Chapter Forty-Three: The First Unexpected Encounter Between the Two Women

Chapter Fifty-Eight: The First Unexpected Encounter Between the Two Women

“Yes, Sister Lan, you’re here to see Zhuo Nan?” Whenever Fu Xin spoke, her voice was always gentle and soft, comforting Zhuo Nan’s ears to the extreme.

“Oh, I was just passing by, thought I’d drop in to see him. It’s nothing, I’ll be off now. Don’t let me interrupt you two.” Lan Qian turned to leave as soon as she finished speaking. Fu Xin immediately called out, “Sister Lan, why the rush? Stay a little longer.”

In such an awkward atmosphere, the more others tried to keep you, the more you wanted to leave. “No, I truly do have something urgent. I’ll go now.” She nodded to Zhuo Nan and turned to leave.

Zhuo Nan sensed that something was off with Fu Xin and asked, “Xin Xin, what’s wrong? Are you upset because you saw her?”

Fu Xin made no attempt to hide her feelings. “Yes, I am upset, I am scared. I’m afraid you’ll leave me, that you’ll stop loving me.” As she spoke, her eyes reddened, her demeanor pitiful, and Zhuo Nan felt a surge of protectiveness, yearning to embrace her right then.

But with so many people around… “Xin Xin, don’t say such nonsense. I won’t leave you. I’ll stay with you always, this lifetime, the next, and every life after. We’ll be together forever.” Zhuo Nan looked at Fu Xin, his voice resolute.

“Zhuo Nan, you’re not lying to me, are you?” Tears of gratitude shimmered in Fu Xin’s eyes as she spoke softly.

“Silly girl, if I’d lie to anyone, it wouldn’t be you. Don’t cry—don’t let others see.” Zhuo Nan comforted her.

“Mm, I won’t cry. Zhuo Nan, I’ll head home first. After you finish your game, go home early and rest…” Fu Xin wiped her eyes as she spoke.

She waved at Zhuo Nan and left. Zhuo Nan watched her retreating figure and sighed. Fu Xin’s temperament was far too fragile; he knew that no matter whom he might let down in this life, he could never let her down.

From the bottom of his heart, Zhuo Nan liked Fu Xin and didn’t want to see her unhappy. But judging from her behavior today, she was not only soft-hearted but fiercely jealous as well. He’d have to come up with a good solution. At that moment, Zhuo Nan thought of his trusted companion…

“Come help me out with Xin Xin…” Zhuo Nan called out in his mind.

“Isn’t it obvious? Take both of them,” the super-brain replied shamelessly, as usual, never missing a chance for a lewd suggestion.

Zhuo Nan sighed helplessly. “Can’t you speak like a normal person?”

“I’m not a person to begin with…” The super-brain sounded innocent, and though it had no expression, Zhuo Nan could sense its tone.

“I don’t have time to argue with you. Let’s get serious—do you have any ideas?” Zhuo Nan asked again.

This time, the super-brain finally got serious. “Matters of the heart are beyond my calculations, but I do have a method to help you win both women.”

At that, Zhuo Nan, ever the rogue, perked up. “What method?”

“Practice a set of martial arts from our Longhua Star System. Whoever masters this skill will have countless women at their disposal. For example, after you sleep with Fu Xin, if she goes a day without you, she won’t be able to bear it. Once you have both Fu Xin and Lan Qian, they’ll seek you out themselves.” Zhuo Nan clenched his fists in silence.

“You bastard, what do you take me for? Get out of here. I asked you for advice, not to become some debauched villain.” Zhuo Nan cursed in his mind, so much so that the super-brain was scared into silence.

After he’d finished, the super-brain wanted to say something more, but Zhuo Nan interrupted, “Damn it, how could you only bring this out now? You scoundrel…”

“Zhuo Nan, you…”

“Enough, just hand it over for me to practice. But I don’t want any skills for being a debauched villain—give me something like ‘Seven Times a Night’ if you have it.” Zhuo Nan demanded.

“Heh heh… No problem, I guarantee at least seven times a night…” At this point, everyone could see the truth: the reason Zhuo Nan and the super-brain could merge was that they were equally lewd.

Lan Zhenghao was in unusually good spirits today. His daughter, who had been rather cold to him lately, had called and said she’d come home for dinner. He had an engagement that evening but cancelled it to rush home early and cook. Being single, he hadn’t hired a housekeeper, for fear of rumors spreading… Years had passed since he’d cooked, so he had his secretary buy some groceries and brought them home.

But upon arriving, he found that Lan Qian had already prepared a table full of delicious dishes and opened a bottle of wine. Setting down the groceries, he went to the kitchen and saw Lan Qian still busy. The taste in his heart was indescribably sweet.

“Dad, you’re back.” To Lan Zhenghao’s surprise, Lan Qian greeted him proactively.

Seeing his daughter grown and sensible, Lan Zhenghao felt a wave of comfort. “Qian Qian, it’s just the two of us eating. Why make so much food? You’ll tire yourself out.”

“It’s fine, Dad. You go sit down, I’ll be right there once I finish this dish.” Lan Qian replied calmly.

Her words brought a smile to Lan Zhenghao’s lips—the girl had finally grown up.

He sat at the table, opened the wine, filled his glass. After so many years in office, he cared neither for wealth nor women, only for the pleasure of a good drink… He savored a sip, tasted a bite, and remarked, “Hm, this is well cooked.”

Suddenly, something seemed to occur to him. His face darkened, he set down his chopsticks, sighed, and waited for Lan Qian.

When Lan Qian brought out the last dish and saw Lan Zhenghao hadn’t touched his food, she asked, “Dad, why aren’t you eating? Is it not tasty?”

She set down the dish and tried a bite herself. “It’s not bad.”

Lan Zhenghao looked at her and spoke in a deep voice, “Qian Qian, did you come home because something’s up?”

Lan Qian paused for a moment, then slammed her chopsticks onto the table. “You’re always like this. You think you’re so important, that everyone comes to you for help—even your own daughter. Yes, I do have something to ask, but it’s not for myself, nor am I doing it for someone else.” She stood up, took a floppy disk from her bag on the sofa, and tossed it in front of Lan Zhenghao. “This disk was given to me by a friend. I was curious and looked at it—it contains evidence of a government enterprise official’s corruption, bribery, and kickbacks. Tell me, is this my personal matter? Is it my friend’s matter?”

After speaking, she sat down angrily opposite Lan Zhenghao. He was startled, grabbed the disk and asked urgently, “Are you sure about this?”

“You can look for yourself.” Lan Qian replied coldly.

Lan Zhenghao forgot all about the food and wine, hurried into his study, and turned on his computer. The deeper he read, the more shocked he became. The sums involved were enormous, the number of people implicated unprecedented in Deqing’s history. Whether the evidence was genuine, he couldn’t yet say, but he knew an investigation was needed.

Returning to the living room, he saw Lan Qian still sitting there angrily. Feeling guilty, he walked over, placed a hand on her shoulder, and spoke softly, “Qian Qian, it was wrong of me. Let’s eat.”

But Lan Qian became more agitated. “Eat? What’s the point? This is just your way of bribing me. I’m going to throw it all out…” She stood up to clear the plates.

“Qian Qian, what are you doing? Put that down.” Lan Zhenghao snapped, unable to accept his daughter’s attitude.

But Lan Qian paid him no mind and stubbornly continued.

Suddenly, Lan Zhenghao slapped Lan Qian across the face. He stared at his own hand in disbelief, while Lan Qian’s tears began to flow, a bright red handprint appearing on her right cheek. Her eyes locked onto Lan Zhenghao.

“Qian Qian, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…” Lan Zhenghao struggled to explain his impulsive action.

But Lan Qian ignored him. “Get out of my way, I want to leave…”

“Where will you go? This is your home.” Lan Zhenghao shouted at her.

“My home?” Lan Qian turned to him, dazed. “This isn’t—this isn’t my home. I have no home, none…”

“Qian Qian, what are you saying? What nonsense…” Lan Zhenghao stared at his daughter, helpless.

“What am I saying? Fine, I’ll tell you. When Mom died in the hospital, where were you? At work, with your superiors, laying the path for your career. When I was in elementary school, the school organized an event needing parents. Where were you then? Still at work, still with your superiors, still laying the path for your career. In my four years at university, did you ever visit me? Not once. You were busy being a big official, a member of the municipal standing committee, young and successful… I started working, sure, you helped arrange it, but I wanted to be a detective and you made me read newspapers and drink tea. When I arrested a few people, you wouldn’t let me participate. Is this what a father should do? You haven’t contributed a thing to this family, never gave Mom a shred of happiness, never gave your daughter a hint of fatherly love. I still can’t forget Mom’s look before she died—she just wanted to see you one last time. Where were you? Where were you? Tell me, where were you?” Lan Qian screamed hysterically, forcing Lan Zhenghao to retreat step by step.

Another slap. This time, Lan Qian didn’t react, merely touched her cheek, smiled vacantly. “Well done, well done…” She grabbed her bag and left without a backward glance.

“Qian Qian… Qian Qian…” No matter how Lan Zhenghao called, she would not return.

He closed the door weakly, slumped onto the sofa, and stared at the untouched table. A perfectly good dinner ruined by a single remark… He felt his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. Staring at his empty house, Lan Zhenghao sighed helplessly. No matter how glorious his career, how could Lan Qian ever understand the loneliness in her father’s heart?