At duskâ
After coming back from the hospital, Su Jianâan was busy taking care of the two little guys.
Strangely, Xiangyi was particularly cranky. She kept crying and would only quieten down when someone held her and tried to pacify her.
Although Xiangyi always cried more than Xiyu, this was the first time that she had bawled in this manner.
Su Jianâan thought the little girl was not feeling well and she examined her thoroughly. However, she did not find anything unusual and there were no signs that her asthma was acting up.
Then why was she crying all the time if she was not sick?
Su Jianâan frowned worriedly as she couldnât figure out the reason.
Noticing Su Jianâanâs anxiety, Tang Yulan came over and gently patted her shoulder, saying, âDonât worry. She just wants to kick up a fuss. Thatâs what children do.â
Tang Yulan had rich experience in looking after children as she had brought up Lu Boyan by herself.
Su Jianâan knew that she should listen to Tang Yulan, but she could not feel at ease at all and her brows were deeply furrowed with worry.
As a mother, Tang Yulan understood Su Jianâanâs mood. She smiled and added, âBoyan was well-behaved when he was a child. But sometimes he would make trouble like Xiangyi today. At that time, his father would stop his work and come back to accompany him.â
Su Jianâan was really surprised.
She couldnât imagine Lu Boyan being so willful.
When she looked at Xiangyi again, Su Jianâan was more relaxed. She patted the little girlâs shoulder gently and said helplessly, âWell, I suppose you inherited that trait from your father.â
Suddenly, Xiangyi stopped crying and her dark eyes seemed to be searching for something. Maybe it was because she heard the word âfatherâ.
But there were only Su Jianâan and Tang Yulan in the childrenâs room. She would have stopped crying a long time ago if she wanted them.
Su Jianâan had a bad feeling that Xiangyi cried so hard because she missed Lu Boyan.
But Lu Boyan was not at home!
As expected, Xiangyi cried harder than before when she did not find Lu Boyan.
Tang Yulan smiled helplessly and touched Xiangyiâs face and said, âOur Xiangyi misses her daddy.â Then she looked at Su Jianâan and asked, âHow about we ask Boyan to come back earlier?â
Su Jianâan thought for a moment and shook her head. âNo, mom. We can handle her. Boyan will come back after his work is done.â
Tang Yulan looked at the clock on the wall and said, âBoyan should be off work at this time.â
âHeâs been busy recently. Weâd better not disturb him.â Su Jianâan kissed her daughterâs little face and comforted her softly, âGood girl. Daddy is still working. I will ask him play with you when he comes back, okay?â
âAh!â Xiangyi protested. She clenched her fists and buried her face in Su Jianâanâs arms, humming unhappily.
Although the willful little girl was capricious, it did not make the others angry. Instead, their hearts softened.
Tang Yulan brought Xiyu over and helped Su Jianâan coax Xiangyi. She asked, âJianâan, what did Yuechuan tell you in the hospital?â
Su Jianâan had already told Tang Yulan that Yunyun wanted to marry Yuechuan. Tang Yulan had no objection. Instead, she praised Xiao Yunyun for being bold and determined and said that she was willing to help.
Tang Yulan had always been open-minded, therefore Su Jianâan was not surprised at her reaction at all.
Su Jianâan told Tang Yulan everything as she thought she should be frank with an elder. But she declined Tang Yulanâs assistance as she could handle it by herself.
Tang Yulan didnât know what Su Jianâan and Shen Yuechuan were going to do, so she didnât insist on helping them. She just told Su Jianâan that she would take care of the two little guys while Su Jianâan made preparations for the wedding.
However, taking no part in this affair did not mean that Tang Yulan did not care about it. On the contrary, she was more concerned about the progress than anyone else.
Knowing the old ladyâs concern, Su Jianâan told her what had happened in the hospital today and emphasized that Shen Yuechuan and Xiao Yunyun had decided to hold the wedding ceremony during the Spring Festival.
Hearing this, Tang Yulan couldnât help laughing. She said, âBefore Yuechuan and Yunyun announced their relationship, I felt that they had a tacit understanding. It turned out that I was right, just like I was right about the relationship between you and Boyan.â
Su Jianâan couldnât help blushing when she heard her talking about her relationship with Lu Boyan. She faked a cough and then gave Tang Yulan a brief outline of the wedding plan.
âMom, what do you think?â she asked.
âAhaââ Tang Yulan waved her hand smilingly, âI wonât interfere in the wedding plans. Iâm old and I canât keep up with your pace. Just do whatever you want. As long as Yuechuan and Yunyun are happy, Iâll be happy.â
Su Jianâan burst into laughter. âOkay!â she responded.
Just at this time, Lu Boyan opened the door and came into the childrenâs room.
Maybe it was because she sensed her fatherâs presence. Xiangyi suddenly burst into tears as if she suffered a great grievance.
Su Jianâan was in no mood to pander to the girl. She looked at Lu Boyan with pleading eyes and said, âCome here quickly.â
Lu Boyan walked over and took Xiangyi in his arms. He held the little girl and coaxed her patiently, âWhatâs wrong, baby?â
Of course, Xiangyi wouldnât say anything. She just wept for a while and gradually quieted down and finally fell asleep in Lu Boyanâs arms.
Su Jianâan couldnât believe what she was seeingâ
Was Boyan the only person who could deal with Xiangyi?
But she was the one who accompanied Xiangyi every day!
Lu Boyan noticed the surprised look in Su Jianâanâs eyes. He asked deliberately, âJianâan, did you fail to calm her down?â
Su Jianâan was unwilling to admit it. She defended herself, âXiangyi was tired out from her crying bout, so she fell asleep in your arms. Itâs not your credit!â
Lu Boyan held Xiangyi as if he was cradling a rare treasure. He glanced at Su Jianâan and quickly turned his attention back to his daughter. âWell, I wonât force you to face the reality.â
Su Jianâan was about to explode.
It seemed that Lu Boyan was giving her some credit, but in fact, his tone was so smug.
With a sense of accomplishment, Lu Boyan put Xiangyi in the crib to let her sleep. But unexpectedly, the little girl whined and grabbed his clothes once she touched the bed.
Seeing this, Su Jianâan felt a sense of malicious pleasure. She wanted to smirk. But considering the old lady was still there, she repressed a laugh.
She wanted to see what Lu Boyan would do!
Lu Boyanâs heart softened because of his daughter. He could not leave the little girl alone when she clutched him so tightly, therefore he had no choice but to carry her to the study and take care of her while he read through the documents.
Su Jianâan coaxed Xiyu in the childrenâs room. Xiyu was well-behaved and fell asleep in his motherâs arms after a while. Su Jianâan then went to the study to find Lu Boyan and Xiangyi.
She didnât expect to find Lu Boyan dealing with both the business and their daughter.
Not wanting Lu Boyan to be in such a difficult situation, Su Jianâan pursed her lips and carried Xiangyi back to the childrenâs room.
She put her on the bed. But the little girl refused to sleep. She snorted and began to struggle on the bed. However, she was probably really sleepy. She wanted to cry, but she couldnât, and her little face crinkled in an adorable manner.
Su Jianâan skillfully comforted her. After a while, the little guy finally fell asleep, no longer protesting or making any noise.
Su Jianâan breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Lu Boyan out of the childrenâs room.
Tang Yulan followed them out. When she reached the study, she suddenly stopped Lu Boyan and said, âI have something to tell you.â
âMom,â Su Jianâan interrupted, âif itâs about Yunyun and Yuechuanâs wedding, then you donât need to worry. We got this.â
âI believe you can do a good job. Iâm not worried about it at all,â Tang Yulan smiled. âI just want to tell you that I will move back to Orchid Gardens after the Spring Festival.â
The house at Orchid Gardens had been bought by Lu Boyanâs father. Tang Yulan lived there since she married Lu Boyanâs father and she built it into a comfortable paradise where the family lived happily.
Tang Yulan had said that she could only sleep peacefully in this house and wanted to spend the rest of her life there.
If it wasnât due to her injury this time, Tang Yulan would not have agreed to stay at Dingya Villas. Su Jianâan was happy that she could stay here until the Spring Festival.
Su Jianâan nodded and said, âOkay, weâll send you back to Orchid Gardens after Yuechuan and Yunyunâs wedding.â
Tang Yulan waved her hand and replied, âWell, go ahead with your work. Iâm gonna help the cook with the dinner.â
âJianâan, come to the study with me,â Lu Boyan said. âI need your help.â
Su Jianâan had some business knowledge which she acquired a long time ago and could help Lu Boyan with small tasks. When Lu Boyan needed her help, he would not hesitate to ask.
âWell, okay.â Su Jianâan followed Lu Boyan into the study. When she was about to close the door, she suddenly stopped and looked at Lu Boyan warily, asking, âDo you really need my help?â
In the past, Lu Boyan had used a similar excuse, but it turned out that what he needed Su Jianâan to do was a completely different thing.
Su Jianâan felt that being cautious would not be a bad thing.
Lu Boyan did not expect Su Jianâan to suddenly ask this question. He turned around and looked at Su Jianâan and said, âClose the door, and you will know.â
Su Jianâan shiveredâ
She knew that Lu Boyanâs intentions were not totally pure!