The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife-Chapter 486 - 489. Mu Liancheng’s Request (1st Update)

After Fu Hengyi left, Mu Liancheng became the new captain of Sharp Blade, and seldom returned. Fu Hengyi had only seen Mu Liancheng once a year ago.

The next day, Shen Qinglan dressed Anan and left together with Fu Hengyi. Meng Liang was driving, and Mu Liancheng had reserved a private restaurant in the city center. He had booked a private room, and indeed, the environment was very quiet.

When they arrived, Mu Liancheng and Houzi were already there. Seeing Fu Hengyi, they immediately gave him a military salute. According to military rank, Fu Hengyi was their superior, and according to their relationship, Fu Hengyi was their captain. Although Fu Hengyi had long left Sharp Blade, he would always be the captain in their hearts.

"Alright, no need to be so formal. Have a seat," Fu Hengyi waved his hand.

Mu Liancheng’s gaze then turned to Shen Qinglan. "Sister-in-law, long time no see."

Shen Qinglan nodded her head with a light smile, "Long time no see."

He then looked at Anan with a soft expression in his eyes, "Is this the captain’s son?"

Shen Qinglan nodded and patted her son’s shoulder, "Anan, say hello to uncle."

"Hello, uncle." Anan spoke, then also greeted Houzi as uncle, making Houzi beam with joy, "Captain, your son is really handsome." Indeed, he looked just like a finely carved doll.

Anan frowned, his little face stern, "Uncle, Anan is a boy, you should call me handsome, not pretty."

Mu Liancheng and Houzi were both amused by Anan, while Meng Liang wasn’t surprised, as Shen Qinglan often brought Anan to stay in the military region, and Meng Liang had witnessed Anan’s witty remarks before.

It had been a long time since they had seen each other, and naturally, they had a lot to talk about. Seeing that Anan had finished eating, Shen Qinglan suggested taking him out for a walk to aid digestion and also to give the men room to talk.

There was a children’s park nearby, and Anan was also very keen to go out with his mom.

"Mommy, are those uncles also soldiers?" Anan asked while holding Shen Qinglan’s hand.

Shen Qinglan nodded, "Yes, how did you know?"

"I guessed." Anan’s little face beamed with pride, having guessed correctly. Growing up in such an environment, he had met many soldiers and was very familiar with the aura they possessed. Shen Qinglan wasn’t surprised he could guess.

"Do you think soldiers are good?"

Anan nodded his little head, "Good, like daddy, very handsome."

"Soldiers are not only handsome, but they are also very great. It’s because of their presence that we can live such a happy life now. Do you understand?"

Anan looked somewhat perplexed, and Shen Qinglan didn’t expect him to understand fully but habitually instilled some ideas, "In the future, when you meet a soldier uncle, you should respect them because they work very hard and are very great, understand?"

Anan understood this, nodding his little head. Shen Qinglan smiled.

There were quite a few people in the children’s park, and Anan quickly started playing with the other kids. When Fu Hengyi came to find him, Anan was already having a blast. Hearing that it was time to go home, he reluctantly pulled on Shen Qinglan’s hand, "Mommy, can I play a bit longer?"

Shen Qinglan shook her head, "No, you’ve already played a lot today."

Anan pouted and glanced at the slide behind him, "Okay, can I come play again tomorrow?"

"Anan, do you remember what Mommy told you?"

"I remember." Anan sighed like a little adult, "Mommy, you’re really nagging."

Shen Qinglan was speechless. She had only said it once, and it was nagging? Looking at her son with a hint of annoyance, she took his hand and walked out of the park.

Anan’s clothes had become dirty, so when they got home, Shen Qinglan bathed Anan and was drying his hair when the little fellow almost fell asleep.

It wasn’t long before dinner time, and Shen Qinglan worried that if he slept now, he might wake up hungry in the middle of the night, so she asked Aunt Zhao to prepare a bit of food for Anan. His eyes were closing as he ate, and it was with some difficulty that he finished his meal before Shen Qinglan carried him upstairs to sleep.

That night, after dinner, Shen Qinglan and Fu Hengyi went for a walk. Shen Qinglan looked at Fu Hengyi’s profile and spoke softly, "What did Mu Liancheng talk to you about today?"

Fu Hengyi raised an eyebrow. "Is it that obvious?"

"Not obvious." Shen Qinglan said. Fu Hengyi was good at hiding his emotions, and it wasn’t easy for most people to read anything from his face. However, Shen Qinglan knew him too well; spotting cues wasn’t hard for her.

"Is it convenient to talk about? If it’s not, then never mind."

Fu Hengyi smiled faintly, "There’s nothing inconvenient to mention. Mu Liancheng wanted to ask for my help this time. They’ve come across a hostage rescue mission, rather thorny, and they don’t know where to start. In that regard, I have more experience than they do, so Mu Liancheng thought to ask for my assistance."

"A hostage?" Shen Qinglan questioned.

Fu Hengyi nodded, "Yes, apparently from KA members. After King died, KA’s power almost disintegrated. Later, someone previously inconspicuous in the organization brought them together, forming a new KA. They’ve been active in the Middle East recently, never intersecting with our army. For some reason, they crossed into our country’s border and even took over a small town along the border, taking the townspeople as hostages.

"What’s their purpose in doing this?" Shen Qinglan wondered. KA used to cause trouble for them once in a while due to Fu Hengyi’s personal disputes with King. Now that King was dead, and the new KA had been quiet, there was no reason for it. Why would they suddenly do such a thing?

"That is what puzzles Mu Liancheng and his team, but the number of hostages is significant, and some adult men have even been killed. Higher-ups hope they can rescue the hostages soon."

Shen Qinglan understood. Although Mu Liancheng had taken over Sharp Blade and had been performing well these past few years, when it comes to overall planning, Fu Hengyi was more adept, no wonder they asked for his help.

"Did you agree?"

Fu Hengyi looked at Shen Qinglan intently, "I agreed."

This answer was within Shen Qinglan’s expectations, so she wasn’t surprised, "Since you’ve decided, then go."

Fu Hengyi was surprised, "You don’t object?"

Shen Qinglan raised an eyebrow, "Why would I object? Do you think you wouldn’t go if I did?" Naturally, that was impossible. Regardless of whether Shen Qinglan agreed or not, since Fu Hengyi had already promised, he would go.

"So go with peace of mind, but you have to promise me, be careful."

"Okay."

Fu Hengyi departed as dawn broke, and Shen Qinglan personally saw him to the door, Mu Liancheng’s pick-up arrived, and he saluted Shen Qinglan, "Sister-in-law, we’re leaving."

Shen Qinglan nodded, "Be careful."

Their family didn’t know Fu Hengyi was to undertake such a dangerous mission. After discussing it with Shen Qinglan, they decided not to tell them to avoid unnecessary worry.

"Huh, has Hengyi already returned to the military?" Old Sir Fu asked in the morning when he didn’t see his grandson.

Shen Qinglan nodded, "He received a call last night; there was an urgent matter requiring him to return."

Old Sir Fu heard this and didn’t dwell on it.

Shen Qinglan felt somewhat uneasy these days. Since Fu Hengyi had left, he had called her the first day to report his arrival, but she hadn’t heard from him since. Worried about interrupting something critical, Shen Qinglan dared not call him, fearing a call might ruin their efforts.

Meng Liang spoke up, "Captain, Captain Mu and Houzi are back. They want to ask you to have a meal together tomorrow."

"Qinglan, what do you think about this dress?" Pei Yinong held up a dress and asked Shen Qinglan, but received no response. Turning around, she saw Shen Qinglan staring at the ground, lost in thought.

"This is not the first time," Pei Yinong thought to herself as she arranged to meet Shen Qinglan for shopping, who seemed unusually distracted today and kept zoning out. When Pei Yinong waved her hand in front of Shen Qinglan, she brought her back to the present.

"Qinglan, what’s the matter with you? Why are you so restless?" Shen Qinglan regained her senses and looked at Pei Yinong, shaking her head, "It’s nothing, Cousin, what were you saying just now?"

Pei Yinong handed the clothes to the clerk, "I just said I don’t really like the clothes here. Let’s go and look somewhere else." Shen Qinglan nodded, got up, and followed Pei Yinong out of the shop.

Fu Hengyi had been gone for five days now, and there was still no news from him; KA was nothing but a bunch of desperados, and she had no idea what the situation was like on his end.

As the two women left the clothing store, they bumped into Duan Ling, who was with a woman—none other than Gu Jiajia, who was planning on breaking her contract with Shengxuan.

Gu Jiajia, arm in arm with Duan Ling in a sweet gesture, said something with a giggling smile, while Duan Ling also wore a smiling face.

Duan Ling hadn’t expected to run into Pei Yinong here; his face first brightened, but then, noticing his pose with Gu Jiajia, he withdrew his arm.

"Yining, are you out shopping for clothes today?"

Pei Yinong, with a neutral expression, nodded silently.

On the other hand, Gu Jiajia’s smile faded when she saw Pei Yinong. Recently, she had learned that Duan Ling was Pei Yinong’s ex-boyfriend and, moreover, Pei Yinong’s son was Duan Ling’s child.

Her face still wore an accommodating smile, yet her eyes were wary as she looked at Pei Yinong—especially after Duan Ling withdrew his hand, her look became more hostile.

"May I ask who you are?" Gu Jiajia pretended not to recognize her.

"Pei Yinong," Pei Yinong responded coolly.

"Oh, so you’re the unmarried mother," Gu Jiajia’s face showed sudden realization; no sooner had she spoken than she covered her mouth, apologizing awkwardly, "Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean that, I just spoke without thinking."

This act was quite clumsy. A hint of displeasure flashed across Shen Qinglan’s eyes as she glanced at Gu Jiajia and spoke indifferently, "It seems Miss Gu has found someone to pay your breach of contract fee. Congratulations."

Gu Jiajia’s face darkened. She had only learned a few days ago that Shen Qinglan was a shareholder of Shengxuan. Originally, Shengxuan did not agree to terminate the contract, and according to Han Yi’s view, a ingrate like Gu Jiajia should be frozen until her fame waned; he was curious to see if other entertainment companies would still try to poach her? It was only after Shen Qinglan learned of this that she proposed to let Gu Jiajia go if she was willing to pay a hefty breach of contract fee. It was then that Gu Jiajia realized the second largest shareholder of Shengxuan was actually Shen Qinglan. No wonder Yu Xiaoxuan had such good resources—her husband was Shengxuan’s boss, her best friend was a major shareholder; naturally, any good opportunity would go to her, while others like her only got the leftovers.

While Duan Ling was displeased with Gu Jiajia’s comments, not only addressing Pei Yinong but also him and their son, Haohao, before he could speak up, Shen Qinglan intervened.

Shen Qinglan was Pei Yinong’s cousin and Haohao’s favorite auntie, enjoying a very close relationship with Haohao, so it was impossible for Duan Ling to criticize her.

"Yining, Jiajia is young and doesn’t know better. Please don’t take her words to heart," Duan Ling tried to smooth things over.

Pei Yinong had heard such words too often to take them to heart, especially coming from the woman in front of her. However, she hadn’t expected that Duan Ling, fresh back in the country, would immediately get involved with a young celebrity. She had thought he might remain faithful to his late wife forever, but evidently, that was not the case.

Duan Ling, aware that Pei Yinong misunderstood his relationship with Gu Jiajia, tried to explain, "Yining, about Jiajia, she is my..."

"Aling," Gu Jiajia interrupted Duan Ling, "Didn’t you say we need to buy a gift for auntie? Let’s hurry, or we won’t have enough time. Don’t you have to rush back for a meeting this afternoon?" She grabbed Duan Ling’s hand and pulled him to leave, "Miss Pei, Miss Shen, we have other matters to attend to today, so we’ll be leaving now."

"Jiajia, what are you doing?" Duan Ling said angrily. Why didn’t she let him finish speaking?

"Sister-in-law, you’ve already ended things with her, and she has a new boyfriend now. She no longer loves you, why are you still hung up on her? Even if she is your son’s mother, that doesn’t concern you anymore." Gu Jiajia looked aggrieved, believing she was doing him a favor. It was clear to anyone with eyes that Pei Yinong was not fond of Duan Ling.

Gu Jiajia was Gu Jiamin’s younger sister, thus Duan Ling’s sister-in-law by marriage. She had liked Duan Ling for many years and had hoped to have a chance with him after her sister passed away. However, Duan Ling felt nothing for her and outright refused her confession, leaving a heartbroken Gu Jiajia to choose to return to her country, partly to escape.

When Duan Ling announced he was opening a branch in the city, it was tremendous news for Gu Jiajia. Moreover, after all these years, no new woman had appeared by Duan Ling’s side. Did that not mean she might still stand a chance? After all, she and Duan Ling were closer than any other woman, and he had always looked out for her because of Gu Jiamin, igniting a spark of hope in Gu Jiajia once Duan Ling returned.

Duan Ling only saw Gu Jiajia as his sister-in-law and had no other feelings for her, his heart still held Pei Yinong dearest. He was aware of Gu Jiajia’s feelings, which is why he had kept his distance all those years. This time, Gu Jiajia had approached him, expressing her wish to leave her current agency, which refused to release her without a hefty breach fee.

With the breach fee running into tens of millions, Gu Jiajia obviously didn’t have that kind of money. Duan Ling thought Shengxuan was quite good, and Gu Jiajia was doing well and didn’t need to leave, but Gu Jiajia insisted on leaving, leaving Duan Ling with no choice.

Moreover, now that the incident had spread, even if Gu Jiajia stayed in Shengxuan, she was likely to be sidelined, and as her only sister, he couldn’t just stand by. So, he agreed to pay her penalty for breaking the contract.

Today, Gu Jiajia had invited him out to dinner to thank him for the help, but it just so happened, that Pei Yinong caught them together and misunderstood their relationship.

"Jiajia, how many times have I told you, this has nothing to do with you, and you don’t need to interfere," Duan Ling said sternly. This was between him and Pei Yinong.

"Brother-in-law, why don’t you understand? Once a woman falls out of love, it’s the same as when a man does. It can’t be salvaged, and even if you keep waiting for her, all you’ll get is heartache. Why bother? Is she really the only woman in the world?" Gu Jiajia couldn’t understand what was so good about Pei Yinong, that Duan Ling was so devoted to her. Was it just because they had a child together? If Duan Ling loved children, she could help him have one too.

Duan Ling looked at her with an unfathomable expression, "Of course, she’s not the only woman in the world, but she is the only woman I love the most. Jiajia, I have some other matters today, so I won’t join you for dinner. You go ahead." Having said that, Duan Ling turned and left without hesitation. Gu Jiajia watched his retreating figure and angrily stamped her foot.

She had originally thought that Duan Ling truly loved her sister, but later she realized that there was another woman in Duan Ling’s heart who was deeper and longer-standing, and there was even the bond of a child between them.

With this bond, even if they married other people in the future, they couldn’t completely sever their connection. Especially now that Pei Yinong wasn’t married yet, though she had a boyfriend, what if the flames with her brother-in-law were rekindled?

Thinking about this, Gu Jiajia grew to despise Pei Yinong intensely. How could there be such a shameless woman in the world? Your man doesn’t want you anymore, married someone else, and yet you still had his child. Was she trying to trap him with the child?

Pei Yinong naturally didn’t know what was going on in Gu Jiajia’s mind. After they left, she continued shopping for clothes with Shen Qinglan, not letting two insignificant people affect her mood.

"Qinglan, what do you think of this outfit?" Pei Yinong was holding a piece of men’s clothing. Shen Qinglan glanced at it, "Is this for your Uncle?"

Pei Yinong shook her head, "No, it’s for Chenxi’s dad. His birthday is coming up in a few days, and I thought I’d buy an outfit for both of the old folks. What do you think?"

"That’s fine, but this one isn’t quite right; how about that one?" Shen Qinglan pointed to another set of clothes, a Tang-style suit, whereas what Pei Yinong was holding was more of everyday wear.

"A Tang suit?" Pei Yinong hesitated.

Shen Qinglan nodded, "Mhm, his father would like it."

Pei Yinong thought it over and finally went with Shen Qinglan’s suggestion. When they exited the shopping mall, they had dozens of bags in hand, most of which were Pei Yinong’s purchases, while Shen Qinglan had bought clothes only for both old gentlemen and Fu Hengyi.

Besides buying for the Jiang family’s elders, Pei Yinong also bought for her own parents and for Jiang Chenxi, almost everyone but herself.

"Shopping is really exhausting." Pei Yinong sprawled in the back seat, completely uninterested in moving any further, her side and feet surrounded by shopping bags. Shen Qinglan shook her head and laughed. No wonder merchants say it’s easy to earn women’s money—her purchasing power was truly frightening. Just now, if she hadn’t stopped her, Pei Yinong would probably have continued buying.

While driving, Shen Qinglan’s phone received a message as they approached a traffic light. She picked it up and saw that it was from Fu Hengyi—[Safely returned, don’t worry.]

A slight smile curved on Shen Qinglan’s lips, her entire body relaxed, "Cousin, after I drop you off at home, I’ll head back."

Pei Yinong looked up, "Weren’t you going to stop by my place for a bit?"

"I’ll pass for now, let’s plan a weekend outing with Haohao and Anan later." Shen Qinglan hadn’t taken Anan to the amusement park for a while now, and last time Anan had been talking about it.

"I can’t this weekend, Haohao is going with Duan Ling to visit his parents." Pei Yinong explained.

Shen Qinglan slightly raised her eyebrows, "Visiting his parents? Was it his idea?"

"Yes, Haohao agreed on his own." Initially, Pei Yinong didn’t want to agree, but since Haohao himself wanted to go, she didn’t oppose it. Over the years, Duan Ling had indeed made a point not to be overly involved with Haohao. Haohao knew he had grandparents he hadn’t visited yet, now that Haohao was older, he understood more and was very clear about some things.

Pei Yinong hoped that as he grew up, he would become a cultured person who knew gratitude and could distinguish right from wrong, so she gave Haohao the choice this time.

Speaking of Haohao, it was worth mentioning that, although the Jiang parents had always been lukewarm towards Pei Yinong, they had always been good to Haohao. It wouldn’t be said that they doted on him like their own grandchild, but they also didn’t make him feel alienated.

At least in this regard, the Jiang parents were decent people.