The Sweetest Marriage Ch.360

Chapter 360 – At Ease

After Chen Li ended the call with Wei Chen, he sighed deeply.

“As long as Fang Yun is fine, that’s the best news. Whether Wei Zhenxiong achieved his goal or not isn’t very important. After all, compared to a person, some things are just external and incomparable.”

“Is Sister Fang okay?” Chen Yunlan, feeding Qiuqiu, asked anxiously upon seeing Chen Li ending the call.

Chen Li nodded. “She’s been rescued, just some minor external injuries. Shouldn’t be a big issue.”

Chen Yunlan also breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

Chen Yunlan couldn’t help but feel a little emotional. Fang Yun’s ability to hold on till this point showed her strength.

Qiuqiu, unaware of the adults’ conversation, saw Chen Yunlan not feeding him and urgently said, “Pa pa, ah,” opening his mouth wide.

Chen Yunlan chuckled and fed Qiuqiu with the spoon, saying, “Alright, alright, Grandpa knows you’re hungry,” with a fond gaze.

Later, Xie Chunsheng arrived, his expression somewhat serious.

Chen Yunlan noticed and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Someone’s planning to target Chen Li,” Xie Chunsheng said angrily. Targeting his son was simply reckless!

“Who?” Chen Yunlan’s expression turned stern upon hearing this.

“We’re investigating.”

Though that’s what he said, Xie Chunsheng already had some clues. It was just a matter of confirming it.

Chen Yunlan could guess who might be targeting them. His expression darkened, and his worried emotions surfaced.

Xie Chunsheng pulled him into an embrace and reassured, “It’s okay. They were found before they could act.”

“Okay,” Chen Yunlan replied, but he couldn’t completely relax. They found them once or twice, but what about the third or fourth time? If something unexpected happened to Chen Li?

Sensing Chen Yunlan’s concern, Xie Chunsheng suggested, “How about both you and Chen Li stay at my place for a while? The security at my home is definitely better than this neighborhood’s.”

Chen Yunlan hesitated. Through his recent interactions with Xie Chunsheng, he could somewhat guess his identity. With his status, the security at his home was undoubtedly trustworthy. But was it really a good idea for him and Chen Li to move in now?

Even though Chen Yunlan had agreed to try it out and was willing to stay with Xie Chunsheng, there was still a knot in his heart. After that hazy night of sleeping with Xie Chunsheng, Chen Yunlan’s feelings were complicated when he woke up.

Xie Chunsheng noticed Chen Yunlan’s hesitation and said, “Lan Lan, I promise I won’t do anything without your permission. I assure you, I’ll set aside our matter temporarily. Right now, Chen Li and Qiuqiu’s safety is the most important, isn’t it?”

Indeed, that was the pressing issue to resolve. Chen Yunlan understood he couldn’t disregard Chen Li and Qiuqiu’s safety due to his own concerns.

“Okay, let Chen Li and Qiuqiu stay there, I’ll visit them often,” Chen Yunlan finally compromised.

However, Xie Chunsheng didn’t let Chen Yunlan step back. He earnestly pleaded, “No, if they can’t catch Chen Li, they might target you. Please, come stay with us.”

“I…” Chen Yunlan tried to say something, but Xie Chunsheng interrupted.

“Lan Lan, don’t make me worry, okay?” Xie Chunsheng looked at Chen Yunlan with sincere eyes, his affection almost overwhelming him.

“I…” Chen Yunlan still wanted to refuse, but as the words were about to come out, he changed his mind, “Fine.”

Xie Chunsheng immediately smiled, embracing Chen Yunlan tightly as if he wanted to envelop him completely.

Chen Li carried Qiuqiu downstairs, saw the two tightly embracing in the living room, and tactfully turned away.

Chen Li might have been tactful, but how could Qiuqiu, being so young, understand such nuances?

Xie Chunsheng often brought delicious treats and toys for Qiuqiu, cradling him in his hands and doting on him. Qiuqiu was also affectionate toward Xie Chunsheng, calling him “Pa pa” and reaching out to be picked up.

Qiuqiu had sharp eyes. Spotting Xie Chunsheng, he called out, “Pa pa.”

Although Qiuqiu was just a year old and didn’t speak much, terms like “da da” or “pa pa” rolled off his tongue quite skillfully.

Chen Yunlan heard Qiuqiu’s “Pa pa” and pushed away from Xie Chunsheng as if struck by lightning, immediately diverting the conversation, “Chen Li, perfect timing. Dad needs to talk to you about something.”

Since they had been spotted, Chen Li couldn’t just turn around and leave, so he walked into the living room while holding Qiuqiu as if he hadn’t seen anything.

“Dad, what’s up?” Chen Li asked, his curiosity evident in his eyes. Is Dad going to officially introduce Uncle Xie to him now? Even though he knew about Dad and Uncle Xie’s relationship for a long time, pretending not to know was exhausting.

Meanwhile, Qiuqiu, upon seeing Xie Chunsheng, lunged toward him into his embrace.

After throwing himself into Xie Chunsheng’s arms, Qiuqiu’s big eyes fixated on Xie Chunsheng, continuously calling him “Pa pa,” while his chubby little hands reached for Xie Chunsheng’s pocket.

Every time Xie Chunsheng came, he’d carry some treats in his pocket, sometimes candies, other times small pastries. Qiuqiu remembered the treats in Xie Chunsheng’s pocket, so whenever he was held by Xie Chunsheng, he’d be thinking about those pocket treats.

“You little glutton!” Xie Chunsheng gently tapped Qiuqiu’s nose and pulled out a lollipop from his pocket, placing it into Qiuqiu’s outstretched chubby hand.

This made Qiuqiu beam with joy, dribbling a bit of saliva on Xie Chunsheng.

Xie Chunsheng didn’t mind at all, holding Qiuqiu and watching TV, leaving the space for Chen Yunlan and Chen Li.

Seeing Xie Chunsheng and Qiuqiu getting along so well, Chen Li couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t feel any resistance towards Xie Chunsheng. He could sense that Xie Chunsheng genuinely cared for him and Qiuqiu, not just because of his relationship with Chen Yunlan.

“Chen Li, did you hear what I just said?” Chen Yunlan finished speaking and noticed Chen Li seemed distracted, prompting him to ask.

Chen Li immediately refocused, “Huh? Dad, what did you say? I didn’t catch it.” He didn’t seem embarrassed at all.

Chen Yunlan chuckled, feeling a bit helpless, “I said, for this period, we’ll go stay at Uncle Xie’s house.”

“Go stay at Uncle Xie’s house? Why?” Chen Li was initially confused but quickly understood after asking.

Xie Chunsheng was probably concerned about his safety and wanted to bring him over to stay.

Chen Yunlan wasn’t sure whether to tell Chen Li the whole truth. Just as he was considering how to word it, Chen Li nodded in agreement.

“Dad, let’s go live there together,” Chen Li said with a smiling face.

Although it was a genuine smile, Chen Yunlan somehow sensed a teasing undertone, blushing immediately, “I’ll go talk to your Uncle Xie.”

Leaving Chen Li looking utterly puzzled.

What’s going on with Dad? Is he feeling shy or something?

Chen Li hadn’t expected that Chen Yunlan, when truly in a romantic relationship, would be so innocent.

…

The next day, Chen Li moved into Xie Chunsheng’s villa in the outskirts with Qiuqiu. The villa was sizable—beyond an iron gate, a long driveway led to the main entrance, passing by a fountain.

Within the villa compound, there was a swimming pool, a tennis court, and even a golf course on the back hill.

As Chen Li carried Qiuqiu out of the car, observing everything with curiosity, he noticed numerous cameras installed around, and people in black suits standing guard.

These vigilant individuals immediately turned their heads when Chen Li’s gaze fell on them, meeting his eyes sharply. Upon recognizing Chen Li, they nodded respectfully before resuming their rigid stance, giving off an unmoved and unshakable demeanor.

After this encounter, Chen Li dared not glance around freely. But Qiuqiu, being curious, wanted to explore, looking here and there and even attempting to get down from Chen Li’s arms.

Struggling in Chen Li’s grasp, Qiuqiu was hard to hold, so Chen Li had no choice but to let him down.

As soon as Qiuqiu’s feet touched the ground, he gleefully attempted to run off. However, having only just learned to walk, his steps were unsteady, causing him to tumble to the ground after a few steps.

Sitting on the ground, Qiuqiu didn’t cry. He looked up at Chen Li with a pitiful expression and extended his little arms, saying, “Da da, hug.”

Xie Chunsheng walked over, lifting Qiuqiu and said, “Don’t worry, Qiuqiu. When you grow up, you can go wherever you want.”

Though these words sounded casually comforting to a child, Chen Yunlan and the present butler understood the deeper meaning within them.

Xie Chunsheng meant that from then on, this place would be Qiuqiu’s home, where he could go wherever he pleased.

Chen Yunlan remained composed, his expression unchanged, but his thoughts remained undisclosed.

The butler showed no signs of change on the surface but was internally surprised.

Since the master had purchased this property, no one else had been allowed to live here.

Yesterday, upon suddenly hearing that someone would be moving in, he was asked to prepare the rooms. He had assumed it might be some friends of the master coming over and didn’t think much of it. But now, since the master had spoken in this manner, the status of this father-son duo in the master’s mind should be extraordinary. He should be more dedicated in handling them, ensuring not a hint of negligence.

Xie Chunsheng held Qiuqiu and said to Chen Yunlan and Chen Li, “Come in, let me show you around your rooms.”

The group entered the villa, adorned with paintings on the walls—a style that Chen Li immediately recognized as Chen Yunlan’s. After all, it was distinctively his artistic style.

Chen Li was somewhat surprised. Had Uncle Xie spent a considerable amount of time on this? Some of these paintings on the wall dated back over a decade, and yet Uncle Xie had collected and displayed them here.

Discreetly, Chen Li glanced at Chen Yunlan. Chen Yunlan’s expression remained neutral, but Chen Li keenly felt a slight trembling in Chen Yunlan’s hands.

In truth, even Dad was not unaffected.

After Xie Chunsheng showed the father and son around their rooms, he led them into another room—a studio decorated to Chen Yunlan’s taste. On one wall hung a painting that immediately ignited a passionate spark in Chen Yunlan’s eyes, prompting him to rush over.

Xie Chunsheng followed, saying, “This is an authentic piece purchased from the F country’s national museum.”

The painting was by a renowned artist from the Renaissance period, Chen Yunlan’s favorite painter, influencing his love for painting and his entry into the field.

This particular piece was his absolute favorite.

Chen Yunlan couldn’t take his eyes off the painting, reaching out tentatively but hesitantly, fearing to damage this piece that had captured his heart.

Chen Li, observing from behind, was amazed.

Xie Chunsheng sure had made a grand gesture. This painting was among the most classic works, housed in the F country’s national museum—a world-renowned treasure. The effort and resources behind obtaining it must have been substantial, despite Xie Chunsheng casually mentioning its purchase.

It seemed Xie Chunsheng was truly cherishing Chen Yunlan. Even if Chen Yunlan wished for stars from the sky, Xie Chunsheng might promptly arrange for an artificial satellite to be sent as a gift without a second thought.

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