Wild Creatures

Chapter 114

After lunch on Wednesday afternoon, Lan Zhan drove Wei Ying to Wen Qing and Wen Ning's home for their meeting.

The Wen Siblings lived on a street one block away from the hospital where Wen Qing worked in the mornings, and it was conveniently situated a few streets away from the local market.

It was in a better part of town, definitely much safer than where Wei Ying’s apartment building was, but not as nice or affluent as where the Lan Manor was located.

Lan Zhan wasn't sure what to expect. Given Wen Qing's job and her personality, he thought she would be living in a space age type, modern flat or apartment complex. However, nothing could have prepared him for the reality of her home.

It was a beautiful little cottage, nestled away behind some well placed windbreaker trees. It was a cute place.

And it didn't suit her at all.

It had a lovely small garden in the front, currently housing purple asters and multicoloured chrysanthemums, a few scarlet autumn crocuses, and sedum plants. Yellow carnations and the late flowering pink and magenta dahlias nodded their bulbous heads in their direction, as they walked past the shade of the heavily laden pear tree, its fruit just shy of being ripe.

Wei Ying noticed Lan Zhan looking around and squeezed their hands.

"Does Wei Ying come here often?" He asked, fixing him with his golden gaze, so intense and caring.

On the way here, Wei Ying had been increasingly fidgety in the car, his blood smelling more and more sour. Lan Zhan could understand that; knowing loved ones made mistakes, especially when they were life-jeopardising ones, and still trying to reconcile that with being able to forgive them was a huge ask.

This meeting was so important to them, moreso for Wei Ying because depending on what Wen Qing and Wen Ning said, it would dictate which way their relationship went forward. Wei Ying deserved answers, and Wen Qing was responsible for giving them to him, no matter how much Wei Ying didn't want to be here. One way or another, he was going to have to reevaluate what Wen Qing and Wen Ning meant to him.

Lan Zhan knew that if it ever came down to a choice between his children and the Wen Siblings, he would always and without fail pick the children. He could only hope that Wen Qing had a good excuse for not saying anything when she had the chance; afterall, anyone could cover up anything with could've, should've, would've.

But, that didn't make it right.

Wen Qing would have to take responsibility for her actions today.

And if Wen Ning expected to stay friends with Wei Ying, then he better have a great excuse, too.

Wei Ying was shaking his head.

"I never had the time to visit," he replies, wistfully. "I barely had the time for A-Yuan, let alone coming here for bants…I've only ever been here maybe three or four times, in total." He sighs, and then sniffs at the air appreciatively. "Wen Ning sure looks after his garden, though."

That made sense to Lan Zhan.

From what he could tell of the quiet, hulking man, he was gentle and a simple person, ready to stand up for those he cared about. A lot more going on inside him than what people gave him credit for, so it was a pleasant surprise to know that this was his garden. It suited him, way more than the image of Wen Qing being the gardener of the two. Try as he might, Lan Zhan could not force his mind to see that particular image.

Wei Ying pressed the bell on their front door and a series of chimes rang out, muffled behind the wood. They heard footsteps running towards them and then, the door opened.