Chapter 694 No One Loves My Wife More Than Me!
It was clear that his plan had backfired.
Lin Nuan wasn’t a biological daughter of the Lin family, and yet they still dared to give 8% of the shares to Huai’an for free for her sake!
Even if his daughter really married Fu Huai’an, he would only sell his shares to him. He definitely wouldn’t give them to him for free. This was Chu Fangzheng’s nature as a businessman.
Chu Fangzheng was put in a tough spot. It would be bad regardless of whether he left or not, and it was rather awkward for him.
“You’re really not going to consider Chu Xun?” Chu Fangzheng asked again. “I only have two daughters, and someone has to run the Chu family’s Haixing Corporation someday. Both of our families’ elders have already tacitly approved of you and Chu Xun as a couple. If Lin Nuan hadn’t come between you two, you two would already be married! Haixing Corporation would have been handed over to you as well. Who would still be a match for you in the business world if you helmed both the Kaide Corporation and the Haixing Corporation…”
Lin Nuan had already heard about Chu Xun and Fu Huai’an’s engagement being tacitly approved of from Old Madam Fu a long time ago.
“I’m not nearly as ambitious as Mr. Chu…” Fu Huai’an smiled lightly.
Chu Fangzheng didn’t believe Fu Huai’an. If Fu Huai’an really had no ambition, why was he fighting over the Kaide Corporation with Fu Qingquan’s illegitimate son? He could just generously hand the company over to him!
“Fu Huai’an, no one loves you more than Chu Xun!” Chu Fangzheng’s eyes were unreadable. He was like a kind father whose heart ached at his daughter losing her lover and hence swallowed his pride to convince his daughter’s lover to change his mind.
“No one loves my wife more than me!” Fu Huai’an smiled lightly as he replied.
He said Chu Xun loved Fu Huai’an, but Fu Huai’an said he loved Lin Nuan!
Chu Fangzheng was fuming inside…
“Ever since you got together with Lin Nuan, that girl has been secretly crying at home every day! She…”
Lin Nuan wasn’t willing to continue hiding behind Fu Huai’an.
Hearing Chu Fangzheng showing weakness, Lin Nuan walked over to Fu Huai’an’s side and held onto his arm, standing beside him.
Lin Nuan’s sudden appearance caused Chu Fangzheng to pause midway through his sentence.
Chu Fangzheng looked towards Lin Nuan, his gaze especially pointed.
Lin Nuan wasn’t scared off by this and smiled lightly at Chu Fangzheng. “Mr. Chu, you will receive our wedding invitation very soon. If you have the time, feel free to bring your daughter along to our wedding!”
Chu Fangzheng looked at Lin Nuan, who had a generous and gentle smile on her face, and gritted his teeth.
Lin Nuan’s eyes didn’t have the frivolity of a gloating person. Her sincere expression caused Chu Fangzheng to be unable to say a word.
Despite all the nasty things Chu Fangzheng said earlier, Lin Nuan continued to smile and maintained a dignified disposition, her eyes gentle and warm. This was because she had Fu Huai’an.
But in Chu Fangzheng’s eyes, this was Lin Nuan’s biggest act of mockery towards him. She was showing off her magnanimity to him.
Chu Fangzheng gazed intently at Lin Nuan and straightened out his suit. After b.u.t.toning his suit jacket, he turned around and left.
Outside the villa, Chu Fangzheng’s chauffeur, who saw him marching out of the villa, quickly opened the rear pa.s.senger door for him.
Chu Fangzheng remembered how his wife used to praise Lin Nuan in front of him. She said Lin Nuan was dignified and magnanimous, and smart to boot. In terms of her upbringing and temperament, she was the best among all the kids her age. If not for Lin Nuan having an arranged marriage with the Gu family from a young age, she would have introduced Lin Nuan to her nephew when all the children were older.
Looking at the already grown up Lin Nuan again, he couldn’t believe she was his second daughter, Chu Xun’s rival in love!
Had he known earlier, he would have gotten his wife to go to the Lin family and bring up her nephew, who led a life of luxury and debauchery.
Chu Fangzheng’s face darkened as he got in the car, and he slammed the car door closed.
Lin Nuan’s hand, which had been holding onto Fu Huai’an’s arm, slid down to reach into his pocket and laced fingers with him.
As they closed the door, Lin Nuan asked Fu Huai’an, “Why do so many people want to take you away from me?”
Fu Huai’an hugged Lin Nuan from behind, his chin resting on her head as they both moved forward. “Can they?”
Lin Nuan placed her hands on Fu Huai’an’s arms, which were wrapped around her slender waist, and shook her head. “No one can take what’s mine away from me!”
The two of them had barely stepped into the house when the doorbell rang again.
Lin Nuan thought Chu Fangzheng had returned. She raised her head to look at Fu Huai’an. “Did Chu Xun’s father come back because he won’t give up?”
“I’ll go and check!” Fu Huai’an kissed the hair on top of Lin Nuan’s head, then walked towards the doorway to open the door.
This time, the person standing outside wasn’t Chu Fangzheng. It was Xing Feng, who had gone through fire and water with Fu Huai’an… and now held a high-ranking position in the army.
He saw Xing Feng’s brows furrow slightly. He had looked past Fu Huai’an and towards Lin Nuan, who was standing inside.
Xing Feng had clearly recognized Lin Nuan, and he smiled lightly and nodded towards her. She smiled and nodded back.
After saying h.e.l.lo to Lin Nuan, he said to Fu Huai’an, “Chief, I want to speak to you. Do you mind taking a walk with me around the block?”
Fu Huai’an paused slightly and nodded. He turned to look at Lin Nuan.
“You go ahead!” Lin Nuan walked over to the entryway and opened the full-length mirror. She took out Fu Huai’an’s coat and pa.s.sed it to him.
“I’ll be right back!”
Lin Nuan smiled and nodded.
As Lin Nuan watched Fu Huai’an and Xing Feng leave, the house suddenly became quiet, so quiet that it made Lin Nuan panic.
Although that man’s eyes were full of kindness when he looked at her, Lin Nuan couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
…
Fu Huai’an and Xing Feng stood side by side at the man-made lake in the Tianfu Bay estate.
The warm sun shone on the lake, making its surface sparkle. The wind was piercingly cold.
Xing Feng pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. As he placed one in the corner of his mouth, he pa.s.sed the pack to Fu Huai’an. “Want one?”
Fu Huai’an looked at the pack of high-end cigarettes in Xing Feng’s hand and pulled one out.
Xing Feng pressed on the lighter. With a hand over the flame, he brought it in front of Fu Huai’an.
Fu Huai’an’s handsome features were bathed in the sunlight reflected on the surface of the lake. He bent down to light his cigarette. His deep eyes were fixed on Xing Feng as he raised his head.
Xing Feng used his eyes to signal to Fu Huai’an, gesturing towards his s.h.i.+rt pocket.
The chemistry they had developed after braving countless dangers together hadn’t diminished despite not seeing each other for many years.
With the cigarette lit, Fu Huai’an stood back up and looked towards the vast man-made lake. His cold side profile was unclear through the white mist that rose from the corners of his mouth.
“Is Qin Zhe well?” Fu Huai’an asked. His eyes were very dark.
Xing Feng’s hand that was lighting his own cigarette paused, and his heartbeat suddenly quickened.
After he lit his own cigarette with lowered eyes, Xing Feng placed the lighter back into his pocket with one hand and moved his cigarette away from the corner of his mouth with the other. “He isn’t dead. He should be alright after resting for about half a year!”
Xing Feng had reminded Fu Huai’an to avoid talking about Qin Zhe and even pretended not to know anything when he did. But Fu Huai’an still mentioned him.
“Chief, did you really save Qin Zhe in Dubai?” Xing Feng asked.
“Since I met him, I couldn’t just leave him to die.” The cigarette between Fu Huai’an’s fingers continued to burn. He didn’t smoke the cigarette and allowed the thin white smoke to rise.
Xing Feng turned to look at Fu Huai’an. “Tell me the truth, Chief. Were you able to save Qin Zhe because… you have connections with those people?”
“Which people?” Fu Huai’an seemed not to understand Xing Feng’s vague words. He asked again, “Are you talking about the arms dealers or Mr. Du?”
Xing Feng nearly broke the cigarette in his hand. Whatever topics he wanted Fu Huai’an to avoid, Fu Huai’an insisted on talking about. He gritted his teeth and didn’t say a word.
“I saved Mr. Du once when I was carrying out a mission, and this time, I asked him to return the favor by getting Qin Zhe out. What trouble has that caused for Qin Zhe?”
Fu Huai’an had once been in the army and carried out missions. He knew all too well how things went.
Xing Feng nodded. “The army found it odd how Qin Zhe managed to make it back despite failing the mission, and they’re carrying out investigations now.”
“He was in a coma at that time. He probably doesn’t know how he made it back to China. If the army wants to know anything, they can ask me! But I don’t know all the details. I let Mr. Du handle this as I trusted that he would be able to save Qin Zhe.”
Fu Huai’an’s words were partially lies and partially the truth, making it hard to tell what was real and what wasn’t.
Xing Feng licked his lips and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “Chief, have you been involved in the arms business? I don’t know if Qin Zhe told you that his clues point towards Haicheng and Jincheng! There was an anonymous call to the higher-ups that said you are Mr. Moral! Chief… you really are Mr. Moral, aren’t you?”
Fu Huai’an turned to look at Xing Feng and said slowly in his deep voice, “If I was involved in the arms business, why would I go through so much effort to take over the Kaide Corporation? I could just set up my own business.”
Xing Feng nodded. Even he believed Fu Huai’an.
“Chief, there’ll be someone asking you to a.s.sist with the investigations very soon! I came here to check up on you and remind you!” Xing Feng paused to think before adding, “After confirming that you aren’t Mr. Moral, they may still ask you to help with the investigations. You…”
“They can interview me, but they can forget about asking me to help with the investigations!” Fu Huai’an looked down at the cigarette in his hand, which had burned most of the way through. All that remained were white cigarette ashes. He tapped them away, and the white ash scattered on the ground. “My life right now is great and very stable. I’m about to get married, and I don’t want my wife to worry! When the wedding date is set, if you have time, you can come over and celebrate…”
Xing Feng and Fu Huai’an’s eyes met. After a few moments, Xing Feng’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he smiled towards Fu Huai’an. “I really envy you, Chief!”
Fu Huai’an chuckled. “Don’t you think I’m a traitor?”
No one could stop Fu Huai’an back when he insisted on leaving the army. Later on, when all the troops sent him off, Xing Feng was the only one who wasn’t there.
It wasn’t until Fu Huai’an had said his goodbyes to his comrades and left in a car that Xing Feng suddenly emerged from the crowd. He chased after the car, hysterically crying out that Fu Huai’an was a traitor until his voice became hoa.r.s.e.
But the car didn’t stop, and Fu Huai’an, who was in the car, didn’t look back.
“Everyone has the right to choose how they want to live their life. All those years, you carried out missions alone and were on the brink of death several times. It’s normal not to want to continue walking the fine line between life and death!” Xing Feng smiled. “I just didn’t understand it back then!”
Fu Huai’an remained silent. Xing Feng smiled and added, “Even a person like you didn’t want a medal and insisted on leaving the army after you came back. Chief, your undercover days must have been torturous!”
“The torturous part wasn’t carrying out the missions. It was mourning the people who died when you returned!” Fu Huai’an extinguished the half-lit cigarette with his foot and placed his hands in his pockets. His expression and tone were calm.
After one returned and realized that they no longer had their own life, they wouldn’t be able to tell whether the version of themselves that carried out the missions or the version of themselves that once lived was the real them.
Xing Feng was lost in deep thought and suddenly felt like it was meaningless to smoke the cigarette in his mouth any further. He extinguished the cigarette with his foot as well, then said to Fu Huai’an, “Chief, I won’t be coming to the wedding, but I wish you happiness!”
“Okay!” Fu Huai’an nodded.
Xing Feng wanted to leave after that, but he couldn’t help but remain where he was.
He hadn’t seen Fu Huai’an in so long, and he had so much to say to him. But there was a transmitter bug in his s.h.i.+rt pocket that prevented them from talking comfortably in person.
The current Fu Huai’an was different from the Fu Huai’an that Xing Feng remembered. He seemed to hide his cold sharpness from his days in the army behind an air of maturity and stability. This superseded his strong presence from before and made him terrifying at first glance.
A man like him naturally had a sense of authority that could overcome all difficulties. Xing Feng thought… if Fu Huai’an hadn’t left the army back then, the person above him right now would be Fu Huai’an!
Would things be different in the army then?
Would the brothers that went through fire and water with them not have died so tragically?
All these years, Xing Feng watched as their comrades and companions perished on foreign soil one by one. Some of their bodies couldn’t even be brought back. It felt like his heart had been put through a grinder.
One by one, new recruits joined the troops. It was normal for new blood to replace old-timers, but he didn’t want new recruits to join the front lines while old-timers pa.s.sed away in foreign lands.
There weren’t many old-timers Xing Feng was familiar with left…
“Chief…” Xing Feng called out to Fu Huai’an, not wanting Fu Huai’an to notice that he was choking up. “I’ll make a move first!”
“I’ll send you.”
…
After Fu Huai’an sent off Xing Feng, before he had even walked over to the entrance to the house, he saw Tuan Tuan jumping out of the sedan in the distance. He ran towards Lin Nuan and buried himself in her arms.
Uncle Hu stood at the side and watched the mother and son with an especially benevolent smile.
As the sun set, Lin Nuan squatted down to look at Tuan Tuan and said something to him that Fu Huai’an couldn’t make out with a cheerful smile on her face. She then used her thumb to wipe at Tuan Tuan’s face. Tuan Tuan’s navy blue uniform jacket and Lin Nuan’s white batwing sleeve sweater were bathed by the sunlight, enveloped in a warm orange glow.
Fu Huai’an couldn’t help but slow down. The setting sun reflected in his eyes.
“How did you get paint on your face? Do you want your face to be like our cat’s?” Lin Nuan wiped the paint on Tuan Tuan’s face.
Tuan Tuan stood there and tilted his face up obediently. Under the setting sun, the hairs on his face were especially evident, and his skin was a healthy and translucent color.
Lin Nuan rubbing her slightly cold fingers on Tuan Tuan’s face felt so comfortable. With red ears, he flashed a set of white teeth towards Lin Nuan.
Out of the corner of his eye, Tuan Tuan noticed a tall figure. Tuan Tuan turned and met eyes with the smiling Fu Huai’an. The tiny child’s chubby finger pointed in Fu Huai’an’s direction as he called out, “Papa!”
Lin Nuan turned to see Fu Huai’an walking in the suns.h.i.+ne. There was a gentle smile in his eyes, which were shaped like peach petals. She held onto Tuan Tuan’s hand as she stood up.
Lin Nuan’s long and slender neck was hidden beneath a thin, pale pink turtleneck. Draped in a loose, white woolen cardigan with batwing sleeves, her fair and tender face was breathtakingly beautiful. In Fu Huai’an’s deep and dark eyes, she was the most beautiful sight in the world.
Fu Huai’an walked over to them and bent down to pick Tuan Tuan up. He embraced Lin Nuan with one hand and kissed the hair on the top of her head.
Uncle Hu was getting on in years, and he felt his face warming up from the sight in front of him. He opened the driver’s seat car door and climbed into the car, parking it properly.
Lin Nuan’s ears heated up, and she looked up at Fu Huai’an…
Tuan Tuan hugged Fu Huai’an’s neck with one hand and grabbed Lin Nuan with the other. He imitated Fu Huai’an by hugging Lin Nuan’s head and kissing the top of it.
The British shorthair, which had disappeared for the whole day, popped out of nowhere and meowed as it jumped from the gate. With its small and short legs, it quickly ran over to Lin Nuan and Fu Huai’an and squeezed itself between their legs. With its tail held high, the cat continued to meow as it rubbed its body against Fu Huai’an’s leg.
Calmly, Fu Huai’an used his leg to move the fat cat away.
The cat refused to give up and meowed as it squeezed itself between their legs again. This time, it turned to rub its head against Lin Nuan’s leg.
Upon reaching home, Lin Nuan got a call from Fang Yan. She said today’s filming would be pushed back by an hour, as Director Chen’s flight had been delayed. She would drive over to pick up Lin Nuan in a bit.
It was like the heavens doted on Lin Nuan. She thought that after preparing dinner, she might not have time to eat before rus.h.i.+ng to Jinjiang.
Jinjiang and Haicheng were neighboring cities. If she traveled to Jinjiang by car and via the expressway, it would only take her an hour. So Lin Nuan was in no hurry.
The sky gradually darkened.
Fu Huai’an had prepared dinner with Lin Nuan’s help.
Tuan Tuan was ordered not to enter the kitchen by Fu Huai’an. He stood at the entrance to the kitchen and watched with eager eyes as Lin Nuan and Fu Huai’an slowly prepared dinner.
When Lin Nuan was cutting up vegetables, she occasionally cut up vegetables that could be eaten raw and would feed Tuan Tuan a piece.
The tiny child held onto the edge of the full-length cabinet in the kitchen and tilted his head to eat the piece of tomato that Lin Nuan fed to him. He followed his papa’s order strictly and didn’t set foot into the kitchen at all.
Fu Huai’an cracked open four eggs and pa.s.sed a bowl and whisk to Tuan Tuan. He brought over a small chair for Tuan Tuan to sit on and let him help beat the eggs at the entrance to the kitchen.
Tuan Tuan, who had been given an important task, had a serious look on his face. He held the porcelain bowl propped on his leg with one hand and stirred in the bowl as if he was really beating the eggs.
When he was done stirring the eggs, Tuan Tuan stood up and raised his hands up high to lift the porcelain bowl. He still hadn’t entered the kitchen. “Papa!”
Lin Nuan, who was cutting up the ginger, turned to see Tuan Tuan with sparkling eyes and a look on his face that was asking to be praised. But the tiny child’s father seemed not to notice his desire to be praised and left after taking away the porcelain bowl.
The tiny child’s hands were now empty, and he lowered his hands as he looked at his papa’s tall and slender figure with a disappointed look on his face.
“Our Tuan Tuan is so awesome! Mama didn’t even know how to beat eggs when I was your age!” Lin Nuan praised Tuan Tuan.
The tiny child’s face quickly brightened, and he flashed a set of white teeth at her.
Lin Nuan placed the dishes on the table. Tuan Tuan followed closely behind her, eager to help.
Lin Nuan was afraid Tuan Tuan would get scalded by the dishes, so she put some rice in a small bowl and pa.s.sed it to Tuan Tuan. He held onto the bowl with two hands and ran to the dining room. He tiptoed and placed the bowl where Lin Nuan would be sitting. He then ran back to the kitchen and reached out to ask Lin Nuan for another bowl. He then ran back to the dining room and, with much effort, placed the bowl where Fu Huai’an would be sitting.