Chapter 961: Don’t Make the Ending Too Awkward

On the way back, Wen Yanqing noticed that his companion’s mood was noticeably worse than before.

“Something on your mind?” he asked.

Lin Gantang leaned on the passenger seat, her gaze vacant as she looked straight ahead, “From today onwards, I have one less friend.”

Wen Yanqing drove steadily, “One less isn’t too few, one more isn’t too many. Don’t be upset. She must not be that important; otherwise, you wouldn’t have let her go.”

Lin Gantang responded indifferently.

She knew Wen Yanqing was exceptional, and she also knew that remarkable people always had their admirers.

Bei Bei used to frolic happily with her, excitedly recommending a novel in the middle of the night and then strolling hand in hand with her through malls and streets.

But the younger sister had fallen for her husband.

Lin Gantang knew they could no longer be friends, even if Bei Bei could give up on Wen Yanqing, she could not interact with her without reservations.

She didn’t accuse or curse, she merely wanted to end this friendship without too much awkwardness.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Days passed quickly in dullness, the fetus grew by the day, and the weather got colder.

Since that private meeting, Lin Gantang had not visited Bei Bei’s shop after checking the bookstore; they occasionally met at banquets, where they merely nodded to each other, maintaining polite superficiality.

There was nothing more to say.

Bei Bei knew Lin Gantang was aware of her unmentionable secret, and since then, she could not look her in the eye.

She felt ashamed of herself.

At the banquet, Lin Gantang had seen Tan Huiya; it had been a long time since Tan Huiya had been beaten by her stepdaughter. During this period, she hadn’t approached Lin Gantang for a witness, to testify to Fang Ya’s abuse.

Lin Gantang guessed it was mostly because Fang Yanyue’s favoritism made Tan Huiya realize that even with eyewitnesses and evidence, it was pointless; Fang Yanyue didn’t want to stand up for her, and even if Tan Huiya got her teeth knocked out, she had to swallow it down.

Using her status as Mrs. Fang and the Fang family connections, Tan Huiya managed to reclaim her losses from Yin He. Now that Yin Zhen had fought Yin He into a corner with no chance of turning around, she shifted her target and started competing with her stepchildren openly and covertly for the Fang family’s wealth.

Two months later, Lin Gantang received news from Shi Jun.

His mother, who had been living in a sanatorium, had passed away from illness.

Wen Yanqing was Shi Jun’s best friend, so upon receiving the notification, he left his work to attend the memorial service.

Lin Gantang, being pregnant, couldn’t go, and Wen Yanqing tenderly instructed her, “You stay at home, wait for me to come back.”

Lin Gantang nodded, tying his black tie for him, and sighed lightly, “If needed, stay with Shi Jun for a while, he is now…”

Having such a father was like having none, and now that the only mother who loved him was gone, Shi Jun had truly become alone.

Wen Yanqing agreed, leaned down to kiss her forehead, and left the house.

At the memorial service, not many people attended.

Among these, some were old friends of Mrs. Shi, others were her maternal relatives, although only two of them actually came.

After Mrs. Shi was diagnosed with mental illness, those relatives gradually stopped visiting and even started avoiding them; as time passed, the two families practically lost contact.

The warmth and coldness of human relationships were apparent.

Wen Yanqing offered a bouquet of white flowers.

He remembered how, a few months ago, Shi Jun, buoyed by his mother’s rare moment of lucidity, had eagerly asked him for Huo Zhenshan’s phone number, hoping to find a potential cure.

But now, Mrs. Shi had departed this world.

Wen Yanqing looked at the worn-out Shi Jun and comfortingly patted his shoulder.

As the memorial service drew to an end, Wen Yanqing still hadn’t seen any sign of Mr. Shi. Despite once being husband and wife, his indifference was chilling.