Ning Ran only raised her head when she heard Nan Chen’s footsteps.
She immediately stopped laughing and tried her very best to act demure.
“What were you laughing about?” Nan Chen was very curious.
“Nothing.” Ning Ran felt rather embarrassed by her behavior.
I thought the meeting was going to take a long time! Why is he back so soon?
“Nothing? Then why did you laugh so crazily just now?”
“Me? Laughing crazily? You must have heard wrong!” Ning Ran said.
He furrowed his brows. “It was pretty loud. I’m quite sure it was you.”
By now, Ning Ran was rather abashed. “Fine. I laughed a little louder because I thought there was no one around. But more importantly, this video is so funny!”
“Is that so? Can I have a look.”
Ning Ran opened up the clip and passed her phone to Nan Chen.
The video was about a rural couple deciding which chicken to kill for dinner.
Reaching an impasse, they decided that the first person to catch a chicken from the coop would choose the chicken to have for dinner.
Then, both entered the coop simultaneously; and thus, began a wild “goose” chase. Within a short time, the couple was covered in chicken feathers and manure. It was truly a sight!
Nan Chen watched the video twice but still could not figure out what was so funny about it.
“So you were laughing because of this?” Nan Chen looked very doubtful of her words.
“Yes! Look at them! Oh, they look hilarious!”
Nan Chen passed the mobile back to her with a look of disdain.
What is so funny about this, you crazy woman?
“By the way, your mother called.” Ning Ran suddenly recalled.
He looked towards her upon hearing this.
“I looked at your phone earlier because it kept vibrating. Well, it turned out to be a call from your mother. I figured she would worry if you didn’t pick up, so I answered the call on your behalf. Look, I regret it now, so please don’t scold me, alright? Why don’t you return her call first? Otherwise, she would become anxious.” Ning Ran admitted timidly.
“It’s alright,” Nan Chen calmly replied.
He could guess why Bai Hua called him. Furthermore, he did not blame Ning Ran for picking up the call. Since he left his phone here, it went without saying that he was not afraid of her using his phone.
“Why not? She sounded rather worried. I think you should return her call. It wouldn’t be nice to keep her worrying,” Ning Ran advised.
“Did she sound worried?”
Well, yes, but it’s because she heard that it was me who picked up the call.
“Uhm, yes.”
Nan Chen picked up the phone and dialed Bai Hua.
“Chen, is that you?” Bai Hua asked from the other end of the call.
“Yes. What’s up?” Nan Chen asked her indifferently.
“There was a girl who picked up my call earlier. Who is she? This is your private number, right? I’m sure not a lot of people knew about this number, so why was it in her hands?” Bai Hua asked.
However, Nan Chen did not want to explain the matter because he felt that it was none of her business.
“Is there something you need?” Nan Chen rephrased his question.
“Who was the lady just now?”
“I’ll hang up if you don’t get to the point. I’m busy…”
“Okay, wait! Chen, don’t hang up! I’m sure you know that your dad is arriving at the airport today. Let’s go pick him up, shall we?”
Nan Chen stayed silent.
The truth was, he already considered and decided against it.
Even though the man was his father, he did not want to meet him at all.
To his recollection, the man never provided him with anything, not even a warm embrace.
There was no father-son relationship to speak about between the two of them.
“Chen? Are you there?” Bai Hua asked.
“I’m busy,” Nan Chen replied.
“Chen, this is your father we’re speaking about. He hasn’t been back in a long time. You should at least pick him up from the airport, no matter how busy you are. He will be quite upset if he doesn’t see you when he lands, especially since you two have not met in a while…”
Before Bai Hua could finish, Nan Chen’s other phone rang.
This should be about work. Nan Chen picked up the other phone and passed his private cell to Ning Ran.
She was taken aback. He’s giving it to me? He’s asking me to speak to his mother? What the heck?
Left with no other choice, she took the phone from him and walked to the other side of the room so that Nan Chen’s work call would not be interrupted.
“Hello? Hello?” Bai Hua was still speaking.
“Hello, Mrs. Nan. Mr. Chen is on a work call currently. It seems to be important,” she said.
“It’s you again? Who are you? Why do you keep picking up my son’s calls?” Bai Hua was very annoyed.
“I am Mr. Chen’s assistant. He is currently on a call on his other phone and has handed his personal mobile to me. I’m just a small-time staff, Mrs. Nan. I can’t go against Mr. Chen’s instructions. This is why I’m handling your call. Please don’t be upset, Mrs. Nan. Mr. Chen will speak to you again once he is done on the other end…”
“There’s no time! His dad’s flight is landing soon. Get him to the airport to pick his father up! Tell him that I told him to do so! If he doesn’t come, I will no longer have a son like him!”
Then, Bai Hua hung up.
Bai Hua was aggressive and threatening not because she was confident that her son would listen, but because Ouyang Qing was sitting next to her.
She knew that Ouyang Qing wanted Nan Chen to go to the airport.
However, Nan Chen rejected her and left her embarrassed.
Heck, she could not even get her son to obey her in front of Ouyang Qing. Just imagine what would Ouyang Qing think about that!
Hence, she had to sound a little forceful to assert her position.
While she knew that Nan Chen would be indifferent, she could still try to threaten a small-time assistant like Ning Ran so that Ouyang Qing felt a little more included and validated.
On the other end, Ning Ran held onto the phone in a daze.
Nan Chen ended his work call and looked at her. “What did she say?”
“Same thing. She wants you to pick your father at the airport.”
“What did you say?”
Earlier, Nan Chen passed the phone to her because he wanted to handle the business call without hanging up on his mother.
Another reason was that he had hoped Ning Ran would tell Bai Hua that he was really busy and had no time.
Unfortunately, Ning Ran was not like Jiang Zhe. The latter was like a fortune-teller who knew exactly what Nan Chen wanted just from a glance! Naturally, she did not get the message.
“I… I said that you would go,” she told him in a frightened manner.
She didn’t want to lie, but Bai Hua left her with a threat!
Also, she felt that she should help ease the tension between Nan Chen and Bai Hua. After all, they were mother and son.
Hence, Ning Ran did not convey Bai Hua’s exact words to Nan Chen as she thought it would not be beneficial.
They are a family. What’s most important is that they live harmoniously and happily.
“Did you just decide that for me?” Nan Chen asked sternly.
“Of course not! I’m just an actress working under you. Meanwhile, you are the famous Sir Chen in Flower City! How can I decide anything on your behalf? But well, I did it give it some thought. I think you should go,” Ning Ran said.
He continued to look at her, signaling her to continue.
“Look, your actions don’t just represent you. They represent Nanshi Corporation too. Others might take advantage of the situation if you continue being cold to your family. They will say that you are cold, ruthless, and unfilial. Nothing but a cold-blooded businessman! They might even go to the extent of saying that you are a terrible person because you don’t treat your parents well. Of course, I’m not saying you are someone like that, but words can be powerful. You should try being on good terms with your family. It’s important for a prominent figure like yourself.”
Nan Chen narrowed his eyes. He never expected a woman who laughed like a maniac at a silly video to have such insight and perspective.
