Upon reaching the downtown part of the city, the three of them took their time walking around until they reached a small restaurant.

  "The Paradise……" Xiu Mei mouthed the name as she read the signage at the top.

  So it’s really the name of the restaurant ah……

  Lu Chen did a quick fix of his cap and mask before finally stepping inside the restaurant. Inside, Xiu Mei momentarily paused and admired the interior.

  She didn’t expect such an amazing interior in such a small restaurant. The first thing she saw when the door opened was the hanging leaves that seemed to crawl along the walls. Along with that, the chairs and tables were all made of wood. At the corner of the room, behind the glass was a small pool of water surrounded by bamboo. To accompany that, anyone could hear the sound of moving water.

  With all these elements together, anyone could imagine themselves somewhere in the middle of the forest or near the river. Pure peace and surrounded by nature.

  The three of them sat on an empty seat at the corner of the room. After signaling over a waiter, they were given the menu of the store.

  Amazingly, their menu was a mix of Asian cuisine. After fifteen minutes, their orders were finally served.

  She looked very baffled while staring at the foods in front of her. Her chopsticks unconsciously reached out for the food and tasted it. As soon as the food almost melted in her tongue, it almost felt like she was eating one of the greatest foods in the world.

  Waaah……She’d really believe it if the two of them tell her that this place has a Michelin Star. Everything looks amazing from the place to the foods!

  "How’d you know this place?" She nudged Lu Chen with her elbow.

  He scooted closer to her and uttered, "This was the place where Lu Qiang’s parents first met."

  Xiu Mei’s eyes widened as she glanced at Lu Qiang who seemed to be enjoying the food.

  "So Lu Qiang also knows this?"

  "Yes, I told him his parents’ story. I skipped the nonsense parts my cousin told me though." Lu Chen continued on picking up some food and putting it in her and Lu Qiang’s bowl.

  Used to this, Xiu Mei continued eating it without any complaint.

  "Did you like it?" He added.

  "Very much. It’s tastier than some of the fanciest places I’ve been before." She honestly voiced out her thoughts.

  This kind of place really proves that the more expensive a meal is, the tastier it is. Look at this place, the foods are very delectable yet it’s not that pricey. Too bad it’s too far from them, otherwise, she’d really love to visit this place over and over again.

  "That’s good. The owner is very annoying but the food they make is really good. They’ve been featured for quite a few times on television before so this place is popular around the area."

  "So you’ve been eating here every time you visit your cousin?"

  Lu Chen nodded. "The food is good plus Lu Qiang seemed to like eating here because of his parents’ story too."

  Before Xiu Mei could even reply, their conversation was immediately cut off by the high pitched voice that suddenly came out of nowhere.

  "My son-in-law!!"

  Almost all the customers eating inside the restaurant jumped in surprise and their heads spun to the kitchen entrance including the family of three who was enjoying the meal.

  Xiu Mei looked bewildered after seeing an elderly lady whose eyes seemed to sparkle just like a dog when seeing a treat. She lowered her head and continued eating after deciding to ignore the lady.

  But when she was just about to pick up the spoon again when she heard Lu Qiang and Lu Chen’s conversation.

  "Dad, the witch found you again."

  "He’s probably not talking about me."

  Lu Qiang scoffed at his words. "Dad, are you seriously saying that?"

  "Should I take back that 1 hour at the shooting range?"

  And with that, Lu Qiang immediately shut his mouth. He wanted to take the chance to tease his Dad but he’s still stronger ah. He can only take a win from him if it’s just about his Mom. Because his Mommy loves him more than his Dad.

  Xiu Mei, unaware of the thoughts of her son wanted to ask what were they talking about.

  What witch?

  "Son-in-law, you’re back ah!" Xiu Mei was startled when the elderly lady suddenly appeared at their table with all her attention at Lu Chen whose face now looked very grim.

  "Did you finally decide on marrying my daughter?" The elderly lady acted as if she didn’t see that Lu Chen was with other two people, her eyes only stayed in his as if he was a golden prize she has to get.

  "Mrs. Kim," Lu Chen’s expression wiped off his previous expression and immediately wore his deadpan mask. "Again, I am not here to marry your daughter."

  "You’re saying that every year, but you always come back here every year."

  Xiu Mei saw the Lu Chen wanted to open his mouth to respond but stopped even before he could start. Somehow, she could guess what he wanted to say but stopped since he’s talking with an elder that he should respect.

  At this time, Lu Qiang stepped in between their conversation.

  "Hi, Mrs.Kim!" He greeted, making his presence known.

  Hearing that, the elderly lady had no choice but to look at him to greet him back, albeit awkwardly.

  "Hi, younger one. Did you like the food?"

  "Mm! It’s good. But Mrs.Kim, you should stop forcing my Dad to marry your daughter ah."

  "Little one, that’s a conversation for a.d.u.l.ts ah. And don’t you want to have a mother ah? My daughter is a good woman for your father."

  Even with talking to the little kid, the elderly lady was being assertive on pushing her daughter to Lu Chen. Hearing that, Xiu Mei blinked twice before getting speechless.

  Xiu Mei:……Am I an invisible person here?

  Or does she have selective attention that she can only see things and people that she wants to see?

  "But I already have a mother, Mrs.Kim!"

  As soon as Mrs.Kim heard that, she returned her attention to the kid again feeling a bit agitated. She tried to laugh it off like a kid was just telling a lie. "Lying is bad you know?"

  "He’s not lying though." Lu Chen uttered, suddenly pulling Xiu Mei closer to him with his arm sn.a.k.e.d around her waist.

  "Mrs.Kim, I introduce to you my wife, Xiu Mei."

  "……"

  "……"

  Mrs.Kim seemed to fall into a state of shock as she stared wide agape at Lu Chen and then to her. After falling speechless for a few seconds, she instantly felt the displeasure radiating from her when her eyes landed on her figure.

  Xiu Mei wasn’t able to react quickly too since she was also caught off guard with the sudden introduction. In fact, this may be the first time that she was formally introduced as Lu Chen’s wife to other people aside from her family and subordinates.

  "Oh, that’s too bad." Mrs.Kim’s voice lowered a few degrees in contrast to her high-pitched voice a minute ago. She didn’t even hide the disappointment in her voice and the dislike every time she looks at Xiu Mei’s direction.

  Suddenly caught in an awkward situation, Xiu Mei immediately composed herself and gathered her thoughts. She can’t be a coward at this time ah.

  Since Lu Chen brought her here, he must’ve known that things will get to this point and since he didn’t warn her about it, he must’ve been very confident with Xiu Mei’s capability to surpass this obstacle.

  "Hello, I’m Xiu Mei. It’s nice meeting you, Mrs.Kim." Xiu Mei politely introduced herself, and instead of rubbing the truth that she’s Lu Chen’s wife, she opted to leave it out in her first greeting. After all, she didn’t want them to be the center of attention especially that they’re in a pubic place and Lu Chen and her are still public figures.

  If people see that they’re disrespectful to an elder, surely tomorrow’s headlines would be their faces plus a long list of people scolding them for their terrible behavior.

  Xiu Mei even bowed to her direction as a polite gesture.

  Seeing that the young woman was greeting her with politeness, Mrs.Kim’s anger gradually reduced as she tried to properly greet her back.

  "Nice to meet you as well, I’m Kim Li, but people call me Mrs.Kim here."

  Mrs.Kim eyed her from top to bottom as if she was examining her if she was fit to be Lu Chen’s wife.

  She shifted her attention to Xiu Mei’s unfinished bowl then remarked, "How did you find the food?"

  Sensing that the elderly lady’s anger still did not disappear, Xiu Mei tried flattering her first. After all, who hates hearing a compliment?

  "I enjoy them very much! They were all delicious and way better than the ones I’ve eaten before." Xiu Mei did her best to sound as honest as possible. She flashed her professional smile that she’d always wear every time she had to interact with their business partners before.