Chapter 287 She...ran away again?
Chenchen tilted his head, keenly catching the corner of Mu Nanyan's mouth that turned up, blinking his big eyes and asking curiously:
"Sister Yan, what are you laughing at?"
Mu Nanyan reached out and rubbed his hair, pretending to be mysterious and said:
"This is a secret for adults, so please sit still, little ones."
"oh--"
Chenchen responded in a drawn-out tone, but his legs were shaking restlessly.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something important, turned around, grabbed the armrest of the chair, and asked cautiously:
"Sister Yan, are we really not going to tell our godfather that we're going to the capital? I agreed with him before that I would tell him..."
As Chenchen spoke, his voice gradually became lower, and his little hands unconsciously grabbed the seat belt.
Although Chenchen had decided not to rely on Cui Hao anymore, this matter had been agreed upon before, and Chenchen always felt that this was not a good idea.
Seeing the little guy's tangled expression, Mu Nanyan's heart softened and she patiently explained:
"Your godfather might still be at work at this hour, and I've already messaged your godmother. She'll come pick us up. If you feel bad about it, we'll treat your godfather to dinner tonight as an apology, okay?"
"good!"
Chenchen's eyes lit up, and he accepted the proposal without objection.
Mu Nanyan couldn't help laughing and asked, "Do you want to take a nap? We still have two hours to get there."
"Yeah, now that I've had a good rest, I can play with my godmother in the evening..."
Chenchen lay obediently on the table and chair. He yawned before he finished speaking, and his long eyelashes slowly drooped like a small fan.
Mu Nanyan gently covered him with a small blanket, and after Chenchen fell asleep, she also closed her eyes and began to sleep.
————
As dusk deepened, Lu Yiran's slender fingers tapped the rhythm lightly on the steering wheel.
At five-thirty, his black Maybach stopped in front of the office building where Mu Nanyan's studio was located.
The car window was half-lowered, and the early autumn evening breeze blew across his face with a slight coolness, but it could not blow away the light of expectation in his eyes.
As the clock struck six, a large number of professional-looking people in business attire poured out of the glass door of the office building.
Lu Yiran frowned slightly and searched the crowd. Ten minutes passed, but the familiar figure still did not appear.
"Is she working overtime again today?"
He murmured to himself, but the corners of his mouth unconsciously raised a doting arc.
Pushing open the car door, he straightened his suit cuffs and walked into the office building with steady steps.
Lu Yiran took the elevator to Mu Nanyan's studio.
The studio door lock shone coldly under the light from the corridor. Lu Yiran stood there in a daze, his bony hands suspended in mid-air.
Through the glass door, he saw the neatly arranged desks inside. The computer screens were all dimmed, and the air was filled with the silence after work was finished.
They were off work already? So where had she gone?
Lu Yiran took out his cell phone, and the three words "Mu Nanyan" on the screen were particularly eye-catching.
The moment the phone was connected, the mechanical female voice poured like a bucket of cold water on his heart:
"Hello, the number you dialed is turned off. Please call again later."
Lu Yiran then realized something was wrong. The phone was turned off? Could it be that the battery was out?
As soon as this thought flashed through Lu Yiran's mind, he denied it.
Because he basically never turned off his phone when he called Mu Nanyan, and he also found that Mu Nanyan had a little habit. She liked to keep the battery of her phone above 50%, as if she had some obsessive-compulsive disorder.
If her phone wasn't out of battery and she wasn't at the company, where would she go?
Lu Yiran continued to call Mu Nanyan, hoping the phone was only turned off temporarily. Even if Mu Nanyan's phone was out of battery, was it possible that she would charge it the next second? Maybe it would turn on if he called again?
Thinking this way, Lu Yiran called Mu Nanyan again and again, but every time he heard a mechanical prompt tone:
"Hello, the number you dialed is turned off. Please call again later."
At the end of the call, Lu Yiran's patience slowly wore out. He suddenly pressed the hang-up button, his knuckles turning white from the force.
Lu Yiran felt a little uneasy. Did something happen to Mu Nanyan? Or did she... run away again?
Lu Yiran stared at the black screen of his phone, a bitter taste rising in his throat.
The coolness from the palm of my hand spread along the blood vessels to my heart, and those memories that were deliberately sealed suddenly broke out.
————
Lu Yiran came to the company as usual. Just after the morning meeting, the screen of his mobile phone lit up. It was a call from Mrs. Lu.
He stared at the familiar name, his fingertips pausing above the screen for two seconds.
Every time Mrs. Lu called, it was always something bad, but he still answered the call in the end.
"Grandma." His voice was calm but with a hint of helplessness.
The energetic voice of Mrs. Lu came from the other end of the phone:
"Yiran, why don't you bring Yanyan back to the old house for dinner this weekend? I haven't seen that girl for a long time, and I miss her so much."
The three words "Mu Nanyan" were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples in Lu Yiran's heart.
He was shocked to realize that he hadn't seen Mu Nanyan for a long time. The last time he saw her was at the fashion design competition...
Lu Yiran still remembers how she stood on the catwalk wearing the dress she designed herself. Under the spotlight, she walked with confidence and composure, and behaved in an elegant and graceful manner. She seemed to be glowing.
At that moment, Mu Nanyan was like the brightest star in the night sky, beautiful yet out of reach.
"Yiran? Are you listening to me?"
Mrs. Lu's voice brought him back to reality.
"Yeah." Lu Yiran responded lightly.
The old lady pressed on unhappily, "What do you mean by 'hmm'? Give me a definite answer whether you're coming back or not."
Lu Yiran pondered for a moment: "I understand, I will take her back to the old house for dinner tomorrow."
A hearty laugh suddenly came from the other end of the phone: "That's more like it. Go ahead and get busy. It won't delay your work."
After Mrs. Lu finished speaking, she hung up the phone without any hesitation.
Before he could finish his words, the call was abruptly cut off.
Listening to the busy tone coming from the phone, Lu Yiran shook his head helplessly. He still couldn't figure out what method Mu Nanyan used to make her grandmother feel closer to her than to herself, her own grandson.
Lu Yiran's eyes fell on the name "Mu Nanyan" in the address book, his finger suspended in the air, not falling for a long time.
In the few months since they got married, he had contacted her only a few times.
This was the first time he tried to contact her since their last unpleasant call.
Lu Yiran felt a little nervous for no reason, his Adam's apple rolled unconsciously, but he finally made the call. However, what awaited him was a cold, robotic female voice:
"Hello, the number you dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later."
Lu Yiran frowned subconsciously. Did Mu Nanyan really not see it or did she deliberately not want to answer his call?
His knuckles turned slightly white from the force, but he dialed again without giving up.
Three attempts, three same results.
The air in the office seemed to freeze. Lu Yiran's expression became increasingly gloomy, with indescribable emotions brewing in his eyes.
"Mu Nanyan actually dared not answer my call. She must be tired of living."
Lu Yiran stared at the darkened screen, his knuckles turning white from exerting force, and a dangerous glint in his eyes.
Lu Yiran put away his phone, picked up his suit jacket with a gloomy expression, and strode out of the office.
He just wanted to go back to Yujing Tiancheng immediately to see what this woman was doing and why she didn't answer his call.
The office door was pushed open roughly, almost bumping into Xu Nanxing who was about to knock on the door.
She held a stack of documents in her arms, her carefully groomed eyebrows slightly raised:
"Brother Yiran, are you going out?"
"Well, it's a personal matter."
Lu Yiran walked straight past her towards the elevator without stopping, his stern face tense.
Xu Nanxing's eyes followed his back, and his nails unconsciously dug into the edge of the document.
Who else but Mu Nanyan could have caused Lu Yiran to leave in such a hurry during work hours? That woman must have been up to something again to get Brother Yiran to go back. I won't let her succeed!
"Wait, Brother Yiran!"
She jogged to catch up with the elevator that was about to close, her high heels making rapid sounds on the marble floor.
"What's wrong?"
Lu Yiran frowned and looked at Xu Nanxing, a little impatient.
"Boss Qin just called and said he had something urgent to do this afternoon and wanted to reschedule the meeting to the morning. They're already on their way..."
Lu Yiran's hand, which was pressing the elevator button, paused.
This cooperation project with Qin has been under discussion for nearly three months, and nothing can go wrong. Not only is hundreds of millions of dollars in investment at stake, but even Mr. Lu attaches great importance to this project. If the contract can be signed smoothly...
He released the button and turned around, regaining his usual composure.
"Get the meeting materials ready."
"Okay, Brother Yiran, I'll get ready right away."
Xu Nanxing smiled sweetly, but her eyes darkened the moment she turned around.
She knew Lu Yiran too well, and work was always his first choice.
Mu Nanyan, do you think this will attract his attention?
The light in the corridor stretched Lu Yiran's shadow very long. He unbuttoned his cufflinks and then buttoned them again. This habitual action revealed his inner restlessness.
Lu Yiran returned to his office, stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked at the hustle and bustle of traffic outside, but his thoughts had gradually drifted to other places.
…
After the meeting, Lu Yiran successfully signed the contract, and Dingsheng and Qin officially reached a cooperative relationship.
After seeing Mr. Qin off, Lu Yiran stood in front of the French window and loosened his tie. The sunlight poured in through the glass, but it couldn't dispel the inexplicable irritability in his heart.
Lu Yiran didn't know what happened today. His right eyelid had been twitching non-stop since this morning, reminding him of what the charlatan Chu Ci often said: "Left eye twitching means good fortune, right eye twitching means disaster."
The phone screen lit up, showing the electronic contract signed between Dingsheng and Qin. This should have been a moment of celebration, but he couldn't even muster a perfunctory smile. It felt like a stone was pressing on his chest, and a heavy sense of unease lingered.
As soon as the working hours were over, Lu Yiran left the company directly. Everyone in the president's office was almost crazy with joy, as they finally didn't have to work overtime with the boss.
As soon as Lu Yiran left, the president's office erupted in suppressed cheers. Everyone began to pack up and prepare to go home. Some people even decided what delicious food to eat tonight to celebrate.
What they didn't know was that this would be the last peaceful dusk for a long time...
…
In the evening, Lu Yiran's black Maybach sped along the tree-lined avenue leading to Yujing Tiancheng. The wheels made a crackling sound as they rolled over the fallen leaves, just like his restless heartbeat at the moment.
Back at Yujing Tiancheng, the butler was still waiting at the door as usual. He was a little surprised to see Lu Yiran come back.
The eldest young master hasn't been back for two months, why is he back suddenly?
Lu Yiran parked the car, and the first thing he said when he got out was:
"Where is Mu Nanyan?"
"The young lady has gone to work and hasn't come back yet." The housekeeper replied respectfully.
Lu Yiran loosened his tie and asked calmly, "How is she doing recently?"
Hearing this, the housekeeper subconsciously thought of the night when Mu Nanyan suddenly came to him and said that she wanted to move out. However, in the end, the housekeeper said nothing and smiled at Lu Yiran:
"Young Madam is doing well recently, just like usual."
Lu Yiran strode through the entrance with a cold face, his leather shoes making a dull sound on the marble floor.
The butler followed closely behind him and could clearly feel the low pressure in the air.
The familiar fragrance in the living room filled the air. Lu Yiran's eyes swept over every corner: the neatly arranged fashion magazines on the coffee table, the carefully tended green plants by the window, and even the position of the remote control was exactly the same as it was two months ago.
This family seemed to have been paused, with the most important person missing.
"What time does she usually come back in the afternoon?"
Lu Yiran unbuttoned his suit and sat down on the leather sofa.
The butler glanced at the wall clock and replied:
"Mrs. Young Madam has been arriving home around seven lately."
The clock hand was pointing to six fifty at this moment. Lu Yiran stroked the dial of his watch, and a sinister look flashed in his eyes.
She should be back soon, right? He wanted to see what excuse she would come up with to explain her behavior of not answering the phone today.
Time passed minute by minute, and when the clock struck half past seven, a layer of cold sweat had already broken out on the butler's back.
The young lady always came back on time before, why hasn’t she come back yet so late today?
He hid in the kitchen while pouring tea, and with trembling fingers he sent a text message:
[Madam, the eldest master is waiting for you at home.]
However, the message he sent fell on deaf ears and received no response.
After waiting until eight o'clock, Lu Yiran could no longer sit still because his eyelids were twitching more and more violently. He always felt that something was going to happen. He was not sure what it was before, but at this moment, he felt that this matter was related to Mu Nanyan.
Lu Yiran called Mu Nanyan again. This time, the robotic female voice still responded to him, but it was completely different from the previous one:
"Hello, the number you dialed is not in service. Please check before redialing."
Lu Yiran: ???
He took the phone down from his ear and looked at Mu Nanyan's note on the screen. For a moment, he didn't know how to react. He even suspected that there was something wrong with his ears...
An unused number? How is that possible?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
