Chapter 398: Chapter 376: The Most Familiar Stranger
Her lips curled into a bitter smile: that was the man she loved the most, yet also the one who hurt her the deepest.
"Nuannuan." Tan Qing noticed the change in Wen Nuan, lowered his voice, and called her name.
"I’m fine." Wen Nuan said, continuing to focus on her food. Sensing Tan Qing’s concern, she looked up and smiled at him softly, "Really, nothing’s wrong, it’s just a bit uncomfortable being in the same restaurant as him."
"You really don’t want to tell him?" Tan Qing gritted his teeth, his expression was filled with intense anger at Leng Yan and compassion for Wen Nuan: "Maybe he will change his mind."
"So what if he does?" Wen Nuan shook her head, nudging the greens in her bowl, giving a bitter smile: "Since he has such intentions, I can’t be with him anymore."
If he knew she was pregnant and then abandoned Ji Wei, she would feel even more disdain for Leng Yan.
And she never thought of using the child to bind his heart.
This kind of love won’t last long.
"Eat well." Tan Qing frowned helplessly and offered Wen Nuan some of her favorite dishes with a shared pair of chopsticks, then wordlessly continued his own meal. Inside him, a kind of rage was boiling up, yet he couldn’t find anywhere to release it.
"Second Young Master, haven’t you been eating too lightly lately?" Xiaojing commented, shaking his head slightly as he eyed the food in front of Leng Yan while eating his own meal.
"You meddle too much!" Leng Yan frowned, gave a low hum, and his heart was instantly filled with bitterness.
She had said that it was a stomach-friendly dish, and he had promised her that he would eat well, take care of himself. Even though he had pushed her far away himself, he still couldn’t forget.
"Second Young Master." Xiaojing couldn’t help but speak again after a while of eating.
Leng Yan shot him a glance, was about to say something but stopped, his thoughts slightly hazy for a moment as he involuntarily looked in Xiaojing’s direction.
Gathering courage, Xiaojing said, "Not far from here, there are two people having dinner, the man seems to be Young Master Tan, and the woman... looks a lot like Young Madam."
After saying that, he quickly lowered his head, afraid of Leng Yan’s killer-like gaze.
The hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly as Leng Yan looked over, and a mix of emotions surged in his heart.
It was Tan Qing and Wen Nuan.
Seeing his beloved woman dining and chatting softly with another man, a deep bitterness permeated his heart, and the food in his mouth tasted like gall.
Yet amidst it all, there was an unmistakable hint of relief.
Yes, a real sense of relief.
Tan Qing genuinely cared for Wen Nuan, he was right about that. This was indeed good, allowing Nuannuan to live a life of being cherished, with Tan Qing, she would forget him and live happily.
As for the love between him and Wen Nuan, it was enough for only him to remember!
"Second Young Master."
Not hearing any movement for a long time, Xiaojing raised his head and carefully observed the alternating expressions of sadness and joy on Leng Yan’s face, cautiously calling him, secretly regretting his earlier words.
"Full already?" Leng Yan snapped back to reality, glanced at him, "Go pay the bill, I’ll wait in the car." He pushed his wallet towards Xiaojing, grabbed the car keys on the table, and left with large strides, never once looking in Wen Nuan’s direction.
He feared he wouldn’t be able to bear it and would rush to Wen Nuan’s side, refusing to leave.
Stepping outside, the sun was shining beautifully, yet in his heart lay a field of gloom. As he rounded in front of the car, he immediately furrowed his brows.
Ji Wei was standing by the car, looking at him pitifully, her face without makeup under the large sunglasses appeared somewhat haggard.
He rubbed his temples forcefully, looked at her coldly: "Why are you here?"
"I... I saw your car here. I didn’t dare to disturb you when I saw you were eating." Ji Wei lowered her head, bit her lip, then looked up: "Yan, do you believe me? The child is really yours."
"Believe you?" Leng Yan seemed to have heard the most absurd joke, he let out a cold laugh, turned his head away: "Ji Wei, don’t you find that ridiculous? The results are already out..."
He couldn’t go on, his heart tightened with pain, he turned back, grabbed Ji Wei’s hand, and led her away: "Let’s talk over there, Xiaojing will be bringing the car out later!"
Maybe it was his illusion, but Wen Nuan’s gaze seemed to have glanced over, then she lowered her head again.
Wen Nuan’s peripheral vision couldn’t help but glance towards Leng Yan and Ji Wei, seeing Ji Wei by his side, her nose tingled, fortunately, no tears fell.
Seeing it with her own eyes, perhaps she had truly given up by now. So much so that even her tears wouldn’t fall anymore.
Next time they met, they were to be the most familiar strangers.
Under the table, her hand stiffly caressed her abdomen, silently adding a sentence in her heart:
No relation to each other!
Dragged far away, Ji Wei’s eyes were filled with tears: "Yan, believe me. Such tests are not one hundred percent accurate, we’ll do a DNA test after the child is born, okay?"
She had to stabilize him first, if later she accidentally slipped and lost the child, it would be quite normal. She dared not imagine what the consequences would be if Leng Yan truly lost all trust in her.
Not to mention the child, how hard the path of her future career would be, she dared not think. Signed with Qingcheng, if he shelved her, not giving her any roles...
"Playing with me is fun, isn’t it?" Leng Yan’s eyebrows tightened: "Ji Wei, you’re truly disgusting right now!"
With that, he turned and left her completely, marching back.
When he instinctively glanced into the restaurant, there was no longer any trace of Wen Nuan and Tan Qing, he quietly sat inside the car. Xiaojing looked at his pale face, thinking he was angry with Wen Nuan, quickly consoled: "They didn’t leave together, Young Madam..."
"She has nothing to do with the Leng Family anymore." Leng Yan gripped the seatbelt, looked at Xiaojing with a calm yet sharp gaze, rested his head back, and slowly closed his eyes.
No more relations, never again.
**
"Dad, you really agreed?"
On the third day after Wen Qingyan returned, he finally agreed to let his daughter work at the company. Nuannuan smiled brightly, hugging Wen Qingyan’s shoulders: "Dad, you’re amazing!"
"It’s you who are amazing." Wen Qingyan’s eyebrows feigned anger as he raised them: "The company’s matters, though tiring for Dad, I can still handle. However, you are not doing what you love in design, and that breaks my heart, you know?"
Wen Nuan playfully massaged his shoulders, giggling: "How about this, if Dad feels guilty, we’ll earn more money over these years, and when Pengfei graduates, I’ll focus on my design, and you can join Pengfei in investing to create my brand."
"But why did I see you put away your design books?" Wen Qingyan exposed her lie: "Nuannuan, Dad has been in the United States for too long, these days busy handling the company’s affairs, and haven’t had time to talk to you properly. Tell me, what’s going on between you and Leng Yan?"