Chapter 28 – Fang Ranran

The notarized statement severing the relationship was handed to He Rong, who glanced at it and gave it to Assistant Yuan to post on social media under the He family’s name.

Assistant Yuan bought some bots and posted it discreetly at midnight.

At first, there was little reaction, but about half an hour later, people realized who He Rong was and what the He family represented. By the time most people woke up, the enthusiastic netizens had already compiled the He family’s three-generation love-hate story. The bots were diligent in the comments, praising He Mingde’s glorious deeds and mentioning Xu Hui. By the time the Xu family found out, the post had been on the hot search list for a day.

“You did this!” Xu Hui was slapped in the face with a stack of documents. The person opposite her was half-black with anger, his teeth gritted, “You’ve disgraced the Xu family!”

Now almost everyone knew that the Xu family had sent their daughter to be a mistress to climb the social ladder. The stock price plummeted, and the board of directors called him frantically, hinting that he should step down if he couldn’t handle it.

He was so angry that his chest hurt. Thinking of who had caused this, he immediately called Xu Hui and vented his anger.

Xu Hui returned to Jiahe, seeing He Mingde’s tantrum in the study, and lost all patience.

———

No matter how chaotic it was outside, Linwan remained peaceful.

He Rong had just received the investigation results about the little girl from the clinic and had visited her during Xiang Ning’s treatment break. He held the papers and called the person coming down from upstairs, habitually rubbing his head.

What is it? Xiang Ning asked with his eyes.

He Rong thought for a moment and asked, “Do you remember the little girl from the clinic?”

Xiang Ning nodded, gripping He Rong’s sleeve slightly, guessing what was coming.

“Like the doctor said, her parents divorced when she was two. Her father has a new family and doesn’t want her. She’s being taken care of by the clinic’s doctors.”

“What’s her name?” Xiang Ning quickly wrote on a piece of paper. He Rong read it and said,

“Fang Ranran.”

“Ning Ning, do you want to adopt her?” He Rong left the decision entirely to Xiang Ning. He handed him the thin file without pressing him.

Xiang Ning furrowed his brow, thinking deeply. He really wanted to adopt the little girl, but there were too many uncertainties. He Rong said he would follow his decision, but Xiang Ning couldn’t ignore the man’s feelings.

Moreover, he lacked confidence in himself and wasn’t ready to be a father.

The three kittens came over, meowing pitifully. Xiang Ning went to feed them, sighing heavily in his heart.

He kept thinking about it even at night, unable to sleep peacefully.

He Rong was woken by his tossing and turning, holding the young man’s waist in the dark and murmuring, “Ning Ning, stop thinking. Go to sleep.”

Xiang Ning turned over, worrying as he nibbled on He Rong’s hand.

He Rong leaned over, turned on the night light, and the soft glow illuminated their faces. He pinned Xiang Ning down, biting his earlobe and laughing softly, “Since Ning Ning isn’t sleepy, let’s do some exercise.”

Xiang Ning arched his neck to avoid his kisses, but his expression softened, and he kissed He Rong’s lips. He Rong parted his lips, hooking his tongue, and they shared a long, gentle kiss.

Xiang Ning slept soundly until morning, no longer thinking about anything else.

The New Year was approaching, and the clinic was about to close for the holidays. Fortunately, Xiang Ning’s second treatment phase was almost over. They decided to bring Fang Ranran home for a few days to get to know each other before making further decisions.

Xiang Ning was led to the rest room by the doctor, where Fang Ranran was coloring with crayons. The doctor went over, patted her head, and signed to her. Fang Ranran timidly looked up at Xiang Ning, hiding behind the doctor.

After a while, Fang Ranran slowly tidied up her things, picked up her little backpack, and walked to Xiang Ning, tentatively holding his finger.

Xiang Ning nodded at the doctor and gently patted Fang Ranran’s little braids before leading her out the door, where Xiao Ye was waiting outside.

“Let’s go,” he gestured to Xiao Ye, getting into the car. He noticed Fang Ranran was secretly watching him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked Fang Ranran in sign language. She nodded and shook her head, taking a while before her eyes lit up and she made a gesture.

“Brother knows sign language too!” Fang Ranran exclaimed, swinging her legs excitedly. After a moment, she seemed to think it wasn’t quite right and stopped, sitting up straight.

Xiang Ning ruffled her hair. The little girl had probably been carefully groomed by the female doctor at the clinic today, with her two braids neatly plaited, looking both cute and playful.

Xiao Ye dropped them off and hurried back to the company.

Xiang Ning held Fang Ranran’s hand as they entered the house. The three little cats each found a vantage point, curiously and warily watching the short, chubby human child. Soon, Lao Da (Number One) condescendingly jumped down and proudly rubbed against Fang Ranran’s legs.

Fang Ranran was so startled she didn’t dare move, staring wide-eyed at Xiang Ning and frantically signing: “Kitty!”

“Uh-huh,” Xiang Ning smiled and nodded, leading her and the three cats to the sofa. He put on an animated show and then went to the kitchen, taking out the half-finished cake Auntie had made the day before, and started bustling around.

Even though his cooking skills were already quite good, desserts were a new territory for him. By the time He Rong came home, only the last batch of batter was left on the dining table.

“What happened?” He Rong asked, seeing his dejected face. He pinched his nose, glanced at the mess on the table, and understood. “You spent the whole afternoon on this?”

Xiang Ning nodded sheepishly, holding the batter and sighing. Just as he was about to put it in the oven, He Rong stopped him, and he looked at him in confusion.

“I’ll do it,” He Rong said, taking the batter and stirring it, rolling up his sleeves. “What do you want to make?”

“Strawberry cake!” Xiang Ning held up his phone, his eyes sparkling. He Rong naturally leaned in for a kiss, then shooed him out of the kitchen. “Go play. There are four kids outside.”

Xiang Ning stole a big strawberry and returned to the living room. Fang Ranran’s head was nodding, clearly very sleepy, but she straightened up as soon as she saw Xiang Ning, her hands clenched on her knees, staring at the TV.

Xiang Ning chuckled, putting a big strawberry in her mouth. “Ranran, watching TV isn’t a task. If you’re sleepy, go rest. I’ll call you for dinner when it’s time, okay?”

Fang Ranran nodded shyly, hugging the plush rabbit Xiang Ning had given her and reluctantly went upstairs.