Ning Ran looked at the flowers in her hands, then at the kids, feeling as though an explanation was necessary.
“This bouquet…”
“It’s beautiful,” Dabao and Erbao chorused.
The children’s response caught Ning Ran off guard. She didn’t know what to say.
She put down the flowers at the side and stared at them for a long time, wondering if she was feeling touched by the man’s unexpected gesture.
Nah, it’s just a bouquet of flowers. There’s no need to get all excited.
But why is my heart thumping so fast?
What a country bumpkin. Why am I mesmerized by just a mere bouquet?
As Ning Ran was deep in thoughts, Nan Chen had arrived, clad in a black suit.
Nan Chen furrowed his brows at the sight of Ning Ran.
Didn’t we agree not to call her? Why is she here?
Is she here to scrounge a free meal, knowing that I would be treating the kids to dinner?
Well, I can’t just chase her away in front of the kids. She’s their mother, after all.
Ning Ran, assuming that it was Nan Chen who got her the flowers, so she stood up and pulled the chair for him.
However, upon noticing the layer of frost on his face, her mood gradually turned for the worst.
What’s with that face? Why didn’t you put on that face when you were taking selfies with that pretty lady?
Not in the mood as well, Nan Chen simply ordered two sets of kid’s meal and two sets of adult’s meal.
Ning Ran sneaked a peek at the menu and was utterly shocked at the price. Thank God Poker Face is here. Saves me from the heartbreak of burning a hole in my pocket.
“Mommy, Dabao and I want to take a picture with you and Daddy. We have never taken a family photo,” Erbao proposed. “Can we?”
Dabao nodded in agreement.
It was his idea, after all, and this was only the first segment of his overall plan.
Ning Ran and Nan Chen held their tongues, although they thought it was a reasonable request so they weren’t so repulsive about the idea.
However, neither of them were willing to say yes first for fear that the other party would misunderstand their intentions.
After all, being together in the same photo was something new to them.
“Daddy, can we?” Erbao changed his target to Nan Chen.
Nan Chen had no choice but to nod his head.
“You’re okay with it too, Mommy? You guys are not unhappy about taking pictures with me, are you?” Erbao asked.
Of course not. My daughter is the prettiest girl in the universe. It’s our honor to take a picture with you,” Ning Ran said with a smile.
Erbao pretended to be shy. “I know I’m pretty, Mommy, but you don’t have to exaggerate it. You’re embarrassing me.”
With that, Nan Chen called for the waiter to take a family photo of them.
To the waiter, they were perhaps the only family that didn’t need to have their pictures beautified.
The man and woman had such fair and youthful complexion that showed no signs of aging, while the children were as adorable and beautiful like dolls.
“Wow, you have a beautiful family, Sir,” the waiter complimented sincerely.
Well, of course. My kids and I are gifted with good looks. As for a certain woman…
I gave birth to them, so how bad can they look? As for a certain man… Hah, he’s called Poker Face for a reason!
“Ready?” the waiter asked.
“Wait,” Erbao interrupted. “Shouldn’t Mommy and Daddy get a little closer?”
Dabao nodded.
Nan Chen and Ning Ran inched closer mechanically, without looking at each other and as a result of the lack of eye contact, their heads almost collided.
In any case, it was close enough for the waiter to take the first family photo of the family.
Given the good looks of everyone in the family, one would have thought that the picture taken was the stills of a movie or a drama.
“I wanna see.” Erbao grabbed the first look, then touching her face, she said, “Is my face that big?”
Ning Ran laughed. “How much you eat every day will result in how big your face is. Don’t you know that?”
“Hmph, my face is not that big. It’s the camera’s problem. How could my face be bigger than Dabao’s?” Erbao grumbled.
“You used to love pretending to be me, but you can’t now because you’ve gained weight,” Dabao said.
“No! No! I’m going to lose weight,” Erbao shouted anxiously.
“How about you skip this meal tonight, then? You have to take immediate action when it comes to dieting. Otherwise, they’re just empty talks,” Ning Ran teased.
“Oh, no. That won’t work. Let me finish this meal first.” Naturally, Erbao wouldn’t agree.
Thanks to Erbao, the atmosphere in the room seemed to have lightened up. It wasn’t as heavy as before.
Halfway through their meal, Nan Chen’s phone vibrated.
After picking up the call at the side, he returned to the table and said to Dabao and Erbao, “I have to leave soon. You two enjoy your meal and I’ll get the driver to send you home later.”
“Where are you going, Daddy?” Erbao asked.
“I have something to take care of,” Nan Chen said, looking a little distracted, so much so that he stopped eating.
A few minutes later, his phone vibrated again. He answered the call while waving at Dabao and Erbao, signaling that he would be taking his leave.
Feeling something in her bones, Ning Ran walked toward the window and saw a red sports car pulled over. A beautiful young woman alighted the car, and she was none other than Ouyang Qing.
After the two exchanged a few words, Nan Chen got into her car and the car soon sped off.
Ning Ran suddenly felt as if her heart was stuffed with balls of cotton.
Meanwhile, in the car, Nan Chen asked Ouyang Qing, “Is it very serious?”
“She complained about having an abdominal pain during dinner, then it got worse. But she refused to go to the hospital when I told her to. I had no choice but to call you,” Ouyang Qing said.
“She should go to the hospital if she’s not feeling well. Why didn’t she go to the hospital?” Nan Chen was a little riled up.
“She probably doesn’t like the smell of the hospital.”
“Then you should have called the doctor over. She can’t just hold it in.”
“That’s why I called you. I can’t get through her no matter how much I’ve persuaded her,” Ouyang Qing said, feigning an aggrieved look.
Nan Chen clammed up.
Soon, they arrived at a neighborhood in Red Maple City.
“You guys live here too?” Nan Chen asked in surprise.
“I have an extra house here, so I told her to move in and she likes it here,” Ouyang Qing explained, and seeing that Nan Chen didn’t respond, she asked, “Why? Is there someone else living in this neighborhood?”
Nan Chen remained silent.
Naturally, he wouldn’t tell Ouyang Qing that Ning Ran also lived in this neighborhood.
In fact, Ouyang Qing had asked that question on purpose. She had someone follow Ning Ran and knew that she lived here too.
