CHAPTER 460: CHAPTER 457: 【WITH HUMAN TOUCH】

Chapter 457: With a Human Touch

Two evenings later, Chen Nuo stood in the kitchen stir-frying dishes, a spatula in one hand and a phone in the other.

By his side, a cookbook floated in mid-air, turned to a page in the middle...

"Mhm, okay, thank you, Luo Qing, I’ve got it. Mhm... I haven’t decided yet, but if I buy it, I’ll let you know. Mhm... definitely, if I move to a new house, I’ll definitely invite everyone over for drinks."

As he spoke, Chen Nuo hung up the phone and turned his head back to look at the cookbook floating in front of him.

"A small amount of cooking wine... Ah, dammit, these recipes are so unreliable. A small amount of cooking wine, what does ’a small amount’ mean? How much is ’a small amount’ anyway?"

While he was ranting, the front door of the house opened, and Lu Xixi entered with Yu Naitang and Xiao Yezi.

Xiao Yezi bounded happily, still holding onto Lu Xixi’s hand and refusing to let go even once inside.

Chen Nuo poked his head out of the kitchen and glanced over. "Back already? Wash your hands and get ready for dinner. I tried a new dish today."

Recently, Lu Xixi had completely returned to normal—after hearing what Chen Nuo said, she didn’t need to hide anything anymore.

As for the war among the Seeds, it was currently at a stagnant equilibrium, so there was no need to avoid The Fourth Seed.

Today, Lu Xixi had gone out with Little Candy in the afternoon to buy some things for the house and then picked up Xiao Yezi from school on the way back.

Chen Nuo watched Little Candy and Xiao Yezi chattering in the living room, then looked at Lu Xixi, who had come into the kitchen and was washing her hands at the sink.

In the living room, his daughter lay in the cot...

Hmm...

This was starting to feel more and more like a "home."

Such a life was something he had never had in either of his two lifetimes.

With everyone home, Chen Nuo retracted his spiritual power, not letting the cookbook float around. Otherwise, if Xiao Yezi saw it, it would be another hassle to coax the child.

But looking at Lu Xixi drying her hands next to him, Chen Nuo thought for a moment and then said, "About that house you looked at last time..."

"Hmm?"

"I asked Luo Qing about it. The sand used in construction was supplied by his dad’s company, and the developer is also an acquaintance of his. Luo Qing inquired a bit and said the quality of the house isn’t bad. The Lakefront Villa District, the first batch of wealthy areas in this region, was made to set a standard as a landmark, so the quality is guaranteed—if you really want it, you can go ahead and buy it."

Lu Xixi gave another hum and then turned to glance at the two kids in the living room. While they were distracted, she leaned in and gently hugged Chen Nuo from behind, then kissed his neck.

"Hubby~"

"Don’t call me that in broad daylight..." Chen Nuo coughed.

Well, ever since Lu Xixi had completely recovered and dropped her facade, these past few days...

Chen Yanluo’s legs were actually a bit weak.

Lu Xixi pursed her lips and smiled, whispering, "I encountered something today."

"What?"

"Your mom... seems to have a boyfriend."

"Huh?" Chen Nuo was startled. Then it hit him. It’s probably Hou Changwei from Mom’s work, isn’t it? I met him once before.

But hadn’t Ou Xiuhua always been unwilling?

"How do you know?"

Lu Xixi smiled. "She was on the evening shift today, and we left the house together in the afternoon. At the entrance to the residential area, we ran into a man who came to pick her up for work. He drove there. Your mom seemed a bit embarrassed at the time, but she still got in the car and went."

"And then?"

Lu Xixi’s gaze turned slightly cunning. "I was quite curious..."

"Hmm, curious. And then?"

Lu Xixi looked a bit sheepish. "I just... I eavesdropped a little bit."

She gestured with her hand.

Chen Nuo was slightly amused. "What did you eavesdrop on?"

"I just used my spiritual power to sense things and followed for a whole street."

Well, well... Her Majesty the Empress also likes to gossip, huh?

After a bit of thought, Lu Xixi said, "I heard your mom talking with that man, but there wasn’t anything overly affectionate. It was mostly things like ’you should smoke less and look after your health’ or ’be safer when driving,’ that sort of stuff."

Chen Nuo’s eyes lit up.

Oh?

This sounds... like there’s a possibility.

With Ou Xiuhua’s reserved nature, telling Hou Changwei to ’smoke less and look after your health’ was already a sign of caring.

Among middle-aged people, they wouldn’t talk all lovey-dovey. But to use this tone and manner of speech...

If you think about it, those in the know, know.

"Hmm, I actually knew about this matter a long time ago, and I also had someone check out that man’s background. He’s a pretty decent person," Chen Nuo said with an unconcerned demeanor. "If she’s also interested, I think it’s a good thing."

After all, Ou Xiuhua was the original Chen Nuo’s mother, but not Chen Yanluo’s mother.

Chen Yanluo had transmigrated into this body. To put it bluntly, he felt no deep mother-son bond with Ou Xiuhua. Regarding her love life, Chen Nuo was genuinely happy to see it flourish.

Lu Xixi pondered for a moment, then gently grabbed Chen Nuo’s palm and caressed it a few times with her fingers, leaning in and whispering softly, "I understand your intentions."

Saying that, she pointed her finger at the lush green lucky bamboo plant on the windowsill next to the living room table.

Chen Nuo nodded, his gaze towards Lu Xixi becoming even gentler.

Ultimately, she understood him.

Whether it was treating Ou Xiuhua well or raising Xiao Yezi—in reality, it was all about giving that pitiful boy from the past some closure, wasn’t it?

Ou Xiuhua was on the late shift, so as usual, Chen Nuo put Xiao Yezi to bed early in the evening, watched the clock, and then, after some thought, he went downstairs.

Arriving at the entrance of the neighborhood, he found a lamppost to lean against and smoked a cigarette. Soon, he saw a van driving up the street from afar.

It was the one from Ou Xiuhua’s workplace—no need to guess, the driver was naturally Hou Changwei.

Chen Nuo didn’t show himself. Standing behind the lamppost and hidden in the shadows, he silently watched the van pull up to the curb at the neighborhood’s entrance.

In the car, Ou Xiuhua didn’t immediately get out but talked in a low voice with Hou Changwei for a few minutes.

The two didn’t have any intimate contact. After all, they were of a certain age.

After chatting about everyday things for a while, Ou Xiuhua looked at her watch and then opened the door to get out.

Standing at the curb, she said a few things to Hou Changwei through the car door like "drive home slowly" and "send me a text when you get home," then watched as Hou Changwei drove away.

She didn’t let out a sigh of relief until the car turned at the intersection and was out of sight, taking a couple of deep breaths before turning to walk toward the neighborhood gate.

She had barely reached the gate when she saw Chen Nuo emerge from behind the lamppost, watching her with a smile that was not quite a smile.

Ou Xiuhua’s expression became a bit unnatural. "Uh... Xiao Nuo... You, it’s so late, you, you..."

"I came down to buy a Coke."

Huh?

Ou Xiuhua sized up Chen Nuo, especially noticing her son’s empty hands.

"Where’s the Coke?"

"I drank it all." Chen Nuo lied with a straight face, not even blinking as the words came out.

Fortunately, Ou Xiuhua had become very familiar with this "son" of hers, who was rarely around, over the past few days. Upon hearing this, her face heated up. She hesitated for a moment, and then decided not to avoid the topic. "Did... did you see everything just now?"

"Yeah, I saw." Chen Nuo nodded with a smile. "Actually, Master Hou is quite nice."

"What ’Master Hou’... You should call him Uncle Hou. He’s been taking good care of me and your sister while you’ve been away."

"Yeah, yeah, of course," Chen Nuo agreed, smiling while accompanying Ou Xiuhua into the residential complex.

As they reached the entrance of the building, Chen Nuo suddenly said, "Let’s see, if it’s convenient in the next couple of days, why not invite Master Hou over for a meal?"

"Ah??!!" Ou Xiuhua was startled, then felt flustered. "Eat, eat together? Isn’t that a bit presumptuous..."

"Don’t be like that," Chen Nuo laughed. "What’s presumptuous about it? We can’t wait until you two go to get your marriage license before we meet him, right?"

As he spoke, Chen Nuo’s expression turned serious. "Don’t get me wrong, I want to make it clear... I really don’t mind!

"Really, not one bit.

"But I was just thinking, Xiao Yezi is gradually growing up, but she still has memories from when she was younger.

"If you’re going to find her a stepfather, it’s better to introduce him to her early so she can slowly get used to him and familiarize herself with the idea. It’s better to do this sort of thing sooner rather than later.

"Don’t you think so?"

Ou Xiuhua also calmed down, thought for a moment, and nodded earnestly.

Chen Nuo’s words really did make sense.

That same evening, Hou Changwei was on the phone with Ou Xiuhua. "Dinner?" he exclaimed, surprised at first, then delighted. "Is this... really happening?"

On the other end of the phone, Ou Xiuhua’s voice was somewhat timid, "Originally I didn’t want to rush this... but, my son saw you drop me off tonight, and... you know, my family situation is a bit special. My daughter is getting older, but she still has memories from her childhood.

"My son also advised me that to help Xiao Yezi accept you, it’s better to let you spend more time with the children early on, to help her get familiar with you. So..."

At this point, Ou Xiuhua seemed a bit nervous. "Do you think it’s too sudden? If you think it’s too early, we could wait a bit longer..."

"No!! Not too early!!! Not too sudden!! I have no problem with it at all!" Hou Changwei almost jumped three feet high with excitement. "No, no, no," he said quickly, "don’t wait any longer! I also think it makes a lot of sense to let the children get used to the idea early on. That’s a great point!

"Dinner... dinner... how about tomorrow? I can get off work early tomorrow. How about you... try to swap shifts for tomorrow, and we’ll prepare together. You see, I can go shopping first and cook a couple of my signature dishes.

"Oh right, does your daughter like fish?

"What does your son like to eat?

"Ah, and I should bring something for the kids, right? For Xiao Yezi, I was thinking of getting her a new pencil case, and a set of watercolor pens... Didn’t you say Xiao Yezi likes to draw?

"Your son is a bit trickier... he’s in high school now, right?

"What if I bought him a remote-controlled car, the four-wheel-drive kind... would that be too childish? Ah... I..."

"Don’t! Don’t waste money, we have everything we need at home," Ou Xiuhua hurriedly intervened with a mix of laughter and helplessness. "Don’t spend that unnecessary money!"

A remote-controlled car??

Have you ever seen someone who earns eighty million a year still playing with remote-controlled cars?

"Tomorrow, we’ll just go buy some groceries, and have dinner together at home in the evening. Nothing more is needed," Ou Xiuhua warned repeatedly.

After hanging up, Hou Changwei was so overjoyed he could barely contain himself. He didn’t sleep well that night, waking up intermittently.

By dawn, he wasn’t the least bit sleepy. On the contrary, he felt full of energy.

The next morning, Ou Xiuhua mentioned the dinner to Chen Nuo, who agreed without hesitation.

Ou Xiuhua seemed a bit embarrassed and, using the excuse of being pressed for time, left early to take Xiao Yezi to school.

In the afternoon, calculating the time, Chen Nuo left around four o’clock to pick up Xiao Yezi from school with Lu Xixi. When the trio returned home, they could hear voices from inside even before they reached the door.

Chen Nuo deliberately refrained from stopping Lu Xixi from opening the door herself and instead knocked lightly a few times.

Soon, the door opened, and a middle-aged man stood there—it was Hou Changwei.

Hou Changwei was dressed neatly. Evidently, his haircut was fresh from that day, and his short hair made him look quite sharp.

He wore a white shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbows, paired with dark navy casual trousers.

His hands were still damp, clear evidence of his recent activity in the kitchen.

Upon opening the door, Hou Changwei’s eyes revealed a flash of nervousness, but he took a deep breath and tried to sound relaxed as he smiled and said, "Chen Nuo’s back? Hello, hello! I am..."

"Hello, Master Hou," Chen Nuo greeted him with a smiling face.

Lu Xixi greeted him calmly, "Mr. Hou, hello."

When Hou Changwei saw Lu Xixi, a fleeting look of distraction crossed his eyes—any normal man would be momentarily stunned at the sight of a woman as bewitchingly beautiful as Lu Xixi.

"This is my wife," Chen Nuo introduced her with a smile.

Hou Changwei was taken aback for a moment but quickly recovered. "Oh, oh, oh! Yes, I know, I’ve heard your mother mention her... uh... don’t just stand there, come in, come in."

He then bent down and greeted Xiao Yezi with a smile as well.

Xiao Yezi, of course, recognized Hou Changwei and called out "Uncle!" cheerfully before happily hopping into the house.

Once back in their own home and settled in the living room, they saw Yu Naitang looking after the baby while watching TV.

It was Hou Changwei who kept bustling in and out, diligently pouring tea and washing fruit.

Then, he busied himself in the kitchen for quite some time before coming out somewhat sheepishly.

——Actually, Ou Xiuhua was still in the kitchen, probably too shy to face everyone and had been hiding there all along.

"I made dragon fish soup," said Hou Changwei, trying to make conversation with a cautious smile. "I know Xiao Yezi likes fish, but picking out the bones is troublesome for kids, so I went to the market today to buy some fresh, lively dragon fish, and I cleaned them myself.

"I made the soup with tofu as well, and uh..."

Chen Nuo listened with a smile as Hou Changwei recited the steps for making the fish soup as if going through a recipe, without interrupting him.

It was apparent that the middle-aged man was a bit nervous, with beads of sweat visible on his forehead.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Nuo subtly signaled Lu Xixi with his eyes. Lu Xixi got up and whispered something to Yu Naitang.

Yu Naitang quickly stood up, discussed something with Xiao Yezi, and then they decided to go downstairs to play.

Yu Naitang then went to the kitchen to inform Ou Xiuhua.

Normally, Ou Xiuhua would definitely not agree! Parents usually say: Play? Have you done your homework? Dinner will be ready soon, what’s there to play outside?

Lu Xixi, seeing this, smiled and said, "I’ll go too. It’s a good chance to take our daughter out for some sun."

Chen Nuo’s eyes suddenly twinkled, and he shouted toward the kitchen, "Mom!"

Ou Xiuhua, unable to hide any longer, came out with a slightly red face. "What is it, Xiao Nuo?"

"I’ll have a drink with Uncle Hou tonight, but we’re out of liquor at home," Chen Nuo said, looking at Ou Xiuhua with a beaming smile.

Ou Xiuhua was taken aback.

Hou Changwei quickly said, "I’ll go down to buy it, I’ll go."

"Don’t, you’re a guest, how can we let you run errands?" While speaking, Chen Nuo continued smiling warmly at Ou Xiuhua.

Ou Xiuhua immediately understood.

He wants me to go?

Is my son trying to have a private chat with Hou Changwei?

Otherwise, with Xiao Yezi, Nai Tang, and Lu Xixi, so many of them are going downstairs; couldn’t they buy a bottle of liquor?

She felt a bit awkward, but Chen Nuo threw her a reassuring look.

Ou Xiuhua’s concerns diminished a little.

After all, Chen Nuo was decisive, and he had said he didn’t oppose this. It seemed... he really wanted to talk to Hou Changwei alone?

Well... alright then.

"I’ll go buy it," Ou Xiuhua said as she wiped her hands. "Is beer okay?"

Chen Nuo looked at Hou Changwei.

Hou Changwei smiled and said, "Well... I’m easy. I’ll just leave my car here tonight. I’ll take a taxi home later and come back tomorrow morning to drive it away."

Chen Nuo nodded.

Hmm, not bad. He knows not to drink and drive; that’s a good habit.

In 2002, the laws against drunk driving, including making it a criminal offense, had not yet been enacted. At that time, there were many more people who drank and drove than in later years.

"Buy a bottle of the white stuff," Chen Nuo said with a smile. "It’s the first time I’m drinking with Uncle Hou, let’s have some of the white."

Ou Xiuhua looked at Hou Changwei, who smiled and nodded.

So, she took the keys and headed out with the women and girls of the family.

With everyone in the house gone, only Hou Changwei and Chen Nuo were left. The two men faced each other, and suddenly, Hou Changwei wasn’t nervous anymore.

After all...

I’m here to potentially be a stepfather.

Not a son-in-law meeting his prospective father-in-law.

What the heck am I nervous about!

"Ah, I’m going to check the soup in the kitchen first, turn down the heat a bit," Hou Changwei said with an awkward smile.

"Alright, Old Hou, all the women are out. Let’s not put on airs, just us two men," Chen Nuo waved his hand, gesturing for Hou Changwei to sit, then pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Fancy one?"

"...Sure," Hou Changwei felt a bit odd as he accepted the cigarette offered by this "future stepson."

He was, in fact, feeling quite emotional.

To think he’d assumed he would end his days alone, and now, at this stage of his life, he was actually receiving a cigarette from a future son?

How else could one describe the twists of fate?

Chen Nuo offered Hou Changwei a cigarette and lit it for him. After sitting back down, Chen Nuo didn’t beat around the bush but asked directly.

"It feels a bit distant to call you Master Hou, and calling you Uncle Hou makes me a bit uncomfortable. How about I just call you Old Hou, what do you think?"

Well...

Okay then, one couldn’t really blame Chen Nuo for being impolite.

When he referred to Sun Keke’s dad, he had always called him Old Sun.

There was also Old Jiang, his master.

For Chen Yanluo, with the soul of a middle-aged man, calling someone roughly his own age "Uncle" was indeed awkward.

"That’s fine, no problem. You call me whatever rolls off the tongue," Hou Changwei readily agreed.

Hmm, he seemed to be a man without pretensions.

Quite easy-going.

If Hou Changwei had been the type to put on airs or act like a pompous elder, Chen Nuo figured his own attitude would be quite different right now.

This kind of person, Hou Changwei, was good. Interacting with him wasn’t tiring.

"Then I’ll just speak my mind, Old Hou. Some of what I’m going to say might be a bit sensitive... but considering your relationship with our family and future developments, I have to make some things clear. You understand, right?"

"Sure! Just say whatever you want to say, Little Chen. I’m actually not that complicated," Hou Changwei perked up.

After all, he wanted to marry this young man’s mother.

"How old are you this year?"

"Uh... a couple of years older than your mom," Hou Changwei replied.

"Um, I’ve heard that you’ve had a marriage before?" Chen Nuo asked.

Hou Changwei took a drag from his cigarette, pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Yes," he said slowly. "I was married before. Later... it was her misfortune. An illness plagued her for a long time, and despite everything, we couldn’t save her."

Chen Nuo also nodded. "Um... if I may ask, when your former wife was still here, how was your relationship with her?"

This question was indeed sensitive. Chen Nuo could have found this out without asking, but by asking directly, he wanted to gauge Hou Changwei’s character.

There was a fleeting look of sadness in Hou Changwei’s eyes. He exhaled a plume of smoke slowly and spoke earnestly, "Honestly, our relationship was pretty good. She was a decent woman, simple and straightforward, a good wife for a family man. Our outlook was very simple back then... we just wanted to live well together, to have good days together.

"Speaking of which, Little Chen, there’s something I need to discuss with you upfront."

Chen Nuo raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Go ahead!"

"My previous wife passed away early, and her elderly parents are still around.

"Frankly, they’re from an ordinary family, and it hasn’t been easy for anyone. It’s tough for any family facing such difficulties.

"The pain of parents outliving their child...

"My relationship with her was quite good, and when she was passing, what she worried about the most were her parents. I also made her a promise.

"Moreover, her parents have been really good to me too.

"So... Little Chen, I want to be clear with you; I’m not hiding anything.

"In the years since her passing, I have continued to take care of her parents.

"I am sincere about your mother, and I do want to live well with her. This is absolutely true, and please don’t doubt that.

"But... I’ve also discussed my situation with your mother, and now I’m talking to you about it.

"That is... her parents, I can’t just ignore them in the future. They’re elderly; having outlived their child is tragic enough. When they get older, with no one to look after them, if they fall ill or face some disaster, they definitely can’t manage on their own.

"So... even if your mother and I get together in the future, I still can’t neglect her parents; I’ll continue to take care of them.

"I know that bringing this up might make people feel a little uncomfortable.

"But... this is what I’ve decided. In the future, I’m resolved to see to their care in their old age, right to the very end.

"Don’t worry about money. I have my own house and have saved some money over the past couple of years. As a bachelor, I don’t spend much, so I’ve managed to save a bit. Also, her parents have their own pensions, so the expenses won’t amount to much; it’s more about me putting in some effort.

"I want to say that for the expenses of taking care of her parents in the future, I will absolutely not take advantage of your mother’s side! Rest assured about that."

Hearing this, the smile in Chen Nuo’s eyes grew deeper.

This man...

He has a human touch!

Chen Nuo saw Hou Changwei was about to continue speaking, but he had already waved his hand to stop him.

Hou Changwei froze, and his heart skipped a beat!

Is this... disapproval?

"Old Hou," Chen Nuo said with a smile, "this issue is not really an issue in our family. Let me put it this way: you are a righteous man!

"Such people are rare now and will become even rarer in the future!

"Also, as for the elderly... we don’t really have any elderly in our family anymore.

"The elders on my mother’s side all passed away early.

"And in our family..."

Chen Nuo looked up and gestured with his eyes towards the portrait of the old lady hanging on the wall.

Hou Changwei understood.

Chen Nuo continued to smile, "So, I have no objections to you taking care of the elders on that side.

"Even during holidays, if you want to invite the elderly over to have dinner with us at home, that’s no problem."

Hou Changwei felt relieved.

After chatting for a while, it turned out Hou Changwei was a very straightforward man. In no time at all, he laid out his entire financial situation.

Chen Nuo now knew exactly how much money Hou Changwei made a month, how much his year-end bonus was, and how much he had in his bank account.

Hou Changwei even expressed, to make Chen Nuo feel at ease, that he wouldn’t want more children even if he married Ou Xiuhua—he had fertility issues.

In fact, Chen Nuo had pretty much figured out Hou Changwei’s character.

Ever since Hou Changwei confessed that he actually had a good relationship with his deceased wife, Chen Nuo had nearly confirmed his assessment.

If Hou Changwei had claimed his relationship with his late wife was poor, it might have indicated he was the type to say different things to different people, merely trying to please others and shirk responsibility.

After chatting a bit more, Hou Changwei was, in turn, extremely curious about Chen Nuo.

Previously, Ou Xiuhua had mentioned that Chen Nuo didn’t even finish high school before he started doing business outside and apparently made money.

Hmm... Hou Changwei hadn’t delved into this topic because it was too sensitive.

Asking how much her son earned before even marrying Ou Xiuhua?

Wouldn’t that make them think he was after their family’s money?

However, after meeting Lu Xixi today, Hou Changwei felt... it seemed this young man, Chen Nuo, was indeed quite wealthy.

Isn’t that obvious?

In this day and age, how could someone without money support such an unbelievably beautiful "wife"?

Right, Chen Nuo wasn’t even of legal marriageable age yet.

This so-called wife of his definitely wasn’t legally registered.

And the baby in the family must have been born out of wedlock.

Sigh... Hou Changwei found the world of these young people increasingly hard to understand.

Ou Xiuhua went out to buy liquor and took almost an hour to return with all the women and girls in the family.

During dinner, a bottle of Yanghe liquor was opened, and Chen Nuo and Hou Changwei split it between them.

It was evident that Hou Changwei had an average tolerance for alcohol—he also didn’t drink much usually.

That was a plus.

After all, if a professional driver were fond of drinking regularly, it would be worrying no matter how you looked at it.

Hou Changwei’s average tolerance meant that, after half a bottle of liquor, his speech became slurred, and his gaze started to drift.

Chen Nuo, on the other hand, remained composed and, with the help of the alcohol, continued to chat with Hou Changwei for a while.

Hou Changwei’s drunken behavior was actually quite good. After drinking too much, he didn’t talk excessively, unlike many who become boisterous and loud.

He just shrank into his spot, staying quiet. If you spoke to him, he would respond, but his replies became much shorter.

If it were out of a hundred points, Chen Nuo would give Hou Changwei’s overall performance today an 82.

As for the remaining points, he’d save the "awesome" score for later.

Hou Changwei was drunk, and Ou Xiuhua was not comfortable letting him take a taxi home alone. Since they had two apartments and empty rooms, she simply invited Hou Changwei to stay the night.

Of course, it was impossible for him to sleep in the same room as Ou Xiuhua, so he stayed in the room that Xiao Yezi and Ou Xiuhua used to sleep in.

Chen Nuo was indifferent about it.

After dinner, Ou Xiuhua helped Hou Changwei to his room to lie down and sober up.

She couldn’t help but complain to Chen Nuo as she came out.

Chen Nuo listened with a smile to Ou Xiuhua’s complaints. Actually, it was evident that Ou Xiuhua was much more relaxed today, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her heart.

Just as he was listening, suddenly Chen Nuo’s phone rang.

Chen Nuo smiled and picked up his phone. It was a call from Luo Qing.

After listening for half a minute, the smile on Chen Nuo’s face gradually faded.

"Hmm... I’ll be there in a bit, just wait for me there," he said.

After hanging up, Chen Nuo put down the phone. "I need to step out."

"It’s so late..." Ou Xiuhua furrowed her brow.

"Something’s come up with Luo Qing, I need to help out." Seeing Ou Xiuhua looking worried, Chen Nuo reassured her with a smile, "Don’t worry, it’s not a fight.

"Well, Luo Qing had an argument with his girlfriend. I’m going to mediate."

"Are you sure it’s not a fight?" Ou Xiuhua seemed uncertain.

Chen Nuo laughed, stood up, and picked up his coat. "If you’re worried, should I have Xixi come with me?"

"Forget it. It’s late at night, why make your wife go out? Better she stays home; the kid still needs looking after. Make sure you come back early! You’ve been drinking at home tonight, don’t drink any more when you’re out!"

As she said this, Ou Xiuhua added, "Tonight I’ll sleep here with the child. Let Xixi sleep in the apartment next door with Yu Naitang. Since Old Hou is staying overnight, it wouldn’t be proper for Xixi to stay in this house. When you come back tonight, go to the apartment next door."

Well, middle-aged people really do think of everything.

Chen Nuo smiled, exchanged a knowing glance with Lu Xixi, and gave her a reassuring look.

Lu Xixi was truly not the least bit worried.

...Even if it were a fight, so what?

Across the entire Earth, could you even find enough people to count on one hand who could win a fight against Chen Nuo?

And if it really were one of those few, they definitely wouldn’t have any connection to Luo Qing.

As Chen Nuo turned to leave the house, the smile finally completely left his face!

Luo Qing was really in trouble!

To be precise, Luo Dachanzi was in trouble.

He was in the ICU, having narrowly escaped death!