The smile on Chen Gui's face stiffened for a moment, and his eyes quickly flicked toward An Jingsheng behind him.
Naturally, he hadn't been invited to stay for dinner.
He had come to visit on his own today.
He hadn't expected to run into An Jingsheng inviting Jiang Cheng to dinner.
For a moment, Cheng Gui didn't know whether to envy Jiang Cheng or An Jingsheng.
He could only laugh it off with a chuckle.
"Haha, President Jiang, you really know how to joke! How could I have the nerve to suggest President An spend money on me? I was originally planning to leave after our chat, but I didn't expect to be lucky enough to run into you. If I left now, wouldn't I miss the chance to share a table with you? Speaking of which, I haven't had a meal with President An yet. Today, I'll take advantage of your presence, President Jiang—President An, please don't mind the intrusion!"
Cheng Gui's response was indeed polished and airtight; he lowered his posture significantly while making it impossible for anyone to find fault with him.
Hearing this, An Jingsheng stood up slowly from the sofa with a somewhat helpless smile on his face.
He pointed a finger at Cheng Gui.
"Old Cheng, Old Cheng, you're such a sly fox—"
He deliberately trailed off as he walked to the door and patted Chen Gui on the shoulder.
"I originally thought that inviting you for tea today was just for tea, and I really didn't prepare dinner for you. But look at you, using Jiang Cheng's presence to force your way in. Don't just stand there, everyone, come in and sit."
Jiang Cheng and Cheng Gui hadn't met since the last time Cheng Xiaodong had his backside poked.
However, after that incident, Cheng Gui still made sure to like every single one of Jiang Cheng's posts on Friend Circle.
Jiang Cheng could only say that if Cheng Gui were in ancient times, he would be the kind of talent who could endure the humiliation of crawling between someone's legs while biding his time for revenge.
Jiang Cheng didn't stand on ceremony either. He walked inside and asked casually as he went, "Old An, what are we drinking today?"
An Jingsheng followed beside him. "What else? I was brewing Jin Jun Mei when Old Cheng arrived. You can have that if you want, or I can have someone dig out my box of Da Hong Pao..."
Jiang Cheng waved his hand. "Whatever works. I can't tell the difference anyway..."
"Hahaha~"
The three of them entered the living room.
Chen Gui followed at the back. Although he tried his best to keep his face natural, his expression was still somewhat tense.
Jiang Cheng, on the other hand, was perfectly at ease, sitting on the sofa as if he were in his own home.
An Jingsheng sat down opposite him and began fiddling with the tea set—scalding the cups, adding the tea—his movements smooth as flowing water.
While brewing, An Jingsheng looked up at him. "Old Cheng, did you really have no business coming here today?"
Cheng Gui hurriedly waved his hands. "Really, nothing, President An. I was just passing by and thought it had been a while since I had tea with you, so I came in to beg for a cup."
An Jingsheng gave a half-smile. "Passing by? You live in Luhu; that's not close to here at all."
Chen Gui looked a bit sheepish at his words. Just as he was about to explain, Jiang Cheng suddenly laughed. "Old An, don't think so pragmatically of people. What could Old Cheng want? He probably just missed you and came specifically to see you."
As he spoke, he looked at Chen Gui with a teasing tone. "Right, Old Cheng?"
Chen Gui did indeed have business here today.
If he didn't, how would he dare disturb An Jingsheng for no reason?
But with Jiang Cheng joking like this, he could only follow the lead and take the out.
Seeing Jiang Cheng call An Jingsheng 'Old An', the micro-expressions on Cheng Gui's face shifted.
The big shots in Chengdu all had to politely call him 'President An' when they met him...
How did it become 'Old An' in Jiang Cheng's mouth...
After forcing himself to suppress his expression, Cheng Gui gave a loud laugh and waved his hand. "No, I really just came to find President An for tea today... Honestly, the air in President An's place is just too good. If I weren't afraid of bothering him, I'd want to come every day just to get a breath of it..."
An Jingsheng shook his head and spoke. "Alright, alright, since you're already here, I can't exactly kick you out, can I? Besides, you might not be good at other things, Old Cheng, but you're a pro at accompanying people for drinks. Just as well, stay and have a few drinks with Jiang Cheng today."
Cheng Gui immediately took the opportunity, a genuine smile piling up on his face as he replied, "You got it, President An! It's my honor! President Jiang, you're usually so busy, you're even harder to see than President An. If it weren't for the fact that my entire net worth is tied up in City, I'd want to move to Shanghai just to be your neighbor!"
Jiang Cheng's lips curled at the humor. He teased, "Old Cheng, I don't think you want to be my neighbor. It looks more like you want to cozy up to whoever you see, doesn't it?"
"Haha, President Jiang, at my age, where would I get that kind of energy? Naturally, I only try to cozy up when I see someone suitable..."
"Gross, Old Cheng. Those words completely expose your inner old playboy nature..."
An Jingsheng shook his head, handed the brewed tea to the two of them, and said, "You're still young enough. In my opinion, it wouldn't be bad to have a couple more children..."
As the tea fragrance curled upward, there was no way Cheng Gui could miss An Jingsheng's meaning.
With his net worth, it was indeed unwise to put everything on Cheng Xiaodong.
Jiang Cheng's previous blow hadn't just woken up Cheng Xiaodong; it had woken him up as well.
Looking at domestic billionaires, how many only children were actually capable of taking over?
Because there was no competition, they lost their 'wolf' nature and were instead filled with nothing but lethargy.
Just as he was thinking, he suddenly heard Jiang Cheng speak:
"Old Cheng, what are you staring at me for?"
Chen Gui's heart skipped a beat, but he smiled. "Nothing, nothing. I was just wondering, President Jiang, how do you have time to come to President An's place today?"
Jiang Cheng looked at him with a half-smile. "What, you're allowed to miss Old An, but I'm not?"
Chen Gui hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no, how could I think that..."
Jiang Cheng set down his teacup, leaned back into the sofa, and asked casually:
"Old Cheng, how are things on your end lately? Are those projects in City going smoothly?"
Hearing him ask this, Chen Gui's spirits lifted, and he immediately said seriously, "Thanks to you, President Jiang, everything is going quite smoothly. There's just one plot of land with a bit of a minor problem lately, but it's not a big deal; we're handling it."
Jiang Cheng nodded. "And you still say you didn't come looking for help?"
Seeing that Jiang Cheng had given him an opening, Cheng Gui laughed loudly. "Oh, it's embarrassing to say..."
As they were talking, light footsteps came from the stairs, accompanied by the chirping of a girl.
"Annie, slow down, don't run..." the nanny said.
"Sister, hurry up! I want to go see Brother Jiang Cheng's car!"
Two figures came down the stairs one after the other.
"Brother Jiang Cheng!"
Annie had already run up to Jiang Cheng, tilting her small face to ask, "Brother Jiang Cheng, did you come in that cool big toy car again?"
Jiang Cheng withdrew his gaze and reached out to ruffle Annie's hair.
"Little girl, why haven't you gone back to Shanghai for school yet?"
Annie blinked. "I was supposed to go back, but my mom stayed an extra two days specifically for you..."
Before she could finish, the sound of An Xin's dry cough came from behind her.
"Annie, talking nonsense again."
As she spoke, she noticed Chen Gui standing to the side and nodded politely, then looked at Jiang Cheng and explained, "There were some things to handle here that caused a delay..."
An Xin wasn't wearing her usual capable and exquisite outdoor attire today; instead, she had changed into a casual home outfit, looking so gentle it was striking.
Her silky smooth long hair was loosely tied into a side ponytail, with a few stray strands hanging by her neck, making her neckline look slender and fair.
She wore a loose, off-the-shoulder white long T-shirt, with a lazy hint of unintentional sexiness, paired with light-colored milk pants that were soft and form-fitting, outlining her crisp yet soft leg lines.
On her feet were a pair of simple Chanel slippers, and she was still wearing a clean white cooking glove on one hand, clearly having just come from the kitchen.
It was clearly a very ordinary outfit, yet on her, it created a strong sense of contrasting beauty.
Usually, she was the picture of dignified propriety and powerful aura; now, having shed all her exquisite armor, she had gained a bit of the gentle warmth of everyday life. Her eyes were soft, her lip color pale, and every glance or tilt of her head exuded a gentle, moving charm—clean and stunning, making Jiang Cheng's heart stir slightly.
Cheng Gui pretended not to notice anything between Jiang Cheng and An Xin.
He said with a smile, "Xin, are you cooking personally?"
After saying this, An Jingsheng, who was to the side, looked a bit sour.
His precious daughter had been personally busy in the kitchen since the evening.
Wasn't it all for Jiang Cheng?
Although he was very satisfied with Jiang Cheng, as a doting father, he still felt a bit jealous of him.
"We're adding dishes today; you stay too, Uncle Cheng..."