Chapter Forty-Three: I Want Him to Be My New Dad

The iron gate opened, and following Ye Wanyin's instructions, Zhao Xinze parked the car in a designated spot in the backyard of the Lanting Study.

There were eight parking spaces in total, four of which were already occupied when we arrived: two Maybachs, a Phaeton, and a Rolls-Royce.

Compared to those luxury vehicles, the BMW that Zhao Xinze was driving looked utterly insignificant.

Holding An'an's hand, Ye Wanyin led us into the elevator in the backyard, where a waiter was on duty to operate the doors.

Upon seeing Ye Wanyin, the waiter bowed respectfully and said, "Director Ye."

"Mm."

The Lanting Study had nine floors in total, and the elevator stopped on the top floor. Standing outside the elevator were two more waiters who greeted Ye Wanyin with the exact same respectful bow as the one inside.

At the same time, a woman dressed in a Lanting Study work qipao walked over. She had a miniature microphone clipped to her ear, glanced at us, and nodded in greeting.

"Director Ye, are you hosting guests for dinner today?"

"Mm."

"Understood, this way please."

Following the woman into a private dining room, we found the interior decor even more luxurious than the branch in Tianhai. The table was not large, set up as an intimate dining area meant for eight people.

The woman carried a thick, hardcover menu, placed it in front of us, and politely asked about the dietary preferences and restrictions of Zhao Xinze and me.

Zhao Xinze glanced at the printed prices, hesitating and unsure whether he should venture to order anything.

"Perhaps Ms. Ye should handle the ordering."

Noticing our restraint, Ye Wanyin generously rattled off several dishes and instructed, "Tell the kitchen to prepare them as quickly as possible."

"Right away, Director Ye."

Even though we were the ones being treated to dinner, Zhao Xinze and I felt as though we were sitting on pins and needles. Remembering the business card Ye Wanyin had given me, I quietly took it out to take a look.

The business card, featuring gold lettering against a matte black background, felt remarkably high-end in the hand, adorned with embossed classical gold patterns. In the center were the words: [Lanting Study Co., Ltd. Chairperson · Ye Wanyin]

The moment I read those words clearly, my scalp tingled intensely, and my eyes instinctively drifted upward to look at Ye Wanyin sitting across from me.

I finally remembered where I had heard the name Ye Wanyin before. Sometime earlier, I had the privilege of attending a large-scale business convention in Tianhai attended by many heavyweights. As one of the few female board chairs of a publicly listed company present, Ye Wanyin had been a frequent topic of conversation among the attendees.

However, I hadn't managed to catch a glimpse of her in person back then, and due to differences in our respective industries, I rarely heard her name mentioned again.

Quietly passing the business card under the table to Zhao Xinze, I gave him a meaningful look.

Zhao Xinze blinked, subtly took the card, and after reading it clearly, he nearly blurted out an oath of sheer astonishment.

"Ms. Ye, ah no—Director Ye, you are the chairperson of the Lanting Study?"

Ye Wanyin smiled faintly and nodded. "Yes, I am a native of Danxi, and this establishment is the very first Lanting Study, which was recently renovated."

No wonder the decor of this Lanting Study surpassed even the one in Tianhai; it turned out to be the brand's place of origin.

Never could I have imagined that getting into an unexpected car accident in Danxi would lead to crossing paths with someone as formidable as Ye Wanyin. The workings of fate were truly wondrous beyond words.

The cuisine at the Lanting Study was undeniably first-rate, yet Zhao Xinze and I tasted almost nothing, utterly wasting a table full of exquisite dishes.

After the meal, Ye Wanyin had a waiter pack up the leftovers for us and hand them over, along with an extra box of Moutai liquor. "If the two of you don't mind, please take these back with you."

"Of course not at all. Director Ye, you are far too generous."

Ye Wanyin accompanied us along with An'an to the backyard parking lot. An'an trotted over, waved her hand in my direction, and I squatted down to look at her.

"What is it, An'an?"

An'an planted a crisp kiss right on my cheek. "Uncle, you must come visit An'an again when you have time!"

I glanced at Ye Wanyin standing not far away and smiled as I replied, "Alright."

Inside, however, I couldn't help thinking that mother and daughter weren't exactly people I could just see whenever I pleased; I hoped the little girl wouldn't make things too difficult for me.

Ye Wanyin waved goodbye. "Goodbye, Mr. Jiang."

"Goodbye, Director Ye."

Sitting in the passenger seat, I let out a long sigh of relief. "It's so late now, let's find a place to rest first. We can go check out the factory regarding the Xiushuo project tomorrow morning."

"Agreed. Anyway, things have already reached this point, worrying and rushing about right now won't do any good."

Ye Wanyin watched as Zhao Xinze and I drove away, while An'an gently tugged at her sleeve.

"Mommy, I want Uncle Jiang to be my new daddy. Can he?"

Looking somewhat surprised, Ye Wanyin asked, "Does An'an like Uncle Jiang that much?"

An'an nodded vigorously. "Uncle Jiang is a good person, a very gentle good person. He's even nice to kittens—he's a million times better than that man!"

Hearing An'an refer to her ex-husband as "that man," Ye Wanyin's eyes flashed with a hint of melancholy and heartache. She crouched down and scooped An'an up into her arms.

"But we don't know yet if Uncle Jiang has a family, or if he'd even be willing to be An'an's new daddy."

"An'an believes Mommy has a way to help me ask him, right?"

Ye Wanyin let out a sudden chuckle. "Alright."

Zhao Xinze and I randomly picked a decent-looking hotel and booked two rooms with king-sized beds.

They say it's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury to frugality, and that adage proved entirely true. Having slept on the Hastens mattress at Bijiang Grand Mansion a few times, sleeping on anything else felt completely uncomfortable.

After washing up and lying in bed, just as drowsiness crept over me and I reached to turn off the light, my WeChat notification chime rang softly.

Opening my phone, I saw a new friend request. The name attached to the request was Ye Wanyin.

"Ye Wanyin?!"

Any trace of sleepiness vanished instantly. I sat straight up, clutching my phone in absolute shock, staring at the screen for a long time without daring to click accept.

Why on earth would Ye Wanyin want to add me on WeChat? And more importantly, how did she get my phone number?

Plagued by these lingering questions, I finally accepted her friend request and typed out a few polite words:

"Is there something you need, Director Ye?"

Before I knew it, a video call request popped up on the screen, startling me so much I almost dropped my phone.

When I accepted the call, the sudden flare of light from the screen made me squint my eyes. I fumbled blindly around the bedside table until I managed to switch on the room light.

On the video screen, Ye Wanyin appeared dressed in a bathrobe, wearing a dry-hair cap on her head, looking somewhat embarrassed and flustered.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Jiang..."

"Good evening, Uncle Jiang!"

An'an popped into the frame, waving excitedly and greeting me cheerfully.

"Good evening, An'an."

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Only a few hours had passed since we parted ways, yet the little girl acted as though she hadn't seen me in days.

Pulling An'an into her lap and gently pinching the tip of her nose, Ye Wanyin turned back to the screen and explained, "I didn't intend to make a video call, but An'an's hand was too quick—I couldn't stop her in time. Did I disturb you?"

"Not at all, I wasn't asleep yet. How did you get my WeChat, Director Ye?"

"Does Mr. Jiang feel that I've violated your privacy?"

"That's not what I meant, Director Ye, you've misunderstood..."

"Uncle Jiang, I was the one who asked Mommy to figure out a way to contact you! An'an likes Uncle Jiang, and I want Uncle Jiang to be my new—mmpf—!"

I watched as Ye Wanyin's lightning-fast reflexes covered An'an's mouth. She offered an awkward, apologetic smile toward the camera. "She's just a child, she speaks without thinking. Mr. Jiang, please pay her no mind."

"Mmph, mmph-mmph!"

Struggling fiercely, An'an kept darting her eyes toward the phone screen.

"Director Ye, you should probably let go of An'an first, she looks like she's running out of breath."

Startled, Ye Wanyin instinctively loosened her grip. The moment she did, An'an grabbed the phone and practically shouted into the microphone:

"An'an wants you to be my new daddy!"

"What?!"