Nan Chen did not realize that something was off about his expression, but he did notice the two kids looking weird so he said softly and sweetly, “It’s okay, just tell me, I’m listening.”
After confirming that Nan Chen wasn’t angry, Erbao began talking.
“Do you like me?” asked Erbao.
Nan Chen was surprised. Where was she going with this?
Erbao didn’t look like she was playing a prank or anything. In fact, she looked excited, waiting for Nan Chen’s reply.
“Yeah, I do,” answered Nan Chen honestly.
“Do you wanna be with me?” Erbao asked again.
Nan Chen was, once again, surprised. Why did it sound like she’s flirting?
The question she asked was a little difficult to answer. If he said ‘yes’, it would sound rather disgusting, but if he said ‘no’, he’d break the kid’s heart. Moreover, he did like to spend time with them or he wouldn’t have canceled his trip to Europe for them.
“Erm… What exactly are you trying to say?” asked Nan Chen who was a little overwhelmed with these questions.
“Do you want to be with me and my brother?” asked Erbao persistently while Dabao nodded at the side.
Oh, so it’s a question from both kids. Well, if Dabao was included in the mix, then there was nothing weird about it so Nan Chen nodded and answered, “Yes.”
Erbao and Dabao were obviously relieved to hear that.
“Then we think you need to get to know our mommy because we’re always with mommy, and if you’re with mommy, you’ll be able to spend more time with us,” explained Erbao.
The logic was sound, but Nan Chen sensed that they had something up their sleeves.
“Go on,” said Nan Chen.
Erbao turned to Dabao to inquire him about her performance so far.
Dabao nodded to tell her that he approved of her choice of words and performance.
“My mommy is a really pretty actress. I am the most beautiful woman, she is the second,” Erbao began promoting mommy.
Nan Chen stopped himself from laughing and nodded to show that he understood.
“Mommy’s name,” hinted Dabao from the side.
“Oh right, my mommy’s name is Ning Ran,” Erbao quickly added.
Ning Ran? Nan Chen spent some time thinking about the name, but he came up empty.
Nanshi Corporation owned a couple of production companies and was pretty well-versed in the entertainment industry so if she was a celebrity, Nan Chen would’ve met her or at least heard of her. However, he had never heard of the name “Ning Ran” so he was sure that she was an unknown actress.
“My mommy is single, and she never accepted a date even though many had asked,” Erbao continued selling.
Nan Chen understood what the two kids meant but he wondered if this was the kids’ idea or their mom’s idea.
If this was all the kids’ doing, then it’s rather funny, but if that was their mother’s intention, then the woman in question was truly vile for using her kids like that.
“Did you mommy ask you to say this?” asked Nan Chen.
The two kids shook their heads together.
“Mommy doesn’t want us to have any contact with you, Uncle Nan Chen,” said Erbao.
“She knows me?” asked Nan Chen, surprised. Then, he realized that it was a normal phenomenon because anyone working in the industry would’ve known about him.
“No, but she saw your photo before,” said Erbao who confirmed Nan Chen’s theory.
“Why does she not like the idea of us hanging out together?” asked Nan Chen.
Erbao and Dabao shook their heads together because they honestly had no idea why Ning Ran didn’t like that.
Nan Chen thought that it was strange because if their mother had seen his photo then she must’ve realized that the kids looked just like him so why did she not want them to hang out together? Was she hiding something? Or did she have something sinister planned for the future?
“Uncle Nan Chen, my mommy is a good person,” Erbao said when she noticed that Nan Chen had become quiet.
Nan Chen nodded, “I believe you.”
“That is why we wish that you and mommy can become friends and get to know one another,” said Erbao.
These words sounded like the words of an adult, not a child, but Nan Chen had no choice but to nod in agreement.
“Uncle Nan Chen, can I borrow your phone?” asked Erbao all of a sudden.
Nan Chen was stunned, but he handed his private phone to her.
Erbao opened WeChat and added Ning Ran’s phone number before sending out a friend request. There was no response because Ning Ran was busy working overtime.
“I added mommy’s number in your WeChat so the two of you can start by chatting and eventually become friends,” explained Erbao.
Nan Chen didn’t respond. He wasn’t happy about it because he didn’t have the time for or the intention of chatting.
He was quiet by nature. Even the words he spoke with the kids on that day were more than what he usually said for a month.
At that moment, the main dishes were served and Erbao had accomplished her mission so she began digging in while Dabao ate politely and gracefully. Nan Chen advised Erbao to take it slow as he cut the lobster into smaller pieces for her. In the end, Nan Chen didn’t get a bite but he was happy to just watch those two eat.
It was midnight by the time Ning Ran clocked off. She checked her phone and saw the message Cheng Xiangyun had sent her. It’s late so I’m not waiting up for you. The kids are asleep and dinner is in the steamer. Don’t finish it or you’ll get fat!
Aside from Cheng Xiangyun’s message, Ning Ran also received a friend request.
The profile picture was a series of words that Ning Ran didn’t understand. If it were anyone from the Nanshi Corporation, they would’ve recognized the logo immediately.
Ning Ran didn’t know who it was though so she ignored it.
When she got home, she opened the steamer and took out the dishes.
She was stunned the moment she saw those dishes because they were all expensive dishes, and they tasted great! Those were definitely not the type of dish that Cheng Xiangyun prepared.
Buying expensive food… did that Cheng Xiangyun hit a jackpot or something? Bah, who cares? Ning Ran worked too many hours and was famished so she decided to finish them all, regardless of whether that would get her fat. She planned to deal with all that the day after.
It was so delicious that Ning Ran felt like that was the best meal she’s had since she got back to the country.
She felt a little stuffed after finishing her dinner so she took a walk around the balcony then retired to the study room to read her script. She was so exhausted that she soon fell asleep on the chair.
The next morning, Erbao and Dabao woke up to find that their mother had, once again, fallen asleep in the study room.
Ning Ran’s phone was just beside her so Erbao snuck in and took the phone before leaving the study room.
When she looked into WeChat, she saw that the friend request she had sent was still there but hadn’t been accepted yet.
Erbao pressed the ‘add’ button and added Nan Chen’s number to the phone. Then, she sent a ‘good morning’ over.
At that moment, Nan Chen was already jogging and sweating in the gym.
His phone rang and he picked it up to read a message from a woman whose profile picture was Dabao and Erbao’s photo while using the profile name ‘the mommy genius’.
Nan Chen thought that the whole family was rather shameless with both the kids and the adults calling themselves a ‘genius’.
