"Of course!" Lu Chen chuckled. "You've changed so much in just a few days! I'm not the same guy who used to haggle over rent with you. I'm a multi-millionaire now. Qingqing, you're my woman, so don't be shy about spending money with me!"
These words moved Dong Qingqing to tears, but she was surprised and asked, "Chen, how did you become a multi-millionaire? Weren't you a pastry chef? How did you make so much money?"
Lu Chen said, "Of course a pastry shop makes money, but Qingqing, you don't know my capabilities. Do you know Flying Eagle Biotechnology?"
Dong Qingqing nodded. "Yes, Flying Eagle Biotechnology is the largest biological research company in Yunzhou City, mainly focusing on pharmaceuticals. A few years ago, I was very interested in several of Flying Eagle Biotechnology's projects aimed at strengthening the constitution of children and pregnant women. They were hiring, and I even considered switching jobs, but I didn't meet their requirements and was rejected."
A look of regret appeared on her face as she spoke.
Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat. If Dong Qingqing joined Flying Eagle Biotechnology, it wouldn't be a bad thing! Then there would be two stunningly beautiful women here: Dong Qingqing and Du Haoqi.
Lu Chen knew that despite Dong Qingqing's current submissive and gentle demeanor towards him, her icy aura towards others was no less formidable than Du Haoqi's.
There was no way around it; it's said that even the most proud woman will bow her head to a man after sleeping with him. While this truth might not be absolute, it was certainly a prevailing opinion!
Then she became excited again: "Chen, are you going there for a part-time job? I've never heard of Flying Eagle Bio hiring part-time staff. Their requirements are very high, I didn't expect you to get in!"
Lu Chen scratched his head and chuckled, "I had no choice. I originally wanted to save some time and focus on making pastries, but the boss invited me back time and time again, he practically begged me seven times. I had to agree."
"Ah?" Dong Qingqing exclaimed in surprise, "Really? The boss invited you?"
She knew all too well how high the bar was for Flying Eagle Bio. Even for the lowest-level assistant position, she, as the deputy director of the gynecology department at CITIC Yunzhou Hospital, might not be able to get in! Countless doctors from other hospitals wanted to work at Flying Eagle Bio for better salaries, benefits, and career advancement, but they couldn't get in.
And Chen, just a pastry chef, was invited back by the boss of Flying Eagle Bio three times?
It would be strange if Dong Qingqing wasn't surprised.
Looking at Qingqing's surprised eyes, Lu Chen had a peculiar feeling. He wouldn't act so pretentious in front of others. But in front of his woman, the feeling of being so pretentious was absolutely wonderful.
Especially seeing Qingqing's wide eyes.
He scratched his head, trying to appear nonchalant: "Yeah, it's hard to refuse such hospitality!"
Dong Qingqing asked cautiously, "This position, it should be pretty good, right?"
Thinking about it, it must be pretty good. The position the boss was offering was at least a high-level research position, either leading a large project or several projects simultaneously.
Thinking about how successful Lu Chen was, Dong Qingqing felt a sense of pride, and couldn't help but think, "Thank goodness I didn't refuse Lu Chen moving in! Otherwise…"
Suddenly, she thought of something else, something she was particularly satisfied with, and her face flushed.
Lu Chen, oblivious to his obvious pretense, replied, "It's alright, really not that great. Just a research director, second only to the top executive at Flying Eagle Bio. But in my opinion, it's tough, managing so many people. Luckily, the pay is good; the bonus advance is ten million."
"Huh? Research Director?" Dong Qingqing's eyes widened again.
She knew the prestige of being a research director at Flying Eagle Bio. At other companies, even lower-ranking positions usually involved numerous internationally published biomedical monographs and were well-known in the field.
Perhaps not quite at the authoritative level, but certainly high-level experts and professors!
Lu Chen, barely in his twenties, was a research director?
Lu Chen was quite satisfied with the result. He casually waved his hand:
"Yeah, it's nothing. I might as well be my own chief pastry chef, haha! Anyway, Qingqing, spend what you need to spend, and if you're short on money, just come to me. The happiest thing for a man is having money to spend on his woman! By the way, you have a driver's license but no car, right? I need to take you to buy a car sometime, to match your status as the deputy director of gynecology!"
"You, once you have money, you become a playboy!" Dong Qingqing said coquettishly. Actually, she was secretly delighted. Her little man was actually the research director of Flying Eagle Biotechnology, and he earned so much money.
Of course, the most important thing was what Lu Chen said, "The happiest thing for a man is having money to spend on his woman." Dong Qingqing wasn't materialistic, but what woman wouldn't like her man saying something like that?
It was an expression of love!
At this moment, Dong Qingqing realized that her heart was heavy with the man named Lu Chen.
The two walked to the kindergarten entrance, explained their purpose to the security guard, and were easily admitted.
The kindergarten was indeed large, with seven or eight buildings arranged in a garden-like layout, and a large children's playground; it looked very impressive.
Dong Qingqing said, "Every time I come to see my son, I have to go through his teacher first, who will then call him. But Dongdong never comes out. His teacher is called Teacher Song, and this Teacher Song… seems a bit greedy. Every time I go, she hints that I should give her some benefits so she can give my child special treatment. I've given her red envelopes a few times for Dongdong's sake."
"But, I always feel something is wrong with this kind of education. If it weren't for the fact that the teaching quality here is indeed quite good, it would be better not to send him here; the child will be corrupted. Hmm… Dongdong? Dongdong, what are you standing there for?"
Dong Qingqing suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
Lu Chen followed Dong Qingqing's gaze and saw a four- or five-year-old boy standing in a corridor on the first floor of a building. He looked somewhat like Dong Qingqing. Clearly, that was her son.
This was the first time Lu Chen had seen Dongdong, and he suddenly had a strange feeling.
Given his current relationship with Dong Qingqing, wasn't he Dongdong's stepfather? Such a young stepfather? Actually, Dong Qingqing, as the mother, wasn't very old either, only about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, three or four years older than Lu Chen.
Dongdong stood awkwardly, twisting and turning, his little hands tightly gripping his trouser seams, his head bowed low. It was obvious he had been wronged, or perhaps bullied.
Hearing Dong Qingqing call out, he immediately looked up. His eyes were red and swollen, and his face was streaked with tears. Seeing it was his mother, he immediately lowered his head again, turning his back to her.
Dong Qingqing felt a pang of heartache. Why was her son crying so bitterly?
She rushed over and asked, "Dongdong, what's wrong? What happened?"
Dongdong cried out in a hoarse voice, "I don't need you! You're not my mother! You abandoned me, so I don't need you anymore! Get out of here, get out of here now!"
This cry almost brought Dong Qingqing to tears. "Mommy didn't abandon you! Daddy's just making things up! Mommy loves you very much, Dongdong, tell Mommy, what happened?"
As she spoke, she reached for Dongdong's hands. With that pull, Dongdong screamed in agony.
Instantly, Dong Qingqing's hair stood on end. "Dongdong, Dongdong, what happened to your hands?" she cried, grabbing Dongdong's wrists and lifting his hands.
What she saw was horrifying.
Dongdong's two small palms were covered in bruises. These marks, one after another, had become red, swollen, and bleeding.
It was clear they were made with a ruler.
How many strokes of the ruler would it take to achieve this effect?
This pain would be unbearable even for an adult, let alone a four or five-year-old child!
Dong Qingqing trembled with anger. She squatted down and asked, "Dongdong, did the teacher hit you?"
Hitting the palm with a ruler usually meant by the teacher.
Dongdong turned his head away, stubbornly shouting, "It's none of your business! Go away! Go away!"
Tears streamed down Dong Qingqing's face. She pleaded, "Dongdong, please don't treat Mommy like this. Mommy never said I would abandon you. Otherwise, why would Mommy keep coming here to find you? Tell Mommy, did the teacher hit you? Why did she hit you?"
Dongdong fell silent, head down, biting his lower lip. No matter what Dong Qingqing asked, he kept his lips tightly shut.
Lu Chen scratched his head. He first secretly used his Healing God ability to investigate, but perhaps because Dongdong's condition wasn't an illness, or for some other reason, it had no effect.
Then, Lu Chen simply used his Cursing God ability, issuing a gentle command in his mind: "Dongdong, be good, listen to me." Then, he took two steps forward and said gently, "Dongdong, I'm the magician your mother invited. Do you want me to perform magic for you?"
At this moment, Dongdong, already influenced by Lu Chen's aura, looked up at him. His eyes showed interest and curiosity: "You're a magician? What kind of magic tricks can you do? Can you turn into lots of pigeons?"
Most children like magicians; how amazing it is for empty hands to suddenly turn into many things! Combined with the effect of the Cursing God ability, Dongdong was immediately amused.
Lu Chen shook his head: "No!"
"Oh, I see!" Dongdong was slightly disappointed: "Then can you conjure up a sparrow?"
He compromised, but Lu Chen still shook his head and said no.
"What about a butterfly?"
"What about a mosquito?"
"Then... what about an earthworm? An ant?... You can't even make an ant, Uncle, you're so bad! So what can you do?"
As Dongdong said this, he was completely deflated. He thought he'd met some amazing magician, but he couldn't even conjure an ant. But then, Lu Chen's next sentence instantly brightened his eyes to an unprecedented level.
"Uncle may not be able to conjure up anything, but your hand hurts a lot. I can make it stop hurting, believe it or not?"