After the Harem Novel’s Female Lead was Spoiled by the Comments - Chapter 19

The early autumn night carried a shiver of chill, yet the wind, having absorbed the earth’s heat, still held the lingering warmth of summer’s tail.

The breeze swept through the vegetation, caressing every inch of the earth’s skin; in the silence, Mother Earth seemed to utter soft, fragmented murmurs.

The cold white moonlight, like frigid spring water, flowed quietly, flooding the flowerbeds and grass of the Yan estate. The tips of the grass gradually caught the mist, slowly condensing into dewdrops.

The most precious and delicate orchids of the Yan family were planted in the garden. Dew soaked the orchid leaves, making them look glossy and moist.

A hardworking gardener patrolled past; fearing the dewdrops might crush the delicate petals, he bowed his head to carefully and gently gather the moisture.

This movement startled a pair of butterflies resting in the darkness. Under the moonlight, the two butterflies danced together, following the fragrance of the flowers to seek the next blossom to inhabit.

The morning dew of early autumn was heavy. It was only six-thirty when Yan Lianchen and Tu Sihua rose, wearing thin knitted cardigans as they practiced Tai Chi in the garden.

Around seven o’clock, Xiao Baihua got up to do her makeup, preparing to go shopping with her sisters after breakfast. As for Yan Aotian, he also had business activities to attend today.

When the couple finished dressing and went downstairs to the dining room, the two elders were already seated.

The Yan family followed the rule that juniors must wait for elders to pick up their chopsticks before they can eat, but there was no logic in elders waiting for juniors. Yan Aotian glanced around and asked unhappily, “Qingwen and—”

He paused, realizing he didn’t know how to address Wen Hebai, so he simply skipped her: “Why haven’t they come down yet?”

“It’s normal for young people to sleep in on weekends. Wenwen works so hard, let her sleep a bit longer,” Tu Sihua said cheerfully.

“Then let’s have breakfast first, no need to wait for them.”

Just as he finished speaking, Yan Qingwen and Wen Hebai appeared in the dining room one after the other.

Yan Qingwen, knowing she was in the wrong, said: “We woke up late; sorry to keep you all waiting, Grandparents, Mom and Dad.”

Although they looked perfectly dry, Xiao Baihua could still tell they had just showered. At whatever thought crossed her mind, her expression became somewhat uneasy.

“Good morning, Grandpa, Grandma. Morning, Dad, Mom.” After Yan Qingwen took her seat, Wen Hebai sat down right next to her.

Faced with her intimate forms of address, Yan Aotian and Xiao Baihua felt uncomfortable all over.

“Did Wenwen sleep well last night?” Tu Sihua asked Wen Hebai.

Wen Hebai gave her a sweet smile: “Grandma, Wenwen slept wonderfully last night.”

Yan Qingwen struggled to keep her expression steady and said to Tu Sihua: “Grandma, this is Hebai—Wen Hebai. She used to come to the house to play often.”

Tu Sihua laughed and said: “Of course I remember, Little White Rabbit. She loved White Rabbit creamy candy most, and she even played house with you, acting as your wife and making me perform your ‘wedding’ ceremony.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere at the table became subtle.

Wen Hebai boldly took Yan Qingwen’s hand, her smile like a blooming flower: “That’s right, Grandma was our wedding officiant.”

“That was playing house, it shouldn’t be taken seriously,” Xiao Baihua said.

Wen Hebai squeezed Yan Qingwen’s hand, and the latter said coldly: “But we aren’t playing house now.”

Yan Lianchen cleared his throat, and everyone dropped the topic that had no definitive conclusion.

Likely because people become more nostalgic in their later years, after breakfast, Yan Qingwen and Wen Hebai accompanied Tu Sihua for a stroll in the garden. Tu Sihua brought up many stories from their childhood.

Tu Sihua’s thoughts were somewhat jumpy. She suddenly took the hands of Yan Qingwen and Wen Hebai and asked worriedly: “Why did you two fight that time?”

Both of them were stunned.

They had fought plenty of times; which specific time was she referring to?

Tu Sihua remembered clearly: “On Wenwen’s coming-of-age day. You were in the garden, right by the swing set, having that big fight.”

At those words, Yan Qingwen shot a glance at Wen Hebai and let out a cold laugh.

What else could it be for? Wen Hebai was acting out!

Wen Hebai glared back, refusing to back down. Seven years later, she finally filed a complaint to Tu Sihua: “Grandma, Yan Qingwen was so out of line then. On such an important day, she actually didn’t send me an invitation. The entire elite circle of City K received invitations except for me! Everyone was laughing at me, saying we only pretended to be close, but in reality, she didn’t want me at her party at all!”

Tu Sihua looked at her granddaughter with a hint of blame: “How could you not send an invitation to Little White Rabbit?!”

If she weren’t in front of her grandmother, Yan Qingwen would have rolled her eyes.

“Grandma, before that, whenever she came to our house, she always came whenever she felt like it. Did she even need an invitation?” Yan Qingwen asked.

Tu Sihua thought this made sense. She couldn’t wrongly accuse her granddaughter, so she chided Wen Hebai: “That’s right, you come and go as you please. No one would have stopped you from coming in even without an invitation.”

To this day, Wen Hebai still felt wronged: “But as it happened, I was stopped.”

Tu Sihua’s gaze turned back to Yan Qingwen, who remained silent for a moment before pressing her hand to her forehead and sighing: “That was a misunderstanding.”

In the entire high society of City K, who didn’t know that Yan Qingwen and Wen Hebai were childhood friends with an excellent relationship? The entire Yan household knew as well. Thus, Wen Hebai never needed prior permission to visit. When Yan Qingwen was arranging the invitations, she naturally didn’t think of this detail.

However, she had called Wen Hebai over a month in advance to tell her that she was holding her coming-of-age ceremony on her eighteenth birthday.

Who could have predicted that Wen Hebai, who was filming at the time, would turn around and forget about it?

Wen Hebai said she took the call during a break in filming; the director happened to start rushing her, so she didn’t have time to listen carefully. Afterward, because of constant NGs (no-good takes) and being scolded by the director for a long time, she completely forgot about the matter.

On the morning of the party, she received a call from her eldest sister, Wen Hebu, and only then did she remember it was Yan Qingwen’s birthday.

Because of this, she skipped work and immediately took a flight back to City K.

After getting off the plane, she didn’t even go home. She went to buy a gift for Yan Qingwen first and then rushed to the Yan house, only to be stopped by the security guards at the gate because she didn’t have an invitation.

“I am Wen Hebai, the fourth miss of the Wen family!” For the first time, Wen Hebai couldn’t enter the Yan family gates, and she stamped her feet in anger.

The guard who blocked her questioned: “The person representing the Wen family today is the eldest miss. She is already inside. Why didn’t you come with her?”

The other guard said: “Perhaps you can call the eldest Miss Wen and ask her to come out and bring you in.”

Regardless, no invitation meant no entry.

Just then, a girl wandering nearby said sarcastically, “Oh, if it isn’t the Fourth Miss Wen. Why aren’t you coming in? Is it because you don’t want to?”

Wen Hebai rolled her eyes: “I wondered who it was; turns out it’s Miss Jian Ren.”

“Who are you calling a ‘slut’ (Jianren)? My name is Jian Fengren!” The girl was fuming.

The Wen family and the Jian family were rivals because the Jians made their fortune in gaming. After the Wen family decided to develop in the direction of the internet, they invested in many related companies, including an IT firm.

This IT firm also started making games, but many things were cobbled together by copying others. The Jian family’s games were frequently copied. The Jian family hated this firm and, by extension, disliked the Wen family who invested in it.

In this atmosphere, the relationship between Wen Hebai and Jian Fengren was naturally far from harmonious.

The security guards looked at each other—was this really the Fourth Miss of the Wen family?

But out of duty, they decided to consult the butler first.

Meanwhile, Wen Hebai had already started arguing with Jian Fengren.

Jian Fengren couldn’t win the argument, so she deliberately raised her voice to sting her: “Could it be that you don’t have an invitation? Heavens, don’t you always boast about being Eldest Miss Yan’s best friend? Why didn’t she invite you on such an important day?”

Wen Hebai clenched her fists and feigned pride: “What a joke. I come to the Yan house whenever I want. Since when did I need an invitation?!”

Jian Fengren’s smile grew more triumphant: “Then what are you doing at the gate right now? I think Eldest Miss Yan must not welcome you… hm, maybe she’s afraid your presence will ruin the mood. After all, everyone knows you’re the one who sabotaged several of the Wen family’s marriage alliance plans. Now that the Third Young Master Jiang is going to pursue Eldest Miss Yan, she won’t let you show up and cause trouble!”

Wen Hebai froze, feeling as if the whole world had gone silent: “Who did you say is going to pursue her?”

“Jiang Yunhan. He just confessed his feelings to Eldest Miss Yan.”