novelI Miss You!
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688 I Miss You!
"Hello..." On the other end of the line, Little Candy's clear voice could be heard."Tuan Tuan's Mama? I'm Little Candy. I want to look for Tuan Tuan!"
Lin Nuan looked in Tuan Tuan's direction and saw that he had already closed the door and let go of the handle. She nodded."Okay! Wait a minute..."
"Tuan Tuan, Little Candy is looking for you!"
Tuan Tuan heard Lin Nuan's voice and bounced towards her.
Lin Nuan handed the phone to him, but Tuan Tuan didn't take the phone from her. With both hands propped on Lin Nuan's lap, he stood on his tiptoes and said to the speaker in a soft and cute voice, "Hello?"
"Tuan Tuan!"
Before she could place the phone to Tuan Tuan's ear, Lin Nuan heard Little Candy squeal in delight.
"I didn't see you at kindergarten today, so my mama helped me call your mama so I could look for you!"
Tuan Tuan didn't know what to say...
Little Candy spoke like she was rapping, and it made Tuan Tuan's head spin a little. He only managed to make out the last sentence, which was that Little Candy was looking for him.
"Then... what's the matter?" Tuan Tuan spoke seriously, his expression solemn.
"Nothing's the matter! But... can't I call you for nothing?" Little Candy still sounded cheerful."I miss you! My mama said... when I was in the hospital with a fever, you were in the hospital with a fever too! Then you're hospitalized for a fever again today! My mama said... only stupid kids catch a fever every two days or so! I used to be a stupid kid, but I'm no longer one! Tuan Tuan, it's okay if you're a stupid kid now. You'll no longer be one when you've recovered!"
Tuan Tuan widened his black grape-like eyes and stared at Lin Nuan, as if asking her if it was true that only stupid kids caught a fever every two days or so!
"Ah..." Little Candy shrieked into the phone."I must tell Grandma you hit me! I'll ask Grandma to whack your butt with a feather duster!"
Lin Nuan was rendered speechless.
To no one's surprise, Little Candy was given a good beating!
One could imagine the way Little Candy ran crying to her grandma, lodging a complaint against You Nainai...
"Speak nicely, why get physical?"
Tang Zheng's voice could vaguely be heard over the phone.
You Nainai seemed to dislike Tang Zheng coming into contact with Little Candy, as she asked him to stay away from them.
Tuan Tuan looked at the phone and seemed like he wanted to speak several times, but it was a noisy mess on the line, not giving Tuan Tuan any chance to speak.
The little one stared at the phone screen, then politely said after giving it some thought, "Little Candy, bye-bye..."
Then, Tuan Tuan lifted his head and looked at Lin Nuan with his black eyes.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Nuan looked at Tuan Tuan seriously, then said as she stroked his head, "Our Tuan Tuan is clever! Yesterday's fever was an accident. You're not a stupid kid like Little Candy's mother said!"
Lin Nuan spoke earnestly, and Tuan Tuan listened very seriously too. He nodded his head vigorously. If Mama said he wasn't a stupid kid, then he must not be a stupid kid! Tuan Tuan beamed.
After Bai Jinyu accompanied Tuan Tuan for a checkup, confirming that everything was fine and that he could be discharged, it was time for Bai Jinyu to get off. So, he left with his little girlfriend, Xu Wanwan, who had come to pick him up.
...
Li Muyang stood before the French windows in the hotel, looking down at a rainy Haicheng.
Ah Zhan stood by and watched Li Muyang nervously. He anxiously waited for Li Muyang's reply, but Li Muyang had been standing there for nearly 15 minutes and didn't seem like he was planning to move to another hotel.
"Boss, we're overseas now. Moreover... we're in Haicheng. It's not a good thing to have others know your whereabouts! Let's quickly change hotels! Stop hesitating!" Ah Zhan urged anxiously, inevitably raising his voice by a few pitches.
"Would Mr. Fu be unable to track us down after we change hotels? No one else will be able to track us down?" Li Muyang rapped his cane against the French windows, not at all minding Ah Zhan speaking to him informally. He indicated for Ah Zhan to look across from the building."We've long been eyed closely!"
Ah Zhan frowned.
Actually, Ah Zhan was opposed to Li Muyang coming to Haicheng from the start. After all, Lin Nuan was already married, and she was devoted to her husband.
But in the end, he couldn't disobey Li Muyang's orders and had no choice but to follow him there.
Before coming, Ah Zhan had tried his best to make preparations. But in his heart, he knew... once they landed in the worst situation imaginable, they had no influence in Haicheng and were bound to be at a disadvantage.
It wasn't as if Ah Zhan didn't know what Li Muyang was thinking. With so many people eyeing Haicheng now, the closer Li Muyang followed Lin Nuan, the more those people looking to use Lin Nuan to test if Fu Huai'an was Mr. Moral... dared not act carelessly!
If Fu Huai'an were truly Mr. Moral, it would be enough trouble for them. Who wished to offend both him and the entire De Niro family?
However, Ah Zhan felt that it wasn't worth him doing this. In America, Li Muyang could get the best treatment and be in the best environment!
He had come all the way to Haicheng to ensure Lin Nuan's safety, but Lin Nuan didn't appreciate his kind gesture at all!
Ah Zhan could even sense Lin Nuan's dislike for Li Muyang in her eyes!
"Just let them see what I do every day..." The corners of Li Muyang's lips turned up in a demonic smile."Where is Lin Nuan?"
Ah Zhan felt that Li Muyang had gone mad!
He could only honestly tell Li Muyang that Tuan Tuan had fallen sick and that Lin Nuan and Fu Huai'an had accompanied him at the hospital the entire night. They had only returned to Tianfu Bay this morning after Tuan Tuan was discharged.
"Boss, pardon my frankness, but looking at your condition, we should return home..."
Without waiting for Ah Zhan to finish, Li Muyang, who was holding onto his cane, turned his head around and smiled with a demonic charm."The two groups of people who are in Haicheng now... are prepared to test every one of the friends around Gu Qingcheng to see which one is Mr. Moral! I think that I might not be able to see such a good show in another few hundred years, so how could I miss this?"
He really wanted to see what Gu Qingcheng would do, see... what Mr. Moral would do.
Ah Zhan was anxious."But, your health..."
Without waiting for Ah Zhan to finish, Li Muyang continued, "Do you think Mr. Moral's old enemies will come out one by one?"
Ah Zhan didn't reply. He feared that before Mr. Moral's old enemies arrived, Li Muyang would have died here first.
Li Muyang sat down on the sofa, the smile on his lips clear and sinister."But if I want to watch the fun... we need to think of a way to light the fire! What do you say, Ah Zhan?"
Ah Zhan didn't reply, merely staring back at Li Muyang with a frown.
Ah Zhan felt that there was a sense of vitality and vibrancy in his eyes ever since he met Lin Nuan, yet... he had become more foreign to Ah Zhan.
It was as if the dark side that had been suppressed in his heart for many years couldn't wait to gush out all at once. It wanted to swallow the source of the light after seeing a glimpse of light for the first time.
"Boss..." Ah Zhan clenched his fists by his sides.
...
Lu Jinnan held up a black umbrella and stood at the entrance of Tianfu Bay. He bit a cigarette at the corner of his lips, narrowing his eyes amidst the white smoke and watching as rain battered the tree leaves.
Cigarette butts were scattered at Lu Jinnan's feet. He was almost done smoking a pack of cigarettes. Seeming to have made up his mind, he tossed the cigarette butt in the direction of the trash can. Cigarette ash flickered about, and the cigarette butt made a sizzling sound when it fell into a puddle together with the falling rain.
He pushed open the gate, then walked to the door and closed his umbrella. He pressed the doorbell, then casually placed his wet umbrella into the umbrella holder at the entrance.
The person who came to the door was Tuan Tuan. Tuan Tuan was wearing a set of Captain America pajamas as he stood on his tiptoes and opened the door for Lu Jinnan.
Upon seeing the fair little one, a smile appeared in Lu Jinnan's eyes. He reached out to stroke Tuan Tuan on his head."Where's your papa?"
"Doing the dishes..." Tuan Tuan said three words.
"What?" Lu Jinnan thought he had heard him wrong, so he asked again.
"Doing the dishes!" Tuan Tuan repeated with perfect articulation, his soft voice extremely adorable.
Tuan Tuan opened the door for Lu Jinnan, then pulled open the shoe cabinet at the entryway and began searching for a pair of guest slippers. He then gazed at Lu Jinnan with those beautiful black eyes of his that sparkled.
As Lu Jinnan changed his shoes, he couldn't resist peeking into the kitchen. After he finally managed to change into the slippers and hang up his suit jacket, he quickly walked towards the kitchen.
Once he entered the dining room, Lu Jinnan saw that Fu Huai'an was indeed doing the dishes.
Who could have imagined that the mature man with a noble aura would be doing dishes while wearing a navy V-neck tee and an apron?
The warm lighting made Fu Huai'an's deep-set facial features appear more gentle, not as cold and tough as he usually looked.
Lin Nuan was standing beside Fu Huai'an, handling the fruits...
The British shorthair in Fu Huai'an's house was seated opposite of the cutting board where Lin Nuan was cutting fruit. It had its head cocked sideways in a curious manner.
Lu Jinnan was rooted to the spot at the door. Watching Lin Nuan and Fu Huai'an, he suddenly felt that such a scene was particularly heart-warming and harmonious.
Wife, kid, and cat.
Such a peaceful and stable life was what every one of them wanted all along!
Fu Huai'an casually set the clean dishes aside, then raised his head to look at Lu Jinnan with his deep-set eyes. He said with a hint of a smile, "Finally willing to enter the house?"
"En?" Lu Jinnan couldn't react in time. He looked outside the French windows and saw that the curtains were half-drawn in the dining room. From there, the spot he was standing at earlier could be seen.
Lin Nuan, who was cutting the fruit, looked up at Lu Jinnan too, her gaze friendly as she asked in a calm voice, "We saved you some food. Wanna eat?"
"I won't be eating. I need to talk to Old Fu about something." Lu Jinnan felt somewhat awkward after having been exposed.
"Then let me finish up the dishes! You go and sit with Lu Jinnan in the living room..." Lin Nuan plated the freshly-cut fruit."You take the fruit platter over there!"
"There's just a few left, let Lu Jinnan wait!" Fu Huai'an leisurely washed the plates in his hands, not at all trying to hurry up.
Lu Jinnan was speechless.
Lin Nuan glanced at Lu Jinnan's expression and couldn't resist smiling at Fu Huai'an."If you're not hungry yet, I'll keep it warm for you in the pot. You can eat after you're done talking with Huai'an!"
Lu Jinnan nodded almost subconsciously.
Lu Jinnan stood at the entrance of the dining room, watching as Fu Huai'an washed the dishes. When he was done washing them, in a relaxed fashion, he wiped the porcelain plates dry with a kitchen towel one by one with those large hands of his.
Lu Jinnan was speechless.
"Old Fu, can you hurry up?" Lu Jinnan finally couldn't hold himself back.
Only after Fu Huai'an finished wiping and properly setting down the last plate did he take off the apron and place it on the tabletop. Before he left, he gently put one arm around Lin Nuan's slim waist and said to her in a soft voice, "I'll be back shortly..."
"Never mind, I'll accompany Tuan Tuan while he draws. Just go ahead and talk with him!" Lin Nuan said.
Fu Huai'an and Lu Jinnan went upstairs. By the time Lin Nuan came out with the fruit platter after she finished wiping the tabletop and washing the tablecloth, Fu Huai'an and Lu Jinnan had already gone upstairs to his study.
Tuan Tuan had his butt off the ground as he rested his elbows on the coffee table. He was working on his kindergarten art assignment.
The chubby British shorthair stuck its tail up in the air, its soft body going around Lin Nuan's legs, making an "8" with its motion. It kept meowing, expressing its desire to eat the platter of something in Lin Nuan's hands.
Lin Nuan placed the fruits by Tuan Tuan's side, then reached out to stroke the British shorthair's head. The British shorthair extended its neck and rubbed its head against Lin Nuan's palm, constantly meowing.
"Is Tuan Tuan drawing a house?" Lin Nuan asked.
Tuan Tuan pointed at the crooked house with a chubby little finger."House!"
"Tuan Tuan is drawing our house!" Lin Nuan took a look at it, then flashed a thumbs up at Tuan Tuan."Our Tuan Tuan is terrific!"
Tuan Tuan was a little embarrassed after being praised. With reddened ears, he nodded."Tuan Tuan, terrific!"
Lin Nuan kissed Tuan Tuan on his face, then sat down next to him.
While Tuan Tuan was drawing, Lin Nuan recalled the way Lu Jinnan was smoking with a frown outside their door just now. She messaged Bai Xiaonian on WeChat...
'Lin Nuan: Lu Jinnan suddenly came to look for Huai'an, and he didn't look so good. Did you quarrel with him?'
After several seconds, Bai Xiaonian replied to her message.
'Bai Xiaonian: (rolls eyes) You have no idea, he's crazy! He wants to marry me!'
'Lin Nuan: (shocked face) This is good news! Goes to show that Lu Jinnan is a responsible man. Did you not agree?'
'Bai Xiaonian: (rolls eyes) I chased him out!'
'Lin Nuan: ...'
After replying to Lin Nuan, Bai Xiaonian's mind was a mess. She directly hid her phone under her pillow and pulled the sheets over her head.
What was wrong with Lu Jinnan today? Bai Xiaonian couldn't understand why a man would propose that way!
He had pressed on Bai Xiaonian's doorbell, and the first thing he said was, "Bai Xiaonian, I'm going to ask you for the last time. Are you going to marry me or not? This is the last time I'm asking you!"
Bai Xiaonian, who couldn't walk properly yet, flared up on the spot. She shoved Lu Jinnan out the door and said that this was the last time that she was going to tell him that she would rather die than marry him! After her legs recovered, she was going to be an overseas reporter and didn't have the time or energy to get married.
After Lu Jinnan left, he didn't bombard her with calls and messages like he did in the past...
She used to think that Lu Jinnan's bombardment of calls and messages was annoying, but today, Lu Jinnan had left without a word in the rain just like that...
No messages, no calls. Bai Xiaonian held the phone that didn't ring and felt an emptiness in her heart.
She kept letting her thoughts run wild, worried that something might have happened to Lu Jinnan. After finding out that Lu Jinnan had gone to look for Fu Huai'an, Bai Xiaonian felt a lot more relieved.
Bai Xiaonian pulled open her bedside cabinet and looked seriously at her mother's photo, a smile appearing on her face.
Her greatest wish was to become someone like her mother, and she had been working hard towards that goal!
Bai Xiaonian rubbed her sore eyes and told herself... that along the way, she must not view the affection between men and women with too much importance.
...
In the study, Lu Jinnan retrieved the cigarettes from Fu Huai'an's cabinet with familiarity, then bit one cigarette at the corner of his lips. However, he couldn't find his lighter anywhere. This was when he recalled that he had left his lighter in his suit jacket, and when he entered earlier, he had hung up his suit jacket in the entryway.
Lu Jinnan looked up at the sound of a match being struck...
He saw Fu Huai'an biting a cigarette and striking a match. The flickering flame illuminated Fu Huai'an's side profile and made him look colder than usual.
He lit up his cigarette, then took a deep inhale. Amidst the white smoke, he narrowed his eyes, and after shaking the flame off the match, he casually tossed it into the crystal ashtray.
Fu Huai'an tossed the matchbox to Lu Jinnan."You and Tang Zheng both have families and aren't suitable! Things haven't gotten to the worst state yet. Furthermore... what do you do with Bai Xiaonian? If you stand out and admit that you're Mr. Moral, have you thought about Bai Xiaonian's predicament?"
"There's no future for Bai Xiaonian and me!" Lu Jinnan frowned and bit the cigarette, then lit it up with a match."She's leaving to be an overseas reporter."
Fu Huai'an shifted the cigarette away from his lips."When?"
"After her legs recover, I guess!" Lu Jinnan replied.
Fu Huai'an nodded, then said, "What about your father? And your younger brother! Are they not important anymore?"
Lu Jinnan and Fu Huai'an were both leaned against the desk. Supporting himself with one hand on the surface of the wooden table, he frowned and said, "I suspect that something has gone wrong on Old Gu's side and that he's hiding it from us. Otherwise, even if someone suspected you, all three groups of people wouldn't have rushed to Haicheng at the same time. This isn't even counting that Li Muyang, who came for Lin Nuan..."
Fu Huai'an lowered his gaze. He knew that what Lu Jinnan said made sense. Gu Qingcheng was always someone who reported only good news and not the bad.
All these years, Fu Huai'an had never asked Gu Qingcheng about his methods when it came to "doing business." Even so, Fu Huai'an knew very well that for Gu Qingcheng to have expanded their business to such a scale in such a short time, there must have been many ups and downs!
Fu Huai'an knew the rules of this circle too well. It was the law of the jungle. At the start, small fish would eat shrimp, while big fish would eat small fish. Then, later, the big fish would restrain each other. Gu Qingcheng rising through the ranks and obtaining a seat at the table with the big boys was far harder than Fu Huai'an dealing with some politicians.
"Do you want me to check it out?" Lu Jinnan asked Fu Huai'an in a low voice. He was worried that something might have happened to Gu Qingcheng.
"No need for the time being. With Old Gu in such a strong position now, they don't know for sure who Mr. Moral is and are merely testing us out. Because of that, they dare not go overboard! They only dared to send their men to watch over us. Let's just live our lives as per normal... Lu Jinnan, do whatever you need to do while Tang Zheng does his best with the Kaide Corporation's affairs! Let's just take care of our own responsibilities!"
Fu Huai'an's black eyes were deep and unfathomable, so distant that Lu Jinnan couldn't read them.
Lu Jinnan frowned."If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have let you go to Dubai!"
If they hadn't gone to Dubai, they wouldn't have run into Qin Zhe, and if they hadn't rescued Qin Zhe, none of this would have happened!
Lu Jinnan was incredibly vexed. He put out his cigarette and said, "I'll get going first!"
"Old Lu!" Fu Huai'an called out to Lu Jinnan, whose hand was already on the door handle.
Lu Jinnan turned around and saw Fu Huai'an straighten his body. He also put out his cigarette in the ashtray, then put both hands in his pockets, his posture looking rather casual. He spoke in a magnetic, deep, and powerful voice, saying, "If things really get to that state as you said and we have no other choice, I have made plans for that. You'll be doing me the greatest favor by living your life as per normal!"
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