Jiang Rui opened the door, and he felt it was somehow funny when he looked at the woman who had quickly jumped back onto the bed.
“Now you’re afraid, but how imposing you were when you hit me.” Chen Chen heard Jiang Rui’s voice and huddled herself up in the quilt.
Hearing her snort, Jiang Rui walked over to the bed and sat down. “It’s my fault that I didn’t tell you that in advance. I didn’t think about your feelings and caused your fright. I apologize for that.”
That man was apologizing to her? Chen Chen thought that she had a problem with her ears. She threw the quilt back all at once, but because she did that with great force, she was about to fall. Jiang Rui reached out and took her into his arms.
That position was too embarra.s.sing. Chen Chen was wholly riding on Jiang Rui, and there was a flush on her cheeks because she had just gotten out of the quilt. Jiang Rui swallowed his saliva, laid her on the bed without emotion, and placed the coat between his legs.
“Sorry… Sorry… Did I press you hard?” Chen Chen recklessly reached out to touch the place between his legs. Jiang Rui abruptly stood up. “You are so rash. If I had told you that, would you have dared to go to the carnival? Even if you did, someone would have noticed that something was wrong with you.”
Hearing what he said, Chen Chen was angered and she jumped off the bed. “You don’t realize where you are wrong at all. Tuan Zi is your daughter, how could you risk her life? In case of any accident, could you live the rest of your life at ease?”
“I will never let any accidents happen.” Jiang Rui frowned. “Is this woman this untrusting of me?”
It was the first time for Chen Chen to get his meaning, and she could see what he was actually thinking.
“It’s not about the possibility of accidents. It’s about what’s the most important. In your mind, Tuan Zi is less important than the task, also less important than someone else’s child,” She paused, and said implicitly, “Or in other words, she is not as important as your future and your interests.”
The consequences of that sentence were very serious. Chen Chen took two steps back, and she felt that the temperature around Jiang Rui had dropped. When she thought that the man would beat her up, or leave immediately, Jiang Rui spoke.
“I didn’t expect your brain to a.n.a.lyze the matter.”
“I am not an idiot!”
Jiang Rui looked at her. “If you’re not an idiot, why did you make such wrong a.n.a.lyses?”
Chen Chen snorted. “You can refuse to admit it, but I won’t forgive you anyway, and I won’t let Tuan Zi go back with you, either.”
“Everybody outside knows Tuan Zi is my daughter now, right?” Jiang rui ignored her, saying, “If any bad guys know you’ll leave me with Tuan Zi, do you think they won’t take the opportunity to cause trouble?”
Seeing Chen Chen’s expression change, Jiang Rui continued, “Like yesterday, the kid of the Wen family was kidnapped. Do you want such a thing to happen to Tuan Zi in the future?”
Being silent for a moment, the woman who was originally frustrated rushed over to him suddenly, pounding on his chest. “It is all your fault! It is all your fault! Without you, Tuan Zi and I would still be living our lives freely. It’s all your fault…”
“When can you face reality?” Jiang Rui grabbed her arms and asked sharply, “When you decided to secretly use my sperm to give birth to Tuan Zi, didn’t you think about her future?”
“If you only needed an ordinary child, why did you want my genes? You were free to have a baby, but since you gave birth to Tuan Zi, stop complaining that I failed to let her live freely. Chen Chen, wake up. Tuan Zi is not an ordinary child, and it is impossible for her to live like a normal child forever. Even if she has not recognized me as her father, she would never live as she previously did.”
“You always choose to escape from reality and pa.s.s the buck, but stop thinking that everyone is like you!” Jiang Rui released her. “Tuan Zi is much more courageous than you. At least she knows that she is smart, and that with great power comes great responsibility.”
Chen Chen sat immediately on the ground, staring at the carpet with a dull look. Jiang Rui did not speak, and just kept looking at her. After a while, there were sobs sounding. Seeing the woman who was crying with hands on her face, Jiang Rui curled the corner of his mouth.
“I’ll wait for you outside, and when you think it over, just pack up your stuff come out.”
In the living room, Bear, Scar and Xiao Si were staring at him; Tuan Zi also looked at him with worry.
“Boss… What the h.e.l.l are you doing?” Bear said while holding his head, “Why do you apologize in this way?”
Xiao Si and Scar were immersed in the news they had just heard. It turned out that Mrs. Jiang stole Boss’s sperm and then gave birth to Tuan Zi! What an outstanding piece of gossip…
“Who said that I came to apologize?” Jiang Rui coughed and walked over to pick up Tuan Zi. “It’s okay. We’ll just wait for mom for a while, and she will think it over.”
Tuan Zi held his neck and whispered, “Don’t be mean to mom, she will cry.”
“She’s not as sensible as Tuan Zi, and, what else can I do if I’m not mean to her?” Jiang Rui ruffled the little girl’s hair. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s help mom grow up little by little and make her sensible!”
“Yeah!” Tuan Zi nodded hard and leaned on Jiang Rui’s shoulder.
Hei Zi hummed while biting Jiang Rui’s trousers. Jiang Rui put Tuan Zi down, and Hei Zi immediately rushed toward her. Tuan Zi sat on the carpet with the puppy in her arms, and then Hei Zi lay on its back so that Tuan Zi could lay her head on its stomach.
“Hei Zi will be a faithful dog when it grows up!” Scar felt that he had a pair of very sharp eyes that he singled out Hei Zi for Tuan Zi. The only thing to pity was that the name of Hei Zi was fairly hilarious.
Hei Zi… Tuan Zi…
Chen Chen didn’t let them wait too long. After about half an hour, she came out. Although she washed her face, her eyes were swollen like walnuts. It was obvious that she had cried bitterly.
“Mom!” Tuan Zi quickly rushed to her. “Let’s go home!”
Chen Chen sniffed and dared not to look at Jiang Rui, nodding and saying, “OK…”
When Tuan Zi left with Hei Zi in her arms, Chen Chen saw a person who seemed to be the manager stuffing snacks into her arms.
“If your mom runs away from home again, remember to live in our hotel,” said the manager with a smile.
With the corner of her mouth twitching, Chen Chen asked Jiang Rui after getting into the car, “How did you know that we were here?”
“It was Tuan Zi who asked the manager to call me.” Jiang Rui gave a look at Chen Chen while helping Tuan Zi fasten her seat belt. “I am afraid that you haven’t memorized my mobile number yet.”
Chen Chen said embarra.s.sedly, “It’s in the telephone directory…”
That hotel was owned by the Wen family. Tuan Zi secretly called the lobby manager the previous night. After knowing that she was Jiang Rui’s child, the manager personally called the army, and Bear answered the call.
If Chen Chen had lived in a small hotel, the manager would not necessarily know Jiang Rui. But that hotel was open to the rich and the officials, so the manager certainly knew who Jiang Rui was. Later, Chen Chen blamed herself for that.
“You deserve it! Why did you live in a five-star hotel…”
After that event, everyone’s lives returned to normal, but as for Bear, Scar and Xiao Si, they changed their att.i.tude towards Chen Chen. For example, no matter what Chen Chen did, they would be worried that she might be bullied or be lost.
But at the moment, they felt relieved to let her do anything, because in their view, a woman who could rob their boss of his sperm had to be a master, at least much stronger than them! So Chen Chen didn’t know that she became great in their minds.
Chinese New Year was coming, and Jiang Rui was not busy in the army. Then after half a month, Tuan Zi began to spend her school holidays, and Jiang Rui almost stayed at home all day. On the third day of Tuan Zi’s vacation, Jiang Rui suddenly said that there was someone inviting her to have dinner.
“Inviting me?” Chen Chen asked in surprise, “I don’t know anyone.”
Jiang Rui nodded. “Mrs. Wen is inviting Tuan Zi and you.”
Mrs. Wen? Chen Chen understood. “Because you saved her son?”
“Yeah.”
Chen Chen knew afterwards that the little boy who had been kidnapped together with Tuan Zi that day was the child of the Wen family.
Tuan Zi who was playing aside interjected, “He used to ignore me until my father saved his life back then.”
“We don’t have to put up with such a child of the officials.” Chen Chen said sharply, “Then we won’t go.” She completely forgot that her daughter actually was also a child of the officials by then.
“He is not like that! He is just a person who seldom speaks at school. And I am the first one whom he talks to!”
Looking at the pride in her daughter’s face, Chen Chen said to her seriously, “Tuan Zi, your father is senior to the people of his family, so don’t be afraid of him!”
Jiang Rui glanced at Chen Chen and was amused by her. Did she think that he didn’t hear that she had just despised the children of the officials…?
“I am not afraid of him!” Tuan Zi put down Hei Zi. “He is not as handsome as dad.”
Chen Chen did not quite get her daughter’s logic, but as long as Tuan Zi did not mind, she also didn’t care. So the next day, Jiang Rui personally sent them to the appointed place.
That was a themed restaurant. Probably in order to make Tuan Zi happy, Mrs. Wen chose a private room which was decorated as a princess’ chamber. Tuan Zi still brought Hei Zi in, but the manager turned a blind eye to that.
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Jiang!” Mrs. Wen was wearing a delicate suit, and shook hands with Chen Chen politely when she saw her in.
Chen Chen was stimulated by how Mrs. Wen addressed her, shaking hands with her with an unnatural expression.
“Let’s not stand on ceremony. I’ll call you Chen Chen, and you can call me Xie Hong!”
Chen Chen nodded immediately. “Okay!”
Xie Hong looked very beautiful, and her facial features were so exquisite, as if carved in accordance to specific measurements.
After the conventional remarks, they were seated.
“Yuze went to the bathroom; I’ll ask him to say thanks to Tuan Zi personally when he comes back.” Xie Hong touched Tuan Zi’s head. “Thanks to Tuan Zi, my gutless son was not scared that day.”
Chen Chen quickly said, “Kids will always be scared of such things.”
“No, you don’t know,” Xie Hong said emotionally, “Yu Ze was kidnapped last year and was also rescued by Chief Jiang. After returning home, he had a high fever for three days and kept crying. The doctor said that he was greatly terrified.”
“However, nothing happened to him this time. After returning home, he told me that a girl didn’t cry so he couldn’t cry,” Xie Hong said with a smile. Just then, the door was pushed open, and a little boy walked in.
At the same time, Jiang Rui was driving the car away from the restaurant. When he approached the crossing and was about to turn a corner, a person rushed out of the sidewalk suddenly. He stopped the car swiftly, but he could feel that the person still hit the car.