Nan Zhengde saw Nan Chen’s displeasure, written all over his face.
“You can speak your mind. Don’t just keep it in because of me.” He stole a glance at Nan Chen.
“What you’ve said is right.”
His statement caused Nan Zhengde to be slightly surprised, but he kept calm instead, as he took a sip of his tea, his gaze fixated on Nan Chen.
“It’s certainly true. I’ve recognized the Ouyang family’s capabilities too. However, there’s one variance between our opinions. That is, I highly doubt that we would be able to rid ourselves of enemies if we really were to form an alliance with the Ouyang family.”
Nan Zhengde’s eyes were still on Nan Chen. He made it known that he was still willing to listen.
“The Nan family has always been close with the Ouyang family. To the public, the two families are on good terms. We’d thought so too. However, the incident in Vietnam was clearly carried out with ill intentions. Their malicious acts had almost gotten me into a serious bind. It’s obvious that we’re treated more as imaginary foes than friends to them. They’ve always wanted to be stronger than us.” Nan Chen explained.
Nan Zhengde agreed partially with Nan Chen’s words as he soon stroked his beard before saying, “That’s why we require an alliance. There won’t be a need for imaginary foes after that.”
“That’s too optimistic. With how Ouyang Duo is, even if I married his daughter, he’s not going to treat me like a son, since he already has Ouyang Qi. The marriage will merely be a front. It’d look as though we’d gotten closer, but in reality, we’ll still have to be mindful of them.” Nan Chen expressed his concern on this matter.
“We would need to be cautious of internal and external threats by then. With the two families merging, having to keep up a peaceful front while staying alert will be exhausting. It will cause a lot of problems. Grandpa, you’ve taught me a lot about managing the company, but I’m not good with the intrigues of family politics. The family is safe right now, with you here, but with Ouyang Duo closer, it’ll be like sleeping with a tiger. I’ll never be able to sleep soundly.”
When Nan Chen finished, he stood up and refilled Nan Zhengde’s cup.
Nan Chen was calm and collected throughout his explanation. He was not trying to form an argument, but he still got Nan Zhengde to contemplate on his words.
“Chen is right.” Feng Wan supported Nan Chen. “Ouyang Duo is a greedy man. He has actually tried to take advantage of what happened in Vietnam, threatening us to marry his daughter. This doesn’t sit well with me.”
“I’m not saying that the marriage should happen right away,” Nan Zhengde uttered. “What I’m trying to say, is that Chen should steer clear of Ning Ran, in case she ruins the family name.”
Nan Chen did not respond.
“What are you saying now?” Feng Wan stood up. “She’s the children’s mother, a part of our family. Don’t tell me that you’re going to separate them, like those awful people out there.”
Nan Zhengde was flustered again, “Can you not spew nonsense, you old woman? Am I someone like that? How would I not know of the importance of mothers to their children? I want Nan Chen to be careful, not allowing Ning Ran to put our family name at risk. Stay out of it if you don’t understand!”
“Huh?” Are you saying that I’m nosy?”
“It’s alright Grandpa, Grandma.” Nan Chen interjected. “I know that you have my best interests at heart as well as the Nan Family. Please stop. I’ll handle this situation after I sort everything out. As for my personal problems, I’ll think about what you guys have said. I have a meeting coming up, so I’ll be leaving now.”
“Yes, you should go to work. The next time this old man wants to see you, just ignore him! You’re always busy anyway.” Feng Wan pronounced.
“You…” Nan Zhengde shook his head out of frustration. If we weren’t married for this long, I’d ask you to leave too.
“I’ll be going then. You two should simmer down. I know that you’ve advised me for my own good, I understand that.”
“Go, go, go. I know that you’ll handle it. Just don’t get your image ruined by a woman, that’s all.” Nan Zhengde waved him away.
Making his exit from the main hall, Nan Chen let out a sigh of relief.
Seeing him come out, Bai Hua immediately approached him. She was waiting there all along.
“Nan Chen, what did your grandpa and grandma say?” she asked.
Nan Chen, however, did not stop as he headed toward the exit.
“You were the one who told Grandpa about the kids and the commercial right? Can you stop messing around?” stated Nan Chen.
“What are you trying to say? This is for your own good! How can a woman use her children to make money? Am I not supposed to say something about this?” Bai Hua exclaimed.
“Then, you should be going to her instead of involving Grandpa. What are you trying to accomplish here?”
“How could you speak to your mother like that?” Bai Hua was agitated.
“I’m already being very polite here. Please don’t assume that you can do whatever you want just because you’re back. I’m warning you, lay low and stay out of trouble, or else…”
“Or else what? Are you going to send me back to Tokyo? You are my son! I want you to have a good wife! Not a lowly peasant like Ning Ran who already has two kids! What do you see in her?”
Bai Hua’s words struck a nerve as Nan Chen soon halted in his stride.
“Those kids are part of the Nan family! How is that a flaw on her part?”
“I was about to say,” Bai Hua continued, “Have you done a DNA Paternity Test? Are they really your kids? Don’t tell me that you’ve accepted everything at face value. For a girl like her, who knows what…”
“Shut up!” Nan Chen lashed out.
He was currently emitting a cold and ominous aura. Bai Hua was stumped at this.
Nan Chen was usually intimidating, but it was Bai Hua’s first time seeing him rather enraged at an elder.
“You’re asking me to shut up? I am your mother! I’d given birth to you!”
“Yes, I know. That’s why I’d merely told you to shut up! I respect you, but please have some self-respect too! You’re not allowed to interfere with me and Ning Ran anymore. If you still continue to cause trouble for us, you’ll have to bear the consequences.”
Nan Chen took off after he finished.
“You’re all grown up now, huh? Talking to me like that? You wouldn’t even exist if it were not for me! You are not going to marry Ning Ran no matter what! You’re from the Nan family, for crying out loud! She’s simply a clown!”
Nan Chen left Bai Hua blabbering on her own behind him, as he boarded the car and left.
In the car, the driver noticed that Nan Chen was not in a good mood, hence, he remained silent.
However, the radio was not turned off, as a man’s voice soon sounded out.
“Sound of Thunder 2 continues to rise in popularity. Unfortunately, the female lead Ding Mi, on the other hand, is knee-deep in more controversies and drama. First, she was exposed to having assaulted other artists, and now, we’ve found out that before her fame came to be, she was using her young children to make money. When the children refused to comply, she’d burnt them, using cigarette butts. Not only is this immoral, rather, but related departments have also deemed this to be an act of crime involving child abuse. Further investigations…”
The driver panicked as he heard this. Hurriedly, he reached out to turn it off.
“Don’t.” Nan Chen stopped him.
