novelraw Chapter 57: 057
Chapter 57: 057
Chapter 57
Shao ChengZe coughed lightly and cleared his throat to stop himself from laughing out loud because of what his daughter said.
Cheng LiQi looked at her coughing father and asked, "Daddy, don't you like to be jealous?"
Shao ChengZe coughed again and answered his daughter seriously, "Daddy likes being jealous very much."
The hand under his desk was probably going to be uncontrollable after this meal.
Cheng LiQi's laughter sounded like silver bells. "I also like being jealous. I like eating sour and sweet things, not spicy things."
The restaurant manager felt that after he left this private room, his thighs would also be uncontrollable. They were all pinched by him trying not to laugh. It turned out that this was a family of three who liked being jealous. They were really too cute.
On the way back, Cheng LiQi was not sleepy because of her full stomach. On the contrary, she was very energetic. She lay on her mother's lap and told her parents what she had learned today at kindergarten, and talked about how she wanted to celebrate her birthday party this year. She had already figured out how to design the invitation cards and would show them to her mother after she finished making them.
Cheng Jinlan leaned down and kissed her chubby little face. "Our little girl is so capable."
Cheng LiQi held her mother's face and kissed her too. "Because I have a very capable mother!"
Mother and daughter laughed together with their heads leaning against each other.
Shao ChengZe held the steering wheel with both hands, glancing at the rearview mirror from time to time. The corners of his mouth were raised with a smile, and his pitch-black eyes were filled with endless tenderness.
In the lights of thousands of households, this was just the most ordinary one, but the most touching ones were often these seemingly ordinary moments.
The car pulled into the yard. Cheng LiQi got up from her mother's lap and said, "We're home! Mom, is Dad sleeping at our house tonight?"
Shao ChengZe turned around to look.
Cheng Jinlan tidied her clothes for her and said, "Dad has to go back for work, so he can't sleep here."
Shao ChengZe's expectations fell through, but he was not disappointed either. Things had to be taken one step at a time, and he was already very satisfied with the current situation.
Cheng LiQi clung to the back of the driver's seat and leaned over to her father. "Dad works so hard. You still have to work at night."
Shao ChengZe reached out and picked his little princess from the back seat to the front. "Dad is not tired. Dad likes working."
Cheng LiQi lay on her father's shoulder and hugged her father's neck. "Dad, if you want to sleep here in the future, you don't need to climb over the wall or dig tunnels. You can just dress up as Snail Girl again like in the morning. I can lend you my doll's wig."
...Shao ChengZe didn't know how to describe his current mood. In short, it was very complicated, and one or two simple words were not enough to express it.
Cheng Jinlan got out of the car first, afraid that she would burst out laughing in the car. This morning, her mother had only sent her a photo. As for what happened, her mother told her to ask him. So it turned out that her daughter had set him up, no, she should say her daughter had saved him.
Before going to bed, Cheng Jinlan received his message on time: [Xiaomiao, good night].
She looked at the message for a long time without putting her phone down immediately like usual.
She replied: [Good night, Snail...Sir].
When Shao ChengZe saw her reply, he suddenly felt that dressing up as Snail Girl was also quite good. It could make his daughter happy, please his mother-in-law, and most importantly, win her heart. There was nothing more cost-effective than this.
That night, both Cheng Jinlan and Cheng LiQi slept very soundly and dreamed sweet dreams.
However, not many people in the Shao family slept that night. Wu Jingyao had originally arranged everything and planned to take preemptive action. She was going to release several waves of rumors on the Internet at 10 pm when traffic was highest. She had already written the titles and content of the rumors. The titles were very eye-catching.
The first wave was "The Big Reveal of the Reason Why Shao ChengZe Became the Abandoned Heir of the Shao Family - He Is Not a Descendant of the Shaos!!!"
The second wave was "The Origin of the Grudge Between the Shao and Cheng Families!!"
The third wave was "The Big Reveal of the Relationship Between Shao ChengZe and the Second Young Miss of the Cheng Family!"
Wu Jingyao naturally knew that Shao ChengZe was Shao Yunzheng’s grandson. There was no mistake at all. Otherwise, Shao Yunzheng would not have let him return to the Shao family, let alone take over the Shao Group. But nowadays, no one cared about the truth of things. The more outrageous and sensational, the more easily people would believe it. These three consecutive waves of rumors would surely set off huge waves. By then, Shao ChengZe would truly experience the meaning of vicious rumors, even if he presented substantive evidence. People would have preconceived notions. He, that girl from the Cheng family, and their daughter would always live under gossip and rumors.
Just when it was 10 pm, those big Vs who were supposed to post fell silent collectively. None of the prepared content was posted. Wu Jingyao asked Qian Huiqing, and Qian Huiqing said he couldn't contact anyone now. His phone and WeChat had all been blocked. Someone must have intervened to stop this.
Wu Jingyao tightly clutched her phone, unable to control her emotions at all. She really wanted to smash the phone on the ground. She had done this very covertly. It was impossible for anyone to find out, and yet actions were taken so quickly.
There was a knock on the door. The maid outside the door shouted, "Madam, the old master wants you to go to the study." Visjt for new updates
Wu Jingyao took a few deep breaths to calm herself before replying to the maid, "Got it."
She tidied up her expression in front of the mirror and put on the most perfect smile before going to the study. But she didn't expect that there would be someone else in the study. That bastard was sitting leisurely on the sofa looking at her. So he was the one who had stopped this. Now he had run over here to tattle. Wu Jingyao quickly thought of a countermeasure. She would simply deny it. All of this was done by Qian Huiqing's people, and it would not implicate her side.
After deleting and revising her message to Cheng Jinchuan several times, Cheng Jinlan still didn't know how to reply. Then Cheng Jinchuan sent another message: "He called me just now and said he wants to partner with our family to develop that plot of land in Nancheng. As the first collaborative project between the Cheng and Shao families to break the ice, his moves are quite swift. He just finished his power struggle this morning, and by the afternoon he's already scheming with our family. I haven't even agreed yet and he's calling it a 'first launch project'. Looks like he already has second and third launches in the works. He really intends to latch onto our Cheng family, doesn't he?"
Cheng Jinlan decided not to reply for the moment, because her brother clearly wasn't done speaking. She would reply after he finished. Sure enough, not even a second later, another voice message came in. "But his idea is not bad. He said we could build an amusement park. I was also thinking about how to utilize that plot of land in Nancheng. An amusement park sounds great. It can be a gift for my little Luqi. We'll just consider it a present for little Luqi. But even if we really partner up, I still need to think carefully about how to collaborate. I absolutely can't let him lead me by the nose."
Cheng Jinlan replied: [He definitely can't lead you by the nose. Only a beauty can lead away your nose.]
Cheng Jinchuan hee-hee'd twice. "My sister knows me well."
Cheng Jinlan pondered if she should send a message to ask about his situation over there. She had just tapped on his WeChat avatar when a red dot appeared over it.
[Want to have dinner together tonight?]
Cheng Jinlan was half-amused, half-exasperated. [Are we dining buddies? All we do is eat.]
[Of course we're not dining buddies. I have no work tonight. As my girlfriend, you can exercise all your privileges over me. I'm just afraid you won't exercise them.]
Cheng Jinlan gave him a one word reply. [Scram.]
Shao Chengze returned to the original topic. [How about Pine Grove Apartments tonight? I just learned a few sweet and sour dishes I want you and little LiQi to try.]
Cheng Jinlan asked him, [Have you resolved everything with your company?]
[It's resolved, so I'm anxious to find you and little LiQi to taste test my cooking. I also want to formally meet your parents soon and cook them a meal.]
Cheng Jinlan sent another one word reply. [Scram.]
Shao Chengze drove his SUV over to pick her up first before going to fetch little LiQi from school. LiQi leaned against her dad. She looked at her dad, then her mom. "Dad, you and Mom have been dating a lot lately."
Shao Chengze's expression changed slightly. He looked at her cautiously. "Doesn't little LiQi like it when Dad dates Mom?"
Cheng Jinlan was also watching her daughter. She didn't seem to be in high spirits today. Jinlan took her little hand. "Did something unhappy happen today, little LiQi?"
LiQi shook her head. "I'm not unhappy. I also want Dad and Mom to date more. But won't I become a lightbulb if I'm always there when you date? A really bright one?"
LiQi had learned a new word today from her classmates - "lightbulb". She thought carefully about its meaning. Wasn't she the lightbulb? She wanted her parents to date because it made her mom happy. She also wanted to be there when her parents dated because she didn't want to be apart from her mom. But wouldn't that make her a lightbulb? She didn't like being a lightbulb, but she also didn't want to interfere with her parents' dates.
Shao Chengze gently said, "Little LiQi could never be a lightbulb. You're a mini matchmaker for Dad and Mom. Think about it. Weren't you the one who brought Dad to Mom? If you hadn't come looking for Dad, Dad might never have found Mom. Also, didn't you teach Dad how to make Mom happy? If you hadn't been Dad's little teacher, Mom would still ignore Dad now. And remember yesterday morning? Wasn't it you who cleverly dressed Dad up as Lady Snail so Grandma wouldn't discover him? Without little LiQi there, Dad would have been doomed. Dad and Mom must have you there when we date, otherwise I won't know how to placate Mom if I make her angry."
As she listened to her dad's words, LiQi's smile grew wider and wider. "So I'm actually so amazing. I'm a mini matchmaker for Dad and Mom, not a lightbulb."
Cheng Jinlan ruffled her hair. "With so much hair, how could our little LiQi possibly be a lightbulb?"
LiQi rubbed her head against her mom's palm. "Mom, then you and Dad don't need to date once a day. Date three times a day instead. I'll be the best mini matchmaker ever and make sure Mom is happy every date."
Cheng Jinlan flicked her forehead lightly. "Don't you need to go to school anymore? Dating three times a day."
Oh right, LiQi stuck out her tongue. "Then date once a day on school days. And date three times a day on weekends."
"I think this arrangement by little LiQi is simply perfect." Shao Chengze lifted the little princess high up. Their little princess was no mere woolen coat, she was a mink coat!
LiQi giggled. "I think so too. What does Mom think?"
Cheng Jinlan pretended to scold the duo, one bigger child and one smaller child, both equally silly.
When they arrived at Pine Grove Apartments, LiQi worked on her birthday party invitations in the living room while her parents made delicious food for her in the kitchen. Hearing the doorbell ring, LiQi put down her paintbrush and scampered to open the door.
She opened the door to see a beautiful and kind-looking granny. LiQi smiled brightly and asked, "Granny, did you need something?"
Seeing this adorable little girl, Lv Siwei's heart almost melted away. How could there be such a cute little girl in the world? She secretly signaled to Shao Chengze who had walked over - "Little girl, granny went to the wrong floor. Granny should be up one more floor. Sorry about that, little girl, for disturbing you."
Lv Siwei had come today from her hometown, firstly because of what happened in the Shao family today, and secondly because she wanted to check on her son's progress pursuing his wife. That was of course the main reason. Nowadays she dreamed every night about this cute little girl, longing intensely to see her.
She figured with her son's cold personality, he might not even be holding the girl's hand yet at this point. Who would've thought her son would act so boldly and swiftly this time, already bringing the girl home with him. She had come at the wrong time today. If she had known better, she would've called first. Her son wasn't a lonely bachelor anymore. She couldn't just directly come over now like before. From now on, she would need to call ahead every time she visited, she couldn't disturb her son's dates. She had to leave quickly.
LiQi looked back at her dad, then turned to look at Lv Siwei again. She even took a step closer to her. "Granny, are you my dad's mom?"
Lv Siwei was completely shocked. She bent down to meet LiQi's eyes directly. "Sweetie, how did you know?" This was the little girl's first time seeing her right? How did she know she was her dad's mom?
"Because Dad looks at Granny very gently, the same way he looks at me and Mom. So Granny must be someone very close to Dad. Granny seems around the same age as my grandma. So you must be Dad's mom!"
Lv Siwei stared with mouth agape. This little sweetie must be a child prodigy!