"Doctor Chen, please have a seat!"
Wang Mengqi, snapping out of her surprise, managed a faint smile.
Though she didn't say much,
Chen Nan could sense
that her initial strong resistance towards him had subsided.
Indeed.
Whether it's men or women,
people are drawn to handsome men or beautiful women.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be sayings like 'reasonableness in appearance'
or 'values follow looks.'
While Chen Nan didn't agree with those phrases,
one thing was obvious.
In this looks-obsessed society,
being ugly is an original sin.
It can even lead to losing the right to procreate.
"Oh, heavens!"
"Oh, earth!"
"This is unfair to me!" Qinglong's lament echoed in Chen Nan's mind. "Seven years! Do you know how I've lived these past seven years?"
"For seven years, I acted like a subservient dog in front of her."
"But she never even gave me a smile."
"Look at you, she smiles at you as soon as you return."
"There's no justice!"
Chen Nan chuckled, "Isn't this just standard operating procedure?"
He then looked at Wang Mengqi, busy in the kitchen, and politely asked, "Miss Wang, is there anything I can help you with?"
Wearing a loose home outfit and a pink headband, Wang Mengqi appeared more relaxed, devoid of her usual capable career woman aura.
Wang Mengqi smiled, "No need, I just have one last dish. You can go rest in the living room for a while."
Chen Nan: "Alright."
He then went to the living room.
He opened the toy car's packaging with Li Xiang and assembled the battery, happily playing with it.
Listening to his son's excited cheers,
Wang Mengqi, still cooking in the kitchen, wore a bitter smile.
This was the life she dreamed of.
No matter how busy her work was,
after clocking out, she was a wife, a mother.
Her job was to learn more dishes,
and cook them for the two most important men in her life.
While they, father and son, would watch cartoons and play with toys while she cooked.
This was the life she longed for.
However,
it was also significantly different from her idealized life.
Because Chen Nan was not her husband.
"Qinglong, how can I restore Li Xiang's past life memories?" Chen Nan transmitted to Qinglong in the living room.
Qinglong: "Two methods. Find Nezha's Houtian Ling, Wind Fire Wheels, or the Fire-Tipped Spear."
Chen Nan understood.
It was like Guo Yu seeing the Sun-Bending Bow.
As long as he saw the divine artifacts used in his past life,
memories of his past life would flood his mind.
However,
he didn't believe they could find the divine artifacts Nezha once used.
Chen Nan asked, "What's the other method?"
Qinglong: "Life Sacrifice!"
"As long as Wang Mengqi sacrifices her life,"
"Li Xiang can regain his past life memories."
"Although this is cruel,"
"Wang Mengqi carried and birthed Li Xiang for ten months."
"Her life is the key to restoring Li Xiang's past life memories!"
Chen Nan's heart jolted.
Even though he wasn't Wang Mengqi's sycophant,
witnessing a living soul perish,
he couldn't help but feel reluctant.
Qinglong sighed, "Now you understand why I acted as Wang Mengqi's sycophant? She is a woman with an extremely difficult fate. I want to give her more love, for her to feel the warmth of this human world."
Chen Nan scoffed, "Don't try to justify yourself. Being a sycophant isn't shameful."
Qinglong fell silent.
Chen Nan asked, "In all these years, have you found any clues about the Houtian Ling, Wind Fire Wheels, or the Fire-Tipped Spear?"
Although Wang Mengqi could restore Li Xiang's past life memories by sacrificing her life,
that was too cruel.
He didn't want that.
Qinglong: "I have indeed learned the whereabouts of the Wind Fire Wheels, but the time is not yet ripe."
Chen Nan's heart leaped with joy.
It seemed Qinglong hadn't wasted his time.
However,
would merely obtaining the Wind Fire Wheels be enough to restore Li Xiang's past life memories?
This,
he didn't know.
"Come and eat!"
Wang Mengqi emerged carrying the last dish, scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
"Quick, wash your hands and eat!" Chen Nan told Li Xiang.
Li Xiang was very obedient to Chen Nan.
He immediately put down the remote control and went to wash his hands.
Chen Nan also walked to the dining table.
Six dishes and one soup.
Each dish looked and smelled delicious, making him salivate.
Although his current body ate three meals a day,
he hadn't eaten human food for a whole year!
Li Xiang suddenly said, "Mom, just dishes aren't enough. We need wine too. With wine and dishes, it's the greatest respect to my birthday!"
Chen Nan exclaimed, "Wow!"
This Li Xiang was simply an amazing wingman.
First, he invited him over for dinner.
And now, he suggested they have drinks.
From this, it was clear.
He genuinely wanted him to be his father!
Wang Mengqi initially didn't want to drink, but since her son had said so, she couldn't refuse in front of Chen Nan.
After all, who could refuse to share a toast with a mysterious and handsome man?
She politely asked, "Doctor Chen, would you prefer red wine or white wine?"
Chen Nan: "A bit of red would be nice!"
"En." Wang Mengqi said as she took a bottle of red wine from the wine cabinet, then took out two wine glasses and a decanter. She uncorked the bottle and poured the red wine into the decanter.
Then, with the corner of her eye, she secretly glanced at Chen Nan.
For some reason,
she suddenly found this man, Chen Nan, quite pleasing to the eye.
Especially when she asked him to choose between red and white wine.
She had expected Chen Nan to choose white wine.
After all, compared to red wine, white wine was easier to get drunk on.
And many unsavory men would try to get women drunk to achieve certain objectives.
While decanting the wine,
Wang Mengqi, unable to resist her son's desire to eat cake first, opened the cake box, put a birthday hat on her son, and lit the candles.
Then the little one closed his eyes.
Clasping his hands, amidst Chen Nan and Wang Mengqi's birthday song.
He piously made a wish in front of the candles: "I hope that every birthday from now on will be like today, with Mom inviting Uncle Chen to celebrate my birthday at our home."
Wang Mengqi commented from the side, "Wishes don't come true if you say them out loud!"
Li Xiang opened his eyes and said innocently, "But, Mom, you at least know my wish, don't you?"
"As long as you want it to come true, it will."
Wang Mengqi looked at Chen Nan and gave an awkward yet polite smile.
She had always been proud of having an intelligent and quirky son.
However,
this scene left her at a loss.
Chen Nan changed the subject and said to Li Xiang, "Hurry up and blow out the candles!"
*Hoo!*
Li Xiang blew out the candles, then proactively picked up the cake knife, cut the cake, and divided it among Chen Nan and his mother.
The atmosphere was warm, filled with a sense of happiness.
And at this moment,
the doorbell rang.
"I'll get the door!" Wang Mengqi got up and walked to the door. The moment she opened it, her smile froze. "Why are you here?"
Li Chen retorted, "It's my son's birthday, shouldn't I, his father, be here?" Saying that, he pushed Wang Mengqi aside and entered the room.
Upon seeing Chen Nan, he looked at him with disbelief, then turned his furious gaze to Wang Mengqi, raising his hand to deliver a resounding slap: "Bitch, have you forgotten the terms of our divorce agreement?"