At first when Lin Li was lost in thought over Cheng Xiang, her mind’s tiny theatre YY was escalating, her home phone started to ring. But she was out of it. After a while, the home phone stops ringing, but after a second, her cell phone starts to go off. It was an unknown number. Lin Li woodenly answers the phone, takes her phone and places it by her ears. It was Cheng Xiang who had called. Over the phone, Cheng Xiang nervously asks her why she turned off the phone, and why she wasn’t picking up. He sounded anxious. Lin Li listens, her heart turning more sour. Ultimately she couldn’t help but ask about the text on his phone. Cheng Xiang was surprised, practically doesn’t think about it, and explains that at first he was on a business trip the night before. When the group was on a lunch break a colleague’s phone had died, so he borrowed his phone to send a text to his girlfriend. Actually when he came back he was afraid that she would overthink it, so he had already deleted the text, but he wasn’t sure why the woman sent another text to his number. After saying that, he waited for Lin Li for a while. Then the phone was hung up. Not too long later there was another call, this time it was the voice of an unfamiliar man, calling Lin Li ‘sister-in-law’, then explaining that his phone wasn’t starting up that morning and his girlfriend couldn’t locate him, and thought that the number from yesterday was from his other cell phone, so she just sent it. Lastly said, he whole-heartedly asked her to forgive him. Finally Cheng Xiang took back the phone, and half jokingly asks her if she was jealous, did she think too much about it. Lin Li held onto her phone and laughed and cried, in short she couldn’t say anything. Ultimately Cheng Xiang sighed, and asks, “Lin Li, am I that unworthy of your trust?” Hearing that, Lin Li quickly shakes her head, even though she knows that he couldn’t see it, but she still earnestly raises her hand to vow that from now on she won’t let her imagination run while and doubt him. At least Cheng Xiang only scolds her a bit for being foolish, then asks in concern if she had eaten yet, if their child was being good or not.
Hearing all of it, An Ran looks at her pissed, “I told you, making a big deal over nothing.”
Lin Li laughs, and only nods, smiles and quickly admits her mistake, saying, “I was wrong I was wrong. Aiyou, they say that pregnant women often let their imagination run wild, turns out they’re all true ha.”
An Ran leans on the sofa, knowing that she was fine and it was only a false alarm relieved her, she closes her eyes and says, “Cheng Xiang is such a good man, you’ve been with him for 10 years, you must know his disposition ah. This time I feel for Cheng Xiang and feel unworthy. If it were me, I would ignore you for days, see if you dare.”
Lin Li knows that she was in the wrong, and charmingly sticks out her tongue, and fearing that An Ran would continue to scold her, she quickly changed the subject, “Don’t you have work this afternoon, why did you specially come here to see me?”
An Ran turns and looks at her, letting out a big sigh. Then she more or less recounts what happened this afternoon.
“Shit, that woman is too low. How could she be like that!” Lin Li was quite stirred up, “The first time I saw her I felt that she wasn’t right, those decorative clothes. She’s at work, but she was dressing like she was selling herself, looking like a fox, her whole body was stinking.”
An Ran sighs and says, “I don’t get when I had offended her. I never fought with her, she was always thorny with me. I don’t get it.”
“There are people who are that weird and abnormal. You can’t tell if everyone is normal. As the proverb says, in big woods there are all kinds of birds, if you don’t let in a few they will destroy it ah.” Lin Li says in ridicule.
An Ran runs her mouth, not showing a trace of smiling expression.
“About this matter you absolutely must not let it go, or else that bitch will definitely do more, you have to hunt it down, let the company give you an explanation.” Lin Li continues to speak, her appearance was even more worked up than An Ran.
Investigate, was easier said than done. With her relationship with Huang De Xing, she was afraid that Huang De Xing would shield her.
“These kind of people must learn their lesson, let her know that we aren’t people you can bully, see if she has the guts to go above the boss.” Lin Li says, and turns to look at An Ran’s indifferent face, looking like she failed to meet expectations, “Gu A n Ran, don’t you dare be softhearted, showing benevolence to your enemy would be cruel to yourself. She sees that you’re like this, so that’s why she wants to overcome you.”
An Ran looks at her, forces a smile, “Why investigate, I don’t even have proof, and no one saw her go into my office to tear up my blueprint. Even if I was certain it was her, but what can I do.”
Lin Li stares at her with wide eyes, and only after a while does she say, “If not in the open, then we could do it in the dark, or how about this, you give me her phone number, I will call her and warn her, let her know that we aren’t nobodies.”
“Pfft---“ An Ran looks at Lin Li, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and asks, “How come I didn’t know that you were a member of an underground gang, furthermore calling people to threaten them.”
Lin Li looks at her pleased, “Don’t mention it, this older sister still has an imposing manner, you never know I might actually scare her.”
An Ran politely declines, and just says, “You just raise your fetus, don’t let your little brain run wild. Also, if you have time you need to look at more parental books and programs, watch less of those idol dramas, they have no content, be careful in torturing my future adopted daughter.”
“It’s a son, Gu An Ran, I’ve told you how many times, I definitely have a boy in my belly.” Lin Li emphasizes once more, her expression earnest.
An Ran laughs powerlessly. It wasn’t good to get a pregnant woman angry, so she can only go along with her, “Alright alright alright, whatever you say, whatever you say.”
Lin Li raises her chin in satisfaction, “Let’s go. To celebrate my still happy marriage, and also comfort you from that slut’s vicious heart, let’s go out and eat.”
An Ran looks at her and just shakes her head. She doesn’t have an appetite right now. She hasn’t eaten since noon, and now she doesn’t feel hungry, she was really so full of air that she’s full.
“Hey, don’t be so negative. Eating can make one excited, or how about you accompany me. Cheng Xiang isn’t here, I don’t know anything good to eat tonight.”
Tonight, An Ran suddenly recalled that she had promised to eat at home tonight, and specifically asked Su Yi Cheng to come home early. She looks at the time with her wrist watch. It was already 4, she needs to go to the supermarket to buy groceries and go home. It’s almost time, so she suddenly turns to Lin Li and asks, “Do you have any cookbooks at home?”
Lin Li was surprised, and nods her head, “Cheng Xiang bought some before.” She was a glutton, and Cheng Xiang loved to spoil her. In order to satisfy her neverending stomach, he specially went to the bookstore to buy some cookbooks so he could learn.
“Let me borrow some. Something simple, nothing too complicated.” An Ran said.
“Uh, what are you going to do with it?” Lin Li asks.
“Can’t always let him eat my tomato noodle soup, you think everything thinks that Cheng Xiang treats you like that, don’t indulge in flights of fancy and not know when one is well off.”
Lin Li spits out her tongue, goes into the study room and takes a few cookbooks, handing it over to her. She winks at An Ran ambiguously, and says, “Seems like the affection between you two isn’t too bad, already willing to wash your hands and make soup.”
An Ran looks at her, takes her cookbook, and smirks. Then she grabs her bag from the sofa and puts the cookbook into her bag. She gets up and says, “You just have to bear it tonight and eat, I have something tonight, not going to accompany you.”
“Ha, if you are going home to breed, then I won’t hold you up.” Lin Li says. She suddenly recalls something, and continues, “It is said that, An Zi, you guys are also intending to grow one, they say that as a woman gets older the health risk of the child will increase, so in short, if you are thinking about it, give birth to a daughter so we can be in-laws, then we can spare the issue with those mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relations, how good would that be.”
An Ran blushes, and says, crossed, “I wouldn’t want to be your in-law, you absolutely won’t be a good mother-in-law, so gluttonous and lazy.” Finishing, she lets out a pampered at Lin Li in protest and leaves.
An Ran flags down a taxi and heads towards the supermarket by their home. In the car, while looking through the recipes, she was thinking about what vegetables she should buy.
In the end she was sure that there were a few dishes that she considered not complicated, and recorded their ingredients. Upon leaving the taxi, she goes into the supermarket.
Pushing the cart and putting the required ingredients into the cart one by one, she reaches out towards the large eggplant, when suddenly another hand also stretches out to grab it. The two grab both end of it at the same time, slightly surprised, and simultaneously turn to look. An Ran looks at the person before her, and became shocked.
The other person looks at An Ran and couldn’t help but get shocked. They immediately smile, and softly says, “Miss Gu, long time no see.”
An Ran returns to Earth, and smiles at the person. “What a coincidence, does Miss Ling live around here?” The person she ran into isn’t just anyone, but is the very Ling Ran that she had ran into earlier in the day.
An Ran’s little brain starts to rev up. She looks at the ingredients that Ling Ran had, and remembered that Ling Lin doesn’t even live in the district.
“Yes.” Lin Ran nods, apparently sensing An Ran’s doubt. “I moved out on my own, so I don’t live at home.”
“Oh.” An Ran smiles and nods, and hands over the eggplant to her. She asks politely, “Are you buying stuff for dinner?”
Lin Ran smiles and nods, and jokingly says, “Yeah. Living alone, if I don’t help myself, then I probably will starve to death.”
“Hehe.” An Ran laughs, and looks through the shelf and digs out another eggplant that doesn’t look too bad and puts it into her shopping cart. “That’s how it is to live alone.”
Lin Ran also smiles, and the two push their carts together side by side.
“Ling Lin is still young, if she did something wrong, I ask Miss Gu to excuse it.” Lin Ran says gently.
An Ran also smiles politely, “Ling Lin is bright.” She doesn’t anything more, but the more she looks at Ling Ran the more she feels that she looked familiar, as if she had seen her before, but she can’t figure out where.
The two carry their large grocery bags out, and at first An Ran was thinking of saying goodbye to Ling Ran at the door, but she didn’t expect to ask and find out that they lived in the same neighbourhood, furthermore the same building. However she lived on the 18th floor, while she and Su Yi Cheng lived on the 10th floor.
The two walk over to their neighbourhood, on the way, An Ran smiles and sighs, “What a coincidence, didn’t expect that we lived so close to each other.”
“Hehe, looks like you and I were brought together by fate.” Ling Ran turns to look at An Ran, and says, “Do you remember that we’ve met before?”
An Ran was surprised, “Did we really meet before?” She doesn’t remember, however she did feel that she looked familiar, as if she’d seen her somewhere.
“We bumped into each other at the shopping mall washroom, I was going out, you were coming in. We weren’t careful and bumped into each other.” Ling Ran smiles tenderly.
After hearing her say that, An Ran then recalls that noon when she went to the courtyard to meet her in-laws, she went to the mall to buy scarves, indeed she did bump into a classic beauty, “So it was you, ha. Jiang city really is small!” So one can meet this way, they really were brought together by fate.
“Yes, really is small.” Ling Ran looks at her, smiling with a special depth.
The two go into the apartment together, and when they were waiting for the elevator An Ran’s cell phone goes off. It was from Su Yi Cheng.
“Are you finished work yet, do you want me to come over and pick you up?” Su Yi Cheng’s voice was warm and peaceful. It was nice to hear.
An Ran smiles a bit, “No need, I got off early, I’m at the gate of the apartment now.”
“So does that mean when I get home there will be something to eat?” Su Yi Cheng chuckles.
“Uh, you can take your time, I’m a novice, I will take a while.”
“Then I should hurry home, I can help out.” Su Yi Cheng says relaxed.
“You drive slowly, pay good attention to the road, when you get back there will still be a chance for you to help out.” An Ran warns. Driving, the most important thing is to be safe in traffic.
“Wait for me.” Saying that, Su Yi Cheng simply ends the call.
An Ran, while holding the phone, couldn’t help but smile.
“Boyfriend?” Ling Ran asks.
An Ran nods, and says, “My husband.”
Ling Ran nods her head, wears a smile, but doesn’t say any more.
The two go into the elevator together, and while the elevator was slowly going up, Ling Ran suddenly turns to An Ran and says, “An Ran, can I call you An Ran from now on?”
An Ran was surprised, even though she felt that the proposal was a bit weird, but in the end she still nods, “Of course.”
“Then from now on you can also call me Ling Ran. We all live in the same building, if there’s anything you need just come find me.” Ling Ran smiles.
“Yeah. Sure.” An Ran nods.
Ding----
The elevator had reached the floor. An Ran smiles at her. She didn’t see that once the doors closed Ling Ran, the smile on her face disappeared in a moment.
When Su Yi Cheng had returned, he only saw the messy kitchen, vegetables, scrambled eggs, fresh meat, and more food were spread over the entire ceramic table. On the counter was a single cookbook spread open, the sink was filled with small vegetables that have a film of water but haven’t been washed.
An Ran stands in the middle of the kitchen, holding a kitchen knife in her hand. Her eyes unwavering at the open mouthed, hopping Crucian carp on the chopping board.
Su Yi Cheng looks at this scene and couldn’t help but find it funny, his hear filled with a hard-to-describe satisfaction. He softly calls out, “An Ran.”
An Ran then returns back to Earth. She turns to look at his ambiguously smiling face, and was a little surprised. She didn’t know when he had came in. “Y-you’re back.”
“Need a hand?” Seeing the state of the not-so-ideal kitchen, Su Yi Cheng offers to ask.
An Ran laughs sheepishly, and nods. The state was way beyond her expectations, and it seemed like it would take forever to clean up.
Su Yi Cheng smiles and puts his briefcase onto the coffeetable in the living room. He takes off his outer suit and throws it on the sofa, one hand pulls on his necktie, while the other unties the cuff. He walks over to the kitchen, looks at the cookbook on the counter, and laughs helplessly.
An Ran was embarrassed by his smile, “I, I don’t use the kitchen much.”
Su Yi Cheng smiles, and doesn’t say anything. He walks over to her, getting closer step by step.
An Ran doesn’t know what he’s thinking of doing, so she backs up step by step, until she was backed into the refrigerator. On her back was the refrigerator, her front had Su Yi Cheng. An Ran can’t retreat anymore, so she gulps and says, “Yo-y-you what are you doing, h-how about you go-go out, I, I can definitely fix this. Even though I’m a bit slow, but you can go ahead and look at your documents, or go to the living room and watch TV, I, I’ll hurry as much as possible.” An Ran says, her voice shivering a bit, her speech somewhat incoherent.
Su Yi Cheng doesn’t say anything, and only smiles and presses onto her even more.
When An Ran thought that something was going to happen, then her ‘resistance’ was in vain, she closes her eyes to accept ‘reality’. An Ran shuts her eyes for a while. The anticipated kiss wasn’t coming at all, instead she hears Su Yi Cheng’s soft sneer. Her waist was held, then something was removed behind her, then something was put on her neck.
An Ran suddenly opens her eyes, only to see Su Yi Cheng looking at her and holding back a smile, that appearance was really ‘internal injury’ and in his hands, was holding the apron that was still tied to her body.
An Ran’s small face turns red, realizing that she was played. Somewhat humiliated, she reaches out to push him, yet was stopped by him.
Su Yi Cheng’s entire person takes advantage and approaches her, his entire body pressing upon her, smirking, and deliberately with evil intentions asks, “What were you looking forward to just now? Waiting for my kiss?”
An Ran’s small face turns a few shades redder, her heart swearing at his cunningness, mouth wanting to kill and not admit defeat. She reluctantly says, “Ob-obviously not, you’re overthinking it.”
Su Yi Cheng’s smile turns wilder, he reaches out and embraces her waist, letting the two bodies stick even closer. He slyly says, “Was I thinking too much, weren’t you waiting for me to kiss you?”
An Ran huffs and turns her head, “No.” Her cheeks are as red as an apple.
Su Yi Cheng chuckles, looking at her so stubborn and difficult like this, was really adorable.
An Ran was uncomfortable being held like that by Su Yi Cheng, and turns to tell Su Yi Cheng to let go of her, but when she turned her head, his head presses in, his lips accurately landing, leaving all her protests and dissatisfaction was swallowed down. His hands snake up to caress her, sucking her lips, urgently kissing her, and ardently, not like the usual tenderness.
An Ran turned passionate from the kiss, her hands slowly rising up, wrapping her arms around his neck.
‘Ding ning----!’
The doorbell rings at this time, alarming the passionately embracing couple.
An Ran was suddenly brought back to Earth, pushes Su Yi Cheng. She blushed so hard it seemed like she was going to drop blood, and looks at him accusingly. She fixes her clothes that had been messed up by Su Yi Cheng.
Su Yi Cheng chuckles, he became delighted from the kiss.
“Ding ning!----“
The person outside clearly did not know the intense atmosphere inside, as the doorbell continues to ring its beautiful tune.
An Ran got even more annoyed by his smile, glares at him, and rebukes, “Why aren’t you opening the door.”
Su Yi Cheng nods cheerfully, just holding onto the apron and walking over to the door. Because of the kiss earlier his shirt was a bit wrinkled but he didn’t pay attention to it, he reaches out to open the door. And the smile on his face dropped the second he saw the person outside. Unexpectedly receiving, looking coldly at the person outside, indifference replaces his cheerfulness in a flash.
Outside Ling Ran was wearing home attire, her long hair trailing over her shoulders. She was smiling as she stood there, looking at Su Yi Cheng, her eyes not even blinking as she looks at him.
Oooooh sorry guys cliff hanger :P On the bright side, we're almost done the chapter! 6 more pages to go ;)
Enjoy!
