relationship.”

“But Lin Song has always been decisive. No one can easily sway her choices.”

Aunt Feng continued to smile at Bai Jun, her gaze somewhat peculiar tinged with nostalgia and something akin to wistfulness.

Aunt Feng seemed to truly understand her.

After their conversation, Bai Jun gradually shed the initial unfamiliarity and fear in her heart.

“And Lin Song was personally approved by your grandfather,” Aunt Feng paused before adding.

Mentioning her grandfather, Aunt Feng’s tone noticeably dimmed: “Chairman Bai liked Lin Song very much. In his final days, he often said Lin Song carried the demeanor of your great-grandfather.”

Bai Jun bit her lip.

Aunt Feng had no reason to lie, but her great-grandfather was a legendary figure who elevated the Bai family’s wealth by several tiers, always the family’s role model.

Lin Song appeared delicate and docile, how could he possibly resemble her great-grandfather?

Perhaps her grandfather had been too ill to think clearly at the time.

But with her grandfather’s approval, her mother likely wouldn’t give Lin Song too hard a time.

Seeing the nostalgia in Aunt Feng’s eyes, Bai Jun swallowed the skepticism on the tip of her tongue.

In truth, Bai Jun had few memories of her grandfather.

Her grandmother passed early, and her grandfather never remarried. Bai Jun was raised by her mother, only returning to the old family home for holiday meals with her grandfather, whom she always found intimidatingly stern.

Yet now, watching Aunt Feng’s expression and recalling how the vigorous old man in her memory had turned into a cold photograph on a tombstone, a strange yet familiar sorrow welled up inside her, as if caught in a damp downpour where even breathing felt icy and piercing.

Bai Jun’s head began to ache faintly again.

“You silly child, don’t overthink things when you’ve just recovered.”

A warm hand rested on Bai Jun’s, and she looked up to meet Aunt Feng’s concerned gaze: “Your grandfather was happy you married Lin Song. He passed with a smile.”

“Living well, helping the police find the culprit, and ensuring no more accidents that’s the best way to honor him.”

“I understand.”

Bai Jun forced a well-behaved smile, Aunt Feng’s words pulling her from the melancholy, though her heart still ached dully.

In the memories she’d lost, she must have grown close to her grandfather hence her body’s instinctive grief even without recollection.

“Your family aside from your grandfather, everyone else is fine.”

“Your parents are abroad, and your aunt’s child has been unwell, so she couldn’t attend to you recently. To spare them worry, we kept your injury a secret.”

Aunt Feng, as if reading her mind, diverted her attention: “Though the company faced minor issues after your grandfather’s passing, everything remains under control. All is well.”

“Jun Jun, for you now, memories aren’t important. If it hurts, don’t dwell on it.”

Aunt Feng soothed gently: “You were so heartbroken over your grandfather that you spaced out and didn’t avoid that car, leading to the accident.”

“After this ordeal, I hope you’ll rally, leave the sorrow behind, and bravely embrace life anew. Can you do that?”

“O-of course!”

Aunt Feng gripped Bai Jun’s hand tightly, her eyes reflecting both hope and sorrow likely shaken by the accident.

Bai Jun hurried to reassure her,

“Aunt Feng, don’t worry! My mom always says I’m thick-skinned, an indestructible cockroach, no setback can knock me down!”

“This was just an accident. I’ll be back on my feet in a few days.”

“That’s good to hear!”

Only after Bai Jun rambled on for a while did Aunt Feng finally crack a smile, though a glimmer of tears flickered deep in her eyes.

She seemed unwilling to let Bai Jun see her cry and quickly lowered her head again.

“Let me cast Lin Song’s movie for you to watch.”

Aunt Feng fiddled with her phone. “You used to secretly watch it in the office all the time, but you probably don’t remember the plot now.”

Bai Jun stiffened.

She tried to imagine herself hiding in the office, sneaking peeks at Lin Song’s films. She never thought she’d grow up to be so secretly sentimental. The thought made her cringe, but she was also intrigued by the idea of the movie being cast. She craned her neck to watch Aunt Feng set it up.

But when the TV screen lit up, revealing Lin Song in a qipao, her high heels clicking as she strode forward, Bai Jun couldn’t help but be completely captivated.

When Lin Song acted, she carried a depth of storytelling that transcended her age. The character was vastly different from her real self, yet it never felt disjointed.

Lin Song played a mesmerizing dancehall girl outwardly a glamorous socialite, charming and radiant, but in truth, she came from a tragic background and was secretly carrying out a special mission while harboring unspoken feelings for the male lead, who was also on a covert assignment.

The clever and decisive dancehall girl and the male lead survived several crises together. Just when it seemed they would naturally end up together, the enemy stole classified documents and set a trap.

Those documents were tied to countless lives. The dancehall girl turned the tables, secretly entering the enemy’s scheme to retrieve them but she never made it out alive, dying under enemy gunfire.

“How could she die?!”

By the time the ending rolled around, Bai Jun was utterly devastated. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. “Wuwu, she’s already suffered so much.”

Bai Jun was a sobbing, snotty mess. Beside her, Aunt Feng wiped her tears while laughing uncontrollably. “Haha, well, you’ll have to ask Lin Song about that! I heard she personally suggested this ending to the director back then.”

It took Bai Jun a long while to recover.

Her body was still weak, and after crying so hard, she exhausted herself. The nurse came to give her medicine, and before she knew it, she drifted back to sleep.

This time, she slept deeply and peacefully.

Fragments of images flashed through her dreams, elusive as wisps of clouds impossible to grasp.

In her hazy state, someone gently brushed her cheek, and faint whispers of an argument seemed to drift around her,

“If she finds out the truth.”

“Then we’ll do our best to keep it from her!”

“You called me here isn’t that what you were thinking too?”

Bai Jun turned over, and the murmurs abruptly stopped.

Still half-asleep, she sank back into unconsciousness.

She must have gotten too immersed in the movie! She was even hallucinating, hearing the argument between the dancehall girl and her comrade before her death.

Except, the actor opposite Lin Song in her dream sounded an awful lot like Aunt Feng.

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