Chapter 82: My Backer’s Name is Chen Lie

A lively group of people made their way to the hair salon, and then, just as energetically, headed to the private restaurant that Chen Yan had reserved earlier.

Originally, there were supposed to be five people, but suddenly three more showed up—and they were late. The owner wasn’t too pleased about this. He lifted his eyelids and glanced at the three extras, paused in surprise, and then his eyes lit up. He seemed to wake up from his lethargy, becoming alert and spirited.

One adult and two kids, all good-looking—and each with their own unique charm!

And that little one, those eyes really were bright and clear!

It had been years since he’d seen so many people who could truly be called gifted and beautiful all at once...

The owner shook his head, full of emotion. After watching them for a while, he waved his hand and had his young apprentice arrange seats for them.

Su Qinghu was amazed. This owner, she thought, looked like someone with a bit of a temper. Of course, she could also tell that, just like her, the owner had a weakness: a natural soft spot for good-looking people.

While Su Qinghu and the kids sized up the owner, he was sizing them up too. After looking them over, he turned to Qian Yin and Chen Yan, then finally looked at Chen’s father and mother. “Are they all yours?”

Chen Bo grinned and nodded. “They’re all ours.”

“Incredible.” The owner gave a thumbs up. “So many gifted and beautiful people gathered in one family—you must be something special yourself.”

Chen Bo just kept smiling, neither confirming nor denying it.

The owner, however, stared at Chen Bo for a while, then suddenly bent down, opened a drawer, and took something out, handing it to him with both hands. “My place is small and I have a lot of regulars, so reservations aren’t always easy. Take this—next time you and your wife come, someone will bring you straight in.”

Chen Bo declined, and Mrs. Chen (Meng) also smiled and politely refused.

Seeing her parents refuse and the owner not offering it to the younger generation, Chen Yan didn’t say anything either.

One side insisted on giving, the other insisted on not taking. Even the apprentice who came over to report didn’t dare to interrupt, just stood quietly to the side.

Beside Su Qinghu, Qian Duoshu tugged at her pant leg and whispered, “Auntie, I’m hungry.”

Er Dan wanted to retort, but the faint aroma of food wafting in from the courtyard made his mouth water, and his mind started to drift toward what Qian Duoshu had just said.

“The food here must be delicious,” Er Dan whispered to Su Qinghu, swallowing his saliva. “Grandpa and Grandma—when are they going to accept it?”

If this kept up, when would they ever get to sit down and eat?

Da Dan didn’t mind either way. He stood obediently next to Su Qinghu, glancing between his grandparents’ back-and-forth and the curios on the shelf behind the owner, entertaining himself.

The two kids looked at her expectantly, so Su Qinghu turned to the apprentice.

The apprentice looked like he hadn’t even come of age yet. When Su Qinghu fixed her gaze on him, his face immediately turned red.

Su Qinghu gestured silently in the direction he’d just gone, asking if they could go ahead and be seated.

The apprentice clearly understood but shook his head, then sneakily pointed at the owner before quickly retracting his finger.

Disappointed, Su Qinghu looked away and back at her in-laws and the owner, who were still locked in their standoff. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. “Boss, do you think I could have the honor of receiving your little bead?”

The tug-of-war paused. The owner straightened up, didn’t say a word, and tossed the wooden bead to Su Qinghu. Then he stretched, told his apprentice, “Go on, get everyone settled!” and rolled up his sleeves, heading down a little path toward the kitchen.

Once the owner left, the apprentice perked up a bit, cheerfully leading the way and introducing the features of the courtyard as they went.

Su Qinghu, holding the wooden bead, brought up the rear, feeling more and more that something was off.

She had just made a joking remark, and the owner had tossed her the bead without a second thought.

Wasn’t that a bit too hasty?

She turned the bead over and over in her hand, unable to figure out how it had ended up with her.

The owner had gone back and forth with her in-laws for so long—if he was annoyed, he should have put it away or asked one of the younger ones to take it, right?

But what actually happened?

The owner didn’t seem the least bit impatient. At first, he was enjoying the back-and-forth, and only at the very end, maybe a bit tired from the refusals, did he start to look a little uninterested...

After examining the bead a few more times, Su Qinghu finally tucked it into her bag.

Seeing everyone else head into the private room, Su Qinghu hurried to catch up, but just as she reached the door, Chen Yan stopped her.

Su Qinghu: “???”

“Do you know who we are?” Chen Yan looked at her steadily, getting straight to the point.

Su Qinghu smiled at her. “Of course.”

“And then?” Chen Yan frowned when Su Qinghu didn’t continue, scrutinizing her. Did she really know what she was asking?

Su Qinghu blinked. “And then what?”

With nothing else to do, she felt like teasing her sister-in-law a bit, to...bond.

Chen Yan fell silent, watching her joke around, her temper rising. “Don’t play dumb!”

“Sis, I’m not playing dumb.” Su Qinghu looked at her with pure sincerity. Just as Chen Yan’s temper was about to explode, she added, “I’m really dumb.”

Chen Yan’s anger practically froze in place. She stared at Su Qinghu, utterly incredulous.

“Really, I’m dumb. I only know that Sis gets awkward around Chen Lie, but I didn’t know you’d be like this with me too...” Su Qinghu frowned slightly, putting on a delicate, pitiful look, her eyes shining as she said softly, “Sis, I really am dumb. Honestly.”

Chen Yan: “...”

Chen Yan’s anger shot straight to the top of her head.

Was Su Qinghu dumb? Look at her now, listen to what she’s saying—not only is she not dumb, she’s clearly provoking her!

Chen Yan took several deep breaths. “Su Qinghu, can you be serious for once!”

“Okay, Sis. I will, Sis.” Su Qinghu straightened up with a grin. “Sis, do I look serious now?”

Chen Yan was so angry she forgot why she’d stopped Su Qinghu in the first place. She pointed at her from a distance, took a deep breath, glared fiercely, and strode off.

Su Qinghu followed her a couple of steps, concerned. “Sis? Are you okay?”

“Don’t follow me!” Chen Yan turned and snapped, “Don’t expect me to remind you of anything in the future. If you embarrass yourself and people talk behind your back, don’t come crying to us! And don’t ask us to bail you out!”

“Not worried!” Su Qinghu put on a cocky, fearless look, as if she had the world backing her up. “Sis, don’t worry—I’ve still got Chen Lie! I’ll go to him!”

Chen Yan: “!!!”

Chen Yan’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. She looked at Su Qinghu like she was a clueless idiot spouting nonsense!"