After the Harem Novel’s Female Lead was Spoiled by the Comments - Chapter 44

Yan Qingwen still had not decided what birthday gift to prepare for Wen Hebai when Jiang Yunhan’s birthday arrived first. The Jiang family held a birthday party for him and invited K City’s major wealthy families and elites.

Everyone knew the Jiang family wanted to use this opportunity to pull in investments. For various purposes, many people expressed that they would definitely attend.

Yan Qingwen originally did not want to go, but unfortunately, her mother, Ms. Xiao Baihua, insisted that she go with her. She wanted Yan Qingwen to help get back the fifty million she had invested in the Jiang family. Left with no choice, Yan Qingwen could only agree.

“What birthday gift should we prepare for him that matches our Yan family’s status, but doesn’t make it seem like we value the Jiang family too much?” Xiao Baihua ran to Yan Corporation to discuss it with Yan Qingwen.

Yan Qingwen said lightly, “He’s already such a grown adult. What birthday gift does he need?”

Xiao Baihua was just about to refute her when she suddenly remembered that ever since Yan Qingwen took over Yan Corporation, her birthday banquets had become business exchange seminars. Yan Qingwen did not want birthday gifts, since handling them was too troublesome, so aside from some elders and close friends, the rest of the guests would not prepare birthday gifts for her. From her perspective, the Jiang family’s birthday banquet was essentially an investment exchange meeting, so whether they sent a gift or not was secondary.

Since Xiao Baihua still wanted to get back that fifty million, she did not want to fall out with the Jiang family, so she said, “Not giving one won’t do either. I’ll prepare something myself.”

“Then Mom, you should go home first. I have a meeting soon and don’t have time to accompany you,” Yan Qingwen said tactfully.

Xiao Baihua no longer invited embarrassment for herself and got up to leave.

Chen Zhien, who was standing nearby, asked, “Then President Yan, do we still need to prepare a birthday gift for Madam Hebai?”

Yan Qingwen thought for a moment and said, “No need for you to prepare it. I’ll think about what she wants myself.”

Chen Zhien complained inwardly: What happened to “she’s already such a grown adult, what birthday gift does she need”? So that standard was for other people. But that made sense too. What right did Jiang Yunhan have to compare with President Yan’s wife?

President Yan, who was being double-standard, had no awareness of this herself. She pondered Wen Hebai’s words: “What I want can only be given by my wife.”

What was something only the identity of a wife could give?

Wedding photos? They would be taken soon.

Wedding rings? They were already wearing them.

Could it be a wedding? Even if she said so now, there was no way to prepare it in such a short time!

Yan Qingwen chose to ask Chen Zhien. “When someone says that what she wants can only be given by her wi-wife, then what exactly does she want?”

Chen Zhien: “…”

This sentence sounded so familiar. Wasn’t this what Wen Hebai had replied to a netizen on her side account?

Wait. So President Yan actually followed Wen Hebai’s side account?!

Even more daringly, could that netizen with a username like a paid commenter actually be President Yan?

In that brief instant, tens of thousands of pieces of information flashed through Chen Zhien’s mind.

“A sweet date, a sincere confession, a grand wedding, a romantic and tasteful world for two, and passionate collisions at midnight. Or maybe have a child?” Her heart had been injected with adrenaline, but on the surface, she remained very serious, trying to make her suggestions sound reasonable.

Yan Qingwen: “???”

The earlier suggestions were somewhat decent. What were the later ones?

Realizing that she had gone too far and broken character, Chen Zhien hurriedly tried to save herself. “Actually, as long as it’s a gift chosen sincerely, that would be the best gift.”

Yan Qingwen nodded. Worrying over Wen Hebai’s birthday gift was indeed not something she should be doing. The topic was thus set aside.

Very soon, the day of Jiang Yunhan’s birthday arrived.

Under Xiao Baihua’s repeated urging, Yan Qingwen got off work one hour early, went home to shower and change into a dress that was not too grand but still proper, then accompanied Xiao Baihua to the Jiang family.

Those attending Jiang Yunhan’s birthday banquet were basically wealthy madams, socialites, people from the second-generation circle, and some company presidents invited over for investment matters.

Yan Qingwen saw many familiar faces here. Su Jinyue, Liao Song, Jian Fengren, and the other wealthy young ladies had gathered. Mu Rong and Jiang Yunhan’s other good brothers were naturally present as well. They had even brought female companions, most of whom were new faces in the entertainment industry.

“Sister Yan, you’re here!” When Su Jinyue saw Yan Qingwen, she abandoned the others and jogged over.

Yan Qingwen asked curiously, “Didn’t you say you hate him? Why did you come?”

Su Jinyue said, “I do hate that guy Jiang Yunhan, but today, the one who invited me was Sister Liao. She said she could introduce insurance business to me. Sure enough, I signed so many policies just now!”

Ever since Mu Rong went around spreading that she was selling insurance, she had become a joke in the circle. After Liao Song learned about it, she encouraged her, saying that relying on one’s own effort was not shameful, and even introduced many patients who needed insurance to her.

While discussing business, her skin gradually thickened. Even on an occasion like today, she could confidently and proudly promote insurance. Those who had originally mocked her were provoked by her line, “No way, no way, you’re this rich and still can’t even afford one insurance policy?” and signed quite a few policies with her on the spot.

Yan Qingwen did not know whether to laugh or cry. This girl Su Xiaoyue was finally starting to grow some brains.

“You’ve been getting very close to Doctor Liao recently,” Yan Qingwen said thoughtfully.

Su Jinyue quietly told her, “Because I have to help Sister Liao identify scumbags! I don’t want her to be deceived by that scumbag Jiang Yunhan, so I help her analyze scumbag words and behaviors and let her see the scumbag’s true face.”

Only after coming into contact with Liao Song did Su Jinyue discover that she and Liao Song had many common topics. First of all, although both of them were from wealthy families and had been born with silver spoons in their mouths, in terms of career, they had not enjoyed the same “preferential treatment” as other rich young ladies. Other wealthy daughters only needed to take dividends and were free every day. One of them had studied medicine bitterly for ten years, then after returning, still had to start as a lowly doctor. The other needed to hide her identity and start from the bottom as an insurance salesperson, worrying about performance every day.

These kinds of experiences made them quickly become familiar with each other.

Yan Qingwen pretended to ask casually, “So, have you seen the scumbag’s true face clearly?”

“Sister Yan, let me tell you.” Su Jinyue was so excited her pronunciation became unclear. “A while ago, Sister Liao almost encountered a medical disturbance. Later, she learned that Zhuang Yi had planned it from behind the scenes. He wanted to wait until Sister Liao was helpless because of the troublemakers, then pretend to be a messenger of justice, step forward and expose the troublemakers’ false masks, and make Sister Liao trust and feel favorable toward him.”

Yan Qingwen knowingly asked, “Then what does this have to do with Jiang Yunhan?”

“Exactly! This originally had nothing to do with him, but what’s strange is that he knew this was planned by Zhuang Yi!”

This actually was not strange at all. When Liao Song encountered the medical disturbance, Jiang Yunhan and Su Jinyue were both present. Both women could hear Jiang Yunhan’s inner thoughts, so naturally they knew the truth of the matter.

However, there had been a small interlude. Jiang Yunhan had known at the time that Zhuang Yi was watching him from the shadows, so as always, in order to protect himself, he stood to the side and watched the show.

Afterward, Liao Song analyzed that if she had not heard Jiang Yunhan’s inner thoughts, then Jiang Yunhan had clearly known those medical troublemakers had been arranged by someone, yet had no intention of helping.

Of course, Jiang Yunhan was not anyone to her and had no obligation to help her out. If it had been something else, she would not have taken it to heart. But if this medical disturbance had been handled improperly, it would have been an extremely heavy blow to a doctor and might even have ended her career. Therefore, she did not blame Jiang Yunhan, but he also should not expect her to be grateful to that unknown force for letting her hear Jiang Yunhan’s inner thoughts, thereby making her fall in love with him.

Thinking about it carefully, her previous filter toward Jiang Yunhan had all formed while she could clearly hear his inner thoughts. If one day, someone told her from the bottom of their heart, “I didn’t mean to hurt you!” while stabbing a knife into her body… then even if the other party had ten million unavoidable reasons, she would never be able to forgive them.

She had now thought it through. Since Jiang Yunhan knew many things she did not know, she could completely continue using him. There was no need to immediately draw a clear line between them.

Su Jinyue had absolutely no idea that, in Liao Song’s eyes, Jiang Yunhan had already become an SCI paper. What she saw was only that Liao Song still interacted with Jiang Yunhan as before and sometimes even stared at him with a fanatical gaze. Mu Rong and that group of playboys had already started privately calling her “sister-in-law.”

“Sister Liao is too love-brained!” Su Jinyue said to Yan Qingwen in distress.

Yan Qingwen made no comment. She asked, “Then how was the medical disturbance handled?”

“The Liao family had people investigate the matter clearly. The evidence was conclusive, and the police have already detained them. The hospital also issued a clarification announcement.” Su Jinyue said angrily, “As for that Zhuang Yi, although they couldn’t find proof that he bribed the patients, Grandpa Liao has already ordered him to be blacklisted. In the future, all Liao family hospitals and medical institutions won’t accept or treat him.”

After the Yan family and Su family, the Liao family had also started guarding against Zhuang Yi. Zhuang Yi had fewer and fewer targets to make moves on, and the more it reached this point, the more they had to guard against his counterattack.

But correspondingly, Jiang Yunhan’s momentum was growing stronger and stronger. When he went to the Liao family as a guest, he mentioned matters regarding medical reform and was greatly praised by Liao Song’s grandfather, who believed that he had advanced vision and was also very sensitive to policy. He thought his own children and grandchildren should learn more from him, and therefore did not oppose his granddaughter being close to him.

The Jiang family believed that although Jiang Yunhan had failed to win Yan Qingwen, settling for Liao Song was also the same. As long as the two families formed a marriage alliance, the Liao family would very likely invest in the Jiang family’s new energy vehicles.

Because of this matter, Liao Song’s treatment at the Jiang family today was somewhat higher than that of ordinary guests.

Liao Song, the center of the topic, walked over and greeted Yan Qingwen, then pinched Su Jinyue’s cheek. “What are you chatting about? You’re so angry you look like a little pufferfish.”

Su Jinyue did not dare tell the person involved that they had been gossiping about her. She stuck out her tongue and said, “We were talking about what gifts everyone gave Jiang Yunhan!”

Liao Song smiled and picked up the conversation. “Then what did you give?”

Su Jinyue placed both hands on her hips, looking proud. “It’s a gift worth two million!”

Liao Song was quite surprised. “You were willing to give him such an expensive gift?”

“Of course. It’s an insurance policy that pays two million in compensation if he dies in an accident. As long as he’s willing to sign the policy, it takes effect immediately.”

“Pfft—” Both Liao Song and Yan Qingwen were amused by her.

“I saw him over there. Hurry and go ask him to sign it.”

Liao Song sent Su Jinyue away.

Yan Qingwen guessed what she wanted to ask, but still decided to wait for her to say it.

After hesitating for a while, Liao Song finally spoke. “Actually, you also know what Jiang Yunhan is thinking in his heart, right?”

This matter was not difficult to guess. First, after she learned that Su Jinyue, like herself, was one of the “female leads,” she had also made indirect probes. The unguarded Su Jinyue soon revealed Jiang Yunhan’s “abnormality,” which Liao Song quickly analyzed and decoded—Su Jinyue could actually hear Jiang Yunhan’s inner thoughts too.

Previously, she had not understood why Wang Qihuan could also hear Jiang Yunhan’s inner thoughts, but now she completely understood.

One, she was a female lead and could hear Jiang Yunhan’s inner thoughts.

Two, Su Jinyue was a female lead and was suspected to be able to hear Jiang Yunhan’s inner thoughts.

Three, Wang Qihuan’s identity was uncertain, but she could hear Jiang Yunhan’s inner thoughts.

By reverse deduction, Wang Qihuan was very likely also a female lead, which was why she could hear Jiang Yunhan’s inner thoughts.

After satisfying the condition of “the female leads Jiang Yunhan identifies can hear his inner thoughts,” then Yan Qingwen, the person Jiang Yunhan had mentioned from the very beginning as a female lead, had an infinitely increased possibility of being able to hear Jiang Yunhan’s inner thoughts.

Yan Qingwen was somewhat surprised that Liao Song could seize a trace of clues and follow them all the way to her. She smiled faintly and said, “As for what he’s thinking in his heart, I’m actually not interested.”

Liao Song heard the implication in her words. She only said she was not interested, but she did not deny understanding Jiang Yunhan’s thoughts.

Thinking of everything that had happened when she removed Wen Hebai’s stitches at the Yan family before, Liao Song suddenly understood. So that was how it was. No wonder Yan Qingwen’s expression had been somewhat subtle at the time.

After careful consideration, Liao Song proposed, “President Yan, let’s cooperate.”

Jiang Yunhan’s birthday banquet was extremely lively. Inside the banquet hall, magnificent crystal chandeliers shone with dazzling light. Young men and women danced together to classical and elegant music. On the second floor, elites from all walks of life raised their glasses and mingled, fully displaying the intoxicated luxury of upper society.

Yan Qingwen walked out of the banquet hall and answered a call.

“Wife, I miss you. Did you miss me?” Wen Hebai acted spoiled on the other end of the phone.

Yan Qingwen thought carefully. It seemed that after their last argument, there had been a period of time where they had not “stewed phone porridge” at night.

For some reason, when she received this call, her heart quietly relaxed.

“I’m busy. No time,” Yan Qingwen said with her arms crossed.

The late autumn night carried an icy chill. In the banquet hall with heating, she had not felt cold, but once she came outside, Yan Qingwen, who for the sake of propriety had only worn a strapless evening gown, shivered slightly from the cold.

Wen Hebai’s jealousy soared to the sky. “Busy celebrating Jiang Yunhan’s birthday?”

Yan Qingwen let out a cold laugh.

Wen Hebai pretended to be foolish. “Wife, why does your laugh sound so cold? Are you freezing? Then come outside. I’ll warm you up.”

Yan Qingwen’s thoughts paused, and she uncertainly walked toward the door.

After going out, she looked left and right but did not see anyone. She suspected she had been frozen stupid to actually believe Wen Hebai’s nonsense!

Suddenly, someone emerged from behind her and wrapped her in a thin down jacket. The movement and posture looked exactly like a robber kidnapping someone on the street, and Yan Qingwen nearly cried out.

Wen Hebai hurriedly covered her mouth and said, “Wife, it’s me!”

If Yan Qingwen really shouted, then tomorrow, Wen Hebai would probably make a socially dead headline.

Yan Qingwen turned back angrily and glared at her. “You should be glad my bodyguards are far away.”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Seeing the down jacket slip down, Wen Hebai tugged it up and draped it over her again.

The Jiang family’s security guards saw the movement and came over to ask, “President Yan, did something happen?”

“It’s nothing. This is my lover.” Yan Qingwen waved her hand, and only then did they return to their respective posts.

Yan Qingwen put on the down jacket properly and looked Wen Hebai up and down before retorting, “What, did you run all the way back to celebrate Jiang Yunhan’s birthday?”

“How could that be? I’m too lazy to even give him a proper glance, so how could I run back for him?” Wen Hebai said. “I wrapped up work early. After all, we’re going to take wedding photos the day after tomorrow. I have to come back early to prepare, don’t I?”

Yan Qingwen had not forgotten about this matter, but she had thought Wen Hebai would fly directly to the wedding photo shoot location to meet her.

“Wife, is the banquet still not over?” Wen Hebai held Yan Qingwen’s icy hands, warming them up just as she had said earlier.

Of course Yan Qingwen understood what she meant. After a moment of silence, she sent a message to her mother, Ms. Xiao Baihua. Then she took off the down jacket and handed it to the bodyguard, saying, “Tell my mom I’m leaving first. It’s cold. Have her wear this back.”

“What about you?” Wen Hebai asked.

Yan Qingwen had just been about to say she was fine, but in the next second, Wen Hebai thought of a method. She unzipped her own down jacket, opened it, then wrapped Yan Qingwen inside it. “Wife, wrap your legs around my waist. I’ll carry you back to the car.”

Yan Qingwen: “…”

So childish. So embarrassing.

Doctor Liao: What is the truth? The truth is a mathematical formula!