After hesitating for a long while, Chen Cheng still didn't answer Chen the Fish-Rearer's call.

If he answered, it would serve no purpose other than leaving Zhong Xiaoqin with no way out and humiliating Chen the Fish-Rearer in the process.

Since they had already slept together, Zhong Xiaoqin was already beyond the point of no return.

Although Chen the Fish-Rearer looked like Zhang Anren, he had actually never even met Chen the Fish-Rearer face-to-face.

With no grudge between them, he had already slept with the man's wife and gotten such a huge bargain for free; there was no need to go looking for trouble.

Chen Cheng pressed the volume button and ignored Zhong Xiaoqin's phone.

While he was looking at the messages on his own phone, the notification sound for Zhong Xiaoqin's phone rang again.

Chen Cheng subconsciously glanced at Zhong Xiaoqin's phone.

It was still Chen the Fish-Rearer, asking where Zhong Xiaoqin was, saying he had already arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau.

"This silly girl didn't even set up her messages; you can see them without unlocking it," Chen Cheng grumbled, but then a little scheme began to form in his mind.

It seemed he really had to wake Zhong Xiaoqin up now.

Otherwise, once those two calmed down, the divorce would likely drag on for a while longer.

Chen Cheng didn't want to waste time on such nonsense.

Chen Cheng quickly thought things through and checked the time; it was past nine, almost ten o'clock.

By his calculation, Zhong Xiaoqin had only slept for six hours.

And that was after fighting three hundred rounds with a monster like him.

How could that possibly be enough?

Chen Cheng found himself in a bit of a dilemma.

After pondering for a while, he abandoned the plan to wake her up.

With his extensive experience, Chen Cheng had long gained a new understanding of his prowess in the 'poker games' of the bedroom.

He knew very well that after Zhong Xiaoqin had tried it with him, there was absolutely no going back for her.

So what was there to worry about? It would just be a bit more troublesome.

“Whistle whistle whistle~~”

Once his mind was clear, Chen Cheng began humming a little tune happily.

He made a call to have the clubhouse downstairs deliver breakfast, and then he started looking through the summarized information sent over from America.

But after a short while, Zhong Xiaoqin's phone rang again.

Chen Cheng suddenly grew impatient, picked up Zhong Xiaoqin's phone, and pressed the answer button.

As it turned out, even after tapping the screen several times, there was no reaction; the ringtone just kept ringing.

Chen Cheng was speechless. The screen had been dropped yesterday; it could still display things, but the touch controls were completely unresponsive.

“Sigh~”

Chen Cheng sighed and could only repeatedly press the volume button to mute it.

He tossed it aside—out of sight, out of mind.

Just as he was about to continue reading his messages, he thought about it and sent a message to Tian Xiaohui.

[Buy the latest model phone and have it delivered to Junyue Mansion.]

Glancing at Pikachu, who was still sleeping on the sofa, he immediately added another line.

[Also, have someone bring over a litter box, cat litter, cat food, and a cat bed.]

Tian Xiaohui replied instantly, [Understood, Boss.]

After eating breakfast, Chen Cheng went to the study, grabbed a laptop, and started looking at Zen AI's documents.

It wasn't until the doorbell rang that Chen Cheng put down the computer to open the door.

When the door opened, Tian Xiaohui was standing prettily at the entrance with her chestnut hair draped over her shoulders, wearing a white short-sleeved top and a light, thin white pleated skirt.

“Boss~”

Chen Cheng looked her over. “You're here~”

“Yes~”

Tian Xiaohui responded and raised her hand to hand a shopping bag to Chen Cheng. “This is the phone you wanted~”

Chen Cheng reached out to take the phone, glanced at the other things in her hands, and beckoned. “Come in~”

With that, he ignored her and turned back into the living room.

Tian Xiaohui placed the food container she was carrying on the entryway cabinet, found a pair of slippers for herself, and then entered the house with the food container.

Walking to the dining room, she saw the leftovers on the table, put down the food container and her bag, and briskly began tidying the table.

She stole a glance at Chen Cheng, cleared her throat, and said softly:

“It's almost noon. I brought you some lunch; would you like to eat now?”

“Lunch?” Chen Cheng was stunned for a moment, then remembered to look at the sun outside.

The sun was high in the sky, and the sunlight was already shining onto the sofa. It really was high noon.

Chen Cheng turned his head and glanced toward the bedroom.

Zhong Xiaoqin, that girl, could really sleep; there wasn't a single sound even at this hour.

He stood up and walked over. “What did you bring?”

Tian Xiaohui's face lit up with joy. She first put down the plates in her hand and quickly placed them into the kitchen sink.

Walking over, she washed her hands at the kitchen island. While unpacking the food container, she replied:

“When you messaged me, I was at home, so I had my mom make some home-cooked dishes. I'm not sure if they'll suit your taste.”

Chen Cheng looked at the braised turtle in the food container, and his mouth twitched. “This is a home-cooked dish?”

Tian Xiaohui's pretty face turned red, looking a bit embarrassed. “It really was made by my mom.”

“It's just... she was already preparing to make it before you messaged me.”

“Mm~” Chen Cheng smiled and furrowed his brows, not minding it.

He looked at the color and smelled the aroma, praising, “It looks like your mother's cooking skills are quite good.”

The corners of Tian Xiaohui's mouth curled up. “Her? She's retired, so besides doing square dancing, she doesn't have much else to do.”

“This year, there's no one doing square dancing anymore.”

“So she spends all day researching food.”

She must be bored, Chen Cheng thought with a smile.

“I heard your mother tried to earn a dowry for you by playing the stock market and ended up losing all her retirement savings?”

“Ah?” Tian Xiaohui's eyes widened instantly, and her hand holding a dish froze in mid-air.

“How... how did you know?”

Chen Cheng said calmly, “It's not some world-shattering secret; why wouldn't I know?”

“Your cousin only got away because she ran fast. Otherwise, with what she did before she left, she would have been dragged down as well.”

“Oh...” Tian Xiaohui smiled awkwardly.

“How much did she lose?” Chen Cheng asked with a smile.

“Two... two million,” Tian Xiaohui took a breath.

“Whoa~” Chen Cheng raised an eyebrow. “How big of a dowry was your mother trying to prepare for you, to take such a large capital to gamble?”

Tian Xiaohui immediately fell silent. What her mother did was indeed very inappropriate.

But as a daughter, that wasn't something she could criticize in front of an outsider.

Chen Cheng smiled. “But then again, your family's financial foundation is actually quite decent.”

“My mom mortgaged our house. I'm paying off the loan every month now...” Tian Xiaohui's voice grew smaller and smaller as she spoke.

“People... they really do dare to gamble,” Chen Cheng lamented.

He waved his hand. “Find your mother a job.”

“Ah?” Tian Xiaohui was stunned for a moment.

“What are you 'ah-ing' about?”

“If you were to just pay back this money for her directly, wouldn't she feel even more indebted to you?”

“Getting old and still causing trouble for you.”

“With that guilt, she might try to make up for it and do something risky again.”

“That would be the real trouble.”

“She doesn't know how much you make a month yet, does she?” Chen Cheng asked.

Tian Xiaohui thought about the intent behind Chen Cheng's words and shook her head. “I only told her I changed jobs.”

“I didn't dare mention the salary; I was afraid she'd nag me.”

Chen Cheng smiled faintly. “Tell her your salary; let her have some peace of mind.”

“If you're afraid she'll nag, just tell her a portion of it.”

“As for the job, go find Zhu Zhe.”

“I don't need to teach you how to say it, do I?”

Tian Xiaohui nodded with a smile. “Mm~”

Chen Cheng waved his hand. “Alright, heat up the cold dishes. I'll go see if the one in the room has woken up yet.”

“Okay~”