Chapter 16: The Nalan Family

The next day, he arrived early, just as Tang Tang got up. After a full night, Qin Haodong was able to sense the Xuantian Sutra emanating from his daughter. He’d chosen to pass this set of skills to her, because it could run on its own once the cycle of power had formed, which meant Tang Tang’s divine strength would consistently grow, even without practice. "Papa, where have you been?" asked Tang Tang. Qin Haodong took a look at Lin Momo next to him. "Papa went to exercise!" The little fellow said, "Papa, finish your meal quickly. You're going to take me to kindergarten today. I want all the children to know that I have a Papa!" After breakfast, Qin Haodong and Lin Momo went out to take Tang Tang to her kindergarten. The kindergarten Tang Tang studied in was called Gold Branch and Jade Leaf, the most exclusive in Jiangnan City. The children who studied there were as noble as the school's name. Every one of them was from either a rich or royal family, as a normal family could never afford the tuition. Tang Tang did not hurry to enter her classroom when they arrived at the school, and instead, she waited at the gate, holding Qin Haodong's hand. "Look, Zhang Doudou, this is my Papa..." "Wang Mengmeng, I have a Papa..." "Li Qiqi, I have Papa, so don't call me wild child anymore..." Looking at Tang Tang's childish and serious face, Qin Haodong and Lin Momo were filled with a sad feeling. "Zhao Lele, look, this is my Papa..." Tang Tang said to the child who held a lady's hand. "Wow, it's real! Your Papa looks so handsome, even more handsome than my Papa!" the little girl stared at Qin Haodong while saying. "Yes, my Papa looks so cool. He is the best!" Tang Tang said with a proud face. Zhao Lele's mother was named Xiao Lili. She glanced at Qin Haodong, and there was a glint of jealousy in her eyes. She then said, "Miss Lin, I heard that you raised Tang Tang alone. I’m sure it's been really hard for you, but is this gentleman really Tang Tang's father?" Tang Tang and Zhao Lele all stared at Lin Momo, waiting for her answer. She saw the expectation in her daughter's eyes, and she hesitated for a little while before answering, "He is Qin Haodong, and it's true that he is Tang Tang's father." "If he is Tang Tang's father, why his first name is Qin? Isn't he your new boyfriend?" A cold smile appeared on Xiao Lili's mouth. Though she did not know Lin Momo, she could tell that she was a rich woman from her dress and manner. Therefore, she took it for granted that Qin Haodong was Lin Momo's handsome new boy toy. Lin Momo didn’t know how to respond; she hadn’t thought this far ahead. "I used my mother's family name, and my father's family name is Tang, so I gave the name to my daughter. Is there any problem with that, madam?" Qin Haodong asked while glaring at Xiao Lili. Xiao Lili wore a sarcastic expression, obviously not believing him. "No, of course not. I have nothing to do with who Tang Tang's father is, just that there are so many children who don't know their father. I was afraid that Tang Tang might make a mistake." A flicker of anger crossed Qin Haodong's face. He would never allow Lin Momo or Tang Tang to be slighted in front of him. Never! "You're right. You should mind your own business." Qin Haodong pointed at Xiao Lili's pants. "You’ve got something on your pants.” "Wh-... What? What are you saying?" The woman looked down and found her fashion low-rise jeans wet in many places. She didn’t understand what had happened — did she really wet herself? "Lele, your mom is smelly." Tang Tang covered her nose with her hands and hid behind Qin Haodong. Xiao Lili gave her child to the teacher before hurrying off without another word. A strange look came over Lin Momo's face. She didn’t know how, but she was sure Qin Haodong had made that happen. Looking at the tall, strong figure in front of her, she was filled with a warm feeling. She had dreamed many times that a man would stand before her and her daughter when they were bullied. Xiao Lili's embarrassed look made Tang Tang laugh. "Papa, why this aunt wetted her pants?" Qin Haodong smiled and answered, "I don't know. Maybe she drank too much water." After that, he stayed at the gate of the kindergarten for a while and did not leave Tang Tang to the teacher until most of the students came to the school. After waving goodbye to Tang Tang, Lin Momo asked, "Did play a trick on that woman?" "What? I don't know what you're talking about." "Don't pretend to be innocent. I know it must be you." After saying this, Lin Momo bit her lip and said, "Thank you." Qin Haodong understood how important those two words were. He said, "From today on, with me here, no one will treat you and Tang Tang like that again." Looking at his determined face, Lin Momo had an impulse to run into Qin Haodong's arms, but she suppressed it, instead lowering her head and adjusting her bangs. She asked, "Where are you heading? I can ask my driver to give you a ride." "No, thanks. There will be someone to pick me up very soon." He had to treat the disease of Nalan Jie that day and had made an appointment to meet Nalan Wushuang at the gate of the school. As he spoke, the roar of a motor came around the corner, followed by a black Audi A6. The window of the car rolled down, revealing the stunning face of Nalan Wushuang. "Get in, you big liar." Qin Haodong was taken aback. "Why are you calling me a liar? Have I cheated on you out of your money or your beauty? My wife may misunderstand your words!" he said, as he got into the passenger seat. As Lin Momo watched them drive off, she felt herself getting upset. Who was this woman, and what was her relationship with Qin Haodong? Maybe they are made for one another. I'm just a single mother. Then she got into her car with Zhang Debiao and headed for work. * * * Xiao Lili changed her wet pants and had a medical examination at Jiangnan Hospital. The result was just as she had thought — no urinary incontinence was found. Xiao Lili ran through the scene in her head, and the only conclusion she could find was that that little boy toy had played some kind of trick on her. She had no idea how, but Qin Haodong had something to do with it. She’d make him pay. She took out her mobile phone and called her husband. "Honey, you won’t believe what happened this morning..." * * * The Audi A6 wasn’t as powerful as Nalan Wushuang’s Hummer, but it was handy, as it had a special Jiangnan army license plate and a pass paper attached to its window. She could drive this car to every place in Jiangnan City and even in the whole Jiangnan Province without anybody stopping her. Qin Haodong noticed the army plates and realized Nalan Jie must be a very powerful man in the army. He took out his mobile phone, and a simple internet search confirmed his suspicions — Nalan Jie indeed had a powerful background. According to the information he’d found, Nalan Jie had made many military achievements during the war between their country and M Country, becoming the youngest general of the era. He’d even received a commendation from the first president of their dynasty. In the later war with Annan, he was one of the most important generals on the front line and was known as the Brave Workaholic among the army. Various forums speculated that although Nalan Jie no longer served in the army, he still held power and influence. More than that, Nalan Jie's children all had outstanding records. Some of them had high positions in the army, while others were new stars in government. The Nalan family was, indeed, one of the most powerful families in Jiangnan Province. Nalan Wushuang remained deadpan after Qin Haodong got into the car, still angry about the previous day. She concentrated on driving, going as quickly as possible. She’d thought that he would be afraid of her aggressive driving, but Qin Haodong was absorbed in playing with his phone and did not notice how fast they driving. She eventually broke her silence out of sheer frustration. "What are you doing?" she asked, lowering the speed a bit. "Nothing. Just watching a very popular female streamer on the Internet." Nalan Wushuang rolled her eyes. "What were you doing at the kindergarten?" "Why else would an adult be at a kindergarten, other than taking their children to school?" Nalan Wushuang was so surprised that her hands jerked on the wheel, causing them to nearly hit a large truck coming from the opposite direction. Luckily, Qin Haodong had sharp eyes and grabbed the steering wheel, saving their lives. "What was that about? Didn’t expect me to have a child?" Qin Haodong said with a grin. "Good news for you, I'm still single, so you still have a chance to be my girlfriend." As he spoke, his hands were still on the wheel — more specifically, they were on Nalan Wushuang’s hands, which were still on the wheel. "Take your dirty hands off me!" Nalan Wushuang knew she’d overreacted, and her face flushed as she shook off Qin Haodong's hands. "It has nothing to do with me whether you're married or not." She paused for a while, then asked, "If you're not married, why do you have a kid?" Qin Haodong answered with a smile, "Who says you have to get married before having a child? Can't I be unmarried while having a child?" Nalan Wushuang was both angry and amused. She asked again, "Who was the lady with you? She’s pretty." She’d always been proud and never took other women seriously, but the woman she just saw was so beautiful, with such an elegant manner, that even she could not help but take a second glance. "She’s my kid's mother."