Chapter 211: Shura Field (Part 3)

Chapter 211: Chapter 211: Shura Field (Part 3)

"He’s not bad-looking. Quite a handsome young man."

"We just don’t know when they started dating, and we know nothing about his family."

"Then... what about Liu...?"

Zhou Jing sounded hesitant.

"Sigh, we’ll see."

"Where’s Wan? Why isn’t she back from taking out the trash?"

Li Jiaxiang asked, getting a slight headache as he watched Jiang Fan’s back.

"Don’t worry, she said she’s coming right up."

Out on the balcony, hearing the excited voice on the phone calling him "Daddy" repeatedly made Jiang Fan start to panic.

He even glanced back guiltily at the old couple.

He quickly spoke into the phone. "Where are you? When will you arrive?"

"Um... Do you really have to come today?"

Jiang Fan asked, sounding troubled.

"Daddy, we’ll be there in twenty minutes! You’ll play with me then, right?"

"Why did you go quiet? Daddy, is your reception bad?"

"Mommy, why doesn’t Daddy live with us? Why does he have to live here? Is it because it’s close to his office?"

...

"What’s wrong? Is it not a convenient time?"

Yin Ruxue was incredibly sharp and understood the situation from his few words.

"A little, yeah. Something unexpected came up."

Jiang Fan laughed sheepishly.

"So, do you think you could come some other time?"

He felt ashamed just saying the words.

He had just agreed, and now he was going back on his word.

Plus, Mengmeng’s affection for him was so sincere; she simply missed her daddy.

"Damn you, Li Muwan!"

Jiang Fan muttered a curse under his breath.

"What? Fine, I’ll just tell Mengmeng we’re not coming."

The moment she said that, Mengmeng’s tear-choked voice came through the phone: "I knew it! Daddy doesn’t want me anymore, does he?"

"Why can’t Daddy come home every day like other daddies?"

"Other daddies have to work hard, too."

As Mengmeng spoke, tears started rolling down her cheeks.

"Mengmeng, listen to me. Daddy is just really, really busy."

"He doesn’t mean anything by it."

Yin Ruxue reached out and stroked her daughter’s hair.

"Okay, Mengmeng, don’t cry. Come on over."

"Daddy really is busy with work, it’s not that he doesn’t want to see you. Once you get here, Daddy will buy you some yummy treats, how about that?"

The words had barely left his mouth when his phone suddenly went DING.

"I’m done with my stuff here. I’ll be home in about 20 minutes. Let’s go grocery shopping then. What do you feel like eating tonight?"

Sun Yanzi’s message gave Jiang Fan a massive headache.

’What is happening? Why is everything happening at once?’

’Holy crap, if they run into each other, or if Li Muwan’s parents find out... they’ll skin me alive.’

’Forget her parents’ background—Li Muwan alone would kill me.’

But Sun Yanzi was living here; he couldn’t just tell her not to come home.

He felt like he couldn’t even get the words out.

’I’d be a total animal to say something like that.’

But right now, he honestly felt like he was going to die.

’If they meet... ’

AAAAAAAAAH!

Jiang Fan let out a piercing wail in his mind.

He was now desperately wishing for Li Muwan to return and run interference for him for a bit. He had to get this situation under control.

And as they say, speak of the devil.

Li Muwan opened the door and walked in.

"Mom, Dad, where’s Jiang Fan? Did you kick him out?"

The moment she returned, Li Muwan’s heart lurched with panic when she couldn’t see Jiang Fan.

"What? So in your eyes, we’re a pair of wicked parents, is that it?"

"Kick him out? Where would we even kick him out to?"

Li Jiaxiang rolled his eyes.

"He’s on the balcony making a call. It sounds like a work problem."

"Why don’t you go see?"

Zhou Jing was only teasing her daughter.

She hadn’t expected Li Muwan to actually head right over.

The moment she appeared, their eyes met. Jiang Fan almost burst into tears.

"Um, could you take my parents out for a bit later? They’ve never been to this neighborhood and haven’t left the apartment at all. Is that okay?"

Li Muwan blinked, her eyes filled with a pleading gaze.

Jiang Fan pulled her to the side of the balcony. They stood shoulder to shoulder, both looking out at the view.

It looked like a picture-perfect romantic moment.

But in reality, only Jiang Fan knew that if anyone could see his face, his expression would be a wonderfully twisted sight to behold.

"I’m begging you, lady, just give me a break, will you?"

"Yin Ruxue is on her way over with her kid, and Yanzi is on her way home from work."

"What kind of expression do you think your parents will have if we step out the door and a child runs up calling me ’Daddy’?"

"Do you think they might just skin me alive?"

"What? ’Daddy’??? You’re Xue’s husband...?? But...?"

Jiang Fan’s words completely short-circuited Li Muwan’s brain.

Her mind just went blank, as if it had crashed.

"It’s a long story. I’ll explain it when I have a chance, but we have to get through this immediate crisis first."

"My god, what kind of family do you have? Why is your dad so intimidating? I don’t dare lie when he’s looking at me like that."

"Just... just a normal family. So, you mean Mengmeng isn’t your biological daughter, and you’re not really Xue’s husband?"

Li Muwan asked uncertainly.

"Do I look like a fucking idiot? You call *that* a normal family?"

"Yes, and like I said, it’s a long story. Just forget about it for now, okay?"

"What you need to do is keep them busy here. I’m going to go down and see Mengmeng."

"Then I’ll convince her to go back home."

"But seriously, why did you have to get a fake boyfriend? Are you nuts?"

At this point, Jiang Fan couldn’t hold back his frustration.

"If I didn’t tell them I had a boyfriend, they were going to drag me home to get married!"

Staring at Jiang Fan’s side profile, Li Muwan felt a wave of guilt and a lack of conviction in her own voice for the first time.

But with his own mind in utter turmoil, Jiang Fan didn’t notice.

"The Qing Dynasty is long gone! Are they really still pulling this feudal nonsense? An arranged marriage? Seriously, what kind of family is yours?"

Jiang Fan couldn’t help but snap back.

"It really is just a normal family! It’s only because our parents got drunk together when we were kids and arranged for us to be married."

Hearing this, Jiang Fan knew this was just another mess created by the older generation.

"Whatever, let’s drop it for now. In a minute, I’ll say I have to deal with some work and need to grab my laptop from the car."

"You stay here with them. Don’t let them go outside."

"Otherwise, we’ll definitely run into them."

"Also, I’ll see if I can take them somewhere a bit farther away."

"And then..."

Before he could finish, Li Muwan looked at him anxiously. "You’re not thinking of running away, are you?"