The sun outside grew even more scorching, baking the outdoor AC unit until it was hot to the touch.
Jiang Liu turned off the air conditioner to let the machine rest for a bit.
By the ti he finished tidying up the room, it was already 1:20 PM.
"Son, your dad and I are heading back now. The weather’s great, so I’ll take those shoes of yours and give them a good wash. They should be dry by tonight."
"Okay," Jiang Liu nodded.
"Yay! We can wear them tonight!"
Jun Qingng was overjoyed too, pulling Tongtong into a close, cuddly hug.
"The three of us will wear them together!"
Tongtong excitedly handed the shoes to Lin Qiu as if they were treasure. "Grandma, please be gentle when you wash them! Tongtong wants to wear them with Daddy for a long, long ti."
The adults chuckled.
Tongtong was just too adorable.
Jun Qingng asked, "Jiang Liu, do we need to go back for ingredients?"
"No need. I’ve got so stored in the shop’s freezer."
There was no way Jiang Liu was going back.
His mom and dad were at ho.
A delivery driver in a blue short-sleeved shirt ca to the door. "Are you King Jiang? You have a delivery."
Jiang Liu’s heart skipped a beat. ’The juicer must have arrived.’
It was his cover story.
He signed for a few boxes and carried them back into the shop.
Jiang Liu planned to take a two-hour break. He was in no rush.
Adults needed seven hours of sleep, but he only managed about six hours a night.
Jiang Liu pushed so stools together.
"Daddy, I don’t want to sleep. Can I play on you?"
Tongtong asked adorably, clutching her tablet.
"Go ahead."
"You’re the best, Daddy!"
Tongtong took out her tablet and sprawled across Jiang Liu’s body, playing a ga of *Cut the Rope*.
She loved cuddling with her dad; it made her feel safe and secure.
Before they knew it, both Jiang Liu and Tongtong had fallen asleep.
Jun Qingng sat beside Jiang Liu. She glanced around and, seeing no one was watching, carefully took his hand in hers.
’Sleep well, my dear. I want to protect you forever.’
Her heart began to race.
’He’s asleep... Maybe I should...’
Feeling a pang of guilt, Jun Qingng glanced around again, her face flushing as she leaned in toward Jiang Liu’s lips.
Their breaths mingled,
hers carrying a sweet, warm fragrance, his the sun-kissed, masculine scent of pheromones.
In the end, Jun Qingng didn’t dare to follow through.
’So timid.’
She snapped a few cute photos of them together and, giddy with delight, set one as the background for their chat conversation.
「Afternoon.」
The sun stread through the half-open roll-up door, casting a long, golden strip of light across the brown floor tiles. Yangzhai Street had fallen quiet, and you could faintly hear the rustle of leaves from the grapevines.
"RUSTLE, SWISH..."
Jun Qingng sat there beside Jiang Liu, chin in her hands, just watching him.
’I could never get tired of looking at him.’
’I want to look at him for a lifeti.’
"The dark night gave black eyes..." At 2:50 PM, the alarm went off.
Jiang Liu shot up out of reflex, nearly sending Tongtong tumbling from his lap.
Luckily, the little girl had her arms wrapped around his neck.
"Mmm! Daddy, my ice cream is gone."
Tongtong sat up, rubbing her eyes.
"You can have so tonight." Jiang Liu patted his daughter’s bottom and looked over at Jun Qingng. "Why didn’t you get so sleep?"
Jun Qingng was still resting her chin in her hands. She said softly,
"The you in my dreams isn’t as handso as the you in real life."
"Er... okay."
Jiang Liu didn’t know what to say.
After a mont of silence, Jiang Liu got up to wash his face.
Then he got to work.
While he was working, Xue Guang stopped by and brought a box of cut fruit for Tongtong.
Jiang Liu generously gave him two bottles of juice in return.
Xue Guang was so thrilled he kept looking back as he left, just short of calling Jiang Liu his godfather.
Since he had plenty of ti, Jiang Liu made an extra fifty buns.
Wang Cheng was coming for dinner today.
He had to treat him well.
"Daddy, I want to eat your shrimp noodles," Tongtong said, tugging on Jiang Liu’s pant leg.
"Alright, I’ll make you a big bowl in a little while."
"Okay~~"
At 5 PM, the entrance was already bustling with the clamor of voices.
Passing drivers were getting a massive headache. ’How is this shop running a promotion every single day? It’s so annoying!’
「Inside the shop.」
"Tongtong, co help Daddy bottle the juice."
Tongtong’s eyes darted back and forth. "Will I get ice cream then?"
"If you don’t co over now, you’ll get a spanking."
"Waaaah, your little helper is coming! Daddy, don’t spank my bottom."
Without a word, Jun Qingng proactively brought the cups to the back kitchen and started helping Jiang Liu.
Jiang Liu placed the prepared buns into the stear and set the temperature.
Just then, his phone vibrated a few tis.
Wang Cheng: "Boss Jiang, I’m pleased to report that I’ve succeeded. Your ex-wife has finally budged. She’s agreed to sign the agreent for both recipes."
"However, she wants to retain the right to petition for visitation rights twice a year. It’s a minor point; as long as you don’t agree to it, her hands are tied."
To get this done, Wang Cheng had essentially mobilized the full might of Zhentai to pressure Yang Yixue.
Yang Yixue had originally planned to use visitation rights as leverage to squeeze out more benefits, but the pressure from Zhentai was imnse.
Even if she tried to drag out a lawsuit, the most she could do was annoy Jiang Liu. It would be pointless; she had no chance of winning.
Jiang Liu felt a wave of relief wash over him as he read the ssage.
For him, the two recipes were a goldmine, but in Yang Yixue’s hands, they were practically useless. She lacked his unique advantages; any money she invested would be money down the drain.
Jiang Liu thought for a mont before replying: "Thank you for your hard work, Lawyer Wang. Don’t forget to co for dinner tonight. Also, could you add a few more conditions?"
Wang Cheng’s attention sharpened. "Please, go ahead, Boss Jiang."
Jiang Liu was the key to his future prosperity; he couldn’t afford to be careless.
Jiang Liu carefully composed his ssage, editing it down to a few lines:
"One: If she opens a shop, she is forbidden from using my shop’s na or reputation in any way. For example, she can’t advertise that the recipe for her buns ca from . In short, the buns from my shop have absolutely no connection to any buns she might sell."
"Two: Her shop must be located more than ten kiloters away from Yangzhai Street. I don’t want to see her."
"Three... never mind, just those two for now. What do you think, Lawyer Wang?"
Wang Cheng replied calmly, "That’s fine. I have no objections. I will relay your conditions to Yang Yixue. Barring any surprises, I’ll get her to agree."
Right now, Yang Yixue was like a starved wolf, trying to tear a piece of flesh from Jiang Liu.
As long as he could get rid of the visitation rights issue, everything would be fine.
There was nothing Jiang Liu could do about it. Divorce was just a heap of ssy problems.
But as long as his daughter could grow up healthy and happy, he was willing to pay any price.
Putting down his phone, Jiang Liu looked up to find Jun Qingng leaning in beside him, peeking at his screen.
He froze for a second.
He had been so focused that he hadn’t even noticed the fragrance of her hair.
"What are you looking at?"
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