Chapter 83: Let’s See If Chen Lie Won’t Deal With You

“Big Sister-in-law?”

Su Qinghu blinked and had just called out to Chen Yan when Chen Yan abruptly spun around and stormed off.

Ha! Watching Chen Yan stomp away in a huff, Su Qinghu couldn’t help but flash a bright, toothy grin.

Big sister-in-law’s composure really isn’t up to par—just a few words and she’s already lost her cool.

Feeling quite pleased with herself, Su Qinghu practically skipped back toward the private room, only stopping short of whistling a cheeky tune.

Before she even reached the door, she saw the three kids file out one after another. Da Dan led the way, Er Dan followed close behind with a face full of menace. Su Qinghu glanced further back—sure enough, little Qian Duoshu was clutching Er Dan’s shirt, happily being dragged along. Even as Er Dan picked up the pace, Qian Duoshu just laughed, his eyes sparkling with delight.

“Need me to come with you?” Su Qinghu stepped aside to make way for them.

Er Dan shot a look at the little tagalong behind him, then turned to Su Qinghu and flatly refused, “No need!”

With Qian Duoshu’s height, he definitely couldn’t reach the sink. If his new mom were here, she’d definitely pick him up to wash his hands!

“Alright, off you go then.” Su Qinghu waved them off with a smile, reminding, “Remember, don’t leave the courtyard.”

All three answered in unison, then set off in their original formation, one after another.

Chuckling to herself, Su Qinghu didn’t go into the private room either. Instead, she walked a little further out, stopping only when she could see the courtyard gate.

Talk is talk, but you still have to keep an eye out. If these kids sneak out and run into a human trafficker or something, trying to find them again would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

That’s why, after technology advanced, you’d see news of cases from the ‘80s and ‘90s finally being solved. And even then, some suspects are still on the run.

Da Dan and Qian Duoshu came back hand in hand. Seeing Su Qinghu standing outside, they looked a bit puzzled. Su Qinghu didn’t bother explaining, just waved them toward the private room.

Qian Duoshu didn’t want to go, but Da Dan gave him a gentle push and managed to get him inside.

So, what was Er Dan up to at this point?

He’d said he needed the bathroom and told his brother and Qian Duoshu to go wash their hands first. Once they’d left, he changed direction and headed straight for the kitchen.

He’d barely reached the corner when he was stopped by another of the boss’s apprentices. “Hey, kid, you can’t go in there.”

“I want to see your boss,” Er Dan said solemnly. “I have a business proposal for him.”

The apprentice: “...”

“He’s busy, right?” Er Dan continued, acting like he belonged there. “I won’t take up much of his time. I can just talk to him at the kitchen door.”

This apprentice was about twenty-four or twenty-five, not really the age to be playing along with kids. He was about to refuse when Er Dan gave him a deep bow, stopping him in his tracks.

“Uncle, could you please let your boss know I’m here?”

What could the apprentice do? He shook his head with a helpless smile. “Alright, but you wait right here. Don’t go running in the moment I turn my back.”

There had been others who’d tried to sneak in after being refused, hoping to pull off some “three visits to the thatched cottage” or “standing in the snow at the gate” kind of drama.

But this little businessman—

He looked Er Dan up and down. “Can you really do that?”

“Of course.” Er Dan straightened up and patted his chest. “If you can keep your word, so can I.”

The message was clear: if you keep your promise and pass on my message, I’ll stay put. But if you trick me, I won’t play by the rules either.

The apprentice got the point, smiled, and went in to tell the boss. The boss was amused and actually agreed to meet Er Dan, even giving him a chance to try to persuade him.

Unfortunately, the boss was a seasoned old hand, and Er Dan, still a green kid, ended up leaving empty-handed.

Er Dan was disgruntled, but seeing dishes being carried into the private room one after another, he decided to call a temporary truce and try again after eating.

He was about to dash back to the private room when he remembered he hadn’t washed his hands. He quickly stopped and headed for the sink.

The men’s restroom was just ahead of the women’s. To get there, he had to pass by the women’s restroom. Just as he was about to walk past, he heard a familiar name.

He blinked, tiptoed back a few steps, and pressed himself against the wall to eavesdrop.

The women’s restroom was single-occupancy, so apart from herself, there was no one else around. Chen Yan, still fuming after using the toilet, was muttering through gritted teeth, practically hopping with anger.

“Chen Lie again? Ha! Chen Lie! You think just because you act all coy, Chen Lie’s going to back you up?”

“If he were that kind of man, there’d be a line of women stretching from the house to the lake!”

She grumbled for a while, then lowered her voice and let out a few frustrated groans before saying viciously, “Su Qinghu, just you wait! When Chen Lie comes back and sees you acting all flirty, if he doesn’t put you in your place, he’s not Chen Lie!”

Er Dan heard all this loud and clear. He let out a sigh of relief, replayed it in his mind to make sure he remembered, then swaggered off to the men’s room.

Inside, Chen Yan paused at the sink, her gaze following Er Dan’s swaggering figure. It took her a moment to realize she should give chase.

Sensing someone coming after him, Er Dan darted to the men’s restroom door, stood just inside, and flashed Chen Yan a toothy, mischievous grin.

Chen Yan’s face darkened. “Did you just hear what I said?”

“Nope.” Er Dan widened his eyes. “I didn’t hear anything.”

Chen Yan felt a strange sense of relief.

But just as she let her guard down, Er Dan added, “I didn’t hear you talking, but I did hear you cursing someone.”

Chen Yan froze, realizing she’d been played. She lunged to grab Er Dan, but he dodged back, made a face, and taunted, “Come on, come on! If you dare come in, I’ll scream! Let everyone here know a woman barged into the men’s room!”

“Who? Who’s coming into the men’s room?”

Before Chen Yan could say anything, there was a rustling sound from inside the men’s room—someone inside was pulling up their pants.

Startled, Chen Yan spun around and practically fled back to the private room.

Five minutes later, everyone was seated. Su Qinghu had Er Dan on her left, and Qian Duoshu—who’d switched seats with Da Dan—on her right. Next to Qian Duoshu was Da Dan, then Qian Yin, then Chen Yan, Mrs. Meng, and Chen Bai, in that order.

As luck would have it, Chen Yan was seated almost directly across from Er Dan.

Catching Chen Yan’s eye, Er Dan grinned smugly.

Chen Yan was fuming inside. Throughout the meal, she barely spoke, except to remind her son to eat his vegetables.

Of everyone present, only Su Qinghu and Mrs. Meng noticed anything odd about Chen Yan. And Su Qinghu noticed one thing more than Mrs. Meng—Er Dan.

Not that she was deliberately paying attention, but Er Dan kept glancing at her. Every time their eyes met, he’d lift his chin, his gaze clearly saying, “I know something about you—want to hear it?”"