387 She Saw Lu Jinnan Seated on the Couch

When Liang Mulan saw Tuan Tuan, she was reminded of how her friends already had grandchildren, so she couldn't help but to nag Lin Chen a little.

"These kinds of matters are all determined by fate. When it arrives, you'll have your grandson… stop worrying blindly!" said Lin Jingquan.

"Stop worrying? Even when I'm worried, your son is still not concerned about his own marriage. If I don't worry, when will the two of us get to have grandkids?"

"Look at you, will you get your grandkids out of all this worry?"

With Liang Mulan and Lin Jingquan's debate, the atmosphere in the living room started becoming more lively. Lin Chen's smile and the warmth in his heart started to dissipate… he felt like silence had settled around him instead.

Without a cigarette between his fingers, Lin Chen felt as though his heart was missing something.

Some questions were hard for Lin Chen to ask in front of his parents and the child, so when his parents' debate grew even more heated, Lin Chen said, "I'll step out for a smoke…"

Seeing Lin Chen stand up, Liang Mulan misunderstood it as her son being unhappy about her mention of his marriage. She glanced at Lin Nuan and hinted for her to go with her eyes.

Lin Chen took out the pack of cigarettes and lighter in his suit jacket. He stood under the roof and withdrew a cigarette, lighting it up while shielding it from the wind with one hand.

The remnants of the sunset dyed the sky the color of rust. Lin Chen's dark eyes reflected the sky and resembled two balls of passionless fire.

The cool breeze blew into Lin Chen's thin shirt as he let out a puff of smoke and tapped the cigarette ashes on to the ground. Before he could place the cigarette back to his lips, he saw Lin Nuan walk outside as she wiped her hands with a piece of wet tissue.

She didn't wear a jacket, instead simply donning a slightly thicker black shirt. Lin Chen asked, "Don't you feel cold?"

Lin Nuan smiled and replied, "Not really…"

Lin Nuan stood beside Lin Chen, and she hesitated for a moment before saying, "Brother, I'm officially married to Fu Huai'an now."

Lin Chen wasn't dumb; when he saw Tuan Tuan at their house, he already had a vague guess.

He took a drag of his cigarette before saying, "Be honest, why did you get married to Fu Huai'an? Is it to return the favor… or do you really like him?"

The wet tissue in Lin Nuan's hand felt warm from her body heat, and she squeezed it as she smiled and said, "Initially, it was more of returning the favor… but now, I truly like him."

"What do you like about him?" asked Lin Chen, the rising white smoke from his lips blurring his unreadable gaze from her sight.

Lin Nuan couldn't help but smile, saying, "I think I like him for plenty of reasons, I can't just give a single one…"

Lin Chen smiled too. He stared at the red end of the cigarette with half-lidded eyes, looking as though he was enjoying the cigarette thoroughly. He then asked, "Have you two decided on a wedding date?"

Lin Nuan pursed her lips and only answered after a momentary pause, saying, "I don't want a wedding. I think the current situation is pretty good…"

Lu Jinnan's words were ingrained in her mind⁠—she didn't want Fu Huai'an to become a topic of gossip for high society.

Lin Nuan constantly felt that there was very little she could do for Fu Huai'an, and this was one of them.

Lin Chen chose to swallow his whole speech…

He hadn't finished smoking the cigarette, but he realized that Lin Nuan wasn't going to go in until he did. Lin Chen had no choice but to surrender and put out the cigarette before following Lin Nuan back into the house.

Liang Mulan continued nagging at Lin Chen for his smoking addiction. He promised to smoke less before he carried his belongings upstairs to change into casual clothes, instructing Lin Nuan to make tea for him.

…

Inside the Lins' small kitchen, which was reserved for brewing tea…

Lin Nuan had just placed the tea leaves inside the teacup and turned around to grab the kettle when Lin Ran took the kettle a step ahead of her.

After Lin Ran had passed that envelope to Lin Nuan earlier on, she headed upstairs saying she wanted to get some sleep since she didn't sleep well the night before, but she didn't look like she slept.

Lin Ran held the kettle with one hand and her mug in the other. Knowing that she wanted to get some water, Lin Nuan placed Lin Chen's teacup aside on the marble counter to let Lin Ran get her water first.

In the kitchen, both remained silent with nothing to say to each other…

Lin Nuan didn't just stay rooted to the side as she waited for Lin Ran. As the sound of the hot water being poured into the mug filled the space, she took the box of tea leaves and placed it back into the cabinet before putting some water into the electric kettle.

She spaced out staring at the tap.

Lin Nuan didn't know what to talk about with Lin Ran. Every time they had met, Lin Ran always picked on her and started arguments. Today, however, Lin Ran smiled and conversed well with Lin Nuan for the whole time they were together in front of Liang Mulan and Lin Jingquan; this made Lin Nuan slightly uncomfortable and confused.

Lin Nuan didn't even know what to say, let alone communicate with Lin Ran, so she decided to just keep silent.

Lin Ran placed the kettle down. She held on to her mug as she leaned against the counter, seemingly enjoying the sight of Lin Nuan's smooth actions⁠—Lin Nuan had lived in this place for a far longer time than her, so she was more familiar with it than Lin Ran.

She, Lin Ran, didn't know where Lin Chen kept his tea leaves, and Lin Chen would never ask her to brew tea for him.

Compared to Lin Nuan, Lin Ran felt like she was the outsider to this family instead.

The phone in Lin Nuan's pants vibrated. She plugged the electric kettle in and started boiling it before taking her phone out. She answered the call once she saw Fu Huai'an's name on the screen.

Lin Nuan glanced at Lin Ran, who was still in the kitchen. She lowered her voice and said, "Hey…"

"You're at the Lins?" asked Fu Huai'an.

"Yea…"

"I have to stay at the company and work overtime tonight, but I'll try to go there as early as possible. If I can't make it in time to fetch you and Tuan Tuan, I'll send the chauffeur over…"

"It's alright, just focus on your work! You don't have to worry about Tuan Tuan and me!"

After Lin Nuan hung up, she went to grab the thermoses. Lin Ran blew at the water in her cup. She continued leaning on the counter as she calmly opened her mouth and said, "There's no more water…"

Seeing that Lin Ran had no intentions of leaving, Lin Nuan asked, "Do you have something to say?"

"Didn't you say that you'd never interact with the Lins again? Why are you here again?" asked Lin Ran, her emotions indecipherable from her calm voice.

"I'm sorry!" said Lin Nuan with pursed lips. "Mother called me earlier today, so I…"

Lin Nuan felt guilty towards Lin Ran, and it was indeed her fault for going back on the promise she made… like a fickle and vile character. She couldn't continue her explanation, falling silent instead.

She didn't want to find an excuse and say that she couldn't bear to cut off all ties with Liang Mulan and Lin Jingquan, who had raised her more than twenty years; this was what hurt Lin Ran the most.

"I'll give you all those assets, so can you please stop coming over and stay away from my parents?" said Lin Ran with a weak smile, lacking the anger and nasty words she used to have.

Lin Nuan's hands clenched into fists. Knowing what was wrong and right was one matter, but whether or not she could actually let it go was another matter.

"Don't say that you don't want those. I'll only be at ease if you take them, who knows what you're trying to get out of our family!" said Lin Ran.

The kitchen was full of silence apart from the sound of the water boiling in the kettle.

Lin Ran looked at Lin Nuan and said, "Lin Nuan, do you know what you're acting like right now? To say it in simple terms that I'm sure you can understand, you're no different from a third party! You know deep down that being a homewrecker is wrong, but you still continue to pester that married man despite having already promised his wife that you will stay far away from her husband!"

Lin Nuan's ears turned warm, as she was unable to retaliate.

Lin Ran was right.

Even if what happened that year wasn't Lin Nuan's choice, even if she was also a victim, even if the parents who had raised her for more than twenty years suddenly became someone else's, she couldn't accept it!

Her actions were indeed no different from that of a third party.

"Father and Mother both hope that I can interact peacefully with you and treat you as my sister, don't you think that's so funny and ridiculous? It's like asking the wife to be friends with the third party… Absolutely unheard of!" said Lin Ran, whose smile gradually vanished as she spoke. "Lin Nuan, every time you appear at our house, you're pushing a knife straight into my heart! Do you think… I can really be sisters with you?"

Lin Ran placed her mug on the marble counter and wrapped both arms around herself, saying, "While you guys conversed happily downstairs, I remained upstairs by myself. It's as though I'm the outsider in this family! This feeling… only appears when you're around! When you're not, Father, Mother, and even Brother treat me very well, so I despise it when you come to my home! Do you understand?"

Lin Nuan nodded.

"I've completely fallen out with you before. Even if we try to mend it, the cracks will still show through, and I'm unable to sit down and pretend to be sisters with you like nothing happened. You've never experienced the life I used to lead, you don't understand the anger and hatred I have!"

This was probably the first time Lin Ran was calmly speaking to Lin Nuan without lashing out in anger uncontrollably, so Lin Nuan listened seriously.

"Brother was right, you're innocent, and I, too, was raised up by your parents. I understand all of it, but my hatred can't be resolved just like this, and I'm not one to fake it…"

…

Lin Ran walked out from the small kitchen first, sitting in the living room to play with Tuan Tuan.

Tuan Tuan was introverted and quiet, so he simply kept a straight face and constantly looked towards the kitchen.

Lin Nuan brewed the tea and brought it out for Lin Chen, who had already come back downstairs.

Tuan Tuan missed his father. He slowly moved towards Lin Nuan and tugged at Lin Nuan's sleeve with his small hands.

Lin Nuan bent down to hear Tuan Tuan whisper into her ear, asking when they could go home.

Lin Nuan laughed lightly and petted Tuan Tuan's head. With slightly red eyes, she asked, "Tuan Tuan, do you want to go home now?"

"En!" Tuan Tuan nodded his head.

Seeing that Lin Nuan seemed to have intentions of leaving now, Liang Mulan frowned and said, "What's the rush? Dinner is almost ready… I've made a few of your favorite dishes!"

Lin Ran sat on the couch quietly.

She no longer felt agitated about everything because her heart was gradually turning cold. Every time her parents became even nicer towards Lin Nuan, her heart grew colder.

"I got a call from Huai'an asking me to fetch an important document for him!" said Lin Nuan, lying.

Lin Ran and Lin Nuan had stepped out from the kitchen one after another, so Liang Mulan glanced at Lin Ran subconsciously.

Lin Ran's face remained expressionless, but the fingers in front of her chest balled into fists, her knuckles turning white.

"Lin Nuan got a call just now…" said Lin Ran simply.

It wasn't good to delay sending over important documents. The Lins knew that for a company, important files… could only be handled by the most trusted people.

"I'll give you a lift…" said Lin Chen, turning to go upstairs and change again.

"There's no need to! I've just booked a cab using the app, and it'll be arriving soon. Just let security know to let the car in later!"

Although Liang Mulan couldn't bear to part so soon, she didn't force Lin Nuan to stay.

Lin Nuan bent down to help Tuan Tuan put on his uniform jacket at the entrance. Tuan Tuan stood still obediently, letting Lin Nuan button his jacket before carrying his small school bag.

Lin Nuan stood up and noticed the cab was already at the door.

She wore her cap and grabbed her jacket in her hands. After she got her shoulder bag, she smiled and said, "I'll be leaving first!"

She didn't call out Father and Mother in front of Lin Ran anymore.

Lin Ran passed the envelope to Lin Nuan, saying, "Take it…"

Lin Nuan looked up at Lin Ran but didn't take the envelope. She said, "I won't be taking this, it's too bulky!"

She picked up Tuan Tuan and looked at Liang Mulan and Lin Jingquan, who were standing by the door, and Lin Chen, who stood behind them with his hands in his pockets. Tears threatened to form in her eyes.

She solemnly bid the Lin family farewell in her heart.

Afraid that they would notice the change in her emotions, Lin Nuan turned away while carrying Tuan Tuan, silently entering the cab.

She closed the door and held Tuan Tuan in her arms. She didn't look back as her eyes turned wet.

…

There was no important document to be delivered to Fu Huai'an's office, but since Lin Nuan had said it in front of Tuan Tuan, she didn't want Tuan Tuan to know that she was lying.

She thought for a moment before asking Tuan Tuan, "Do you want to go to find Papa at the company with Mama?"

Tuan Tuan nodded his head fervently; he missed Papa tremendously!

Lin Nuan wasn't the type that excelled in creating sudden surprises, so she honestly texted Fu Huai'an and told him that she lied about having to send him a document in front of the child, asking him if it was convenient for them to go over to his office.

Fu Huai'an replied quickly saying that it was very convenient.

These simple words made Lin Nuan recover from her depressed mood, her lips curling into a blissful smile.

Lin Nuan remembered that Fu Huai'an had yet to eat, so she asked the driver to stop by at the Wang Jiang restaurant to order some food, planning to eat a little with Fu Huai'an at the company.

Fu Huai'an got his assistant, Little Lu, to wait at the entrance of the building in advance for Lin Nuan and Tuan Tuan.

Upon seeing the cab nearing, Little Lu guessed that Lin Nuan had arrived and opened the vehicle's backseat door gentlemanly and respectfully. He took the boxes of food Lin Nuan had placed on the seats beside her and greeted her, saying, "Mrs. Fu, Mr. Fu let me come down to fetch you and Tuan Tuan."

Lin Nuan was still a little unused to hearing others call her Mrs. Fu, but she simply smiled and nodded her head, saying, "Thank you, and sorry for the trouble!"

Lin Nuan walked into the Kaide building carrying Tuan Tuan and followed by the assistant, Little Lu, causing some people to turn and watch her with curiosity. Upon seeing Little Lu's respectful behavior and attitude, they couldn't help but try to guess Lin Nuan's status.

The mirror walls of the elevator reflected Little Lu, who walked half a step behind Lin Nuan. She noticed that he was only wearing his shirt… His sleeves were messily pushed up to his elbows, and his employee tag hung from his neck lopsidedly. He looked unlike his usual neat self, and Lin Nuan wondered if they were extremely busy that day.

Lin Nuan couldn't help but ask, "Are you all especially busy today?"

Little Lu lifted his head and smiled, saying, "En… we're all super busy because the board of directors suddenly wanted to check through our finances, and they want it as soon as possible. We have to hand them in by tomorrow morning, so the whole finance department has to work overtime, and once they're done, our presidents have to look through them once more before they can be presented."

Even by this time, not a single employee in the Kaide Corporation's finance department had gotten off work. Since the presidents had yet to approve of the accounts, even if they were staying behind doing nothing, they still couldn't leave…

"Does Huai'an also have to look through the accounts?" asked Lin Nuan.

"President Lu is in charge of that!"

Lin Nuan nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

She followed Little Lu into the office where she saw Lu Jinnan seated on the couch and piles of documents placed on and around the coffee table. There wasn't even enough space for a laptop, so it had been left balancing on top of the highest pile of papers.