Chapter 2690 - 1671: Awesome! (2)

Chapter 2690: Chapter 1671: Awesome! (2)

"Really that bad you can’t serve it? As long as it tastes okay, what it looks like doesn’t matter, right? I’m just doing side dishes anyway, the actual cooking should be left to the chefs."

"If someone shaped the chocolate like dog shit, would you eat it?"

"..."

Shi Zhenhua was taken aback, then started laughing and put the kitchen knife down helplessly.

"MeiLing, you’ve changed. You never used to say such crude things."

Good advice is hard to hear.

If it didn’t sound harsh, would he have put the knife down?

"Crude? Don’t tell me you’ve never picked up dog shit."

That huge white bear of a dog was bounding happily around the yard, led by a bodyguard.

She didn’t like pets; back when she was still the lady of this house, there was absolutely no way a dog would exist here.

"You, you..."

Shi Zhenhua shook his head, sighing helplessly as he took off his apron.

All right.

Stop making a mess of things.

"While Qian Qian isn’t back yet, there’s something I want to discuss with you."

The housekeeper came over, took the apron, and handed the kitchen to the real professionals. Shi Zhenhua led his ex‑wife upstairs to the study.

"Jiang and Qian Qian have had it out. He’s not going to break up with that girl."

Meng Meiling remained perfectly calm.

Shi Zhenhua hesitated for a moment. "Which means your daughter might never get rid of the ’third party’ label in this lifetime."

He’d brought her to the study specifically to have an open, honest talk. They’re divorced, but their roles as father and mother haven’t changed.

"What are you trying to say?"

"You don’t have any thoughts about this at all?" Shi Zhenhua asked.

"It’s all clearly priced and mutually consensual. What exactly do you want me to say?"

Shi Zhenhua gave a bitter smile. "MeiLing, this isn’t doing business. You’re not just her mother—you’re a woman yourself."

"I tried a long time ago. What was your attitude back then?"

Shi Zhenhua fell silent.

Yeah.

Back then he’d kept his mouth shut, letting the not‑yet‑ex‑wife play the villain while he played the good guy.

"If you don’t want Qian Qian to suffer this kind of humiliation, the only option is for her to break up."

Meng Meiling was brief and decisive.

"Don’t you have some sort of agreement with Jiang?"

Shi Zhenhua looked at her as he spoke.

"That’s my business. What does it have to do with you?"

"..."

Shi Zhenhua didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. His smile was complicated as he said, "MeiLing, do you have to be this aggressive?"

"Am I the one being aggressive? Or are you just getting more naïve with age?"

Meng Meiling said evenly, "You weren’t the type to fantasize about having it all before."

Shi Zhenhua let out a quiet sigh.

"But she’s my daughter."

Meng Meiling stopped "attacking" him.

It wasn’t really attacking anyway.

She was just telling the truth, maybe a bit too bluntly.

Besides.

The fact that she was willing to come today already showed her attitude. If they were really at each other’s throats, how would she possibly cooperate with him?

"There’s a kind of love that means letting go. You’re old now—just enjoy your retirement in peace. Put your energy into that dog of yours; it beats wasting effort."

Shi Zhenhua was torn between crying and laughing, and couldn’t help muttering, "What did Little Seven ever do to you?"

Right then,

there was a noise outside.

The ex‑couple looked out the window and saw Shi Qianxi’s car pulling up to the gate, a bodyguard opening the door for her.

But she didn’t come in; she stayed outside, as if she were waiting for someone.

"You really don’t feel even a bit bothered by this?"

Shi Zhenhua asked curiously in a low voice.

"Is that piece of paper really so important? Enjoying all the perks of being married while staying single—what’s wrong with that?"

Drawing his gaze back from the window, Shi Zhenhua turned his head and looked at his ex‑wife’s calm profile. He wanted to laugh, but it was as if something invisible held him back; the laugh never made it out. A trace of guilt rose in his chest, gradually spreading until it filled his whole rib cage.

He nodded, looking out toward the estate gates.

"You have a point."

Down at the gate, pacing back and forth, Shi Qianxi had no idea her parents were spying on her from upstairs. After a short wait, she impatiently dialed a number.

"Where are you?"

People have a tendency to overestimate themselves.

They think they can stay relaxed and composed, but when the moment actually comes, their heart is pounding like a deer, jumping all over the place.

"Almost there."

"I’m already here! I’ll give you ten more minutes—if you’re not here by then, don’t bother coming!"

Jiang Chen wasn’t irritated at all. He understood her completely: for this kind of occasion, you can’t show up right on the dot, you have to arrive early. That’s why he’d left Tianci so much ahead of time.

"Okay, you can time me."

"Hurry up!"

Shi Qianxi hung up and started pacing again. It wasn’t entirely nerves; the feeling was hard to describe, something she’d simply never experienced in her life before.

"Beeeeep——"

A car horn sounded.

Shi Qianxi, practically a lovestruck girl at this point, followed the sound with her eyes, her brows instantly lighting up as she strode forward to greet him.

Jiang Chen parked, opened the door, and got out.

"Did I go over time?"

Whether it had gone over ten minutes was unknown; Shi Qianxi hadn’t actually been timing it. She immediately grabbed his arm. "Let’s go."

"Wait a sec."

Jiang Chen shook her off, then walked to the back of the car and opened the trunk.

He brought a gift?

Very thoughtful.

Shi Qianxi, who hadn’t realized this herself, hurried over. She poked her head in for a look and froze.

Not gold or jewels, not fancy cigarettes or expensive liquor, but...

"Fish cake. It’s a local specialty from where I’m from."

Jiang Chen lifted the gift out and closed the trunk.

A full ten jin.

Pretty heavy.

It wasn’t just a local specialty; after he found out the time was set, he had Fang Qing specially mail it to him, express delivery.

As for what it was for, he definitely wasn’t going to spell it out. Honest was honest, but he couldn’t actually act like an idiot.

"You bought it in Sha City?"

"Yeah."

After spacing out for a moment, Shi Qianxi’s expression went back to normal.

She naturally didn’t care whether the gift was expensive or not.

It’s not like she’s short on money.

Her parents are the same.

What kind of luxury haven’t they seen?

On the contrary.

Compared to the price on the receipt, the thought behind the gift is usually more precious.

So she felt—

This was a pretty good choice of gift!

"We’ll have the chef cook it later, we can try it today."

The two of them headed toward the estate.

"Woof woof woof woof—"

The big white bear of a dog was noticeably larger than last time, easily at a hundred jin now. Its fur was glossy, it looked majestic, and it got very excited when it saw Shi Qianxi. If the bodyguard weren’t holding it back, it would’ve pounced straight over.

To be able to hold back such a fierce dog, that bodyguard’s arm strength was nothing to sneeze at.

"Little Seven, remember him?"

Shi Qianxi turned her head to ask.

Jiang Chen nodded.

"See, it still remembers you too."

She didn’t have time to play with the dog today. Shi Qianxi led the not-quite-a-guest guest inside, only to find that her dad hadn’t come out to greet them.

So rude.

"Where’s my dad?"

She asked the maid.

"Mr. Shi and Lady are in the study."

The maid answered.

Lady.

Even without mentioning Shi Qianxi, Jiang Chen knew who that term referred to.

Apart from Meng Meiling, no one else could possibly deserve that title, even though the two of them had already been divorced for a long time.

"My mom’s here? When did she get here?"

"Lady has been here for a little while now."

Shi Qianxi was moved.

Her mother arriving early meant what?

It meant she really cared.

"Take this fish cake and have it cooked."

Shi Qianxi instructed.

The maid took the heartfelt Sha City Fish Cake from Jiang Chen’s hands.

"What do you want to drink?"

The two of them walked over to the sofa.

"Got any alcohol?"

Jiang Chen asked.

Shi Qianxi’s lips curved up. "Seriously? You need liquid courage before we’ve even started?"

"It’s too cold. Just want to warm up a bit."

Shi Qianxi gave him a sultry side-eye, then walked off. When she came back more than ten minutes later, she was actually carrying a jar of yellow wine, with a cup in her other hand.

Jiang Chen was surprised; he hadn’t expected her to be this... considerate.

Looked like his "status" today was actually different from before.

"Thunk."

She set the yellow wine down on the coffee table.

"There’s more after you finish."

Jiang Chen let out a speechless laugh. This jar had to be around three jin.

"I came for dinner, not specifically to drink."

"This wine isn’t strong. Drink more."

Shi Qianxi said warmly.

"I’m going upstairs to take a look."

Completely unaware of how serious this really was, Jiang Chen nodded, stared at the three-jin jar of yellow wine grinning like a fool, then pulled out the stopper, poured a cup, and tipped his head back in a hearty gulp.

Sour and sweet and warming.

Comrade Jiang Chen blew out a breath.

"Nice!"