17 It Didn't Last Long

Xu Ming was dragged out of the house by the father-daughter pair to go shopping for the little girl's new semester which would be starting soon.

Since he was relatively free, he agreed to come out for a change of air.

Who would have thought that even after changing his identity, there were still some rats following him?

At first, it was one but soon turned into two.

All his life, Xu Ming never had the freedom to roam around all by himself. It would be either his subordinates or enemies tailing behind him.

Casually coming to this kind of crowded place without any protection or fear of being assassinated was a first for him.

It is easy to breathe.

This was what Xu Ming thought of his current situation.

Holding a black cat-shaped eraser in his hand, Xu Ming slightly caressed it with his thumb.

Those two seem to be aiming for Xu Qin, not him. He concluded after observing them for another while.

"You like it?"

Xu Ming stopped his line of thought and glanced sideways. At some point, both Xu Qin and Xu Mei stopped what they were doing and stared at the small eraser that he was holding.

Seeing that the other party had been holding it without letting go for such a long time, Xu Qin mistakenly thought that she had taken a liking to it.

It was unexpected to see that she also had a cute side despite having that emotionless face and poisonous tongue.

Xu Mei on the other hand seemed to finally find a common ground with her mother and excitedly bragged, "I have a lot of these cute erasers in my room! I will let Mom pick whatever when we get home!"

Xu Ming realized that he was being misunderstood but after seeing how excited the little girl was, he simply gave a soft Mn without correcting himself.

Regardless, not long after, the father-daughter pair witnessed the newly bought cute cat-shaped eraser being mercilessly thrown away by its supposed owner.

Disregarding their bewildered faces, Xu Ming said with a deadpan face in a calm and collected manner, "Ah, I saw some rats."

Xu Qin: "..."

Xu Mei: "..."

Before they could even utter a word, a high-pitched scream was heard causing both of them to look over.

Two women dressed in revealing dresses as if they were going to a party but stepped into the wrong place were the ones responsible for that previous noise.

One of them seemed to accidentally trip and another quickly helped her friend to get up.

Xu Qin was unsure whether it was his imagination or not that after the falling woman met his eyes, she appeared flustered and hurriedly ran away.

At this possibility, he slightly knitted his brows since he couldn't recall ever interacting with her before.

Thinking that it might be his overthinking, he soon dropped this idea and turned to the instigator, "Rats?"

Xu Qin would be a fool to believe that she did truly mistake two human beings for rats.

Being faced with his scrutiny, the other side was unfazed. She nonchalantly said, "Otherwise? Your admirers?"

Even though they had already divorced, Xu Qin still felt the need to explain things clearly.

"Maybe they are those stalking fans that mistook me for Ah Wei."

Despite his explanation, the other party showed a half-believing and half-disbelieving expression.

Had it not been for his daughter's interruption, Xu Qin believed that the other person would continue to bite him without letting this matter pass easily.

Regarding his daughter's questions, Xu Qin didn't want to become a strict father and controlled his daughter's every action.

However, the thought that she might turn into a similar person to her mother in the future bothered him.

Xu Qin felt the need to make it clear so that his daughter wouldn't go crooked but who would have thought the other side seemed to have a similar idea?

But unlike him, she was blunt and went straight to the point.

Fortunately, his daughter who was inseparable from her in the past few days seemed to adapt to her changes and didn't take her words badly.

Seeing his daughter no longer interested in this subject, Xu Qin spoke up, "There is a Chinese restaurant on the upper floor, should we have our dinner there?"

Xu Ming had no objection regarding this matter so their dinner arrangement was settled just like that.

The three went into a private room at the end of the corridor and ordered their food.

Not long after, their food arrived and the person in charge of this place even served their food in person.

Manager Wan put on a flattering smile, "President Xu, it is such an honor to have you dine in our restaurant. I am Manager Wan. If there is anything not to your liking, don't hesitate to tell me. I will make sure that your time here is comfortable."

Xu Qin gave a polite nod and lightly said, "Thank you."

Manager Wan's smile widened and his eyes shifted to the little girl who should be President Xu's daughter.

He internally nodded his head.

As expected of President Xu's daughter! She is as beautiful as a doll!

His line of sight gradually moved onto the lady who came with President Xu. If he was not wrong, this should be the legendary Mrs. Xu who has never made her appearance in public after their marriage.

Just as his gaze landed on that amazing side profile, his entire body froze.

Despite dressing so plainly and low-key, her amazing beauty was not reduced in the slightest.

Her poise was elegant and her cold temperament added another layer of irresistible charms to her already exquisite appearance.

Even though she seemed to be close at hand, it felt as if she was disconnected from the rest of the world.

Unattainable and unapproachable just like a flower that only grows on high mountains.

"Manager Wan."

Manager Wan finally snapped out of his daze after being called out by a cold voice. He subconsciously looked toward the source of the voice only to meet a pair of indifferent eyes devoid of any temperature.

Only at this did Manager Wan realize his mistake and break into a cold sweat.

How can any man stand having another guy staring at his wife so blatantly?! Not to mention, this is President Xu, we are talking about!

Manager Wan hurriedly explained, "Pardon my rudeness! I was so in awe of Mrs. Xu's beauty that I couldn't come back to my senses! President Xu, you are such a lucky man to have such a beautiful wife!"

Xu Qin who had already divorced his beautiful wife, "..."

Manager Wan saw the other party didn't react to his praise and mistakenly thought that he was still dissatisfied with his rude behavior.

He swallowed his saliva in difficulty and added with a fawning smile, "Little Miss Xu must be lonely! When will you give her a sibling? Haha..."

For the second time, Xu Qin who had already divorced his wife, "..."

Still not seeing him react to his words, Manager Wan nervously wiped away the invisible sweat off his forehead.

I just stared at your wife for a bit! Do you really need to drink a whole jar of vinegar like this?!

"I am hungry."

Although this tone was callous, Manager Wan almost cried tears of gratitude and threw himself to hug Mrs. Xu's legs.

Xu Qin who heard Xu Ming's complaint finally took his gaze off the pitiful Manager Wan and said, "Manager Wan, please say hello to your Boss for me."

Manager Wan eagerly spoke with a 90-degree bow, "I will. Please enjoy your meal!"

Finally, only the three of them were left in the room.

Xu Qin didn't have a habit of wasting food, therefore, the amount was just right for two adults and one child.

Xu Mei insisted on sitting beside her mother so Xu Qin had no choice but to change his seat to sit on his daughter's right so that he could feed her.

In the meantime, Xu Ming silently ate his food without making a single sound. He ate in a small bite and chewed his food slowly.

His eating speed was even slower than Xu Mei's.

Every time Xu Ming had a meal with other people, he was always the last person to finish his food.

One of the reasons attributed to this habit of his was to guard against poison that was added to his meals.

There was no telling whether those types of accidents could be prevented despite having a thorough inspection and strict security.

Having a leisurely meal and a peaceful sleep were luxuries that Xu Ming couldn't afford no matter how much money he had.

Xu Ming pinched a piece of Mapo tofu with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth. However, before he could even chew it, he suddenly frowned.

"Is it spicy for you?"

Somehow, Xu Qin who was busy feeding his daughter immediately caught onto Xu Ming's abnormality.

Apparently, he has been sneaking glances at Xu Ming from time to time during the meal and happened to take note of his change.

Xu Ming didn't answer but he nodded his head in return while swallowing the food in his mouth.

Having gotten her answer, Xu Qin kindly called for a waiter to ask for a glass of milk.

Not long after, the waiter arrived and set the glass beside Xu Qin. Xu Qin politely thanked him and passed the glass over to Xu Ming.

After taking several small sips, Xu Ming set the glass aside.

"You have a child palate." Xu Qin casually joked with a smile in his eyes.

Gently dabbing his mouth with the napkin, Xu Ming slightly narrowed his eyes, "It is better than your childlike son."

Xu Qin: "..."

Xu Qin was speechless with her unfounded claim. Just as he was about to fight back, his daughter's cheerful voice was suddenly heard.

"So Mom's met Daddy's son before?"

Xu Qin abruptly stiffened at his daughter's innocent question. He who knew the actual meaning couldn't help but think in that direction causing his ears to heat up.

He subconsciously looked in a certain person's direction and immediately collided with her meaningful eyes mid-air.

Feeling an ominous premonition, Xu Qin was about to change the subject but he was still a beat too late and got cut in by an unhurried voice.

"It is impossible for Your Mom not to meet your Dad's son."

Clenching his fists, Xu Qin lowly warned, "Xu. Ming."

Unaware of what her Daddy was going through, Xu Mei curiously asked, "What does he look like?"

Hearing this question, Xu Qin felt like he was having a public execution.

The heat quickly spread from his ears onto his face. He figured that at the moment his face should be as red as a cooked shrimp and hot enough to fry an egg.

Xu Ming lazily propped his chin with his right hand. The corner of his lips had an imperceptible curve.

Watching Xu Qin's handsome face turn red from shame, Xu Ming was immediately put in a good mood.

He meaningfully said, "Surprisingly, it is not as big as you think."

Xu Qin looked at him in disbelief. He, whose ego has been provoked pushed his tongue against his right cheek and gave a smile that was not a smile, "It must have left a big impression on you for you to remember this."

Anyways, the person who experienced it was Su Ming not him, therefore, Xu Ming could reply with ease, "Perhaps. Since it didn't last long."

"You!" Xu Qin's face was as dark as the bottom of the pot.

Xu Mei looked at her Daddy and Mommy in confusion. She didn't understand what they were talking about.

Why is her Mom looking like she is in a great mood while her Daddy is so worked up with this topic?

In the end, the smart Xu Mei tried to decipher her parents' conversation with her limited vocabulary and proudly concluded.

"So Daddy's son is small, could only play around for a short time and Mom likes meeting and playing with him very much!"

Xu Qin: "..."

Xu Ming: "..."