“There’s no point in covering your lips now. I heard it!” “So poker face bought us dinner that night, huh? What else are you three hiding from me?” demanded Ning Ran.
Erbao widened her big, beautiful eyes to stare at Ning Ran innocently before turning to Dabao.
That was Erbao’s secret weapon – to act like a poor, helpless baby girl – to soften both Ning Ran’s and Dabao’s heart.
Dabao had never lied so he looked away guiltily.
“Tell me!” shouted Ning Ran. She was so fierce that both Dabao and Erbao shivered.
“You’re frightening the kids,” said Cheng Xiangyun to pacify Ning Ran.
“Oh right, you’re the main culprit, weren’t you? Explain yourself, Cheng Xiangyun! I won’t let this go so easily!” shouted Ning Ran as she stood up to glare at Cheng Xiangyun.
“Calm down, Ning Ran, take a seat. You’re frightening the kids, and frankly, frightening me too!”
“Cut the crap! How the hell did this happen? I treated you as a friend, Cheng Xiangyun! I trusted you with my kids, and you used them for your personal gain!”
Cheng Xiangyun couldn’t stand it anymore and sprang up, screaming, “F*** you! Are you crazy, Ning Ran? How could you say that? I didn’t get anything out of this. Hell, I wasn’t even there when they went out for dinner! Is this the thanks I get for helping you babysit?”
“I told you that I don’t want my kids having any contact with that poker face! Why didn’t you stop them? And how could you leave my kids with strangers? What if something were to happen to them?”
“Is Nan Chen really a stranger? Are you blind? Can’t you see that he looked just like the kids? You may not like Nan Chen, but you don’t have the right to keep them apart! Don’t you think that’s selfish?”
“Looking alike doesn’t mean they’re related! As far as I am concerned, they ARE strangers! And you don’t know him well either! How could you let him take my kids out?”
“You know how powerful Nan Chen is in Flower City, would he kidnap your kids? And didn’t he send them home safely after dinner? It’s all in the past, why the f*** are you angry with me now?”
Erbao and Dabao were stressed out from watching the two adults argue.
“Mommy, stop fighting. It wasn’t Aunty Xiang’s fault. We were the ones who asked Uncle Nan Chen out,” explained Erbao.
Dabao nodded.
“Do you not have any food at home? Do I not feed you? Why do you embarrass yourselves like that by getting someone else to buy you dinner?” growled Ning Ran.
“Ning Ran, have you gone nuts? What do you mean by ’embarrass yourselves’? The kids like Nan Chen so they want to spend time with him. It’s not as complicated as you make it out to be,” shouted Cheng Xiangyun. “Besides, how is it embarrassing when a busy man like Nan Chen was willing to spend time with the kids? Did you work so much that you’ve gone nuts? Is that why you’re yelling at everyone for no reason?” said Cheng Xiangyun.
“Mommy, we were wrong,” said Dabao, “I’m sorry.”
Ning Ran was stunned because Dabao rarely spoke.
“It’s my fault. I’m the big brother so I should be responsible,” Dabao continued saying, “Please don’t be mad at my baby sister.”
Ning Ran’s fury was instantly gone, and she realized that she was out of line a moment ago because she was too angry.
“Fine, mommy won’t be mad about the past, but you’re not allowed to hang out with strangers anymore!”
Dabao and Erbao nodded simultaneously.
After breakfast, Cheng Xiangyun and Ning Ran dropped the kids at school together. Cheng Xiangyun ignored Ning Ran the whole way.
After the teachers came to take the kids to class, Cheng Xiangyun’s face darkened and she said, “get out!”
“Excuse me?” said Ning Ran who was confused.
“I don’t want to drive you,” said Cheng Xiangyun grimly, “you can get a cab.”
“The hell? Are you okay, woman? We’re both heading to the set. Why should I waste my money taking a cab?”
“The mere sight of you pisses me off so I want you out of my car!”
“Then don’t look over,” said Ning Ran who had no intention of getting out of the car, “Keep your eyes on the road instead of looking at me, then you won’t be bothered.”
“Staying in the same car with you bothers me!”
“Then you get off! I’ll drive over,” said Ning Ran, “Then you won’t be bothered.”
“You’re shameless!”
“You’re not so you get out,” said Ning Ran who couldn’t keep a straight face and ended up laughing aloud.
“You ungrateful, heartless, and blind woman!” sniped Cheng Xiangyun.
“Come on, woman. You know why I don’t want the kids to see Nan Chen,” explained Ning Ran patiently, “They’re not related, and even if they were, can they be a family?”
“Luo Fei sees me as a threat, and she’s the poker face’s girlfriend. If my kids get close to Nan Chen, wouldn’t she get jealous and come after them?”
“That last incident at home still gave me nightmares. We were lucky that the kids were smart, or there would’ve been dire consequences.”
“The culprit said that he worked alone, but I felt that things aren’t that simple. I think he was after my kids.”
“Besides, Luo Fei isn’t the only one who hates me. The poker face and I hate each other too. If the kids were to get involved with the Nan Family, he would surely take them away from me. Is that what you want? For me and the kids to be separated?”
Ning Ran explained everything in one go, and Cheng Xiangyun couldn’t speak after that.
“You may think I’m selfish, but the kids meant the whole world to me. Can’t I be selfish just this once?” said Ning Ran whose voice was starting to thicken with tears.
“I’m sorry, Ning Ran,” said Cheng Xiangyun and sighed, “I know it’s not easy being you.”
Ning Ran stared at the street to try and calm herself down as Cheng Xiangyun continued.
“Ning Ran, it was my fault, I should’ve told you about this, but I never thought about selling you out for my own benefit.”
“You know the extent of the Nan Family’s influence in the Flower City. You should’ve thought about them finding out about the kids the moment you came back to this country, to this city.”
“Forgive me for being straightforward, but the moment they realize that the kids look just like Nan Chen, they would and could have everything investigated.”
“That was why I let the kids see Nan Chen. I thought that if they were related, then they would have to face each other sooner or later, so it might as well be sooner since it may help you out too.”
“However, I do admit that it’s not possible for me to remain completely unbiased about this. After all, the Nan Family’s influence meant that if you were one of them, I’d benefit as well.”
After listening to Cheng Xiangyun, Ning Ran nodded because she believed in and agreed with what Cheng Xiangyun said.
“The man who spent the night with you… was it Nan Chen?” asked Cheng Xiangyun.
“As I said, I have no idea. I checked the internet, and the person Luo Fei talked about, Director Feng, was plump and has been for more than a decade. The man who spent the night with me wasn’t plump, but I don’t know if that means that it was Nan Chen.”
“If that truly was Nan Chen, then you are truly something, woman,” said Cheng Xiangyun, impressed, “I mean, you slept with the man who drove every woman in the Flower City insane!”
Ning Ran rolled her eyes at that and said, “Do you think it’s appropriate to talk like that?”
“Yes, I do,” said Cheng Xiangyun with a straight face, “In fact, I wonder why lucky things like that never happened to me.”
