Chapter 792
Chapter 792
One week later in Flower City, Ning Ran woke up in Raining Pavilion and noticed the two children sleeping next to her.
Erbao's chubby hands were wrapped tightly around Ning Ran's arm. With her head snuggled closely to Ning Ran, one could see the sweat beading across her forehead.
On the other side, Dabao was more restrained. He only hugged Ning Ran's arm with one hand, while his head was tilted away from her.
When she saw how soundly the children were sleeping, she didn't dare move a muscle for fear of waking them.
All she did was turn her head to look at Dabao before shifting her attention to Erbao.
Overwhelmed by a sense of bliss, Ning Ran let out a soft chuckle but ended up waking Dabao by accident.
When he opened his eyes to be greeted by the sight of his mother, he blinked at her before breaking into a satisfied smile.
The smile was so vibrant that Ning Ran's heart almost melted.
Dabao took after his father. Both of them seldom smiled, but when they did, it was so dazzling that it awed whoever saw it. ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
Leaning in, Ning Ran gave her son a kiss.
Dabao then sat up and reciprocated the kiss.
At the same time, their minute movements had inadvertently woken Erbao up.
The way she woke up was a lot more dramatic than her brother's. She first kicked out her legs before giving her hands a stretch. Thereafter, she turned around and threw herself onto Ning Ran's lap. “Mommy...”
Ning Ran was amused. This daughter of mine is so hyper. How can she cause such a huge commotion when she's only waking up?
“Mommy, I had a dream.”
Erbao was in a good mood, which was a rarity, as she usually woke up grouchy.
“Is that so? What did you dream of?” Ning Ran inquired with a smile.
Erbao's black obsidian eyes rolled around before a cunning smile broke out on her face. “I dreamt that the moment I woke up, you bought me strawberry-flavored ice cream! And it tasted delicious!”
Ning Ran instantly saw through Erbao's ploy of demanding ice cream from her.
“Hmm, dreams aren't real, so you shouldn't take them seriously,” Ning Ran teased her daughter.
“But didn't the fairytales always say that dreams can come true? I believe you'll definitely make it happen!” Erbao leaned closer and nuzzled herself against Ning Ran, hoping that the latter would agree to give her ice cream.
“Fine. I'll make your dream come true. There's ice cream in the fridge. You can have some after you wash your face.” Ning Ran stroked Erbao's head affectionately.
“I knew it. You're the best mommy in the world!” Erbao flashed an ecstatic smile.
“Mommy, school is about to start next week. Can you stay with us?” Dabao asked.
“We'll have to talk about that later, as filming hasn't ended yet.”
Ning Ran felt conflicted about the matter. She was reluctant to leave her children, and in fact, she also didn't feel like returning to Livingsfill.
So much had happened there that it weighed down on her emotionally. Somehow, she just felt that the city was filled with dangers.
In spite of that, stopping filming halfway was not an option at all.
Moreover, everything that happened was personal and had nothing to do with the production team. Therefore, it would be unfair to them if she gave up filming in Livingsfill for her own selfish reasons.
“Mommy, it's just too dangerous for you to go filming alone. If you insist on doing so, we should
accompany you so that we can protect you,” Erbao suggested.
Just look at her. She now thinks that she can protect me.
Obviously, Ning Ran knew Erbao wouldn't be able to protect her. Nonetheless, she was still appreciative of her daughter's intention and made sure not to play it down.
“As to whether I'll continue with filming, I'll have to discuss it with Daddy first. For now, let's get out of bed. I still have to prepare dinner for Daddy,” Ning Ran replied.
“Mommy, you have so much to do. Why don't you let me help you? But, I'll have to finish my ice cream first before I have enough energy to do so,” Erbao reminded Ning Ran about the ice cream again.
“I know. I won't forget about you!” Ning Ran gave Erbao's face a pinch.
After they washed their faces and prepared to go to the supermarket for grocery shopping, Ning Ran's phone rang with the caller ID showing an unknown number.
Ning Ran subsequently picked up. “Hello, who is this?”
“Miss, it's me.” A weak voice rang out over the line, triggering the image of the sickly Ruan Anxi to emerge in Ning Ran's mind.
“How did you get my number?” Ning Ran exclaimed.
“It's not that hard. How are you?” Ruan Anxi asked.
“What do you want?” Ning Ran demanded.
She had no interest in chatting with Ruan Anxi, for a victim would never develop a friendship with her kidnapper.
Despite the fact that Ruan Anxi had kept his word by neutralizing the poison in Ning Ran's body, she still felt wary of him. In fact, just hearing the sound of his voice was enough to unsettle her.
“Can't I call you just to chat?” Ruan Anxi remarked with a smile.
“You shouldn't call me even if you have something serious to talk about. I don't ever want to take your calls!” Ning Ran asserted.
“Fine, I'll cut to the chase. Ding Fei has escaped.”
“Escaped? What do you mean?”
“I handed her a massive sum of money to launder, but she has absconded with it and gone into hiding. Until now, I still can't find her anywhere.”
His words only served to intensify Ning Ran's anger. “What has that got anything to do with me? Why are you telling me this?”
“I know it's none of your business, but I need something to talk about during the call. So, I chose this topic,” Ruan Anxi explained cheekily.
“What a waste of time. Bye.” Ning Ran ended the call at once.
Right after she did, she could sense something amiss.
What's the real purpose of his call? He isn't someone who will do pointless things. And why did he tell me about Ding Fei? Does he suspect me of being in cahoots with her? But, wouldn't it be outrageous for him to assume that? I'm sure he's not that stupid. In that case, what does he really want?
When she failed to get an answer despite racking her brains, Ning Ran continued with her cooking.
No sooner was dinner ready than Nan Chen returned. It was the perfect timing for the family of four to start eating.
“Daddy, I helped Mommy prepare this dish just now!” Erbao claimed credit immediately.
“Is that so? You're such an amazing girl!” Nan Chen complimented her.
“And this one too. I helped her a lot today.”
“That's right. While Mommy was busy cooking, you were busy yapping away. You really were a big help,” Dabao commented.
Erbao became upset after being exposed by her brother. “I really did help Mommy. Why do you have to say something like that? Is chatting with Mommy the only use I have?”
She turned to Ning Ran as she spoke, hoping the latter would stand up for her.
Ning Ran tried to hold back her laughter. “Yes, not only did you chat with me, but you also provided me
moral support with your eyes. I can't deny the big contribution you have made.”
The sharp Erbao naturally knew that her mother was teasing her.
Thus, she began to whine in a mushy voice. “Mommy, you're laughing at me...”
“Mommy is serious. She isn't teasing you at all. Besides, I'm well aware of how capable you are.”
No one knew when Nan Chen had learned how to bullsh*t with a straight face.
Dabao nodded in agreement. “Precisely. All of you are right.”
His words caused Ning Ran to burst into hearty laughter.
The atmosphere was harmonious as the family of four engaged in lighthearted banter.
“By the way, Daddy, you should stop Mommy from going back to Livingsfill for filming. As school is starting soon, I want Mommy to be at our side.” Erbao suddenly recalled something important.
“Mmm-hmm. I just spoke to the director today and he agreed to amend the residual scenes. Therefore, there's no need for Mommy to go back to Livingsfill,” Nan Chen related.
“You discussed it with the director? But, those scenes are crucial to the movie. How can you change them just like that?”
Nan Chen waved his hand. “It's fine. It won't affect the quality of the movie, so there's nothing to worry about.”
“I don't think it's a good idea.” Ning Ran was still concerned.
“Don't get too wrapped up over it. It's just too much work traveling back and forth for just a few scenes. Instead, you should get some rest, as we'll be having a meal at Commoner Residence tomorrow. There's something important to discuss,” Nan Chen replied in a mysterious tone.