Not long later, Ning Ran and Tang Jing heard the sound of a car outside. The crisp sound of laughter could also be heard.
It was a unique type of laughter which only belonged to children. It was pure, with hardly any traces of troubles or hardships.
It was a kind of laughter which slowly disappeared as one aged. That was because an adult’s world could not always be smooth-sailing. It was impossible to look at the world through a child’s eyes as one grew older.
Erbao’s laughter was always therapeutic for Ning Ran.
To the woman, it signified hope. Ning Ran’s love for her children was her motivation to push through difficult times, and her reward would be their joys and successes.
“My darlings are home,” Ning Ran beamed at Tang Jing.
“Yup! I can hear the laughter of children. I’m going to take a look.”
When Tang Jing walked downstairs, she saw three faces that looked almost identical.
Nan Chen, who was dressed in black, had one child in each hand. They were just about to go upstairs.
The man was tall as compared to the kids. In order to hold their hands, he had to hunch a little.
As such, with his tall frame, Nan Chen had been walking with his back slightly bent forward. However, his facial expression, as well as the look in his eyes, was full of tenderness. There was no trace of the domineering CEO he usually was; he looked just like a loving father.
Erbao was an active little girl. Her eyes drifted around even when she was walking. Not surprisingly, she was the first to spot Tang Jing.
“Daddy,” Erbao said, as she pointed at Tang Jing, who was standing at the stairs. “There’s a big sister over there.”
Nan Chen lifted his head and glanced at the direction which his daughter was pointing. At once, he recognized Tang Jing, whom he had met at the hospital. He nodded his head politely.
“You shouldn’t point your fingers at our guest,” Dabao reminded his sister.
Erbao immediately retracted her chubby arm and refuted, “I didn’t!”
“Wow, your kids are so adorable! Your entire family is really the epitome of attractiveness.”
Tang Jing’s compliment was genuine. She was indeed astonished at the scene in front of her eyes and reveled in the good looks of both the man and his kids.
Those three faces closely resembled each other’s. The little faces were pure and innocent, while the man’s face was elegant and charming. It was a breathtaking picture; Tang Jing could not imagine anyone else even coming close to these standards.
At least, the woman herself had never seen such a perfect father-son or father-daughter combination, not even once.
“Hi, big sister,” Erbao, who had a slick tongue, greeted Tang Jing smoothly. The little girl had already effortlessly slipped into her social mode.
Erbao was a model example of how a natural socializer looked like.
“Hello, pretty girl,” Tang Jing replied sweetly.
Tang Jing had instantly gotten herself into Erbao’s good books. There were two categories of people whom Erbao liked best in the world. Those who bought her delicious food belonged to the first category, while the second was made up of people who complimented her on her looks.
As expected, Erbao had already taken the initiative to introduce herself. “My name is Ning Sihan and this is my brother, Ning Sirui. I am the prettiest girl in the entire universe while my brother is the smartest genius. I am a genius too, but my brother is still smarter than me.”
Although it sounded way too exaggerated, the serious manner in which Erbao had said it amused Tang Jing. The woman had to cover her mouth with her hands as she had almost burst out laughing.
She wasn’t laughing at the content of Erbao’s self-introduction, but rather, Erbao was so cute that Tang Jing was instantly put in a cheery mood.
This wasn’t the first time Nan Chen heard Erbao introducing herself and her brother in this manner, but it never failed to make him smile whenever he heard it.
The man wondered if it was Ning Ran who taught their daughter such a flamboyant way of introducing herself, which sounded like a line straight out of a commercial to promote a product.
Although it sounded too ostentatious, it was enjoyable to hear it coming from such an adorable little girl.
“Erbao, you’re praising yourself again!” Ning Ran walked over.
Erbao giggled and said, “Mommy, I didn’t. I’m merely stating facts!”
Ning Ran swept her glance over to Nan Chen and saw a smirk on his face.
Isn’t this Poker Face usually very principled? Not only is he not stopping Erbao from boasting, but he’s also even laughing along!
“I think she’s just telling the truth too. Your girl is so pretty and adorable. She’s so outstanding!” Tang Jing exclaimed.
“Have you greeted this big sister?” Ning Ran asked.
“Of course, big sister is really pretty too!” Erbao replied loudly.
Tang Jing did not like being called ‘big sister’. Even though it made her seem younger, it seemed like being addressed as ‘sister’ would put her in the same generation as the kids, which wasn’t what she wanted.
If she were their ‘sister’, she would end up being in a younger generation as compared to Nan Chen.
It just didn’t seem right to her, as Ning Ran was just slightly her senior.
“It’s better not to address me as ‘big sister’. I think you should call me ‘aunt’ instead. I’m too old to be your sister,” Tang Jing laughed as she self-deprecated.
“You’re not old at all! But it does seem weird for you to be the children’s sister. I agree with you that ‘aunt’ sounds better. Darlings, greet Aunt Jing,” Ning Ran smiled as she instructed her kids.
“Hi, Aunt Jing!” Dabao and Erbao’s voices sounded in unison.
“Oh, man! Good boy, good girl! These kids are so cute! I like them so much!” Tang Jing could barely contain her enthusiasm.
“You should have informed me beforehand that we are expecting a guest today,” Nan Chen said to Ning Ran.
Ning Ran was stunned for a moment. This is my house. You’re just staying here temporarily. Why should I notify you when I have a guest over?
However, as the woman was in a good mood today, she chose not to argue with Nan Chen.
“Tang Jing came to visit me at the hospital today, but I happened to be going home already when she reached, so I invited her to come over for a while,” Ning Ran explained.
“Am I intruding on your family time?” Tang Jing started to feel bad.
“Nope, I’ll just get them to prepare more dishes,” Nan Chen said.
The man’s words implied that she was invited to stay for dinner. Tang Jing was finally at ease to know she was not an unwanted guest.
She did feel rather disappointed when there was no one else around when she first reached.
The woman was even more upset when she heard that Ning Ran was staying with her kids and her manager.
However, her spirits were lifted at once when she saw the children and Nan Chen.
Not only was Tang Jing no longer disappointed, she felt an immense sense of satisfaction. This trip to Ning Ran’s house was definitely more than worthwhile.
She had finally entered into the inner circle of the Nan family, which was the dream of almost everyone in Flower City.
Her dream had finally come true!
Nan Chen was standing right in front of her now!
“Mr. Nan, there’s no need to add more food to the table. It’ll make me feel bad if you make the extra effort just for me. I shouldn’t have disrupted your family dinner in the first place. I’m so sorry,” Tang Jing said.
Although her words did not really reflect her true thoughts, it was mannerly and tactful enough.
Knowing that Nan Chen did not usually entertain such standard courtesies, Ning Ran casually replied, “Don’t worry about it, we are happy to have you with us.”
Ning Ran found it pointless to carry on a conversation as soon as it turned to small talk.
Nan Chen wasn’t interested in being a part of the chat and joined Dabao, who was reading a book. The father-and-son pair were immersed in a world of their own while having intermittent exchanges.
Tang Jing wanted to interact with Nan Chen, but there was nothing she could do if the man did not reciprocate her interest.
Someone arrived to deliver dinner in the midst of the women’s awkward conversation.
It wasn’t food ordered from elsewhere, instead, it was specially delivered from the Nan family’s kitchen.
A large food thermos had been used to pack the dishes and it was transported to Ning Ran’s place at the fastest speed possible.
Some food might lose its freshness if it was not eaten within a certain amount of time and at a certain temperature. If that happened, the people wouldn’t be able to enjoy the food at its optimal taste. This was also the reason the same food, when eaten in a restaurant, always tasted better when consumed as a takeout.
As such, the dishes from the Nan family’s kitchen were delivered as and when each dish was ready, and not at one go.
Even though more manpower was required for the delivery, it would ensure that each dish arrived at the Red Maple City villa within the shortest time possible and that the taste of the food was also preserved.
Tang Jing had assumed that the family had ordered takeout, but after seeing the exquisite porcelain plates, she realized that these dishes were delivered straight out from the Nan family’s kitchen.
She felt a surge of envy at once.
