“What use is there in taking him over there?”
“This way I can use Xiao An to threaten the old man and say, if you keep pushing me, I’ll start refining copper.”
Li Jue tightly furrowed her brows.
Her palm covered the unfinished box of French fries.
In the next moment, several oily yellow fries were burned into a pinch of black ash.
Chu Jiuer glanced at that pinch of ash, her face still wearing that same playful, grinning expression.
“Just tricking him a little. Borrow Xiao An for a bit. I’ll return him after I’m done. I promise.”
Li Jue lowered her head and looked at Ying An’s sleeping face.
She closed her eyes and sighed, and when she opened them again the scarlet in her pupils had already faded.
Only the friendship of several thousand years with Chu Jiuer could make her agree to something like this.
“Just this once.”
“No problem. Thank you, Sister Li.”
Li Jue carefully adjusted Ying An’s body, changing the boy’s sleeping posture so that he was lying face-down on the table, then glanced at the mess on the table.
“Don’t take him to eat this kind of stuff. The moment the matter is finished, send him back.”
“Understood. As you command.”
“Also… don’t let him sleep on your lap. Don’t hold his hand.”
After giving her instructions Li Jue left.
Chu Jiuer sat in the restaurant waiting the entire time for Ying An to wake up.
Outside the rain gradually lessened.
Drip by drip the raindrops fell along the eaves.
Tomorrow would still be overcast rainy weather.
Heavy rain like this would not be scarce these next few days.
***
Yantian Hotel was one of the highest-specification five-star hotels in Shenchuan.
The private hall Chu Tianyou had reserved was resplendent with gold and jade, the lights brilliant.
The waiters all wore neat and proper tailcoats.
The guests coming and going were dressed in luxurious clothes and carried an extraordinary bearing—all prominent figures of Shenchuan.
“Mr. Chu, long time no see.”
A tall, thin young man with a beard raised a wine glass and politely greeted Chu Tianyou.
“You too, long time no see, Little Li.”
He was very unrestrained, and his way of speaking always gave people a sense of being offbeat.
“When was the last time we met… oh, when that plot of land of yours just started construction. How is it? Is the steel enough? If not, come buy more from Uncle. I’ll give you a ten percent discount.”
The procurement of building materials for real estate projects was always spoken of by him as if he were buying pork at the wet market.
Fortunately the young man was used to it and went along with Chu Tianyou’s small talk.
In this place that valued banquet culture and hierarchical etiquette, someone as casual as Chu Tianyou was very rare.
Even the smooth, all-around oily veterans of the banquet table could not handle someone like him.
Just as the young man was accompanying him with smiles and conversation, a man approached and respectfully reminded Chu Tianyou, “President Chu, the young miss has arrived.”
“What young miss? What kind of occasion is this? Who’s calling someone young miss?”
“It’s your family’s eldest young miss.”
“Oh oh oh, it’s Jiuer.”
Chu Tianyou turned his head and smiled at the young man whose face was full of embarrassment.
“Excuse me for a moment. My girl has arrived.”
Chu Jiuer was wearing a blue-black off-shoulder evening gown, lightly made up, her long black hair draped over her shoulders.
The heels of her high-heeled shoes were very low, revealing a pair of snow-white, beautiful calves.
Her attire was luxurious and elegant.
Paired with that outstandingly glamorous face, she seemed destined to be the protagonist of this banquet.
“Finally here, Jiuer. Daddy has been waiting for you for a long time.”
Chu Tianyou was very enthusiastic toward her and immediately opened his arms wide wanting to give her a big hug.
Chu Jiuer wore a look of disdain and took a step back, pushing him away.
Chu Tianyou did not mind at all and remained grinning playfully.
“Good daughter, Daddy missed you to death. It’s been so long since we last met. I thought you weren’t coming. How is it? Are there a lot of handsome guys? Have you taken a fancy to any? Daddy will help you matchmake.”
“No need. I brought one myself.”
“What did you bring?”
He was a little slow to react.
Chu Jiuer turned her head and lightly called toward Ying An, who was eating ice cream in the distance.
“Xiao An, come here, come here.”
Ying An wiped his mouth and obediently ran to Chu Jiuer’s side.
She took the boy’s hand, her eyes both teasing and resolute.
“My boyfriend.”
“This… this little boy?”
Chu Tianyou felt as if his brain had been struck.
No matter how dissolute he was outside, the women he found were all at least twenty years old.
His own daughter, a shut-in who stayed home playing games every day, had actually… actually played even more wildly than him?
“I told you before. If you keep pushing me, I’ll start refining copper.”
But this child didn’t have even a trace of demon aura on him, Chu Tianyou thought.
Good daughter, talking about refining copper with you is like describing the Second World War as a small village quarrel involving a few people.
When you were drinking a thousand cups without falling at the taverns of Chang’an, this child’s ancestor’s ancestor was still tumbling around in the womb.
Ying An was listening to them speak and was also very sensitive in catching the three words “boyfriend.”
It had nothing to do with whether he liked her or not.
Hearing a super pretty wealthy young lady call himself her boyfriend would always make a child feel somewhat shy and at a loss.
“You, Jiuer, think carefully. What’s this child’s background?”
“Sister Li’s little brother.”
Chu Tianyou felt as if the sky was about to collapse.
Although this generation could not be said to have committed evil, he had done quite a few things that created karmic debt.
Retribution had finally arrived.
He had heard that Li Jue had adopted a human child and claimed he was her little brother.
What her actual intentions were was hard to say.
Even if Chu Jiuer and Li Jue’s friendship ran as deep as it did, he still had to pay extra attention to this matter.
“Does Li Jue know about this?”
“She doesn’t. We’re together in secret.”
You’ve really never been burned by the red lotus karmic fire… Chu Tianyou forcibly controlled himself not to lose composure.
He looked at the lowered head of Ying An.
The little boy was good-looking and had a good temperament.
Even if Chu Jiuer really did start refining copper, if he did more mental work on himself he might be able to accept it—provided he was not Li Jue’s little brother!
He sighed, as if Chu Jiuer had completely stripped him of his temper, and became serious in a way that was extremely rare. “If I say I’m no longer pushing you now, is it still in time?”
“What’s wrong? Didn’t you single-mindedly want a son-in-law?”
“I’m afraid the company building will get burned down.”
“That’s what you said. From now on you’re not allowed to interfere with me anymore.” With the plan succeeding, Chu Jiuer could not help feeling secretly delighted.
“Yes. That’s what I said.”
“All right. Then we’ll leave first.”
She could see that Ying An was hungry.
He had been staring at the ice cream on the table not far away for a long time, as if afraid that if they delayed any longer it would all be snatched away.
Chu Jiuer did not want to delay his meal.
“Wait a moment. Your aunt and little brother are also here. Go see them.” Chu Tianyou said.
They were all ordinary humans, but they were still his legitimate family members.
He still hoped Chu Jiuer would maintain family harmony with them.
She had always disliked them.
In the eyes of great demons with such long lifespans, relatives of human bloodline were all passersby who would eventually leave.
Moreover, that woman was merely a romantic entanglement Chu Tianyou had stirred up on a whim.
“I’m not going. Xiao An is still hungry. If there’s something urgent, have them come find me.”
After speaking, Chu Jiuer took Ying An’s hand and left.
He lifted his head and looked at Chu Jiuer.
She put that gentle, soft smile back on her face and raised her hand to stroke Ying An’s head.