Chapter 56

Cheng LiQi introduced her grandmother and the Snail Fairy Girl seriously, "Snail Fairy Girl, this is my grandmother."

Shao ChengZe was dragged to a dilemma by his daughter. He could only wear the golden wavy long hair on his head and cooperate with his daughter's acting, greeting Fei Zuhui as naturally as possible, "Grandma, I am... Snail Fairy Girl."

Fei Zuhui wanted to laugh but couldn't laugh. The corners of her mouth twitched involuntarily a few times. She barely nodded and said, "Hello, Snail Fairy Girl."

Cheng LiQi probably also felt that the atmosphere was wrong. She took her grandmother's hand and said, "Grandma, let's go. Let Snail Fairy Girl cook in peace. Let's not disturb her."

Shao ChengZe was grateful for his daughter's thoughtfulness, but the breath in his heart hadn't eased yet. He just heard Fei Zuhui say, "Little LiQi, this is the first time grandma has met Snail Fairy Girl. Grandma wants to take a picture with you and Snail Fairy Girl to keep as a souvenir. Can you tell me what happened?"

Cheng LiQi agreed very much with her grandmother's suggestion, "Okay!"

Although Shao ChengZe refused to wear this golden long wig on his head, he couldn’t refuse to take pictures with his daughter, let alone miss this opportunity to please his future mother-in-law.

Let the black history be black history.

Shao ChengZe picked up his daughter. Cheng LiQi leaned her head against her dad's and made a "yay" gesture at the camera. The picture froze at this moment.

When Cheng Jian Lan saw this photo, she couldn't help laughing and slumped on the table. She had to admit that this wig looked quite good on him. So what had happened while she was still asleep this morning?

She forwarded this photo to him and asked, [My mom said to send this photo to you as a souvenir. Can you tell me what happened?]

Shao ChengZe didn’t really want to answer this question. He asked her, [Does your body still feel uncomfortable?]

Now it was Cheng Jian Lan who didn’t really want to answer the question. [I'm going to a meeting.]

Shao ChengZe sent another message, [Do you want to have dinner together tonight and bring little LiQi?]

Cheng Jian Lan leaned her chin on her hand and replied, [Okay.]

Shao ChengZe raised his eyebrows. [What do you want to eat?]

[Isn't that something you should think about?]

Shao ChengZe smiled involuntarily. He felt like their relationship was getting better and better, or rather, she was slowly opening her heart to him.

He put away his cell phone and hid his smile. He tapped the table with his fingers to remind the person in front of him, "If you haven't made up your mind yet, you can go back and think about it. Let me know whenever you've decided. I still have other arrangements to attend to."

It was obvious that he was driving the guest away. Shao JingYun cursed in his heart but had to pretend to smile awkwardly, "I've made up my mind, but it will take some time to process the transfer. I can't wait. I want the money now. It must be in the account by noon tomorrow."

Shao ChengZe nodded, "No problem. As long as you sign all the documents you should sign, the money can be in your account tonight."

Shao JingYun gritted his teeth. "Okay, get the documents ready. I'll sign them now."

Shao JingYun indulged in wine, women and gambling, but what he liked most was still gambling. Moreover, he lost every nine out of ten times. The more he lost, the more he wanted to gamble again, hoping to turn the tide and win it all back someday. He couldn't restrain himself at all. His parents controlled his money tightly. When he ran out of money, he would rely on his status to borrow money from outside. The debts he owed over the years piled up with compound interest, and now they had snowballed into an astronomical figure. If the old master knew about it, before the debt collectors beat him to death, the old man would have beaten him to death first. His father was now tormented by the matter of his young mistress and going through a messy divorce. His mother was asking for a divorce and splitting their assets. She claimed it was to fight for him, but she was actually doing it for herself. She couldn't wait to take the money and fly away with her toy boy. The only liquid assets Shao JingYun had access to right now were the few pitiful shares, whose price kept falling day by day. Shao ChengZe wanted them and he was giving them away. If the old master knew about it, he would just say that Shao ChengZe had set a trap to bait him. Anyway, compared to Shao ChengZe, the old master would believe him more. He just needed to get through this hurdle first. When the old master was leaving his inheritance, what should be his would still be his.

Shao ChengZe let his assistant A take care of the rest with Shao JingYun. He went into the adjoining conference room to take Da Meng's call. Da Meng was brief and to the point, saying he had taken photos of Wu JingYao and Qian HuiQing together. After Shao ChengZe hung up the phone and looked out the window, his eyes were filled with fathomless chill. It seemed that everyone was getting restless. Wu JingYao was patient enough. She knew what the old master hated most. All these years, she had never run into Qian HuiQing even once. One might say she was prudent, yet she was also bold enough to place her and Qian HuiQing's son, Qian Zheng, by the old master's side for decades. To Wu JingYao, Shao ZhangTing was the incapable Liu Laodou. She had placed all her hopes on Qian Zheng.

Tomorrow there would probably be a heavy rainstorm. Hopefully this rain could lower the scorching summer temperature a bit.

Cheng Jian Lan arrived at the kindergarten gate half an hour early. She saw his car but no one was inside. Cheng Jian Lan called him but no one answered. So she didn't call again and just stayed in the car continuing with work.

About ten minutes before the kindergarten dismissal time, Cheng Jian Lan got out of the car. Then she saw a man and a woman get out of a nanny van not far away. The man was tall and the woman petite. The handsome man and beautiful woman naturally drew attention. Cheng Jian Lan only glanced at them briefly before withdrawing her gaze. She turned around to lock her car and walked towards the kindergarten gate.

When Shao ChengZe saw her, he stopped talking to Shen Xi Wen and strode to her side, reaching for her hand. "When did you get here? Didn't we agree that I'd come to pick you up?"

Cheng Jian Lan imperceptibly avoided his hand, answering neither coldly nor gently, "Just now."

Shen Xi Wen followed behind Shao ChengZe and came over to greet Cheng Jian Lan. "Miss Cheng, hello, I'm Shen Xi Wen."

Cheng Jian Lan had heard Cheng LiQi mention who Shen ChuQi's mother was. They didn't speak the one time they met briefly at the Bai family banquet before. This was the first time formally meeting her face-to-face. Shen ChuQi resembled her very much, especially when smiling. The mole at the corner of her eyes was also very lovable.

Cheng Jian Lan didn't have much resistance against people with nice smiles. She nodded slightly to Shen Xi Wen. "Miss Shen, hello."

Shen Xi Wen smiled, eyes curving. "Just call me Xi Wen. Our little ChuQi has been telling me every day how nice Miss Cheng is to him. I've been wanting to invite you to a meal to thank you for taking care of him all these years."

Cheng Jian Lan replied, "No need for a meal. I like little ChuQi very much. He's well-behaved and sensible, and takes good care of little LiQi at school too. It's only right that I show him more care. Little LiQi's birthday is coming up soon. If it's convenient for you, please come over with little ChuQi then."

"Great, I'm free these days, resting. ChuQi and I will definitely go over then." Shen Xi Wen agreed without hesitation. She wanted to go with her son to give little LiQi birthday blessings, and also convey the birthday wishes from his godmother.

The kindergarten dismissal bell rang. The children rushed out of the classrooms, eager to get out. Shen Xi Wen spotted Shen ChuQi and jogged over to pick him up.

Shao ChengZe and Cheng Jian Lan also walked over. Shao ChengZe stared at her profile. "Angry?"

"Why would I be angry? I'm not a balloon. Is being angry the only thing I can do all day?" Cheng Jian Lan spoke indifferently, her eyes on the kindergarten yard without glancing his way at all.

Shao ChengZe firmly held her hand in an unbreakable grip, quickly explaining his relationship with Shen Xi Wen. "She calls my mom her godmother. My mom treats her like her own daughter. I treat her like my own sister. That's the relationship we have. You're jealous, aren't you?"

There was laughter in his eyes and his tone was not questioning but affirmative confirmation. He had noticed her abnormal mood from the start, but didn't immediately clarify his relationship with Shen Xi Wen. He actually quite liked seeing her like this. He liked her being jealous over him.

Cheng Jian Lan's ears were a little red. She turned to look at him and spoke just as affirmatively, "What jealousy? I don't even like being jealous. I don't even dip dumplings in vinegar when I eat them."

Cheng LiQi ran out of the classroom with her little schoolbag, first saw her mom and shouted loudly "Mom!", then saw her dad and happily shouted "Dad!", and finally buried her head in mom and dad's arms, "Mom, dad, why did you both come to pick me up today?"

Shao ChengZe took over her schoolbag, "Dad and mom came to pick up little LiQi to have dinner together. Today we are going to have a big meal."

"Great, I love big meals the most." Cheng LiQi excitedly shook her little braids, and saw Aunt Shen Xi Wen next to her. She hadn't seen Aunt Shen for a long time. She greeted Shen Xi Wen loudly, "Aunt Shen!"

Shen Xi Wen held Shen ChuQi's hand as she walked over, smiling and praising Little LiQi for being even more beautiful, while Shen ChuQi obediently greeted Uncle and Auntie Shao.

Cheng LiQi happily shared the good news with Shen ChuQi, "I'm going to have a big meal with my mom and dad. Shen ChuQi replied, "I'm also going to have a big meal with my mom."

"Oh~~ I see," Cheng LiQi looked at the adults, "Then we should just have a big meal together."

Shen Xi Wen quickly said, "Auntie can't eat with little LiQi today. I already made reservations at a restaurant and invited some other friends. Let's eat together next time."

Shen Xi Wen actually didn't have any friends she invited at all. This was the dinner time for their family of three. If she dared interfere, Shao ChengZe wouldn't let her off easy. She still had something that she needed his help with recently, so she couldn't upset him. Shen Xi Wen has been thinking about whether she should withdraw from this circle and move behind the scenes. Being away for months at a time during a drama shoot, she and little ChuQi barely have any time together. She has already missed out on six years of his life, and can't miss out on any more moments of him growing up.

Back then, her relationship with Li Peifeng was as bad as it could get. She was not mentally prepared at all for the pregnancy. After giving birth to little ChuQi, she had postpartum depression. She didn't want to see Li Peifeng, nor did she want to see the baby. Every time she heard the baby cry, she felt an urge to die from the repression, feeling that she couldn't be a good mom, and didn't deserve to be one either. She only wanted to escape, and she escaped very far away. It took her a very long time to get out of that patch of darkness that she never wants to revisit. But she also owed little ChuQi a lot.

At first she wanted to go back and find him, but the more she wanted to go back, the more afraid she became, afraid that he would hate her. And the more afraid she was, the less she dared to go back, shrinking in her own turtle shell, only able to watch him from afar. Little ChuQi was much braver than his mom. He found her, letting her know that she could learn to be a mom, and also giving her a chance to make up for lost time with him. She couldn't miss this chance again. She had to plan carefully about the path she needed to take next.

Cheng LiQi swung her little legs to the beat of the music playing in the car, "Mom, where are we going for the big meal?"

Cheng Jinglan was redoing her braids, "I don't know either, your dad made the plans, ask your dad."

Cheng LiQi turned to ask dad, "Dad, where are we going to eat?"

Shao ChengZe gently replied, "We are going to the place where your mom and dad had our first date."

"The place where mom and dad had their first date?!" Cheng LiQi's voice went up a notch in excitement, "Mom, where was your and dad's first date?"

This question stumped Cheng Jinglan. Their relationship became official in a very ambiguous way, without a clear day marking them as boyfriend and girlfriend. If counting from their first...kiss, then their first date didn't happen here, but in Jiangnan. Surely he wasn't planning on driving all the way to Jiangnan.

She vaguely replied to her daughter, "You'll know when we get there."

Shao ChengZe looked at her through the rearview mirror. Cheng Jinglan also looked at him. She just didn't know where he was referring to. Making a fuss over a simple dinner, she didn't believe he remembered all of their first times.

When they arrived, Cheng Jinglan finally realized which place he meant. How could this count as the place of their first date? This was simply where they first had a meal together.

At that time, he had contacted her to discuss compensation for the car accident, saying that just a meal would cover the repair costs, a very clumsy way of asking a girl out. But she had foolishly agreed. Western food would be too romantic, so she had picked a down-to-earth local restaurant. Other than enjoying the food, there was no particular mood sitting in the restaurant.

"Wow~~" Cheng LiQi held her mom with one hand and her dad with the other, walking into the restaurant with her mouth open, letting out an exclamation, "Dad, you sure know how to pick places. This restaurant looks like it serves really tasty food, smells so good."

Shao ChengZe replied to his daughter, "Your mom was the one who picked this restaurant originally."

Cheng LiQi was curious, "So for mom and dad's first date, it was mom who asked dad out?"

Shao ChengZe: ......

Cheng Jinglan was about to get annoyed by his words, but laughed again because of what her daughter said.

The restaurant manager leading the way up front was biting his lips hard to keep from laughing out loud. He had to be a proper restaurant manager, and not eavesdrop on customers, even though he wasn't exactly eavesdropping since he was listening openly.

Shao ChengZe struggled to make up for it, "Dad now knows very clearly what your mom likes to eat."

Cheng LiQi tilted her head looking at dad, "How could you like someone for a long time yet not know what she likes to eat? Dad, was your liking of mom not good enough?"

Shao ChengZe: ......

Cheng Jinglan was like a warm little cotton-padded coat whenever she stood up for her.

Although Shao ChengZe ended up shooting himself in the foot, he was still very confident in taking his daughter's test. With each dish he ordered, Cheng LiQi would make a mental check, and her little mouth would also turn up a bit more.

Shao ChengZe closed the menu, glanced at Cheng Jinglan, and told the manager, "Please make the beef broth a little more sour, the child's mother likes sour flavors, especially vinegar."

Cheng Jinglan pinched the hand that was holding hers under the table, and told the manager, "Just make it normal, not too sour, I don't particularly like vinegar."

Cheng LiQi looked at her mom in some confusion. She knew best what her mom liked to eat, "Mom, aren't you the one who likes vinegar the most, adding some to everything you eat?"

Cheng Jinglan: ......!