Chapter 445: A Silent Departure
At the Wen family home, Mr. Wen was furious after seeing the notification letter from the American university. Wen Nuan had secretly applied to go to America and was finalizing the paperwork and even booking her ticket without telling her parents.
It was only after everything was settled that her parents found out she had applied to a school.
Wen Nuan knew her parents wouldn’t agree, so she had to talk to them one by one, first convincing her mother and then her father. She had only mentioned it in passing before, and Mr. Wen was supportive of her studying then. But now, anyone with eyes could see that she was going abroad to escape Ye Feimo.
It wouldn’t matter if Ye Feimo were healthy, but he was in the hospital, in poor health, with several more surgeries looming and his life still uncertain. What would people say if she just left?
They would say the Wen family didn’t raise their daughter properly, that she could only share in wealth but not in adversity.
Not only was Wen Nuan abandoning Ye Feimo, but she was also going all the way to America. Though the Wen family wasn’t as powerful as the Ye family, they were still a prominent, respectable family, and gossip was rampant.
Wen Nuan’s actions were bound to be criticized. The socialites would all attack her. And how would they view the Wen family?
Mr. Wen strongly disagreed with Wen Nuan going abroad to study.
But Mrs. Wen said, "Let it go. If she wants to leave, let her leave. Staying here is just painful. A change of scenery might do her good."
Though Mr. Wen was angry, he was helpless. She was his daughter, and he couldn’t bear to scold her. Even if Wen Nuan broke their hearts, she was still their daughter. "Nuan Nuan, are you really going to abandon Feimo like this?"
Wen Nuan flinched. *Yes, abandon.* In everyone’s eyes, even her parents’, her actions amounted to abandoning Ye Feimo. Divorcing him after he got cancer, resolutely breaking her contract with Anning, and then leaving A City for America to study—by any measure, she looked ungrateful, abandoning her home and husband. Her actions would be seen as shameful and hateful by many women.
This was the situation she had long expected to face, so Wen Nuan was mentally prepared.
This was the price she had to pay.
"Dad, we had a peaceful divorce. Feimo agreed to it," Wen Nuan explained weakly. "Can we please stop talking about this? Talking won’t change anything. I’m leaving for America tomorrow. I’ll come back to see you during the holidays."
The school she had applied to was for a two-year performing arts program.
Wen Jing said from the side, "Dad, Mom, please stop. Since Sister has decided, let’s respect her decision. Let her go to America to study. I’ll apply to an American high school next year and go with her."
Mr. Wen genuinely liked Ye Feimo as a son-in-law. When they got married, he was worried Feimo would hurt Wen Nuan. Although Wen Nuan had certainly been deeply hurt in the marriage, he felt that her just walking away and leaving Ye Feimo was irresponsible. He didn’t know what had happened between the couple. If it were only the scandal and the baby, Wen Nuan wouldn’t be so determined to get a divorce.
The baby’s situation was an accident, and Feimo hadn’t wanted it to happen that way. Wen Nuan had always had a gentle nature, remembering the good and forgetting the bad. She wouldn’t be so heartless.
He had watched Wen Nuan grow up and knew her temperament. She wasn’t a cold, heartless woman. She loved Ye Feimo. It was impossible for her to heartlessly leave him when he was seriously ill. There had to be something he didn’t know.
But Wen Nuan wouldn’t say anything. As parents, they couldn’t pry, only feel anxious and regretful.
The flight was early the next morning. Besides her parents and Wen Jing, no one knew Wen Nuan was leaving.
She went back to her room to pack. Mr. Wen had already arranged a place for her to stay near the school. He had asked someone to buy an apartment for Wen Nuan, and she could move in right away. The decorations were all set up.
Mr. Wen and Mrs. Wen were worried that she wouldn’t be able to adjust on her own at first, so they also booked tickets on the same flight to America.
Wen Nuan didn’t have much luggage: some necessary documents, clothes, and books. Nothing else. She looked at the photo on the bedside table. It was a picture of her and Ye Feimo. Beside it were two jewelry boxes. One contained a four-leaf clover phone charm. The other jewelry box held a butterfly necklace and a butterfly brooch. Ye Feimo had given them to her. They held great sentimental value.
Wen Nuan took out another ring box from the drawer below. It contained her wedding ring.
Wen Nuan’s lips twitched a few times, and her heart ached.
The wedding ring...
The marriage ring.
She wondered if Feimo had already thrown his away.
She had a lot of jewelry: some she bought herself, some her parents gave her, some sponsored by advertisers, and some from Feimo. Her favorites were this phone charm, the butterfly necklace, the butterfly brooch, and this wedding ring.
They were all related to Ye Feimo.
Wen Nuan stared at the ring blankly for a while, then sighed softly and put everything into her suitcase.
She also put the picture frame inside. Most of the photos of them together were still at the Mingcheng apartment. She didn’t have many close at hand. She took it as a keepsake. After packing, it was already midnight.
She wondered how Feimo was doing.
After tonight, their distance would increase. She hoped he would be safe and sound. If they couldn’t be together in this life, perhaps they would meet again in the next.
The phone rang. Wen Nuan saw that it was Tang Mandong. She answered. Tang Mandong said, "Wen Nuan, want to come out for a drink? My sister-in-law, Xiaojing, and I are at Blueberry Night. Want to come?"
Wen Nuan looked at the time. Her flight was early tomorrow morning. If she went out now, she wouldn’t be back until three or four in the morning. But she was destined to be sleepless tonight. There was no difference between staying home and going out.
"Okay!"
Wen Nuan didn’t have a driver’s license, but she could drive. It was late at night, and she didn’t want to wake the driver or tell her father. Wen Nuan didn’t worry about it. She drove her father’s car out. It was late, and traffic enforcement wasn’t very strict. Who would know if she had a license?
She had known how to drive since she was a teenager. Because she had been in a car accident when she was little, she didn’t dare to drive in crowded places and hadn’t gotten a license. Later, after driving to the market a few times, she got the hang of driving on most roads.
She arrived at Blueberry Night around one in the morning. When she walked in, Tang Mandong was dancing on stage, and Cai Xiaojing was singing. Su Ran wasn’t there today. There were only a few women. On the table were a dozen bottles of beer, three cocktails, a fruit platter, and a few small dishes.
Chen Xueru waved her over. A few people came over to ask Chen Xueru for her signature and also asked Wen Nuan for hers. The atmosphere in the bar was still very lively late at night. Wen Nuan waved for a piña colada.
"Why are you all out so late?" Wen Nuan asked with a smile.
Chen Xueru said, "Mandong said she was bored lately and wanted to come out to dance and drink. Shuwen has been busy these past few days and went to bed early. I came out with her because I had nothing to do. We ran into Xiaojing here drinking to herself, so she called you to come out too."
She thought Wen Nuan was the one who needed to relax the most.
Wen Nuan smiled and looked at Cai Xiaojing singing a love song on stage, sighing for the umpteenth time, "It’s a shame Sister Xiaojing didn’t become a singer. Such a good voice, such great potential..."
When she sang a love song, it felt better than the original. Her voice had a hint of desolation and deep emotion, melodious and ethereal, and very moving. Sometimes, listening to it, you would feel a jolt of electricity run through your body. The sense of resonance was especially strong.
"I agree," Chen Xueru said gently. Several empty beer glasses were on the table. Wen Nuan asked, "Did Sister Xiaojing drink all of those?"
"More than that. She drank almost a bottle of rum and seven or eight beers. I didn’t know she could hold her liquor so well." Chen Xueru laughed. The empty bottles had been cleared away, or it would have been even more dramatic.
Cai Xiaojing was a top manager and attended many social events. She had been drinking for almost ten years, so her tolerance was naturally good. She wasn’t drunk despite drinking so much.
Wen Nuan frowned. Cai Xiaojing was a very rational person. Why was she drinking so much?
Drowning her sorrows didn’t seem like her style.
Cai Xiaojing finished singing a love song and came down. When she saw Wen Nuan, she came over. Tang Mandong followed her. The women drank together. Among them, Wen Nuan had the lowest tolerance and didn’t drink much.
She was afraid of having a hangover and a headache on the plane tomorrow, so she didn’t drink much.
"Sister Xiaojing, why are you drinking so much?" Wen Nuan asked. Even though they weren’t working together anymore, they were still friends.
"I’m stressed. Lin Ning proposed to me. Do you think I should marry him?" Cai Xiaojing asked.
The women gasped, surprised and delighted. Tang Mandong said decisively, "Of course, you should marry him. Brother Lin is so great. He’s a wealthy bachelor, and he’s good to you. Why wouldn’t you marry him? You’ll definitely be happy."
"Please, you didn’t see him when he was a playboy."
Tang Mandong countered, "My brother was also a playboy, but my sister-in-law has him completely under control now. Don’t worry. With your methods, Brother Lin won’t be able to escape your palm."
Wen Nuan smiled. Tang Mandong had a point. She had always thought Cai Xiaojing and Lin Ning were a perfect match. They were meant to be. They had similar interests and were in the same industry, so they had a lot to talk about. They would definitely be happy together.
But Cai Xiaojing seemed very resistant to Lin Ning, even though she didn’t dislike him.
She thought about herself and Ye Feimo. They didn’t dislike each other either, but they still broke up.
Cai Xiaojing pointed right at Wen Nuan. "She and Mr. Ye have traumatized me. I think marriage can wait. I don’t know if I want to get married. To be honest, Lin Ning is a good lover, but he might not be a good husband. I can still afford to lose now, but if we get married and then find out we’re not compatible, I can’t afford to lose."
Wen Nuan was stunned. "You’re thinking too much. My and Feimo’s problem isn’t what you think it is..."
"Then what is it?" the three women asked in unison. Wen Nuan paused awkwardly and smiled helplessly. "I don’t want to talk about it, so please don’t pressure me. Sometimes, people break up not because they don’t love each other anymore, but because..."
It was just because they loved each other too much.
So they had to separate.
The women pressured her for a reason, but Wen Nuan stayed silent and didn’t say anything. The women were helpless and kept drinking. Wen Nuan also went up on stage and sang a song, *Breakup.*
She sang the song so sorrowfully that Chen Xueru was on the verge of tears. *If you can’t bear to part, why break up?*
They drank until very late. Wen Nuan and Chen Xueru mostly listened to Cai Xiaojing complain.
It was already four in the morning when they left.
Cai Xiaojing was dead drunk. She couldn’t drive herself home. Tang Mandong drove her, and Chen Xueru rode with Tang Mandong. Wen Nuan drove herself home. They all knew Wen Nuan was driving without a license and told her to be careful.
Wen Nuan nodded repeatedly. This wasn’t the first time she had driven without a license.
She hadn’t drunk much, so driving wasn’t a problem. There were hardly any people on the streets at four in the morning. The roads were clear, and she got home without any problems. Mr. Wen, Mrs. Wen, and Wen Jing were all sound asleep. Wen Nuan was exhausted. She didn’t even change her clothes and collapsed on the bed.
She had just fallen into a light sleep when someone woke her up. It was time to go to the airport.
She walked into the bathroom with dark circles under her eyes to take a shower and get ready. She put her luggage in the car, and they all headed to the airport.
Mrs. Wen asked, "Nuan Nuan, did you tell Feimo that you were leaving?"
"No."
This answer was expected by Mrs. Wen. She said helplessly, "At least tell your mother-in-law... tell Mrs. Ye. Someone needs to tell Feimo."
"Yes, I will," Wen Nuan murmured. She sent a text message to Cheng Anya instead of calling.
When Cheng Anya received the message, Ye Feimo was in surgery. This was his second surgery. Bai Ye was the surgeon. Su Man said that this surgery was not dangerous. When she received the message, her feelings were complicated.
"What is it?"
"It’s Wen Nuan. She said she’s going to America to study. Her flight is this morning," Cheng Anya said softly.
Ye Sanshao said coolly, "That girl looks kind and innocent, but her heart is really ruthless. She’s even worse than you were when you were young."
"Don’t blame her," Cheng Anya said. "I hope Feimo can handle this news."
Ye Sanshao didn’t say anything. The surgery lasted three hours and was successful.
After the anesthesia wore off, Ye Feimo woke up. Cheng Anya took meticulous care of him. She had planned to tell him about Wen Nuan going to America after a few days, but when she and Ye Kelan were talking by the door, they happened to mention it, and Ye Feimo overheard them.
"Feimo..." Cheng Anya wanted to say something, but when she saw Ye Feimo’s blank expression, she, the eloquent one, didn’t know what to say.
Ye Feimo was expressionless. His eyes were like ice, and his voice was cold. "Her business has nothing to do with me..."
*It has nothing to do with me...*
It had nothing to do with him anymore.