Chapter 26
Birds chirped in the treetops, and the lotus flowers in the artificial lake were as beautiful as Xi Shi (a legendary beauty).
Jiang Wanwan walked with Qin Yuanhao for a while longer when her phone suddenly rang. Jiang Wanwan looked down and saw that it was her father telling her to get ready to go back.
She raised her head and said to the man, "I have to go now. Let's talk again next time."
Qin Yuanhao nodded and said goodbye, but just as she turned around, he suddenly called out to her, "Miss Jiang..."
Jiang Wanwan turned around in confusion, seemingly waiting for the other person to continue speaking.
Qin Yuanhao hesitated for two seconds, his ears turning slightly red, "N-nothing... I wish you a safe journey."
Jiang Wanwan waved to him and smiled, "Thank you, and I wish you happiness every day."
Watching the woman's figure recede into the distance, Qin Yuanhao pounded his chest in frustration. He clearly wanted her contact information, but the words he was about to say came out differently.
When Jiang Wanwan arrived at the park entrance, she found that her father was already waiting for her there. After the father and daughter met, they walked home together.
When they got home, Jiang's mother saw the smiling faces of the father and daughter and smiled knowingly.
"Wash your hands and come eat breakfast."
A warm morning was spent amidst the laughter and joy of the family.
After dinner, Jiang Wanwan helped her mother clear the table. She took the plates to the kitchen, and her mother, who was washing dishes, turned off the tap and said to her, "Wanwan, do you have anything to do tonight?"
No, why?
Hearing her daughter's reply, Jiang's mother smiled and said, "Your Uncle Zhang's son, whom I mentioned last time, has returned from the United States. You two can meet up tonight."
What!
"Mom, I already told you I..."
Jiang's mother slammed the plate down in the sink. "Stop, stop, stop! I've already spoken to your Uncle Zhang. Don't make me lose face."
Jiang Wanwan almost laughed in anger. Her mother had acted first and asked for permission later. "Then why are you asking me?"
Jiang's mother chuckled and brushed it off. She had long guessed that Jiang Wanwan would be free tonight, and she was always adept at using the tactic of "courtesy before force."
Jiang Wanwan sighed helplessly. She was truly unable to guard against Ms. Fang's tricks.
Oh well, what can I do? She's her biological mother.
In the end, Jiang Wanwan compromised and agreed to let her mother have a meal with the other party.
In the evening, inside a Chinese restaurant.
Jiang Wanwan took small, quick steps, glanced at the location photo on her phone, and walked to a table by the window.
"Hello, is this Zhang Puxin?"
A man was already sitting at the table, and she hesitated before asking him a question.
According to Jiang's mother, Uncle Zhang's son has become handsome, hasn't he?
The man in front of me looked to weigh at least 200 pounds, with a fleshy face, and was looking down at his phone.
The chubby man sitting there looked impatient, but when he looked up and saw Jiang Wanwan's face, his eyes widened and he immediately grinned and said, "Yes, yes, you are Uncle Jiang's daughter. You are a real beauty."
Out of politeness, she put on some light makeup and wore a dress before she arrived.
Seeing the man staring straight at her, Jiang Wanwan frowned slightly without making a sound.
It turns out that what her mother meant by becoming handsome was turning from a ball when she was a child into a bucket now.
To quickly divert the other person's attention, she took the initiative to say, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Even though she wasn't actually late.
If she could, she just wanted to finish this meal quickly and go home.
Unexpectedly, the chubby man spoke with a slightly reproachful tone, "I noticed you hadn't arrived for a while, so I ordered the food first. You won't be mad at me, will you?"
The question was phrased as a question, but the man made it sound like a statement, as if Jiang Wanwan's disagreement was simply unreasonable.
"No, you can order whatever you want." Jiang Wanwan maintained a polite smile, thinking to herself that as someone who only cares about looks, she probably wouldn't be able to eat much just looking at the other person.
What made her especially uncomfortable was that the other person always looked at her with a lecherous gaze, as if she were a commodity waiting to be sold.
The two briefly introduced themselves, and the chubby man stroked his chin and nodded several times, seemingly quite satisfied with Jiang Wanwan's conditions and appearance.
At this point, a plate of fried rice and smashed cucumber were already on the table.
The chubby man served her a bowl of fried rice, almost dropping the spoon on the ground in the process.
He pushed the plate of rice in front of Jiang Wanwan and said somewhat arrogantly, "I've been abroad for a long time, eating high-end Western food. I haven't had this fried rice in a long time, and I've been missing it quite a bit."
Jiang Wanwan smiled sarcastically at the man's pretentiousness, but on the surface she still said politely, "Thank you, your stomach is truly all-encompassing."
Intellectuals never bother with swear words when they curse. Jiang Wanwan subtly mocked the other man for being fat and having a big appetite, but the fat man didn't understand and thought Jiang Wanwan was praising him.
He laughed heartily, revealing the vegetable bits stuck in his teeth, and said smugly, "If you marry me and take good care of our family, I won't treat you badly."
Seeing the man's arrogant attitude, Jiang Wanwan's patience was almost at its limit. When she saw the food stuck in his teeth, she almost wanted to vomit.
"Mr. Zhang, I'm sorry, I need to use the restroom."
She wiped her mouth with a tissue, and without waiting for the man to speak, she got up and walked towards the bathroom.
She couldn't take it anymore; if she didn't leave soon, she was afraid she would throw up in his face.
The fat man didn't think anything was wrong when he saw Jiang Wanwan go to the restroom. He called over a waiter and hurriedly said, "Bring me another plate of xiaolongbao, quick!"
Jiang Wanwan looked at the regret in her eyes in the bathroom mirror, feeling utterly exhausted.
She must be crazy to agree to Jiang's mother's request. This is more like torture than a meal.
She walked from one mirror to another, pacing back and forth, hoping to stall for as long as possible, since she really didn't want to face that fat man again.
The other party actually asked her to marry him and serve his whole family! How interesting, he probably wants to get a free nanny.
Jiang Wanwan became increasingly speechless as she thought about it, and crumpled up all the paper towels in her hand.
Just then, a man suddenly came out of the men's restroom. Seeing Jiang Wanwan, he exclaimed in surprise, "Sister, you're eating here too?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wanwan turned around and found that it was Kuang Ye. Her eyes lit up, and she rushed to him as if she had seen a savior.
"Good brother, can you do me a favor?"
"What kind of help?"
Kuang Ye shook the water off his hands, leaned lazily against the bathroom wall, and leisurely watched the woman.
Seeing that there was a chance, Jiang Wanwan immediately stated her request.
"Pretend to be your boyfriend...what's in it for me?" Kuang Ye looked incredulous, then raised his eyes and, with a hint of roguishness, negotiated with Jiang Wanwan.
Jiang Wanwan blinked innocently and said in a pitiful tone, "Please, please, just consider it a good deed."
Kuang Ye was not moved at all. He twitched the corner of his mouth and smiled, "That won't do. Sister knows I'm a businessman and I never do business at a loss."
What a cold-hearted little rascal! Jiang Wanwan gritted her teeth inwardly, but there was nothing she could do, since she needed his help.
"I'll go to your store again and get a card," she said with a pained expression, as if she could see her wallet getting a little thinner.
However, this was acceptable. She planned to give the card to her parents so that they could also get their hair cut at Kuang Ye's shop.
"Deal!" Kuang Ye snapped his fingers, a bright smile instantly spreading across his face.
He walked towards Jiang Wanwan, put his arm around her shoulder, and said affectionately, "Let's go, girlfriend."
Jiang Wanwan was shocked by the speed at which the other party's attitude changed. It wasn't until she felt a warm, large hand on her arm that she reacted. Her face flushed slightly, and she said softly, "There's no need to be so intimate."
Unexpectedly, Kuang Ye raised his eyebrows and said with a grin, "How can that be? If we're going to put on an act, we have to go all the way. I'm a very professional person."
Seeing that her attempts to dissuade him were futile, Jiang Wanwan reluctantly went with him.
The two walked out of the restroom side by side and returned to Jiang Wanwan's dining table together.
The chubby man had just finished eating his last xiaolongbao when he saw the two people walking side by side in front of him, and he almost choked.
"Cough cough cough, who is this guy?" Fatty coughed loudly at the table twice, then asked in an unfriendly tone.
Jiang Wanwan curled her red lips and said slowly to the other person, "My boyfriend is here to pick me up. Mr. Zhang, please enjoy your meal. I'll be going now."
"What!" the fat man exclaimed, his face full of anger. "You have a boyfriend, why are you going on a blind date? Are you crazy?!"
Faced with the fat man's grumbling, Kuang Ye retorted in a way that was sure to infuriate him: "Wanwan had a fight with me. She only came to eat with you to deliberately annoy me. Otherwise, don't you know who you are! A toad trying to eat swan meat—"
Upon hearing Kuang Ye's words, the fat man's chest heaved with anger, and he shouted, "Get the hell out of here!"
Jiang Wanwan was just worried about not being able to leave quickly, but upon hearing this, she smiled slightly and said, "Goodbye, Mr. Zhang."
After saying that, he turned around and pulled Kuang Ye away, but before he had taken two steps, the fat man called him back.
"Wait a minute! You have to split the bill with me for the meal."
Jiang Wanwan stopped, turned around to look at the dishes on the table, then at the fat man's ugly face, and said directly, "No need, this meal is on me."
She called the waiter to pay the bill, only to find that there were only three dishes on the bill: fried rice, a plate of smashed cucumber, and a steamed bun that she hadn't even seen.
"Is this bill wrong? We didn't order any xiaolongbao," Jiang Wanwan said to the waiter.
The waiter checked the bill and politely said, "Yes, this is what this gentleman ordered."
Following the waiter's gaze, Jiang Wanwan saw the fat man by the window looking away and giving her a cold snort, as if trying to hide his guilt.
Seeing this, Kuang Ye scoffed, clearly disapproving of the man's behavior.
"Okay, thank you." Jiang Wanwan finally paid the bill and then walked out of the restaurant with Kuang Ye.
Halfway there, Kuang Ye suddenly turned around, gave the middle finger to the fat man who was staring at them blankly, and silently mouthed the words "fat pig".
The fat man's face turned a deep purplish-red as he angrily slammed a white porcelain cup heavily onto the table in a fit of impotent rage.
The streetlights outside were already on, illuminating the figures of small insects flitting about under the lights.
They hadn't gone far when they stopped by the roadside.
As Jiang Wanwan watched the chubby man leave, she said to Kuang Ye, "Thank you for today. You should go back now. Your dinner party shouldn't be over yet, right?"
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