NOVPUBChen Nan’s heart was as clear as a mirror; he and Zhao Qian would inevitably come to a head one day.
But...
It certainly wasn’t now.
He still had to trace the vines to find the melon, to discover the real culprit behind his father’s murder.
Besides, even if he backed off by ten thousand steps,
he had just forced himself on Wang Shuyao, which had already violated the law. If she called the police, he’d definitely face imprisonment.
To say he wasn’t anxious would be impossible.
Hearing her husband’s voice outside, the anger in Wang Shuyao’s eyes also vanished. She calmly looked at Chen Nan and whispered, "Let’s pretend what just happened never occurred. I don’t want you to affect our marital life." Then she carried the child and walked out with a smile on her face.
Chen Nan didn’t expect Wang Shuyao to choose to swallow her anger.
Although it was a surprise,
he walked out with mixed feelings and saw the middle-aged man with a burly figure and bushy eyebrows in the kitchen.
Not having seen him for two years, he looked much haggard, and his hair had also whitened significantly.
However,
the instant their eyes met, Zhao Qian’s gaze couldn’t conceal a doting affection, and then he stretched out his arms, saying, "Come, come, give me a hug!"
With these words, he quickly stepped forward and embraced Chen Nan, his face revealing sincere emotions.
Smelling the familiar, pungent cigarette scent on the other’s body, Chen Nan felt incredibly complicated emotions, even a sensation akin to suffocation.
He had learned the Taoist Mystical Technique, allowing him to see a person’s past and even future in their facial features.
And just now,
he had clearly seen that undisguised doting affection when Zhao Qian saw him—the emotion was simple and pure, with no trace of guilt.
If...
If his father’s death were really related to him, his eyes certainly wouldn’t look like this.
"Could it be, I wronged Uncle Zhao?" Chen Nan’s heart ached as if being cut. If it really was like this, then he had truly become an unforgivably wicked person.
After all, he had just violated Uncle Zhao’s wife!
Zhao Qian let go of Chen Nan and joked with a smile, "What’s the situation? Haven’t seen each other for two years, why does it feel like our father-son bond has grown much colder?"
Chen Nan came back to his senses and forced a smile, "Not really. It’s just your cigarette smell; it’s so strong it gives me a headache."
Zhao Qian laughed out loud and then looked Chen Nan up and down, his eyes brimming with even more joy, "Not bad, getting handsomer. You carry my younger days’ charm."
"Right, how did you do on the college entrance exam? Peking University or Qinghua shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
Chen Nan gave a wry smile, "I don’t really think I’m cut out for Peking University or Qinghua."
Zhao Qian shook his head, his gaze clear, "In Uncle Zhao’s eyes, you are the best. As long as you want to do something, you can achieve it, no matter how many hardships and sacrifices it takes."
Just this simple sentence was like a razor-sharp dagger, piercing directly and unguardedly into the deepest recesses of Chen Nan’s heart.
In an instant.
An almost suffocating sensation surged up to his heart like a raging tidal wave, making his breathing come to a halt.
This sudden surge of emotion involuntarily plunged him into a whirlpool of memories.
Once upon a time, when his father was disappointed with his academic performance, thinking of him as an incurable waste.
When everyone around him had no faith, convinced that he would not get into a key high school.
Only Uncle Zhao had unwavering faith in his unlimited potential, offering him meticulous care and full affirmation.
It was this precious trust from Uncle Zhao that enabled Chen Nan to perform exceptionally during the middle school entrance exams, successfully gaining admission to Jizhou No. 1 Middle School.
What was even more unexpected for Chen Nan was.
To this day, Uncle Zhao still had full confidence in him.
This kind of unreserved trust was like a warm light, shining into the softest corner of his heart, but also plunging it into even greater complexity.
Wang Shuyao’s gentle voice slowly drifted over, "Honey, go change your clothes first. You can’t blame our son for not wanting you to hold him with that smoke smell on you. Afterward, come see the child while I cook a few dishes, and the two of you can have a good drink."
"Alright!" Zhao Qian grinned and swiftly went into the master bedroom, quickly changed into clean clothes, then immediately returned to the living room to take over the child from his wife’s arms.
Wang Shuyao then headed into the kitchen to prepare lunch.
In fact, there used to be a nanny and a maternity nurse at home, but due to her husband’s company’s poor performance, she had dismissed the nanny, leaving only a maternity nurse to help with the child.
However, today the maternity nurse was off-duty, otherwise, it would not have been Wang Shuyao’s turn to personally cook.
After entering the kitchen, Zhao Qian, while holding his son in his arms and coaxing him to sleep, also inquired about Chen Nan’s life in the mountains over the past two years and his future plans.
When Chen Nan mentioned that he wanted to apply for the province’s medical college, Zhao Qian couldn’t help but pause for a moment, a look of surprise appearing in his eyes, clearly not expecting Chen Nan to aspire to study medicine.
Regaining his composure, he said, "Uncle Zhao respects your decision, although studying medicine won’t make you a lot of money, the job is stable, and it’s a very noble profession."
After a pause, he said softly, "Do you remember Uncle Zhao’s promise to you? As long as you get into college, Uncle Zhao will cover your tuition fees, and not only that, he will also give you a big red envelope."
"Though your dad left you a large sum of money, Uncle Zhao will never go back on his promise to you," he said, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Just as Chen Nan was about to speak, Zhao Qian hushed him and tiptoed back to the bedroom with the child, laying him in the crib before returning to the living room.
Seeing Zhao Qian instinctively reach for a cigarette, Chen Nan couldn’t help but say, "Uncle, you should smoke less!"
Zhao Qian gave an embarrassed smile and then put the cigarette back.
"Uncle, how much do you know about my dad’s affairs?" Chen Nan asked out of the blue, his eyes fixed on Zhao Qian’s facial expression, trying to decipher something from his microexpressions.
Zhao Qian sighed helplessly, recalling, "I don’t know much about your dad’s affairs. We even had a big fight when he sold his company shares."
"But you know your dad’s character, as stubborn as a bull. Once he made up his mind about something, no one could persuade him to turn back."
"Looking back now, I realize I was too shortsighted."
"If I had sold the company with your dad back then, I could have made a fortune."
Chen Nan frowned and couldn’t help but say, "You didn’t know about my dad using the money from the company sale to invest?"
Zhao Qian looked puzzled, "Your dad took that money to invest? What did he invest in?"
At this, Zhao Qian’s expression became complicated, "Actually... after that argument, your dad and I fell out completely, not even a single phone call in the interim."
"The next time I heard about your dad, he had already been in a car accident."
Chen Nan’s eyes flickered with an incomprehensible light, "You haven’t spoken to my dad?"
