Chapter 106. Being a Substitute? The Hurts-Body-and-Soul Kind (15)
Since the day Li Zhan had devoured ten tangerines, Shen Wan noticed he hadn’t appeared at the villa for a long time.
Dong Zheng mentioned he seemed to be busy with something.
“Is there a problem with Li Corporation?”
Dong Zheng shook her head. “It should be something else. There’s no issue with Li Corporation. I suspect it might be related to Xia Xuan. But Ah Zhan can handle these things himself, so I won’t interfere.”
Having received an answer, Shen Wan pondered silently.
If it was related to Xia Xuan, it was likely that Li Zhan had discovered something. Following the lead from Xia Xuan, along with the information she had leaked, he continued to investigate.
She wondered if Li Zhan’s early detection of those plotting against him behind the scenes would anger them to the point of targeting her Zheng Zheng.
“What are you staring at me for?” Dong Zheng, head buried in work, couldn’t ignore Shen Wan’s direct gaze. She had to look up, only to see her staring with big, bright black eyes. Her obedient appearance made Dong Zheng instinctively say, “I’ll get off work early today. You can think about what we’ll have for dinner. We’ll go to the market later.”
Since Shen Wan had moved in, they rarely ate out anymore.
She enjoyed assisting her Wan Wan. Two like-minded people happily preparing a sumptuous dinner together, enjoying a candlelit meal in a flower-filled dining room – it was more blissful than any delicacy.
“Okay,” Shen Wan agreed, lowering her head to avoid disturbing Dong Zheng.
However, lately she planned to follow Dong Zheng everywhere. Who knew when those villains might come to kidnap her wife? It was safest to keep her under constant watch.
Once Li Zhan dealt with the Yao Shanqing father and son, they could live happily ever after without worrying about other dangers.
Li Zhan was the male lead, after all. Without a weak female lead holding him back, he should be able to defeat the villains quickly, right?
Dong Zheng noticed that Shen Wan had been following her closely for several days, almost inseparably.
At first, she thought it was nice. After all, her office was generally off-limits to others. She also enjoyed having her lover by her side, but she still wondered if Shen Wan didn’t need to manage her security company.
“It’s been a week, Wan Wan. Don’t you need to check on your company? What if something goes wrong?”
Shen Wan, hugging her phone while sitting on the sofa, replied, “It’s fine. I’ve arranged everything. Xiao Hu is very capable; she’ll handle all the troublesome matters for me. I gave her a six-month salary bonus.”
She never intended to expand or develop the security company to any grand scale when she started it. As long as it was enough to eat and live comfortably, and her employees were satisfied, that was sufficient.
This was just a small world, after all. Why work herself to death when she couldn’t take anything with her in the end? It was better to spend time with her wife.
Dong Zheng also realized that Shen Wan didn’t care much about the company.
Seeing how happily she played games, Dong Zheng shook her head slightly. Well, if Wan Wan ran the company into the ground, wasn’t she still there? With her abilities, supporting a little wife was effortless.
The people at Dong Zheng’s company all noticed a problem: their Director Dong always had a shadow following her – her girlfriend.
Dong Zheng later noticed something amiss too. Shen Wan had always been clingy, but not to this extent. Even when she went to the bathroom, Shen Wan would wait outside the door.
Or she’d find an excuse to use the bathroom herself, which Dong Zheng found bizarre.
One day after work, Dong Zheng couldn’t help but ask, “Have you been acting a bit strange lately? Did something happen?”
Shen Wan quickly fastened her seatbelt. She had given her car to Xiao Hu to use.
Xiao Hu was busy at the company, occasionally needing to run errands elsewhere, so she really needed a car.
And now that she was always by Zheng Zheng’s side, did she need to drive herself?
“Because I’ve been feeling uneasy lately.”
Dong Zheng hadn’t expected Shen Wan to say such serious words with such a grave expression. She instantly became nervous. “What’s wrong?”
“I just feel uneasy. Only when you’re right under my nose do I feel secure.”
Dong Zheng laughed, reaching out to pinch Shen Wan’s cheek. “Are you worried about me? Afraid I’ll be tempted by outside influences?”
“No, no.”
“Oh? Then you trust me?”
Shen Wan paused. “No, with such a beautiful girlfriend, who could feel at ease?”
“Then what’s the matter?” Dong Zheng felt that Shen Wan’s previous words weren’t just a joke.
Shen Wan furrowed her brow, remaining silent for a long time. Her worried little expression truly frightened Dong Zheng a bit.
Shen Wan was a girl full of secrets; she had realized this long ago. The other seemed to have never hidden anything from her.
She didn’t believe Ah Zhan hadn’t noticed this point, but she didn’t mind, and Ah Zhan didn’t seem inclined to pursue it. Moreover, they both had an intuition that even if they did investigate, they wouldn’t uncover any results.
Ah Zhan refrained from delving into these secrets out of respect for her. As for her, she didn’t want to dwell on it. This person was already hers; what was there to deeply investigate?
“I had a dream a few days ago.”
Dong Zheng drove while listening to Shen Wan’s words. Hearing that she had a dream, her instinctive reaction was that this was just an excuse, but she didn’t intend to expose it. Instead, she chose to listen.
“What did you dream about?” Dong Zheng asked.
“I dreamed you were in danger.”
“And then?” Dong Zheng’s beautiful brows furrowed slightly. She believed she hadn’t offended anyone. It was relatively safe domestically; generally, no one would do such a foolish thing.
As for other places abroad, she didn’t have any crucial business there; she always sent others to handle those matters. So when Shen Wan said she dreamed of her being in danger, she didn’t take it to heart at all.
Shen Wan didn’t answer immediately, instead saying, “Some bad things happened.” After speaking, she had a look that said ‘prepare yourself if you want to hear,’ which made Dong Zheng laugh involuntarily.
“What bad things exactly scared you into following me so closely?” Dong Zheng did believe her now. After all, Shen Wan had some skills and was incredibly strong. Perhaps she was truly worried about her being in danger, which was why she kept following her.
“In the dream, you were kidnapped.”
Shen Wan paused for about ten seconds before continuing, “In the end, you were shot in the head.”
Dong Zheng: “…”
Dong Zheng was indeed frightened, nearly slamming on the brakes. Fortunately, she steadied herself. It was also fortunate that they had already reached the suburbs, almost home.
“Then I was scared to tears,” Shen Wan seemed not to notice Dong Zheng’s state and continued to express how terrified she was by this scary dream. “Now, if I don’t see you for a day, I keep imagining your head exploding like in the dream.”
Dong Zheng’s facial expression had stiffened. What kind of girlfriend had she found? Even her dreams were peculiar. Of all the things to dream about, why dream of her being shot in the head? It was too bloody and terrifying.
“Wan Wan, have you been secretly watching horror movies behind my back?”
Shen Wan shook her head innocently. “No, I like comedy films. I don’t like such bloody horror movies.”
“You’ve been playing some kind of headshot game recently, haven’t you?” Dong Zheng glanced at Shen Wan askance. “I suspect this dream is because you’ve been playing this bloody game. My suggestion is to uninstall it and play Candy Crush instead. This little game isn’t bloody, it’s fun, and it can exercise your brain.”
Shen Wan hurriedly hid her phone in her bag. Not playing games was impossible.
Seeing Shen Wan’s little action, Dong Zheng couldn’t help but press her close and give her two kisses. Although her girlfriend sometimes acted neurotically, she was really adorable.
A few minutes later, Shen Wan calmly wiped the saliva off her face, looked in the small mirror, and found that her lipstick had indeed smudged. She simply wiped it off completely.
“I told you, wearing less powder makes sense. Fortunately, I’m still young and naturally beautiful. Even without powder, my skin is so smooth and fair, at least I won’t leave your mouth full of powder when you kiss me.”
188: *Covers face* Indeed shameless, never holding back when praising herself.
“But when I’m old in the future, you might not be able to bring yourself to kiss me,” Shen Wan sighed softly.
Dong Zheng couldn’t resist pressing her close and kissing her again for a while. “No matter how old you become in the future, even if you have pounds of powder on your face, I’ll dare to kiss you.”
Faced with Dong Zheng’s passionate declaration, Shen Wan looked at her in horror. “Zheng Zheng, how can you be so hardcore?”
Dong Zheng felt that Shen Wan had no sense of romance, yet she still loved her. Although this person had no sense of romance, she always made her happy.
If asked what she liked about this person, she thought for a moment and realized she seemed to like everything Shen Wan did.
Just as she said earlier, even if Shen Wan had pounds of powder on her face, she felt she could really kiss her. Was she truly that hardcore?
Imagining Shen Wan with pounds of powder on her face, Dong Zheng’s instant reaction wasn’t disgust, but amusement.
Shen Wan noticed Dong Zheng lost in thought and asked, “What are you thinking about so intently?”
“Imagining you with pounds of powder on your face,” Dong Zheng said reflexively. Seeing Shen Wan’s cool gaze, she quickly pinched her little face. “Are you angry?”
“No, how could I be angry with you?” Shen Wan’s smile returned. “Just let me follow you these days. That previous dream scared me badly. I feel anxious when I don’t see you even for a moment.”
“Alright,” Dong Zheng didn’t take the dream seriously, but since Shen Wan was so uneasy, she might as well let her tag along.
A month passed, and Li Zhan still hadn’t come to visit.
After a month and a half, Dong Zheng heard that Xia Xuan had been hospitalized. She didn’t know what illness it was, but it seemed she would be staying in the hospital for a while.
When Li Zhan came to see her, she took the opportunity to ask.
Li Zhan’s face stiffened. “It’s nothing serious.”
Dong Zheng didn’t press further. She didn’t care about Xia Xuan at all, but seeing Li Zhan unharmed, she felt relieved.
She then asked him what he had been so busy with lately, reminding him to take care of himself.
Li Zhan still didn’t say what he was busy with, but Dong Zheng sensed an impending storm.
This reminded her of long ago, when she had felt this terrifying aura around her sister. The feeling made her heart tighten.
She stared at Li Zhan for a while, noticing the fatigue between his brows, but his eyes were so determined.
After Li Zhan left, Dong Zheng leaned back on the sofa, deep in thought.
Her thoughts returned to many years ago when she was still in middle school. It was a weekend when her sister hurriedly brought Li Zhan to her home. Don’t ask why it was to her home; her parents were divorced, her sister lived with their mother, and she lived with their father. To explain would be quite complicated. Their parents divorced early, and later, many people forgot she even had a sister.
Ah Zhan was a very obedient and intelligent child, also quiet.
After her sister left him with her, he just stayed at home quietly, not crying or making a fuss. But every evening, he would sit by the door, looking towards the gate, as if waiting for her sister to return.
They didn’t wait for her return, only for news of her death.
She heard it was a terrible death, but she didn’t dare to look. She was terrified of bright red blood, and the emotions of losing her older sister were overwhelming.
Ah Zhan went to see. After he returned, he became even more silent.
Not long after, Ah Zhan was taken back by his grandfather, who single-handedly raised him, shaping him into today’s Li Zhan.
As for Li Zhan’s father, he had died many years ago. How he died, she didn’t know; it remained a secret. She never asked Li Zhan, afraid to bring up his painful memories. She had investigated but found no clues, as if someone was concealing the cause of their deaths.
So this time, the aura emanating from Ah Zhan, so similar to when her sister had left Ah Zhan with her, made her uneasy.
Dong Zheng suddenly shivered, simultaneously feeling a warm hand grasp hers.
She came back to her senses to see Shen Wan sitting beside her, smiling and saying, “Are you cold? Hug me tightly; you won’t be cold if you warm up on me. I’m your little heater.” That look of ‘you’re so cold, you should quickly hug me’ made Dong Zheng forget what she had been thinking and immediately embrace her fully.
Inhaling Shen Wan’s fragrance, she thought her girlfriend truly smelled wonderful, making her want to take a bite. Little did she know, Shen Wan was thinking the same thing – her wife smelled incredibly good, even more enticing than freshly steamed buns. She wanted to swallow her whole.
188: Sigh, he also felt the weather was getting colder.
“I’m worried about Ah Zhan’s situation. I don’t know what he’s encountered.”
“Then shall I arrange a few more bodyguards to protect him?”
Dong Zheng’s heart eased. “Thank you.”
“What’s there to thank for? We’re all family. Your nephew is my nephew too, even if he’s particularly annoying.”
Dong Zheng suppressed a smile. “When shall we get married?”
“Anytime is fine.”
Dong Zheng’s heart stirred. “Then I’ll prepare properly. We shouldn’t rush.”
She believed that marriage should have a sense of ceremony. Moreover, with Ah Zhan’s situation, she was still uneasy. It was better to wait a while before discussing this matter.
Shen Wan thought the same. They should at least wait until those Yao Shanqing father and son were brought down before they could feel at ease.
Li Zhan became increasingly busy; Dong Zheng could hardly meet him. He hadn’t returned to the villa for a long time. He didn’t refuse the bodyguards Shen Wan had assigned to him earlier. Especially with the top-tier equipment those bodyguards were outfitted with, he only remained silent for a moment before accepting these people to protect him without saying a word. After all, what he was doing now indeed required someone to protect his personal safety.
The day before yesterday, Li Zhan received another message. The content was still simple: “Horse of Success” ornament.
He pondered for half an hour before ordering someone to do something, and was now waiting for news.
“Boss, we’ve got the item.”
When Li Zhan received this call, his heart eased. He sat silently in his leather chair for half a minute before saying in a low voice, “Bring it back at all costs.”
Dong Zheng felt that Shen Wan’s premonition wasn’t wrong; perhaps she really would be shot in the head. Right now, two real guns were pointed at her and Shen Wan’s foreheads. In that instant, she thought that even with Shen Wan’s skills and innate strength, there was no way to escape with her under such weapons.
Shen Wan kept hugging Dong Zheng’s waist, her face pale and looking very pitiful. “Zheng Zheng, I’m so scared!”
Dong Zheng felt helpless. Disregarding the real gun pointed at her forehead, her delicate hands patted Shen Wan’s back and stroked her head.
“There, there. Don’t be afraid. It’ll be over soon.”
Even if they were to be shot, at least they could die together. It was quite romantic if you thought about it. She just didn’t know why these people had targeted her. She vaguely had some guesses but didn’t know what these people had done to use her to threaten Ah Zhan. She was very sensible and didn’t ask anything.
Those people originally wanted to separate her from Shen Wan, but Shen Wan’s arms were tightly circled around her waist, her whole body curled up in her embrace, still shouting, “No one can separate me from Zheng Zheng. Even if we die, we’ll die together.”
“Without Zheng Zheng, my legs go weak.”
Shen Wan’s behavior was truly provocative.
But with her pale little face and red eyes, that frightened appearance, no one would think she was lying.
Thinking that two weak women couldn’t do much anyway, those people didn’t forcibly separate them, but tied them up together. They didn’t believe that facing so many people and real guns, the two could escape.
The two were brought to meet someone. The man appeared to be nearly sixty, with white hair, wearing a Tang suit. He looked very kindly, like an elderly gentleman walking in the park.
If it weren’t for the row of burly bodyguards standing around him, she might have believed he was really a gentle old grandfather.
Dong Zheng’s hand kept gently stroking Shen Wan’s head. How could someone who ran a bodyguard company and had innate superhuman strength be so timid?
She felt Shen Wan’s dream might come true.
Thinking that they hadn’t married yet, she felt some regret in her heart.
Yao Shanqing, seeing the two’s appearance, also smiled, “Don’t be afraid. Once Li Zhan arrives, I’ll let you go.” Mentioning Li Zhan, Yao Shanqing’s expression became somewhat ferocious. How did that boy know his secret? And he had stolen the item so quietly. He had been too confident, thinking no one could possibly imagine where he had hidden it.
“What do you want from Ah Zhan?” Dong Zheng frowned, her intuition telling her the man before them wasn’t good. Despite his kindly appearance and the Buddhist prayer beads in his hand, she felt he was a person stained with blood.
Dong Zheng felt a small hand pinch her waist. She looked down at Shen Wan to see a pitiful expression.
Shen Wan: “Brother 8, how many real guns do they have, and how many people are ambushing outside?”
[188: “Everyone has a real gun. There are twenty people outside, all with high-end equipment. If it were just you alone, breaking out wouldn’t be a problem, but not while bringing your wife along.”] 188 had witnessed Shen Wan’s abilities and believed that even in such a crisis, she could escape on her own.
“Looks like we’ll have to capture the leader first.”
Hearing Shen Wan’s words, 188 didn’t know what plan she had but was already secretly looking forward to what kind of brilliant performance she could put on.
Then he suddenly received a notification. He instinctively checked it and almost cried out.
[188: “Wan Wan, what did you buy? How did the account balance become zero? Isn’t this cheating a bit too much?”]
Shen Wan snorted a laugh, “If we can take shortcuts and have easier opportunities, why struggle? We’re completing a mission, not risking our lives. It’s my money being spent, not the Time and Space Management Bureau’s. Those people up there would be thrilled if we task takers spent our own money to complete missions.”
[188: “Won’t it look bad if this gets out? It seems everyone discourages using such shortcut methods.”]
“That’s because their brains are broken. A mission is just a job. If it can be simplified, simplify it. If we can avoid injury, avoid it. It’s called a mission, mission – isn’t the result what’s important? Who pays attention to the process?”
188 thought about it and agreed. He often heard many systems anonymously complaining on forums about how stingy their hosts were. Forget buying them skins; they were reluctant even to buy high-grade props for themselves. Unlike his Wan Wan, who spent money without hesitation, especially when buying food for her wife. Last time, buying those energy drink materials and high-end equipment – she didn’t hesitate at all. It was clear she would spend all her money to complete the mission.
Even though he vaguely guessed that Shen Wan’s willingness to spend was related to her wife, he had also benefited quite a bit.
But spending all the money this time still left him at a loss.
[188: “Wan Wan, what did you buy that used up all the money?”]
“Time Freeze Device.”
Hearing this, 188 nearly collapsed, blurting out a “Holy shit!” She even bought and was willing to spend on this thing.
“With so many real guns, no matter how amazing I am, I can’t withstand them. I don’t want to get hurt, and I don’t want my dear wife to get hurt either. I’m afraid of pain; I can’t even stand a small cut, let alone bear seeing my wife in pain.”
The mentally and physically exhausted 188 didn’t want to speak anymore. He didn’t believe Shen Wan had no other options. She must be lazy, finding it troublesome and unwilling to think of other methods, which was why she bought the Time Freeze Device, this cheating tool.
Spending all their money just to buy this thing, with only a five-minute effect – what a wasteful woman!
Shen Wan calculated the time. From what she heard from Yao Shanqing’s side, it seemed Li Zhan was already on his way here and would arrive in about half an hour.
She tossed the Time Freeze Device, and instantly, time in the entire villa froze. Everyone stood motionless.
She carefully extricated herself from Dong Zheng’s embrace. Seeing everyone around frozen, she first walked up to Yao Shanqing, slapped him across the face, and cursed, “You old bastard! You’re something, aren’t you?! Daring to have people point that thing at my wife’s forehead.”
“Slap! Slap! Slap!——“
188: “…” Has she gone mad? It’s only five minutes! When he wakes up, he’ll definitely notice something’s off.
Then he saw Shen Wan take out an ointment and apply some to Yao Shanqing’s face, making the red swelling disappear.
188: Where’s the bottom line? Where’s the integrity?
Finally, Shen Wan, at lightning speed, took all the real guns in the villa and removed all the magazines.
“Brother 8, help me scan the surroundings. Are there any other dangerous items?”
188 resigned himself to scanning. With nearly five minutes up, Shen Wan had turned all the dangerous items in the villa into harmless objects.
Then she carefully snuggled back into Dong Zheng’s embrace, rubbed her eyes to make them red, and massaged her mouth corners to avoid being exposed by her earlier smile. Looking pitiful and biting her lip, she leaned into Dong Zheng’s embrace and snapped her fingers. The Time Freeze Device’s effect ended.
Looking at Yao Shanqing and the others, they didn’t seem to notice anything amiss.
But Yao Shanqing felt his face was uncomfortable. He looked in a mirror but didn’t see any problem, yet his face still hurt as if he had been slapped countless times.
He glanced at Shen Wan and Dong Zheng, seeing Shen Wan looking at him pitifully like a little rabbit. He sneered.
Shen Wan lowered her head in fright, actually because she couldn’t hold back her laughter.
The upcoming display of great prowess should be left to the male lead! Little nephew, don’t let her down!
Hugging Dong Zheng, Shen Wan sighed inwardly. She had taken a big loss; raising a wife was indeed expensive.
“If we get out of here, you’ll have to support me in the future.”
Dong Zheng: “…” Can we even get out?
“Alright, I’ll support you.”
“I’ve been scared terribly. I’ve lost the ability to work and earn money.”
Dong Zheng’s nervous mood had mostly dissipated. She hugged Shen Wan tighter. “Okay, even if you do nothing, I’ll support you for life.”
Shen Wan was satisfied.
Spending some money was worth it for such a wife.
“Zheng Zheng, remember what you said.”
Their lifetime together would be very long.
Dong Zheng said she’d remember, not finding anything wrong with those words.