Chapter 712: What Did Lin Nuan Mean by This?
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Ye Ziqi clenched her teeth and was so enraged that her eyes had turned red. Special a.s.sistant Jian was still restraining the hand she had raised to hit the young lady, so she could only say in a soft voice to Special a.s.sistant Jian, “Special a.s.sistant Jian! I’ve already said my father was framed, why won’t you believe me?”
“Housekeeper Liu, if you’re done packing, can I trouble you to send Mrs. Fu and her family out!” Special a.s.sistant Jian flung Ye Ziqi’s hand away from him as he finished speaking.
“How dare you, Special a.s.sistant Jian! Even if I’m not the missy of the Ye family, you’re still addressing me as Mrs. Fu, so you should know Fu Cheng has inheritance rights to the Kaide Corporation. I…”
“Big Missy, Little Missy! Please…” Without waiting for Ye Ziqi to finish talking, Special a.s.sistant Jian, who had lost all patience with her, spoke to the mother-and-daughter pair respectfully.
The young lady sneered and glared at Ye Ziqi, then supported her mother as they walked up the stairs.
Housekeeper Liu smiled at Ye Ziqi. “Mrs. Fu, the servants have finished moving your things out…”
Ye Ziqi took a look at Special a.s.sistant Jian’s back view, then pointed a finger at Housekeeper Liu and those servants watching the fun. With reddened eyes, she forced herself to hold back her tears as she said, “Housekeeper Liu, all of you, remember this. Just now, what that little b*stard said was right—fortunes do reverse! All of you, wait and see!”
Ye Ziqi then turned around and lashed out at the servants, shouting, “Weren’t you chasing us away? Why aren’t you putting our stuff into the car!”
Ye Ziqi unlocked the car.
Housekeeper Ye glanced at that car, then said with a smile, “Apologies, Mrs. Fu, but this car is Ye family property too, so you have no right to drive it away! Do you need me to help you call a cab?”
The young lady, who was about to enter the house, turned around and covered her mouth with her hand as she let out a chuckle.
Ye Ziqi’s chest ached as if ten thousand arrows were piercing through her heart. She didn’t even dare to turn her head around.
“No need!” Ye Ziqi said with her teeth clenched.
Ye Ziqi took her father and two kids and dragged the pieces of luggage out of the Ye family’s manor. She was using an app on her phone to call a cab to get them back to the hotel when she heard her father still muttering about his snuff bottle. Ye Ziqi cried in exasperation. “Snuff bottle, snuff bottle! All you can think about is a snuff bottle! Dad, do you know you have just lost the inheritance rights to the Ye Corporation? Now, to get to the hotel… I even need to use an app on my phone to call a cab!”
When the two kids saw Ye Ziqi cry as she used an app to call for a cab, for some reason, they started crying too!
Ye Ziqi’s father paused for a long time. Seeing his daughter and grandchildren crying, Ye Ziqi’s father spoke up with his lips pursed…
“Qi Qi, actually, I have long suspected that I wasn’t a kid of the Ye family. Now that the results are out, while I couldn’t accept this initially, now I actually feel relieved! It doesn’t matter if I’m not the successor of the Ye Corporation, at least you and your older sister have married relatively well! I don’t need to worry about the two of you! Besides, although I’ve been useless all these years, your mother is brilliant, even having her own magazine company. Others won’t dare to slight our family. You…”
“Is that nearly the same?” Ye Ziqi howled at her father. “In the past, I was the missy of the Ye family, but what am I now? The Ye family has solid roots and immense wealth. Is this something my mother can compare to with her capabilities as one person?”
Ye Ziqi’s father was dazed from being howled at by her, and he only managed to react after a long while. “Sorry, Ziqi, for you to have met a useless father like me!”
As Ye Ziqi listened to her father’s powerless words, she began sobbing even harder.
…
Back at Tianfu Bay…
After the family of three finished their breakfast, Lin Nuan was preparing to wash the dishes before setting off. It was then that Tuan Tuan suddenly ran to the kitchen and tugged at Lin Nuan’s trouser leg, wanting to pull her out of the kitchen.
“What is it, Tuan Tuan?” Lin Nuan lowered her head and looked at Tuan Tuan, who was still pulling at her trouser leg, moving her forward. She bent over and grabbed Tuan Tuan’s little hand.
Lin Nuan was dragged to the French windows by Tuan Tuan. She looked in the direction that Tuan Tuan’s chubby little finger was pointing and saw Fu Tianci, who was still in his school uniform, standing at the entrance. He was pacing back and forth before the gate, hesitating about whether to go in or not.
Lin Nuan paused in surprise. She lowered her head and asked Tuan Tuan, “Has Fu Tianci been here for long?”
Tuan Tuan nodded.
Perhaps because of the last time at the Fu manor, when Fu Tianci had stood on her side, Lin Nuan had developed a fondness for him. It was such a cold day, so after a moment’s hesitation, Lin Nuan walked towards the door.
Tuan Tuan followed behind Lin Nuan like a little tail.
Fu Tianci, who was standing outside, was very hesitant. When he got into trouble in the past, his father would get Fu Huai’an to help him!
But he knew that his father had long fallen out with Fu Huai’an, so for him to come here and look for Fu Huai’an with a thick skin… was it a bad idea?
Actually, Fu Tianci knew in his heart that Lin Nuan wasn’t so fond of him either!
He had better leave…
Fu Tianci had just s.h.i.+fted his feet when he felt conflicted again. Where could he go if he left?
Fu Tianci’s eyes were a little red. The only comforting place he could think of was here, so what should he do?
Hearing the sound of the door open, Fu Tianci paused in surprise. He turned around and saw that Lin Nuan was standing at the door. Fu Tianci subconsciously started running away.
“Fu Tianci!”
Lin Nuan’s voice could be heard from behind him. Fu Tianci halted in his steps, then raised a hand to rub his reddened eyes. With both hands in his pockets, he frowned and turned back towards Lin Nuan.
That little one, Tuan Tuan, was standing right by Lin Nuan’s legs. He was tugging on Lin Nuan’s trouser leg with one hand and staring right at him with his clean and black eyes…
Fu Tianci felt embarra.s.sed. With his brows furrowed, he a.s.sumed a lackadaisical manner and looked at Lin Nuan and Tuan Tuan sideways. He then said with a frivolous tone, “What?”
Seeing that Lin Nuan didn’t reply to him, Fu Tianci’s brows furrowed deeper. “Don’t think I appeared here to come to your house. My cla.s.smate lives here, and I came to visit him. I merely pa.s.sed by your door!”
Knowing that Fu Tianci didn’t mean what he said, Lin Nuan didn’t appear to mind how the boy undergoing p.u.b.erty was being difficult. She asked, “Want to come in?”
Fu Tianci glanced sideways at the gate, his ears a little red. “Since you’re asking so sincerely!”
Lin Nuan smiled with her eyes slightly. She watched Fu Tianci push open the gate with one hand and enter. His school uniform looked a little dirty, and his hair was also messy.
Only when Fu Tianci came near did Lin Nuan realize that his originally beautiful slanted eyes had blood vessels in them. Perhaps it was because Fu Tianci was overly fair, but his dark circles were particularly apparent.
Lin Nuan and Tuan Tuan stepped aside for Fu Tianci to come in. Once he entered, he saw that Little Lu was holding Fu Huai’an’s jacket in his hand, looking like they were about to head out.
Fu Tianci paused in surprise and gazed at Lin Nuan. “Are you going out?”
“En!” Lin Nuan closed the door, then looked at Fu Tianci, who had grown quite a bit taller since she had last seen him. She didn’t hide it from him and nodded. “We’re taking a trip to Jincheng.”
Fu Tianci paused momentarily, his hand that was preparing to open the shoe cabinet freezing in place. He frowned as his vision swept past the jacket in Little Lu’s hands, his dilly-dallying tone of voice sounding a little aggrieved. “You’re all going out soon, so why did you call me in?”
“Have you eaten breakfast?” Although Lin Nuan asked him that, she was clear that Fu Tianci hadn’t eaten. She had already started going into the kitchen to fix Fu Tianci some breakfast.
“I’ve eaten!”
Fu Tianci lied without blus.h.i.+ng or having his heart rate accelerate, but his stomach growled loudly as he stood in the entryway.
Betrayed by his own stomach, Fu Tianci turned red. He turned his head sideways and glanced at the shoe cabinet, trying to look nonchalant.
Little Lu tried his best to hold back his laughter, also trying not to look at Fu Tianci. He feared this Young Master might take out his anger on him.
“Do you eat sunny side up eggs? We still have some porridge leftover from earlier!” Lin Nuan’s voice could be heard from the kitchen.
Fu Tianci supported himself against the shoe cabinet as he took out a pair of slippers and changed into them. Then, he said proudly, “I don’t eat sunny side up eggs unless they have a soft yolk!”
The sunny side up eggs that Lin Nuan served weren’t the kind Fu Tianci just said he wanted—with a soft yolk.
The egg yolks were thoroughly cooked on both sides. It wasn’t that Lin Nuan deliberately did this to spite Fu Tianci, but she wasn’t too good at cooking sunny side up eggs with a soft yolk. Fu Huai’an would probably have done a better job.
Fu Tianci said nothing. He picked up a pair of chopsticks and took a bite of the sunny side up eggs. The egg yolks were indeed thoroughly cooked and not at all soft.
The porridge was the most ordinary kind—century egg lean meat porridge. The taste was okay, but the good thing was that it was piping hot!
Fu Tianci dressed thinly, and he had been s.h.i.+vering as he stood at the entrance for a long while. Now, with the hot porridge entering his stomach, his entire body warmed up.
Because they hadn’t prepared breakfast with Fu Tianci’s share in mind, Lin Nuan could only serve up whatever was available.
They had finished up the xiaolongbao, so she could only toast Fu Tianci some bread. She placed it on a plate and set it down by Fu Tianci’s hands.
Fu Tianci asked while Lin Nuan was was.h.i.+ng the dishes, “Where’s Fu Huai’an?”
“Upstairs, changing his clothes!” Lin Nuan didn’t look up, merely placing the washed dishes back in the cabinets.
Fu Tianci had already finished eating, but he felt embarra.s.sed about having to bring the empty plates over for Lin Nuan to wash. He sat there, poking at the remaining half of a piece of crispy toasted bread with his chopsticks. “What are you guys going to Jincheng for?”
Lin Nuan raised her head to look at Fu Tianci. When their gazes met, it was unknown whether Fu Tianci felt embarra.s.sed or irritated, but he s.h.i.+fted his gaze away. He set down his chopsticks, then pursed his lips and said, “I’m just casually asking, it doesn’t matter if you don’t wish to say.”
Fu Tianci couldn’t hide his little thoughts from Lin Nuan. He probably got into some trouble and was there to find Fu Huai’an to help him resolve his problems, yet he was hesitant and didn’t dare to tell Fu Huai’an about it, fearing the latter might reject him. So he decided first to find out if Fu Huai’an had anything going on.
“Hand me the plates if you’re done eating…”
“I’ll wash them myself!” Fu Tianci stood up, then walked towards the kitchen with his plates and bowl in hand.
“Do you know how to wash dishes?” Lin Nuan was doubtful.
Fu Tianci smirked, a hint of pride in his gaze. “Tsk… don’t belittle me. Back when I wasn’t Fu Tianci yet, my mother was busy all the time and was rarely at home. I was the one who did the cooking and washed the dishes after that! I’m not bragging, but I’m awesome at cooking. If there’s a chance, I’ll show you my skills!”
Fu Huai’an had just come downstairs when he heard Fu Tianci’s voice from the kitchen. He walked to the entrance of the dining room.
He saw Lin Nuan standing by the side with wet hands and Fu Tianci doing the dishes in an experienced manner.
What kind of weird combination was that?
Fu Huai’an couldn’t understand what he was looking at. With his eyes narrowed, he stood and watched on with his hands in his pockets.
From her peripheral vision, Lin Nuan saw Fu Huai’an standing at the entrance of the dining room, so she raised her head and smiled at him. “You’re done changing your clothes?”
Fu Tianci heard her, so he also raised his head and looked in Fu Huai’an’s direction.
It was unknown whether he feared Fu Huai’an or what, but when Fu Tianci saw Fu Huai’an, he nearly dropped a freshly washed bowl into the sink.
Fu Tianci placed the dishes and utensils in the draining basket, then stood with his wet hands by his sides.
Lin Nuan drew two paper towels and wiped her hands dry, then pushed them in Fu Tianci’s direction.
Seeing Tuan Tuan enter while hugging his red down jacket, Fu Tianci’s lips moved.
Lin Nuan removed her ap.r.o.n and walked out from behind the tabletop. Fu Tianci’s vision subconsciously followed Lin Nuan as she moved.
Lin Nuan, Fu Huai’an, and Tuan Tuan had something going on and were going to Jincheng. This made Fu Tianci feel awkward, feeling as if he had nowhere to go.
Since the family of three were all heading out, he should get going!
Fu Tianci felt his eyes warm up. He wanted to go just like that, but he couldn’t find an excuse to flare up and leave. Hence, he was left feeling vexed.
Fu Tianci slowly drew two paper towels to wipe his hands. With his eyes lowered, he heard Lin Nuan’s voice. “There’ll be no one around at home today. Auntie Li won’t be around either, so you might have to call for delivery at noon. Your parents are looking for you anxiously, so stop throwing a temper and give them a call. Don’t let the elders be anxious…”
What did Lin Nuan mean by this?
Was she asking him to stay at Tianfu Bay by himself?
The reason Lin Nuan asked Fu Tianci to call his parents wasn’t because her heart ached for Fu Qingquan and Lu Qingmei, it was because she was concerned that if Fu Tianci didn’t make this call, Fu Qingquan might end up pinning his disappearance on Fu Huai’an.
“I’m not calling them!” Fu Tianci childishly said as he wiped his hands dry and tossed the paper towels into the trash can.
“I’m asking you to call them so that they don’t think it was Huai’an who hid you away, which would cause unnecessary trouble.” Lin Nuan was direct, not coaxing Fu Tianci because he was young.
Fu Tianci’s eyes turned redder at Lin Nuan’s words. He understood… they were worried that he might implicate them!
“Don’t worry, I just ate one breakfast of yours, didn’t I? I’ll leave right now… I absolutely won’t implicate you!” The corners of Fu Tianci’s lips turned up into what he thought was a cold smile. However, his reddened eyes had long betrayed his aggrieved feelings.
Tuan Tuan stared with his round eyes wide open, hugging onto his down jacket with one hand and pulling at Fu Huai’an’s trouser leg with the other. Seeing the way Fu Tianci was acting, he suddenly turned around and ran into the living room…
From his peripheral vision, Fu Tianci detected Fu Huai’an’s rather unhappy expression. He lowered his head to look at his toes, holding back his tears.
Fu Huai’an narrowed his handsome and cold eyes a little and was about to say something when he heard Lin Nuan speak up first. She said, “I’m asking you to call, but not because we fear you’ll implicate us, but to avoid unnecessary trouble. It’ll be troublesome to explain things, and I don’t particularly wish to see your father or let Huai’an see him. It’s not about you…”
Detecting the aggrieved feelings in that brat, Fu Tianci’s words, Lin Nuan told him her thoughts honestly. Her voice was calm and emotionless, much like she usually sounded when she was hosting her talk shows.
Sensing someone tugging at his trouser leg, Fu Tianci’s vision s.h.i.+fted from the sink to his leg, where he saw Tuan Tuan holding a milk lollipop in his hand. The little one was standing on his tiptoes and raising the lollipop up high to give it to Fu Tianci. “Candy…”
Tuan Tuan gazed at Fu Tianci with his bright and sparkly eyes.
“Huai’an’s clothes might be a little too big for you, but you can make do with them for now after taking a shower. When we pa.s.s by a shopping mall on our way back, I’ll buy you some new clothes…”
Hearing this, Fu Tianci looked up in Lin Nuan’s direction, but she had already headed to the washroom on the first floor, preparing to head upstairs to help Fu Tianci get some of Fu Huai’an’s clothes after she washed her hands.
Fu Tianci already had some clothes in the guest room of Tianfu Bay, but he didn’t tell her that.