Wen Moshen felt stifled, and he couldn't breathe properly. He put the cigarette to his lips and took out a lighter from his trouser pocket. He lowered his head and finally ignited the lighter after several attempts, and then he lit up the cigarette while shielding the flame with one hand. He took a deep puff and asked, "Is he your colleague?"
Lin Nuan had no intention of hiding it from Wen Moshen and answered calmly, "He's not my colleague. You may not know him since you just returned to Haicheng, but you should have heard of his name, Fu Huai'an, he's…"
"The man that the Gu family tried to force Gu Hanyan to be engaged to?"
Wen Moshen interrupted angrily without waiting for Lin Nuan to finish her sentence.
Lin Nuan pursed her lips and nodded.
Lin Nuan could sense from Wen Moshen's attitude that he loathed Fu Huai'an and had an aversion to him.
Having gotten a confirmed answer from Lin Nuan, Wen Moshen pursed his lips tightly and tapped on his cigarette. He frowned and said, "Indeed, I don't know Fu Huai'an, but I have heard so many rumors about him ever since my return. Lin Nuan, there is a huge age gap between the two of you; furthermore, he has a son! Are you intending to become stepmother to his son?"
Lin Nuan had no intention of explaining Tuan Tuan's birth to Wen Moshen.
Lin Nuan said, "That child is very adorable. He treats me as his mother."
Wen Moshen plucked out his cigarette and raised his voice sharply. His wrath had completely taken over his senses. "So you mean you are more than willing to be somebody's stepmother or are you together with this person, who almost got engaged to Gu Hanyan, on purpose to get back at someone?"
There was total silence. It was so quiet that only the falling of raindrops and Wen Moshen's heavy breathing could be heard.
Lin Nuan felt a stinging pain in her palms. She held on to her phone tightly as a wave of bitter sadness engulfed her.
She could not be sure before, but Lin Nuan became certain that Wen Moshen knew back then that Lin Nuan liked him.
For so many years, he knew of it but feigned ignorance and still chose to be with Gu Hanyan.
Lin Nuan had liked him for so many years that even though her feelings for him had diminished, it was still hurtful to hear him speak of her like that.
The rain continued to fall, and the air was humid and cool. The cold air swept right onto her neck, and she felt an icy cold grip her heart.
Seeing that Lin Nuan's eyes were teary, Wen Moshen felt bad and pursed his dry lips. He apologized and spoke in a calmer tone. "I shouldn't have been so rash, but Fu Huai'an is much older than you, and he even has a child. I heard he spoils the child, and I'm afraid that he will only treat you as a plaything, with no intention to marry you and you'll just be wasting your time and youth on him."
"We were about to register our marriage on the day you returned. It was postponed because I was in a rush to visit you in the hospital." Lin Nuan spoke softly, but the words hit Wen Moshen hard, and he was upset by what he heard.
After all those years, Wen Moshen had returned to Haicheng with the thought that he had lost everything. Even though he knew that Lin Nuan wasn't waiting for him, it still hurt to know that she had actually intended to marry someone else when he returned. The pain was suffocating.
"It's not easy to be a stepmother…" Wen Moshen said calmly. He had regained his composure, and he spoke with a faint iciness. "Why didn't you choose someone closer in age to you? Even Gu Shaoting would have been better!"