Thinking back on it, when Lu Jinnan had learned that the one who went to Iraq was Lin Nuan, and when he saw those photos of Lin Nuan in Iraq, he felt astonished and awkward.
Subsequently, he would feel weird whenever he ran into Lin Nuan in Fu Huai'an's office.
"In the past, I misunderstood you…" Lu Jinnan spoke from the bottom of his heart.
His lips slightly parted, but Lu Jinnan ultimately didn't continue with his words…
He had originally wanted to say that he hoped Lin Nuan would grow to love Fu Huai'an as much as she did Wen Moshen, but after hesitating for a moment, Lu Jinnan swallowed those words back down. He pressed the wound on his face with his thumb and instead said, "Xiaonian is really lucky to have a friend like you."
"Of course I'm lucky! Our magnanimous Nuan Nuan won't be calculating with you, am I right Nuan Nuan?" Bai Xiaonian's eyes were focused on Lin Nuan.
Bai Xiaonian was in a difficult position, one centered between her best friend and boyfriend who couldn't get along well with each other…
Lin Nuan thought of Fu Huai'an; he must likewise be in a difficult position centered between herself and Lu Jinnan.
Lin Nuan gazed deeply at the Bai Xiaonian, who was smiling at her with an eager to please look on her face, then shifted her vision to Lu Jinnan. After a moment, she made a gesture to make peace with him. "Your wound… is it fine?"
Bai Xiaonian couldn't hold herself back from smiling and deliberately joined in, saying, "What's that small injury compared to mine? You should've hit him harder to reflect your deep love for me!"
Lin Nuan was rendered speechless.
Lu Jinnan, too, was stumped for words.
"It's fine! Just a minor wound! Compared with Xiaonian…" Lu Jinnan stopped abruptly upon seeing Lin Nuan's flushed face.
The words "Compared to Xiaonian's injuries, his was considered nothing" were on the tip of his tongue, but he eventually swallowed them down.
All three of them knew very well how Bai Xiaonian's injury came about.
It seemed a little too bold and unrestrained to be discussing Bai Xiaonian's injury with his friend's wife.
Lin Nuan's ears were burning, and she could no longer bear to stick around. She reached out for her shoulder bag and began to make a move to leave. "Don't let Xiaonian get injured again…"
Knowing Bai Xiaonian was trying hard to harmonize things between her and Lu Jinnan, Lin Nuan thought about it and added, "Else, I'll smack you with a tougher bag next time…"
Lu Jinnan put both hands into his pockets, a smile twinkling in his eyes. "Sure…"
Just then, the nurse in charge of dispensing medicine to Bai Xiaonian entered. "Bai Xiaonian, this is the medicine you need to take this morning."
Lu Jinnan received them from her hands. "Thanks!"
Watching as the nurse turned to leave, Bai Xiaonian said, "I'll buy you a pure metallic bag. Next time he injures me, you can smack his face with that pure metallic bag!"
Bai Xiaonian mimicked the smacking with her hands, but due to the large range of motion, Bai Xiaonian winced in pain again.
Lin Nuan was rendered speechless.
Although speechless, Lin Nuan still appeared cooperative. "Sure!"
And now it was Lu Jinnan's turn to be speechless.
As the nurse closed the door behind her, she sighed. What kind of great vengeance must there be to use a pure metallic bag? Wouldn't that thing smash a hole in a person's head? What's more, that was one heck of a handsome head!
"I'll get going first! I'll go visit Uncle Bai and think of a way to cover for you…" Lin Nuan adjusted the bag on her shoulder.
"Or are you in a rush to coax your Mr. Fu?" Bai Xiaonian winked at her.
Lin Nuan was rendered speechless.
"Rest well, I'll come over in the afternoon. Text me if there's anything you feel like eating!" Lin Nuan stepped towards the door as she finished speaking.
Lin Nuan could tell Bai Xiaonian had exhausted her means trying to liven things up between her and Lu Jinnan…
Bai Xiaonian likely wouldn't be able to rest properly while she was around.
After Lin Nuan left, Lu Jinnan poured Bai Xiaonian a glass of water. "Aren't you tired after talking so much?"
Bai Xiaonian's brows furrowed. As she leaned her head against the headboard, a hand rested atop her head. She shut her eyes as her vision fell upon the glaring sunlight reflected on the white blanket and gently said, "My head does ache from all that talking…"
When Lin Nuan was around, Bai Xiaonian forced herself to put up an energetic front because she didn't want Lin Nuan to worry about her.
Lu Jinnan subconsciously tightened his grip on the cup, panic taking over. He placed the cup on the bedside cabinet and glanced at the bandage behind Bai Xiaonian's ear. "I'll get Bai Jinyu to come over!"
"No need for that!" Bai Xiaonian closed her eyes and made a gesture to stop Lu Jinnan. "I only spoke a little too much just now…"
Lu Jinnan frowned, and after thinking about it, with some hesitation, he suggested in a hoarse voice, "Then don't let Lin Nuan come over in the future?"
"Scram!" Bai Xiaonian glared at Lu Jinnan. "You're the one who should stay away in the future!"
Lu Jinnan didn't retort back like he usually did.
It was rare for Lu Jinnan to be suffering in silence after being verbally attacked. Bai Xiaonian wasn't used to it, so she raised her gaze at the frowning Lu Jinnan, the corners of her lips slowly turning up. "Not bickering anymore?"
Lu Jinnan strode to Bai Xiaonian's bedside and sat down next to her, his eyes moist. "Saving it up for you, until you get well! Stop talking now, lie down and get some rest!"
…
When Lin Nuan stepped out of the ward, Fu Huai'an was standing in front of the window at the end of the corridor. He had one hand in his pocket, the other holding a phone to his ear, seemingly talking on his phone.
She gripped her bag slightly tighter and walked towards Fu Huai'an.
The nearer she got to him, the clearer Fu Huai'an's deep voice became.
From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Lin Nuan's slim figure. Fu Huai'an turned his head and set his deep gaze upon her delicate facial features, but he didn't make a move to end the call.
Lin Nuan could tell Fu Huai'an was discussing matters related to work, so she didn't make a sound, only quietly standing next to him.
The phone vibrated. Because the ringtone was the one Lin Nuan designated for work, she worried there was a problem with the program, so she lifted her knee to raise the bag closer to her then lowered her head in search of her phone. Amidst that fumbling, her keys fell onto the ground, but she still couldn't find her phone…
The smaller bag she carried yesterday was destroyed from her beating of the Lu brothers, so Lin Nuan had no choice but to bring a bigger bag today. She stashed plenty of stuff within, the original novel of "The Exorcist" included, so it was a little hard to locate her phone.
Noticing Lin Nuan's struggle, Fu Huai'an took his hand from his pocket and helped lift one side of the bag for Lin Nuan.
She raised her head and glanced at Fu Huai'an's clear side profile, then lowered her head back down and finally managed to find her phone.
Upon seeing that it was her manager, Ms. Fang, Lin Nuan hurriedly put the call through. "Hi, Ms. Fang…"
She bent over to pick up her keys without zipping her bag, but a large hand got there before hers did, picking up the keys and handing them over to Lin Nuan.
Lin Nuan threw her keys into her bag, her eyes meeting Fu Huai'an's as she did. She covered her mouth with one hand and walked to the side so as not to interrupt Fu Huai'an while he was at work.
"Lin Nuan, I'll pick you up and take you to 'The Exorcist's' shoot tomorrow…" Fang Yan was now Lin Nuan's manager. She hadn't made any major moves recently because she had been crafting a plan for Lin Nuan's future. "We've also got to head to AG to discuss the ad. I've drawn up a plan for your future, and we can discuss the details when we meet tomorrow. After that, we can start acting according to the plan. Lin Nuan… you're going to get busy soon."