Chapter 687 Little Sweetie
Lin Nuan turned to look at Fu Huai’an, holding back the urge to cough with her itchy throat. “Let’s go home!”
Fu Huai’an nodded, then clenched Lin Nuan’s shoulders tightly.
Regarding Fu Cheng, even if he had ambitions towards the Kaide Corporation, Fu Huai’an had never viewed him as a worthy opponent. Plus, this time around, Fu Cheng’s children had hit his Achilles heel. It was way too easy for Fu Huai’an to deal with him. In fact, Fu Huai’an didn’t even need to do it himself, just the w.a.n.gs of Haicheng West would do.
In the past, Lin Nuan still had some sympathy for Old Madam Fu. But looking at things now, whether it was Old Madam Fu or Old Master Fu, they placed their own interests above everything else. People like them were perhaps destined to live a life of scheming and manipulation.
Lin Nuan could still recall the first time she saw Old Madam Fu at Tianfu Bay. At that time, Old Madam Fu looked like she truly doted on Tuan Tuan, as if he was the apple of her eye!
Yet today she had chosen to side with Fu Cheng’s children…
In the future, be it Fu Huai’an’s mother’s birthday or death anniversary, so long as Lin Nuan and Fu Huai’an had his mother in their hearts… they could reminisce about her at Tianfu Bay!
Lin Nuan believed that Fu Huai’an’s deceased mother’s spirit would understand.
After carrying Tuan Tuan to the car, Lin Nuan decided to give Su Manman a call to inform her that they were leaving first.
Su Manman understood Lin Nuan’s feelings. After she walked out of the crowd that was showering Fu Cheng with concern and asking about his well being, she told Lin Nuan that she was planning to leave too. “Fu Cheng’s family really ruined my appet.i.te!”
Hearing those words from Su Manman, her mother turned around to glare at her. Even though Su Manman’s mother wasn’t fond of Fu Cheng’s family either, she had to at least make superficial efforts to mask her dislike. For Su Manman to so blatantly claim that Fu Cheng’s family ruined her appet.i.te was a little overboard.
Su Manman stuck out her tongue at her mother, then hung up the phone. She said she had something to do at the last minute and then left as well.
Fu Cheng had a blanket wrapped around him. Under that blanket, his hands were tightly clenched, making the purplish-green veins on the back of his hands rather apparent. One day… one day, he would return this grievance to the Fus a thousandfold!
…
Tuan Tuan was still traumatized by the incident, so after returning to Tianfu Bay, Lin Nuan let him sleep between her and Fu Huai’an on the large bed.
Tuan Tuan held onto Lin Nuan’s arm, his chubby little face pressed against it as he listened to Lin Nuan sing him a lullaby. She patted him on his little b.u.t.t gently as he fell asleep.
By the time Fu Huai’an came out of the shower, Tuan Tuan was already sound asleep.
Lin Nuan gently withdrew her own arm and asked Fu Huai’an to look after Tuan Tuan while she went to take a shower.
Once Lin Nuan closed the bathroom door, she couldn’t hold back the coughs anymore.
When she was accompanying Tuan Tuan to sleep just now, Lin Nuan was afraid her coughing might wake him up, so she forced herself to hold it back. Now that she was by herself, after closing the bathroom door, she let out several coughs and finally felt much better.
“Xiao Nuan…” Fu Huai’an knocked on the bathroom door. “Go to the hospital for a check-up!”
“It’s nothing, my coughing isn’t particularly serious. I’m fine. We’d have to go to the ER so late at night. After I take a hot shower and come out, I’ll take some medicine. If I’m still unwell tomorrow morning, I’ll go to the hospital.” Lin Nuan held back the urge to cough as she spoke to Fu Huai’an.
Fu Huai’an’s brows tightly furrowed on the other side of the door.
Mainly, it was Lin Nuan’s throat that was unwell, which was why she kept coughing. Lin Nuan felt that her body was probably too hot and thus didn’t think much of it.
After she finished taking a hot shower, Lin Nuan saw that Fu Huai’an was changing his clothes. She bunched up her half-dry hair and asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Tuan Tuan is running a fever!” Fu Huai’an said as he b.u.t.toned his s.h.i.+rt.
Lin Nuan started feeling anxious. She briskly walked to the bedside and reached out a hand to touch Tuan Tuan’s little head. He was indeed running a fever!
The thermometer on the bedside table indicated that Tuan Tuan’s temperature had already hit 102.5°F!
Not daring to delay any further, Lin Nuan quickly changed her clothes too, then coaxed Tuan Tuan, who was in a daze, into putting on his coat. Fu Huai’an then drove them to the hospital.
On the way there, Lin Nuan was carrying Tuan Tuan in her arms. She knew that the child had caught a fever in the middle of the night because he was pushed into the lake. He got both a scare and a cold from that. Although she was worried, she wasn’t as panicked as the last time around. She was doing everything systematically now. After sticking a fever patch on the child, on the way there, she kept wiping his palms, feet, back, and neck with a wet tissue.
Bai Jinyu was on the night s.h.i.+ft. After receiving Fu Huai’an’s phone call, he went to wait for them downstairs. Upon reaching the hospital, Tuan Tuan’s body temperature kept going up instead of declining. His little hand was clutching tightly onto the pendant around his neck.
Lin Nuan and Fu Huai’an didn’t tell Bai Jinyu what happened at the Fu family mansion, merely saying that Tuan Tuan had accidentally fallen into the water that afternoon.
The injection of intravenous fluids was inevitable. By the time they settled him down, it was already 11:40 pm.
Lin Nuan’s heart ached for him terribly.
“Tuan Tuan is fine. He merely got a scare and caught a cold. His const.i.tution is way too weak. He needs training after he’s fully recovered!” Bai Jinyu said as he looked at Tuan Tuan’s fair and tender little face.
Unable to resist coughing, Lin Nuan motioned for Fu Huai’an to go over. She asked Fu Huai’an to sit by the bed and hold onto Tuan Tuan’s little hand. When Fu Huai’an got there, the little one seemed to have sniffed Fu Huai’an’s body scent, so he turned around to hug Fu Huai’an’s arm to his chest. He grazed his chubby little face against Fu Huai’an’s arm and said in a soft, raspy voice, “Papa…”
Lin Nuan walked out of the room and coughed with her hand over her mouth. Fu Huai’an gently patted Tuan Tuan, frowning as he looked out of the ward.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Lin Nuan kept coughing.
“What’s the matter? Sis-in-law, are you also unwell?” Bai Jinyu asked when Lin Nuan entered.
Bai Jinyu didn’t have matters to attend to at his department, so Fu Huai’an asked Bai Jinyu to look after Tuan Tuan while he took Lin Nuan to have her cough checked out. However, Tuan Tuan held onto Fu Huai’an’s arm and refused to let go. Fu Huai’an only s.h.i.+fted his arm slightly, yet the little one looked like he was about to wake up.
“Let me accompany Sis-in-law! I’m familiar with this place!” Bai Jinyu’s vision swept over Tuan Tuan. “The child must have gotten a scare from falling into the water today and lacks a sense of security. Just stay here with him!”
“No need! I’m okay…” Lin Nuan smiled at Bai Jinyu, unwilling to trouble him.
“If Sis-in-law doesn’t want to go to the ER, how about… I take a look! It’s just that it’s more troublesome when I prescribe you medicine. Or how about this, you can get someone to go out and buy the medicine tomorrow morning!” Bai Jinyu said.
“Then let Bai Jinyu accompany me! You stay with Tuan Tuan!” Lin Nuan and Fu Huai’an didn’t even consider Bai Jinyu’s suggestion and rejected him immediately. Although Lin Nuan’s cough wasn’t severe, Fu Huai’an still worried when he heard her cough like that. If medicine was required, then the earlier she consumed it, the better.
When they got to the entrance of the ER, Bai Jinyu removed his white doctor’s coat. With the nervous state of things between the hospital and the patients, if Bai Jinyu were to accompany Lin Nuan into the ER wearing his white coat, the patients’ kin might think that he was trying to help Lin Nuan cut the queue or something!
After getting a number for Lin Nuan, Bai Jinyu stayed outside with Lin Nuan, waiting for her number to be called.
There were plenty of people in the ER in the middle of the night. Lin Nuan felt that it was a little inappropriate for her to be seeking a diagnosis there since her cough wasn’t serious. She wanted to leave, but Bai Jinyu stopped her.
“I promised Old Fu that I would come to the ER with you for your cough. If you go back without having your condition checked, Old Fu will think I’m incompetent!” Bai Jinyu laughed and asked Lin Nuan to sit down.
Lin Nuan coughed twice, then patted her chest gently, saying in a somewhat embarra.s.sed tone, “The people seeking treatment in the ER seem to have quite urgent conditions. My mild cough can wait until tomorrow. I don’t need to seek treatment in the ER…”
“You’re already at the hospital anyway. It’s okay!” Bai Jinyu insisted that Lin Nuan should stay and have her cough checked.
While the two of them were waiting for her number to be called, Bai Jinyu looked at Lin Nuan and asked with light laughter, “Did Tuan Tuan fall into the water at the Fu family mansion today?”
Lin Nuan looked up at Bai Jinyu with an astonished gaze.
Bai Jinyu took his hands out of his pockets and sat down next to Lin Nuan, saying, “Today is Old Fu’s mother’s birthday. Ever since he returned to the country, every year at this time, he would return to the Fu family mansion!”
Lin Nuan nodded at Bai Jinyu.
“Sis-in-law, you don’t need to take that place to heart. The same for the Fu family members. Although Old Master Fu and Old Madam Fu are biologically related to Old Fu, strictly speaking, they aren’t even as close as Old Fu is to our group of friends!” Bai Jinyu was frank with Lin Nuan.
Just then, the ER doctor came back in a hurry.
It was Lin Nuan’s turn, so Bai Jinyu took her in. The doctor removed his gloves and tossed them into the trash can. Then, his vision casually swept over Lin Nuan, who was wearing a mask. He asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Cough…” Bai Jinyu placed the number on the office desk.
The doctor washed his hands with antiseptic handwash as he asked Lin Nuan, “Is it so serious that it affected your sleep?”
Lin Nuan paused for a moment, then shook her head. “No…”
“Since it didn’t affect your sleep, what are you doing at the ER instead of sleeping at home this late at night?” The doctor sounded like he wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. “The air in the hospital is bad, and germs are flying around everywhere, it does you no good. Look at how busy things are here!”
Lin Nuan’s ears grew hot. She got up and said apologetically, “Sorry, I’m here with my child in the ER. I thought I would have my cough checked out since I’m already here, that way I won’t need to come tomorrow…”
When the doctor heard Lin Nuan put it this way, he didn’t say anything else. He drew a few tissues and wiped his hands clean, then pulled out a chair to sit back down. He motioned for Lin Nuan to sit down as well, then asked, “What’s the matter with the kid?”
“High fever…” Lin Nuan couldn’t help worrying at the mention of Tuan Tuan.
“Does your throat hurt?” The doctor asked for Lin Nuan’s symptoms as he placed both hands on the keyboard.
“It doesn’t hurt, just a little itchy…”
After she was prescribed medicine, Bai Jinyu took a look at the situation in the ER and agreed that the ER was a little too busy. The head of the ER requested that the hospital increase their manpower, but year after year, it didn’t receive approval.
“Ya! Dr. Bai!” Lin Nuan’s doctor got up quickly when he saw Bai Jinyu. He glanced at Lin Nuan, then back at Bai Jinyu, a look of surprise on his face. “I didn’t know you already had a child at such a young age!”
Lin Nuan was rendered speechless.
Knowing that the doctor had misunderstood and thought her to be Bai Jinyu’s wife, Lin Nuan hurriedly explained, “You’ve misunderstood. Dr. Bai is my friend!”
Bai Jinyu nodded. “You’ve misunderstood…”
The doctor had a look of sudden realization.
“The ER is indeed too busy. I’ll talk with the vice-director of the hospital later!” Bai Jinyu smiled and said, “It’s been hard on you. The ER is busy. We won’t hold you up…”
“You’re standing on ceremony!”
After stepping out of the ER, Lin Nuan saw someone wincing in pain as he held a hand to his b.l.o.o.d.y wound. Another man was clutching his stomach in agony and shouting for a doctor to help him…
Lin Nuan was even more certain now that she was adding to their troubles by coming to the ER so late at night!
After she took her medicine, Bai Jinyu walked Lin Nuan back to the ward, then left after saying “mission accomplished” to Fu Huai’an.
“What did the doctor say?”
“It’s nothing serious, I was prescribed some medicine!” Lin Nuan removed her mask, then set the medicine on the bedside table before removing her coat and placing it on the sofa. “My cough isn’t that serious, but you had to insist I go to the ER this late at night. The people seeking treatment in the ER have very urgent conditions. I felt embarra.s.sed sitting there like a perfectly fine person…”
Fu Huai’an carefully removed his arm from Tuan Tuan’s embrace, then poured Lin Nuan some water. He then looked at the diagnosis given by the doctor, as well as things to take note of, then watched seriously as Lin Nuan took her medicine.
Since Fu Huai’an returned to the country from America, he had yet to find a suitable and reliable family physician. Bai Jinyu couldn’t spare time from his busy work at the hospital, so he kept delaying hiring one. It seemed like he had to hire one now!
After swallowing down the tablets with difficulty, Lin Nuan sucked on a lozenge. She suddenly felt a weight on her shoulders and realized that Fu Huai’an had put his coat around her.
Lin Nuan grabbed Fu Huai’an’s large hand, then looked up at his deep-set facial features. She put her arms around his narrow waist and said, “All these years, you have brought up Tuan Tuan by yourself. How did you manage by yourself when Tuan Tuan fell sick?”
Fu Huai’an placed one hand on Lin Nuan’s shoulder, then stroked the top of her head, not uttering a sound.
“It must have been hard! When a child falls sick, especially when a child is little and hasn’t learned how to speak…” Lin Nuan tightened her embrace around Fu Huai’an’s waist.
“It won’t be hard in the future! There’s you…” Fu Huai’an’s deep voice carried a smile.
Lin Nuan nodded. “En! You’ll have me in the future!”
He bent over and lifted Lin Nuan horizontally, then placed her on the bed next to Tuan Tuan’s.
“Tuan Tuan isn’t done with his IV drip yet…”
“Don’t worry!” Fu Huai’an pulled over a blanket and covered Lin Nuan’s legs. “I’ll look after Tuan Tuan. You need to rest well so you can recover from your cough. Be good! Little sweetie…”
When Fu Huai’an said the words “little sweetie,” he deliberately deepened his voice. That rich voice carrying a smile was enough to melt someone.
Lin Nuan bit her lower lip, and her eyes were misty. Mrs. Fu’s little face was so fair and tender that it made one want to take a bite from it.
“Cough, cough, cough…” Lin Nuan couldn’t resist coughing a few times. She immediately covered her mouth with her hand, then looked over at Tuan Tuan, who was by her side.
Seeing that Tuan Tuan was still soundly asleep, she felt relieved…
“Hurry and go to sleep!” Fu Huai’an covered Lin Nuan with a blanket. “You keep coughing when you’re awake, and it’s going to affect Tuan Tuan!”
“Then, after Tuan Tuan is done with his IV drip, you come and snooze a little too. Nudge me, and I’ll s.h.i.+ft inwards a little…”
Fu Huai’an nodded, then gently pecked Lin Nuan on the corner of her lips. Unexpectedly, Lin Nuan moved closer to him and presented her sweet and soft tongue to him…
Lin Nuan, who still had a lozenge in her mouth, had a sweet and cool peppermint taste in her mouth.
How could Fu Huai’an withstand Lin Nuan’s advances? With one hand propped behind Lin Nuan’s head, he deepened the kiss.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Lin Nuan turned her head away to cough, breaking away from the kiss.
Fu Huai’an stroked her long hair. “Go to sleep!”
Perhaps due to the effects of the medication, Lin Nuan slept very soundly that night.
When she gradually woke up, she saw Fu Huai’an’s back view as he spoke on the phone with one hand in his pocket.
“Then tell Mr. Matt De Niro that I await respectfully. However, if I find out that he’s attempting to approach my wife again, Mr. Matt De Niro might not be able to walk out of his hotel, let alone Haicheng.”
Although Fu Huai’an didn’t speak loudly, his voice was deep and rich, giving off an intimidating vibe.
Fu Huai’an said this to scare the other party. He was much clearer about Li Muyang’s movements in Haicheng than Li Muyang could imagine.
Fu Huai’an, who was smartly dressed in a suit, gave off a calm and imposing aura as he stood there, causing one to involuntarily feel fearful of him.
Matt De Niro? Li Muyang!
At this realization, Lin Nuan was much more awake.
She sat up straight…
Sensing Lin Nuan’s movement behind him, Fu Huai’an said nothing else and hung up the call. He then asked Lin Nuan to wash up and eat her breakfast.
“Tuan Tuan is already up. He’s brus.h.i.+ng his teeth in the washroom!” Fu Huai’an turned around and glanced at Lin Nuan, then casually placed his phone on the table. His long and slim fingers opened the package containing the food he ordered, then opened up the takeout containers inside. He asked Lin Nuan, “Century egg minced meat porridge or mushroom chicken porridge?”
Lin Nuan got off the bed and walked to Fu Huai’an’s side, then sat down on the sofa. She looked up and frowned at Fu Huai’an…
His clear jaw was already shaved clean. Lin Nuan could vaguely smell the scent of aftershave, but it wasn’t the same scent Fu Huai’an usually wore. Perhaps it was newly bought in a rush that morning.
Fu Huai’an appeared clean and fresh. Apart from the vaguely visible red vessels at the bottom of his eyes, he looked immaculate. No one would be able to tell that this man hadn’t slept a wink last night.
“Li Muyang followed you back to the country. Is he trying to do something to you? Or…”
Lin Nuan bit her lower lip and didn’t articulate the other possibility…
Merely thinking about the words “Li Muyang” now gave her chills.
She feared he was there because of her.
“Don’t worry, we’re back in our home country!” Fu Huai’an smiled. “He can’t pull any tricks! At most, he’ll just take part in the shows you attend.”
Although Fu Huai’an put it so lightly, all sorts of people were gathered in Haicheng now. Plenty wished to test whether “Mr. Moral” was among the several people Gu Qingcheng frequently a.s.sociated with in the country.
However, Gu Qingcheng was sufficiently strong and influential, so these people dared not take any action for the time being. Therefore, they were merely observing in the dark.
“How about I tell Sister Yan? I’ll stop following the crew of ‘The Exorcist’ around to publicize the movie!” Lin Nuan grabbed Fu Huai’an’s large hand, clearly nervous.
“If you don’t wish to go of your own accord, then let’s not go. If you wish to go, don’t be held back by this. Live like you want to. Don’t be affected by Li Muyang. Don’t worry… you have me!” Fu Huai’an leisurely said to Lin Nuan, then stroked her head.
Fu Huai’an had already arranged sufficient manpower around Lin Nuan and wasn’t worried about her safety!
Lin Nuan said she wanted to lead an ordinary and peaceful life, and whatever Lin Nuan wanted, Fu Huai’an would give her, even if it was merely a facade.
Lin Nuan wanted to say something, but before she could do so, she heard the door to the bathroom open. Tuan Tuan came out but didn’t see that Lin Nuan was up already. With one hand supporting himself against the door frame, he stood on his tiptoes and tried to reach the door handle to close the door.
Lin Nuan felt her phone vibrating in her bag, so she retrieved it and took a look. It was You Nainai. She picked it up…