Spoiled Sparrow

Ruan Qing was stunned; her CPU was practically burning out.

Seeing Henry's attitude, which was practically begging for her life, she sighed and said, "Fine, but let me make this clear beforehand: I'm only responsible for attending, not for being your shield."

Henry suddenly bowed ninety degrees to her: "From today onwards, you are my only sister!"

He helped Ruan Qing into the car, and a moment later, a dark figure darted out from a corner across the street and got into a car.

Henry glanced at the figure briefly and felt it looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place it...

The ringing of the phone interrupted his doubts, and he put the matter out of his mind.

*

After returning home, Ruan Qing washed up and lay in bed. She then picked up her phone and called Pei Yu.

The phone rang for a long time before it was answered.

The voice on the other end sounded tired: "Nannan, why are you calling your mother so late?"

Remembering what Youyou had said earlier, Ruan Qing asked, "Mom, when are you going back to China? I was thinking of submitting the paternity test results as soon as possible to avoid troubling them."

Pei Yu hesitated for a moment, and He Zhou took the phone and replied, "Nan Nan, the situation at the branch office is very serious right now, and I'm afraid I won't be able to come back anytime soon."

Ruan Qing sadly stroked her phone, then asked again, "What about the family reunion? Will you be able to come back?"

"Nannan, you should discuss this with your brother." Pei Yu's voice grew lower and hoarse. "Mom would also like to come, but she's simply too busy right now."

"Okay, I understand."

Ruan Qing hung up the phone, but her doubts only increased.

He Xunnan's sudden behavior today left her restless, and all sorts of speculations arose in her mind.

She opened her phone and checked Pei Yu and Hezhou. There were no problems. The photos in the old newspapers from years ago were also fine.

Is she overthinking things? Or maybe there really is a problem with the company?

She didn't sleep all night.

In the middle of the night, she was anxious and flustered. She picked up her phone and opened his chat window but didn't know what to send.

It was the middle of the night back home, and for a moment, the only person she could confide in was Fu Chen.

Aside from romantic feelings, she admitted that Fu Chen was her best listener besides Lin Yun'en.

It's not that he's particularly good at analysis, but rather that he never takes what he hears to heart.

She lay in bed, staring at his profile picture; the empty chat box was truly jarring.

Did he get angry because someone joked that he was gay outside the elevator today?

downstairs.

Fu Chen also stayed up late, racing against time to organize all of He Xunnan's incriminating evidence.

Chen Yan stood beside him and handed over an invitation: "President Fu, this is an invitation from the Ji family. The Ji family didn't know you were here. The invitation was sent to China. Madam Lan said you don't need to attend; she will go."

Fu Chen, who had initially shown no interest, stopped what he was doing. "Mother?"

Since his car accident, the management of the company has been handed over to Lan Yin and Dong Chenye, and Fu Chen only makes decisions on important matters.

Chen Yan was also shocked when he received Lan Yin's call. He replied, "Yes, Madam Lan told me personally that she will attend the Ji family's wedding banquet and will arrive this afternoon."

Fu Chen's eyes darkened: "The Ji family?"

During the years that Fu Chen was in charge of the company, he only remembered the Ji family. After the Ji family moved out of China, the two families stopped doing business together. Why would they send a wedding invitation from so far away?

Besides, Lan Yin dislikes people the most, so why would she take the initiative to participate in these things?

"Retrieve all the records of the company's dealings with the Ji family."

Chen Yan: "Yes."

......

The following afternoon, at the airport.

When Chen Yan met Madam Lan and Aunt Liu, Lan Yin's complexion had completely changed in just one week.

His once sickly body can now walk freely.

Although she still wears clothes from the Republican era of the last century, she looks like a living person.

He opened the car door: "Madam, Mr. Fu is unwell and specially asked me to pick you up."

"Hmm, is Fu Chen alright?"

Her voice remained calm and cool, so cool that it even made the tropical monsoon climate feel a bit more refreshing.

Chen Yan replied guiltily, "President Fu is recovering well."

Lan Yin: "Um, where is Ruan Qing?"

I wonder if this child has found the freedom she wanted.

Chen Yan: "Madam, would you like to see your sister-in-law?"

Lan Yin caught the word "sister-in-law" and asked, "Are they together?"

He explained, "Not yet... for now."

Lan Yin's face immediately turned cold: "Xiao Chen, watch your manners."

Her voice was soft, yet it carried an invisible pressure. Chen Yan immediately apologized, his hands gripping the steering wheel instantly sweating.

During the one-hour drive, Chen Yan wisely kept his mouth shut, afraid of saying anything wrong again.

He finally understood who Fu inherited that aloof and unapproachable demeanor from.

Once they arrived in the city, Aunt Liu said, "Assistant Chen, could you take us to this hotel?"

Chen Yan glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, "President Fu has arranged a hotel for his wife—"

"Let's go here."

Lan Yin interrupted Chen Yan directly, so he could only take the two of them to the designated hotel.

As she was leaving, Lan Yin called out to him, "Xiao Chen, tell Qingqing to come see me when she has time."

"Yes, madam."

What about President Fu? He kept the question stuck in his throat, and the two of them turned and left without giving him a chance to speak.

When he returned to the apartment, Fu Chen saw that he had come back alone and did not ask any questions.

Instead, he asked Ruan Qing, "Is there any noise upstairs?"

This mother and son are indeed blood relatives.

"No, not at the moment. Miss Ruan hasn't left the house since she got home last night."

"Okay, I understand. You've been busy all night too, go and get some rest."

*

Monsoon Hotel.

As soon as Lan Yin entered, the hotel manager came to greet her.

"Hello, are you Ms. Lan?"

"I am."

The manager greeted her with a smile: "I'm your receptionist, just call me Xiao Li. Mrs. Ji is inside, I'll take you there right away."

After he finished speaking, he gave a look to the porters behind him, and the two men carried her luggage onto the trolley.

The moment the door opened, their eyes met, and time seemed to stand still.

All the words I had prepared beforehand got stuck in my throat the moment we met, and I couldn't say a single one.

Memories from decades ago flooded her mind at this moment, and the girl's innocent smile overlapped with her own, causing her to burst into tears.

Ji Yuyao held Lan Yin's hand tightly, unwilling to let go.

She said to the two young people beside her, "Quickly call her godmother."

Lan Yin was amused by her words, and the distance between them that had been blank for twenty-six years was instantly shortened.

Ji Yuyao held his son's hand and said, "Yinyin, this is my son, Ji Yuntian. You touched him when you were pregnant with him."

"..."

The two sent the younger generation away, then burst into tears, recounting the events of the past few years.

Ji Yuyao took her hand with heartache and asked, "What about your son? Is he good to you?"