Wen Mubai didn't explain, but instead reached out and affectionately ruffled Xu Chacha's hair, "Why are you here?"
Seeing that her mother didn't expose her, Xu Chacha became even more dramatic, hugging her and shaking her, "Mommy~ I don't like this new daddy, can you please not get married~"
She knew she must look really annoying right now, but that was the effect she wanted.
She can pretend to be obedient and well-behaved, but only if Wen Mubai doesn't leave her side.
As Xu Chacha spoke, she secretly glanced at the man and saw that his face was ashen and he looked like he was about to lose face. She knew that she was one step closer to her goal.
"Miss Wen, it seems you have some family matters to attend to. Let's call it a day then." The man began packing his things, preparing to leave. "Next time we meet, I hope you can give me a proper explanation."
"Sorry." Wen Mubai nodded to him. "I'll pay for the meal as compensation for wasting your time today."
The man didn't say anything, just turned and left. It's unlikely there will be a next time between them.
Xu Chacha watched him get into the car until she was sure he was really gone, then she let go of Wen Mubai's arm and sat down opposite him.
Her previous arrogant expression was completely gone; instead, she resembled a little kitten worried about its owner's anger. With her beautiful almond-shaped eyes wide open, she cautiously inquired, "You're not angry, are you?"
Before making this plan, she didn't consider the consequences at all, aiming to ruin the whole thing as much as possible. But now that she has achieved her goal, she is worried that she won't be able to withstand Wen Mubai's wrath.
Looking back, she had never done anything rebellious from childhood to adulthood, so she had never seen Wen Mubai get angry.
But I've heard that people who don't usually have much of an emotional fluctuation are the most terrifying when they get angry.
Xu Chacha held her breath and waited for a long time, but Wen Mubai just pushed his plate of salad in front of her.
Have you had dinner?
"Hmm?" Xu Chacha looked up, her blank expression paired with her twin ponytails made her look rather silly.
"Are you hungry?" Wen Mubai asked again.
Xu Chacha shook her head, her braid swaying along with it. "I've already eaten."
She ate spicy hot pot at the cafeteria that night with Zhu Zhu and the others. She was so full that she couldn't eat for days after seeing Wen Mubai go on a blind date with someone else.
"Okay." Wen Mubai nodded. "If you're not going to eat, then let's go."
Xu Chacha nodded and stood quietly behind her.
Wen Mubai got up, grabbed his coat, paid at the counter, and the two walked toward the door. A gust of cold wind blew in their faces, and Xu Chacha shivered, her shoulders hunched.
"Why aren't you wearing more clothes?" Wen Mubai draped his coat over her shoulders. "Let me take you home."
She kept quiet about what had just happened, which only made Xu Chacha panic.
After getting into the car, Wen Mubai remained silent. Xu Chacha held back for a while before finally asking her a question.
Why don't you scold me?
"Why did I scold you?" Wen Mubai turned to look at her.
"I...I messed up your blind date."
"Um."
"What do you mean, 'um'?"
Wen Mubai raised his hand and placed it on her head, rubbing it skillfully. "You already know where you went wrong, so why should I bring it up again?"
"But I knew it was wrong, and I did it anyway." Xu Chacha inexplicably began to confess.
Wen Mubai's expression remained unchanged; he simply nodded slightly. "I know."
"You know that's still..."
"So what made you do this even though you knew it was wrong?"
Xu Chacha felt guilty under her gaze, which seemed to see right through her. She looked away and tried to brush it off in a low voice.
"If she gave me a token of our love, why did I have to go on a blind date with that ugly uncle?"
Her childlike, coquettish tone made Wen Mubai unable to help but laugh, "Then how about I go on blind dates after you get married?"
At this moment, Wen Mubai even envied Xu Chacha. At her age, she could freely and boldly express her true thoughts, while he could only hide behind the mask of a good elder and say things that made him frown.
Xu Chacha clearly didn't like what she said either. Her brows were furrowed, and her dark eyes stared intently at her face for a long while.
Then, in a reckless tone, she said, "What if I wanted to marry you?"
Chapter 44 Hugs!
A long time passed, and Wen Mubai did not react. The driver in the front seat silently raised the partition, pretending that he did not exist.
Xu Chacha was on tenterhooks, anxious for even the slightest reaction from Wen Mubai.
"How old are you? Still saying such childish things." Wen Mubai turned off the car's interior lights and leaned back, calmly withdrawing from this silent tug-of-war. "Going back where, to the apartment or home?"
"I'm eighteen." Xu Chacha's chest heaved as she tried her best to suppress the emotions that had erupted just now. But as the rage subsided, the feeling of being wronged rose again. Her eyes were red, and her voice rose considerably, "I told you not to treat me like a child!"
The car was unusually quiet. All Xu Chacha could hear was her own rapid breathing. Her fists trembled beside her, and her eyes were fixed on Wen Mubai.
Even in the dim light, she could only make out a general outline.
"Mmm." The next second she saw Wen Mubai raise his hand, put his arm around her shoulder, pull her into his arms, and pat her back. "You've grown up."
Xu Chacha leaned against Wen Mubai's chest, her ear close to the sound of her heartbeat. Unlike her calm and composed exterior, the heartbeat was heavy and chaotic without any rhythm, and it became faster and faster as she got closer.
“In the past two years, the film and television industry has been in a downturn, and the Wen family’s revenue has declined for two consecutive years. The S+ project, which we invested the most in and focused on most in the first half of the year, had a dismal number of clicks after its launch, and we didn’t even make back the advertising costs.” Wen Mubai rarely spoke so much at once, but now he was explaining to Xu Chacha in the simplest language possible, “He arranged for me to go on blind dates not because he was really worried that I would not find a partner and grow old alone, but because he hoped to use this opportunity to get in touch with the Wang family.”
Unlike Wens Entertainment, which focuses on popularity and has kept pace with the times for years, Wangs Entertainment, along with tireless machine manufacturers, has produced one hit after another that was popular for a time but faded quickly.
The Wang family has always been low-key, and a project may take three or four years to deliberate before entering the preparation stage. However, they almost always achieve remarkable results. The artists they sign, whether actors or singers, are evergreens in the entertainment industry. They entered the industry in their teens and can still compete with young idols in terms of data at the age of forty. They seem to be interested in investing, but they don't seem to care much about the dramas that the Wen family has approached them for cooperation.
"So...did I mess things up?" Xu Chacha began to regret it.
I've been eighteen twice in my past lives, and now I'm almost forty, but I still haven't learned to be as steady as I should be.
Wen Mubai was right about what he usually said about her; she was just impulsive and reckless in her actions.
He was just moments ago being incredibly arrogant and throwing a tantrum at her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know. Should I go apologize to that uncle?" Xu Chacha's voice was soft and close to hers, her attitude of admitting her mistake was very sincere. "I just don't want you to go on blind dates. I don't want you to marry someone else."
No matter who she is, no one can blame her for looking like this.
"No need, I'll explain it to him." Wen Mubai twirled her long hair with his fingers. "Why did you decide to dress like this today?"
“How else can I look young?” Xu Chacha shook her braid. “Don’t I look a little silly?”
Wen Mubai chuckled, his warm breath brushing against her neck in short, intermittent bursts that tickled her.
What did you call me before?
"Mommy, what's wrong?" There was no one else around, so Xu Chacha called out much more smoothly than before. She snuggled against Wen Mubai's shoulder and whispered in her ear in a childish tone, "Don't go on blind dates with those uncles, okay? Isn't Chacha enough for you?"
Wen Mubai tightened his grip on her arm, lowered his eyes slightly to hide the turmoil in them, and said, "Don't shout like that. There won't be a next time."
"I also think that sounds awful, it makes you sound old." Xu Chacha reached out and hugged her neck, gently shaking her. "Then Auntie, will you promise me, okay?"
"Let go first." Wen Mubai pulled down her arm, his voice sounding somewhat hoarse for some reason.
"Why, now you won't even let me hug you?" Xu Chacha not only refused to let go, but also pushed her luck by bringing her face closer. "Is that not allowed?"
The car just happened to pass a street lamp, and the bright yellow light illuminated Xu Chacha's face, which was only inches away from Wen Mubai.
The girl, who had grown up suddenly during those ten years, exuded the sweet scent of peaches. Her slightly parted pink lips were not adorned with lipstick today, but only with a light touch of lip gloss. Her long eyelashes drooped, and her gaze fell on a somewhat ambiguous spot.
Before she could respond, Xu Chacha lowered her voice again and said, "Wen Mubai, I won't call you auntie anymore, okay?"
"Hmm?" Wen Mubai raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment and said, "Call me whatever you want, it's just a form of address anyway."
“It’s not just about how you address me.” Her beautiful lips parted and uttered a few more words, “I won’t call you Auntie anymore, and you’re not allowed to treat me like a child anymore.”
"Just because of this?" Wen Mubai tilted his head back, intentionally widening the distance between himself and Xu Chacha.
She was afraid that if the peach kept lingering in her sight, she wouldn't be able to resist reaching out and taking a bite.
“Yes.” Xu Chacha noticed her movement and consciously stepped back a little, to a distance where she could just see her whole face clearly, and smiled at her.
"You know I like girls, right, Wen Mubai?"
Wen Mubai was mistaken; the way she was addressed had a greater impact than she had imagined.
She hadn't heard anyone call her by her name so cheerfully in a long time. At the company, she was "Editor-in-Chief Wen," and outside, she was "Miss Wen." Occasionally, when she returned home, she still had to act as Wen Shiyu's older sister and Wen's father's daughter.
But with Xu Chacha, she can be nothing at all. Strip away all her titles, and all that's left is the self that has always been suppressed in her heart.
She heard herself reply to Xu Chacha, feigning composure, "I know."
"And what about you?" Xu Chacha asked casually, as if she were just asking her girlfriends about gossip.
Wen Mubai looked up and met Xu Chacha's gaze. Her eyes were always as clear as a lake, as if you could easily see to the bottom. All her joys and sorrows were on the surface, but her straightforwardness always made Wen Mubai feel like he couldn't handle it.
She took the blanket from the side and covered Xu Chacha's head. It was much easier for her to reply when she didn't look into those eyes: "I'm looking at her face."
...
The blind date was indeed very embarrassing for Wang Zhi. Of course, he knew that Wen Mubai could not possibly have such a big daughter, but the other party had embarrassed him in front of everyone. He was used to being the center of attention since he was a child, and he couldn't help but feel offended when his pride was hurt.
She had expected that Wen Mubai's apology text message would not receive a response.
Mr. Wen didn't know what had happened, he only knew that the blind date had failed, Wang Zhi was unhappy, and his investment was going to go down the drain. After thinking it over, he realized that he only had two daughters at home. He couldn't use the older one, so he could only try sending the younger one first.
"I'm not going!" Wen Shiyu refused in a high-pitched voice, as the whole family was having dinner together. "I already have someone I like, why do you have to arrange a blind date for me?"
Wen Mubai lowered his head and picked at the chili peppers in his bowl without saying a word.
"Besides, this blind date wasn't even arranged for me. Why push it onto me? The guy is almost forty. I can't even eat when I see his picture."
“Yes, Xiaoyu is still in the industry and has a bright future. Wouldn’t it ruin her if she went on a blind date and got photographed and had a scandal?” Wen’s mother also chimed in with advice.
Since her debut as a child star, Wen Shiyu has enjoyed excellent exposure thanks to her family's resources and support. In addition, she is one of the few singers who has both talent and good looks, which has garnered her a large number of loyal fans and impressive data. She can be considered a cash cow for the Wen family.
Hearing this, Wen's father was also a little unsure. But now that Wang Zhi had clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with Wen Mubai, he knew that his daughter's personality made it impossible for her to humble herself and apologize to someone. In fact, she might even be hoping for things to turn out this way.
If he doesn't push Wen Shiyu out, what else can he do?
"But if we can't get on this line, the company's cash flow will be cut off, and subsequent operations will be in trouble."
In Wen's father's eyes, his own company is still the most important. After Wen Shiyu's scandal broke, he could buy media outlets to delete negative information and use marketing to whitewash her image, but once Wang Zhi's investment is gone, it's gone forever.
"I won't go! If I really have to go, I'd rather die."