Chapter 9 009 "After all these years, you still haven't let go?"...
Realizing who the laughter came from, Meng Ran looked over again in disbelief.
From the moment she met Chen Sulin, she had never seen this man smile at anyone other than Chen Miaoying—except for a cold laugh.
Now, the first time an exception has been made, it's actually a way of mocking myself.
Is it funny? Has he never accidentally dropped anything?
As if pleased by Meng Ran's incredulous expression, Chen Sulin's eyebrows relaxed, and the corners of his lips lifted slightly, making him look unusually relaxed and happy.
This made Meng Ran even more frustrated.
He had better pray that he never makes a mistake again, or she'll definitely find a way to mock him.
Chen Miaoying had no idea what kind of subtle conflict was going on between the adults; she only knew that her mother hadn't made a move.
After waiting and waiting, she finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Mom, why aren't you done yet?"
Meng Ran coughed lightly: "I'm sorry, Mom was distracted for a moment. Let's begin now."
Chen Miaoying said "Oh" and then said seriously, "It's okay, Mom, I forgive you."
Meng Ran couldn't help but chuckle: "Thank you, darling."
If I remember correctly, Chen Miaoying's braids were elaborate and intricate when she came back from kindergarten these past two days.
But since it was her first time combing her daughter's hair, Meng Ran felt that she shouldn't try to do it too quickly; it would be good enough if she could just finish it smoothly.
Meng Ran decided to give Chen Miaoying a simple double ponytail, hoping she wouldn't dislike it.
There's nothing you can do about it—this temporary mom hasn't received any pre-job training, so her skills are really limited.
I carefully combed the little girl's hair and divided it into two equal parts.
Meng Ran herself has thick and coarse hair, and the color is not pure black; it is noticeably brownish in sunlight.
Chen Miaoying's hair, on the other hand, is black, smooth, and fine.
Meng Ran vaguely remembered that her mother seemed to have the same hair texture. When she was little, she loved to play with her mother's hair. Although her memory was a bit hazy, she remembered that it felt smooth and soft to the touch.
Could it be a case of skipped-generation inheritance?
Or perhaps it actually comes from Chen Sulin's genes?
Meng Ran inexplicably recalled Chen Sulin's appearance after taking a shower that day; his hair seemed quite smooth, which didn't quite match his cold and hard aura.
Thinking of this, she looked up and her eyes met Chen Sulin's once again.
The man casually held his coffee, and when their eyes met, his eyebrows lifted slightly.
Meng Ran: "..."
Shouldn't he be busy? How long has he been drinking this cup of coffee?
He didn't seem to have looked at the documents the housekeeper had just brought on the table, and she had every reason to suspect that he was slacking off.
Meng Ran silently withdrew her gaze, trying to block out the uncomfortable feeling in her body, and pretending that the man supervising her didn't exist.
It's inevitable that you'll miss some things when combing a child's hair for the first time.
In addition, the constant worry about hurting Chan Miu-ying's scalp caused further obstacles and slowed down the progress.
Fortunately, Chen Miaoying was kind enough not to rush her, and after a flurry of activity, Meng Ran finally managed to tie her two ponytails.
The design is simple and lacks any distinctive features. Its only advantage is that, under her slow and careful operation, it is still relatively neat and symmetrical.
Meng Ran then took out two blue bow hair clips from the basket of the stroller and pinned one on each side of the little girl's head.
After fastening the ribbons, she admired them for a moment: perhaps it was just her own high opinion of herself, but the originally plain pigtails, adorned with the bows, actually looked quite cute.
However, thinking about the girl's exquisite hairstyle from a couple of days ago, Meng Ran's confidence instantly vanished by more than half.
She cleared her throat somewhat guiltily: "Mom's done."
As she spoke, she prayed in her heart: hoping that the little girl wouldn't be too picky and would give this new mother a break.
Upon hearing this, Chen Miaoying's first reaction was to show off to her father: "Dad, look at the braids Mom did for me!"
Chen Sulin's voice was gentle and deep: "Dad saw it."
Chen Miaoying: "Is it pretty or not, Dad?"
Chen Sulin: "It looks great."
Chen Miaoying smiled contentedly, her two dimples appearing and disappearing.
Meng Ran couldn't help but smile.
Even though she knew Chen Sulin's praise was meant to make her daughter happy, she couldn't help but feel pleased with it.
Meng Ran thought that, for the sake of that "it looks very good," she could temporarily forgive this person for mocking her before.
She is such a magnanimous woman!
After combing her hair, Chen Miaoying was ready to go out.
Meng Ran was initially worried about whether she should accept or refuse Chen Miaoying's invitation to take her to kindergarten together.
Of course, she wanted to spend more time with her daughter, but if she went to see her off, she would inevitably have to ride in the same car as Chen Sulin.
The journey there was fine; with Chen Miaoying, the gossip queen, there wasn't too much awkwardness between her and Chen Sulin.
But when they come back, there will only be her and Chen Sulin in the car.
Unexpectedly, Chen Miaoying didn't give Meng Ran a chance to struggle with her decision.
After glancing at the time on the wall clock, Chen Miaoying hurriedly ran to the shoe cabinet to change her shoes.
"Daddy, Daddy!" Chen Miaoying urged as she sat on the shoe-changing stool and put on her shoes, "Hurry up, or my little red flower will be gone!"
Chen Sulin obediently walked towards the entrance.
Meng Ran glanced down at her pajamas: it seemed that even if she wanted to give them to the girl, the young lady wouldn't agree to let her hold her back.
Even if the sky falls, the little red flower must not be lost.
After changing her shoes and putting on her backpack, Chen Miaoying waved vigorously at Meng Ran: "Mom, Dad and I are leaving now, see you tonight!"
Meng Ran smiled and waved goodbye to Chen Miaoying.
After watching Chen Miaoying and Chen Sulin leave, Meng Ran called Aunt Zhang over.
"Madam, is there anything I can help you with?" Aunt Zhang asked.
Meng Ran got straight to the point: "Aunt Zhang, when you have time, could you please teach me how to comb a child's hair?"
She missed too much of Chen Miaoying's growth in the past, and she can't guarantee that she will be a perfect mother in the future.
But at the very least, we can do what we can.
Meng Ran decided to start by combing her hair.
Aunt Zhang: "Madam, you're too kind. Of course, you can. When would you like to learn? I have time right now."
It's part of her job to take the young lady to school with the driver, so when her husband takes her there himself, this time is free.
Meng Ran: "Let's do it now."
Aunt Zhang: "Madam, what kind of hairstyle would you like to learn? If you're a beginner, it's better to practice one hairstyle from start to finish first."
Meng Ran thought for a moment: "Which hairstyle does Chen Miaoying like the most?"
Aunt Zhang smiled and said, "Madam, you don't know this. Only the master knows the hairstyle that Miss likes the most. Even I don't know it."
Meng Ran was surprised.
She never expected that Chen Sulin would actually braid his hair.
Aunt Zhang was not surprised by Meng Ran's reaction at all. Instead, she smiled understandingly: "Right? When I first came to work here a few years ago, I couldn't believe it when I heard that the master was going to braid the young lady's hair."
"But I didn't expect that you would be so skillful, and that you would love the braids that you braid. Whenever you have time in the morning, I want to comb your hair, but you don't want to; you have to do it for me."
Meng Ran: "..."
She truly hadn't expected Chen Sulin to be like this...
She didn't even know what words to use to describe it.
Perhaps it was because her expression was so complex, but Aunt Zhang actually comforted her: "Madam, you seem to be a very skillful person. With just a little learning, Miss will definitely love it when you braid her hair."
Meng Ran gave an awkward laugh.
Can she say that she has never been associated with the words "skillful and clever" from childhood to adulthood?
She's quite good at housework, but she's not good at anything more delicate or intricate.
Meng Ran spent half an hour learning how to comb hair from Aunt Zhang in the morning, and finally gained some experience.
At least next time I have the chance to braid Chen Miaoying's hair, I won't be as flustered as I was today.
In the afternoon, Meng Ran asked the driver to take her to the police station to get a new ID card.
To put it dramatically, this was the first time she had seen the light of day since waking up in the hospital, and even the outdoor air smelled sweet.
Thinking that her procedures were almost complete and that she could go out freely from now on, her mood improved.
Meng Ran excitedly texted Jiang Yuqing: "Let's have dinner together tomorrow. Have you decided which mall to go to?"
They had only arranged a time, but hadn't decided on a specific location yet.
Soon, Jiang Yuqing sent a location: "How's this place? It's a new mall that opened at the beginning of the year. I heard it's great for shopping and has good food. I haven't been there yet."
Meng Ran: [Sure.]
The time and place for the meal were set, and Meng Ran spent the next half day looking forward to it.
Of the two people who were closest to her back then, one of them has been completely removed from her life, leaving only Jiang Yuqing.
Meng Ran couldn't wait to meet Jiang Yuqing.
In the evening, Chen Miaoying was picked up by the driver and the housekeeper and taken home. Chen Sulin was working overtime today and did not come back with them.
Meng Ran wasn't surprised at all. She thought it was strange that Chen Sulin could pick up Chen Miaoying from kindergarten every day for the past two days.
Shouldn't a group leader of his caliber be extremely busy expanding his business empire, wishing he could stretch a day into 48 hours?
Meng Ran and Chen Miaoying enjoyed dinner together.
"Mom is going out tomorrow," she told Chen Miaoying during dinner. "To see a friend."
Chen Miaoying blinked her big, dark grape-like eyes: "Mommy, are you going out to play with your best friend?"
Meng Ran smiled and said, "Yes. Mom hasn't seen this friend in a long time, so she might be home a little late. How about Dad says goodnight to you for Mom tomorrow?"
Chen Miaoying tilted her head: "Then Mom has to give me double the goodnight kisses tonight."
Meng Ran chuckled: "Okay."
Chen Sulin was probably really busy today, or he had something urgent to deal with. Meng Ran only caught a glimpse of the man briefly when she said goodnight to Chen Miaoying in the children's room.
The next day, Meng Ran woke up a little late, and the two people who were supposed to go to work and school were no longer at the villa.
After a quick breakfast, Meng Ran went to the pet room to play with the cats.
Around noon, Meng Ran went back to her room to change her clothes and prepared to go out.
As she walked into the living room, the housekeeper stopped her: "Madam, are you going out?"
Meng Ran: "Yes, I made an appointment with a friend to have dinner at the mall."
Butler Yang: "Which one? I'll have Uncle Dong take you there."
Over the past few days, Meng Ran has roughly figured out the staff configuration at home: Uncle Dong is the family driver, and he is responsible for picking up and dropping off Chen Miaoying at school.
In addition, Chen Sulin also has a personal business driver to handle his work travel needs.
Meng Ran: "No need to trouble Uncle Dong, I'll just take a taxi."
The butler stepped forward, his tone respectful yet firm: "Madam, please let Uncle Dong drive you. The family car is more comfortable to ride in."
Meng Ran remained silent for a few seconds, feeling that the housekeeper's attitude was somewhat unusual.
Previously, no matter what she wanted to do, the housekeeper would only arrange things properly and would never interfere like this.
However, for her, there was really not much difference between riding in a chauffeur-driven car and taking a taxi.
"Alright then," Meng Ran said.
Butler Yang seemed relieved: "Madam, please wait five minutes while I contact Uncle Dong. By the way, which shopping mall did you arrange to meet your friend at?"
Meng Ran: "Dreams illuminate heaven and earth."
.
In a VIP room of a private club, a handsome man sat with his legs crossed, absentmindedly exhaling a string of smoke rings.
A friend beside him took a sip of wine and asked with a smile, "Yanzhou, after you finish this business, when are you planning to go back to Beicheng?"
Zhao Yanzhou didn't even lift his eyelids, and said lazily, "I'll go back when I'm in a better mood."
A friend said, "These past few years you've been traveling all over the place. Your aunt and uncle are hoping you'll come back to Beicheng more often and settle down."
Zhao Yanzhou chuckled: "My parents are really something, they even went so far as to hire a lobbyist to come to you."
His friend laughed, his tone tinged with emotion: "That's just how it is. Things are different now. We're all over thirty now, and we're no longer the naive young guys we used to be."
He and Zhao Yanzhou were friends since childhood. From high school graduation until their early twenties, the group of brothers would go out to eat, drink, and have fun, living a carefree and flamboyant life.
But as time went by, those brothers gradually settled down, started families, and some even had kids old enough to run errands.
After that incident, Zhao Yanzhou was no longer the idle playboy he once was; instead, he started investing.
Thanks to the Zhao family's strong financial support, coupled with Zhao Yanzhou's own quick wit, he actually managed to make a name for himself over the years.
In recent years, Zhao Yanzhou has invested in several shopping malls around Beicheng. At the beginning of this year, another comprehensive shopping mall located in the emerging business district of Beicheng officially opened.
The only thing that gave the Zhao family elders a headache was that their youngest son, who was already thirty years old, seemed to have absolutely no interest in getting married and having children.
Recalling those rumors, her friend tentatively asked, "Yanzhou, you haven't considered marriage or gone on blind dates all these years. Is it because of... that person from back then?"
Zhao Yanzhou: "..."
Seeing his silence, his friend sighed, "After all these years, you still haven't let go?"
Zhao Yanzhou remained silent, his eyelids lowered, making it impossible to discern his emotions.
After hesitating for a few seconds, her friend spoke as if she had finally made up her mind: "Speaking of this, I got some news from Beicheng today. I can't guarantee it's true or false, but... it's related to her."
Upon hearing this, the man, who had been nonchalant, suddenly changed his expression, and the fingers gripping the cigarette tightened instantly.
"What news?" he asked urgently. "Has someone found her?"
A note from the author:
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66 small red envelopes [heart]
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