Fragile Canary

In the next second, however, his hand was gripped tight.

Wen Xiang Yuan smiled as she dodged Wen Gan Ting's reaching hand, reaching out herself to seize the palm he had swung toward her.

Until now, she had never realized just how weak Wen Gan Ting's strength was.

She had been ignored since childhood, raised like a decorative vase.

Wen Gan Ting had been able to vent his anger on her at will since they were young. In the beginning, when he had been too obvious and excessive, Lan An would scold him.

He would say he was restless, lacking the mind and courage of a family head.

Later, he would have the servants give her medicine, learn to control his strength, and use humiliating methods to teach her a lesson.

Wen Xiang Yuan had always endured it passively.

Only now did she realize that the slap Wen Gan Ting swung carried very little force; he was nothing more than an empty shell.

With just a bit of effort from Wen Xiang Yuan, he could not move forward an inch further.

What a fragile person.

Such a bird should be kept properly in a cage; he was all for show, yet actually weak and powerless.

Wen Gan Ting had not expected Wen Xiang Yuan to stop him. In his shame and anger, he tried to pull his hand back, only to find that Wen Xiang Yuan's grip was exceptionally strong, making it impossible for him to reclaim his hand.

"Brother."

Wen Xiang Yuan smiled. She continuously increased the pressure in her hand, causing Wen Gan Ting's expression to twist.

"Why are you still so impulsive?"

"You cannot say such things carelessly. We are family, and everything I do is for the honor of the Wen family."

"If you say such things again, I will have to punish you."

Wen Gan Ting was now drenched in sweat, struggling incessantly to break free. However, to Wen Xiang Yuan—who had undergone several purification missions and training from Nan Yue's group—his body, which had never received training or suffered any hardship, felt as powerless as a small bird flapping its wings.

"Let go! Let go! You madwoman!"

Wen Xiang Yuan looked at the man before her making a fool of himself. His originally handsome face became comical due to the pain, and his voice was shrill, like a bird on the verge of death.

With a gentle release of her hand, Wen Gan Ting fell back heavily.

No one dared to go and help him up.

The servants of noble families were the best at reading the room. They knew that the young master of the Wen family had lost his power.

Though they did not know why, it seemed Old Master Lan intended to change the head of the Wen family to Wen Xiang Yuan.

"Quickly, help the young master up."

Wen Xiang Yuan took out a silk handkerchief and gently wiped her palm. Her movements were elegant, a world apart from Wen Gan Ting.

"Brother, you should go change your clothes quickly. You still have to take Miss Dong to see the polo match."

Wen Gan Ting had lost all his poise. Upon hearing Wen Xiang Yuan's words, he suddenly burst into laughter.

"Dong Qihua? That tigress? That old fossil Lan An wants me to marry her?"

Wen Xiang Yuan frowned, and this time it was genuine.

It was not because of how Wen Gan Ting addressed their grandfather, but because she felt disgusted that such a person had actually been groomed as an heir.

He was nothing but a fool who did not know how to assess the situation or when to stop.

To think such a person had been riding over her head for so long.

"If you speak like that again, I, as your younger sister, will have to give you a proper lesson on behalf of Grandfather."

"Let this time be a secret between us siblings."

Wen Gan Ting wanted to say more, but Wen Xiang Yuan had already turned to leave.

"I met Miss Dong a few days ago. She will be a good candidate for a sister-in-law. Brother, do not disappoint her."

After turning away, Wen Xiang Yuan's gaze was cold. This 'good brother' of hers really was not worthy of Dong Qihua.

...

Five days ago.

Under Lan An's instructions, Wen Xiang Yuan had made an appointment with Dong Qihua for dinner at the Sky Restaurant.

As the young lady of Saike Company, her life appeared to be much better than Wen Xiang Yuan's previous one.

Wen Xiang Yuan wore an exquisite long dress, looking as beautiful as an ethereal fairy untouched by the mundane world.

Dong Qihua, sitting opposite her, was more distinctive.

Dong Qihua had neat short hair and sharp features. Compared to Wen Xiang Yuan's soft beauty, she was more a representative of heroic spirit.

She wore a leather jacket with tight black pants and knee-high black boots, with a black motorcycle helmet resting on the table.

"I saw you three years ago at a Wen family banquet."

Dong Qihua's personality was as straightforward as her appearance.

"You were a bit different back then."

Wen Xiang Yuan took a small sip of the red wine in her glass. "How was I different?"

Dong Qihua frowned. "Too weak."

"Back then, you looked like a daughter kept as a pet by the Wen family. Your eyes were innocent, naive, and very fragile. You attracted men's gazes quite a bit."

Wen Xiang Yuan smiled. "And now?"

Dong Qihua looked her up and down. "You are still very beautiful."

"But men will no longer cast those disgusting gazes upon you."

Instead, they would subconsciously avoid Wen Xiang Yuan, afraid to meet her eyes.

Dong Qihua narrowed her eyes. "You have changed a lot."

Wen Xiang Yuan did not respond to that. "I came to talk to you about you and my brother."

Dong Qihua raised an eyebrow. "Wen Gan Ting?"

"So my father wants me to marry that waste."

Wen Xiang Yuan did not mind the other's term for her own brother at all. "Do you have an objection?"

Dong Qihua let out a cold laugh. "Could I even have an objection?"

This was something already decided by the Lan and Dong families.

Originally, the influence of families like the Lan, Dong, and Zhao families was about the same. However, ever since Lan An married into the Wen family and then completely took control of it after the Wen grandmother's sudden death, the Lan family had far surpassed any other family in the Federation.

When Lan An decided something, her father only had the option to wag his tail and agree.

"It is all the same. It does not matter much who I marry."

Dong Qihua lowered her eyes as she cut the medium-rare steak on her plate, seemingly indifferent.

Dong Qihua was a very clever woman, which was why she was able to live a bit better than the previous Wen Xiang Yuan despite their similar circumstances.

But it was only a bit better.

No matter how different her style was from other upper-class ladies, it was only a small act of rebellion.

In more significant matters, they could not make their own decisions.

In fact, her outgoing personality and unrestrained nature were also requirements of her family.

There were too many socialites in the upper class, and even more beautiful ones; the one sitting across from her was the pinnacle among them.

Therefore, they needed to find another path to make the Dong family daughter's reputation known.

Dong Qihua was also nothing more than a pawn.

"You will be my sister-in-law in the future. If there is anything I can do, I will try my best to help you."

What Wen Xiang Yuan said seemed like mere polite talk, yet Dong Qihua put down her knife.

"Are you trying to win me over?"

"Why?"

She had heard rumors about the Wen family's affairs. Besides lamenting her own lack of insight back then, she was curious how a fragile woman like Wen Xiang Yuan had managed to reach this step.

Wen Xiang Yuan was now more valuable than Wen Gan Ting. Wen Gan Ting had already been abandoned, turned into a role for a political marriage.

However, if not for this, Lan An would not have even considered Dong Qihua.

If it were the previous heir of the Wen family, Wen Gan Ting, his choice of wife would have required further consideration.