It was already one in the morning when Nan Chen returned to the Commoner Residence.
Nan Xing was still awake, and was drinking under the pavilion in the garden.
Nan Xing usually drank at private clubs, surrounded by beautiful women. It was indeed rare to see him drinking alone like this.
Nan Chen walked over.
“Brother, I have been waiting for you.” Nan Xing sounded a little drunk.
“Why are you here drinking alone?”
“Grandpa was really happy today that the kids were back safely, so he opened the Maotai which he had kept for twenty years. But the old man couldn’t drink too much because of his high blood pressure. I didn’t want to waste it since it was already opened, so I planned to finish the bottle with you.”
Nan Chen sat down and poured himself a cup.
He could already smell the alcohol before he lifted the cup.
Nan Chen finished the cup in one gulp, the aftertaste lingering in his mouth. It felt wonderful.
“Is there anything bothering you?” Nan Chen asked after putting down the cup.
“Today, Ding Mi brought the kids here. But as you know, the Nan family has a rule that a woman can only step into the main hall after she marries into the family, so she could only stay at the West atrium for the time being.”
Nan Chen nodded. He had guessed it.
“Don’t you think it’s rather unfair to her, since she is the mother of the kids after all? She painstakingly gave birth to them and raised them but she can’t even sit at the same dining table with the kids. What kind of screwed up rule is this?!” Nan Xing was worked up.
Nan Chen signaled for Nan Xing to lower his voice.
“Not all rules have reasons behind them. Rules are rules, and have to be obeyed. If you think about it, some rules with seemingly no reason behind them actually have their own worth.” Nan Chen poured both of them another cup each.
Nan Xing shook his head and said, “I don’t know why I am telling you all these. You have never liked Ding Mi to begin with.”
“Her name was originally not Ding Mi; it was Ning Ran. She is Luo Fei’s half-sibling.” Nan Chen said.
“Really?”
“You see, how can you be so certain you want her to be your wife? You don’t even know her real name. Is it just because she is the mother of your children?” Nan Chen asked Nan Xing.
“I don’t agree. We are all separate individuals with our own secrets. As long as such secrets do not cause harm to others, there is no need to delve in further. Makes sense, right?”
Nan Chen did not reply. He was not getting into any arguments with Nan Xing at this unearthly hour.
It was a rare occasion that the brothers could sit down and drink together, and he did not want to ruin the atmosphere.
Nan Chen had not told Nan Xing any of the bad things he had found out about Ning Ran, as he wanted to protect his brother.
If Nan Xing and Ning Ran ever got into a fight over the custody of the children, Nan Chen was ready to act as the evil one.
If he were the bad guy, Nan Xing could still remain cordial with Ning Ran.
It was also more beneficial for the kids that Nan Xing and Ning Ran did not fall out with each other.
Children always end up as victims when parents are at odds with each other.
It would leave a scar in the children’s lives and Nan Chen wanted to protect the children from any possible harm.
Anyway, Nan Chen felt that even without disclosing the bad things about Ning Ran, he would still be able to prevent the marriage.
“Brother, you know I am not any saint. But I really feel that life hasn’t been easy for Ding Mi. She deserves better.” Nan Xing got even more worked up.
“Such as?”
“Such as a proper title. At least, she should be able to dine with the rest of the Nan family at the main hall.” Nan Xing said.
“Is this what she wants? Was this what she told you?”
“She didn’t. She doesn’t care about anything else other than being with the kids.”
“What if she has been pretending? Don’t forget that she is a very successful actress. She could be putting up an act in front of us.”
“Brother!” Nan Xing stood up. “Why are you so biased against Ding Mi?”
Nan Chen signaled to Nan Xing to lower his voice again.
“What do you like about her?” Nan Chen asked.
“She’s really pretty. Not to mention she’s also the children’s mommy. If I marry her, we will have a perfect family.” Nan Xing answered without hesitation.
“If she was not the children’s mommy, would you still marry her?”
“Brother, why are you asking the same question as grandpa? Don’t you think this kind of hypothetical question is very lame?” That got Nan Xing worked up again.
Nan Chen didn’t react to that. He took another sip of the drink.
“So, you don’t actually love her. You just feel indebted to her just because she gave birth to your two children, and want to make it up to her by marrying her. Nan Xing, this won’t do. You should marry someone with a good character and strong morals, not someone with a motive who would use the kids to accomplish her goals.”
“A person without a good character is a risk to both the kids and the Nan Family.”
The thought that Ning Ran caused the death of her own mother gave Nan Chen chills. Such an evil women, it would be a disaster if she entered the Nan family!
“Come on brother, you are exaggerating! You are just prejudiced against her! We are twins. I always thought that you were on my side. But I was wrong! You are disregarding my happiness because of your personal prejudices!” Nan Xing was even more worked up now.
“You are drunk. Go get some rest. We shall talk when you are sober.”
“No! Let’s thrash things out right now. Why are all of you against her? Do you think it was easy for her to raise two kids all on her own? Why do all of you think that she has an ulterior motive? You said the woman I chose has a problem, but what about the woman you chose?”
“Luo Fei is the real evil woman. She almost caused the death of my kids! Why don’t you reflect on your choices, brother?” Nan Xing would never have dared to speak to Nan Chen in this manner. The alcohol had taken its effects.
Nan Chen’s face darkened.
He wanted to drink more but the bottle was already empty. He slammed the bottle hard against the marble table. Nan Xing’s words agitated him.
“It is exactly because I feel responsible for what Luo Fei did that I am trying to prevent the same thing from happening.”
Nan Chen walked away, but turned back after a few steps.
“Let’s talk about this another time. You need to go to our headquarters in Africa tomorrow to settle some matters, as you left too abruptly that time. Go get prepared.”
“What? You are deploying me to Africa again? Is this your tactic to separate Ding Mi and I?” Nan Xing couldn’t believe it.
“You will come back after the matters are settled. It’s not a long-term arrangement.” Nan Chen said coldly.
“If that’s the case, I’ll go after I get married.”
“Why are you in such a hurry?” Nan Chen was getting anxious too.
“I will register my marriage with Ning Ran before going to Africa. We will hold the banquet after I get back.”
“No way! You set off tomorrow, immediately. If not, don’t you ever think about getting married! Before you are back, the relevant departments will be encountering technical issues and you won’t be able to register your marriage.” Nan Chen continued in his cold voice.
Nan Xing knew that Nan Chen had an extremely wide network. No one would be willing to help him with his marriage registration as long as Nan Chen did not allow that to happen.
“Ok, I’ll go then. But when I am back, I will definitely be getting married!”
“Don’t tell anyone you are going.”
“Why?”
Nan Chen did not give an explanation. He merely replied, “Remember; only your secretary and I know about your trip to Africa. No one else knows, not even grandpa.”
What does my brother have up his sleeve again? Nan Xing was puzzled.
