Chapter 706: What Present?
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
After Fang Yan sent them away, she returned and saw a dazed Chu Xun sitting there, her dark purple fur coat on the ground by the door.
Fang Yan bent over and picked up Chu Xun’s coat, then shook off the dirt. She walked to Chu Xun and handed the fur coat to her.
Chu Xun’s eyes were out of focus, and it was like she couldn’t see anything. Tears fell down her cheeks in large droplets.
By now, she had sobered up a little and calmed down. Her raspy voice was strangely soft as she said, “Was I… a total embarra.s.sment just now?”
Since they were both women, for Fang Yan to see Chu Xun in this state, she couldn’t help feeling some compa.s.sion.
Fang Yan spoke, “President Chu, you shouldn’t limit yourself to living like a little woman, behaving so desperately because of a man! You’re ‘The Iron Lady of the News Industry.’ There are more meaningful things waiting for you to do, and you have to pin all of your feelings and the meaning of life on a man, splitting hairs because of a man who you’re unable to obtain!”
Chu Xun looked up at Fang Yan, who was dressed in a unis.e.x fas.h.i.+on.
Seeing that Chu Xun didn’t take the fur coat from her, Fang Yan shook the fur coat and placed it over her forearm. She pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Chu Xun, extended a leg, then retrieved a cigarette from her pocket to bite at the corner of her lips. She asked Chu Xun, “Want one?”
Chu Xun shook her head as she wiped the tears from her face.
Fang Yan lit her cigarette. “People say that men are the ones who can accomplish great things in this world because men are truly heartless when they make up their minds to be so! In the past, I thought President Chu was such a person too! The kind of woman capable of accomplis.h.i.+ng great things! Your resume is so beautiful, enough to command respect and awe from any man! When I looked at your resume… I personally felt you should be a woman so powerful that you don’t need a man or relations.h.i.+ps!”
Fang Yan reached for an ashtray and tapped cigarette ash into it. “Because the world has always had stringent requirements for women. In this world, women can’t become powerful enough to conquer the world and possess fairytale-like beautiful romances at the same time! Your outstanding resume… will cause men who admire you, yet are unable to conquer you, not to have the guts to go near you! And the men you admire and who can conquer you might not happen to like you back!”
Chu Xun was feeling a little dizzy. There were now two Fang Yans before her eyes. However, her mind could still be considered clear.
“In that case, why must you focus all of your attention on a man and not on your career? When you are constantly advancing in your career, on the way, you are bound to meet the man who admires you and is able to conquer you at the same time!”
Fang Yan then put out her unfinished cigarette in the ashtray and handed Chu Xun her fur coat. “Do you need me to call a cab for you?”
Chu Xun shook her head.
“Then, Miss Chu, I’ll get going first!”
The reason Fang Yan sat down and said this much to Chu Xun was that she felt that there weren’t many successful women like Chu Xun in this world!
Even if it was just as an aspirational story, more women needed stories like this to motivate themselves.
Fang Yan was unwilling to see Chu Xun sink deeper because of a man that didn’t belong to her, adding another news headline about how another successful woman was unable to pick herself back up because of a failed relations.h.i.+p.
It would just give those chauvinistic men another reason to say… that women weren’t capable of great things!
That would cause more women who were doing their best in the workplace, or who were starting their own businesses, to suffer more prejudices.
This was unfair to other women who were working hard…
Fang Yan’s heart ached for these women, and not so much Chu Xun!
…
In the car, Lin Nuan was seated in the backseat with Tuan Tuan in her lap. Regarding the episode with Chu Xun earlier, since Fu Huai’an had made his att.i.tude clear, Lin Nuan felt glad and blissful.
The second day, the video of Chu Xun making a scene at the suite was released, surprising everyone.
Lin Nuan and Fu Huai’an’s fans had mocked Chu Xun mercilessly. Even Chu Xun’s father and the Haixing Corporation had appeared in the comments, and none of it sounded pleasant at all.
More people felt like they had been fed dog food again. So, it turned out, in Fu Huai’an’s heart, one Haixing Corporation plus one Chu Xun, whose looks weren’t inferior to Lin Nuan’s, couldn’t compare to Lin Nuan.
The keyboard warriors who were obsessed with the news of Lin Nuan secretly meeting Li Muyang were slapped in their faces and nowhere to be seen now.
Some nosy netizen had, because of that one line by Chu Xun about how her looks weren’t inferior to Lin Nuan’s, placed Lin Nuan and Chu Xun’s photos side by side for comparison, causing a flurry of comments!
Someone said that Chu Xun was incomparable to Lin Nuan when it came to the looks department and asked who gave her the confidence to claim her looks weren’t inferior to Lin Nuan’s.
1More people were slamming and ridiculing Chu Xun than people were speaking up for her…
A netizen had left a comment on Lin Nuan’s Weibo and asked her to be magnanimous and speak up for Chu Xun, causing Lin Nuan’s fans to lash back in defense of their idol.
[@Roasted Sweet Potato: Are you possessed by a saint? Someone’s trying to steal someone’s husband here, and you’re suggesting she should speak up for that third party? Has your brain been kicked silly by a donkey? //@Little Fattie Feifei: Be more magnanimous since you’ve already obtained your love. Are you really not planning to speak up for Miss Chu Xun, who’s in such a pitiful state now? At the very least, she used to be your superior! @Lin Nuan’s Official Weibo]
[@Dung Beetle Younger Brother: Aiyoh, I remember the words of an older brother. This must be what happened to our friend here—his mother displaced the rest of the child apart from the placenta and hence only raised the placenta. Normal people cannot comprehend the thinking of a placenta! (shrugs) //@Little Fattie Feifei: Be more magnanimous since you’ve already obtained your love. Are you really not planning to speak up for Miss Chu Xun, who’s in such a pitiful state now? At the very least, she used to be your superior! @Lin Nuan’s Official Weibo]
[@Hotwheels Ne Zha: Why don’t you go up there and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the sun? //@Little Fattie Feifei: Be more magnanimous since you’ve already obtained your love. Are you really not planning to speak up for Miss Chu Xun, who’s in such a pitiful state now? At the very least, she used to be your superior! @Lin Nuan’s Official Weibo]
[@EM Magazine’s Editor Cheng Manfei: d.a.m.n, are you so eager to become famous that you’ve become mad? Did you deliberately say this to get your comment heavily discussed and be scolded? Or… are you Chu Xun’s account? //@Little Fattie Feifei: Be more magnanimous since you’ve already obtained your love. Are you really not planning to speak up for Miss Chu Xun, who’s in such a pitiful state now? At the very least, she used to be your superior! @Lin Nuan’s Official Weibo]
[@Little Pudding Duoduo: Perhaps this person is someone with a similar experience to Chu Xun, so they’re able to empathize with her. They both have similar mental conditions and are pitiful enough already! Everyone, please stop attacking them! We should think of a way to raise money to send them to a mental hospital! //@Little Fattie Feifei: Be more magnanimous since you’ve already obtained your love. Are you really not planning to speak up for Miss Chu Xun, who’s in such a pitiful state now? At the very least, she used to be your superior! @Lin Nuan’s Official Weibo]
There were countless similar comments, and whenever someone spoke up for Chu Xun, that comment would be attacked relentlessly.
There was no doubt about it—Lin Nuan, Fu Huai’an, and Chu Xun had made it to the top of the search engine on Weibo.
The number of views on Chu Xun’s video had reached a new high…
Fang Yan looked at the headlines on Weibo and in the news. What she feared most happened anyway…
The argument about how women were incapable of great things was raised once again.
While those authors were attacking Chu Xun, they raised this serious question—why were so few women capable of achieving great things?
Take, for example, Empress Dowager Cixi, who was in control during the feudal dynasty. She had short-sightedly placed her focus on how to doll herself up and on extravagances instead of on how to strengthen her country and become a superpower that others dared not invade or bully.
Fang Yan sighed. Looking at the angle from which this video was taken, it must have been Mu Taotao’s doing!
After Fang Yan returned home, her child was crying and making a fuss. As Fang Yan coaxed the child to sleep, she fell asleep herself, and thus forgot to instruct Mu Taotao and the rest not to upload that video. She hadn’t expected that in the span of one night, while she was sleeping, things had gotten to an irreversible stage!
Fang Yan’s heart ached, not for Chu Xun, but for those women who were working hard at their careers and were implicated by Chu Xun!
After all, Chu Xun used to be the representative of successful women!
Fang Yan looked at the sound asleep child by her side and heard her husband asking the auntie why breakfast wasn’t prepared yet. She frowned, and after covering the child with a blanket, she raised the rails around the bed and went downstairs.
The video of Chu Xun pestering Fu Huai’an and crying while asking him why he had chosen Lin Nuan over her was surging in popularity!
The media exposed another piece of news from an outsider at Haicheng TV Station. It was about how Lin Nuan was replaced by Weng Lin on “A Sunday Date” because Chu Xun was unhappy with Fu Huai’an’s marriage to Lin Nuan and wanted to block Lin Nuan’s career prospects, not because of any sponsors.h.i.+p issue. The informant described it vividly and in great detail.
Once news of this leaked, Lin Nuan’s fans exploded.
Everyone exclaimed that it was no wonder that even though Lin Nuan had such a wealthy husband behind her, she was squeezed off the show by Weng Lin…
Even Weng Lin wasn’t spared from being scolded on her Weibo. They said that she and Chu Xun were birds of the same feather.
Weng Lin, who got attacked even though she did nothing, released a Weibo post and expressed that she didn’t know anything about it. She merely listened to the orders from her superior and took on “A Sunday Date.” She inappropriately asked that the mad dogs not bite people on a whim, incurring the wrath of Lin Nuan’s fans and even causing Weng Lin’s Weibo to be crippled at one point.
This ensued until that afternoon, at which point Chu Xun announced that she would resign from her position as President of Haicheng TV Station. Everyone forwarded this message from Haicheng TV Station’s Official Weibo with joy!
At the same time, the publicity trailer for Lin Nuan’s new show, “Talking with Lin Nuan,” was released. After the trailer and photos were released on Jinjiang TV Station’s official Weibo account, many people responded and said they would be sure to watch Lin Nuan’s new show!
Some people even asked Lin Nuan on her official Weibo when they would get to see Lin Nuan interviewing her own husband, Fu Huai’an, on her talk show. They looked forward to seeing such a show.
Netizens started tagging Lin Nuan on her official Weibo, asking to see Fu Huai’an and Lin Nuan in the same frame, wanting to see them dispensing dog food on the show.
The comments saying they were antic.i.p.ating Lin Nuan’s new program were drowned by the new comments asking Lin Nuan when she would invite Fu Huai’an on an episode of her show.
Fang Yan’s attention very quickly s.h.i.+fted from Chu Xun’s matter to this. She quickly contacted Little Lu and asked him to check with Fu Huai’an and see if he was willing to appear in the same frame as Lin Nuan on the show.
All these years, Fu Huai’an was considered a rather mysterious president of a company, for he rarely accepted interviews from the media.
If he could appear in the same frame as Lin Nuan on the new show, they would definitely be able to bring the show’s ratings to new heights.
Little Lu wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry when he received Fang Yan’s call. “Sister Yan, isn’t it easier for you to call Madam and get her to ask my boss if he’s willing?”
“I’ll certainly tell Xiao Nuan about it. But before that, I have to obtain Mr. Fu’s agreement! Ask Mr. Fu first. After hanging up, I’ll call Nuan Nuan.”
Fang Yan looked at her computer screen, browsing through the comments on Lin Nuan’s Weibo.
“Ding-dong—”
Her email inbox vibrated. Fang Yan opened it…
The photography studio had sent Lin Nuan and Fu Huai’an’s wedding photos to Fang Yan!
Lin Nuan wore a white V-collar mermaid gown, whereas Fu Huai’an was smartly dressed in a suit. One could feel the strong sense of love between the two of them just by looking at them standing together.
Fang Yan smiled and decided to release these wedding photos on Christmas Day as a present to the fans.
After browsing the photos and Weibo for a good while, Fang Yan called Lin Nuan…
When Fang Yan called, Lin Nuan was in her room working on her Christmas present for Fu Huai’an.
Nearly done with it, Lin Nuan had indescribable excitement in her heart!
Lin Nuan had measured Fu Huai’an’s body with her hands, so the sweater should be of the right size!
She ignored the nonsense on the internet and placed all her focus on the present…
Upon hearing the phone ring, Lin Nuan set down the sweater in her hand and answered, her other hand still holding a knitting needle. “h.e.l.lo, Sister Yan!”
“I’ve received the wedding photos over here! I plan to release them on Christmas Day as a present to the fans. What do you think?” Fang Yan asked.
“You can decide, Sister Yan!” Lin Nuan’s mind was on her Christmas present.
“And there’s another matter, in which I’m not sure I can make the decision!”
“En, Sister Yan, go ahead and say it!”
“I’m not sure if you’ve seen Weibo…”
Lin Nuan had busied herself the entire day over this present and didn’t have the time to look at Weibo at all. “I haven’t. What’s the matter?”
“Your little suns strongly request that you and Fu Huai’an appear in the same frame on your show for one episode. What do you think?”
Lin Nuan looked up. “What do you mean?”
“I’m saying, what do you think about getting your husband to appear on your new talk show as a guest?” There was a hint of a smile in Fang Yan’s voice. “Actually, never mind the fans, I wish to see it myself…”
Lin Nuan was rendered speechless.
Lin Nuan could imagine Fu Huai’an coming onto her show. She didn’t want others to see the Fu Huai’an who would start talking dirty with her about three sentences into the show!
However, Fu Huai’an might watch his words when he was on the show. Who knew whether things would get awkward, though.
After giving the proposal some thought, she decided to forget about it!
“Forget it, Sister Yan. Let’s forget about inviting him onto the show. Let’s leave some mystery for the fans!”
Fang Yan wasn’t at all surprised to hear Lin Nuan reject her. “Never mind, you can think about it some more. Anytime you’re ready for it, just let me know so we can make arrangements in advance! There are publicity events for the premiere of ‘The Exorcist’ on Christmas Day, but I’m guessing you would prefer to spend Christmas with your husband and kid. Hence, I told Director Chen that you wouldn’t be going!”
“Okay…” Lin Nuan smiled.
On the other end of the line, Fang Yan’s son had started crying. Fang Yan glanced in the direction of her son, then hurriedly said, “Then I’ll hang up now!”
“Okay, Sister Yan, you go get busy!”
After ending the call, Lin Nuan finished up her present for Fu Huai’an, then took out the packaging she had prepared in advance and packed it up nicely.
She had presents for Fu Huai’an, for Tuan Tuan, for her grandmother, grandfather, parents, and older brother of the Lin family, as well as for Bai Xiaonian, Song Yao, Ji Yun… and even Lin Ran!
Actually, Lin Nuan prepared presents for her grandparents and parents of the Lin family, plus Lin Chen, every year. She had done so since she left the Lin home. It was just that she had never sent them out.
As for this year’s presents, Lin Nuan held up a few bags of gifts and hesitated…
The door to the bedroom opened, and Fu Huai’an came walking in, bringing with him chilly air from outside. He looked at the presents on the bed and took out his casual home clothes. As he unb.u.t.toned his s.h.i.+rt, he asked, “What are all of these?”
“Christmas presents I have prepared for everyone!” Lin Nuan raised the bags of presents she had prepared for her Lin family members and placed them into the wardrobe.
“For the Lin family?” asked Fu Huai’an.
Lin Nuan turned her head sideways and gazed at Fu Huai’an—could this man read her mind?
With a smile, Fu Huai’an said, “Now that Lin Ran has sorted out her thoughts, your Lin family members will be coming to attend our wedding. It’s not overboard for you to send out these presents. Lin Ran might even be waiting for you to send presents to your kin at the Lin family. That way, she can give one to Mom!”
Lin Nuan knew that by “Mom,” Fu Huai’an meant Ji Yun.
“What did you go off to do just now?” Lin Nuan changed the topic.
Fu Huai’an flashed her a mysterious smile. “Preparing your Christmas present…”
Upon hearing that she herself would receive a present, Lin Nuan couldn’t stop herself from smiling. However, she saw that Fu Huai’an wasn’t carrying anything in his hands. She didn’t wait for Fu Huai’an to take off his s.h.i.+rt before she jogged over and hugged him by his narrow waist…
Under her palms were Fu Huai’an’s firm muscles and peach-colored skin. Lin Nuan placed her tender and pet.i.te hands upon the powerful curves of Fu Huai’an’s shoulder and spine, unable to tear herself away from him. “What present? Show me!”
Fu Huai’an lowered his head at his little bride, who wore a look of antic.i.p.ation. He removed his s.h.i.+rt and coat and casually tossed them onto the large bed. His upper body naked, he hugged Lin Nuan in his arms. “Surely, you at least have to wait for me to put on my clothes! En?”
“Let me help you!” Lin Nuan hugged Fu Huai’an by the waist, and her chin was propped on his chest as she raised a leg and forced Fu Huai’an to retreat backward.
Fu Huai’an couldn’t hide the smile on his lips, and as he cooperatively retreated backward, he sensed his calves. .h.i.t the side of the soft and large bed…
Lin Nuan gently pushed Fu Huai’an with her pet.i.te hand, having him sit on the edge of the large bed. Holding the large clothes by the edges, she knelt down with her knees at Fu Huai’an’s sides, and her entire body seated on Fu Huai’an’s lap.
As her pet.i.te hand crossed under Fu Huai’an’s armpit to reach the casual clothes behind him, her soft body was pressed close to Fu Huai’an’s chest.
Separated by the thin fabric on Lin Nuan, their temperatures met and blended together…
Fu Huai’an supported himself with one hand on the large bed behind him, his other arm wrapped around Lin Nuan’s slim waist. He resisted the urge to squirm under her clothes, waiting for Lin Nuan to take action.
The jasmine scent from Lin Nuan’s hair mingled with the feminine and gentle smell she naturally had, entering Fu Huai’an’s nostrils. There was a barely visible distance between Lin Nuan’s fair and scalding hot little face and Fu Huai’an’s chest.