Jiang Shaoqing smiled and nodded, his voice soft, "Er Zhuai, my mommy will be fine, okay."
Jiang Shaoqing tenderly wiped away Meng Yuan's tears, "Er Zhuai, don't cry!"
"Wuuu wuuu wuuu..." Meng Yuan hugged him and cried, "Baby, I can't control it. Whenever I think of Jiang Nuan, that heartless person, I can't stop crying. I can't stop myself."
Meng Yuan stopped crying after a while and glared at Jiang Shaoqing, her face full of complaint, "Little Koi, didn't I tell you? Don't call me by my nickname in front of outsiders. We're not on a mission, are we?"
"Ah... Er Zhuai, now that you mention it, before we returned to the country, you and I took on a mission, and you still haven't given me my share. Remember to transfer it to my account soon. I have a lot of expenses lately," Jiang Shaoqing said with an air of a little adult.
His serious demeanor made everyone's lips curve involuntarily.
Meng Yuan pinched his little face, "Little money grubber!"
Everyone sat in the hall chatting.
He Mingrun watched Mu Jiuchen, who hadn't said a word. His face showed no emotion, and he wasn't focused on listening to anyone, simply lost in his own world.
Thinking that he would remain so distraught during Jiang Nuan's absence, he clenched his fists slightly.
He grew up with Xiao Jiu and knew how lonely he was. Even when he dug up graves in the middle of the night to prove that his aunt wasn't dead, he hadn't once thought of finding her. In fact, he knew that as long as his aunt was happy, it didn't matter where she was!
When it came to matters of strength, he felt sad and pained because he couldn't help Jiang Nuan.
But if it were about finances and material wealth, he believed that anything money could buy, he would present to Jiang Nuan with both hands.
Everyone thought he hadn't protected Jiang Nuan well and would consider him useless. However, the Mu Jiuchen he knew would give his life for those he cared about, let alone Jiang Nuan, whom he loved to the bone.
If he had a chance to save Jiang Nuan, he would never let anything happen to her.
The laughter in the Lu family was not cheerful; it all revolved around the three siblings, Jiang Yu Kuo.
Mu Jiuchen remained silent, sitting quietly. He possessed a natural commanding presence, and everyone occasionally glanced at him. Seeing his mournful expression made their hearts ache.
Suddenly, Yun Yun's anxious voice came from upstairs.
"Daddy, where are you?" Hearing the choked voice, Mu Jiuchen's gaze shifted slightly, as if suddenly realizing something. He sprang up and rushed upstairs.
Jiang Siyun knew her mother wasn't by her side and was eager to find her father as soon as she woke up.
"Daddy, where did you go? I was scared when I woke up and couldn't see you," Jiang Siyun said, her eyes red as she watched her father run upstairs.
If Mommy didn't come back, she only had Daddy.
There was nothing more cruel than watching your own mother jump into the sea and then appear before you, half-dead.
The scene flashed through Jiang Siyun's mind, and she felt a suffocating pain. She felt too young to protect her mother.
Mu Jiuchen swept his daughter into his arms, gently pressing her head into his chest, his voice deep and comforting, "Baby, don't be afraid. Daddy is here. Daddy is always here!"
"Daddy, where did you go? I was scared when I woke up and couldn't see you." The words pierced his heart like a knife.
"Yunyun, it's okay. Daddy is here, Daddy is here," he repeated, hugging his daughter tightly.
The broad, safe, and warm embrace brought Jiang Siyun much comfort.
She tightly gripped her father's arm with her small hand.
An overwhelming sense of warmth and security enveloped her, and Jiang Siyun's frightened heart calmed considerably.
"Daddy, I had a dream just now. I dreamed that Daddy left, and it scared me," Yunyun said, her big eyes watery, tears threatening to fall.
Mu Jiuchen gently squeezed her cheek and said softly, "Silly girl, what are you thinking? Daddy is always here. From now on, wherever Daddy goes, I'll take you with us. Okay?"
Jiang Siyun quickly nodded, "Daddy, take us abroad too! We have an earlier holiday than other children because we passed all our assessments this semester." The little girl was always proud of her studies, and her eyes lit up when she talked about them.
She even seemed energized.
Mu Jiuchen pinched her proud little face, knowing his children were extraordinary.
"Meng Yuan and the others are here. Do you want to go down and see them?" Mu Jiuchen asked gently. In front of his daughter, he hid all his sharpness, hostility, and the pain he dared not touch.
"Okay, but I seem to have broken out in a rash." Jiang Siyun rolled up her sleeve, and Mu Jiuchen saw pea-sized rashes, which made him even more heartbroken.
"Baby, you're not acclimatized. Your second uncle said you might get a rash, and it will be fine in a week. Does it itch?"
Mu Jiuchen looked at his daughter with concern. The rashes on her fair, tender arms were particularly conspicuous.
Jiang Siyun shook her head slightly, forcing a faint smile, "It doesn't itch!"
Mu Jiuchen said softly, "I'll have your uncle get some ointment for you later. Don't scratch, okay?"
"Mhm!" Jiang Siyun weakly leaned on her father's shoulder. Her father's embrace was safe, and her mother's embrace was warm.
When she was sick, she loved to cling to her mother. Since her mother wasn't home, she wanted to cling to her father.
Mu Jiuchen carried her downstairs.
"Little fox, are you okay?" Meng Yuan asked, looking at the listless Jiang Siyun with great concern.
Jiang Siyun smiled, her smile more strained than a cry, "Aunt Meng, I'm fine!"
Meng Yuan looked at her, appearing as if she could faint at any moment, and felt immense pity.
"Do you want Auntie to hold you?" Meng Yuan knew that Yunyun would be clingy when she was sick.
Jiang Siyun shook her head, "Aunt Meng, you can't carry me anymore."
Meng Yuan glanced at her silently and then at her much taller stature for her age, realizing she couldn't carry her.
"You were as small as a little mouse back then, and now you've grown so tall." Meng Yuan was surprised by how quickly time flew!
Jiang Siyun closed her eyes to rest; her whole body felt uncomfortable.
Meng Yuan and He Mingrun left the Lu family after dinner.
The next day, Old Master Jiang was discharged from the hospital, and Lu Cengsi directly took him home to care for him.
Lu Old Madam met Jiang Beichen for the first time and instantly understood why Wen Jun had loved this man devotedly her entire life.
Looking at his features, it was clear he had been a rare beauty in his youth.
"Madam Lu, you've worked hard all these years!" Jiang Beichen maintained a sense of reverence towards Madam Lu, who had raised his son so well.
Madam Lu smiled, her tone calm, "You don't need to be so formal. Wen Jun and I were good sisters. Taking good care of your children was the most worthwhile thing I've done in my life. Since I raised him, I had to educate him well. However, Cengsi has always been very obedient since childhood. As he's become wealthier over the years, it's all thanks to his own hard work. I haven't been able to help much, only enjoyed the blessings..."
They chatted for a long time, and by past nine o'clock, they retired to their respective rooms.
Late at night, Mu Jiuchen stood by the window, making a phone call. His entire being exuded hostility, and his silhouette was terrifying, "Xiao Fan, have Yang Tiancheng been caught?"