Chapter 653 - 668: Jack’s Family

An Ning and Jiang Xia stood together, watching as Jack shot up from his seat across from them. A smile they had never seen before lit up his face as he spread his arms and embraced the brown-haired woman getting out of the car.

"It’s so good that you’re okay. You have no idea how worried I was."

"I’m standing right here in front of you. I’m back. Don’t be afraid. I’m here."

Jack hugged his wife, kissing the top of her head while one hand continuously soothed her back.

The tender, heartwarming scene was shattered in the next instant.

"Daddy—"

A child’s call made the embracing couple release each other and look toward the boy knocking on the car window from inside.

"Jason—"

Jack opened the car door. The little boy, sitting in his safety seat, stretched out his arms, trying to get down, but he couldn’t undo the safety buckle.

Jack reached in and undid the buckle, and the two- or three-year-old boy leaped into his arms like a little fledgling.

Jack planted two big kisses on the little boy’s cheek and asked, "Did you miss me?"

"Yes! I missed you very, very much! Like how I miss ice cream!"

"HA HA HA HA HA! You little rascal! Then how about Daddy gets you some ice cream?"

"Hooray for Daddy! I love you, Daddy!"

The little boy was clearly a smooth talker who knew how to charm people. His words made An Ning and Jiang Xia, who were standing off to the side, laugh out loud.

Jack held the boy with one arm, the little one’s arms wrapped around his neck. With his other hand, Jack took his wife’s and walked toward Jiang Xia and An Ning.

"Let me make a formal introduction. These are two friends from Huaxia I met on the plane. They saved my life."

"Oh my god, thank you so much. I really, truly thank you. Jack is my everything."

Jack’s wife, Vivian, thanked them emotionally, tears streaming down her face. It was obvious how much they cared for each other.

"You’re welcome. Jack has also helped us a great deal. He’s a very good person."

An Ning stepped forward and gave Vivian a hug.

Jack stood to the side, smiling. "This is the first time I’ve ever heard you say I’m a good person."

"You are a good person. It just takes a very discerning eye and a lot of effort to find it."

An Ning’s half-joking words struck a chord with Vivian.

"You’re so right. When I first met him, I honestly thought, ’How can such a selfish person exist in this world?’"

An Ning and Vivian started chatting away. Jiang Xia and Jack walked side-by-side, the two men finding the rapid formation of a female friendship quite fascinating.

The five of them got into the car. Vivian drove while An Ning sat in the passenger seat. The two of them chatted the whole way about Jack’s younger days.

Jack didn’t feel embarrassed at all. He just watched Vivian with a look of fond exasperation. It had been a long time since she had chatted so happily.

The car stopped partway through the drive, and Jack bought ice cream. Little Jason sweetly said, "I love you, Daddy," prompting a jealous Vivian in the front seat to ask, "Does that mean you don’t love Mommy anymore?"

"Mommy, how could you ask such a sad question? How could I possibly not love you?"

"Wow—he’s amazing."

An Ning exclaimed in admiration. Vivian nodded at her, her expression one of utter helplessness. "You should see how he sweet-talks his older brother and sister."

"I look forward to it. Thank you for taking us in. Don’t worry, we won’t stay for long."

"Don’t say that. I need to have friends around. I really like you, An." Vivian had already heard that An Ning and Jiang Xia would be staying at their house for a few days, and she was genuinely happy about it. An Ning could feel her sincerity.

"An, you have no idea. I spend every day juggling three kids. The people I interact with the most are other moms, but we aren’t really friends. We’re just ’say hi at the school gate’ moms."

An Ning listened to Vivian, not yet having a clear picture of the life she was describing.

Everyone chatted along the way, and time slipped by unnoticed.

Vivian’s car turned into a residential area, and rows of distinctive little villas appeared before them. After parking, Vivian turned her head and gave An Ning a huge smile. "Welcome to my home."

"The honor is mine."

Everyone got out of the car. Beaming, Vivian led them to the front door, opened it, and welcomed them inside again.

"The house is a little bit messy, please don’t mind."

An Ning followed Vivian inside.

"If I had three kids and could keep the house looking like this, I’d think I was pretty amazing."

"An—you’re such a smooth talker. I love hearing it."

Vivian gave the two of them a quick tour and showed them the bedroom she had prepared for them.

"When Jack called me, I did a quick tidy-up. The sheets are freshly laundered."

"Thank you."

Besides "thank you," An Ning didn’t know what else to say. But she really didn’t plan on imposing for long.

The house was very cozy, filled with the signs of a lived-in life: family photos everywhere, children’s toys scattered about.

Vivian told An Ning and Jiang Xia to get settled, while she went to help Jack unpack.

A little after three in the afternoon, the door to Vivian’s house was pushed open, and shouts of "Mom! Mom!" rang out.

It seemed Vivian’s other two children were home from school.

An Ning and Jiang Xia also came downstairs to meet Vivian’s other two children.

The eldest was a stylishly dressed girl who was in the middle of a rebellious "I hate my parents" phase. She gave a cursory greeting before disappearing into her room.

"Please don’t mind her. She’s like that with me, too. It’s all because I wouldn’t let her join this band she’s fussing about."

Vivian got a headache just talking about it. She then introduced her older son to An Ning and Jiang Xia. He was two years younger than his sister and a freshman in high school.

The brother was very nice, a gentlemanly boy who was holding a pile of books and about to go do his homework.

"Luke is the easiest of my children. Sometimes I really feel like I’ve shortchanged him. He’s super smart—I have no idea where he got those genes."

Vivian had An Ning and Jiang Xia sit down in the living room while she prepared to make dinner.

An Ning offered to help, but her cooking skills weren’t really up to the task. Fortunately, since Vivian was making Western food, she didn’t need much assistance. In the end, An Ning’s help consisted of washing and chopping some vegetables.

Jack also came downstairs and was talking with Jiang Xia.

Jack was holding several newspapers, all of them opened to the classifieds, which he placed in front of Jiang Xia.

"You can take a look and see if there are any jobs here you can do. The key to finding a job is not to aim too high at the start. Surviving is the most important thing."

"You’re right. We’ll keep that in mind."

Jiang Xia didn’t refuse Jack’s kind gesture and began looking through them seriously. It was a perfect excuse for them to be out and about.