Ning Ran arrived at the Nanshi Corporation, but security immediately stopped her.
With her get-up, anyone would be suspicious.
The only thing she could do then was to phone Jiang Zhe.
Catching sight of Ning Ran in her spy-like disguise, Jiang Zhe almost burst out in laughter.
He knew what Ning Ran was going through, so her disguising herself made sense.
Jiang Zhe brought Ning Ran directly to Nan Chen’s office, without notifying anyone because he knew. Ning Ran can see Mr. Chen whenever she’d like.
Upon bringing Ning Ran to the office, Jiang Zhe left.
In the office, Nan Chen raised his head to gaze at Ning Ran in her hilarious disguise. He could tell that it was Ning Ran because of her scent.
Ning Ran had a unique scent around her. No matter how she looked, Nan Chen could identify her, solely based on that.
“Gotten a new role as a spy?” Nan Chen asked as he put down the documents in his hand.
“I don’t want to be recognized,” Ning Ran announced as she took off her mask.
“It seems like you’re now aware of what’s it like to be famous. It’s not as you’ve thought, right?” Nan Chen teased.
Ning Ran was anticipating a scolding from Nan Chen about the commercial. However, Nan Chen’s reaction made it seem like things were not as serious as she thought.
“Everyone’s upset at me right now. It’s exhausting.”
Ning Ran removed her hat and sunglasses, placing them on the table before plopping herself onto the sofa.
“You’re here to whine?” Nan Chen asked.
Suddenly, Ning Ran was reminded of the reason that she was there. Hence, she immediately got up from the sofa. “Sorry! I’m here to plead guilty!”
Nan Chen raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“I know that you’re mad at me! I’m sure that you’d like to scold me!” Ning Ran exclaimed.
“If you say it like that, it’d be rude for me if I don’t, right?”
“Well, if you don’t, it will mean that you are a person with a big heart who accepts everyone!”
Something felt amiss when Ning Ran said that, but she merely let it be.
“Stop with the nonsense. What crime are you pleading guilty to?” Nan Chen asked.
“I shouldn’t have allowed the kids to do the commercial!” Ning Ran admitted.
“Why did they do it then?” Nan Chen’s eyes narrowed.
This was something that really bothered him. Even if Ning Ran had her reasons, he could not just let it go.
“I needed the money back then.” Ning Ran spoke the truth.
“How badly did you need the money? What was it for?”
If you say that it was for clothes and bags, you’ll merely be a materialistic woman, addicted to your materialistic needs.
“I didn’t spend it.”
“You didn’t spend it?” Nan Chen was surprised by her answer. “Where did it go then?” It was not something that he would ever have expected.
“I kept it. Back then, when I just got back in the country, the kids had no school to go to. Hence, I wanted to get them into a prestigious school. However, you know, these schools’ fees aren’t cheap, and I had no income. I couldn’t even get a loan. I had to stay at Cheng Xiangyun’s because I had nowhere to go.”
Nan Chen nodded. He knew about her situation back then.
“Is this your reasoning? If it’s as such, you’ve done nothing wrong.” Nan Chen proclaimed.
“No, I’m not here to give you an excuse. I’m simply informing you of what happened. I’m still responsible for it. Sorry.”
Nan Chen had nothing more to say. The only thing that he did before resuming his work, was to ask for an assistant to bring Ning Ran a cup of coffee.
After a while, Ning Ran emptied her cup. Nan Chen was quiet, throughout the entire time that she had drunk the cup of coffee.
Why is he being so quiet? What’s going on? He should say something, at the very least! He’s making me feel uneasy now.
“It’s my fault. Please forgive me. I’d let the kids down. I figured that what’s done was done. I really didn’t know that people would dig it out. I’m aware that this has caused you and your family quite the trouble, but I really don’t know what to do,” admitted Ning Ran.
However, it was as though Nan Chen did not hear her.
“I know that you won’t believe me, but there’s nothing I can do. It boggles my mind to think that there are so many people out there, trying to give me a hard time. I didn’t even do anything to them! What’s worst is that they’ve involved the kids! I despise them for that!” Ning Ran exclaimed.
Finally, Nan Chen raised his head. “It will all be over,” he assured her, looking into her eyes.
“Unfortunately, I’m already labeled as an abusive parent! I can’t go anywhere without being given the stink eye now. It’s really tough right now.” Ning Ran appeared distressed.
“Do you really care about what people think of you?” Nan Chen asked.
“I don’t. However, what if the kids get hurt because of it? Besides, I’m an actress. I can’t continue hiding like this. I can’t work like this. How will I fulfill my contractual obligations?”
Nan Chen was struck with a sudden realization. She’s not here to plead guilty. Rather, she’s actually here to vent out her frustration.
Ning Ran knew that only Nan Chen could help her. As long as she looked pitiful enough, Nan Chen would not blame her.
Nevertheless, Nan Chen played along, even though he had figured out what was going on.
“That children’s computer company will be making an announcement tomorrow, saying that the commercial was merely for charity, not involving any payment,” Nan Chen explained. “You’d allowed the kids to partake in the commercial, in exchange for a thousand computers that would be donated to the rural village in the mountains. The computers reached the village school a few months ago. The netizens can just search it up. Now, if the commercial were for charity, who would say anything bad about it?”
“Huh?” Ning Ran was stunned. “Isn’t that just lying? I did receive the payment.”
“It’s all real. The computers were actually donated. Nanshi Corporation’s charity management team was in charge of the project. Since the charity was real, it’s not a lie. We’re merely using it to silence those despicable media outlets for good,” Nan Chen pressed forth.
“No one will actually mind whether your children has done a commercial or not if there wasn’t someone behind fanning the flame. Once this dies down, we’ll set our sights on the one behind the scenes. This is the best way to handle issues like this. Seeing that you’ve already explained it several times to the public, no one’s going to listen,” Nan Chen remarked.
Ning Ran paused for a moment.
“Truthfully, it wouldn’t be bad, if things were solved as such. I can still keep the money that they’d gotten from the commercial. Even if it’s not a lot, at least I’d have some when the kids need it. I wouldn’t feel so helpless then. I’m really ashamed of myself. As a mother, my children were forced to work at such a young age. I really feel sorry for them. However, I promise that from now onwards, it will never happen again. No matter what, I’ll keep the burden on my shoulders! I won’t let this happen again.”
Ning Ran suddenly choked up.
The events from the past came welling up in her mind. Those were difficult times. Really difficult times.
Nan Chen stopped what he was doing and looked at Ning Ran. His heart was aching, but he did not know how to comfort her. The only thing that Nan Chen knew, was that he had completely forgiven her.
