CHAPTER 332: CHAPTER 329 [LET ME HOLD YOU FOR A WHILE]

Chapter Three Hundred Twenty-Nine: Let Me Hold You for a While

Chen Nuo quickly found Li Qingshan.

"That flat in Hexi, the same place you invited me to late at night last time, and where Old Seven had Fang Lin brought over in the middle of the night. Those two units, the one upstairs and the one downstairs—get them ready and give them to Fang Yuanchao’s family."

"Okay," Li Qingshan immediately nodded. Although the two well-decorated large flats were worth over ten million on the market, it wasn’t enough to cause a serious financial blow for Li Qingshan.

"In addition, that US Dollar amount from back then," Chen Nuo said coldly, "you’ll provide three million... um, let’s say twenty million Huaxia Currency. This money, give it to Fang Yuanchao."

"...Okay, I’ll arrange for the cash. It will take a few days," Li Qingshan agreed readily.

Chen Nuo nodded. "Furthermore, from now on, don’t contact this family again. Don’t appear in the lives of Fang Yuanchao’s family anymore."

"I understand," Li Qingshan nodded; he understood this was Chen Nuo’s warning.

"Arrange a car. Fang Yuanchao’s family will leave here today and move into that house. As for the property transfer, just send someone to handle it."

"Alright, I will take care of it," Li Qingshan also sighed in relief.

Chen Nuo couldn’t be bothered to stay in front of this guy any longer and turned to leave.

"Mr. Chen Nuo," Li Qingshan suddenly called out from behind him.

"Hmm?"

"I know, after this incident, you utterly look down on me. You’ve completely lost any respect for me. All the effort I previously invested in currying favor with your group, all those connections, have been exhausted by this incident. I won’t dare to bother you by coming over in the future. But, I still want to say one thing to you."

Chen Nuo turned around, looking amusedly at Hall Master Li.

"I am a rotten person, but I’m not a wicked man," Li Qingshan shook his head. "When I ran back from the south, although I took that money, I really did intend to take good care of my second brother’s family. I never harmed them in the slightest. You can say I’m greedy; you can say I’m rotten. But... in that era, if you weren’t selfish, if you weren’t rotten... I, Li Qingshan, wouldn’t have made it to today. Being a good person only leads to an end as tragic as my brother Fang’s. Being a hero never ends well."

Chen Nuo laughed. "What’s this? Making excuses for yourself?"

"It’s not an excuse," Li Qingshan shook his head. "I don’t have the right to make excuses for anything."

"I understand what you mean. You’re not saying these things for my benefit as much as for your own, to give yourself some peace of mind. Or perhaps, you hope I’ll relay these words to Fang Yuanchao... That’s not going to happen, Li Qingshan. Rotten is rotten; bad is bad. I’m very clear about what kind of person you are. You’ve agreed to these demands so readily this year—the house, the money... Not because you genuinely found your conscience, nor because you truly feel guilty toward Fang Yuanchao. It’s only because you’re afraid of me. You fear me, not Fang Yuanchao."

The grudge between Li Qingshan and Fang Yuanchao’s family was thus temporarily settled.

With the money, Zhang Suyu could go to the best hospitals, find the best doctors, use the best medicine, and receive the best treatment conditions.

Chen Nuo stayed at the hot spring resort until the afternoon, personally seeing off Fang Yuanchao’s family as they departed.

Before they left, Chen Nuo gave Fang Yuanchao a phone number belonging to Brother Lei.

"If you encounter any trouble, anything insurmountable, call this number," Chen Nuo instructed.

Fang Yuanchao, not one for pretense, carefully put away the piece of paper with the phone number on it.

"Your wife’s illness... focus on treating it fully first," Chen Nuo said slowly. "In a few days, there will be a way. When the time comes, I will contact you."

After saying these things, Chen Nuo watched Fang Yuanchao’s family leave and then left the hot spring resort himself.

Chen Nuo actually had a way to deal with Zhang Suyu’s illness.

A Controller possesses abilities that allow them to alter and control their own body, even down to the cellular level. For instance, that old fellow, the Son of the Sun, can even change his appearance—essentially an ability to alter his own physical form.

In his previous life, Chen Nuo himself had struggled against brain cancer for eight years. In fact, that brain cancer had been extraordinarily potent. Normal cancer cells would be utterly incapable of killing a Controller.

Chen Nuo was confident he could save Zhang Suyu’s life and cure her illness.

However, he had to wait until he recovered to the level of a Controller.

After all, he was only at 15/17 right now.

「·」

When Sun Keke got out of bed in the morning, it was still dark.

Glancing at the clock, Sun Keke quickly calculated her sleep time—less than five hours.

But School belle Sun was absolutely certain about one thing: she had gotten enough sleep.

Since learning from Chen Nuo and Lu Xixi that she had likely become an Ability User too, Sun Keke had grown increasingly aware of the changes in herself. The most immediate effects were her improved spirits and reduced need for sleep.

Turning on the room light, Sun Keke first tiptoed to the bathroom to carefully wash up. Returning to her bedroom, she sat in front of the mirror, scooped out a little cream, spread it evenly on her face, and gently massaged it in.

She felt like she had gained a bit of weight recently...? Was it an illusion?

It was her senior year of high school, and everyone was preparing for the college entrance exams. While the rest of her classmates visibly withered under the pressure, she alone maintained a rosy complexion. Her skin was plump and healthy, and she looked better and better. The baby fat on her cheeks hadn’t disappeared; instead, they seemed even rounder and more adorable.

Speaking of baby fat, Sun Keke immediately thought of that detestable Chen Xiaoguo and a theory he had shared with her.

"So-called baby fat depends on the face. If you’re good-looking, it’s called baby fat; if you’re ugly, it’s just called a big face."

Such a lecherous, mean-spirited dog.

Sun Keke made a face at her reflection in the mirror.

TAP!

Suddenly, a light sound came from the window.

Sun Keke immediately jumped off her chair, rushed to the bed, and lifted a corner of the curtain to look down.

As expected, she wasn’t disappointed. In the dim, early morning light, under the streetlight, that familiar figure stood there. One hand was in his pocket, the other holding a small pebble.

It was as if he saw me behind the curtain; he even flashed me that sly, roguish grin.

Sun Keke immediately ran back to her bedside, fumbled for her phone under the pillow, and rapidly typed out a text.

"What are you doing up so early?"

DING. A reply came. Sender: [Chen Xiaoguo]. "Missed you, came to see you."

Sun Keke’s fingertips trembled.

Her heart was in turmoil, but she remained behind the curtain, watching him below as she quickly typed.

"What’s there to see!"

DING.

Another reply came. Sender: [Chen Xiaoguo]. "Because you’re beautiful to look at."

Sun Keke bit her lip hard.

Ultimately, she couldn’t bring herself to be harsh. She sighed and continued typing: "Why are you here so early instead of resting at home?"

Message sent.

After a moment’s thought, she added another line: "You haven’t run into some trouble, have you?"

Second message sent.

Then, when she looked up again, outside the window, by the streetlight downstairs, the figure... he was gone?!

Damn it! He just came to send me a text and then left? Couldn’t he send a text from anywhere? Did he have to come downstairs from my place?

Sun Keke felt a mix of irritation and a pang of sadness.

Annoyed, she turned back to her bed and started typing on her phone again.

"Where did you run off to?"

No, I can’t let him think I’m concerned about him. Delete!!

She retyped: "What exactly happened to you?"

Argh! I said not to show concern! Delete, delete!!

She started again: "Hurry back home, and message me when you get there..."

"So, in your phone, you’ve nicknamed me Chen Xiaoguo, huh?"

A warm, familiar voice sounded from right behind her, almost brushing her ear.

Sun Keke was so startled she almost screamed, but a hand immediately clamped over her mouth. Simultaneously, an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her soft body into an embrace.

"SHH... I think your dad might be awake," the detestable voice whispered with a laugh beside her ear.

Sun Keke trembled. At the same time, she heard coughing from the next room, followed by footsteps. Old Sun was indeed up.

The sound of water running in the bathroom, the flush of a toilet.

Then, there were two knocks on her door.

"Keke, Keke? Are you up?" Old Sun called from outside.

Sun Keke tensed up. The scoundrel was still holding her tightly. What if... Actually, Sun Keke knew Old Sun wouldn’t just push the door open. Her daughter was grown now, not a little child anymore. Old Sun was very mindful of this; he would always knock and wouldn’t casually enter his daughter’s bedroom without permission.

Thinking quickly, Sun Keke took a deep breath. "Mhm, Dad, I’m awake. Just lying in bed reading."

"Hmm, I saw the light on under your door. Why are you up so early?"

"Couldn’t sleep, just reading a bit."

"Alright then, keep reading. I’ll go downstairs to buy breakfast in a bit. What do you want to eat?"

"...Anything’s fine," Sun Keke’s voice carried an almost imperceptible tremor.

That wretched Chen Xiaoguo! His hand... Well, thankfully, it wasn’t moving inappropriately.

The sound of footsteps faded outside the door.

Sun Keke breathed a sigh of relief and glared back at the little scoundrel. "You..."

"SHH."

Chen Nuo gestured, then leaned over, freeing one hand to fiddle with the radio on the desk by the bed. He inserted a cassette, turned it on, and lowered the volume.

Instantly, a high school English listening exercise began to play.

What made Sun Keke blush was that even as he was inserting the cassette, one of his hands remained firmly around her waist, not letting go.

With the sound of the English recording providing cover, Sun Keke felt a little safer. She lowered her voice and asked, "How did you get in?" As she spoke, she glanced at the window.

Chen Nuo shrugged. "Just flew up, opened the window, and climbed in... I can do lots of things. There’s so much you don’t know about."

Held in his embrace, Sun Keke’s delicate face grew redder. She whispered, "You... let go of me first, then we can talk."

"Of course not," Chen Nuo’s eyes widened, his tone preposterous. "Why would I let go of you at a time like this? Am I a fool?"

Saying this, he shamelessly pressed closer, both arms encircling Sun Keke’s waist, holding the girl tightly against him from the front.

Sun Keke was startled and suppressed a scream, her heart pounding wildly.

However, the girl soon discovered that, thankfully, the little scoundrel’s hands stayed obediently on her waist and didn’t wander.

Then Sun Keke sensed something was off.

Chen Nuo was hugging her very tightly, his whole body pressed against hers.

Although the little scoundrel spoke with a playful smile, there was a strange feeling to it: Sun Keke sensed that his emotions were a bit off.

"What’s wrong?"

"Hmm, nothing. Just dealt with some things these past two days, and my heart feels a bit heavy," Chen Nuo let out a gentle sigh, then whispered by her ear, "Don’t move. Let me hold you for a while. Just for a little while, okay?"

"...Okay."

「·」

[To be continued]