Sheng Mumu suddenly felt relieved.
Fortunately, before her elder brother came, her "fake" marital relationship with Qi Mo had turned "real."
Otherwise, with her elder brother's keen insight, she didn't dare guarantee that she wouldn't give the game away.
She gave Qi Mo a call to have dinner together.
She also invited little Qi along, not wanting him to pitifully eat lo mein noodles alone at home.
Cheng Zhuo finally found an opportunity to say a complete sentence:
"Brother, sister, for dinner can I invite one more person to come along?"
Cheng Xin glanced at him and asked: "Who?"
From Cheng Zhuo's careful yet sweetly concealed expression, Sheng Mumu had already guessed.
A smile blossomed, curving her eyes.
"Sure, no problem."
Not waiting for Cheng Zhuo to answer his question, seeing that Sheng Mumu agreed, Cheng Xin also murmured an "okay" and lightly nodded his chin.
When the three people arrived at the arranged restaurant location,
Cheng Zhuo did not go in. He had just received a call from Qiao Li and was parking. He planned to go to the parking lot area to pick her up since Qiao Li wasn't very good at parking.
Sheng Mumu and Cheng Xin went into the restaurant together.
Just as they walked out of the revolving door, they saw Qi Mo standing there in a waiting posture.
Sheng Mumu quickened her pace by a few steps.
Perhaps it was out of guilt, afraid that her elder brother would find out about their previous contractual marriage.
She sweetly called out, "Dear~ we're over here."
The tall and slender figure of the man suddenly froze, and he abruptly turned his head.
Pleasure he was unprepared for stained his handsome brows and eyes.
Qi Mo had booked the entire dining room of the restaurant. Inside the hall there only stood a few waiters, as if they too were startled by Sheng Mumu's ardent, sweet voice, quickly glancing over before professionally lowering their eyes.
"When did you arrive?" Sheng Mumu went over to cling to the man's firm arm, tilting her head towards him.
She put on an "absolutely flawless", "old married couple" act.
Subconsciously, Qi Mo put his arm around her slender waist, the corners of his lips curving up slightly, his eyes full of surprise:
"Just now."
In fact, Qi Mo knew what this dinner signified.
Nothing more than Cheng Xin wanting to assess this brother-in-law of his.
Regarding this,
he didn't have the slightest discomfort or resistance.
On the contrary, when he received her call, his heart rose with a trace of reassurance.
Knowing that besides him, there was someone else who would treat her well with all his heart.
No matter how you looked at it, it was something that made one happy.
He smiled at Sheng Mumu, and the hand clasping her waist imperceptibly stroked her once.
It was as if saying: Wait a moment for me.
Next, the mature and steady man first turned his head and reached out a hand towards Cheng Xin.
Cheng Xin's cold eyes quivered slightly, surprise flashing by, as he shook Qi Mo's hand.
The two men were about the same height.
Their auras were similar, yet one could clearly sense the difference.
Cheng Xin increased the force of his grip somewhat, the attacking nature and probing meaning evident in his straightforward gaze at Qi Mo.
Qi Mo remained just as calm and unruffled as usual, with no intention of shrinking back.
Nor was there any hidden struggle to determine superiority.
A few seconds went by, and it also seemed to stretch on for a long time.
Both men had been fighting in the business arena for many years, with years of accumulated experience and prestige already evident without need for words.
One look said it all, observing and discerning intentions.
There were undercurrents swirling invisibly in the air.
But it was not tense undercurrents.
Their goal was the same, there was no opposition to begin with.
As long as one was good to Mumu, then he was good.
In an instant, the two men's cold, stern brows and eyes gradually relaxed, loosening their hands, both giving a faint smile.
Sheng Mumu was very clever, her ability to read expressions and mood no less than theirs.
She had stood to the side watching them intently.
Seeing Qi Mo and Cheng Xin's expressions both relax, she knew these two men who seemed strong on the outside but were actually childish on the inside had completed their first meeting.
Just as she was about to say something to ease up the atmosphere, an unruly, arrogant voice rang out from afar—
"I have arrived, my lord. What are we eating today?"
Dressed in a pure black hooded sweater, Qi Shaobai swaggeringly put on the hood, both hands in pockets.
He strode grandly into the restaurant, and upon seeing Sheng Mumu's familiar back figure, he subconsciously blurted out these words.
When his words fell, he only then realized it wasn't only Sheng Mumu present.
Dad was also there.
And there was also some stranger there who didn't seem easy to deal with.
At this time, all three people looked towards him simultaneously.
"..." Qi Shaobai's body went somewhat stiff. "Dad...uh..."
"Pfft—" Sheng Mumu laughed unabashedly and reached out to yank off his hood.
"Little Qi, don't wear a hat indoors. Be careful not to grow tall."
"Huh?" Qi Shaobai looked at her doubtfully. "Isn't that just like opening an umbrella indoors?"
Sheng Mumu bluffed: "The meaning is about the same."
Qi Shaobai: "But I just measured recently, I grew taller again, already 1.86 meters."
Sheng Mumu's gaze swept over the top of Qi Shaobai's, Qi Mo's, and Cheng Xin's heads a few times. She said, "You're still not as tall as your dad, still not as tall as my brother."
Qi Shaobai was rendered speechless for a few seconds, realizing the stranger's identity.
He responded late: "But still taller than you."
Sheng Mumu: "..."
Qi Shaobai and Sheng Mumu chatted away with each other, inexplicably diffusing the tense atmosphere, as if the earlier awkward entry lines were not said by him.
Seeing Mumu bickering with Qi Shaobai, Cheng Xin's heart which had still held some worry earlier was now completely relieved.
It seemed that Mumu was living quite happily in the Qi family.
Even when bickering with her stepson, she kept smiling the entire time.
The elevator gave a "ding" sound as it slowly opened.
The four people entered the elevator.
Sheng Mumu and Qi Shaobai were still continuing their bland conversation.
Qi Mo and Cheng Xin walked behind.
Very quickly switching from unfamiliarity to the appearance businessmen have when first meeting each other.
Chatting about things like:
"I've heard your company's year-on-year revenue growth has been stable in recent years."
"There'll be opportunities to collaborate in the future."
"Blah blah blah..."
"@%$@ blah blah blah..."
The kind of topics that sound very tiring for others to understand, yet they found joy in.
Sitting down in the private room.
Qi Mo passed the menu to Sheng Mumu for her to take a look and decide what dishes to order.
Sheng Mumu randomly chose a few, then passed the menu along to Qi Shaobai.
"Take a look as well."
As the junior, and it also being Qi Shaobai's first time meeting the so-called "uncle" Cheng Xin, he was inevitably somewhat ill at ease.
Remembering the etiquette he had learned before, he pushed the menu away.
Soberly yet politely said:
"Anything is fine with me, you all decide."
Sheng Mumu gave a slap to his arm, saying impatiently:
"We're all family, don't pretend to be all proper with me. I told you to order so order!"
Qi Shaobai: "..."
Qi Mo's lips curved into a faint smile, amused.
Cheng Xin then leaned forward slightly, all of the arrogant, CEO manner entirely gone as he looked at Qi Shaobai, a vague smile in his tone:
"Qi Shaobai?"
Called out by name, Qi Shaobai immediately raised his head.
He sat up straighter, looking over, "Yes?"
Cheng Xin's voice was calm: "What Mumu said is right. From now on we're all one family, no need to be so restrained with me."
Qi Shaobai nodded.
Cheng Xin continued: "Meeting for the first time, as uncle I should have prepared a meeting gift. I didn't think of it. Tell me what you usually like."
Qi Shaobai was stunned for a moment.
He looked towards his father who was silently, faintly smiling, and his little stepmother posing like a loving mother.
A few words instantly popped up in his mind:
Wow.
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