Because of a single word from Xun'er, "Daddy," Ye Rong didn't speak to Chen Mo the entire day. Whenever they crossed paths, she treated him as though he were invisible.
Chen Mo, of course, felt deeply aggrieved, but it seemed he had no way to explain himself. Compared to Jia Di's thousand-mile search for her husband, Xun'er recognizing her father was clearly much more devastating. After all, the photo had been taken—there was no escaping it. As the saying goes, "a picture speaks a thousand words," and no matter how adamantly you deny it, the truth remains evident.
"Heaven and earth as my witness! I've never even met her mother!" Holding Xun'er in his arms, sitting by the door eating ice cream, Chen Mo stared at the dimming sky and could only let his tears fall without saying a word.
But he truly couldn't understand—why did Xun'er have a picture of herself, one obviously taken many years ago…?
"Stop right there! If I believe you again, I might as well be the tragic Meng Jiangnu!" After smiling and sending off the last customer, Ye Rong turned around, immediately adopting a furious expression.
Lin Lin and the others exchanged looks, pondering what Meng Jiangnu had to do with this. Fortunately, Ye Rong immediately explained: "Don't you all know? Meng Jiangnu's husband ran off with his mistress, and then she cried all the way to the Great Wall, famously weeping for the Great Wall!"
"Er, this wouldn't be what your history teacher taught you, would it?" Chen Mo, losing all desire to argue, suddenly felt like snatching Xun'er's ice cream and throwing himself into it headfirst.
At that moment, the distant sound of a horn reached their ears, and a BMW off-road vehicle suddenly sped toward them. Its brand-new rear displayed the model "4X4," easily visible even from a distance in the growing night.
Moments later, as the BMW came to a halt, a short, plump middle-aged man emerged from the car, carrying a briefcase as he walked into the lobby.
Several waitstaff were about to approach, but upon recognizing the man, they unconsciously halted, their faces revealing a hint of disdain.
"I hate this guy!" Even Nono and the others, hiding in the alley outside the store, couldn't help but mutter a few words.
"I hate him too, especially his car!" Cheche's gaze remained fixed on the shiny BMW. After staring at it blankly for a few seconds, it suddenly spat a heavy curse, "Damn it, how dare he flaunt a BMW? Back in the day, my old car—"
Saying this, it began to slowly move, quietly parking next to the BMW. Nono and the others exchanged strange smiles, suddenly considering purchasing drinks and snacks to bring back.
Inside the store, Ye Rong wore a stiff smile and sighed helplessly, "Why is he here?"
Technically, many people recognized the plump man named He Neng. He was a subordinate of Lei Zhen, the wealthiest man in the city, responsible for managing Lei Zhen's various properties. The land on which the Jixiang restaurant stood belonged to Lei Zhen, so naturally, it fell under He Neng's jurisdiction.
Whenever he had free time, this fat man would use his power to come to the restaurant for free meals and drinks, his lecherous gaze always fixed on Ye Rong.
But, as he still held power, Ye Rong could only smile and greet him.
However, this time, instead of his usual lecherous behavior, He Neng, with a serious expression, stepped back a few paces, took out a document, and handed it to Ye Rong. "Miss Ye, please take a look at this document. We will be reclaiming the premises in a few days."
Without acknowledging the astonished expressions of those around him, He Neng casually tossed the document onto the table, a smirk curling at the corner of his mouth, his demeanor one of deliberate provocation.
But to his surprise, Ye Rong did not react with anger, as he had expected. She simply stared at the document in silence before suddenly raising her head and asking, "Is Jia Di very beautiful?"
"Jia Di? Who is that?" He Neng paused, instinctively blurting out the question.
"Stop pretending!" Ye Rong snorted, glancing at the shiny SUV outside. "Sorry, but I'm not moving out in the next few days because my contract still has two months left!"
"Sorry, whether you move or not, you still have to move!" He Neng smiled nonchalantly, pulling out a check and placing it on the table. "According to the contract, the penalty for breaking the agreement in the next two months is fifteen thousand. I'll give you twenty thousand now."
"What if I don't move?" Ye Rong didn't even glance at the check, asking coldly.
"Then try and see!" He Neng seemed to have anticipated this response and sneered indifferently. "Anyway, the words and money are on the table. Even if it goes to court, I'll have no problem!"
His words dripped with arrogance, his posture towering over her, exuding the unmistakable air of someone who thought he had already won.
But before he could finish, Chen Mo walked over with a cloth in hand, casually flipping the tablecloth and looking around as if searching for something.
He Neng's triumphant aura was abruptly interrupted, and he couldn't help but snap, "Hey, what are you looking for? Can't you see we're talking business?"
As if he hadn't heard a word, Chen Mo continued his search, muttering to himself, "No worries, you go on... Strange, where did the tiger go? But the fox is suddenly out!"
Hearing this, even Ye Rong and the waitstaff, who had been deeply concerned, couldn't help but smile.
He Neng froze for a moment, his face darkening as he snapped, "Get out of the way, this is no place for you to speak! Miss Ye, I've said my piece. Three days from now, whether you move or not, you'll have to leave..."
Before he could finish, the BMW outside let out a sharp alarm, its loud, piercing sound echoing in the night.
In the next instant, He Neng bolted out of the door, as though he had been pricked by a porcupine.
You see, despite his position as a manager with some power, it had taken him a long time to save up for his luxury car, and it meant more to him than his life.
Fortunately, the car was still parked safely, and seeing this, He Neng exhaled deeply with relief...
But just as he was about to celebrate, his expression suddenly stiffened, his body freezing in place behind the BMW, trembling so much that even his belly shook.
Ye Rong and the others, who had been watching the scene at the door, exchanged confused glances, wondering if the BMW was malfunctioning.
Before they could decide whether to call the police, they heard He Neng let out a horrified scream, shouting, "Bastard! Bastard! Who did this? Come out and face me!"
As the saying goes, "The misfortune of our enemy is our happiness." Seeing He Neng losing his cool, Ye Rong and the others couldn't help but burst into laughter.
A few moments later, as they saw what had happened to the back of the BMW, they exchanged glances again before bursting into even louder laughter.
"Brilliant! Truly brilliant!" Ye Rong, laughing so hard that tears welled up in her eyes, clutched Lin Lin's shoulder. "Whoever did this, I'm definitely getting their autograph!"
It's no wonder they were laughing so hard—the prankster had such skill, turning mischief into comedy.
As everyone knew, the rear of a BMW off-road vehicle usually had the "4X4" label, signifying four-wheel drive.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, someone had scratched an equal sign behind the "4X4" and added "16," making it read "4X4=16."
"Bastard, I swear I'll kill him!" He Neng's heart was bleeding as he heard the surrounding laughter. His face turned ashen, as though he might play a zombie in a film.
Chen Mo, still holding Xun'er, watched the scene for a while. He then patted He Neng on the shoulder and casually offered some comfort, "Well... You should be grateful. At least that guy didn't get the math wrong. Otherwise, you'd have to scratch it again!"
As soon as he said this, Ye Rong and the others, who had been trying to contain their smiles, burst into uncontrollable laughter once more.
He Neng glared fiercely at Chen Mo, his eyes practically shooting daggers. "Damn it, you bastard, how dare you talk back! I'm pretty sure you did this!"
"Go ahead and suspect me! But I've been under your nose the whole time. Could I possibly be using some kind of cloning technique?" Chen Mo shrugged nonchalantly, turning to walk back into the restaurant.
He Neng was left to fume, but without evidence, he stood there dumbfounded for a moment, before stomping his foot and returning to the restaurant.
The unfortunate incident had made his temper even worse, and his tone was completely devoid of politeness. "Miss Ye, just give me a straight answer. What about this contract?"
Before he could finish, the BMW alarm blared again, and He Neng was startled, rushing out with a groan of despair.
A few seconds later, he leapt