Susu then said, "Originally, tonight was to invite Shishi for dinner. You're just tagging along on her invitation."
"Why are you so generous to her, but always so stingy with me?" Huo Zheng whined like a puppy.
Susu smiled and said, "See if there's anything else you want to eat. Just order it."
"Then I won't be polite," Huo Zheng picked up the menu and ordered some expensive dishes.
Shishi said to him with annoyance, "You really have no shame. Can you even eat all this?"
"Mind your own business," Huo Zheng put down the menu and snorted coldly.
Susu watched the two of them bicker, finding it quite amusing. She remembered when her relationship with Tianyi was still unstable, they were probably like this too.
Huo Zheng and Shishi were a clear pair of bickering lovers.
With them chattering and joking around during the meal, Susu ate quite happily.
When they parted ways after dinner, Shishi said she wanted to hitch a ride with Susu, but in reality, she hoped Huo Zheng would drive her.
Susu found an excuse to refuse, leaving her and Huo Zheng to go ahead, creating an opportunity for them.
She returned home to find Tianyi already back.
According to Xiaomei, Tianyi had dinner with the children and then went to the study.
Susu tiptoed to the study and saw Tianyi engrossed in his computer screen. She deliberately spoke loudly, "I'm back."
Tianyi was startled by her, then smiled and said, "Where did this quiet cat come from?"
"Annoying! I just wanted to surprise you and help you relax." Susu walked over to him and massaged his shoulders.
Tianyi asked, "Did you have a good time having dinner with Xu Shishi tonight?"
"It was okay. Midway through, Huo Zheng showed up and was flirting with Shishi. It made me laugh so hard."
Tianyi said with a hint of jealousy, "As soon as you go to the studio, he appears. He really has a nose for things."
"Are you jealous?" Susu teased him. "You're so petty. They're a couple now, it has nothing to do with me."
"Don't tell me he's using Xu Shishi as a cover to continue pursuing you."
"You think everyone is as devoted as you are. How many men in the world are so stubbornly in love?" Susu moved closer to him, sat on his lap, and winked at him.
Tianyi loved to hear this. "You know I'm devoted, huh?" he said, kissing her lips.
Influenced by Huo Zheng and Shishi tonight, Susu wanted to take the initiative and recapture the feeling of their early, hazy affection.
"How long will you be busy? Can you spend some time with me?"
Tianyi was stirred by her, but deliberately said in a serious tone, "What's wrong with you? You're acting a bit strange."
"Are you going to accompany me or not?" Susu continued to act spoiled.
Tianyi mimicked her usual tone, "Stop messing around, I'm not done yet."
Susu pushed him away angrily, "I'm not playing with you anymore. You're busy, I'm going back to the room."
As she stood up to leave the study, Tianyi pulled her back with a mischievous smile, "You want to run after flirting? I won't allow it."
Susu turned back, about to ask if he was done with his work, but he scooped her up. He said, "Tonight, I have to put my work aside and spend time with you."
"I was just joking with you..."
Before she could finish, Tianyi sealed her lips.
After their passionate encounter, Susu snuggled into his arms, unable to sleep. She said, "Honey, are you asleep?"
"Not yet," Tianyi replied, holding her tightly with his eyes closed.
"I went to the studio today and found out that Xie Zhendong recently signed a contract with the studio for custom evening gowns. Is he intentionally trying to help my business?"
Tianyi said, "Oh. It seems your help to that Mr. Zhan last time wasn't in vain."
Susu said, "Are the troubles your group is facing now related to him? How about I talk to him? If you can resolve your previous conflicts and become partners, that would be great."
"It's not confirmed yet, but the more I investigate, the more I feel he's involved." Tianyi didn't want to drag her into it. "It's useless for you to talk to him. I'll handle it."
"But he said before that he owed me a favor and promised..."
Tianyi interrupted her and changed the subject, "By the way, a foreign man came to the group today looking for An Jing. He should be Xiaoxiao's biological father."
"Ah, Alva really went to find An Jing directly?" Susu didn't expect him to act so quickly. "Did An Jing meet him? What did they say?"
"I'm not sure about that either. An Jing took him to a coffee shop outside, and then he didn't return to the group."
"He also came to see me today. I told him I couldn't help him and that it would depend on Xiaoxiao's adoptive parents' wishes."
"We really can't interfere with this matter," Tianyi said, gently patting her back. "It's getting late, let's sleep."
"Okay, goodnight." Susu forgot what else she wanted to say and closed her eyes, feeling sleepy.
...
The next day, Tianyi saw An Jing looking somewhat haggard at the group. He assumed it was due to Xiaoxiao's biological father.
He patted An Jing's shoulder and said, "You can take leave if there's something at home. It's okay to come back to work after you've handled it."
"I'm fine," An Jing said, mustering some spirit. "I found the person you asked me to investigate. Guess who he's working for?"
"Someone from Xie Zhendong's side?"
An Jing shook his head and said, "This person is actually from Zhao Jianhua's company. The batch of building materials we need is in Zhao Jianhua's company warehouse. After he had people bring it in, it hasn't been used and has been stacked in the warehouse."
"But he shouldn't have the qualifications to import this batch of building materials. How could customs let his goods through?"
An Jing explained, "He registered a company abroad and forged many qualifications, which is how he managed to transport this batch of goods to Lancheng. I didn't expect Zhao Jianhua to have become so capable now."
"It's not that he's capable. It seems the person behind him making him do this is still Xie Zhendong," Tianyi deduced.
An Jing agreed, "Apart from women, Xie Zhendong and Zhao Jianhua have quite a few unsavory transactions between them."
"Now, as long as Zhao Jianhua can hand over this batch of building materials to us, this urgent problem will be solved," Tianyi said, holding his forehead.
An Jing also said with a frown, "He originally imported it at a high price, so how could he easily sell it to us? This matter is still tricky."
"There will always be a way," Tianyi said, needing to re-examine the matter from the beginning.
An Jing said no more. The matter had been investigated, and they just had to wait for Tianyi to come up with a good solution.
He returned to his office but couldn't focus on his work. He couldn't help but think about what the man had said yesterday after meeting Xiaoxiao's biological father.
The man's blue eyes were so similar to Xiaoxiao's. Even without a paternity test, he felt uneasy.
"Mr. Xiao, you can't be so selfish. I'm grateful that you adopted her when she didn't have parents before," Alva pleaded. "And because I didn't know about this child's existence, she's young and doesn't understand me, so she's a bit unfamiliar with me. But when she grows up and knows that you made her miss her biological father, what will she think? No child doesn't want their biological parents."
Those words made Xiao An Jing uncomfortable. He didn't sleep well after returning and still couldn't bring himself to decide to let Xiaoxiao have a paternity test with that man.
After getting up in the morning, Lan Yu asked him to check on Xiaoyuning.