CHAPTER 328: CHAPTER 319: NUANNUAN, HAVE YOU EVER BEEN DISGUSTED ONLINE?

"What is sister thinking about?"

Seeing the pain in Wen Nuan’s eyes, Zhan Yanran’s delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed. "Sister, you really don’t seem very happy. Is there something bothering you? Tell me about it..."

"Tell you so you can feel happy?" Zhan Haoxuan’s charming lips curved into a teasing smile as he looked at Yanran. Taking the little leather ball from Wen Nuan’s hand, he said, "Sister, if there’s something wrong, you can tell me. Dad says I’m a little man and very good at helping people."

"Bragging!" Yanran’s small mouth immediately pouted. "Saying it to make you happy is meant for you alone; how can you use it on pretty sister?"

"Haha, I’m fine." Watching the two little ones about to argue, Wen Nuan hurriedly smiled to stop them. "Sister is not unhappy at all."

From afar, a pleasant woman’s voice was calling their names. Wen Nuan quickly patted their small shoulders. "Go on, Mom is worried."

Back at the hotel booked for her and Lin Xue by the branch office, she went to Lin Xue’s room. Lin Xue was video chatting with her son and closed the laptop upon seeing her.

"You look so much better, it’s been a week now, and finally, there’s some smile on your face." Lin Xue patted the bed, motioning for her to sit. "Nuannuan, where did you go?"

Wen Nuan said she wanted to go for a walk outside, and Lin Xue’s son happened to ask for a video call with his mom, so she didn’t go with her.

"Just sat in the nearby garden and saw a pair of adorable twins. It really lifted my mood." Thinking of Zhan Haoxuan and Zhan Yanran brought an involuntary smile to Wen Nuan’s lips.

Lin Xue smiled slightly and handed her Wen Nuan’s phone. "You left this with me when you went out earlier. There are many messages from him; do you want to take a look?"

Wen Nuan shook her head. "No need."

She knew whom Lin Xue was referring to. She had set a blacklist on her phone, so his calls couldn’t get through, only messages. But she hadn’t read any of them, letting them quietly sit in her phone.

It’s not that she doesn’t want to; it’s just that she’s afraid, afraid that she won’t be able to control her heart.

"Why torment yourself like this, both of you?" Lin Xue’s voice sounded like a sigh. "Nuannuan, I just saw on Sina Entertainment that the film Ji Wei went to shoot abroad replaced the female lead."

"I know." Wen Nuan said calmly. "Tong Xi called to tell me."

The mention of Ji Wei made Tong Xi gnash her teeth in frustration.

Leng Yan had arranged for a reason that Ji Wei couldn’t shoot the film, stating she needed to go abroad to recuperate due to health issues. Tong Xi cursed, "Recuperate my ass, unfit? Hmph, maybe from too much time in bed with men and caught AIDS, huh?"

"Nuannuan, do you plan to keep hiding like this? We’ll soon return to City N, have you thought about what to do?" Wen Nuan’s calmness was clearly a facade, and Lin Xue looked at her tenderly. "The design director here appreciates your work. If you wish to stay, I can speak on your behalf."

"Thank you, Master, for worrying so much for me." Wen Nuan’s throat felt parched, yet there was finally a sliver of clarity in her heart.

Perhaps staying here is more realistic than going to France. Dad is getting older and had just undergone heart surgery. She would feel uneasy going abroad. Moreover, this place is adjacent to the city where Pengfei’s school is, making it convenient for the siblings to go home together.

Wen Nuan sat for a moment and then returned. Lin Xue sighed softly, still not mentioning Tan Qing’s visit tomorrow. Actually, she still felt that Tan Qing and Wen Nuan were more suitable together.

**

Lin Xue’s main work in E City was to provide some guidance to the designers here. E City was a newly established branch office by MT, and many aspects needed improvement.

Occasionally, Lin Xue would analyze some of Wen Nuan’s designs, which quickly led everyone to look at Wen Nuan with new eyes. In Design Director Si Yong’s words, it was hard to believe that a girl only in her twenties could come up with such impressive designs.

Close to the end of the workday, Si Yong called out to Wen Nuan. "Assistant Wen, please come to my office for a moment."

"Alright." Lin Xue was occupied by several new designers, giving her a playful wink, prompting Wen Nuan to quickly agree.

She thought it might be about asking her to stay. But she hadn’t told Tan Qing about it, not knowing what he thought.

Following Si Yong into the office, Wen Nuan suddenly felt a moment of disorientation. She steadied herself and finally saw the two men sitting on the sofa clearly.

Tan Qing and Leng Ye...

"Young Master Tan, Young Master Leng, I’ll step out so you can chat. I’ll go check if Designer Lin is done." Si Yong nodded at the three of them before retreating.

"How have you been here?" Tan Qing smiled at the slightly dumbfounded Wen Nuan. "Earlier, Director Si said he wanted you to stay here as a designer. I was initially thinking that once you returned, we’d drop the ’assistant’ title. Nuannuan, would you rather stay here or return to MT headquarters?"

He was very tactful in his speech, directly giving her two choices.

Stay at the E City branch, or return to MT headquarters.

He didn’t mention any other paths.

Wen Nuan thought for a moment. "I’d like to stay here; I really like it here."

Without Leng Yan, there would be loneliness. Yet compared to breathing the air of the city he was in, this loneliness made her feel better.

Turning to look at Leng Ye, she gave a polite smile. "Brother, did you come together?"

"I came to E City for a business trip and happened to see Tan Qing at the airport, so we came together to check on you." Leng Ye’s gentle smile carried a hint of heartache. "You’ve lost a lot of weight."

"I’m fine." Wen Nuan instinctively touched her face. "Is everything alright at the company?"

After asking, she realized her mistake. What did Leng Family’s affairs have to do with her? Or maybe subconsciously, she wanted to learn something about "him" through this. But she truly didn’t have much to chat about with Leng Ye. Realizing the impropriety, she quickly smiled awkwardly. "Did you and Young Master Tan just arrive?"

Leng Ye, smart enough not to answer the first question, gave her a gentle smile. "We’ve been here for a while. Just now, we discussed with Tan Qing about having dinner with you and Lin Xue. So thin, is the branch office’s food not to your liking?"

"Oh, Ye, don’t say that." Tan Qing chimed in with a smile. "At MT, we treat our staff with humanity. The chefs in the restaurant are specially hired, right Nuannuan?"

"Of course, the food is delicious." Wen Nuan nodded. She wasn’t lying; MT’s restaurant had always been good, with tasty meals at a reasonable price.

"But..." Tan Qing looked at Wen Nuan carefully, his eyes filled with even more concern. "Nuannuan, you really have lost a lot of weight. Have you gotten to know E City well in these past days? Have you and your food-loving Master Lin Xue explored which restaurant in E City is nice to recommend for us to try?"

"There really is one. My Master mentioned yesterday there’s a place with great private home cuisine. Maybe you’ll like it." Wen Nuan recalled a conversation with Tan Qing about enjoying private restaurants, and coincidentally, Lin Xue had recommended a place from a colleague.

**

The four of them went to the private restaurant Wen Nuan had mentioned.

The outer façade was still somewhat old-looking, but inside, it was exquisitely designed and elegant.

Halfway through, Tong Xi’s call came in. Wen Nuan apologized to the three and stepped outside to take the call. Tong Xi was on a fiery streak lately, and Wen Nuan feared she might unexpectedly burst into vulgar language.

Sure enough, as soon as she picked up, Tong Xi was filled with indignation. "Nuannuan, have you been online recently? Haven’t you been disgusted?!"