Chapter 124: Unapologetically Extravagant

After the lunch rush, business at the noodle shop slowed significantly. Su Wanning and her group received their earnings and bid the owner farewell.

With plenty of time left before the scheduled gathering, Qin Jingchen decided to take Su Wanning and the two children for a stroll through the town market.

Even though they had just come from the noodle shop and were still dusted with a bit of flour, the handsome couple and their two adorable, doll-like children—followed by a dedicated camera crew—attracted plenty of attention as they walked through the market.

"Mommy, I want that!"

Niannian tugged at Su Wanning’s arm, pointing excitedly toward an old man selling candied haws.

When the family reached the stall, Su Wanning told her daughter to pick one. To everyone's surprise, Niannian pointed directly at a candied skewer made of a large green pepper.

"Try our house specialty candied snacks! We've also got tomato skewers and chili pepper skewers. Which one do you like?"

Su Wanning’s mouth twitched. She had to sift through the bizarre array of skewers before finally finding one that was a bit more conventional—candied hawthorn.

"Niannian, wouldn't you rather have this one?"

Niannian shook her head decisively, clearly having a mind of her own. "I want that one!"

She then looked at Suisui, seeking his approval. "Big brother, isn't it beautiful?"

Suisui frowned slightly, examined the green pepper carefully, and then nodded with a serious expression.

"That's right. The stem of this green pepper isn't too thick, and it has a slight curve. It must have grown naturally; it hasn't been treated with pesticides."

Su Wanning: "..."

[I'm dying of laughter. Does Suisui think he's conducting research?]
[I guess beautiful little girls really do have unique tastes.]
[I'm actually curious about what that tastes like.]

In the end, Su Wanning said nothing and decided to respect her daughter's wishes, preparing to buy the green pepper skewer. Before she could pay, however, Qin Jingchen reached out first, handing over a hundred-yuan bill.

"Let me buy this. I just got paid."

"Doesn't that money need to be returned for the evaluation?"

Qin Jingchen remained calm and collected, waiting for the owner to give him change before leading the children forward.

[He couldn't even bear to let his wife spend five yuan. Mr. Qin is so thoughtful.]
[The production team didn't even stop him; how heartless of them.]

The sidelong glances from passersby didn't make Su Wanning feel uncomfortable, but Qin Jingchen, who kept staring at her as they walked, made her feel as if she were being pricked by needles.

After turning her head for the third time and finding Qin Jingchen still watching her, Su Wanning couldn't help but ask, "Why do you keep staring at me?"

Qin Jingchen didn't answer. Instead, he raised his right hand.

Su Wanning’s first instinct was: *Oh no, is he actually going to do something?*

She instinctively dodged to the side, but Qin Jingchen’s hand simply hovered over the spot on her head where she had been standing. He laughed helplessly, "You have some flour on your head."

"Oh, thanks."

Su Wanning lowered her head, feeling so awkward she wished she could crawl into a hole in the ground.

Qin Jingchen’s hand descended, gently brushing the flour from her hair.

Niannian, walking ahead, looked back and covered her mouth to giggle at the scene.

"Mommy is so shy."

Su Wanning’s face turned red at a visible speed, blooming like a ripe apple. With a hint of playful annoyance, she looked down at her daughter.

"What are you saying?"

Niannian stuck out her tongue. "Mommy is such a big girl, and you still need Daddy to comb your hair."

With that, she turned around, grabbed her brother, and skipped ahead.

Only Qin Jingchen remained, standing silently with a smile on his face as he looked at her. Every time their eyes met, Su Wanning couldn't help but guiltily look away.

"The child doesn't know any better; she likes to joke around," Su Wanning explained dryly.

"It's fine. If you need to, I can help you comb your hair."

Qin Jingchen acted as if he didn't understand the subtext of her words, his eyes filled with affection as he spoke phrases that invited endless speculation.

"I don't need to, thank you!"

Su Wanning threw out this line in a hurry and then practically fled to catch up with the children.

The cameraman hadn't caught up, so Qin Jingchen turned to the lens and explained with complete composure, "As you can see, my wife is a bit shy."

[My goodness, 'my wife'—so sweet!]
[Wuwuwu, why is Mr. Qin so charming?]
[Why do I always have the illusion that these two are still dating? They clearly have children together; what is even going on!]
[Publicly dating on the company's dime—only you could pull this off, Mr. Qin.]

During the rest of the journey, Su Wanning kept Niannian held tightly in her arms, holding Suisui’s hand with her other, as the three of them walked in front.

Qin Jingchen followed closely behind. Whether it was something the children wanted or something Su Wanning took a liking to, he would always appear in time to pay the bill. He played the role of a silent wallet and bag-carrier for the entire trip, without a single word of complaint.

By the time they reached the mountain, Qin Jingchen had already gained a wave of fans, and his personal social media following was steadily climbing.

Halfway up, they ran into Yu Xin and Tian Boyu, who had just finished a meal at a villager's house.

From a distance, Su Wanning felt the atmosphere between the two was off.

Although they were partners, there was a gap between them, making them look like complete strangers.

Sensing something wrong, Su Wanning stepped forward to pull Yu Xin aside and ask what happened.

Yu Xin explained the fishing incident from the afternoon, which made Su Wanning burst into laughter.

"He's a man; he doesn't understand these things. Why are you blaming him?"

Yu Xin rolled her eyes. "But the most infuriating part is that he didn't help at all, and when the villagers invited us to eat tonight, he ate two whole bowls of rice!"

[Doesn't know anything, but can sure eat.]
[Laughing to death, these two are like a bickering couple.]
[Tian Boyu really didn't contribute anything today.]
[How could you say that? Didn't he use his handsome face to get two big fish from the villagers? They were huge!]

Daxi had already gone off to play with Suisui and Niannian. Su Wanning pulled Yu Xin along to catch up with Tian Boyu.

As soon as Tian Boyu saw her, his previously pouty expression softened instantly.

"Why are you here?"

"I—"

Before Su Wanning could explain, her shoulder was wrapped in an arm from behind, and Qin Jingchen’s voice came from the side.

"Isn't this the wrong way back up the mountain?"

Seeing Qin Jingchen, Tian Boyu lost his words, and the atmosphere became awkward for a moment. Su Wanning laughed twice, trying to ease the tension. "Yeah, we just happened to run into you on our way back. What a coincidence, haha!"