Jiang Cheng picked up his phone and read the message An Xin had sent.
On wechat she said she'd already reserved a private restaurant.
After telling An Xin on wechat that he was on his way, Jiang Cheng drove the lamborghini reventón out.
Half an hour later, in the restaurant's private room, Jiang Cheng saw the naughty child he hadn't seen for ages and the still graceful and sexy An Xin.
The moment Annie saw Jiang Cheng she scampered over happily and chirped, "Big Brother Jiang Cheng, you're finally here! Come sit next to my mom."
Seeing Annie stir up trouble the instant they met, Jiang Cheng gently pinched her cute cheek.
"Have you been listening to your mom?"
Annie tactfully pulled Jiang Cheng to sit beside An Xin. "Of course! I've been super good lately—haven't run off anywhere."
"So well-behaved? Then later I'll reward you with a big chicken leg." Jiang Cheng knew Annie hated meat and said it on purpose.
Sure enough, the moment Annie heard Jiang Cheng wanted her to eat meat, her face instantly crumpled.
An Xin beside them couldn't help covering her mouth and secretly laughing.
"Only you can keep this kid in line."
Annie pouted, ignored Jiang Cheng, then rolled her eyes and asked, "Big Brother Jiang Cheng, why have you been yawning all afternoon? Didn't sleep well last night?"
Jiang Cheng nodded with a helpless smile. "Last night I traded barbs with some girl all night—no rest at all."
"Huh? What happened? A fight? You had to roast each other that long?" Annie asked innocently.
Jiang Cheng shrugged and deadpanned, "Of course. I can't stand people not convinced; I have to roast them till they give in."
"Wow, awesome! Big Brother Jiang Cheng, how do you roast? Can you teach my mom?"
"Does your mom really need me to teach her that?" Jiang Cheng glanced at An Xin.
"She totally does. She can't argue; she ends up in tears when she fights with Grandpa."
When An Xin heard Annie spill her embarrassing secrets, her cheeks burned; she shot Jiang Cheng a sheepish look. "Annie, don't talk nonsense."
"I'm telling the truth. Big Brother, can you teach my mom when you're free?"
"Do you want to learn?"
An Xin asked helplessly, "Are you really that good at roasting people?"
Recalling Qiao Yinyin begging for mercy, Jiang Cheng nodded firmly. "I'm pretty confident about that. Don't believe me? I'll roast you next time."
As the three chatted, the dishes arrived.
Not catching Jiang Cheng's undertone, An Xin enthusiastically served him. "Jiang Cheng, I eat here often; all their vegetables come from their own garden—natural, no pesticides, totally safe."
She then used serving chopsticks to pile some freshly fried greens onto Jiang Cheng's plate and ladled him a bowl of soup.
"Try this old-duck and bamboo-shoot soup—the shoots are incredibly fresh, and the duck is raised on their own farm; very nourishing."
Jiang Cheng nodded, hinting that although he hadn't been the active driver last night,
the repeated harvesting by Qiao Yinyin had still sapped some of his vitality.
Right now he badly needed a restorative stew to replenish himself.
"Thanks, Sister An. Don't worry about me—eat too."
Seeing the two adults talking, Annie went quiet for once, slowly eating from her bowl without interrupting.
Between bites Jiang Cheng brought up Wen Ang to An Xin,
roughly recounting what had happened that night at the bar.
After listening, An Xin sighed helplessly.
"Our families do business together, so my father really wants to arrange a marriage, but I'm not willing. As for a wedding—that's utter nonsense; I haven't seen him since that dinner."
Hearing her stance, Jiang Cheng decided to tell her what he'd heard,
since it concerned Annie's safety.
Believe it or not, the choice would be hers.
Predictably, after hearing it An Xin's face darkened.
"Is he insane? If he dares lay a finger on Annie, I won't let him get away with it!"
It was the first time Jiang Cheng had seen such murderous expression on An Xin's face.
Normally An Xin looked dignified and noble; rarely did she show such extreme emotion.
Clearly she truly doted on Annie.
"Annie is my only daughter; I won't let anyone hurt her," An Xin declared firmly.
Jiang Cheng reminded her, "The naughty child's a bit naughty; frankly, the Bodyguards following her aren't very professional."
An Xin nodded. "Usually it's just nannies from home, not pros. I'll switch to proper Bodyguards as soon as we're back."
"Thank you, Jiang Cheng. Annie never knew her dad, but she's stubborn—once she likes someone she clings to him, so she keeps bothering you; sorry for the trouble."
Jiang Cheng nodded understandingly. "It's no bother; she's actually pretty cute."
"See, Mom? I told you Big Brother Jiang Cheng likes me."
An Xin said nothing, only smiled and stroked Annie's hair lovingly.
It was the first time Jiang Cheng had heard An Xin mention Annie's father, yet he didn't press further,
because he caught the barely hidden hatred in An Xin's eyes.
With Annie present, the two switched to other topics.
Just then Jiang Cheng received a wechat from Qin Fen.
It was a photo; the scene looked like a hospital.
And the man in it was clearly Wen Ang.
Jiang Cheng tapped the voice message, and Qin Fen's excited voice soon sounded: "Old Jiang, last night I had someone dig into that punk's background—guess what? My guy snapped him registering at the Male-Reproductive Clinic this morning."
"Haha, after he left my man asked around—turns out the dude's impotent. I'm dying of laughter."
Because Jiang Cheng's wechat voice was on speaker,
Qin Fen's words reached An Xin's ears directly.
An Xin blushed crimson at once, while Annie asked in puzzlement, "What's impotent? What happened to him?"
Jiang Cheng realized Wen Ang's condition was likely related to him,
but he hadn't expected the Bad Luck Card's aftermath to be so savage.
One card had stripped Wen Ang of a man's basic joy—the dream come true system was terrifyingly potent!
Jiang Cheng asked An Xin, "So… do you still need to marry into that family?"
An Xin asked in surprise, "The man he mentioned is Wen Ang?"
Seeing Jiang Cheng nod, An Xin couldn't help laughing…