Mr. Wen, I want to savor every bite of this dish you’ve prepared.

Aunt Chun was shouting like a shrew on the other end of the line.

Wen Shuang frowned and hung up, switching off her phone.

She then smiled gently at the children. “Come on, darlings, let’s continue our lesson~”

After class, she saw off all the children and spoke in detail with the parents about some recent issues their kids were facing.

Only then did she turn her phone back on.

“Aunt Chun, I’ve said from the very beginning: you and Wen Yao both have hands and feet—if money’s short, earn it yourselves. Don’t come to me! Besides, my father left you a considerable sum in savings. That’s more than enough for you two to take care of yourselves. And the money I earn now is hard-won—why should I transfer it to you?”

When she’d been kidnapped and hospitalized, they hadn’t shown a shred of concern. Now, short on cash, they come to her as if she’s some kind of ATM!

Aunt Chun raged, “Wen Shuang, your father’s in trouble, and as the eldest daughter, it’s your duty to support me and Yao Yao! Fine, I won’t fuss about last month, but this month you’d better send us ten thousand right away!”

Wen Shuang replied coldly, “Don’t even think about it.”

“Wen Shuang! You ungrateful—”

Before Aunt Chun could finish her curse, Wen Shuang hung up.

After Wen Fanhai’s incident, she’d exhausted herself seeking connections and favors, knocking on every door from police to lawyers. Aunt Chun and Wen Yao, meanwhile, had done nothing—Aunt Chun just lay around at home, squandering what they had, and Wen Yao was too busy climbing into Qin You’s bed to bother working.

Wen Shuang found it laughable.

Aunt Chun was beside herself with fury after being hung up on, cursing up a storm.

Wen Yao came home, slinging her designer bag onto her shoulder. “What’s going on, Mom? Why are you so mad?”

“It’s that ungrateful Wen Shuang! I asked her to send money and she refused, then hung up on me! That heartless little wretch—ever since her father’s trouble, she moved out and is living the good life on her own, leaving us behind!”

Wen Yao joined in the tirade. “Isn’t she just a witch? A temptress! Rejects Brother Qin one moment, then keeps stringing him along!”

Aunt Chun asked Wen Yao how things were going with Qin You—had he sent her any money?

Wen Yao stomped her foot in frustration. “No! I’ve tried to contact him, but he ignores me now.”

After Qin You discovered she was behind Wen Shuang’s assault, he’d started avoiding her. Eight times out of ten, he refused to see her.

Her resentment toward Wen Shuang grew.

If not for Wen Shuang, Qin You wouldn’t be so cold to her!

Aunt Chun slapped her thigh. “That won’t do, Yao Yao. You need to put in more effort—win back Young Master Qin’s heart. If we don’t smooth things over, our Wen family is finished. Your father may not come home, but we two mustn’t suffer because of it!”

Wen Yao clenched her fists. “Mom, I’ll find a way to win him back!”

“I believe in you, my good daughter!”

The mother and daughter huddled together, venting their hatred for Wen Shuang.

After that, they kept calling Wen Shuang, but she never picked up. Eventually, annoyed, she blocked them outright.

Still, she made time to visit Wen Fanhai at the detention center.

In just two short months, Wen Fanhai seemed to have aged a decade. Wen Shuang’s heart ached.

He insisted he would never do something as vile as embezzling public funds.

Wen Shuang choked up. “Dad, I know. I’ll find a way, I promise!”

“Forget it, Shuang Shuang. I’ve been outplayed this time—destined to lose. Just take care of yourself, and your aunt and Yao Yao. How are they doing?”

Since his trouble began, neither mother nor daughter had come to see him.

Not wanting to upset her father further, Wen Shuang lied, saying they were busy trying to make connections outside, hence their absence.

Ji Shen hadn’t messaged her for several days. Wen Shuang knew he was busy out of town chasing suspects, so she didn’t disturb him.

She had dinner with Tang Yan.

Tang Yan had a new boyfriend—a famous rich heir in their circle, handsome and wealthy, and the two were passionately in love.

“Shuang Shuang, this rich heir is the best I’ve ever met. Absolutely top-tier—I lost count how many times I came last night!”

Tang Yan was always bold on such topics.

Wen Shuang was sipping water and nearly sprayed it all over Tang Yan.

She coughed twice. “Yan Yan, maybe keep your voice down. I think the guy at the next table lost all his confidence after overhearing you.”

Tang Yan laughed loudly.

“I’m serious, Shuang Shuang—try more men and you’ll know which is best. I thought my ex was wild, but this one is even wilder!”

Tang Yan’s previous boyfriend had treated her well, and she’d liked him, considering something long-term. But last week she discovered he’d slept with a young model, so she kicked him out and found a replacement right away!

Wen Shuang’s lips curled with alluring charm. “You’re luckier than me, having tasted so many men already. I haven’t even started yet.”

Tang Yan was stunned. “With a figure and face like yours, top-tier beauty, how does Officer Ji hold back? Shuang Shuang, if you told me he’d quit drugs, I’d believe it!”

Ji Shen must have been a ninja turtle in a past life.

Tang Yan remained in disbelief.

Wen Shuang recalled those blush-inducing, heart-pounding moments.

Truthfully, several times, not only Ji Shen but she herself had almost lost control; yet some thought or outside voice always interrupted them.

She shared her worries.

She’d started out wanting to get close to Ji Shen, but now, as things progressed, fear and doubt crept in, making her ambivalent. She kept resisting, yet she couldn’t help falling deeper.

Even now, she couldn’t help glancing at her phone from time to time, wondering if the man had messaged her.

“It’s a real dilemma. Mostly because it’s your first time, Shuang Shuang, so you have more concerns. If it were me, I’d have done it already! Heartbreak is a problem for later,” Tang Yan said. “But I suggest you consider carefully—Officer Ji isn’t just any man. If you trip up with him, I feel like it’ll take years to recover.”

On the way home, Wen Shuang kept thinking about Tang Yan’s words.

Indeed, if she fell for him, she doubted she’d recover any time soon.

She and Ji Shen were on the verge of breaking through their ambiguous relationship—just one thin veil left.

[Teacher Wen, are you lying in bed?]

Five days without contact, and the first thing he asks is whether she’s in bed.

Wen Shuang imagined Ji Shen in his uniform, looking upright but hiding a sly charm.

Her lips curved involuntarily.

[Not asleep yet, I’m on my way home.]

Ji Shen urged her to hurry—such beauty out late at night was asking for trouble.

[The day after tomorrow I’ll be back. Teacher Wen, what gift do you want?]

Wen Shuang said she wanted nothing.

She asked what dish Ji Shen wanted for his homecoming meal.

When she got home, she glanced at her phone.

[Teacher Wen, that dish—I’d love to taste it.]

[If possible, I want it all. Every bit.]