Chapter 312 - 310: A Slow Homecoming

Chapter 312: Chapter 310: A Slow Homecoming

"Daddy, how much longer until we’re home? When can we see Mommy?" Yanyan asked glumly, nestled in Li Xiu’s arms. He hadn’t seen his mother in such a long time.

Gently patting his son’s bottom, Li Xiu said with a smile, "Soon. About two more hours."

"Daddy, do you miss Mommy?" asked Nuonuo, who was sitting beside Li Xiu and listlessly hugging a plush doll.

He reached out and gently stroked his daughter’s head. "Of course I do," Li Xiu said softly. "Does Nuonuo miss Mommy?"

"I do, a lot!" Nuonuo said, her voice still faint. She hadn’t seen her mother in so long. ’Next time we go back to our ancestral home, we have to bring Mommy with us!’

Seeing his two children looking so dejected, Li Xiu couldn’t help but smile. ’They’re still so little, and they miss their mother this much.’ He said gently, "You’ll see Mommy very soon. Why don’t you two take a nap? You’ll see her as soon as you wake up." It wasn’t just the children who missed her; he deeply missed their mother, too.

After gently lulling the two children to sleep, Li Xiu let out a soft sigh. ’I wonder how things are in the Capital City. I listened to Bao’er and left her there all by herself... I don’t know if that was the right call. The human heart is never so easily fathomed. I’m truly afraid my pure-hearted wife will be wronged.’

’The world is unpredictable, and people’s hearts are fickle. I can’t even be a hundred percent certain that Ping’an won’t change, let alone those three in the compound. I know why Zhou Lian wanted me to take the children back to our ancestral home, but this matter isn’t so easily resolved. How could I possibly let go of everything before Ping’an reaches the top?’

’As for the Ping Family’s eldest young master, Ping Jing, he’s a man of extraordinary talent, but he’s not someone who can command the bigger picture. After that last setback, Ping Jing has become far too suspicious. It’s not that suspicion is inherently bad, but when you start suspecting your own people, it can ruin everything. In this treacherous, shifting landscape, one wrong move means losing the entire game.’

’We’ll just have to see what this Eldest Young Master does while I’m away from the Capital City. Knowing my Bao’er’s decisive nature, I’m afraid she’ll move to dismantle the Sun Family the moment I’m gone. The question is, what will the Eldest Young Master choose to do?’ Li Xiu rubbed his forehead and sighed in resignation.

From what he knew of Ping Jing, his suspicious nature was bound to clash with his Bao’er. ’Liu Shengnan is no help,’ he thought. His only hope was that the Eldest Young Madam could keep Ping Jing’s paranoia in check. Otherwise, with his Bao’er’s resolute character, Ping Jing was sure to suffer a major loss.

The car slowly pulled into the Li family’s courtyard home. Hearing the vehicle, Sister Fang hurried out to the front courtyard. Seeing Li Xiu lift Nuonuo and Yanyan from the car, she rushed forward and swept the two children into her arms. They were the apples of her eye. She hadn’t seen them in seven or eight days and had been missing them terribly!

Zhou Lian, who had been dozing on the sofa, shot to her feet. It sounded like Li Xiu was back. Tossing aside the blanket someone had placed over her, she hurried toward the front courtyard. Just as she reached the inner gate, she saw Li Xiu standing by the car.

Sensing a fervent gaze, Li Xiu looked up and saw Zhou Lian standing in the gateway. The color drained from his face. He rushed over in a few quick strides, unbuttoning his overcoat and pulling her into his arms.

Professor Xiao and Professor Fan, drawn to the front courtyard by the commotion, looked up to see the scene. They shook their heads in resignation. ’They’re in their thirties, yet not a single one of them is mature.’

When Sister Fang saw Zhou Lian had come out without a coat, the color drained from her face as well. Seeing that Professor Xiao and Professor Fan were holding the children’s hands tightly, she walked over to the couple, shot Zhou Lian a glare, and said to Li Xiu, "Get her inside, now!"

Li Xiu frowned at Sister Fang’s harsh tone but didn’t say a word. He simply swept Zhou Lian up in a princess carry and strode quickly toward the house.

Seeing Zhou Lian nestled in Li Xiu’s arms, Sister Fang handed her a cup of red date, longan, and goji berry tea. She stood over her, looking down as she said, "Have you lost your mind? It’s more than ten degrees below zero, and you just had to run outside without a coat. What on earth were you thinking!"

"Sister, Sister, I didn’t mean to! I’ll be careful next time, I promise I won’t be so reckless again. Sister, please don’t be angry. Calm down, okay?" Seeing Sister Fang in a rare rage, Zhou Lian quickly put on an apologetic smile to placate her. ’These past few days, Sister Fang has been on edge about everything.’ Zhou Lian knew her sudden high fever had frightened the older woman, so she had been trying her best to cooperate and not cause any worry. But she’d managed to scare her anyway.

Sister Fang glanced at Zhou Lian, then reached out to feel her forehead and hands. Feeling their warmth, she finally let out a soft sigh of relief. "All you know is how to act cute," she said gruffly. "Stay put in the room. I’m going to go check on things."

Watching Sister Fang storm out, Zhou Lian let out a deep breath, her tense body finally relaxing. She leaned limply into Li Xiu’s arms. ’When an honest person like her gets angry, it’s actually pretty terrifying. I’d better be more careful from now on. I can’t get on her bad side again.’

"Bao’er, why don’t you tell me why Sister Fang was so furious?" Seeing the exchange between Sister Fang and his Bao’er, Li Xiu had already guessed what had happened. He fixed his gaze on Zhou Lian and asked gently.

At his words, Zhou Lian’s heart clenched. ’Oh no, I forgot about this big boss.’ Lying was out of the question, and she couldn’t hide it anyway. She just had to figure out how to tell him.

"Jin Chen, well... I accidentally caught a chill a few days ago. It was just a little cold, but I’m all better now. See? Completely fine!" Zhou Lian said nervously, giving Li Xiu an ingratiating smile.

Seeing her guilty expression, Li Xiu sighed and said gently, "Bao’er, tell me the truth. Please don’t make me worry, okay?"

"I caught a chill and came down with a high fever, but it broke the same day. Doctor Wang came to see me, and he said I’d be fine once the fever was gone."

He kissed her, his heart aching, and hugged her tightly. ’She was sick with a high fever, and I wasn’t here. I failed to protect her.’ Pained, Li Xiu asked, "So you’re better now? Completely? What did Doctor Wang say?"

"I’m fine, completely fine. Sister Fang even had someone bring Doctor Wang over for several follow-up exams. It’s really nothing now. Jin Chen, please don’t worry. I’ll be more careful from now on." She knew Li Xiu’s heart ached for her. Seeing the worry, self-blame, and pain on his face, Zhou Lian felt her own heart melt. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she took the initiative to kiss him.

"Mommy, Mommy!"

"Mommy, Yanyan missed you!"

"Mommy, Nuonuo missed you!"

...

As the two children burst into the room, Li Xiu gently set Zhou Lian down on the sofa. In the next instant, the two of them shot like little cannonballs into her arms.

Zhou Lian wrapped an arm around each of them, her gaze darting from one to the other, her smile radiant. These were her two precious babies!