บท 66: The Mother In Her
Hou Wei Yan and Han Yixue left the restaurant hand in hand. She was giving Hou Wei Yan some advice on how to deal with pests and some techniques to avoid collisions with unwanted people.
Hou Wei Yan merely smiled at her cheerful advice. She's thankful but at the same time, she hopes nothing of the sort would happen. She wants to have a peaceful life in Yi Lan Hospital and hopes never to be disturbed by anyone.
"Thank you for accepting my invitation, Xiao Wei" Han Yixue said as soon as they stepped out and saw a glimpse of Hou Wei Yan's car.
"I should be the one thanking you, Auntie. It's been a while since I went out with someone aside Xie Na" she replied sincerely. She's been holed up in either the hospital or the mansion. Having dinner with somebody else is a breath of fresh air.
Han Yixue revealed a worried smile for her daughter-in-law. She stretched out her hand to give her one last comforting statement.
But before she could touch Hou Wei Yan, a loud shout was heard as a man ran past them.
"Hey! Goddammit!" someone shouted as she ran from a distance.
When Han Yixue saw this scenario, she immediately felt her blood boil in rage. Without delay, she ran past Hou Wei Yan and chased after the snatcher who was sabotaging everything that came his way.
Hou Wei Yan's eyes widened. Before she knew it, she was running behind Han Yixue and shouting her name. "Auntie Yi!"
As she joins the chase, Fang Tao came out of his hiding spot, his hands immediately touched his forehead. [ God, another headache! ]
He wants to facepalm at this expected outcome. "Damn! These two are killing me!"
Fang took out his radio in a hurry and contacted their IT Genius. "Einstein! Shortcut!". Afterward, he changed to call their fast and furious driver. "Shin, get your butt driving. Catch up with the two"
After instructing, he ran as fast as he could to catch up with the two women running around like a maniac.
[ Ah, this job is harder than killing ]
As he chases after them, a thought suddenly came to mind. [ How can they run so fast! Do they have a blood of a cheetah or something?! ]
Meanwhile, the thief looked behind him and squeaked in horror as he saw two figures chasing him down like a hyena!
A creepy smile was plastered on Han Yixue's face. The thrill of chasing down someone can no longer be contained.
Han Yixue who saw a few men carrying mops and brooms halted and grabbed it. "Let me borrow this for a while"
The thief continued running, unaware of the terrifying woman aiming at him with a broom. Although he was now a bit far, Han Yixue still had a smirk on her face.
[ One! ]
[ Two! ]
[ Three! ]
Hou Wei Yan's eyes bulged wide as she saw the broom leaving Han Yixue's hands and flying across the sidewalk heading straight towards the man's feet. He tripped and flapped his hands to regain balance, but to no avail.
The thief fell down, face first and his groan echoed in the silent street. Han Yixue immediately took this opportunity and ran towards him. She successfully pinned him down with a smile on her face. He tried to fight back and escape, but against a military woman, how can he possibly win?
Hou Wei Yan who finally reached the scene immediately took the bag away from the thief. She then turned toward Han Yixue and gave her a smile.
"You really shouldn't steal. If you need money, find a decent job" Han Yixue blurted out while eyeing him intently.
The thief trashed around after hearing this. This hypocrite! "You won't understand the hardships we face! Do you think everyone gets a chance to get employed!?"
Hou Wei Yan sighed at what he said before helping both of them up.
True, many people live beneath the poverty line and thus find crime their only source of income. Some people choose crime over decency thinking that they are hopeless, when in fact, they are just lazy. Other ways are out there—they just chose not to find them.
"Find me, I'll help you land a job" Han Yixue suddenly said taking the man by surprise.
[ Unbelievable! ]
The man stared at the woman and began thinking that she was retarded. She stood witness to his crime, she even chased him for it, and yet here she is offering him a job. Why would she give a job opportunity to a criminal like him?
"Wha---"
"I'm trying to reduce crime so I'm starting small" she interjected while handling her calling card.
"Come with me" she added which made the man flinch.
It's a trap.
"You'll just take me to the police" he said in fright, ready to run away. But Han Yixue merely smiled at him taking him by surprise once more.
"I'm higher than the police. If I wanted you to pay for your crime, I wouldn't waste my breath talking to you" she said, her eyes bore full honesty and it terrified him.
[ Who is this woman? ]
After silencing the man and ensuring he no longer has the will to escape, she turned to Hou Wei Yan. "Are you okay, Xiao Wei?"
"I'm okay, Auntie" she smiled at her while hugging the bag.
Now that the whole fiasco was over, Hou Wei Yan can't help but smile as she realized what she had just done. It's been quite a long time since she ran like that!
After arriving in China, she slowly reverted back to her prim and proper decorum. She forgot how satisfying freedom is.
"I'm surprised you caught up with me" Han Yixue said with a grin on her face.
Hou Wei Yan chuckled at what she did. She did nothing surprising. Han Yixue was the one who surprised her to the max. She never thought she would run like a hyena at such an age. "You shouldn't run like that, Auntie. You're scaring people"
"You're one to talk" a voice suddenly said. Both of them swiftly turned to the side and saw a frowning Fang Tao emerging from the shadows.
"Fang!"
Han Yixue slightly flinched when he saw Fang's gaze. Right, she placed Hou Wei Yan in danger. Although it's not completely dangerous, Hou Wei Yan was still placed in a situation that could have turned perilous.
"Mister Bodyguard, Hi!" she cheekily said while waving her hands before abruptly turning towards Hou Wei Yan. "Looks like my time is up"
A laugh came out of Hou Wei Yan as she remembered her mother. That exact movement, words, and gesture was the exact replica of her mother's escape plan. "I see my mother in you, Auntie"
"Whenever she gets caught causing trouble, she uses that exact excuse"
Han Yixue chuckled as well. Indeed, she does have some similarities with Xing Mei Yi. They've been together for a very long time that Xing Mei Yi's tenacity rubbed on her. "Well, I learned a lot from your mother"
"But that isn't enough, because, between us two, you're the one who resembles her most" she ruffled Hou Wei Yan's hair as she saw Xing Mei Yi in every aspect of her. "You have the same agility, reflex, and ideas. It's like I'm playing with the young Mei Yi again"
"Anyway, can you return this to its rightful owner? We have to talk things out a little bit" Han Yixue added before turning to the silent snatcher now under Fang's intense surveillance. "And I have to think of another excuse to avoid my husband's worry tantrums"
"Shin, send Madame Han home" Fang butted in when he heard their conversation.
She gave Fang an apologetic smile before turning to Hou Wei Yan once more and giving her one final ruffle in the hair. "Call me if you need anything"
Shin parked right in front of them and opened up the door for Han Yixue. He offered his hands which she immediately accepted with grace, showing off the truly dignified aura of Madame Han. As she sat down she placed her hands on the door to stop Shin from shutting it down. "Ah, I often visit a martial arts institution. If you're interested why don't you accompany me sometimes?"
"Sure, Auntie" she replied without hesitation. "Take care"
Han Yixue smiled at her beaming face before closing the door and motioning Shin to start driving.
After a while, Hou Wei Yan and Fang began walking to the victim's location, a heavy air surrounded them.
Not liking what she did again, Fang stopped and gave her a glare. "Why do you always run straight for trouble?!"
"Trouble is more fun you know" she blurted out only to be silenced again by Fang's deadly glare.
"This is not the first time I told you, and it probably won't be the last, but your safety is our top priority. You can't just run straight to trouble anymore, Madame"
"I know, I know" Hou Wei Yan finally admitted, her head hanging low. She was like a child reprimanded for causing so much trouble in school. "I'm sorry, Fang"
"We stand as your guard, your protection, so don't blindly rely on yourself when you have people to back you up when there's trouble" he said with conviction. Hou Wei Yan is a rose and they stand as the thorn to protect her.
Although bothered by such overprotective measures, Hou Wei Yan can't refute it because she knew for herself that she was in the wrong as well. She needs to accept the truth and her wrongdoings.
"Yes, sir. Now, let's return the bag" she said with a smile. Fang sighed and took the bag from her. He then continued walking but he assured that Hou Wei Yan was behind him, protected and safe.
A short distance away, Fang finally saw the black-haired woman in a blue dress, the owner of the bag. Fang slowly approached.
The woman who was searching around for the thief and the people who chased him down turned around after sensing a heavy presence behind her. She was greeted by Fang's poker face, which looks scary from other perspectives.
Slowly, he handed her the bag and man she felt delighted that it was returned to her. She had countless valuables in the bag. "My goodness! Thank you, thank you so much for bringing my bag back"
Fang simply nodded his head and turned around to guide Hou Wei Yan into the car. "Now, let's go home"
"Okay" she answered as they passed by a fancy-looking restaurant.
A few steps from it, a familiar voice suddenly called out making Hou Wei Yan freeze in her spot.
"Wei Wei?!"
.....
It was still 6 in the morning but Qiu Meixiu was already working. She organized the magazines and slowly brewed coffee for herself.
The scent of the freshly brewed coffee exploded in the room and it gave out a heavenly scent as she poured in her favorite milk.
Qiu Meixiu drew it close to her nose and slowly, she inhaled its glorifying aroma. [ Ah, this scent is all I need to have a good day at work ]
The cup was an inch away from touching her lips when she was interrupted by a knock on the door. Qiu Meixiu placed down her cup and was surprised when she heard Hou Wei Yan's voice.
"Sister Qiu?!"
Qiu Meixiu immediately ran towards the door and opened it.
"Wei Wei, you're finally here" she greeted with a huge smile on her face, but it suddenly turned confused when she saw someone tightly holding Hou Wei Yan's hands.
"Uhmm, who's this child?" she asked as Hou Wei Yan guided the child inside.
She smiled and closed the door before crouching down to the size of the child. He was around 4'2" and his face was plump and shiny. "Baozi, introduce yourself"
"Hello, Big Sister. My name is Cao Yingjie and I'm 7 years old. Big Sis Wei Wei is my future wife" he greeted before bowing down.
Qiu Meixiu stood there, agape. The child was cute. No, scratch that. Cute doesn't do justice. He was adorable on a whole new level.
He has chubby looking and pinches enticing cheeks. His hair was jet black in color, styled in an undercut hairstyle neatly allowing his face to be out in the open. His eyes were slightly round and hazelnut in color, and his body proportion wasn't all too fat or thin.
"Awww, where did you come from?" she said as she crouched down.
"My mother's womb" Cao Yingjie suddenly replied which took Qiu Meixiu by surprise.
[ Well, that's surprising ]
"Baozi" Hou Wei Yan called out while shaking her head. When Baozi realized his mistake, he immediately bowed down to Qiu Meixiue. Hou Wei Yan turned to her wearing an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry, Big Sister Qiu. Yingjie can be quite sarcastic sometimes"
"Where did you pick him up? Where are his parents?...wait, who are his parents!?"
"Yingjie is my friend's son. She's a single parent so whenever she has a seminar, she asks me for help" she replied before taking a seat and allowing Cao Yingjie to roam around her office.
"Her consultations mostly happen in America so Yingjie was often left in my care. We bumped into each other last night so she asked me again to babysit Yingjie for a while"
"I see" Qiu Meixiu replied. But Hou Wei Yan is a doctor and she's a busy one at that. Sure she can babysit in her stead, but they are still shorthanded because building their team is still underway. "Why not hire a babysitter? Someone freer"
"Xiaolian has trust issues. It's up to me, as her best friend and Yingjie's godmother, to catch her when she's in a pinch" Hou Wei Yan answered quite seriously. She's raising Yingjie alone after she broke up with her Japanese boyfriend. Because of her job and the past abductions that happened, along with the fear of her boyfriend returning, Xiaolian refuses to trust anyone but her.
"Don't worry, I will be leaving him with an assignment. He'll stay here in the office if we ever have an operation to partake in" she said before turning towards Cao Yingjie. She immediately frowned when she saw him creeping on her stack of sweets. He was particularly eyeing her cookie jar.
"Baozi, those are for the patients. What did I tell you about creeping on my snack?"
"If I want it, I have to earn it" Cao Yingjie answered as he backed away from the cookies.
"Good. Come here so I can give you today's assignment" Hou Wei Yan smiled at his obedience. Cao Yingjie pouted cutely before walking towards her, glancing at the cookies from time to time.
Qiu Meixiu can't help but smile at this cute interaction.
In fact, she's not the only one smiling at it. Beyond the screen, Ji Li Zhao smiled and his imagination flew far to the future he wishes to have with Hou Wei Yan.
A future involving children and such.
"Can't we just play?" Cao Yingjie asked as he sat down beside his bride.
"No. I have a lot of things to finish. Once I'm done, I will play with you until both of us drop. Okay?" Hou Wei Yan assured making Cao Yingjie nod his head.
[ Honestly, what can I do? When my bride speaks, I can't refuse ]
"Okay"
After a while, Qiu Meixiu dragged Hou Wei Yan into the corner. She suddenly remembered where Hou Wei Yan lives. "How did everyone react?!"
"Well, I asked permission and they warmly accepted it. Uncle said that it could be a form of training for when I become a mother...but I just dismissed it" she said. Dejection in her eyes was evident making Qiu Meixiu slightly frown.
"With our current situation, that might not happen or if it does...it's still too far to place my hope" she added, a slight tinge of disappointment seeping out from her enclosed heart.
She had always wanted a child. Along with her dream of becoming a wife, comes her dream of having children. But with their situation, is it even possible?
What if her husband continues to hide? What if this hide and seek continues for a few years? By then, she might no longer be able to produce a child.
"Wei Wei, don't lose hope. I'm sure your husband is doing everything he can to make things work out on his side of the coin" Qiu Meixiu assured, fully knowing her quandaries. She's afraid of not having a child. She's afraid that this game will prolong.
"Hmmmm, I'll place my trust in him" she answered with a slight smile. He already told her that he loves him, now all they need is for the danger he keeps on telling her to disappear so the whole hiding can finally be over.
"What husband? Yingjie is Big Sister's husband" Cao Yingjie suddenly butted in, his face filled with curiosity and anger.
He's Hou Wei Yan's husband. [ Are they talking about someone else? There's no better husband for Big Sister than me! ]
Hou Wei Yan drew close to him and pinched his dumpling cheeks while chuckling. "Sure you are. If you grow taller and manlier, then you might just catch my heart"
Cao Yingjie backed away before coughing. He then looked at Hou Wei Yan with seriousness and as he spoke, his voice became deeper. It was forced through.
"I'm manlier"
Both women ended up laughing at his cute gestures. "Answer your workbook, Baozi"
"By the way, did you happen to know where Xie Na is?" Qiu Meixiu asked, quite concerned because of Xie Na's odd behavior yesterday.
"No. She didn't come here yet?" Hou Wei Yan asked. She usually arrives earlier than her. "Why?"
"I'm worried. She said that she will handle something with regards to the Xie's but his big brother denied her claims" Qiu Meixiu said making Hou Wei Yan frown.
Xie Na lied?
[ That's odd ]
"Hmmm, let's ask her when she comes back" Hou Wei Yan said but the concern was already itched in her face. [ What's that woman up to again?! ]
A few seconds later, a soft knock on the door was heard and slowly Fang entered with a bag of cookies. "I brought the cookies you asked"
"Thanks Fang" Hou Wei Yan smiled before she turned to Cao Yingjie. "Once you're done, you can ask Big Brother Fang for the cookies. But you're not allowed to eat too much okay? Know your limits"
"I understand" Cao Yingjie replied as he eyed the guard carrying his cookies.
"Fang, I'm sorry about this" Hou Wei Yan suddenly said as she helped him place down the sweet refills.
"It's okay. Between the two of you, I think Yingjie is easier to handle" he said as he remembered the events of last night. After settling everything down, he turned toward Cao Yingjie and gave him a serious look. "I don't tolerate procrastination by the way"
Cao Yingjie ran towards Fang and hugged him in the thigh. This big brother has a scary look on his face—and it thrills him. "That's fine. Let's play once I'm done, Big Brother"
"You wouldn't like the games I play" Fang immediately answered making Qiu Meixiu sigh.
No one survives the game they usually play.
"Well, sorry for you, Big Brother. I like challenges" Cao Yingjie answered, unaware that the games he was referring to involved blood, not sweets.
After sorting out some files, Hou Wei Yan wore her coat and began to walk towards the door, Qiu Meixiu trailing behind her. "Get along you two"
"I don't want to return to a messy office so clean up whatever mess you make"
"Understood" Fang replied while eyeing Cao Yingjie who began running towards Hou Wei Yan.
"Where's my kiss? Don't wives give their husbands goodbye kiss?" he asked cutely.
Fang sighed when he saw this. This kid is better at romantic moves than him. It's hilarious when he thinks about it.
Hou Wei Yan chuckled before she crouched down and placed a kiss on his cheeks. "Alright, alright. Promise to be good"
"Promise" Cao Yingjie replied with enthusiasm as he kissed her back on the cheeks.
As Hou Wei Yan and Qiu Meixiu left the room, Fang Tao can't help but look at the CCTVs and shake his head.
A love rival has arrived for their boss. He's only 4'2 feet tall, but still—he's a love rival.
"Looks like boss needs to step up his game" he whispered before he sat down and watch Cao Yingjie answer the questions Hou Wei Yan made in her own self-made workbook one after the other.
ความคิดของผู้สร้าง 
themilesaguanta
themilesaguanta Happy New Year! Sorry for only posting this now. This was supposed to be out on January 1 but I was caught in my birthday bash. Please forgive me.
Since New Year connotes change, I'm happy to announce that daily update is back! The exact time is unsure but it's back. I believe that a chapter a day, keeps my reader's sadness away.
Happy New Year to all of you! Thank you for waiting for me.
I love you guys. Let's strive to bring Wei Yan and Li Zhao to more audience, together!
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