Chapter 170
Chapter 170
Nan Mu finally met Wen Tangtang.
Ten years had passed, and the woman before him was worlds apart from the one in his memories. When she entered through the door, even Nan Mu was startled.
The round-faced, lively woman he remembered was now visibly haggard. She was so thin she seemed little more than a skeleton, frail enough for a gust of wind to knock her down.
When their eyes met, Nan Mu saw scrutiny and guardedness in Wen Tangtang’s gaze.
They had been classmates ten years ago. Meeting again now, they seemed more like enemies.
Bitterness twisted through Nan Mu. If Wen Miao could see Wen Tangtang like this, it would surely break her heart all over again.
Nan Mu voluntarily placed his phone and other devices on the table. “I came because I want to have an honest conversation with you. I have no ulterior motive. As a show of good faith, I’ll answer any question you ask first.”
Wen Tangtang said nothing. She stared straight at him like a wolf facing its natural enemy, her eyes full of hostility and rage-so vicious that she seemed ready to tear him apart.
Nan Mu’s fingers curled slightly.
He did not understand where Wen Tangtang’s sudden, overwhelming hatred for him had come from.
He lowered his gaze to avoid hers and rubbed the teacup held in his left hand. “Is there nothing you want to ask?” he repeated quietly.
Wen Tangtang sneered. “How could there not be? I have far too many questions.”
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Back then, something had happened to Wen Xin at Wisdom Biotech Company.
Heartbroken though they were, Wen Tangtang and Wen Miao had been forced to pull themselves together and care for him. Wen Xin had remained unconscious ever since the incident, and the doctors could not determine why.
Someone had to stay at his bedside at all times, so Wen Tangtang and Wen Miao took shifts, one during the day and the other at night.
Yet even with Wen Xin in that condition, someone still refused to leave him alone.
Whenever they stepped out to get food, wash a towel, or empty a basin of water, some kind of “problem” would occur-the ventilator mask would slip loose, or an empty IV bag would cause blood to flow backward through the line.
On the worst night, Wen Tangtang was supposed to take the overnight shift.
But the taxi she was riding in became involved in a collision, forcing her to stay and deal with the police report and insurance. She could not arrive in time to relieve Wen Miao.
Wen Miao told her not to worry and to finish handling the accident. She could take over in the morning.
By the time Wen Tangtang was done, it was after one in the morning.
She should have returned to the university, but for some reason, she felt unusually restless that night.
A powerful sense of foreboding drove her back to the hospital.
Staying overnight did not mean sitting awake beside the bed until morning. There was a camp bed next to Wen Xin’s hospital bed where they slept. But because he constantly received fluids through an IV, they set alarms to wake themselves two or three times each night and make sure the bag had not run dry.
When Wen Tangtang reached the hospital that night, a harsh odor struck her the moment she opened the door.
Wen Xin’s IV bag had long since emptied, and blood filled the line. But with his oxygen mask in place, his breathing remained fairly steady.
Wen Miao, however, lay on the camp bed and could not be awakened. Her face had turned blue-purple; she was clearly suffocating.
Only later did Wen Tangtang discover that someone had slipped sleeping pills into Wen Miao’s cup. A damaged fire extinguisher had also been deliberately left in the room. That was why Wen Miao had nearly suffocated to death.
Only after this incident did they truly realize how much danger they were in.
But an open attack was easy to avoid; a hidden arrow was not.
Wen Xin’s condition made it impossible for him to leave the hospital. As long as they remained there, they were sitting ducks and would inevitably face danger again.
Driven into a corner, Wen Tangtang thought of Nan Mu. She had seen him fight at Shanshui Villa. He was skilled, and he had dared to charge into danger alone, proving that he was both meticulous and bold.
So she urged Wen Miao to tell Nan Mu. Any help was better than none, and one more ally could only improve their chances.
For some reason, however, Wen Miao refused to let Nan Mu know.
Whenever Wen Tangtang pressed, Wen Miao said she did not want to drag Nan Mu into something so dangerous.
Wen Tangtang had no choice but to seek other solutions, yet every attempt met with obstacles and setbacks. After they encountered danger time and again, she ran out of options. Knowing Nan Mu had feelings for Wen Miao, she decided that if Wen Miao would not approach him, she would.
In truth, Wen Tangtang sought Nan Mu’s help only because she had nowhere else to turn. Even before meeting him, she had prepared herself for the possibility that he might be afraid and unwilling to get involved. If so, she would never have blamed him.
If Nan Mu agreed to help, she would be delighted. If he refused, she would understand.
But Nan Mu had gone too far. Refusing to help was one thing. He had insisted that he did not know how to fight and lied to her face, flatly denying that they had ever been together at Shanshui Villa.
Even when Wen Tangtang asked whether anything suspicious had happened while he and Wen Xin were at Wisdom Biotechnology, he refused to say a word. He even claimed he had never been there.
Wen Tangtang had never imagined that a classmate she had known for four years could be such a person. Furious, she called the other number Nan Mu had once used to contact her, determined to prove he was lying right in front of him.
But the number had already been switched off. No matter how many times she called, no one answered.
At that moment, Wen Tangtang understood. Nan Mu had severed their connection so thoroughly that there was no possibility he would ever help them again.
She remembered every detail of the scene when they fell out and she walked away. He had clearly abandoned them.
Yet the hateful man insisted on pretending to be innocent, following her day after day and claiming that he truly knew nothing. He even asked with false concern whether something had happened to them. The hypocrisy was infuriating.
===
Every one of Wen Tangtang’s accusations cut to the bone and struck Nan Mu’s heart, filling him with bitterness and guilt. “I can explain.”
Wen Tangtang scoffed. “I don’t need you to.”
Nan Mu opened his mouth, but he had no idea where to begin.
A strange atmosphere settled over the room. Wen Tangtang was the first to extend a hand. She opened her palm, revealing the flash drive Nan Mu had sent her the day before, and asked coldly, “Where did you get this? There’s more after it, isn’t there?”
“Yes.” Nan Mu had known she would ask. He played the rest of the recording for her.
Wen Tangtang trembled as she listened. Tears filled her eyes, but she made no sound. Biting her lower lip, she drew a deep breath and tried to steady herself. Then she raised her head and looked at Nan Mu, anger and grief flashing in her eyes.
Wen Tangtang had known there was something suspicious about Wen Miao’s death. But she had never known that Wen Miao had willingly walked into a dead end while fully aware of what awaited her.
“No wonder… No wonder…”
Wen Tangtang’s voice shook, her eyes brimming with tears. “Wen Xin and I investigated for so many years, but the truth was right beside us all along… She was killed because of Wen Xin and me. How could she be so foolish?”
Nan Mu sat in silence. Only after Wen Tangtang had vented did he offer comfort. “It wasn’t your fault. You and Wen Xin were nothing more than tools Xu Lei used to threaten her. Even without you, he would never have let her go easily.”
Wen Tangtang wiped her eyes fiercely with her arm and glared at Nan Mu, fury and sorrow filling her gaze. “Don’t pretend to be kind! You’re no better.”
After cursing him, she began to laugh and cry at once. “Wen Miao was such a fool. She would rather trust you than tell me any of this… If I’d known-if I’d known sooner…”
“What could you have done if you knew?” Nan Mu gave a soft laugh filled with endless desolation.
Even if she had known, she would only have ended up like him now-tormented by frustration and regret, yet powerless to change anything.
“Anything would have been better than letting the evidence sink out of sight with someone like you!”
Nan Mu raised his head and fixed his eyes on Wen Tangtang. “Then why don’t you consider why Wen Miao entrusted something this important to me instead of telling you and Wen Xin?”