She rarely calls me at this time unless it's something urgent.
And the moment I heard her cry, I was even more sure that something had happened to her, and it was something she couldn't bear.
Otherwise, she wouldn't cry.
I seldom, almost never see An Lan cry, so when I hear her cry, I feel a little worried.
I hurriedly asked her: "An Lan, what's wrong with you? What happened?"
She choked and said: "Mom, mom, she...is gone..."
"boom!"
A loud bang exploded above my head, which made me so overwhelmed that I just stood there in a daze and didn't speak for a long time.
It wasn't until An Lan's cry sounded in my ears again that I was sure I heard it correctly, but I still confirmed it again.
"What did you say? What's gone?"
"Mom, mom, she... passed away."
I couldn't accept it for a while, and I just felt my brain was buzzing.
I was a little unsteady and sat down on the curb stone next to me, breathing heavily.
The sky wasn't completely dark yet, but I felt like I was shrouded in a huge black curtain. This black curtain was airtight and was designed to swallow me up completely.
Even Boss Tang noticed something was wrong with me and asked me hurriedly: "Brother Chen, what's going on? Are you feeling unwell?"
I stretched out my hand and waved to Boss Tang, telling him that I was fine, and then took a deep breath to make sure I could calm down.
But I was still panicking inside, so I lit a cigarette and then replied: "Why is it so sudden?"
"It was very sudden, without any warning." An Lan's voice had become hoarse.
I know that Min Nolan is An Lan's only relative. Without Min Nolan, An Lan has no support in London.
Yes, parents are the backing of their children. No matter what happens, parents will stand in front of their children and protect us from wind and rain.
The corners of my mouth were twitching, and I couldn't speak for a while.
I have been silent because I can't calm down inside.
I was deeply impressed by Min Nolan. When I went to London before, I saw that she was in good health. Why did she die suddenly?
After a very long silence, I finally comforted him: "Don't be sad, I'll be in London right away, right away."
"No, you don't have to come. It's a waste of your time. Besides...by the time you come over, my mother will have already been buried. It's too late."
"Even if she is buried, I will come here to see her off. An Lan, she is your mother and also my mother."
An Lan wanted to say something else, but I interrupted her directly and said, "You don't have to say anything. I'll book a flight immediately and bring Xiaoman over to give her grandma a ride... This is necessary, remember,
She is also my mother."
An Lan didn't say anything more. She just said "hmm" softly. I knew that she needed comfort at this time.
After I comforted her a few more words, I ended the call with her.
I lowered my head and smoked the cigarette vigorously, my thoughts still chaotic and complicated.
Boss Tang asked me again from the side: "What's going on? Is everything okay?"
"I...my mother-in-law passed away."
"Ah!?" Boss Tang looked at me in surprise.
I nodded heavily and said, "It was so sudden that I didn't react for a while."
"Here, this... how is your mother-in-law's health? Is there any warning?"
"She is in good health. She is in her fifties, but she looks like she is in her forties. And I have never heard of any disease in her."
"Hey! I can't tell for sure about this guy!" Boss Tang also sighed.
I still wanted to confirm, so I called Anthony.
He seemed to be busy and didn't answer the call until he called a second time.
"Hey, Brother Chen." His voice was also a little heavy.
I didn't waste any time and asked directly: "Anthony, let me ask you, has Mom passed away?"
"Well, two hours ago, the news from the hospital said that there was no breathing and heartbeat."
"What's going on? Wasn't it always fine before? Why is it so sudden?"
Anthony sighed and said, "We don't know yet. The hospital just said it might be due to cerebral hemorrhage, but my mother has never had high blood pressure or other diseases."
"Then what are your plans now?"
"My dad has already notified the funeral parlor here, and my dad will be responsible for the funeral arrangements."
"Where's An Lan?"
"She's here too."
"Is she in a good mood?"
"It's not good. I've been crying since I came to the hospital. I can't stop it."
"You have to persuade me even if you can't help it. I'll come to London right away and wait for me."
"Okay, I will go and comfort my sister, don't worry."
After hanging up the phone, I raised my head and took a long breath.
Unexpectedly, after two phone calls, it was completely dark. This extreme darkness made me shudder.
I didn't even sit down and have a good meal with Min Nolan, and I didn't even have time to call her mom in front of her.
I finally experienced An Siqi's helpless scene at Wen Zhaorong's funeral. She said that she didn't have time to call Wen Zhaorong dad, and I didn't have time to call Min Nolan mom.
Although she is not my biological mother, she is An Lan's biological mother and my mother-in-law.
A son-in-law has half a son, and I am his son!
I remembered that when she left last time, she gave me a card, saying that she would help me as much as possible, and asked me to take An Lan home and live a good life.
Thinking of these pictures, I just feel sore in my nose.
I lit another cigarette and smoked it skillfully. When I was about to finish it, I picked up my phone again and looked at the recent air tickets to London.
There is no direct flight recently, the only option is to transfer to Hong Kong first.
And the closest flight to Hong Kong is at 6:30 tomorrow morning, but no matter what, I have to go.
It's impossible for me not to take care of such a big thing until the last moment, not to mention that An Lan needs someone to accompany him in his current mood.
I took a deep breath again, stood up, pretended to be calm and said to Boss Tang: "Okay, Old Tang, let's go back to the inn."
"Aren't you going to go there?"
"I want to go. I just checked the air tickets. The closest one is tomorrow morning."
Boss Tang nodded and stopped talking. We returned to the inn in silence.
It happened so suddenly that I was unprepared and even disrupted all the rhythm on my side.
Tomorrow is the new auction of the Qin Group. Although this matter is a process, I still need to sign for confirmation.
Also, I have to talk to Zhu Haotian after the auction about letting him join the company.
Including some of the next plans and arrangements, they were all forgotten at this moment.
Yes, nothing is as important as An Lan's matter.
But I have to make arrangements, otherwise something may happen when I come back from London.
I called Chen Dajiang and Wang Yi to come to the inn. I didn't talk nonsense with them and said simply and concisely: "I'm going to London tomorrow. I called you here to arrange some of your next work."
"Going to London? Why go to London at this critical moment?" Wang Yi asked doubtfully.
"An Lan's mother passed away."
Wang Yi and Chen Dajiang both opened their eyes wide and looked at me in disbelief.
Yes, this was really sudden, no one expected it.
But isn’t the reality like this? We can only choose to wait for what will happen tomorrow.