Chapter 20 020 "It suits you very well."
Chen Miaoying was asking about Chen Sulin, but Meng Ran's heart also jumped.
Perhaps it was because of the kiss that evening, but Meng Ran found herself worrying about something she had previously thought would never happen—
What if Chen Sulin goes along with Chen Miaoying's words and suggests that the couple should sleep together?
As soon as the thought crossed Meng Ran's mind, she held her breath and waited for Chen Sulin's reply.
Chen Sulin bent down and touched Chen Miaoying's hair: "Before Mom got sick, Dad and Mom slept together."
Meng Ran pursed her lips slightly.
Her daughter nestled in her arms, and with Chen Sulin's movements, the man's slender fingers almost touched her.
She felt her cheeks getting hot and quickly composed herself to think about Chen Sulin's words.
Meng Ran never asked how Chen Sulin explained her whereabouts to her daughter during the years she was missing.
Now it sounds like they were telling Chen Miaoying that her mother was sick and needed to go to a far-away place to recuperate, and that she shouldn't be disturbed.
That's why Chan Miu-ying was able to accept her appearance so quickly back then, because in Chan Miu-ying's eyes, she has always been her mother, only she can't be by her side temporarily due to health reasons.
"Now that Mom's illness is cured, isn't it?" Chen Miaoying asked in my ear, "Why don't you two still sleep together?"
Chen Sulin: "Because my mother was sick for a long time, although she is better now, she still needs to rest for a period of time to fully recover."
"Like last time you had a fever," the man's voice was gentle and patient, "After the fever subsided, didn't you need to rest at home for a few more days and not go out to play right away?"
Chen Miaoying drew out an "oh," seemingly considering whether the statement made sense.
After thinking for a while, she asked again, "When will Mom's health be fully recovered?"
Chen Sulin: "It'll be soon. Mom is much better now, isn't she?"
The man turned his head slightly as he asked Meng Ran the last three words.
Meng Ran: "...Hmm."
What else could she say? She could only go along with his answer.
Chen Miaoying: "Then Mom should eat more and sleep well, so you can get better soon!"
These words sounded to Meng Ran like an invitation to share a bed with Chen Sulin as soon as possible.
But she couldn't refuse, so Meng Ran could only smile and say, "Okay, Mom understands."
Chen Miaoying was finally satisfied.
The two spent some more time with their daughter, and Chen Miaoying gradually became sleepy.
"Goodnight, Mommy and Daddy," the little girl mumbled sleepily, clutching her blanket.
After leaving the children's room, Meng Ran habitually returned to the secondary bedroom.
After taking a few steps, the man behind her called out to her.
Meng Ran paused, then slowly turned around.
Chen Sulin's gaze paused slightly.
Meng Ran followed his gaze and looked down, belatedly realizing that, due to nervousness, her fingertips were unconsciously gripping the hem of her pajamas, causing the fabric to wrinkle.
She quickly let go and cleared her throat: "Is there something you need?"
Chen Sulin remained silent for a second.
Just as Meng Ran was wondering what topic could be so difficult for a man like him to discuss, she heard Chen Sulin say, "I'm sorry."
Perhaps because he had just come out of the children's room, Chen Sulin's voice was lower than usual.
Meng Ran almost thought she had misheard.
She looked at him uncertainly.
Meng Ran didn't think there was anything wrong with what Chen Sulin and Chen Miaoying said in the children's room earlier.
So, he's apologizing for something that happened earlier?
In an instant, Meng Ran's thoughts drifted back to that kiss at dusk.
Before she could sort out the jumbled thoughts in her mind, Chen Sulin spoke again: "I should have explained the cause and effect of our marriage to you sooner. I owe you an apology for this."
Meng Ran: "..."
It turns out he wasn't apologizing for that kiss.
Upon reaching this conclusion, she felt a subtle sense of relief.
“But as I said before,” Chen Sulin said, “Although we got married for some special reasons, I never thought about getting a divorce from the moment we got married.”
Meng Ran stared at him blankly.
She didn't know how the topic had suddenly shifted to the word "divorce".
To be honest, she had considered divorce more than once these days, but apart from the first day, she probably hadn't shown it to Chen Sulin again.
She doesn't fully trust Chen Sulin yet, nor does she have the confidence to make this marriage last.
But she's not stupid. If she keeps bringing up those two words before she's even planning to leave, isn't she just asking for trouble?
Chen Sulin, on the other hand, who said he would never consider divorce, mentioned it more often than she did.
Meng Ran couldn't figure out what he was thinking: "So... what do you mean?"
Chen Sulin met her gaze and said frankly, "So if you still have any questions about this marriage, you can ask them."
Meng Ran understood his unspoken meaning: "You've raised the question and given an answer, so what's next?"
Chen Sulin: "Then we can try to get along like a normal couple, just like before."
Meng Ran almost blurted out: In what way? Sleeping in the same bed?
She held back.
She was afraid that if Chen Sulin answered "yes," she would be in a difficult situation.
After a moment of silence, Meng Ran said, "Could you give me some time to think about it?"
Whether it's asking him something or the so-called "treating each other like husband and wife," she needs to think it through carefully.
Chen Sulin: "Hmm."
Before she could even catch her breath, Chen Sulin said again, "I'm going to pick Miaoying up from kindergarten tomorrow afternoon. Do you want to come along?"
Meng Ran lost her voice.
She almost forgot how assertive Chen Sulin was. He said he could give her time, but his actions showed that he was completely inflexible.
Fortunately, she had already gone with him to pick up her daughter from school once today, so it wasn't difficult for her to accept.
Without much hesitation, Meng Ran nodded: "Okay."
...
Back in the bedroom, Meng Ran lay down on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
She felt that too many things had happened today, and she almost forgot that when she left home this morning, her biggest worry was what she needed to do to make money in the future.
Meng Ran turned over in bed, her gaze lingering on the bedside table.
Besides the Polaroid photo she brought back from the office, there was also the bracelet she took off before taking a shower, which she had bought at the mall that day.
Meng Ran opened the drawer and put the Polaroid camera inside.
She hesitated for a moment when her fingers touched the bracelet, then wrapped it around her wrist.
Originally, I was just skeptical and wanted to see how difficult it was to operate with one hand, so that I wouldn't have to ask someone else for help every time I put it on.
Surprisingly, it went very smoothly; with a gentle push of my fingers, the buckle snapped on.
Meng Ran shook her wrist and found it funny: she messed up at the crucial moment, but now she succeeded on the first try.
Since she had already put it on, she was too lazy to take it off.
I opened my phone and saw that Jiang Yuqing had shared several videos, all of which were bloggers sharing their entrepreneurial experiences.
Jiang Yuqing was just as concerned about her wanting to start a business as she was.
In Jiang Yuqing's words, "Ranran, keep it up! My biggest hope now is that you become a boss so I can come and join you."
Meng Ran replied with a "thank you," indicating that she would study it carefully when she had time.
Just as I was about to randomly pick one to watch before bed, a new message popped up on WeChat.
Meng Ran switched over and found that the friend request she had previously ignored had reappeared.
This time, the verification message is no longer just four simple words; it includes much more:
[Ranran, I really miss you. I know I didn't do enough back then. I won't disrupt your life now; I just want to say a few words to you, okay?]
Meng Ran stared at the few lines of text on the screen.
Strangely, compared to the heart palpitation she felt when she first received Zhao Yanzhou's message, this time her heart was much calmer.
Perhaps after learning some of what happened back then from Chen Sulin, she became calmer than before.
Chen Sulin might have held back some things from what happened back then, but she thought he wouldn't lie about something like this.
Chen Sulin said that after she broke up with Zhao Yanzhou, her stepmother made a scene at her company demanding the so-called "breakup fee".
Based on Meng Ran's understanding of herself, regardless of the reason for the breakup or whether she actually accepted the money, now that things have come to this point, she must be completely disappointed in Zhao Yanzhou.
Otherwise, she would never allow a relationship to end with money.
Even now, just imagining it makes Meng Ran feel sorry for her past self.
A relationship completely disrupted her life and work.
If she still feels soft-hearted towards Zhao Yanzhou because of those past memories, she is not only letting down others, but also her own pathetic and helpless self from back then.
Meng Ran let out a breath and clicked "decline".
...
The next day, after waking up and having breakfast, Meng Ran did not stay in the villa any longer.
Jiang Yuqing's vacation is over, and she's back at work.
Meng Ran went to the nearby commercial area alone.
Having made up her mind to do something to make money, her first task was to familiarize herself with the market.
Seven years have passed, and while everything around us may seem unchanged at first glance, there are actually many differences in the details of people's lives.
She, who had been almost out of touch with society for seven years, had to reintegrate little by little.
Meng Ran walked around outside, stopping and starting, without feeling tired.
After spending the whole day outside, Chen Sulin texted Chen Miaoying just before she was about to get out of school: "Where are you? I'll come pick you up."
Meng Ran stared at the message: Yesterday they agreed to pick up their daughter together. She thought the driver would pick her up first, then pick up Chen Sulin from the company on the way, and finally go to the kindergarten together.
However, it didn't make much difference, so she sent her location.
She put down her phone, and the shop assistant brought over the cake she had ordered.
Meng Ran didn't go too far today. The dessert shop she works at isn't far from the villa or Chen Sulin's company.
Halfway through eating the cake, I received another message from Chen Sulin: [I've arrived.]
Meng Ran was wondering where he was when she looked up and was caught off guard to see the man's tall figure appear at the store entrance.
The shop wasn't very big to begin with, and before Meng Ran could even finish holding her fork, Chen Sulin had already walked up to her.
Meng Ran silently put the fork back on the plate.
Chen Sulin: "No rush, there's still plenty of time. We'll set off after you finish eating."
Meng Ran: "...Hmm."
She looked at Chen Sulin and found that he had naturally sat down in the chair opposite her.
Meng Ran was truly impressed by this man's adaptability. Just yesterday he said he wanted to treat her like a normal married couple, and today he's already in character?
But she didn't have his strong mental fortitude.
With Chen Sulin sitting opposite her, Meng Ran felt that the chocolate cake in front of her didn't taste as sweet as before.
The person who started this seemed completely oblivious, asking her, "Aren't you going to eat?"
Meng Ran: "..."
In any case, the cake is innocent, and wasting food is shameful.
"Eat." Meng Ran chuckled awkwardly. "It's a bit greasy. Have some water before you eat."
As she spoke, she picked up the lemonade beside her and took a sip.
As she moved, Chen Sulin's gaze fell on her wrist.
Noticing the gaze, Meng Ran also glanced at the bracelet on her left wrist.
The bracelet is delicate and lightweight. Once you get used to it, you hardly feel any foreign objects in it. She wore it to bed last night and didn't take it off after waking up.
Meng Ran hadn't thought much of it at first, but Chen Sulin's gaze made her feel a little uncomfortable.
Meng Ran coughed lightly, wanting to say something to ease the awkwardness.
Chen Sulin spoke first.
"The bracelet is beautiful," he said. "It suits you perfectly."
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