Growing Fond of You, Mr Nian

Mo Liuxi reached the edge of the pool then raised his head to find Nian Junting standing on the ground showing two fingers, his face filled with pride.

 Mo Liuxi wiped his face with a hand, feeling unhappy. He wanted very much to hit him.

 Luosang saw that too. She sneakily walked behind Nian Junting and pushed him into the water without mercy.

 Mo Liuxi smiled.

 The water splashed everywhere. Nian Junting raised his head from the water and glared at Luosang, “Luo…”

 “Liuxi never served in the army and he’s much younger than you. You can surely beat him. That’s nothing to show off about.” After saying that, Luosang turned and left.

 “Luo, wait for me, I’ll cut fruit for you.” Nian Junting quickly got out of the water, put on his flip-flops and followed Luosang.

 Mo Liuxi sighed. Those two could really make a lot of noise. He was planning to be the third wheel between them, but now, he started feeling annoyed. Before, he worried that Nian Junting might mistreat Luosang. However, he turned out to be like Luosang’s shadow.

 In the villa, Nian Junting cut open a Hami melon.

 Luosang glanced at the swimming pool and said helplessly, “I was going to do some brother-sister bonding with Liuxi. Why do I see you everywhere?”

 “I want to be with you whenever I have time. That has become an old habit,” Nian Junting said while cutting the melon., “You can do the bonding. I wasn’t interrupting you.”

 You weren’t? Luosang thought. We’d only started bonding for like three minutes and then you dragged me away.

 Luosang sighed and put a hand on her forehead.

 She told herself that it was alright. She had plenty of time to spend with Mo Liuxi in the future.

 During lunchtime, Lu Kang and An Lan came over for lunch.

 Mo Liuxi said to Lu Kang, “I’m moving to your place this afternoon.”

 Luosang gave a start. As his sister, she instantly started worrying.

 “What’s wrong?” Lu Kang asked smilingly.

 “This place is very noisy,” Mo Liuxi explained in a vague way, then went back to his room to pack his belongings.

 Nian Junting turned to Luosang and said, “I told you not to disturb him. Young boys like quiet.”

 Luosang didn’t know what to say. How could he even say that? Any smart person would be able to figure out that he was the true reason.

 …

 In the afternoon, news came from the police station. Captain Wu summoned Xu Zhengxuan from prison for trial.

 Hearing that, Luosang and the others immediately went to the police station. When they arrived, Xu Zhengxuan was coming out of the interrogation room.

 Maybe because of some questions that the police asked him, he was red with anger. Seeing Luosang, he finally showed a trace of a relieved smile. “Sangsang…”

 He froze when his eyes saw Mo Liuxi, who was by Luosang’s side.

 Last time, he made a mistake and thought that Nian Junting was his son. So this time he was more cautious. His hands were shaking as he asked Luosang uneasily, “Sangsang, is this …”

 Mo Liuxi turned his face away. He was overwhelmed by all sorts of emotions at that moment yet still retained a cold look on his face.

 “He is Liuxi. He is…my brother,” Luosang sighed slightly.

 “Liuxi…” Xi Zhengxuan was dazed for a while. Suddenly, his eyes turned red. He made two steps forward, attempted to take Mo Liuxi’s hands.

 Mo Liuxi quickly took two steps backward to avoid him. The cold look in his eyes seemed to keep him a thousand miles away. “Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not here to be your son. I’m just here to see what you look like. After all, you gave sperm to my mother, and then she had me.”

 Xu Zhengxuan shivered, feeling frustrated. “Son, I know you hate me. I didn’t abandon you. I thought your mother had aborted you.”

 “So what? Am I supposed to call you Dad and let you have a son without paying any price?” Mo Liuxi said sarcastically. “I have no interests to know the stories between you and Mo Jin. We are related but I will not call you Father because of that. I have no interest in being your son at all.”

 After saying that, he turned and walked away coldly.

 “My son…” Xu Zhengxuan tried to follow him but the police officers wouldn’t let him.

 “The case isn’t over yet. The courthouse hasn’t made a decision. You can’t leave yet,” said Captain Wu.

 Xu Zhengxuan murmured Mo Liuxi’s name with tearful eyes, as if he didn’t hear Captain Wu.

 “Dad, you’ll have chances to bond with him when you get out,” Luosang hurriedly held his arms.

 “I am too ashamed to see him. He was right. I did nothing for him except for giving a sperm.” Xu Zhengxuan gave a bitter smile and said, “Sangsang, I deserve it. I’ve heard about the real reason why Yi Jingxi sought revenge on us. I was stupid. I ruined my family and put you through so much misery. I sent myself to prison. I never thought that Chue Lei waa that kind of woman. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have tried to use her to make your mother react. I only wanted your mother to care about me. I wanted her to be jealous.”

 Luosang sighed. What could she say? He was her father.

 “Oh Sangsang, you’ve found your brother but what about your mother?” Xu Zhengxuan looked around nervously. Meanwhile, he brushed his hair with his fingers.

 “Mom is in Xia City. She didn’t come.” Luosang endured the heartache.

 Xu Zhengxuan was disappointed. “She hates me. I understand. Is she good? Is she… married?” Xu Zhengxuan finished his question uneasily.

 “No.”

 Xu Zhengxuan finally felt relieved. Mo Jin had stayed unmarried for so many years. Did she still love him? Xu Zhengxuan was nervous. He wasn’t sure, but he could still see a glimmer of hope.

 “What does she… look like now? She’s ten years younger than me so I guess she still looks young,” Xu Zhengxuan said with a bitter voice.

 “I have photos. I’ll show you.” Luosang showed him Mo Jin’s photo.

 Xu Zhengxuan gazed at the photo and his eyes turned red again.

 He gently stroked the phone screen and said, “She looks so young. She’s still so pretty. I’m old. I’m no longer good enough for her.”

 He turned his face away sadly. Twenty years ago, he was a college teacher who had a bright future. He was handsome and charming while she was an orphan. Twenty years had passed. He became a prisoner while she stayed stunningly beautiful.

 Was that his punishment?

 “You need to stop talking,” Captain Wu reminded them. “Just be patient. He’ll be released very soon.”

 Xu Zhengxuan was taken away by the police officers. Luosang was upset and buried her face in Nian Junting’s arms.

 Nian Junting sighed, patted her on the shoulder, and said, “Luo, buy me some skincare products when we get back.”

 The sad Luosang was awfully confused by his words.

 Nian Junting carried on, “You see, your father is ten years older than your mother. Nothing was wrong when they were young, but as they grew older and older, the difference between them has turned more and more obvious. I need some skincare.”

 Luosang was speechless. Was he trying to say that Xu Zhengxuan now looked much older than Mo Jin? That would have broken Xu Zhengxuan’s heart.