Chapter 439: Chapter 439: Register Under Your Name
Lan Yan looked at the hostile standoff between the two and quickly interjected, “Alright, alright. If you want to argue, pick a different spot. Not here.”
After all, this was the entrance to the research institute, and the impact wouldn’t be good.
When she finished speaking, she walked ahead toward the car alone.
Wei Yuning noticed and immediately followed her.
Even if Xiao Si wanted to stop her, he couldn’t.
Wei Yuning was fast, quickly opening the backseat door and getting into the car.
After getting in, Xiao Si glanced at the rearview mirror. “Miss Wei, are you sure you want to play the third wheel here and be a shiny light bulb?”
Wei Yuning replied, “Not exactly.”
Xiao Si: “Then why aren’t you getting out of the car?”
“I’ve got something to talk to Sister Lan about.”
“If I’m not mistaken, you two haven’t known each other for very long and aren’t close enough for this, are you?”
“I feel pretty close to Sister Lan. It’s just you I’m not familiar with. Whenever I see her, I feel a familial warmth, like we’re family.”
Xiao Si looked at Lan Yan, and the two exchanged a glance.
Then Lan Yan turned to look at the backseat. “What do you need from me? Just say it now.”
Wei Yuning hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Sister Lan, can you take me in for a few days?”
Lan Yan: “…”
Xiao Si scoffed, “Do you think this is a shelter?”
He glanced at Wei Yuning in the rearview mirror, “Miss Wei, you sure don’t look like someone who’s destitute or homeless. If people hear about this, they might laugh their heads off.”
“If you’re truly broke and can’t afford a hotel, I can generously sponsor you a little. No thanks needed.”
“…”
Wei Yuning ignored him and looked directly at Lan Yan, putting on a pitiful expression. “Sister Lan, I—”
Lan Yan cut her off. “If you really don’t want to go home, I can book a hotel for you for a few days.”
“…”
Xiao Si, hearing Lan Yan’s response, smugly glanced at the rearview mirror and raised a brow.
Wei Yuning: “…”
One hour later.
At an upscale restaurant.
Wei Yuning and Xiao Si sat opposite each other, glaring at each other with pure disdain.
In short, neither of them could stand the other, finding each other a nuisance.
“Miss Wei, after this meal, make your way out quickly.”
Xiao Si didn’t care about gentlemanly courtesy; he bluntly issued a dismissal.
Wei Yuning: “…I don’t want to talk to you.”
Xiao Si snorted, “As if I want to talk to you either.”
Lan Yan didn’t participate in their banter.
Soon, Wei Yuning noticed a familiar figure at the restaurant’s entrance.
Almost instinctively, she ducked down.
She grabbed Lan Yan’s hand and bent over to hide.
Lan Yan, confused, asked, “What are you doing?”
Xiao Si frowned but said nothing.
Wei Yuning whispered anxiously, “Sister Lan, it’s bad. My uncle’s here.”
Lan Yan turned toward the entrance.
Their table offered a clear view of the restaurant’s entrance, and at that moment, Wei Junyao was heading directly toward their table.
Xiao Si turned his head to follow her gaze.
Though he didn’t know Wei Junyao personally, he had heard about him before.
Xiao Si asked, “Is that the Wei Family’s youngest brother?”
Lan Yan nodded, “Yes.”
Wei Junyao clearly had a purpose, walking right up to their table.
“Miss Lan, what a coincidence.”
He greeted Lan Yan without hesitation.
His eyes casually drifted to Wei Yuning, who was hiding like an ostrich.
Lan Yan responded, “It is quite a coincidence, though I wonder if it’s truly by chance or if Mr. Wei came here deliberately?”
Wei Junyao kept his expression unchanged, speaking in a calm tone. “Since we’ve bumped into each other, may I join you for a meal?”
Xiao Si was the first to respond. “Why not? You’re very welcome. Please, have a seat, Mr. Wei.”
With deliberate politeness, he even pulled out the chair next to Wei Yuning for Wei Junyao.
Wei Junyao nodded courteously and took the seat next to Wei Yuning with ease.
After sitting down, he glanced at Wei Yuning, who was still trying to hide, and grabbed her collar to pull her upright.
“Wei Yuning, is there gold on the floor?”
His voice was deep, magnetic, and completely devoid of warmth.
Wei Yuning, uncomfortable from the pressure on her collar, reached out to pry his hand off.
But he released her just in time.
Wei Yuning was beyond annoyed; it was the second time that day her neck had been grabbed.
“Why are you copying others and grabbing my collar? My neck’s going to snap at this rate!”
She rubbed her neck and shot him a glare.
Wei Junyao replied, “I didn’t use much strength.”
Wei Yuning retorted irritably, “I’m a girl, not some burly guy! Girls’ skin is delicate, you know?”
Seeing her puffed-up look, Wei Junyao remarked, “What’s this? Not afraid of me anymore?”
Wei Yuning immediately fell silent. “…”
Xiao Si silently observed the interaction between the two.
His instincts told him there was definitely something questionable going on between these two.
While Wei Yuning’s motives were unclear, Wei Junyao’s behavior was undeniably suspicious.
This was a man’s intuition about another man.
And so the initially two-person dinner became three, then four.
Xiao Si now had no real objections; Wei Yuning seemed so afraid of Wei Junyao that it was almost amusing—a perfect case of one being subdued by another.
The meal was extremely quiet.
Once Wei Junyao joined, Wei Yuning spoke less, Xiao Si refrained from chatting, and both Lan Yan and Wei Junyao weren’t talkative to begin with, creating an air of silence.
After the meal, Wei Yuning was taken away by Wei Junyao.
Though she was unwilling to leave with him, she had no choice.
As she departed, Xiao Si couldn’t resist calling out, “Miss Wei, have a safe trip. Don’t bother coming back!”
Everyone was gathered at the restaurant’s entrance.
Wei Yuning was so mad her nostrils flared as she huffed, climbing into Wei Junyao’s car.
Soon after, the black Maybach sped off into the distance.
Watching the departing car, Xiao Si commented, “Looks like Wei Junyao has feelings for Wei Yuning.”
Lan Yan turned to him, raising her gaze slightly. “Stop spouting nonsense; they’re uncle and niece.”
Xiao Si pulled her into an embrace, looking down at her with a faint smirk. “Don’t forget, Wei Yuning isn’t biologically related to the Wei Family; she’s just Wei in name.”
Lan Yan frowned slightly. “Even if she’s not biologically part of the Wei Family, relationships like these must be taboo in a family as prominent as theirs. Wei Junyao wouldn’t make such a mistake.”
Xiao Si replied, “Wei Junyao might be the youngest brother of the Wei Family, but his mother isn’t the current Old Madam Wei, and he’s beyond anyone’s control within the family. So, whatever he wishes to do, no one can stop him.”
Lan Yan fell into silence at his words.
Still, all of this had little to do with her.
Elsewhere.
Inside the Maybach.
After getting into the car, Wei Yuning curled herself into the corner.
Wei Junyao tilted his head to look at her, his dark, deep eyes fixed on her. “Tell me, am I a ghost or something that eats people? Are you planning on fusing with that car door?”
Wei Yuning completely ignored his remark.
She chose to act deaf and blind.
The man noticed her feigned ignorance and spoke with added gravity, “Wei Yuning, are you deaf? I’m talking to you.”
No matter how much she wanted to play dead, she couldn’t hold out anymore.
The air in the car was growing colder by the second.
Plus, the partition ahead of her suddenly lowered.
Her eyes widened. She turned toward the man beside her, puzzled. “Why lower the partition?”
He looked at her unhurriedly. “I thought you ate yourself mute during dinner.”
“…”
“Lift the partition back up.”
Right now, that was her only request.
Riding in the same vehicle as him had already taken all her courage.
Alone with him now? That felt like a death sentence.
Every fiber of her being resisted him, and Wei Junyao could sense it vividly.
Suddenly, the rear compartment fell eerily silent, the only sounds being faint breaths.
Wei Yuning felt like she could barely keep breathing.
A deep voice pierced the quiet. “Xiao Ning, are you afraid of me?”
She avoided his gaze entirely, staring straight at the partition in front.
With conflicting words, she replied, “Not at all. This isn’t fear—this is respect for my uncle. I’m a junior, how dare I act out in front of an elder?”
But internally, she barked, “Of course I’m scared! If I wasn’t, I’d have cussed you out already!”
Wei Junyao curled his lips faintly. “Is that so?”
Wei Yuning responded resolutely, “Of course.”
Truthfully, her fear of him wasn’t the same as the Wei Family’s.
The Wei Family feared his tactics; she feared him for other reasons entirely.
After her response, the space fell silent again for a few moments.
“You don’t need to be afraid of me. I’d never hurt you.”
The unexpected statement struck her ears.
She turned her head, only to find the man leaning back against his seat with closed eyes.
She stared unwaveringly at his cold yet handsome face.
After a long moment, she asked, “Uncle, do you like me or something?”
Her shocking remark rendered the space utterly still.
The man didn’t open his eyes in response to her question.
But his hands, crossed and resting on his lap, tightened slightly.
A moment later, they relaxed again.
Wei Yuning was too focused on his face to notice these subtle changes.
She tried to read something from his expression but came up empty.
With his eyes closed, he replied flatly, “Wei Yuning, find some time to clear the trash out of your brain.”
Wei Yuning: “…”
On the 26th of Lunar December.
When Lan Yan went to visit Xiao Si at the hospital, she ran into Dong Junhao, who was just being discharged.
She hadn’t intended to talk to him, but he initiated the conversation, saying, “Can we talk?”
A few minutes later, the two were sitting under a parasol in the hospital’s Sky Garden.
Lan Yan asked, “What do you want to talk about?”
After nearly a month in the hospital, Dong Junhao’s health was much improved.
The first time she met him, he looked like he was on the brink of collapse.
Dong Junhao looked at her and smiled. “Thank you for helping me. Although I’ve already said thanks before, I wanted to personally thank you again.”
Lan Yan listened without responding.
He continued, “I didn’t expect you to help me. I thought you’d choose not to because of her. My earlier assumptions were indeed narrow-minded. Plus, when I first came back, I even considered getting your bone marrow.”
The ‘her’ he referred to was Hu Yunqin.
Lan Yan immediately knew who he meant.
“Back then, I had someone send you a message about your biological father’s whereabouts. I didn’t expect you wouldn’t come. Our encounter at the hospital was deliberate on my part. I admit I once intended to harm you. I don’t expect your willingness to forgive; if I were you, I wouldn’t forgive me either.”
Lan Yan listened quietly as he spoke.
Finally, she replied, “That’s all in the past now.”
Dong Junhao froze momentarily at her five simple words.
Soon, he smiled.
He was laughing at himself.
“Your personality is nothing like hers. It’s fortunate you didn’t grow up by her side; otherwise, there might be two versions of Dong Xiaoxiao in this world. Viewed one way, even though you lacked a complete family, you’ve still been lucky in your own right.”
Lan Yan agreed with his perspective.
Her life hadn’t been blessed, but her misfortunes did lead her to have a unique existence now.
She had never resented anything.
Curiously, she asked, “You seem to dislike her quite a bit.”
Dong Junhao replied, “Not really dislike, just disagreement with some of her methods. Given the choice, I’d prefer to have a life like yours.”
Their conversation lasted less than ten minutes before Xiao Si joined them.
Dong Junhao noticed him approaching first. “Someone’s here for you. I’ll properly thank you another time.”
Lan Yan warned, “No need for gratitude—just take good care of your health. Even though you underwent a bone marrow transplant, recovery isn’t ensured. Be mindful of your future care.”
Her genuine concern briefly stunned Dong Junhao.
“Mind if I call you ‘sister’?”
He said unexpectedly.
Lan Yan looked at him in silence for a few seconds before responding with two words: “Suit yourself.”
Xiao Si had overheard just those words as he approached.
“You could reciprocate with a ‘brother-in-law’ if you like,” Xiao Si piped up.
Dong Junhao glanced at him and greeted him with a mild, “Hello, Doctor Xiao.”
“By the way, it’s not fair to capitalize on others, especially when, if I recall, Doctor Xiao, you’re still technically not official yet,” he added, grinning.
Xiao Si pushed his tongue against his cheek in irritation.
He realized both Dong Junhao and Wei Yuning were troublemakers in his life.
Both seemed to enjoy provoking him.
Meanwhile, Lan Yan had gained herself a brother and a sister.
Dong Junhao stood up, casually looking at Xiao Si again. “Take good care of her; maybe one day I’ll call you those two words.”
He then turned to Lan Yan. “I’ll leave now, so as not to disturb you.”
Lan Yan nodded lightly.
After Dong Junhao left, Lan Yan stood too.
Xiao Si grumbled, “Maybe I owed them both in a past life or something.”
Lan Yan touched his face with both hands, laughing, “He wasn’t wrong, though—you really haven’t officially earned that title yet.”
Xiao Si frowned slightly. “So, when do you plan on adding me to your household registry?”
“Hmm…” Lan Yan pondered seriously for a moment. “No hurry, there’s plenty of time.”
“But I’m in a hurry.”
Lan Yan cupped his face and stood on tiptoe, planting a quick kiss on his lips.
“Doctor Xiao, haste makes waste, you know.”
“…”