On Chen Cheng's side, he took another detour to drop Deng Xiaoqi off at home.

Deng Xiaoqi's home was by the Huangpu River, in a high-end residential complex with a first-line river view.

From this, it seemed that her mother, Deng Half-City, must have been quite prominent in her youth, regardless of whether her methods were clean or not.

Chen Cheng even remembered the name of the complex: Binjiang Garden.

Chen Cheng wondered if he should also buy a large flat with a river view.

After a lifetime of fighting, he deserved to enjoy himself.

While Chen Cheng was driving toward Ode to Joy, his phone rang. He glanced at the center console; it was Ye Zhenzhen.

"Hello~ are you off work?" Chen Cheng asked with a smile.

"Don't you see what time it is?" Ye Zhenzhen said crossly.

"Where did you go? How come I feel like you haven't been home at night for the past two days?"

The corners of Chen Cheng's mouth curled up; the trouble with living close by was that it was easy for one's movements to be exposed.

However, he wasn't nervous. Yesterday was yesterday, and today Zhao Rui was in his car. He said calmly, "I went out with Rui Rui to hang out with her classmate. We'll be there in ten minutes."

"Rui Rui," Chen Cheng turned to glance at Zhao Rui in the passenger seat.

"Sister Zhenzhen," Zhao Rui immediately spoke up to greet her.

"Hey, Rui Rui, did you have fun?" Ye Zhenzhen asked with a smile.

"I did~ Brother Cheng even sang. Sister Zhenzhen, let me tell you, Brother Cheng's singing is really good..."

After the two chatted for a bit, Ye Zhenzhen asked Chen Cheng again, "When you get back in a while, want to go for a night run with me? I haven't run for several days, and I feel like I've gained weight."

...

Chen Cheng was somewhat speechless at Ye Zhenzhen saying she'd gained weight.

With her figure, did she really have to be one of those "excellent women whose chests are also A-cups" to be satisfied?

"Sure~ you little weakling, looking for punishment again," Chen Cheng said fiercely.

"Pfft~ it's not certain who's punishing whom. I suspect you haven't run at all during your two years in Angel City."

Ye Zhenzhen didn't care at all about Scum's provocation. As a marathon runner, she was very confident when it came to running.

...

Whatever, Xiao Ye hasn't experienced my stamina yet, so I don't blame her.

"Okay, I'll be there in a bit."

After a few more words, they hung up.

"Brother Cheng, do you and Sister Zhenzhen often go for night runs?" Zhao Rui asked.

When Chen Cheng was in the Bay Area, the two of them did go for night runs often.

It was mainly because Ye Zhenzhen's day and night were reversed, and her schedule was a complete mess; she couldn't wake up for morning runs.

Chen Cheng nodded. "In the past, when she couldn't sleep at night, she would run over to my place and drag me out for a run."

Then I went to Angel City, and finally, there was no one to disrupt my schedule."

"Oh, so that's how it was," Zhao Rui nodded thoughtfully.

Soon the car arrived at Ode to Joy. Zhao Rui went home, and Chen Cheng went back to change into sportswear.

...

Stinky Orange!

You dare overtake me?

Ye Zhenzhen's competitive spirit was stirred up by Scum, and she quickened her pace, chasing after Chen Cheng.

But no matter how hard she chased, she remained two body lengths behind Scum. He was baiting her so much that her breathing rhythm was completely thrown off.

After half an hour, she stopped, panting heavily, her hands on her knees.

"Here, you just finished running, take small sips," Chen Cheng handed her a bottle of mineral water.

Ye Zhenzhen took the water and didn't reply, taking three large gulps.

She didn't listen to the meaning of Chen Cheng's words at all.

Mainly because after just running, small sips didn't quench her thirst.

After finishing the water, Ye Zhenzhen remembered something and said huffily:

"Hey, why didn't you pull me away just now? Don't you usually hate meddling in other people's business the most?"

When the two of them went downstairs earlier, they happened to run into Li Qixing, who had come to give Lucy a gift.

Ten minutes before that, Ye Zhenzhen had enthusiastically pointed out Lucy's door to Li Qixing.

They met again in the lobby downstairs and chatted for a few minutes.

She had the look of a bystander on the front lines, eager for gossip and shipping a couple.

Who knew that the relationship between Lucy and Li Qixing wasn't what Ye Zhenzhen thought it was.

Li Qixing had come uninvited and had even followed her.

This made the extremely insecure Lucy snap. She came down and gave Li Qixing a scolding, blasting Ye Zhenzhen along with him.

Chen Cheng's mouth twitched; it was hard to explain to Ye Zhenzhen that this was all part of Lucy's "fishing" scheme.

The home address was leaked because Lucy had intentionally invited female colleagues to her home to pick up things.

Unboxing high-end jewelry deliveries at the office was also a hint to Li Qixing that he could get closer to her by giving gifts.

And so, the little puppy had chased her all the way home to deliver a gift.

"Front-row gossip, why would I leave?" Chen Cheng replied cheerfully.

"Hmph! You just love gossip! I was dying of embarrassment." Ye Zhenzhen was instantly fuming.

"Who told you to point out the door without knowing the situation?"

Ye Zhenzhen was choked up and rolled her eyes at Chen Cheng.

Ring ring!

Ring ring!

Just as Ye Zhenzhen was about to speak, her phone rang.

"I'll take this call and scold you later!" Ye Zhenzhen said fiercely.

Chen Cheng spread his hands in a "go ahead" gesture, showing he was fearless.

"Hello, Mom, I'm running. Is something wrong?"

"Zhen Zhen, your dad and I went to a wedding banquet today."

Uh... Ye Zhenzhen was instantly petrified. She could guess what was coming next.

After forcing a smile at Chen Cheng, she walked a bit further away.

"You're not getting any younger. When are you going to find a partner? Your dad and I are still hoping to look after some grandchildren while we can still move around," Mother Ye urged on the other end of the line.

Father Ye nodded, agreeing with Mother Ye.

"You have no idea. At the banquet today, I saw several old friends who brought their grandsons and granddaughters. Your dad had such an envious look in his eyes. He wished he could take care of other people's babies as if they were his own grandchildren."

"Mom~ I know!"

"Fine, I'll stop before you get annoyed. Anyway, do me a favor."

"What favor?" Ye Zhenzhen frowned.

"A friend of mine has a child returning to the country tomorrow who happens to be in Shanghai. Go help pick them up. It's not like you have a fixed schedule for work anyway."

"Mom! You're setting me up on another blind date!" How could Ye Zhenzhen not understand what was going on? She shouted huffily.

"Oh, it's just a meeting. Who told you not to have a boyfriend? You're not even worried yourself," Mother Ye said calmly.

...

Ye Zhenzhen was speechless for a moment. Suddenly, she caught sight of Chen Cheng stretching in the distance, and an idea formed in her mind.

"Mom, I already have a partner. Stop setting me up on blind dates."

Father Ye and Mother Ye immediately looked at each other. It was just as Ye Fang had said.

This girl actually hid a lover from the two of them!

Wait, no, she hid a hunk.

But they still put on surprised expressions. "Ah? Since when do you have a partner? You didn't even tell us."

"Quickly send a photo for your dad and me to see. What's his name? What does he look like? What does his family do?"

Seeing that Ye Zhenzhen actually admitted it, Mother Ye asked anxiously on the other end.

When Father Ye heard that his daughter had a partner, he immediately leaned closer to the phone, even bumping into Mother Ye.

"What are you doing? Look how excited you are," Mother Ye grumbled.

"I'm hanging up now. Hurry up and send the photo for us to see."

The old couple actually already knew Chen Cheng's general situation from Ye Fang.

But since they hadn't seen a photo, they were still uneasy, so they had picked this time to call.

Mother Ye hung up, and the old couple stared anxiously at the phone, waiting for Ye Zhenzhen's message.

Ye Zhenzhen looked at Chen Cheng awkwardly with her phone in hand.

Sigh!

I was too impulsive!

She blinked, wondering if she should tell Chen Cheng.

It would be fine not to tell him, because she had many photos on her phone of them hanging out abroad; she could just quietly send one over.

After thinking about it, she decided to ask for Scum's opinion, even though his opinion might not matter much.

"Hey, um~" Ye Zhenzhen walked over and poked Chen Cheng, who was doing a waist-bending stretch.

"What is it?" Chen Cheng asked calmly, looking up.

"Um... can I send a photo of us to my parents?"

Ye Zhenzhen was so embarrassed her toes were curling; how was this any different from a confession?

Chen Cheng's eyes widened. Such a good thing?

Isn't this giving me an official status in advance? He felt delighted.

"Don't overthink it. My parents are nagging me to get married, so I'm just using you as an excuse." Ye Zhenzhen's fair hands gripped the phone tightly, her palms sweating.

"At your service, beautiful. It would be my pleasure," Chen Cheng said, suppressing a smile.

Ye Zhenzhen breathed a sigh of relief and began picking through her phone.

She spent a long time picking but couldn't find a suitable one. None of them looked like a couple; there always seemed to be some distance.

Chen Cheng saw her hesitation and smiled.

"If there are no suitable ones, let's just take some new ones. I'm right here anyway."

Ye Zhenzhen frowned. "My parents have very sharp eyes, like detectives. They'll be able to tell if it's fake at a glance."

Chen Cheng took the phone, holding it up with one hand while resting the other on her fragrant shoulder. Ye Zhenzhen cooperated with a smile and a peace sign.

Click!

They changed poses. Scum put his arm around her waist, and Ye Zhenzhen leaned entirely into his chest, turning her head to smile at the camera.

She had been a bit nervous just now, but this time, feeling his solid chest, she smiled sweetly, her face flushing crimson.

Click!

The photo came out looking like a deeply in-love couple.

Ye Zhenzhen looked petite and delicate, while Chen Cheng was strikingly handsome—a truly attractive couple.

Ye Zhenzhen looked at the photo and nodded in satisfaction.

She opened WeChat and sent it to Mother Ye.

Mother Ye looked at her phone and opened the photo immediately upon hearing the notification. Although the background was dark, it was an eye-catching sight.

"Wow, this young man is really good-looking."

"He looks... passable," Father Ye smacked his lips and said reluctantly.

"Hmph, you men really have a mysterious sense of self-confidence. That fellow Ye Fang even said he was as handsome as him; I was quite shocked at the time."

Mother Ye really was Ye Zhenzhen's mother.

The mother and daughter were cut from the same cloth.

Confirmed fans of good looks!

Even before meeting, she had already started speaking up for Chen Cheng.