Return of the Antagonistic Lady Boss

Chapter 238 - 229: Qian Sets a Trap

"Who is this chef? They’re hilarious." Teng Shuixian quickly finished the fish.

"Maybe they didn’t do their best. Do you want this?" Qian pointed at the scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Teng Shuixian shook her head and put down her chopsticks.

Although she only took a few bites, Teng Daye was deeply shocked.

This was the most his daughter had eaten in the past six months, and it was such an odd dish!

"No matter how much I eat these dishes, I never get tired of them, especially this scrambled eggs with tomatoes. When I was a child, if my father won at cards, he would make it for me. Later, he did many bad things, divorced my mom, and I considered him dead, but I couldn’t stop missing this dish. It’s not necessarily delicious, I just want to eat it. It feels like I can feel the past through it, a sense of nostalgia."

She didn’t cure Teng Shuixian; getting her to eat a few bites was simply playing the "nostalgia" card.

Chive dumplings and fried fish, for Teng Shuixian, hold stories and nostalgia.

"Nostalgia?" Teng Shuixian asked dazedly.

Qian nodded and reached out to pour her a cup of tea. This tea was also chosen with care. It’s called Hawthorn Malt Tea, made with raw hawthorn and roasted malt, which can help increase pepsin for someone with anorexia who doesn’t eat regularly.

For the few bites Teng Shuixian ate, an ordinary person wouldn’t even feel half full, but for her constitution, it was already excessive. Without drinking something like this, it would easily cause her discomfort.

Teng Daye watched his daughter closely, fearing she’d throw up everything as usual after eating.

Teng Shuixian was not only extremely picky about food but also long-term anorexic. Whenever she ate, she’d vomit shortly after. Both Chinese and Western medicine had been tried with no success.

When he anxiously waited for his daughter to head to the washroom, he saw Qian and Teng Shuixian playing with the Nine Linked Rings instead.

Qian was diverting her attention. Although her stomach was a bit uncomfortable, the urge to vomit was gone.

Seeing his daughter this happy today, Teng Daye also dropped his guard and chatted freely with Yu Mingli. Their conversation eventually drifted to business matters.

Upon hearing the two big-wigs talking business, Qian immediately looked up to see Teng Shuixian’s expression.

Sure enough, the girl who had a faint smile just a moment ago now had a shadow pass over her face.

Qian swiftly put the Nine Linked Rings on the table and playfully protested to the old brother.

"Brother, stop talking about that. It’s boring. I’m here to make friends today. Don’t be so mundane. Money can never be more important than family, no matter how much there is."

Yu Mingli, being very astute, immediately understood Qian’s hint and cheerfully called for a waiter.

"Take away the wine, and bring us the best tea leaves," he said, then turned to Mr. Teng, "Brother Teng, we’re not talking business today, let’s let the kids make friends. Alcohol gets to the head, let’s switch to tea."

This gesture was very much to Teng Daye’s liking—it appeared Yu Mingli wasn’t just after money. Even if he was, he handled things so well that there wasn’t a hint of money-grubbing.

Teng Shuixian’s tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and she gave Qian a faint smile. Qian, seeing the expression, understood that the young girl was truly happy now.

"Here, do as I do, your fingers like this..." Qian explained earnestly.

"Your master must be very skilled to teach a student like you." Teng Shuixian praised.

Qian blushed slightly. When Yu Minglang taught her in their past life, if she was slow, she faced "punishment," the yellow kind...

Indeed, he was steady in his past life, but in his bones, there was still some roguishness, just expressed more subtly.

"Your expression is so strange..." Teng Shuixian asked, puzzled. She was very observant despite her introversion, rarely engaging with others, but noticing everyone’s micro-expressions.

"I just thought of my master."

"What kind of person is he, could I meet him?"

"Sure, but he’s quite busy with work, so he doesn’t have much free time. Once he’s free, we can all meet up."

"It’s a deal. You can’t deceive me; I don’t like people who just say nice things."

"Absolutely."

While Yu Mingli was chatting casually with Mr. Teng, his ears were perked, keeping an eye on how things were progressing with Qian. Hearing this part of the conversation, he was overly pleased. His little brother’s future wife was indeed exceptional.

"Shuixian, do you know why I think of him and feel so strange?" Qian felt the time was right and began steering the conversation to the proper path.

"Oh? Why?" Teng Shuixian was following Qian’s guidance to unlock the rings.

"Because he was different a few years ago compared to now. When he was younger, he was particularly roguish, his thinking was a bit unconventional, always coming up with pranks. He thought he was being good to me when he was messing around, it was his way of expressing emotions. But ten years later, he matured, spoke less to me, and we hardly spent time together. For a while, I really disliked how he had grown up."

Teng Shuixian’s hand paused, mumbling, "If only people never grew up. After growing up, it feels like he’s completely changed, as if the wonderful part of him never existed."

Qian nodded, "I used to think the same; I felt that as he matured, he didn’t love me enough."

Teng Shuixian nodded too; that was exactly how she felt, it resonated deeply!

But Teng Shuixian was thinking of her father, while Qian was thinking of a lover.

"I don’t think that way anymore," Qian said seriously.

Their conversation was kept at a low volume, so this part wasn’t clear to the two adults. But for some reason, Teng Shuixian suddenly raised her voice.

"Why?"

In her tone, there was a barely detectable hint of urgency.

She was eager to know Qian’s answer.

But Qian understood the art of suspense very well, much like a storyteller who hits the wooden block at a crucial moment, leaving it at "To know what happens next, please listen to the next installment."

"I’m a bit tired today, maybe coming down with a cold and not feeling well, so I’ll leave my number with you. You can think about this question yourself when you get home, and when you figure it out, call me. We can continue discussing the Nine Linked Rings then. Brother, I’m not feeling well, can I leave first?"

"Mr. Teng, it seems my sister-in-law... Sorry for the inconvenience." Yu Mingli immediately stood up, understanding the situation.

Mr. Teng shook hands with Yu Mingli, exchanged a few polite words, and the gathering ended.

As they left, Teng Shuixian was in the lead. Qian gave Yu Mingli a signal, and Yu Mingli quickly left first. Teng Shuixian got in the car, and when Teng Daye was about to follow, Qian called out to him.

"Mr. Teng, I have something to say, but I’m not sure if it’s appropriate."

"Miss Chen, please don’t hesitate to say what’s on your mind." Teng Daye became more vigilant. They had avoided mentioning business all night; was this the moment?

"Money is a good thing, but family is priceless. Spend more time with Shuixian. Her neurotic anorexia can improve with family companionship, making subsequent treatment easier."