Ning Ran got on Nan Chenâs car after they left the restaurant.
The thought of Nan Chen announcing that she was on her period still made her blush.
âYouâve met my mother before.â Nan Chen suddenly remarked.
âHuh?â
âEven though you denied it. I could see it in your eyes. You recognized her.â Nan Chen said coldly.
Seeing how Nan Chenâs words left no space for her to contradict it, Ning Ran figured that she should just confess.
âYes. We met at the airport once. And it wasnât a good experience.â Ning Ran replied.
Then, she started to explain what happened that day to Nan Chen.
Nan Chen went silent.
âYou donât believe me? Iâm telling you the truth here. If I lied, Iâ¦â
âI believe you.â Nan Chen responded.
âYou believe me? Then you shouldâve said something. I thought you didnât.â Ning Ran said playfully.
Nan Chen kept quiet.
Ning Ran looked at Nan Chen. She could see that something was on his mind.
But come to think of it, thereâs always something on his mind. He has a huge corporation on his shoulders, after all. Thatâs normal.
Nan Chen spoke again. âYou should stay away from her.â
âHuh?â
âI said it loud and clear.â
âYou want me to stay away from your mother? Why?â
âThereâs no why.â Nan Chen told her.
With that response, Ning Ran had nothing more to say.
Silence was normal for them anyways.
Nan Chen drove to the school that the kids were attending and stopped at the entrance.
âClasses are still in session right now.â Ning Ran said as she looked at her watch.
âItâs not like you have to wait until school ends to pick them up.â
Nan Chen got off the car and made a phone call.
âYouâre going to pick them up before school ends? Why? Why donât we just wait for them?â
âLetâs bring them out to have some fun.â Nan Chen replied.
Ning Ran was speechless. Youâd actually let them skip the rest of school just to have fun? Wow!
However, Ning Ran had not played with the kids in a long while too. Since it was rare for her to have some free time, she couldnât help but think that it was a good idea.
Not long after, a teacher came out with the two darlings in tow.
Having both Nan Chen and Ning Ran present to pick up the kids was truly a rare sight for them.
âMommy! Daddy!â Erbao dashed toward them.
Dabao, who was usually calm and collected, also raced toward them. âDaddy and Mommy, why are you both here?â
âWeâre free right now. So we thought we would come together and pick you guys up to have some fun together.â Ning Ran explained.
âThatâs great! I wish both of you would bring us out to play every day!â Erbao shouted excitedly.
âWhere do you guys want to go?â Asked Nan Chen.
âThe amusement park!â Erbao exclaimed without a hint of hesitation.
âAlright.â Nan Chen gladly agreed.
He turned to Ning Ran and asked, âThere are a few theme parks in Flower City that the company has shares in. Should I contact them?â
âNo need. What if they do something like emptying the place? Thatâd be scary. An amusement park is a place where the more people there are, the merrier.â Ning Ran said. âItâd be no fun with just the few of us.â
âOkayâ Nan Chen replied When they reached the theme park, Erbao screamed out in excitement as her face lit up with joy.
âIâm guessing from their reaction they donât come here a lot, right?â Nan Chen asked Ning Ran.
âOnly once I think. I donât have the money nor the capability to look after both of them in a public area like this. I was worried that accidents might happen, so it was better to just not come here. It cuts down on the expenses too.â Ning Ran smiled.
Nan Chen remained silent at that.
Soon after, the family of four started their theme park journey.
Erbao was highly energetic. She went on rides after rides after rides and it did not seem like she would stop anytime soon.
Ning Ran, on the other hand, was so exhausted that she needed to take a break.
With that, Nan Chen was in charge of playing with them. It wasnât until Erbao finally got tired that the family sat down together and rested.
At that moment, Nan Chenâs phone vibrated. He took the call and later told the family that his grandfather was looking for him, so he had to leave.
Ning Ran simply nodded. If the Old Master of the Nan family is looking for Nan Chen, itâs usually for something important.
âIâll take you guys and your Mommy to the childrenâs restaurant first. You two can have fun over there for a while. I will come back once Iâm done. Okay?â Nan Chen patiently explained to the children.
âOkay!â Both of them answered in unison.
Half an hour later, at the Commoner Residence.
Nan Chen entered Nan Zhengdeâs study hastily. For some reason, Nan Zhengde was not in the midst of admiring some calligraphy or painting like he usually did.
Instead, he was standing at the window supported by his cane and looking like he was deep in thought.
âGrandpa? You asked for me?â
âSit.â Nan Zhengde gestured to Nan Chen.
âIs there something wrong?â Nan Chen asked.
Nan Zhengde kept quiet and pointed at the photos on his desk.
Nan Chen picked them up and was astonished by the content of the photos.
The photos were of Nan Zhiyuan and Bai Hua when they were at the airport earlier.
It was taken only a few hours ago, most probably at the exit gate of the arrival hall because Nan Chen was not in them.
âWho gave you these, Grandpa?â Nan Chen asked Nan Zhengde.
âSomeone delivered it over and the butler brought it to me.â
âThatâs fast. This happened just a few hours ago and yet, theyâve already printed out the photo and delivered it here.â
âWere you there as well?â Nan Zhengde asked.
âYes. But I was at the parking lot the whole time.â Nan Chen admitted.
âGood. At least you didnât show yourself.â Nan Zhengde nodded.
âThey came back today and asked me to pick them up. I⦠couldnât refuse, so I drove over.â Nan Chen explained.
Nan Zhengde was silent for a moment before he said, âAre they doing alright?â
âYes. Theyâre doing just fine. But Grandpa, who would send these photos here?â Nan Chen asked.
âWhat we should be talking about is the reason. Why did someone send these here? Whatâs their motive?â
Nan Zhengde looked intently at Nan Chen.
âYou promised the family as well as some of the major shareholders that these two will never be allowed to come back. Perhaps someone found out that theyâre back and wanted to threaten you?â
Nan Chen asked.
âThreaten me? You have all the power in the corporation right now. Iâm just an old man who sits around doing nothing. Why would they send these to me and not you?â Nan Zhengde asked.
âPerhaps they thought that they couldnât threaten me with these since I wonât ever go against your promise, even when it comes to my family.â
Nan Zhengde paused.
âChen, howâs the company doing recently? Anything odd?â
âNo. Everything seems normal and all of the listed companiesâ stocks are performing well.
Nan Zhengde nodded. âThatâs good then. I keep getting the feeling that something big is about to happen.â
âRest assured Grandpa. I wonât let anything happen to the company. Since someone already found out that theyâre back, it wonât be long before everyone knows. We can either send them back right away or stop hiding it.â Nan Chen proposed.
Nan Zhengde thought about it for a moment. âEven if we send them away immediately, the fact that theyâre back still remains. He is my son and my heart still aches at the mistakes he made. But Iâm only human, after all. Thatâs why I let them come back. You should understand what Iâm trying to do here.â
Nan Chen nodded. âI understand, Grandpa.â
âHe is your father. But both of you are your respective individuals. I donât want what he did to affect you and thatâs why I helped you along the way up to where you are now. However, Iâm worried that some people will use these photos against you.â
Nan Chenâs expression went cold. âItâll be fine. I can handle it.â
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