Chapter 418: 417 didn’t plan to let her know.
At the Wen family, this year’s Spring Festival was the loneliest one.
In the past, when Wen Hongrui and his wife were still alive, every New Year was bustling with activity. Wen Ran, Wen Jin, and their father would just play and eat while not having a care in the world.
When she stepped into the house, the figure of her parents was nowhere to be seen. She was only greeted by her elder brother Wen Jin. For a moment, Wen Ran felt a sourness in her nose, her eyes welled up with tears, and she stood in the entrance, forgetting to move further.
“Ranran, let’s go in!”
Behind her, Mo Xiuchen seemed to perceive her mood. An unease took hold of him, and he freed a hand to rest on her slender shoulders. Wen Jin glanced at them, an emotion flickering in his eyes. He extended a hand to take the gifts from Mo Xiuchen.
“Brother, I want to visit mom and dad.”
Walking into the living room, Wen Ran said to Wen Jin, who had just put down the gifts.
Wen Jin gave a faint smile and softly agreed: “Sure, I have prepared everything. I knew that as soon as you came back, you would want to visit mom and dad.”
Wen Ran pursed her lips, forcing a smile.
The three visited the cemetery. First, they paid respects to Wen Hongrui and his wife for the New Year. Then, they paid New Year’s respects to Mo Xiuchen’s mother’s tombstone.
On their way back to the car, Mo Xiuchen held Wen Ran’s hand the entire time, looking at her with tender eyes. He knew that she was very upset, and thinking about her parents would always make her sad without a few years’ buffer.
“Let’s go directly to the Gu family’s place. In the morning when we left, I called Ah Kai and told him we would have lunch at their place.”
When they got to the car, Mo Xiuchen said this to Wen Jin, who was opening the car door.
Wen Jin looked back at Wen Ran and nodded, “Alright then, Ranran, get in the car. I’ll drive.”
By saying this, he implied that Mo Xiuchen should also accompany Wen Ran by sitting in the back seat.
“Are you capable of that?”
Mo Xiuchen glanced at Wen Jin’s leg, which caused Wen Jin to frown: “That day I drove Ranran to the hospital. Rest assured, I’m still capable of driving.”
If it weren’t for the fact that Ranran would recover her spirits more quickly with Mo Xiuchen by her side, Wen Jin wouldn’t have tried to compete for the task of driving.
Mo Xiuchen smiled, he stretched out his hand to hold the door open, watching Wen Ran get in the car, then bent down to get in the car too.
On the way, Wen Ran quietly watched the scenery outside the window. At her side, Mo Xiuchen didn’t speak, but the warmth from his large palm encased her hands, his concern transmitted from his gentle touch.
As they were getting close to the Gu family’s place, Wen Ran’s phone rang.
It was a call from Bai Xiaoxiao. Wen Ran answered the phone, speaking in a soft voice: “Hello, Xiaoxiao!”
“Ranran, have you returned home? I’m at my grandmother’s house and it’s so boring.”
Bai Xiaoxiao’s voice came through the phone with a hint of gloom. Hearing this, a smile surfaced in Wen Ran’s eyes. Looking at the retreating scenery outside the window, she cheerfully said: “We’ll be at Older Brother Gu’s place soon. Why don’t you come over and hang out?”
“You are going to Gu Kai’s place, I don’t want to join the crowd.”
Bai Xiaoxiao complained from the other end of the phone.
“Aren’t you bored? Coming to Older Brother Gu’s place would liven things up. I’ll ask Driver Luo to pick you up. He hasn’t gone home for New Year’s either, so he probably doesn’t have anything important to do today.”
Wen Ran turned her eyes to Mo Xiuchen beside her, who gave her a faint smile in return.
“Forget it, I won’t go. I’ll just continue being bored here. Just come visit me after you’ve finished your New Year’s visits.”
“Alright!”
Wen Ran agreed with a smile. Up ahead, the Gu family villa came into view. Through the car window, she saw Gu Kai standing at the main door of the villa, so she hung up the phone.
“Older Brother Gu, why are you standing here?”
Walking in the lead, with Wen Jin and Mo Xiuchen carrying gifts behind her, Wen Ran asked Gu Kai, who was smiling at her. Instead of helping the two men carrying the gifts, Gu Kai grabbed hold of her, and the two of them headed toward the living room: “I’ve been waiting here just for you.”
“Instead of holding onto Ranran, you should help us carry the gifts.”
Behind her, Mo Xiuchen protested unhappily.
Ranran was his after all, and as soon as Gu Kai got an opportunity, he started snatching her away.
Gu Kai turned back, giving Mo Xiuchen a triumphant smile. In fact, he promptly put an arm around Wen Ran’s shoulder, “Ranran, I’ve prepared a New Year’s gift for you in your room, let me show you.”
“Thank you, brother!”
Wen Ran’s eyes crinkled up in a smile, disregarding the protesting Mo Xiuchen behind her. She allowed Gu Kai to lead her into the living room and directly upstairs.
Gu Yan, who was wearing an apron, came out from the kitchen. Mo Xiuchen’s intention to go upstairs was halted by this, and he chuckled: “Dad, are you cooking personally?”
Gu Yan was pleased with Mo Xiuchen’s address of ‘dad’, and he replied with a smile: “After tasting the meal that you and Ranran made that night, I have to show some of my skills today to demonstrate my sincerity.”
“Can you manage it alone? I could help you!”
Mo Xiuchen glanced at the second floor. Anyway, since Ranran was already taken upstairs by Ah Kai, he had some free time.
“That’s great! Ah Jin, you have never visited our house, so you don’t have to help. You can stroll around or go upstairs to find Ranran and Ah Kai.”
Gu Yan said with a smile to Wen Jin.
“Then I’ll go upstairs to find Ah Kai and Ranran.”
After leaving the gifts, Wen Jin went upstairs to find Gu Kai and Wen Ran.
Mo Xiuchen took off his coat and followed Gu Yan into the kitchen to help him, rolling up his sleeves. It was quite amazing how efficient the two men were at kitchen tasks.
“Xiuchen, your father called me.”
Gu Yan expertly sliced the meat, speaking as if it was an afterthought.
Mo Xiuchen was not surprised, but paused his hand momentarily, and replied in a light voice: “What did he say?”
Gu Yan chuckled, “He asked me if what you told him was true. He doesn’t fully believe you and made his stance very clear.”
On hearing this, Mo Xiuchen’s eyes darkened, and there was a trace of sternness in his brows: “Dad, you don’t have to worry about him. However he wants to deal with me is his business, he can’t influence me.”
“He will threaten you with the whole corporation.”
Gu Yan looked up at Mo Xiuchen. He didn’t question him about his feelings for Ranran, but he knew that a man’s career was extremely important to him. Even if Xiuchen was willing to trade everything he has to be with Ranran, once she learns about the truth, she may not agree.
Mo Xiuchen chuckled coldly, “I’ve already reached an agreement with Mo Zixuan. After we find Xiao Wenqing and Wu Tianyi, I will recommend him for the position of CEO. I’ve also told Ranran this. Once I resign as CEO, I plan to travel with her to different places. We will stay wherever we like for some time.”
Because he spoke of Ranran, when he finished speaking, the icy expression in Mo Xiuchen’s eyes softened, the warmth evident in his gaze.
“What did you say to Ranran?”
Gu Yan was slightly shocked. He was certain that Xiuchen did not completely tell truth, hence Ranran wouldn’t oppose since she didn’t know the facts.
Mo Xiuchen cleaned each leaf of vegetable and placed them in a basket, calmly stating: “Dad, it doesn’t matter what I told Ranran. Moreover, I had no intention of letting her know about all this to begin with.”