Chapter 23: She Will Never Come Again

The next day.

At noon after school, Lu Siren habitually stopped by the marital home.

Her stomach was already quite empty, and as soon as she entered, she called out, “Wen Ying?”

A servant appeared and stepped forward to take Lu Siren’s schoolbag. “Miss, Madam isn’t home.”

Lu Siren was surprised, then frowned. “Isn’t she usually done cooking by this time?”

She was aware that Wen Ying also brought lunch to her brother.

Their house was very close to Lansheng. Wen Ying would prepare dishes ahead of time before work every day, rush back during lunch break to finish cooking, then ask Zhao Ke to deliver the meal to her brother.

Although her brother never wanted to see her, Wen Ying never stopped trying.

Today, Lu Siren had come specifically to eat the meal Wen Ying made.

Wen Ying might lack in other areas, but her learning ability was strong, and her cooking perfectly suited Lu Siren’s taste.

But the kitchen was cold and silent.

Her mood soured.

How had Wen Ying become so unreliable now?

The servant was also puzzled. Madam, who was always gentle and virtuous, hadn’t returned home. Previously, Madam never allowed business trips for the sake of her husband.

Lu Siren had been in a bad mood all day. Yesterday, she learned that Sister Su Nian had caught a cold and was running a fever. She planned to take a day off to visit her but felt it was inappropriate to arrive empty-handed.

She had heard that patients should eat nourishing, stomach-friendly food, but since she couldn’t cook, buying something ready-made felt insincere.

So she thought of Wen Ying.

Wen Ying’s cooking was excellent.

She could ask Wen Ying to make something.

Lu Siren plopped onto the sofa and called Wen Ying.

At that moment, Wen Ying had just finished a meeting with He Xicheng. The drone field held endless possibilities, and she had new conceptual ideas. She planned to start optimizing the system.

Not wanting to waste time going to the cafeteria, she asked He Xicheng to bring her lunch and saw Lu Siren’s call.

She glanced at it and hung up.

The calls kept coming, disturbing her work.

Finally, she blocked the number to regain peace.

She returned to her busy tasks.

Meanwhile,

Lu Siren heard the ongoing busy signal and bit her lip in frustration.

Why was Wen Ying ignoring her?

She never used to ignore her calls!

She had always been gentle and sweet, trying to please her!

Lu Siren could only call Lu Jinchuan.

A cold, deep male voice answered, “What is it?”

“Brother, I can’t reach Wen Ying. She’s not answering my calls. I came to your place, but she hasn’t come back to cook.”

Lu Jinchuan was thoughtful. “I haven’t contacted her, so I don’t know.”

“Then ask her to come back and cook.”

“Lu Siren, is the dining room just for show?” His voice was sharp and a bit imposing.

Lu Siren shrank her neck and mumbled quickly, “Sister Nian is sick. I want to visit her, but I can’t go empty-handed… Brother, how can I get her to come back?”

There was silence on the other end for a while.

Then he said flatly, “Doesn’t Grandma like the meals she makes?”

After saying that, Lu Jinchuan hung up.

Lu Siren was puzzled for a moment, then suddenly enlightened!

Of course!

Using Grandma as an excuse, Wen Ying would definitely behave!

Wen Ying finished handling system issues and had an appointment with the doctor at three in the afternoon.

She told He Xicheng she was stepping out briefly. He offered to see her off, but she declined, not wanting them to know about her illness yet.

Ding dong.

Wen Ying glanced at a WeChat message. Lu Siren had messaged her again.

She said Grandma’s appetite had been poor lately and she missed Wen Ying’s cooking, then added a few complaints about not being able to reach her by phone.

Wen Ying frowned.

Was Grandma unwell?

She instinctively wondered if she should go see her.

But then she thought, since the divorce was imminent, it might not be appropriate for her to visit the Lu family.

Looking at the time, Wen Ying decided to return to the marital home.

The servant was somewhat pleased to see her. “Madam, you’re finally back. The room is tidied. Would you like to rest for a while?”

“No need. I’ll leave soon.” Wen Ying changed into slippers. “I’ll make some porridge and a few small dishes. Please help deliver them to the old residence for Grandma.”

Grandma treated her kindly, and since her maternal grandfather and paternal grandfather were old comrades, knowing the elder’s health wasn’t good and that she wanted some of Wen Ying’s cooking, she wasn’t going to be so petty.

The servant nodded blankly.

Wen Ying moved swiftly, cooking a fresh vegetable porridge and two appetizing small dishes, packing them into the carefully chosen lunchboxes she had once bought.

“Thank you, Aunt Chen.”

“Madam, why are you leaving again?” Aunt Chen asked, puzzled.

Wen Ying paused while changing shoes, staring at the pale yellow women’s slippers.

She didn’t explain.

With a faint smile, she said, “Aunt Chen, please throw these slippers away.”