Chapter 356: Chapter 359

Bai Hua was lying on the sofa when they entered the villa.

She was about to get up when she saw Nan Chen, but the latter quickly signaled her to lie down as he said, “Just lie down for now. If you really don’t want to go to the hospital, I’ll ask the doctor to come over.”

“It’s okay. I’m feeling better now.” Bai Hua insisted on sitting up.

“Don’t try to be strong when you’re sick. It’s pointless,” Nan Chen said grouchily.

“I’m really feeling better now. Besides, I’m already in poor health so discomfort is a common sign. I can’t just stay in the hospital all the time, right?” Bai Hua said.

“So, how do you feel now? Do I need to call the doctor or not?”

“No. I feel like I’m back to normal. I don’t usually see you, but I feel much better now that you’re here.”

Bai Hua gestured for Nan Chen to sit next to her.

Nan Chen couldn’t bear to reject a patient, so he sat next to her as she asked.

“You guys talk. I’m going to do some reading for a while. I’ve been studying about film production lately,” Ouyang Qing said.

“Look at how ambitious this child is. You go ahead. I’ll be fine with Chen accompanying me.” Bai Hua exchanged a knowing look with Ouyang Qing.

It was by chance that Ouyang Qing had discovered that Nan Chen and Ning Ran were having dinner together.

Ouyang Qing had a friend who ran into Nan Chen at Champs French Restaurant.

Upon learning that the couple was together, Ouyang Qing came to Bai Hua to vent her grievances.

Bai Hua then pretended to be sick and told Ouyang Qing to give Nan Chen a call.

They knew that Nan Chen was a filial son and were sure that he would rush over upon receiving the call.

Just as expected, Nan Chen had come over in no time.

As for why Ouyang Qing had arrived at the restaurant so soon, it was because she had deliberately hurried there just so she could tell Nan Chen that she was nearby and that she could pick him up on the way.

Nan Chen might be smart, but never would he expect his mother to join forces with Ouyang Qing to deceive him.

Coupled with the fact that his mother had always been ill, Nan Chen naturally took the bait.

As Ouyang Qing stepped away, Bai Hua had a heart-to-heart talk with Nan Chen.

“Have you been very busy lately, Chen? You have to take care of your health.” Bai Hua first offered the concern a mother should have.

“I’m fine,” Nan Chen said placidly.

“Is everything all right at the company? Is it stressful?”

Nan Chen didn’t really know how to answer that question. It would be a lie to say that managing a consortium wasn’t stressful at all.

The bigger the company is, the faster it collapsed and the harder it is to save, and all that glitz and glamour came with a price.

“It’s fine,” Nan Chen gave another placid response.

“Take care and don’t overwork yourself,” Bai Hua said softly.

“I will. You take care too.”

“Right, you’re not getting any younger now. Is there someone you are interested in?” Bai Hua started to get to the point.

“No,” Nan Chen replied briskly.

“The kids that the woman brought to Grandpa’s birthday banquet… Are they really yours?” Bai Hua asked.

Nan Chen was triggered by those words.

Putting the DNA report aside, isn’t it obvious that they’re my children just by their looks?

How could they look so much like me if they’re not my biological children?

“Do you think I would have brought them to Grandpa’s birthday banquet if they’re not my own?” Nan Chen replied with a question of his own coldly.

Sensing the displeasure from his voice, Bai Hua laughed dryly, “You’re right. I shouldn’t have asked that question.”

Nan Chen kept quiet.

“But I heard that the woman suddenly showed up with two children. Could she be up to something?”

Bai Hua asked again.

Nan Chen had to admit that he used to share the same sentiment as his mother, but he had long dismissed that thought.

Ning Ran wasn’t dull-witted, but neither was she smart enough to devise any earth-shattering schemes.

Based on Nan Chen’s observation over time, she was just a woman with a slightly loose screw.

To say that she was a scheming person was an overstatement.

“No,” Nan Chen said.

“Chen, don’t get mad at me for talking too much. But the poorer the people are, the stronger their desire for money and they will do anything for money. Why didn’t she inform the Nan family when she was pregnant? Instead, she gave birth to them and raised them for years before showing up unannounced. It’s hard to believe that she’s not up to something.”

Nan Chen was pensive for a moment.

He wasn’t offended that Bai Hua would say such words because he once had these thoughts as well. It wasn’t surprising to him that his mother would have those concerns, and he didn’t feel like explaining because certain things couldn’t be explained.

Opinions about a person are something too subjective.

Unless one changes one’s perceptive, it is difficult to see a person anew via someone else’s explanation.

When Nan Chen first thought that Ning Ran had an ulterior motive, he was unmoved, no matter how hard Nan Xing had tried to convince him.

It was only through his own observations that he started to see Ning Ran in a different light.

“Chen, you’re now the leader of Nanshi Corporation. Many people would approach you for their personal gains. But marriage is a huge thing and it can’t be taken lightly. I hope you can keep your distance from that woman,” Bai Hua eventually spoke her mind after beating around the bush.

Nan Chen didn’t respond immediately. For one, she was his mother, and he had to show his respect, and for the other, he was still a little dissatisfied with the woman’s incident with Ouyang Qi.

Nan Chen couldn’t seem to make up his mind because of the woman’s casual display of superficiality.

“Marriage is not a trivial matter. It’s about meeting the right woman from the right family. Marriage and love are not the same. Love is about liking each other, but what lies behind marriage is a complex relationship of economic interests—”

“Marriage is indeed an economic activity to a certain degree, but not all marriages depend on the interests at stake first,” Nan Chen interrupted, more or less knowing what she would say next.

“You’re different from others. You can’t just marry a clown who doesn’t have any powerful connections,”

Bai Hua said.

There was a hint of coldness in Nan Chen’s eyes at the word “clown”.

What era is it now that there is still such discrimination against artists?

“Artist is also a profession. This society needs the work of artists to fulfill the spiritual needs of the public, whether it’s movies, television dramas or variety shows, or even reality shows that have no educational value. There’s a reason why so many people are watching them. To the artist, that’s their job. They should be respected as long as they work by the rules and make a living through their own efforts. As for me, investing in artists is a business no different from any other businesses.”

Nan Chen’s long-winded speech made it obvious that he was rather upset deep inside.

Given his temper, he disdained to argue with others.

However, since the topic revolved around the woman and the person saying that was his mother, he couldn’t help but say a few more words.

His stance was so assertive that Bai Hua was dumbfounded. She didn’t expect him to stand up for Ning Ran at all.

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