Chapter 426: 422. Who Married Whom? (Seeking subscriptions, seeking monthly votes!)

Gong Nan had originally not intended to come to Zhang Ran's table with his son Qi Mingming, but the moment he saw the shape of Zhang Ran's face, he instantly thought of someone—someone he had been extremely familiar with in his childhood, and someone who had taken care of him back then.

Although he only felt a sense of familiarity looking at Zhang Ran now, especially given the age difference, he didn't think too much about it, yet that feeling of closeness made him subconsciously choose this spot.

And when he heard Zhang Ran speak, Gong Nan also subconsciously chimed in; the moment Zhang Ran called out his name, Gong Nan's heart suddenly trembled.

"Ran... Brother Ran, are you Brother Ran?" Gong Nan's voice was somewhat trembling.

When Zhang Ran heard him address him like that, he knew he hadn't recognized the wrong person, and his own mood was also somewhat stirred.

Compared to people like Meng He whom he had only met in the business world, Gong Nan could be considered his childhood friend.

Moreover, Zhang Ran had taken great care of Gong Nan. When Zhang Ran had transmigrated over, he was already an adult; he had absolutely no interest in playing with children, so he was somewhat of a maverick in the orphanage, even though the orphanage was full of people like Zhang Ran.

But Zhang Ran had an adult's mindset after all; although he couldn't do much due to his age at the time, he wouldn't let others bully him either.

Gong Nan, however, was different; he had a relatively timid personality since he was young and was often bullied.

At that time, Zhang Ran couldn't be bothered to manage such matters; it was just that such things were too common in the orphanage, and they couldn't be managed.

Furthermore, Zhang Ran also felt that since their personal circumstances were already like this, one's personality really couldn't be weak, because people like them had no one to rely on, and everything in the future would have to depend on themselves.

But one time, Zhang Ran felt physically unwell and didn't want to eat, so he didn't eat that evening.

Gong Nan, however, didn't know this; he thought Zhang Ran hadn't managed to grab any food, so he actually quietly hid his own food, which wasn't much to begin with, and then gave it to Zhang Ran.

At that moment, Zhang Ran accepted this younger brother.

It was just that when Zhang Ran left to make his way in the world at fifteen or sixteen, Gong Nan was only ten years old, and he hadn't taken Gong Nan with him.

Zhang Ran would sometimes return to the orphanage to donate some of the money he had earned to the orphanage.

But one time, Zhang Ran was away for a bit too long, and when he returned again, the orphanage had already been disbanded.

Gong Nan couldn't be found either; information was backward at that time, and he only heard that Gong Nan had been adopted, but he couldn't find out who had adopted him.

So, in the end, Zhang Ran had no choice but to pray silently that this younger brother was doing well; who would have thought that the two brothers would actually meet now.

One can only say that fate is truly marvelous!

"Brother Ran, your appearance... if you hadn't said anything, I really wouldn't have dared to recognize you." Gong Nan appeared very happy, while also expressing his surprise at Zhang Ran's appearance.

Zhang Ran said: "I also encountered some things, matters that were quite bizarre, so let's not talk about that for now; tell me about yourself, how have you been all these years?"

Gong Nan said: "I'm alright; although I'm not much myself, who told me to marry a wife who can earn money."

As he spoke, he laughed with a bit of self-deprecation.

Zhang Ran looked at him and didn't continue to ask; Zhang Ran never meddled in other people's family affairs.

Immediately, Zhang Ran began to chat with Gong Nan about the past, and about the situation of Gong Nan being adopted back then.

Zhang Ran was actually not at all surprised that Gong Nan had been adopted; his personality was quiet and gentle, more like a girl than a boy.

Added to that, he was also very handsome; at the time, there was probably no one in the entire orphanage who looked as good as him, which was also one of the reasons he was bullied back then.

At the beginning, Gong Nan did indeed have a good life after being adopted, but people are just like that; one really doesn't know if it was luck, but in the second year after the old couple adopted Gong Nan, they had their own child—one must know they had tried for over ten years without results.

Afterward, it wasn't like in the television shows where Gong Nan suffered bullying or anything; although they didn't care for him as much as before and the relationship became slightly more distant, they never mistreated Gong Nan.

They provided him with food, drink, and even schooling.

Gong Nan never complained about anything and was even very grateful to the old couple; over these many years, Gong Nan would go to see them whenever he had time, buying things and taking them to the hospital for check-ups, doing even better than their own biological son.

"Brother, is this my sister-in-law? She is truly beautiful." Gong Nan asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Huo Zhiyuan's face immediately blossomed with a smile, while Zhang Ran explained: "No, I'll tell you the specific situation when there is time; this is a younger sister of mine."

Hearing Zhang Ran's explanation, Huo Zhiyuan was not disappointed, and the smile on her face remained; she truly didn't mind, as being able to stay by Zhang Ran's side was already enough for her, and she wouldn't covet anything more.

"Excuse me, that... this is my youngest son, Qi Mingming. Mingming, call him Uncle." Gong Nan hurriedly pulled the child beside him and said.

"Hello, Uncle." Qi Mingming called out very obediently, then sat down to eat.

Zhang Ran also introduced Zhang Xiaotao and Susu, and very quickly, the three little ones were playing together.

"Brother, come to my place to sit for a while; let us brothers have a drink." Gong Nan invited him excitedly.

Zhang Ran thought about it and didn't refuse; once the three little ones finished eating, they followed along together.

They didn't drive; at this time, it wasn't suitable to drive in Beijing, and besides, Gong Nan's home wasn't far away.

It took about a few stops by subway to get there.

After arriving at the residential complex, Zhang Ran looked around and felt that Gong Nan's claim about marrying a wife who could earn money was quite credible.

Or perhaps one could say that his wife married him?

Gong Nan lived on the eighth floor; all the way there, Gong Nan kept talking to Zhang Ran, and it was clear that he was truly happy and very excited.

"Brother, we're here. Later, I'll show you a few tricks; my cooking skills now are absolutely top-notch!" Gong Nan boasted with a chuckle.

Zhang Ran laughed: "Alright, then I'll be waiting for your cooking."

However, just as Gong Nan opened the door, he saw a woman dressed exquisitely—though she might be over forty, she looked like she was in her thirties—talking toward the inside of the room while putting on her shoes, preparing to leave.

Seeing Gong Nan return, the woman nodded slightly, but when she saw Zhang Ran and the others behind him, her brows furrowed slightly.

"Why are you back?" Gong Nan seemed a bit awkward.

Qi Lin said indifferently: "I came back to get a document."

After saying that, she prepared to leave, and Gong Nan hurriedly introduced: "Linlin, this is the Brother Ran I told you about before, who always took care of me in the orphanage."

He then said to Zhang Ran: "This is my wife, Qi Lin. Brother, you can just call her Linlin."

Zhang Ran greeted her with a smile: "Hello, sister-in-law."

Qi Lin seemed somewhat impatient; after barely saying a "hello," she walked away quickly. When she reached the elevator, she suddenly said: "Don't go wandering around tonight; there are still children at home. And remember, keep an eye on Xiaoting, don't let her run around; every day she only knows how to cause trouble for me."

Hearing this, Gong Nan looked at Zhang Ran with some embarrassment: "Brother Ran, I'm sorry, Linlin's company has encountered some issues recently, and she's been made irritable by it; please don't mind it."

Zhang Ran smiled; he naturally wouldn't take it to heart, but he could see that his younger brother didn't seem to have much status in the house, and it might really be that she married him.

PS: Seeking base monthly votes!