Dabao nodded. âYes, I did.â
Nan Chen let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that. I knew Erbao couldnât possibly come up with such a heart-wrenching idea!
âWhy would you do that?â Nan Chen asked.
âBecause things arenât working out between you and Mommy.â Dabao replied.
âWhat do you mean?â
âMommy had it rough trying to raise us all by herself, so we want her to have someone who she can share that burden with.â Dabao said.
âAnd?â
âWe were really happy when you showed up, Daddy. We thought you were that person Mommy needed, but it turns out that youâre not.â
Nan Chen felt a sting in his heart, but it wasnât as bad as the one from earlier.
âAnd why is that?â
âBecause you donât like Mommy. You two are always fighting, and youâve hurt Mommy so many times.
You even went on dates with other women!â
âI did not!â Nan Chen said anxiously.
âYou did, Daddy. We have photos to prove it.â
Dabao said and whipped out the âintimateâ picture of Nan Chen and Ouyang Qing.
âItâs not what you think. This is just a misunderstanding,â Nan Chen said.
âBut everyone else doesnât see it that way, and neither does Mommy. Since you donât like Mommy, then you shouldnât continue to hurt her like this. Wouldnât it be better to let someone else look after Mommy then? Then, if thereâs someone you like, you can go out with her like too. That way, everyone goes home happy!â Dabao said.
Nan Chen was taken aback by what he heard.
How long did he take to prepare those lines? Everyone goes home happy? As if!
âI didnât have Erbao say those things to hurt you, Daddy. We were just being honest,â Dabao said.
Nan Chen kept quiet.
Damn, it still stings. This wonât do. I have to control my emotions and calm myself downâ¦
âItâs not what you think. Youâre both wrong,â Nan Chen tried to explain.
âWhat is it, then?â Dabao asked.
âYou kids wouldnât understand.â Nan Chen sighed.
They may be geniuses and all, but theyâre still children. It takes time and experience to understand these sorts of things. How am I supposed to explain my relationship with Ning Ran in a way that they would understand?
âThere you go again, Daddy! You shouldnât underestimate us just because weâre kids, you know?â
Dabao protested.
âForget it. Weâre not having this conversation anymore. Ouyang Qi can never be that special someone for your Mommy, and thatâs final.â
Nan Chen closed his eyes and leaned back against his seat after saying that, signaling the end of the topic.
Dabao got the hint from his body language and stopped talking too.
Of course, he wasnât actually going to let someone else look after his Mommy. Everything he said was just to provoke his Daddy into taking action, and it seemed to have worked a little too well.
The car arrived at Yunfeng Hill about half an hour later.
Under normal circumstances, cars were prohibited from entering Yunfeng Hill. However, an exception was made for those from the Nan family, and they drove all the way to the back of the mountain.
Erbao had slept throughout the entire journey, and it took them quite a bit of effort to wake her up.
âWow! Itâs so beautiful! I wanna catch a bird!â Erbao shouted excitedly when she saw that they were in the mountains.
âDonât run around! Itâs dangerous!â Nan Chen ordered.
âOkay,â Erbao responded obediently.
They made their way towards Nan Zhengdeâs room in the temple.
âGreat-Grandpa!â Erbao began calling out to him from outside the door.
Nan Zhengde had a sharp sense of hearing and opened the door when he heard her voice. âErbao!â
Erbao ran over to him and hugged his leg tightly, melting his heart with her cuteness.
âHi, Great-Grandpa.â Dabao bowed respectfully.
âHaha, come on in! Itâs windy here in the mountains, you wouldnât want to catch a cold now!â Nan Zhengde said affectionately and welcomed them into his room.
âAre you going to become a monk, Great-Grandpa?â Erbao asked.
âDonât say that, Erbao!â Nan Chen scolded her.
Erbao pouted and kept her head low.
Nan Zhengde laughed. âHahaha! Itâs fine. She is just naïve! No, Iâm not going to become a monk.â
Erbao smiled brightly at him and asked, âThen why are you here, Great-Grandpa?â
âYou see, Iâve made a wish in my prayers to Buddha. In return, I promised to devote some time each year to pray at the temple. Now that my wish has been granted, I have to fulfil my end of the promise,â
Nan Zhengde explained patiently.
Erbao didnât really understand what he said, but she nodded her head anyway.
âThis is votive offering.â Dabao understood.
âThatâs right! Itâs exactly as Dabao says!â Nan Zhengde was overjoyed.
âAre you not going back anymore, Great-Grandpa?â Erbao asked.
âOf course I am, silly! Iâll head back after a few days.â
âOkay! Itâs chilly up here, so you must take good care of your health! Remember to eat on time and stay warm, Great-Grandpa! Make sure you take your medicine if you catch a cold, okay?â Erbao reminded him.
âOh my, youâre so thoughtful! All right, I will.â
âLetâs go out and play so Great-Grandpa can have a chat with Daddy.â
Dabao knew Nan Chen didnât just come all the way here to visit Nan Zhengde.
âOkay!â Erbao played along. One of Nan Chenâs men led the kids outside, and he was the only one left in the room with Nan Zhengde.
âAt the birthday banquet, the General said a high-ranking official would be coming over from the Capital for inspection. He specifically requested for you to escort the official in order to establish some form of contact. That could make things go a lot smoother for us in the future. However, I heard you abandoned your duty at the last minute for a woman. I need you to give me an explanation for that.â
Nan Zhengdeâs tone was calm, but there was a powerful energy in the air around him as he spoke.
âI did escort him,â Nan Chen replied calmly as well.
âI know, but you did that afterwards. From what Iâve heard, you were actually planning not to go through with it, but you did it because of that woman. Is this true?â
âYes.â
Nan Zhengde froze. I had expected Nan Chen to come up with some sort of excuse, but he actually admitted to it! This complete honesty from him is what I admire the most about him! He would admit to his mistakes and take full responsibility for them. Thatâs why I could entrust him with everything in the Nan family despite his young age.
âAre you going to sacrifice your career for a woman?â Nan Zhengdeâs tone grew cold, revealing his true nature.
In fact, he was never the kind and endearing old man that he appeared to be.
He kept that side of him hidden as much as possible, but bits of it would still show from time to time.
The Nan family had trampled over countless bodies to get where they were today, so it only made sense that the Old Master Nan was a force to be reckoned with.
The fiercest competitions took place during his time, after all.
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