Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  “Alright.” Lin Nuan looked at Tuan Tuan who was stretching his neck to look up and tightened her grip on her phone as she tried to sound polite, saying, “What time are you coming over? I’ll pack up Tuan Tuan’s belongings.”


  Lin Nuan faintly heard from the other end of the line the sound of Fu Huai’an’s assistant calling out for Mr. Fu, followed by the light sounds of the tip of a pen scraping against paper.

  “If it goes smoothly, I’ll probably be there by 10.30p.m,” Fu Huai’an replied calmly.

  Understanding that Fu Huai’an was still busy, Lin Nuan simply said, “Okay.”


  …


  Fu Huai’an was always punctual, but today, there was no call from him by 10.40p.m.

  Remembering that Fu Huai’an said that if all went well he would be there by 10.30p.m., Lin Nuan frowned, wondering if that meant that something went wrong.

  She thought of calling Fu Huai’an to tell him that Tuan Tuan had fallen asleep so he should fetch the kid tomorrow, but she wasn’t his real mother so she had no reason to keep the child with her.

  On the sofa, Tuan Tuan was so tired that his eyes had closed shut and he had a blanket draped over him, his head laying beside Lin Nuan’s legs. He slept peacefully, his little face dimly illuminated by the light from the TV screen.

  Song Yao and Bai Xiaonian had already fallen asleep.

  Song Yao had been in low spirits for the past few days so she slept a lot, while Bai Xiaonian had a broadcast the next morning and had to wake up at 3a.m. so she had to sleep early.

  Lin Nuan hadn’t washed up, simply sitting on the sofa as she used the remote control to constantly switch channels, distracted.

  At 10.50p.m., Lin Nuan finally received Fu Huai’an’s call saying that he was already downstairs.

  Lin Nuan couldn’t bear to wake Tuan Tuan up so she wrapped him up in the blanket and carried him. The little boy’s eyelashes fluttered slightly before he fell back asleep in Lin Nuan’s arms.

  Lin Nuan’s desire to call Fu Huai’an to ask him to pick Tuan Tuan up tomorrow grew stronger but she was afraid that the call would make Fu Huai’an misunderstand her intentions, so after some thought, Lin Nuan added another layer of her jacket around Tuan Tuan before she went downstairs.

  …


  At the entrance of the apartment building, a black car was parked under the streetlight. Fu Huai’an leaned against the car door of the passenger side with a cigarette in his mouth and a hand in his pocket, his long fingers scrolling through the e-mails on his phone.

  He wore a dark blue suit with a white shirt underneath, no tie around his collar which was unbuttoned at the top. The dim light from his phone outlined his face and Adam’s apple, adding on to his heavy aura.

  Fu Huai’an’s tall figure assured that even if he was simply standing there, the aura around him was still too strong to ignore.

  Lin Nuan carried the child out of the elevator and saw Fu Huai’an standing beside the car. She paused her steps and took a deep breath, adjusting her feelings before walking towards him once more.

  As though he could sense her, Fu Huai’an raised his head, his dark gaze looking directly towards Lin Nuan.

  Seeing that she was holding a sleeping Tuan Tuan, Fu Huai’an locked his phone and placed it into his pocket, his long legs going up the stairs to throw the remaining half of the cigarette into the bin and hold the building door open for Lin Nuan.

  After going nearer, Lin Nuan could clearly see that Fu Huai’an looked slightly tired, even though it did not affect his intimidating aura.

  Lin Nuan didn’t see Fu Huai’an’s assistant and was just thinking how Fu Huai’an would bring the sleeping Tuan Tuan home by himself. She wondered if she should ask to let Tuan Tuan stay the night.

  “How about—”


  “You sit in the back with Tuan Tuan.”


  Without giving Lin Nuan the opportunity to speak, Fu Huai’an’s deep voice was decisive and allowed no room for discussion.

  Lin Nuan raised her head and met Fu Huai’an’s deep gaze. Unable to ignore his masculine charisma, her gaze dropped onto Fu Huai’an’s unbuttoned suit…