Lin Nuan lowered her head and shoved porridge into her mouth with her face flushed…
The phone vibrated. Lin Nuan held the spoon in her hand and looked sideways at the phone placed on the dining table. It was Wen Moshen.
After wiping her mouth with a tissue, she held a spoon in one hand and took the call with the other. "Hey, Brother Moshen!"
Lin Nuan took the call without a moment's hesitation, and even the words "Brother Moshen" came out openly and honestly…
"Nuan Nuan…" Wen Moshen began speaking, his voice sounding slightly hoarse. "I want to see you!"
Lin Nuan stared at the vibrant, dewy roses in the vase on the table, smiled, then agreed. "Sure, I'll give Huai'an a call later to see what time he's free in the afternoon. I'll come and visit you with him…"
Then came a long moment of silence from Wen Moshen's end of the line.
"Brother Moshen?" Lin Nuan asked after getting no reply for a while.
In the past, when it came to facing Wen Moshen, Lin Nuan was mostly helpless… compliant without much thought.
But today, as she was talking to Wen Moshen, even though Lin Nuan could tell the meaning behind Wen Moshen's words, she could deal with it the same way she did with other people.
Lin Nuan used to feel that she would never be able to get over the man whom she had loved for so many years.
Who would've thought, it was so easy to simply treat him as Wen Moshen.
Lu Hanzi's words were indeed true, to forget someone… you had to fall in love with another.
Lin Nuan dared not say she loved Fu Huai'an now as much as she used to love Wen Moshen.
But at least Lin Nuan was certain that the reason she could so calmly face Wen Moshen today was because Fu Huai'an had entered her heart.
"Nuan Nuan, I want to see you alone!" Wen Moshen finally spoke up after taking several deep breaths. "I'm undergoing surgery tomorrow, and I don't know how it'll turn out, so I want to see you…"
Lin Nuan was silent, her lips pursed.
"I know we've already let each other slip by, so I merely want to see you, that's all."
Lin Nuan clearly knew how proud Wen Moshen was as a man…
And here this proud man was, yielding to Lin Nuan time and again.
"Okay…" Lin Nuan looked up at the clock hanging in the kitchen. "I'll be there at one-thirty. Still at the affiliated hospital of Haicheng Medical University?"
"That's right! I'm still here!"
Of course that was the case, as that was the best hospital in the entirety of Haicheng, arguably even in the entire country.
After hanging up the call, Auntie Li asked Lin Nuan, "Madam is going out at noon? Are you still eating lunch at home?"
Lin Nuan had lost her appetite. She set down her spoon and smiled lightly, then dialed Fu Huai'an's number and held the phone to her ear before replying to Auntie Li, "I won't be eating at home."
Very soon, the call went through. "You're awake…"
Lin Nuan could hear the scratchy sound of pen tip against paper as Fu Huai'an signed documents.
"En! I just had breakfast. Then I received Brother Moshen's call. He said he wants to meet me alone. Tomorrow… he's undergoing surgery." Lin Nuan didn't hide anything from Fu Huai'an.
On the other end of the line, that scratchy sound halted. Fu Huai'an's dark gaze deepened, then his eyes smiled ever so slightly. "Are you seeking my permission?"
"En!" Lin Nuan nodded.
At that moment, Fu Huai'an set down the pen in his hand and signaled for his assistant Little Lu to get out of the room.
Little Lu acknowledged the order and nodded as he exited Fu Huai'an's office.
He picked up his phone and walked to the windows, switched the phone to his other hand, then put his free hand in his pocket… and gazed out of the French windows at the heavy traffic outside. He asked, "What if I say I don't want you to go?"
Lin Nuan considered for a moment then said, "I might go there secretly. But when I returned, I would definitely tell you about it! Huai'an. Never mind the fact that I used to carry a torch for Wen Moshen, he's a brother I grew up with. Now that he's undergoing surgery, it's only reasonable… that I should visit him!"
She was telling Fu Huai'an this because now that they were husband and wife, she ought to be honest with him…
To secretly go behind his back would make Lin Nuan look like she had a guilty conscience.
Fu Huai'an subconsciously tightened his grip on the phone. "Even if it makes me uncomfortable?"
The sentence that made him the most uncomfortable was… "Never mind the fact that I used to carry a torch for Wen Moshen…"
Fu Huai'an was aware that it was never a one-sided love on Lin Nuan's part, but only that neither of them had openly declared their feelings for each other.
A smile appeared on Lin Nuan's lips. "How old are you, Huai'an? Why are you behaving like a kid? Jealous?"
"That's right, I'm jealous!"
Fu Huai'an was candid about his feelings.
On the French windows, Fu Huai'an's cold and stern features were vaguely reflected.
Lin Nuan didn't know what to say.
Neither of them spoke for a while. It was like a battle to see who could last longer without speaking another word.
Lin Nuan's grip on her phone kept tightening. "If I don't visit Wen Moshen, won't you be wary of someone like me? The man I used to love so much is about to have his skull opened in a surgery. If I don't visit him in spite of our friendship growing up because of a few words from you, wouldn't you fear sleeping next to someone so cold-blooded every day?"
Anyone could reason.
But when it came to relationships, there was no reason to speak of.
It wasn't like Fu Huai'an had never allowed Lin Nuan to bid Wen Moshen farewell… an opportunity to bid farewell one-on-one.
But such an opportunity couldn't be given endlessly just because Lin Nuan liked Wen Moshen, or because of their friendship growing up together.
When it came to a man that Lin Nuan used to love so passionately, and who liked her back in return, Fu Huai'an minded—a lot.
"Xiao Nuan, Wen Moshen isn't only the big brother next door who grew up together with you, he's also the man you deeply loved before, the man who is trying his utmost to win back your heart…"
Fu Huai'an could've acted magnanimous and simply let Lin Nuan visit Wen Moshen.
After all, Lin Nuan was already his wife.
If their relationship was still the way it was before they registered their marriage, or even right after registering their marriage, Fu Huai'an would've just let Lin Nuan go.
But with their feelings for each other escalating after all this time, Fu Huai'an was more willing to be honest about his feelings in front of Lin Nuan.
"Then, do you trust me?" Lin Nuan asked.
"Xiao Nuan, you don't have to corner me with your words. This isn't a matter of trust. Trust is a basic element between a married couple. I trust you, but since you're seeking my opinion, I'm telling you I don't want you to go. However, if you insist on going, I won't stop you. Do you get what I mean?"
Fu Huai'an's hand remained in his pocket, and he was still standing in front of the French windows. His tall and sturdy figure reflected on the dark gray carpet with the sun rays shining right into the window, appearing particularly dark.
After ending the call, Fu Huai'an slipped his phone into his pocket, then put both hands into his pockets. The golden sun rays outlined his facial features and spread all over his peachy skin, but they didn't enter the depths of his eyes.
After knocking on the door, Lu Jinnan pushed it open and entered the office.
Only then did Fu Huai'an turn around and walk to his desk, raising his eyes to look at the Lu Jinnan, who was tugging at his tie.