"Did I compromise too quickly? I should"ve asked you to bring me along!" At that point, Lin Nuan cried and tightly gripped the s.h.i.+rt on Fu Huai"an"s back. "But I can"t even save myself. If I tagged along, I"d only drag you down! Huai"an… I really don"t want you to go! I only want you to lead a safe and ordinary life with me. What has all that righteousness got to do with us?"
"I know! I know! I know it all!" Fu Huai"an gently caressed Lin Nuan"s shoulders, rea.s.suring her in a low voice.
Lin Nuan cried so hard in Fu Huai"an"s arms that her voice turned hoa.r.s.e…
She never knew she had so many tears!
"Promise me that you"ll come back safely, will you? Try your best not to let yourself get injured. About saving those people… just do it within your means! If you don"t feel confident, let those teams rescue them with you! Don"t do it single-handedly, thinking that you"re terrific. Before you do anything, think of Tuan Tuan and think of me… will you?"
Lin Nuan"s tone and pitch had softened. Since things were finalized, she only hoped that Fu Huai"an could consider her and Tuan Tuan more, to think before he acted, and to not disregard his own life in order to rescue them.
Fu Huai"an nodded, tucking Lin Nuan"s strands of hair that were stuck to her teary face with his long and slim fingers.
Gazing at Fu Huai"an"s doting eyes, Lin Nuan couldn"t hold back her tears as she buried her head in his chest, sobbing softly…
…
Fu Huai"an left early the next morning, leaving before he even had breakfast.
On the military side, Lin Nuan personally called that colonel.
The colonel acceded to Lin Nuan"s request to bring Yun Liuli and Tuan Tuan to the army.
Lin Nuan"s suggestion was simple, just let Yun Liuli tag along as her a.s.sistant. Since Fu Huai"an wasn"t around and she had to be stationed in the army, then she couldn"t possibly be at ease leaving Tuan Tuan alone.
Actually, when Lin Nuan mentioned this before Fu Huai"an the night before, she already knew that the colonel would accede to her request.
Things didn"t go all that pleasantly between Lin Nuan and that colonel in the dressing room, but from his words, Lin Nuan could tell that bringing her to the army was the military"s kind intentions, that they were doing so in order to allow Fu Huai"an to go without worry. Since that was the case, if they could make Fu Huai"an more rea.s.sured, the military would be willing!
Tuan Tuan got injured the day before. He woke up suddenly in shock in the middle of the night, and since then, he had been sticking to Lin Nuan. When Fu Huai"an left, Tuan Tuan was still lying on Lin Nuan and Fu Huai"an"s large bed.
Standing on the balcony, after calling the colonel, she watched as Fu Huai"an"s car left just like last time, then watched as the army"s car moved into the Fu residence. Her heart rose, leaving together with Fu Huai"an.
Yun Liuli was extremely unwilling to go to the army, but since Tuan Tuan and Lin Nuan would no longer be at the Fu residence, what could she do there alone?
Yun Liuli didn"t know what Fu Huai"an was going to do, but based on Yun Liuli"s intelligence and Lin Nuan"s expression, she could guess that Fu Huai"an was probably going to do something dangerous.
At breakfast, Tuan Tuan likely noticed the change in Lin Nuan"s emotions, so he kept looking up at her. He saw that she wasn"t touching the milk the servants had placed by her hands. She wasn"t even eating her favorite toast, merely taking one or two bites.
Tuan Tuan thought about it, then stood up on the kid"s chair by supporting himself with both hands on the chair. He took Lin Nuan"s gla.s.s of milk with both hands. The gla.s.s was a little hot, and the little one nearly couldn"t hold it steadily. He then set the milk on the food tray, avoiding the grazed spot on his palms, holding up the gla.s.s of milk with his fingertips. The middle parts of his fingers were scalded a shade of red. He lowered his head and blew at the cup…
Lin Nuan had been a little distracted all morning. When she handed him a slice of bread with fruit jam spread over it, she turned her head to see Tuan Tuan standing on the kid"s chair and blowing at the milk. She wiped her hands with a napkin and, afraid that the milk might scald Tuan Tuan, asked, "Is the milk too hot? Come, give it to Mama…"
Tuan Tuan nodded and raised the gla.s.s high with both hands. "Mama, drink…"
Lin Nuan paused in surprise. Only upon receiving the gla.s.s did she realize the milk was hers.
Gazing at Tuan Tuan"s black and sparkly eyes, Lin Nuan"s heart warmed up, a warm current suddenly attacking Lin Nuan"s eyes.
She smiled lightly and set the milk on the table. She then supported Tuan Tuan"s little elbows to help him sit back down. She stroked Tuan Tuan on his little head. "Thank you, Tuan Tuan, Mama will finish up this milk later! Our Tuan Tuan is terrific!"
The complimented Tuan Tuan"s ears turned red. The little one gazed at Lin Nuan, his expression solemn. "Breakfast, must eat well!"
This was what the kindergarten teacher often said to the little kids.
The kindergarten teacher would tell them to make their whole year"s plans in spring, and their day"s plan early in the morning. Food was the first necessity of people, which was why one had to eat their breakfast well!
Lin Nuan nodded. "Then, Mama will listen to Tuan Tuan and eat well!"
"Mm!" Tuan Tuan nodded his head hard.
After breakfast, Yun Liuli and Tuan Tuan packed their luggage, and the military people helped carry their luggage to the car.
You Nainai"s was especially simple, just a backpack that could easily be tossed into the trunk.
After telling Auntie Li that they would be absent for the next few days and asking her to take care of the house, Lin Nuan got into the military vehicle and left the Fu residence.
Lin Nuan hadn"t expected to see Mu Taotao, who had come as part of the production crew, when she got to the army…
Mu Taotao wore a short down jacket, denim jeans, and long boots. From the layer of perspiration on her forehead, the young lady seemed to be tired from carrying the makeup box, so a kind soldier helped Mu Taotao take the luggage from the minivan bearing the production crew"s name.
Mu Taotao stood by the side, her face flushed as she bowed and thanked him, seemingly cute and harmless.
Lin Nuan"s scalp tightened, worried that Fu Huai"an made his men stay around to protect them behind her back, single-handedly going to rescue those people. She couldn"t care about the army officer who had just come over to speak with her, jogging over to pull Mu Taotao"s wrist. "Mu Taotao!"
Suddenly seized by the wrist, Mu Taotao was startled and was about to retract her arm when she saw that it was Lin Nuan. She revealed her teeth and beamed at Lin Nuan. "Sister Nuan! I thought you were going to arrive in the afternoon!"
"Didn"t you leave with Huai"an?" Lin Nuan only spoke when she pulled Mu Taotao to a secluded corner.
Mu Taotao smiled and grabbed Lin Nuan"s hand, glancing in all directions inconspicuously before saying, "My boss and I have deeply infiltrated into the production crew, so Sir asked us to stay!"
The boss Mu Taotao was referring to was the puppy guy.
"Only the two of you stayed? Have the rest followed Huai"an?" Lin Nuan"s brows knitted, her tone becoming increasingly anxious.
"Sister Nuan, smile. The way you"re acting, people might think that you"re putting on airs and bullying me, a little makeup artist…"
When she spoke, Mu Taotao was smiling. Those who didn"t know better thought that Mu Taotao and Lin Nuan were talking about the production crew"s matters.