"Anan probably hasn’t seen you in a while, so she’s a little scared."

"..."

Shen Mingchuan was mortified. In the end, it was Lin Ping who took Anan in her arms and comforted her in a gentle voice.

"How about Mommy makes you something delicious tonight?"

"Yay!"

Anan, with the innocence of a child, blurted out,

"Will Brother Lin Shen come?"

Lin Shen?

Shen Mingchuan’s heart skipped a beat when he heard the name.

’When did he meet Anan?’

"He’ll be here."

Lin Ping said with a small smile.

"How about we treat Brother Lin Shen to a big meal tonight?"

"Yay!"

Anan clapped her hands and cheered, looking absolutely ecstatic.

"I like Brother Lin Shen the most!"

"Lin Shen has met Anan?"

Shen Mingchuan asked sullenly from the side, his heart flooding with jealousy.

’He was her biological father, yet a stranger was more popular with her?’

’Why?’

"Mhm."

Lin Ping said softly.

"President Lin takes very good care of my daughter and me."

"How kind of him..."

Shen Mingchuan said sarcastically, before puffing out his chest.

"I’m not usually busy. From now on, I’ll be the one to pick Anan up from school!"

"No."

Before Lin Ping could say anything, Anan was the first to object.

"I want Brother Lin Shen to pick me up."

"Alright, alright, we’ll let him pick you up next time."

Lin Ping’s gentle tone immediately turned icy when she spoke to Shen Mingchuan.

"You heard Anan. We won’t trouble you."

"..."

Shen Mingchuan gritted his teeth, feeling a surge of resentment bottling up inside him.

’Why does Anan like Lin Shen so much?’

’Does a child this young really judge people by their looks?’

On the drive home, Shen Mingchuan was so angry he didn’t want to speak the entire way.

Lin Ping, on the other hand, was happy for the peace and quiet, and took the opportunity to send Lin Shen a message on WeChat.

And she received an instant reply.

[Lin Shen: Got it. I’m on my way.]

[Lin Ping: Okay.]

Reading Lin Shen’s reply, Lin Ping’s heart filled with sweetness and joy. She couldn’t wait to see her secret lover.

——

「7:00 PM. Shen Mingchuan’s Home.」

Lin Ping, wearing an apron, was busy in the kitchen, while Shen Mingchuan sat lazily on the sofa, trying to curry favor with Anan.

But no matter how hard he tried to entertain her, Anan simply ignored him, quietly watching cartoons by herself.

Finding his efforts fruitless, Shen Mingchuan gave up and instead admired the alluring silhouette of Lin Ping in the kitchen.

The hip-hugging skirt she wore traced a perfect curve from her waist to her hips, making them look exceptionally full.

’How come I never noticed Ping had such a great body?’

’She cleans up really well!’

Shen Mingchuan couldn’t hold back his inner restlessness. He got up, planning to go help in the kitchen and, while he was at it, look for a chance to ease the tension with Lin Ping.

Just then, however, the doorbell rang.

DING DONG—!

"Coming!"

After opening the door, Shen Mingchuan enthusiastically invited Lin Shen into the house.

Lin Ping noticed and came out of the kitchen after wiping her hands on her apron, a trace of inexplicable shyness on her face.

"President Lin, you’re here."

"Mhm."

Lin Shen looked Lin Ping up and down, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you, President Lin."

Lin Ping shyly tucked her hair back, her pretty face slightly flushed. After all, Lin Shen was the one who had asked her to wear this outfit.

This, of course, infuriated the clueless Shen Mingchuan.

’What’s she getting all shy about?’

’One compliment and she’s walking on air?’

"I’ll go back to cooking."

Lin Ping didn’t forget her task. Meanwhile, Shen Mingchuan invited Lin Shen to sit on the sofa and served him tea and water.

When Anan saw him, her face immediately lit up.

"Brother Lin Shen! You’re here!"

"Mhm."

Lin Shen dotingly rubbed Anan’s head, and she immediately climbed onto his lap, interacting with him affectionately.

This left Shen Mingchuan incredibly awkward, but unable to vent his frustration, he could only plaster on a fawning smile.

"President Lin, it looks like Anan really likes you."

"Because Brother Lin Shen is handsome!"

Anan immediately replied, which made Lin Shen smile. Like a magician, he pulled an exquisite box of lollipops from his pocket.

It looked much more expensive than the regular kind you’d find in stores.

"For you."

"Thank you, Brother Lin Shen!"

Anan excitedly planted a kiss on Lin Shen’s cheek, which made the watching Shen Mingchuan so envious he felt like his heart was being clawed at.

’Why on earth does Anan like Lin Shen so much?’

Shen Mingchuan was very puzzled.

Before he could puzzle it out, Anan’s next unfiltered comment completely shattered his composure.

"It would be great if Brother Lin Shen could be my new daddy!"

!?

Hearing this, Shen Mingchuan’s eyes widened, and his heart felt as if it had been viciously squeezed.

’Your real dad isn’t dead yet!’

’And you’re already trying to find your mom a new husband?’

"Anan, don’t be silly! Brother Lin Shen is so young, how could he be your dad?"

Although his heart was filled with resentment, Shen Mingchuan couldn’t let it show. He had to force a kind, fatherly smile.

"Anan, Daddy is planning to marry your mommy again. What do you think of that?"

"I don’t like it."

Anan shook her head, looking aggrieved.

"Mommy doesn’t want to marry Daddy again. She likes Brother Lin Shen more!"

"Who said that?"

Shen Mingchuan was practically seeing red, but Lin Shen just chuckled and chided him.

"It seems you’re not a very competent father. Your own child doesn’t even like you."

"Sigh... It’s all because I did stupid things when I was younger," Shen Mingchuan reflected with a light sigh.

"I hope Ping can give me a chance to turn over a new leaf and let me take good care of her and our daughter."

"She will."

A strange smile played on Lin Shen’s lips.

"She’ll give you a surprise."

"You think so too, President Lin?"

Shen Mingchuan was slightly excited.

’After all, the only obstacle to him and Lin Ping getting back together is Lin Shen.’

’As long as he doesn’t do anything weird, everything should be fine!’

"Come and eat."

Just as Shen Mingchuan and Lin Shen were chatting happily, Lin Ping brought the dishes to the table one by one.

Braised prawns, steamed king crab, sweet and sour ribs, spicy diced chicken...

The table was laden with a feast of home-cooked food, a treat for the eyes, nose, and palate. It was a diverse spread of flavors and types, even including two cold appetizers perfect for drinking.

Lin Shen was very satisfied with the lavish dinner.

"Your cooking is good enough to open your own restaurant."

"Really? Thank you for the compliment, President Lin."

Lin Ping smiled shyly, handed Lin Shen a pair of chopsticks, and served him a bowl of rice.

Meanwhile, Shen Mingchuan took out the Maotai he had bought and filled both of their glasses, looking incredibly excited.

"President Lin! I invited you here today specifically to thank you for buying my two shops back then!"

"We both got what we wanted."

Lin Shen clinked glasses with Shen Mingchuan and drained his in one gulp.

Seeing him drink baijiu like that, Shen Mingchuan was completely stunned.

"President Lin, you can really hold your liquor! That’s impressive!"

"What about you?"

Lin Shen said provocatively.

"Are you raising fish in your glass?"

"I’ll down it, too!"

Without another word, Shen Mingchuan immediately drained the baijiu in his glass, then coughed violently a few times.

Seeing this, Lin Shen clapped him on the back and laughed heartily.

"Don’t force it if you can’t drink."

"That won’t do."

Shen Mingchuan took a few sips of water to recover, wiping his mouth with a tissue and forcing an obsequious smile.

"You finished yours, how could I not finish mine?"

"That’s the spirit!"

Amidst Lin Shen’s praise, Shen Mingchuan felt a little giddy, feeling like he could already imagine a future where he would make big money with him.

The two men exchanged toasts, while Lin Ping, sitting opposite them, was busy making sure Anan ate.

However, her gaze would drift to Lin Shen from time to time, and she’d seize opportunities to put food on his plate or refill his drink.

But Shen Mingchuan, who was getting drunk, no longer cared about these things.

His goal and all his attention were now focused on Lin Shen, attempting to use the drinking session to get closer to him, thinking about making a fortune together.

But little did he know, Lin Shen saw right through his little schemes.

Though Lin Shen was inwardly contemptuous, he kept a smile on his face, feeding Shen Mingchuan empty promises to keep him in a state of high excitement.

Because in this state, drinking quickly was the easiest way to get drunk.

Sure enough, before they knew it, the bottle of baijiu was empty.

Lin Shen was only slightly flushed, but Shen Mingchuan was already hiccupping from the alcohol, his eyes glazed over.

His tongue was thick, and his words were slurred.

"President Lin! You have to help me get rich! Help Ping, too."

"Don’t worry."

Lin Shen said with a grin.

"I’ll give her my experience."

——

At 9:00 PM, the cozy family dinner was coming to an end.

Anan had gotten sleepy partway through, so Lin Ping left the table first to put her to bed in the inner room.

This had originally been her room, so she didn’t feel out of place and quickly fell asleep.

After quietly coming back out, Lin Ping found Lin Shen, still at the table, looking at her with a grin.

Meanwhile, Shen Mingchuan, beside him, was already passed out on the table, snoring loud enough to shake the heavens, like a power drill.

BZZZZ—!

—BZZZZ!

"Your ex-husband can’t seem to hold his liquor."

Lin Shen said mockingly, then beckoned to Lin Ping.

She, in turn, walked over with a slight blush on her pretty face, clearly aware of what was coming.