“So… what he said was a lie?”
Qin Chaolu breathed a sigh of relief.
“Obviously!” Zheng Zhenzhen replied without batting an eye. “A social climber like him? If he dared touch me even once, I’d slap him across the face!”
She was practically grinding her back teeth to pieces, and her reaction didn’t seem fake at all. Besides, Zheng Zhenzhen had always looked down on Zhao Xinnian. Seeing this, Qin Chaolu finally put her worries completely to rest.
She smiled and said, “Ah, so it was all just a misunderstanding! Zhenzhen, have you eaten yet? Why don’t you join us?”
“Sure!” Zheng Zhenzhen agreed without hesitation. Her legs had been aching unbearably for quite a while, so she pulled out a chair and sat down.
The corner of Zhuang Ziwei’s mouth twitched.
With Zheng Zhenzhen joining them, the atmosphere from earlier vanished completely.
In stark contrast to Zhuang Ziwei’s frustration, Qin Chaolu seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood. Even while eating her steak, she suddenly couldn’t suppress a laugh.
“What’s wrong with you? Did something get into you?” Zheng Zhenzhen asked curiously.
Qin Chaolu hurriedly waved her hand. “Nothing, nothing. I just thought of something that made me happy. Pfft…”
She was already breathtakingly beautiful, and her smile made her even more captivating. Zhuang Ziwei stared at her, completely mesmerized.
However, Qin Chaolu wasn’t paying any attention to him. Zhao Xinnian’s figure filled her mind.
‘You finally gave yourself away!’
‘Yesterday, you acted as if you didn’t care at all, but today, you couldn’t sit still anymore. I’m only having a meal with Awei, yet you still had to come over and ruin it.’
‘Hehe, you forgot my phone number? What a pathetic excuse!’
Everything that had happened condensed into a single thought in Qin Chaolu’s mind.
‘He really cares about me!’
For some reason, that realization made Qin Chaolu incredibly happy. Her mood brightened considerably, and even her appetite improved.
“Don’t just sit there. Eat, eat! Steak this good won’t taste nearly as nice once it gets cold!” she urged the other two.
Somehow, she managed to turn an upscale Western restaurant into something that felt like a bustling roadside eatery.
Qin Chaolu thought that when she went over with her mother a little later, Zhao Xinnian would probably be unable to wait any longer before coming home…
…
Zhao Xinnian walked out of the hotel.
He glanced at the BMW 5 Series parked outside and immediately noticed the conspicuous yellow ticket stuck to its windshield.
‘Well, congratulations, Zheng Zhenzhen. You’ve successfully earned yourself a traffic ticket.’
Zhao Xinnian calmly looked away without the slightest trace of guilt. He unlocked a shared bicycle and rode toward his little store.
He had finally completed the mission. Now he needed to go back and claim his rewards.
Just thinking about the Universal 2 Centimeters the system had promised made even the wind blowing against his face seem sweet.
Of course, the moment he remembered Qin Chaolu and Zhuang Ziwei having a date together, the wind immediately stopped feeling sweet.
‘Damn it. Why am I thinking about that crap?’ Zhao Xinnian cursed inwardly. ‘There are plenty of fish in the sea. Why would I hang myself from a single tree?’
[Host makes such a good point. I think so too!]
The system suddenly jumped in to remind him of its existence.
Zhao Xinnian pedaled quickly and soon arrived at No. 7 Convenience Store.
After opening the door, he immediately began examining his rewards with barely contained anticipation.
First, a notification appeared on his phone. His bank account had received 1,000 yuan.
[All of my funds come from completely legal and compliant sources. Host, please rest assured!]
Before he could even ask, the system thoughtfully explained everything.
Zhao Xinnian gave a quiet acknowledgment and shifted his attention to the second reward.
“System, can this Universal 2 Centimeters be divided up? What I mean is, could I add 1 centimeter to my height and another 1 centimeter to my legs?”
[No! This is a one-time reward!]
“I understand.”
Zhao Xinnian excitedly headed upstairs.
When he came back down, his height was exactly the same, and there was no visible change to his appearance. However, the mission reward had already been used.
[Oh my! Host, you’re so scary! I don’t even dare open my eyes anymore… Sob, sob, sob.]
The system’s voice was filled with embarrassment.
Zhao Xinnian ignored it, looking thoroughly satisfied.
In truth, he had already been quite impressive in that department, enough to fill things completely every time. Still, when it came to this sort of ability, the stronger, the better.
Business was slow that afternoon.
With little to do, Zhao Xinnian leaned back in his boss chair and watched a TV series on his phone.
When his alarm rang, he instinctively got up to leave. However, the moment he stood, he remembered that Qin Chaolu had said earlier that she would pick up Yanyan today.
So he lay back down again.
Taking turns caring for their daughter, one day each, wasn’t a bad arrangement.
When it came to raising their daughter, Zhao Xinnian tended to worry about more things. Still, Qin Chaolu was equally devoted and responsible as a mother. There was nothing he could criticize about the way she cared for Yanyan.
No matter what happened between him and Qin Chaolu, Zhao Xinnian didn’t want Yanyan’s childhood to be incomplete.
She needed both a father’s love and a mother’s love.
That was also why Zhao Xinnian hadn’t fought for sole custody when he proposed the divorce.
A little after 5:00 p.m., a figure suddenly entered the convenience store.
The system’s excited voice immediately rang out.
[9 points! 9 points! We’ve seen her again, Host! You absolutely can’t let her get away this time!]
Zhao Xinnian looked up. The instant he saw who it was, he cursed inwardly, ‘Fuck! That’s my mother-in-law!’
Qin Fengjiao walked gracefully into the store.
She had phoenix-shaped eyes, an oval face, and brown curly hair that gave her an air of refined elegance. She looked almost like a classical beauty who had stepped straight out of a painting. If there was anything that could be called an imperfection, it was simply that time had inevitably left a few faint traces upon her face.
She wore a qipao that perfectly accentuated her tall, voluptuous figure. She resembled a bundle of fully ripened wheat, heavy, full, and enticing. At the same time, she was like a ripe peach in August, so luscious that a single bite seemed as though it would make sweet juice overflow.
[Oh, my young and vigorous Host, when you’re young, you fail to appreciate the charm of a mature woman and mistakenly treat young girls as treasures! The woman standing before you is an exceptionally rare beauty. When it comes to a beautiful yet tragic romance, age has never been a problem! Be brave, Host. Go for it! Don’t let something wonderful slip through your fingers.]
[Mission issued: Strike up a conversation with Qin Fengjiao and obtain her contact information.]
[Mission Reward 1: 1,000 yuan in cash.]
[Mission Reward 2: Universal 1 Centimeter.]
Zhao Xinnian swallowed.
He rose from his boss chair and asked, “Mom, what brings you here?”
Qin Fengjiao surveyed the convenience store, and a look of disgust appeared on her face. “Ugh! This place is filthy. You’re actually letting Yanyan live here?”
Zhao Xinnian glanced around before replying helplessly, “The second floor has been cleaned thoroughly. Please sit down for a while.”
In reality, the first floor wasn’t dirty at all. The floor had been mopped until it was spotless and gleaming, while all the merchandise was arranged neatly on the shelves. However, Zhao Xinnian knew how picky his mother-in-law was, so there was no point arguing with her over something like this.
Qin Fengjiao didn’t stand on ceremony. She gracefully sat down in his boss chair and snorted. “How long are you planning to live here?”
Zhao Xinnian fell silent for a moment before answering, “Once I have enough money to buy a house, I’ll move out.”
“Buy a house? You?” Qin Fengjiao looked him up and down before letting out a mocking laugh.
“Yes,” Zhao Xinnian replied seriously.
Qin Fengjiao frowned. “So you really have no intention of going back?”
“We’re divorced. Why would I go back?”
“What if I demand that you go back?” Qin Fengjiao stared directly into his eyes, emphasizing every word.
Zhao Xinnian still shook his head. “Mom, there’s no point.”
Qin Fengjiao paused before continuing, “Actually, I can tell that Chaolu already regrets it. She simply hasn’t understood her own feelings yet… Ask her to remarry you. I guarantee she’ll agree.”
‘She regrets it?’
Zhao Xinnian hadn’t noticed anything of the sort.
He smiled and said, “Mom, suppose we remarry. Then what? Will she cut ties with certain people because of me? Or would you rather watch us argue endlessly at home?”
Those situations were all too easy to imagine.
If he and Qin Chaolu were still married, then something like what had happened between her and Zhuang Ziwei today would have ended very differently.
Given Zhao Xinnian’s personality, there would have been bloodshed.
Qin Fengjiao remained silent for several seconds. She clearly understood what he meant. Finally, she sighed and said, “Fine. Take this card. There’s 300,000 yuan inside. The password is Yanyan’s birthday.”
She stood and placed a bank card on the counter.
“Mom, I can’t take this money,” Zhao Xinnian said.
Qin Fengjiao completely ignored him. With graceful steps, she walked outside and got into a car.
[Host! The mission! The mission! Hurry up and complete the mission! You’re making me anxious!]
The system’s frantic voice echoed through Zhao Xinnian’s mind.
Zhao Xinnian gritted his teeth, grabbed the bank card from the counter, and rushed outside.
He pulled open the car door, handed the bank card back, then forced himself to ask, “Mom, what was your phone number again? I forgot…”
His words abruptly died in his throat.
Qin Fengjiao wasn’t the only person inside the car!
At that moment, Qin Wanshuang’s lips parted slightly. She was holding Zhao Leyan in her arms, her expression filled with bewilderment.
Qin Chaolu’s reaction, however, was completely different.
After all, Zhao Xinnian had used this exact same excuse on her just a short while ago.
And now she had heard it again?
Her eyes widened as she stared at Zhao Xinnian, shock and fury spreading across her face.
At that instant, Zhao Xinnian’s scalp went numb.