Night Fire Lingering

Chapter 144 Wen Yan firmly pushes Gu Yanci away

"Our baby's godmother is so wonderful!"

As soon as she stepped off the stage, Luo Beiqing presented Wen Yan with a large bouquet of flowers.

Gu Jinzhi hugged her precious camera and laughed like a little villain: "Wen Yan, you have no idea how funny those people were when they were initially pessimistic about you, but then they were dumbfounded!"

Gu Jinzhi suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Gu Yanci, "Third Brother, what if—I mean, what if! What if Wen Yan underperforms and you're giving that Nan Zhiyi an award?"

Wen Yan lowered her eyes and showed no reaction, as if she hadn't heard what was said.

Luo Beiqing also looked at him.

If Gu Yanci really goes on stage to present the award to Nan Zhiyi, she will probably cause a scene on the spot and be blacklisted by Imperial University the next day.

Gu Yanci remained unmoved: "I only said that the award would be given to the winner, not whether it was for the team competition or the individual competition."

Teito University had already secured the victory in the team competition.

Wen Yan looked up at him.

That's so... cunning!

Gu Jinzhi gave her third brother a thumbs up, saying that he truly had the mind of someone who had been scheming for years!

Jiang Huaixu walked over and said warmly to Luo Beiqing, "Miss Luo, we have a celebration banquet tonight, why don't you join us?"

Luo Beiqing wasn't surprised at all that Jiang Huaixu knew him—the young master of Nancheng couldn't possibly be a 'deaf and blind' person.

Jiang Huaixu seems easy to talk to, but he's actually quite assertive. For example, his words just now implicitly confirmed that Wen Yan would be attending the celebration banquet, and he even invited Wen Yan's closest friend—hitting the nail on the head!

Furthermore, this act of extending an invitation completely ignores rivals Gu Yanci and Gu Jinzhi!

"I won't go, I have something to do," Luo Beiqing said, making an excuse to refuse.

Luo Beiqing is pregnant and needs more rest, so it's really not suitable for her to have dinner with them. Wen Yan said to Jiang Huaixu, "Senior, I'll see my friend out first, and I'll come find you later."

"Okay, we'll wait for you here."

Jiang Huai glanced at Gu Yan out of the corner of his eye, and their eyes met again. He then offered her a friendly smile.

Luo Beiqing observed the undercurrents between the two men without making a sound, finding it utterly delightful to watch!

Compared to the overwhelming victory of the Imperial University team, the European team members appeared unusually quiet.

Nan Zhiyi watched as everyone congratulated Wen Yan, concealing the loneliness in her eyes.

Nan Zhiyi left her teammates and walked out of the competition hall dejectedly, then rushed into the arms of a woman wearing a brown fur coat outside the hall.

"Baby, it's okay, you're the best to Mommy!" The woman stroked Nan Zhiyi's back tenderly, comforting her. "Mommy is so sorry, because of some old matters, I can't show up and can't be with you at the competition."

Nan Zhiyi shook her head: "Mommy, it's not your fault... That girl is really a very capable person. It's me... I'm not as good as her."

"Nonsense! How could our Zhiyi be inferior to a woman who lacks ambition and got married early?"

Wen Yan and Luo Beiqing were walking side by side when they suddenly stopped and stared blankly at the mother and daughter a few meters away, as if possessed.

The woman had her back to her, holding Nan Zhiyi in her arms with one hand and holding Nan Zhiyi's hand with the other, comforting her.

This is the exit passage backstage of the venue; it's quiet and sparsely populated.

Wen Yan clearly heard what the woman in the brown fur coat said; the tone of her voice, which had a Hong Kong accent, was exactly the same as the one she had heard on the cruise ship!

"Yan Yan..." Luo Beiqing keenly sensed that Wen Yan's emotions were off and called out to her in confusion.

The mother and daughter, a few meters away, heard the noise.

Nan Zhiyi looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, and saw Wen Yan surrounded by Gu Yanci and the others.

The middle-aged woman, who had her back to them, suddenly stiffened, as if frozen, and turned around rigidly.

Gu Yanci suddenly stepped forward, sidestepped, and blocked Wen Yan's view, preventing her from looking over as well.

Wen Yan had the illusion that the world had become quiet.

All the light and people in front of them were instantly blocked by Gu Yanci's tall figure, leaving only a gray-black suit vest.

Gu Yanci seemed to be protecting her in a temporary space.

"Wen Zhizhi." Gu Yanci held her hand, his voice gentle yet inexplicably powerful.

Several seconds passed before Wen Yan's eyelashes trembled, and she finally reacted.

She looked up and met Gu Yanci's gaze; the man was looking at her with concern.

He clearly knew something, which is why he blocked her way first.

He only called her name softly without saying anything more, but Wen Yan knew that he was giving her a chance to choose again—if she didn't want to investigate that woman any further and let that woman remain an unknown mystery, then she could turn around and leave now!

Wen Yan raised her hand, her delicate palm landing firmly on Gu Yanci's chest.

We'll have to face it eventually.

Gu Yanci felt her pushing him. After a two-second standoff, he sighed, compromised, took a step back, and moved to the side to make room.

The mere ten seconds felt like an eternity.

Everything in sight has changed—

The woman is very well-maintained, with three-dimensional features that exude the elegance of an Eastern face. Her exquisite makeup makes it even harder to tell her age, and the emerald beaded necklace accentuates her noble and elegant demeanor.

In that instant, the image of her mother, which had been blurred in Wen Yan's mind, miraculously became clear automatically, and every detail matched the woman in front of her.

Time has been kind to her, leaving no trace on her face, and even her eyes are as gentle as they were ten years ago.

The difference this time was that this gentleness was now tinged with shock.

Nan Yun opened her mouth, but couldn't make a sound several times. Her gaze was fixed on Wen Yan and she couldn't look away. Tears slowly filled her eyes.

Compared to Nan Yun's sensitivity, Wen Yan's reaction could be described as indifferent.

The repeated 'premonitions' prepared her in advance, and the repeated heartbreaks numbed her!

Finally, Nan Yun spoke, "Zhi Zhi..."

The next second, Nan Yun abandoned Nan Zhiyi and, disregarding her image as a noblewoman, ran towards Wen Yan.

"Know!"

She shouted firmly and pulled Wen Yan into her arms.

Wen Yan didn't move, letting Nan Yun hug her.

His body was held captive in her arms, and he heard a woman's sobbing voice in his ear: "...My baby, Mommy misses you so much!"

The person I've been thinking about day and night, and the voice I've been longing for, are right in front of me. I should be moved, I should be grateful.

However, Wen Yan only felt an overwhelming sense of frustration and bitterness, and even a touch of absurdity.

She looked up and saw Nan Zhiyi walking towards her in shock.

Nan Zhiyi nudged Nan Yun's shoulder, saying with worry and helplessness, "Mommy..."

As if waking from a dream, Nan Yun took Wen Yan's hand and introduced her to Nan Zhiyi: "Zhiyi, this is your older sister, Wen Yan!"

Wen Yan found the scene utterly ridiculous, and her eyes stung as if they had been stung by something.

Gu Yanci took it upon himself to pull Wen Yan's hand away from Nan Yun's and embrace her in his arms.