Chapter 697 The Medicine to My Kind of Condition Is You
His facial features were exquisite and extremely beautiful. Under the complement of his high-collared sweater, he looked as elegant as an aristocrat from the mid-century, causing pedestrians to turn their heads constantly.
When Lin Nuan and You Nainai entered the outdoors cafe, Ah Zhan had already come out with two hot beverages—one for Lin Nuan and one for You Nainai.
Li Muyang looked up to see Lin Nuan, who was already standing opposite him, then smiled and said, “I asked Ah Zhan to order you hot cocoa, drink a little, and you’ll feel much warmer.”
Lin Nuan sat down opposite Li Muyang, her small face tensed up. She was still wearing her coat and had yet to remove her mask.
You Nainai also sat down, eyes fixed on Li Muyang with an unfriendly gaze.
“Mrs. Fu!” Ah Zhan placed two cups of hot cocoa before Lin Nuan and You Nainai, then smiled and retreated behind Li Muyang.
“Can you talk about what you’ve done?” Lin Nuan had both hands in her pockets, and her voice sounded m.u.f.fled behind the mask.
Li Muyang made a gesture towards his own face. “Remove your mask. It shouldn’t be so cold. Try the cocoa…”
Lin Nuan, who was seated opposite Li Muyang, didn’t move. You Nainai spoke up, “Nuan Nuan’s ident.i.ty is special in our country. In order to avoid photos being taken by the paparazzi and made up nonsensical reports about her, it’s better for her to keep her mask on!”
“Then how do you know that I haven’t contacted the paparazzi and got them to camp here after I informed you of the time and location?” Li Muyang smiled. When he spoke, a white ball of smoke swirled in the air from his mouth, making his perplexing smile appear gentle.
Lin Nuan was repulsed by Li Muyang, and she couldn’t hold back the unpleasantness in her heart.
“Nainai, help me order a latte!” Lin Nuan turned her head and said to You Nainai.
Although You Nainai didn’t feel comfortable leaving Lin Nuan alone, since Lin Nuan had asked her to, You Nainai could only nod.
After You Nainai left, Lin Nuan looked towards Li Muyang…
“Did you ask to see me in person just to go around in circles?” Lin Nuan sounded impatient.
“I’m afraid Mr. Fu didn’t tell you, but lately, some friends from overseas have arrived in Haicheng. Of course, that excludes me. They are tempted to test out whether Mr. Fu is Mr. Moral. If my guess is correct, they are planning to take action against you or Mr. Fu’s son!” Li Muyang spoke in a leisurely tone. “I took action first because I know the army doesn’t have anything they can use against Mr. Fu. This way, no one will suspect Mr. Fu anymore. And that means you and that child… are relatively safer!”
“In that case, my husband ought to thank you!” Lin Nuan’s words had a deep significance.
Li Muyang beamed broadly, looking as if he were chatting about an extremely joyful topic with an old friend. He gazed at Lin Nuan with his charismatic and deep eyes as he gently gripped the wooden table with his leather glove-clad right hand. “Nuan Nuan, I’m no saint. I don’t like to do good deeds quietly. My goal in doing this is to please you! That is why I had to call you and ask you out to tell you about it after I did the good deed…”
Lin Nuan clenched the hand in her coat pocket. Li Muyang was indeed an abnormal person…
“I figured, if you were willing to come out and see me today, Mr. Fu would likely be able to return home safe and sound by tonight. If you didn’t turn up, I would certainly have found some trouble for Mr. Fu and prolonged the time it took to get him out, until you were willing to come out and sit with me peacefully!”
Li Muyang was frank.
Lin Nuan had never seen someone court another person in such an open manner, much less a married person…
Perhaps, he wanted to hear Lin Nuan thank him herself, and more importantly, wished to see her let down her guard before him after she thanked him.
“Actually, from the start, I just wanted to stir up this incident. In fact, I only care about your safety, and I didn’t wish to interfere with Mr. Fu’s child’s safety. Originally, I had wanted to see if Mr. Fu would continue to pretend to be a hapless civilian after his own child was kidnapped. Would he seek help from the police, or would he flare up and let his precious teams kill those people who dared lay a finger on his son…”
Upon hearing Li Muyang say that, the pet.i.te hand in Lin Nuan’s pocket clenched even tighter. Anger surged up within her, her fear towards Li Muyang replaced by a great fury directed at him. She almost couldn’t hold herself back from standing up and giving Li Muyang a slap across the face.
Lin Nuan’s gaze at Li Muyang grew colder as she tried her best to control herself, to hold herself back from getting physical with Li Muyang.
Mothers couldn’t stand it the most when someone else wanted to do something to their kid.
“But later, when I saw how much you doted upon the kid, I was afraid you’d be sad, hence I dismissed this idea!”
Just then, You Nainai came back with a latte and placed it before Lin Nuan…
Lin Nuan didn’t react. She raised a hand to remove her mask. When Li Muyang got to see the exquisite face that he dreamed about day and night, his smile intensified.
“Nuan Nuan…” You Nainai, who was afraid Lin Nuan might be photographed by the paparazzi, frowned.
Lin Nuan edged closer to Li Muyang and revealed a cold smile. “Mr. Li, aren’t you afraid that apart from me not coming to meet you… I might make it impossible for you to get out of Haicheng in one piece? Haicheng is, after all, not America. Aren’t you scared, Mr. Li?”
“I might not even live to see tomorrow. You and Mr. Fu are both smart people and won’t claim the life of an about-to-die person like me in Haicheng!”
Lin Nuan sneered and straightened her body, those clear and black eyes mocking him. “If Mr. Li is still in Haicheng by New Year’s Day, you are welcome to attend me and my husband’s wedding if you please!”
“Sure! I’ll certainly be there!” Li Muyang didn’t appear displeased in the least. On the contrary, his smile intensified.
Lin Nuan wasn’t annoyed at all. Her smile broadened like Li Muyang’s. “I’ll introduce someone to Mr. Li then!”
“My pleasure…” Li Muyang replied quickly.
“It’s my psychiatrist. Since Mr. Li has conducted checks on me, you should know that Lu Hanzi is a very famous psychiatrist in our country, even an authoritative one internationally. Mr. Li, you can get Dr. Lu to perform a checkup for you. Being a pervert is also a mental condition… and it needs to be cured!” Lin Nuan’s voice was soft and soothing, just like how she sounded when she was hosting a show. She sounded pleasant, and she spoke smoothly.
Li Muyang’s smile solidified for a second, but very quickly, he recovered and began smiling again. “The medicine for my kind of condition is you. Other than you, no one will be able to cure me. No one, not even authoritative doctors!”
“Too bad, my mental condition isn’t that good either. It’s hereditary… Whenever I see Mr. Li, my condition starts acting up. One needs to save oneself before they can save others. Mr. Li, I’m unable to oblige! In case I do something to embarra.s.s myself!”
Lin Nuan got up, smiled slightly at Li Muyang, and nodded before putting on her mask and turning around to leave…
Seeing that there were already people who had raised their phones and started taking pictures in Lin Nuan and Li Muyang’s direction, Lin Nuan strode towards the car.
Li Muyang stared at Lin Nuan’s back view, his smile more vibrant now.
After Lin Nuan got into the car and left, the rain got heavier, and the sound of rain pitter-pattering against the car roof became clearer and clearer.
Li Muyang looked momentarily lost in thought as he watched the traffic light in the far distance turn green, and as pedestrians carrying umbrellas walked briskly before the cars that had stopped.
Ah Zhan frowned and bent over to say in Li Muyang’s ear, “Ms. Lin has already left. Boss, let’s get going too!”
“Ah Zhan, say… if Xiao Mei had treated those people the way Lin Nuan treats me, would our endings have been different?” Li Muyang’s gaze appeared distant.
Ah Zhan lowered his eyes and didn’t reply.
“I really envy Fu Huai’an…” Li Muyang lamented as he got up with the support of his cane, then fell back onto the rattan chair.
“Sir!” Ah Zhan called out in surprise as he hurried forward to support him.
Li Muyang pressed a glove-clad hand against his head. Veins had popped up on his forehead.
“Sir! Let’s return to America!” Ah Zhan was extremely worried, so his voice was inevitably higher. “Are you really going to die here because of a woman who doesn’t like you? Are you not aware of what your condition is like now? You need to recuperate well!”
After a long while, when Li Muyang felt better, he lowered the hand that was covering his face and revealed a pair of bloodshot eyes. “What’s the meaning of living like a walking corpse? Ah Zhan… I want to give it my all in loving a person for once!”
“But she, but she…”
Ah Zhan gritted his teeth and ultimately said nothing, afraid his words might crush Li Muyang.
But everyone knew Lin Nuan was already married—she already had a husband!
Everyone could tell that Lin Nuan was deeply in love with Fu Huai’an…
Why did it have to be Lin Nuan? It’d be better even if it were that You Nainai by Lin Nuan’s side—at least she wasn’t married yet!
If Li Muyang had fallen in love with any other woman, someone unrelated to Mr. Moral, Ah Zhan could help him…
But they really couldn’t use tough actions against Lin Nuan’s husband!
…
Lin Nuan, who was seated in the front pa.s.senger seat, was anxious to return to Tianfu Bay.
Given the time, Tuan Tuan would be home soon!
At night, Fu Huai’an would return too…
Lin Nuan had to hurry back and prepare dinner, then wait with Tuan Tuan for Fu Huai’an to return.
Lin Nuan’s heart warmed up at the thought of that someone who was about to return to that place she called home..
Her throat felt choked. The way she missed Fu Huai’an was like scalding hot water pouring outwards.
She felt spineless for wanting to cry because she missed someone.
She didn’t even cry when Fu Huai’an left with those people, but now she felt it hard to hold back the urge to do so…
You Nainai quietly drove while the phone in her pocket kept vibrating due to calls from Tang Zheng.
The four of them went to Sheng s.h.i.+ Tang Chao Square together, but because the spot where Lin Nuan and Li Muyang sat down was too visible, it wasn’t a good idea for Tang Zheng and Lu Jinnan to go over.
They had originally thought that after Lin Nuan got into the car after her talk with Li Muyang, they would stop the car after turning. However, the car didn’t look like it was about to stop the entire way.
Lin Nuan’s phone was set to silent mode and in her bag, and Tang Zheng couldn’t reach her, so he could only call You Nainai.
However, You Nainai saw that Lin Nuan was in a bad mood and refused to pick up the call.
As the car entered a tunnel, the warm lighting of the tunnel made the interior of the car appear particularly bright. It fell upon Lin Nuan’s body through the winds.h.i.+eld. She looked at the back of her hands, which were illuminated by the warm light, and felt warm at heart.
Lin Nuan then suddenly recalled Tang Zheng and Lu Jinnan, so she took out her phone and saw that there were more than ten missed calls.
She returned Lu Jinnan’s call, telling him that Fu Huai’an would return that night. Lu Jinnan sighed in relief and asked Lin Nuan at the same time, “Did you ask him what exactly happened?”
“I did. Let’s talk when we get back!” Lin Nuan didn’t want to say it before You Nainai. The fewer people that knew about Fu Huai’an’s ident.i.ty, the safer he would be.
You Nainai wasn’t curious about Fu Huai’an’s matters. She was only doing her best to live up to her responsibilities as a bodyguard and personal a.s.sistant.
After ending the call, Lin Nuan started going through the ingredients in the fridge and considered what dishes she could prepare for Tuan Tuan and Fu Huai’an for dinner.
Since the matter implicated Fu Huai’an’s safety, Tang Zheng and Lu Jinnan had stopped everything they were doing and followed You Nainai’s car to Tianfu Bay.
You Nainai knew that Tang Zheng and Lu Jinnan had come chasing after them because they wanted to ask about something, and seeing that Lin Nuan had diverted her away when she discussed matters with Li Muyang earlier, You Nainai knew she needed to stay away. Hence, when Tang Zheng and Lu Jinnan entered after parking their car, she said to Lin Nuan, “I’m going to the convenience store to buy some stuff!”
Lin Nuan nodded. “Take an umbrella! On the umbrella rack outside…”
“Okay!”
Lu Jinnan had just opened the door when You Nainai was leaving. She turned her body sideways to let Lu Jinnan enter first, lowering her gaze and not looking at Tang Zheng.
When Tang Zheng entered, his eyes were fixed on You Nainai…
You Nainai’s eyelashes appeared long and dense as she looked down, and her incredibly fair face was lowered as her gaze fixed upon the floor. Seeing Tang Zheng’s leather shoes step into the house, You Nainai turned her body sideways and prepared to leave, not at all looking like she was about to speak with Tang Zheng.
“Nainai!”
When they brushed shoulders, Tang Zheng grabbed You Nainai’s wrist.
You Nainai didn’t want to use physical force against Tang Zheng in Fu Huai’an and Lin Nuan’s home, so she looked up with a cold gaze. She was warning Tang Zheng to let go, her lips pursed and not saying a word.
“What did that sickly man say to the two of you?”
Hearing Lu Jinnan question Lin Nuan, Tang Zheng looked into the house, finally letting go of You Nainai’s hand with his brows furrowed…
You Nainai went out and drew an umbrella from the umbrella rack, then wrapped herself firmly with her coat, her eyes reddened. She then walked in the direction of the villa’s garden while carrying the umbrella.
Tang Zheng watched You Nainai’s back view until it disappeared, only then closing the door and entering the house.
Tang Zheng’s hair and suit-clad shoulders were drenched from the rain. He removed his suit jacket to hang at the door, then walked towards Lin Nuan and Lu Jinnan.
“Sickly man” was a nickname Lu Jinnan gave Li Muyang. The way Lu Jinnan saw it, that Li Muyang resembled a woman more than a woman. Add to that his sickly appearance, and Lu Jinnan couldn’t stand the looks of him.
Lin Nuan held her phone in her hands as she frowned and said, “Li Muyang said that some so-called friends from overseas had arrived in Haicheng lately, excluding him. These people are tempted to test whether Huai’an is Mr. Moral. He said those people wanted to take action against Tuan Tuan and me. This time, he deliberately revealed some things to the military in order for the military to conduct checks on Huai’an and thus help absolve him of suspicion. He did this in order to ensure the safety of Tuan Tuan and me!”
Lu Jinnan looked up with a look of disbelief. “What?”
“He said that he only did this because he knew that Huai’an wouldn’t leave any trace in the hands of the military that they could use to act against him. He even said that so long as there’s no action on his part, Huai’an will definitely return tonight!” Lin Nuan glanced at the time on her phone. “Last night, when Huai’an left with those people, he said he’d be back by tonight at the latest!”
Tang Zheng frowned. Although worried, he still said, “Since Old Fu said… that he’d be back by tonight at the latest, why don’t we wait and see! I’ve already gotten someone to follow up on this. It’s just that firstly, Old Lu and I received news of this late, and secondly, all these years we have deliberately hidden from the military, so we don’t have many sources over there. However… the person I asked to follow up on this is reliable, and I believe we’ll hear back from him soon.”
Just then, Tang Zheng’s phone rang.
After whipping out his phone and taking a look, Tang Zheng looked delighted. “There’s news…”
Hearing the sound of car tires screeching to a halt, Lin Nuan glanced outside. “Tuan Tuan is back!”
“I’ll go to the back and answer the call!” Tang Zheng took his phone with him as he went into the little yard behind the villa.
“Tonight, stay and eat with Tang Zheng and Nainai! I’ll prepare extra food…” Lin Nuan said to Lu Jinnan.
After a moment’s hesitation, Lu Jinnan nodded. “Okay!”
Although it was said that Fu Huai’an would return tonight, Lu Jinnan wanted to find out about Fu Huai’an’s exact condition.
Over this period of time, Fu Huai’an was on vacation and preparing for the wedding with Lin Nuan, so Lu Jinnan and Tang Zheng didn’t wish to interrupt them. This was why they didn’t hear about Fu Huai’an being taken away after one day one night.
Although they knew that if Fu Huai’an had gone to the military, he should be fine, they couldn’t help worrying. Only when they got to see Fu Huai’an return safe and sound would their hearts be set at ease.
Staring out the windows that didn’t have curtains drawn, Lin Nuan saw that Tuan Tuan had climbed out of the car. She walked towards the entryway and set her phone on the shoe cabinet, then changed her shoes and opened the door to welcome Tuan Tuan.
“Mama!” Tuan Tuan called out excitedly the minute he saw Lin Nuan, immediately bouncing in her direction.
Lin Nuan smiled when she saw Tuan Tuan leaping into her arms, and she reached out to stroke Tuan Tuan on his little head.
Seeing Tuan Tuan holding a Christmas hat, Lin Nuan asked, “Did you celebrate Christmas at kindergarten today?”
Tuan Tuan nodded, then raised the Christmas hat and chirped merrily, “Prize!”
“Tuan Tuan is so terrific!” Lin Nuan squatted down and took the Christmas hat from Tuan Tuan’s hand. She asked, “What did Tuan Tuan do to get this prize?”
In response, Tuan Tuan removed his little school bag from his shoulders and pulled open the zip, retrieving from it a drawing scroll with a silk ribbon tied around it. Lin Nuan took Tuan Tuan’s schoolbag from his hands and watched as he untied the b.u.t.terfly knot of the silk ribbon and unrolled the drawing…
Tuan Tuan had drawn their family of three. Compared to Tuan Tuan’s previous demonic drawing style, this time around, his drawing was quite well done. At least the outlines were clear, and the colors used were pretty and harmonious, making people feel comfortable looking at it.
The kindergarten teacher had stuck a golden trophy sticker on Tuan Tuan’s drawing and commented that the colors were gorgeous and a feast for the eyes.
Lin Nuan looked up from the drawing and saw the sparkly-eyed Tuan Tuan staring at her. It was as if he were asking for a compliment. She beamed at Tuan Tuan and said, “Tuan Tuan’s drawing is beautiful!”
Tuan Tuan flashed a toothy and vibrant grin. “Shall Tuan Tuan give this drawing to Papa as a Christmas present?”
“Okay!” Tuan Tuan agreed immediately, nodding his head obediently.
Lin Nuan stroked Tuan Tuan’s little head, then walked into the house with his chubby little hand in hers. “Today, Uncle Tang Zheng, Uncle Lu Jinnan, and Auntie Nainai will be eating dinner at our place. What does Tuan Tuan want to eat?”
“Eggs!” Tuan Tuan looked up and said to Lin Nuan.
“Okay! Then I will cook Tuan Tuan eggs…”
After entering the house, Tuan Tuan greeted Lu Jinnan before obediently going off to wash his face, hands, and rinse his mouth by himself. After that, he went upstairs to change his clothes.
Tang Zheng was still on the phone. Lin Nuan went into the kitchen to take out the ingredients from the fridge. Lu Jinnan couldn’t keep still, so he went into the kitchen and saw the vegetables and meat Lin Nuan had placed on the tabletop.