Chapter 47 There is no need to fear implicating me; I can handle it.

"Get out—!"

In a fit of rage, Lu Meiqin picked up the spatula and swung it at him again. "If you want someone to marry him, go find Wen Xin! If you dare to plot against my daughter again, I'll go report you for arranging marriages!"

Song Jianshe failed to dodge in time and took the blow squarely. His forehead was split open, and when he touched it, his hand was covered in blood.

"Lu Meiqin, have you lost your mind? Can't you tell good advice from bad? Let me tell you, reporting it is useless! In the end, the report letter will still end up in the hands of the Gao family!"

"Get out—!" Beating and kicking him, Lu Meiqin drove him out.

Seeing that she was so angry she couldn't even catch her breath, Shen Nanheng comforted her, "Aunt Lu, with me here, they won't succeed. As long as you give the word, I can marry Wen Ran and bring her home at any time."

Lu Meiqin's eyes lit up. "Will this implicate your family?"

"No, I can handle it!" Shen Nanheng was willing to be Wen Ran's strong backing. It was just the Gao family; he had plenty of ways to resolve it.

Lu Meiqin felt genuinely comforted, but then worriedly said, "It's best if it doesn't implicate you. If something happens to your family, how could I face Director Wei and his wife, let alone your parents?"

Shen Nanheng looked at Wen Ran. "It's fine, I know what I'm doing. I said I would marry Wen Ran, and I will take full responsibility for her to the end! If you feel I am taking advantage of her predicament, I will wait until this matter is resolved before coming to formally propose marriage."

"Even if we don't acknowledge this marriage, it has to be settled. Without a settlement, no one will feel at ease. Let's wait until it's resolved!" Lu Meiqin had no objections to Shen Nanheng; she was just feeling sick at heart because of the mess Song Jianshe had caused.

Shen Nanheng readily replied, "Alright."

Wen Ran: ……

Wen Ran had never doubted his sense of responsibility. Even if he didn't like her, he would take responsibility to the end, not to mention that he had repeatedly confessed his feelings to her!

After he left, she stood by the window for a long time.

Turning to Lu Meiqin, she said, "Mom, even though Shen Nanheng will help us, we can't just sit and do nothing. Things happened too suddenly, and there are still many things I haven't figured out. How much betrothal gift money did he actually take from them, and how did he negotiate with the Gao family? We need to get all this straight. He definitely didn't tell us the whole truth.

"Why don't you go to my eldest uncle's place first? Uncle often cooks at the homes of important people, so he must have been to the Gao family's place too. Let him ask around, so at least we won't be completely on the defensive."

"Okay." Lu Meiqin didn't want to remain passive like a fool either. "What you're saying makes sense. I'll go to your eldest uncle's place first and wait until he finds out the details. By the way, we can also let your eldest uncle offer some ideas. After all, he's close family and he really cares about you."

Wen Ran nodded. "I know, Eldest Uncle cares about me the most."

Lu Meiqin: ……

Speaking of going to Wen Ran's eldest uncle's house, Lu Meiqin felt conflicted.

Since her divorce, she hadn't returned to her maiden home yet.

A divorce was a major event, and she had done it hastily without consulting her family. To actually go back now, her usually bold and careless personality felt a bit intimidated.

Sensing her mother's worries, Wen Ran steadied her shoulders and said, "Mom, how about I go with you?"

"I'll go by myself. It's not like I'm climbing a mountain of swords or plunging into a sea of fire. Besides, your eldest uncle is a reasonable person; he will definitely understand us." Lu Meiqin tidied up and wasted no time.

Wen Ran knew her mother wouldn't let her come along. Watching her mother rush hurriedly out the door, she sorted out her thoughts regarding the Gao family.

In her memories from her past life, after she returned to the city, Su Hongyu had introduced her to the Gao family. At that time, Su Hongyu had praised Gao Yonghui to the heavens, claiming there was no one better in the world.

However, she was no longer a naive young girl who knew nothing. When things are abnormal, there must be demons at play. Having been through hardships, she had long understood the malice of the world, and she had an innate resistance to her stepmother Su Hongyu. She had first asked around through Ruan Ling.

Ruan Ling was very reliable and dug up everything on the Gao family, investigating even the most private matters thoroughly.

It turned out that Gao Yonghui was not only mentally disabled, but he had also beaten his previous wife to death, and when he flew into a rage, no one could stop him.

Because it was discovered in time, Song Jianshe hadn't yet had time to accept the betrothal gifts. She had also claimed she caught a contagious disease in the countryside, making it not too difficult to refuse.

After learning the contents of the book, she finally understood that Wen Xin had gotten very close to a relative of the Gao family. Wen Xin had understood the Gao family's situation even before going to the countryside, and had deliberately let Su Hongyu introduce them to her, knowing full well that Su Hongyu was a distant relative of the Gao family.

Now that Wen Xin had already gone to the countryside, whether she was involved in this current mess remained an unknown.

She had never been as rational as she was now, walking every step with extreme caution.

Chasing Song Jianshe away would not solve the root of the problem.

Her mother's fiery temper made her unsuitable to go look for him again—a few words would surely lead to another fight. Telling her to go ask her eldest uncle for news was just a way to send her away.

She tidied up, slipped a pair of scissors into her pocket, and set off to settle accounts with Song Jianshe herself.

Song Jianshe was aching all over as he lay on the bed, plotting how to make Wen Ran willingly marry into the Gao family, and incidentally trying to regain the face he had lost today.

Hearing a knock on the door, he called out, "The door's unlocked."

The door creaked open. Judging from the footsteps, which weren't as heavy as a grown man's, Song Jianshe assumed Su Hongyu had heard he was beaten up and came specifically to visit him. Without turning his head, he said, "Did you hear about me getting beaten up so quickly?"