Chapter 361 Okay, I’ll wait for you to come back
He took out his cell phone, his fingertips hovered above the address book, paused for a few seconds, and finally landed lightly on the name "Mu Nanyan".
The light from the screen reflected his eyebrows and eyes, and his deep contours appeared particularly clear under the cold light.
He pursed his lips and finally pressed the dial button.
During the brief few seconds of waiting for the call to be connected, he could clearly hear his own heartbeat, which was a few beats faster than usual.
————
The morning in Washington was still foggy.
Mu Nanyan and her group arrived at the airport at eight o'clock in the morning. As soon as they walked out of the gate, they saw the staff arranged by Emma to pick them up.
The car took them through unfamiliar streets and finally stopped in front of a hotel with an artistic atmosphere.
After a brief rest, they headed straight to the dance troupe without even having time to adjust to the jet lag.
Emma had already prepared a spacious rehearsal room as their temporary studio.
Mu Nanyan was busy all day, watching the dancers rehearsing, discussing the details of the costume design with Emma, and revising the design drawings.
It was not until seven o'clock in the evening, when the lights came on, that she dragged her tired body back to the hotel.
The warm water washed away all the fatigue.
Mu Nanyan had just walked out of the bathroom drying her hair when she heard the familiar ringtone of the phone on the bedside table.
She walked over, and the three words "Lu Yiran" on the screen made her fingers pause slightly.
Without hesitation, she pressed the answer button:
"Hello?"
A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone, and Lu Yiran was in a trance for a moment.
He gripped the phone tightly, his Adam's apple moved slightly, and in the end he just uttered a low "hmm".
"Sorry, I left in a hurry yesterday and forgot to tell you..."
There was a hint of apology in Mu Nanyan's voice.
If it weren't for this phone call, she would have indeed forgotten to take the initiative to inform him of her itinerary.
Lu Yiran's eyes lit up and the corners of his lips rose unconsciously.
Nan Yan was explaining something to him? This realization made his heart beat even faster.
His voice softened unconsciously:
"It's okay, Chenchen has already told me."
Mu Nanyan's voice came through the receiver, with a softness that came from fatigue:
"Chenchen has troubled you these past two days. Did he cause you any trouble?"
"No, he's very well behaved. And he's my son, so it's my responsibility to take care of him."
There was sudden silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds.
Mu Nanyan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the hotel, with exotic lights flickering beneath her feet.
In this strange city, on this quiet night, the familiar voice coming from the other end of the phone suddenly made my longing surge like a tide.
She suddenly realized that she missed him.
"Nan Yan?"
The long silence on the other end of the phone made Lu Yiran lower his voice unconsciously, as if he was afraid of disturbing something.
Mu Nanyan suddenly came back to her senses, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the edge of the phone:
"What's wrong?"
There was a subtle nervousness in Lu Yiran's voice:
"Nothing, I just suddenly couldn't hear your voice..."
"Sorry, I'm just a little tired and my mind was wandering..."
She explained softly, her eyes fixed on the dazzling night view outside the window.
"Is work difficult?"
She rubbed her temples, her voice filled with a hint of fatigue:
"It's okay, but time is a bit tight. I think I'll be very busy later."
Lu Yiran glanced at his watch and saw that the hour hand was about to point to half past nine.
Despite the twelve-hour time difference, he seemed to be able to see her standing in the night of a foreign country, her thin figure stretched out by the light.
"Then you should rest early."
He spoke softly, but his tone was filled with reluctance.
If possible, he wished this call could last a little longer...
"good."
Mu Nanyan responded but didn't hang up.
There was a slight sound of electricity coming from the phone, mixed with each other's almost imperceptible breathing. This subtle silence made her heart beat faster for some reason.
But the call would eventually be hung up. Just as her fingertips were about to press the hang-up button, Lu Yiran suddenly spoke:
“Nan Yan…”
"What's wrong?"
She responded almost immediately.
There was a pause on the other end of the phone, and his low voice came through the receiver:
"That matter...how have you considered it?"
Mu Nanyan's breathing stagnated. She certainly understood what he meant.
There were countless moments when the word "OK" almost came out of my mouth, but was forced back into my heart by reason.
The distance of 12,000 kilometers was like an invisible chasm, making her dare not take this step easily.
She has seen too many examples of long-distance relationships ending in failure and is afraid of repeating the same mistakes.
This time, she wanted to walk towards him steadily, instead of being suspicious of each other across the ocean.
So she held back.
"I'll tell you the answer when we meet."
She heard her own voice soft but firm.
A soft laugh came from the other end of the phone, like an early spring breeze blowing across the lake:
"Okay, then I'll wait for you to come back."
After hanging up the phone, Mu Nanyan stared at the familiar name on the screen in a daze.
My fingertips gently run across the date of the call log, as if I could feel the warmth from the other side of the ocean.
As the night deepened, the lights of Washington blurred into a gentle halo in her eyes.
————
The "beep, beep" sound of the phone being hung up suddenly seemed particularly harsh in the quiet office.
Lu Yiran's hand holding the phone slowly dropped, his knuckles turning slightly white.
【When we meet, I will tell you the answer. 】
Mu Nanyan's last words kept replaying in his mind like a spell.
He knew her too well, and he could clearly hear the hesitation and expectation hidden in every word.
The distance of 12,000 kilometers is like a double-edged sword. On one side is the joy of the upcoming reunion, and on the other side is the torment of not being able to meet at the moment.
Lu Yiran walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. The sunlight was so bright that he squinted his eyes.
He unconsciously traced the outline of the world map on the glass, from Beijing to Washington, and his fingertips finally stopped at that distant location.
"It's only a week at most...it will pass if you just bear with it."
He whispered to himself, his Adam's apple rolling slightly.
This business elite, who has always been decisive and resolute, now began to count the days like a child waiting for Christmas presents.
144 hours, 8640 minutes... every second becomes concrete and clear.
The phone screen flickered on and off, and he sat back down at his desk, forcing himself to focus on the quarterly report in front of him.
The scratching sound of the pen on the paper gradually drowned out the restless heartbeat.
The sunlight outside the window slowly crept over the pile of documents, casting tiny spots of light on the back of his hand.
“Soon…”
The pen paused slightly on the last number, and the ink spread out into a small dot.
Lu Yiran raised his head and looked through the glass, as if he could see the night scene on the other side of the ocean.
————
At 4:30 in the afternoon, Lu Yiran parked his car at the school gate on time.
He adjusted his suit cuffs and walked towards the school gate with his long legs.
The autumn sun shone gently on his shoulders. He stood among a group of parents, his tall figure particularly eye-catching.
The school bell rang cheerfully, and the children chirped and rushed out of the teaching building like birds out of a cage.
The afterglow of the setting sun gave everyone a golden edge, and the air was filled with the unique relaxed atmosphere of school.
Lu Yiran stood under the sycamore tree at the school gate, his eyes searching the crowd.
He deliberately ended the meeting early today just to pick up Chenchen on time.
Suddenly, his sight fixed on the exit of the teaching building. Chenchen was walking slowly at the end. His usually high-spirited head was now drooping, with the straps of his schoolbag hanging loosely on his shoulders. He looked like an eggplant hit by frost.
"Chenchen."
Hearing the familiar call, the little boy raised his head sharply.
Those big round eyes lit up the moment they saw Lu Yiran, but then dimmed immediately. Her long eyelashes blinked rapidly, revealing a hint of imperceptible panic.
Lu Yiran's heart suddenly tightened.
He squatted down and looked straight at the little guy who was moving slowly towards him.
Chenchen was acting particularly strangely today. He gripped the strap of his schoolbag tightly, refusing to let go even when his knuckles turned white.
Those eyes, always full of curiosity, were now fixed on the ground, as if they wanted to see through the concrete.
Lu Yiran frowned slightly when he saw this. What happened to Chenchen? Wasn't he fine this morning? Was he being bullied at school?
Countless guesses flashed through Lu Yiran's mind, but he didn't know which one was correct, so he simply asked directly:
"What's wrong?"
As Lu Yiran spoke, he subconsciously wanted to reach out to touch his hair, but Chenchen subconsciously turned his head away.
“No, nothing…”
Chenchen stared at the tip of his shoes, his voice as soft as a mosquito's.
Lu Yiran looked at his hand suspended in mid-air and was stunned for a moment.
Is Chenchen not going to let him touch her again?
Wasn't everything fine this morning? Is there a time limit for easing relations? When the time is up, everything starts all over again? This...
Lu Yiran couldn't describe his mood at the moment. He felt powerless, as if he had worked hard for a long time, but in the end he was back to where he was before liberation.
The setting sun stretched their shadows very long.
Lu Yiran took a deep breath and silently withdrew his hand.
On the way back in the car, Lu Yiran quietly observed through the rearview mirror.
Chenchen curled up in the back seat, twisting the straps of his schoolbag with his fingers, stealing glances at the front seat from time to time, and every time he met Lu Yiran's gaze, he hurriedly looked away.
The light and shadow outside the car window alternated between light and dark on the little guy's face, reflecting a little face full of worries.
The silence in the car continued all the way until they entered the residential garage. Chenchen then reluctantly unbuckled his seat belt and slowly followed Lu Yiran into the elevator.
In the elevator, Lu Yiran glanced down at the little guy beside him and found that Chenchen's lips were slightly pursed, as if he wanted to say something but was holding back and refused to speak.
He sighed softly, squatted down, and tried to make his voice sound soft:
"Chenchen, did something happen at school?"
Chenchen clenched her hands tighter, her eyelashes trembled, and her eyes wandered: "No, nothing happened..."
"bite--"
The elevator door opened and Chenchen ran out.
Lu Yiran looked at Chenchen's back. He was sure that Chenchen must have something to say to him, but didn't know how to start.
After realizing the problem, Lu Yiran was no longer in a hurry. He wanted to see how long Chenchen could endure.
After returning home, Chenchen went straight back to his room and locked himself in and refused to come out. Lu Yiran was not in a hurry.
During dinner, Chenchen didn't even touch his favorite cola chicken wings. He took a few mouthfuls of rice and said he was full.
He was absent-minded when doing his homework, and the eraser was scratched with dents by him.
It was not until he was washing up before going to bed that Chenchen finally couldn't bear it anymore.
He stood at the bathroom door, watching Lu Yiran brush his teeth slowly, as if he didn't see him at all.
Seeing this, Chenchen was really anxious at this time. Hadn't he been asking him what happened before? Why didn't he ask now? Why don't you ask!
Chenchen stood at the door anxiously, but Lu Yiran looked calm and composed. After washing up, he was about to leave the bathroom. As if he had just seen Chenchen, he smiled and said:
"Do you want to use the bathroom? Then I'll go out and you can use it."
Lu Yiran left immediately after he finished speaking. Chenchen froze in place, and after a while he reacted, he reluctantly chased after Lu Yiran.
"Uncle Lu... I... have something to tell you..."
Lu Yiran's lips curled up in a triumphant smile. He quickly composed his expression, turned to look at Chenchen and asked:
"What's wrong?"
Chenchen's eyelashes blinked rapidly, and then he lowered his head, his voice as soft as a mosquito's:
"There's a parents' meeting tomorrow..."
Lu Yiran was stunned for a moment, then reacted: "So you've been agonizing over this today?"
Chenchen nodded, then shook his head, and after struggling for a while, he said sullenly:
"Mommy is on a business trip...can't come."
He raised his wet eyes, his eyelashes trembling slightly like a small fan. He finally mustered up the courage to raise his little face, looking at Lu Yiran with a bit of anticipation and a bit of trepidation:
"So... could you help me with the parent-teacher conference tomorrow?"
Lu Yiran's heart suddenly tightened.
He never imagined that the matter that had troubled the little guy for the entire day was just such a small request.
Looking at Chenchen's cautious appearance, a sour emotion spread in my chest.
If he could have stayed with Chenchen all these years, would the child not have hesitated for so long even for such a simple request?
The floodgates of memory suddenly opened, and Lu Yiran seemed to see his younger self standing in the empty classroom, watching other classmates being picked up by their parents.
His Adam's apple rolled up and down, and he secretly clenched his fists. He swore that he would never let Chenchen repeat his mistakes.
"sure."
Lu Yiran's voice was gentler than usual, and he reached out and gently rubbed Chenchen's soft top of the head.
This time the little guy didn't dodge, but rubbed against his palm like a friendly kitten.
Lu Yiran squatted down, looked Chenchen in the eye, and said seriously word by word:
"No matter what happens in the future, you can tell me directly. I'm your father, don't be embarrassed."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
