Chapter 370 They Have Their Own Lives
Walking out of the gate of the Lu family's old house, Chenchen suddenly stopped, turned around and looked up at the house that was covered with traces of time.
The morning light casts a golden edge on the blue-gray eaves, but it cannot conceal the loneliness emanating from the house.
"What's wrong?"
Lu Yiran noticed the child's strangeness and squatted down to look him in the eye.
Chenchen blinked, and there was confusion in his childish voice:
"Uncle Lu, why have I never met grandpa and grandma?"
He pointed to the large house behind him and continued:
"Grandpa and grandma must feel so lonely living in such a big house. They would be happier if they had children around."
Lu Yiran's body froze. This sudden question was like a key that unexpectedly opened up his deliberately sealed memories.
He had never thought of taking Chenchen to meet his parents, or perhaps he had subconsciously excluded those two people from the category of "family".
He followed Chenchen's gaze back at the old house and suddenly realized that this house, which carried the memories of three generations, now only had two elderly people in their twilight years.
They have waited and hoped here for a lifetime, but they have never been able to enjoy the happiness of having children and grandchildren around them.
Take Chenchen to meet them? As soon as this thought came to mind, Lu Yiran curled his lips in self-mockery.
How could a couple who could so heartlessly abandon their own son care about a grandson they had never met?
Lu Yiran considered his words, thinking about how to explain to Chenchen, his voice a little lower than usual.
"They... have their own lives and don't like to be disturbed, so they don't live here."
Chenchen tilted his head and thought for a moment, then suddenly straightened his back and said seriously, imitating an adult:
"Well, if that's the case, then I'll have to work a little harder! I'll have to come back more often to spend time with my great-grandparents!"
His adult-like appearance made Lu Yiran's heart soften.
The morning light shone through the shadows of the trees onto Chenchen's face, outlining his childish yet extremely serious profile.
The long eyelashes glowed with golden light in the sunlight, and trembled slightly with the blinking movement, like two small fans.
Lu Yiran unconsciously raised the corners of his mouth, and a gentle smile appeared in his deep eyes.
He reached out and ruffled Chenchen's fluffy hair, feeling the soft touch in his palm.
At this moment, he suddenly realized that Chenchen's existence was like a ray of light shining into his originally monotonous life, warm and bright, making the haze that had accumulated over the years become less important.
Lu Yiran took Chenchen's hand, his voice filled with affection that he himself didn't even notice:
"Let's go, I'll take you to meet your godfather."
Chenchen cheered and skipped along with Lu Yiran as he walked towards the car.
In the sunlight, two figures, one big and one small, gradually lengthened, casting warm silhouettes on the ground.
Lu Yiran looked down at the little guy who was chattering non-stop beside him, and a corner of his heart softened quietly. It turned out that happiness was so simple.
Lu Yiran started the car and was about to drive out of the carved iron gate of the Lu family's old house when he suddenly realized a key problem.
He looked up at the rearview mirror, where he saw Chenchen happily shaking his calves.
He slowed down the car and asked in a deep voice:
"Chenchen, do you know where your godfather lives?"
Chenchen, who was originally shaking his legs happily, froze when he heard this.
He blinked, his face slowly wrinkled, his voice full of disappointment:
"I don't know... I was planning to suddenly appear in front of him and give him a big surprise..."
Lu Yiran looked at the drooping little face in the rearview mirror, and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously.
He deliberately lowered his voice:
"What should we do? Can we not go?"
Chenchen's mouth pursed into a wavy line, obviously not expecting such a loophole in his perfect plan.
He twisted the corner of his clothes unconsciously, his voice as soft as a mosquito's:
"Then...then I'd better give my godfather a call and ask..."
Chenchen was about to press the children's watch, but Lu Yiran quickly rubbed his little head:
"Just kidding, how can a phone call be considered a surprise?"
"Then what should I do..."
Chenchen looked at him aggrievedly.
"Just sit still, I have a plan."
Lu Yiran took out his phone, slid his slender fingers across the screen quickly, and sent a message to his assistant:
【Check Cui Hao's address.】
Lu Yiran remembered that when Cui Hao went to the company to cause trouble, he asked his assistant to check some of his information, but later he was busy dealing with Mu Nanyan's affairs and forgot about it. If nothing unexpected happened, they should know where Cui Hao lives now.
In less than a minute, the assistant replied with an address.
Lu Yiran glanced at it and chuckled:
"Let's go, I'll take you to see your godfather."
Chenchen immediately recovered and asked excitedly while clinging to the seat:
"Really? Uncle Lu, you are so amazing."
Lu Yiran raised the corner of his mouth slightly and started the car.
The car drove into the main road. Chenchen leaned against the car window and watched the old house gradually turn into a small black dot.
He suddenly turned his head, his face full of curiosity:
"Uncle Lu, do you know why godfather has been staying in the capital?"
Lu Yiran tightened his grip on the steering wheel slightly, then smiled and said:
"I'm not sure. Why don't you ask him when you see him later?"
"All right."
An hour later, the car stopped in front of a modern high-rise apartment building.
In the elevator, Chenchen nervously tugged at the corner of Lu Yiran's clothes, his little face filled with a mixture of anticipation and uneasiness.
"This is it, go knock on the door."
Lu Yiran pointed to the house number 1602.
Chenchen's eyes suddenly lit up, and she grabbed the hem of Lu Yiran's suit and hid against the wall:
"Uncle Lu, hide quickly! As soon as Godfather opens the door, we'll jump out and scare him!"
Lu Yiran raised his eyebrows and looked at the excited little guy, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.
Was this a surprise or a shock? But seeing Chenchen showing such a rare childish look, he finally indulged and cooperated, disappearing into the blind spot of the cat's eye.
Who cares? He’s not the one who’s scared. Besides, as long as Chenchen is happy, that’s all that matters.
"Ding Dong—Ding Dong—Ding Dong—"
Chenchen tiptoed to press the doorbell, then scurried back to Lu Yiran like a nimble little rabbit.
He held Lu Yiran's fingers tightly, his little face full of anticipation and nervousness, his eyes shining as if filled with stars.
Not long after, there was a "click" sound of the door lock turning.
"Wow!"
Chenchen rushed out in one step, but froze instantly when he saw who was coming.
The person standing inside the door was not Cui Hao as expected, but the woman who looked very similar to Mu Nanyan and whom he met outside the bathroom yesterday.
"ah--"
Su Yun was obviously frightened by this sudden "attack" and almost dropped the mug in his hand.
Cui Hao just came out of the bedroom when he heard Su Yun's scream. He frowned subconsciously, but still walked towards the door:
"What the hell are you yelling about so early in the morning..."
Before he finished speaking, his eyes met Lu Yiran who had just walked out from the shadows of the corridor.
The moment their eyes met, the air seemed to freeze.
Chenchen stood there at a loss, Lu Yiran's eyes suddenly became sharp, and Cui Hao's expression was even more wonderful, shock, embarrassment, annoyance, and finally fixed on a subtle panic.
Cui Hao was the first to break the silence, his voice a little tense:
"Chenchen? Why are you..."
Chenchen looked up at this strange combination, his little head filled with confusion:
"Godfather, why is this aunt in your house?"
Chenchen's innocent question was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.
The three people present had different expressions, and there was a subtle awkwardness in the air.
Lu Yiran's gaze swept back and forth between Cui Hao and Su Yun, his eyes gradually becoming sharper.
He noticed the faint red marks on Su Yun's neck. She was only wearing a casual coat over her thin halter dress, which was obviously not the outfit for a temporary visit.
Adults all know what happens when a man and a woman are alone in a room together.
An absurd thought flashed through Lu Yiran's mind: Cui Hao has a new love, does that mean he won't bother Mu Nanyan anymore? This realization made him feel secretly happy.
But when he saw Su Yun's face clearly, this joy was immediately replaced by complicated emotions.
What does it mean that Cui Hao is dating a woman who looks so much like Nan Yan? A body double? Or just a coincidence?
Substitute? Lu Yiran sneered in his heart, his eyes gradually turning cold.
It was not until he heard Cui Hao's impatient questioning of Su Yun that he confirmed that Cui Hao had no real feelings for this woman.
If you really like someone, why would your first reaction when you hear a scream be impatience?
This realization made Lu Yiran look at Su Yun with a bit of contempt unconsciously. How could she be qualified to imitate Nan Yan?
Yesterday, when he saw that Su Yun looked very similar to Mu Nanyan, he didn't feel anything much. But now, he felt that the woman in front of him was deliberately imitating Mu Nanyan, and this realization made him very unhappy.
Su Yun's face was pale at this moment. Chenchen's call of "godfather" was like a heavy hammer hitting her heart.
What had she just heard? What was this kid called Cui Hao? Godfather? They actually knew each other? And they were very familiar with each other?
Su Yun's brain had crashed at this moment.
This child is Mu Nanyan's. Does calling Cui Hao godfather mean Cui Hao also knows Mu Nanyan? So, the "Nanyan" who called Cui Hao that morning was Mu Nanyan? It's not a coincidence...
Su Yun connected all of this together and felt like the sky was falling.
She finally understood why Cui Hao had the name "Nan Yan" saved in his phone, why he always looked at her with longing eyes when he was drunk, why he asked her to wear clothes in a style she had never tried before, why he was so hot and cold towards her, and why she was the only woman by his side, but he never admitted that she was his girlfriend...
It turns out that she was just a pathetic substitute from the beginning to the end.
"I......"
Su Yun's lips trembled, and his carefully manicured nails dug deep into his palms.
She suddenly felt that the dress she was wearing, which imitated Mu Nanyan's style, was so ridiculous, just like her wishful thinking for the past six months.
Chenchen was keenly aware of the strangeness in the air, and her little hands nervously grasped the corner of Lu Yiran's clothes.
Lu Yiran sensed Chenchen's nervousness, and gently stroked his hair with his warm palm, but his eyes were as cold as ice:
"It seems we came at the wrong time."
Lu Yiran's voice was very soft, but like a sharp knife, it pierced everyone's eardrum accurately.
Cui Hao's Adam's apple rolled, and a complex emotion flashed across his handsome face.
He quickly adjusted his expression, squatted down to look Chenchen in the eye, and raised the corner of his mouth in a gentle arc:
"Chenchen, long time no see, how have you been recently?"
His tone was intimate and natural, as if the estrangement of half a month had never existed.
Chenchen originally had a lot to say to Cui Hao, but the situation before him really made him feel a little uncomfortable. He forced a smile and said:
"I'm doing fine lately."
Cui Hao smiled and rubbed his little head, then stood up and stepped aside to make way for him.
"Don't stand at the door anymore, come in and sit down."
His eyes deliberately avoided Su Yun's direction.
Lu Yiran had a faint sneer on his face and strode into the house holding Chenchen's hand.
When passing by Cui Hao, his footsteps paused slightly, but he said nothing in the end.
Lu Yiran watched all this coldly, and walked into the house calmly taking Chenchen by the hand.
When passing by Su Yun, he didn't even bother to give her a glance.
After seeing the two of them go in, Cui Hao looked at Su Yun who was standing at the door in a daze and said impatiently:
"Go back first, you are not needed here anymore."
"Bang--"
With a slight sound, the door closed mercilessly in front of Su Yun.
She stood there, her fingertips still in the position of wanting to grab the door handle.
The draft in the corridor brushed against her exposed legs, causing her to shudder.
It was not until this moment that she truly realized that she was like an old toy, thrown outside the door by her owner.
Su Yun stood in front of the closed door, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably. The draft in the corridor suddenly became biting, and she subconsciously hugged her arms tightly, but felt her hands were cold.
I see.
She suddenly wanted to laugh, but the corners of her mouth felt heavy as if filled with lead.
Those elusive tenderness, those ambiguous invitations, those "special treatments" she thought were all due to this face that resembled Mu Nanyan. She could even imagine whose shadow was reflected in Cui Hao's eyes when he looked at her.
The sound of several people talking could be faintly heard from inside the door. The sound was like a blunt knife, cutting into her heart again and again.
"That's...ridiculous."
She muttered to herself, her voice so hoarse it didn't sound like her own.
My nails dug deep into my palms, but I didn't feel any pain. It turned out that the most painful thing was not being used as a substitute, but that even the substitute was treated so cheaply, disposable after use, and not even worthy of a decent farewell.
The sensor light in the corridor suddenly went out, and darkness instantly swallowed her.
Just like the truth she finally saw at this moment: she had never been the heroine in the story, not even a supporting role, at best just a temporary prop.
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