abcnovels
Chapter 26 - How Could Something Taste So Good in This World?
Chapter 26 - How Could Something Taste So Good in This World?
Chapter 26 How Could Something Taste So Good in This World?
How could something taste so good in this world?
As a self-proclaimed foodie, Song Xuanxuan thought she had tasted plenty of delicious things.
But!
She had never tasted anything like this ice crystal cake.
The key was, it was unbelievably delicious!
So good that… she almost wanted to cry!
The macarons and strawberry cakes she ate earlier didn’t even compare to this half-piece of ice crystal cake.
Seeing Song Xuanxuan’s blissful expression, Lu Xiyao proudly asked, “Hmph, Sister Song, how is it? My daddy’s ice crystal cake, delicious, right?”
“It’s amazing!”
“Xiyao, half a piece is too little. Let Sister have another half, okay?”
“No way, I don’t even have enough for myself!”
“Just one piece, I know Xiyao is very generous.”
Song Xuanxuan, acting like a child, started pleading for more.
“No, no! You can eat those cakes, but the ice crystal cake is mine, and I don’t have enough for myself!”
“Xiyao, sweetie, you’re the best! You’re so generous! Give Sister a bite, and I’ll take you to play the claw machine~!”
“Then I want to catch Miffy Rabbit and Pikachu.”
“No problem.”
“Only a small bite, okay?”
“Don’t worry, just a small bite.”
Lu Xiyao stretched out her delicate little hand and handed over a small piece of ice crystal cake.
Song Xuanxuan, satisfied, ate the small piece. But it wasn’t enough. She wasn’t satisfied. However, there was no more left.
The little girl had finished the entire box, and Song Xuanxuan had only managed to get a small taste. Song Xuanxuan eyed the other boxes.
Lu Xiyao grinned mischievously.
“Sister Song, do you want some from those boxes?”
“I… uh… no, no, I don’t want any.”
Song Xuanxuan quickly waved her hand. Those were meant for the chairman and President Shen. She wouldn’t dare touch them.
“Alright, let’s execute the plan as discussed…”
At the desk, Shen Muyan finished discussing work with the department managers, who then exited the office.
“Xiyao.”
Shen Muyan walked over to the tea bar and saw Song Xuanxuan and the little girl chatting and laughing, her furrowed brows relaxing.
“Mom, you’re done working?”
Lu Xiyao closed her tablet and looked up at Shen Muyan.
“Yes, I’ll spend some time with you now, okay?”
“Xuanxuan, get me a cup of coffee.”
“Yes, President Shen.”
Song Xuanxuan stood up, wiped some crumbs from her mouth, and went to make coffee.
Shen Muyan sat next to Lu Xiyao and squeezed her little hand.
“Xiyao, what were you eating?”
“Ice crystal cake, Mom, do you want some?”
Shen Muyan glanced at the white plastic bag and frowned. It looked like something bought from a street vendor, likely filled with additives and artificial colors.
How could Lu Qin give her this to eat?
“Mom doesn’t eat sweets, and you shouldn’t eat too much either, okay?”
“Oh.”
The little girl’s eyes darted mischievously, and she said, “Mom, this box is from Dad for you. If you don’t want it, I’ll keep it for myself~!”
“Alright, alright, it’s all yours.”
Hearing that it was from Lu Qin, Shen Muyan was momentarily surprised and felt a small touch of warmth in her heart. But she didn’t eat these kinds of cakes.
Song Xuanxuan glanced at Lu Xiyao with a puzzled expression. This clever little girl intentionally didn’t mention how delicious the ice crystal cake was, so now she could claim Shen’s portion for herself.
Song Xuanxuan thought that perhaps the boss should try her ex-husband’s ice crystal cake. It seemed like she didn’t even know he had such a talent.
After drinking her coffee and spending about twenty minutes with Lu Xiyao, Shen Muyan returned to work.
Left alone, Xiyao continued playing Plants vs. Zombies on her tablet.
“Xiyao, you should plant the Ice Peashooter. It slows down the zombies.”
Song Xuanxuan suggested.
“I don’t like it. I want to plant a lot of sunflowers.”
“I love sunflowers~!”
After playing for a while, the little girl got hungry again, so she took out Shen Muyan’s box of ice crystal cake and started eating.
“Xiyao, look! There’s a rainbow outside the window.”
“Huh?”
“There’s no rainbow. Where did you see one?”
Lu Xiyao turned her head in confusion, only to see Song Xuanxuan standing there expressionless, saying nothing. The little girl felt something was off. She glanced down at the box and noticed that a piece of ice crystal cake seemed to be missing.
Just as she was about to count the pieces, a cheerful voice came from the door.
“Xiyao, darling! Grandpa and Grandma are back!”
“Hello, Chairman! Hello, Madam!”
Song Xuanxuan quickly swallowed the ice crystal cake in her mouth and respectfully greeted them.
“Grandpa!”
“Grandma! You’re back already?”
Seeing Shen Hongda and Jiang Qin, Lu Xiyao beamed with joy.
Shen Hongda strode over and scooped Xiyao up in his arms.
Jiang Qin gently stroked her head, her eyes filled with kindness and affection.
“Grandpa, Grandma, were you tired from flying?”
“We’re not tired at all when we see our little darling.”
Shen Hongda and Jiang Qin took the little girl out, first taking her to the amusement park for some fun.
Shen Hongda, still in good health, even went on the pirate ship ride with her.
“Xiyao, are you hungry? Grandpa will take you to eat something delicious.”
Their Mercedes-Benz drove into a secluded mansion in the countryside, home to an exclusive private chef. Dishes were brought to the table, and both Shen Hongda and Jiang Qin had two bowls of rice each. They couldn’t get used to foreign food after all, and this meal was much more to their liking. Xiyao, however, only took a few bites and didn’t eat much.
“Why aren’t you eating, Xiyao? There’s so much delicious food here,” Shen Hongda asked curiously.
“Grandpa, I’m not very hungry,” she replied.
In truth, she wasn’t hungry—she had already eaten the ice crystal cake, plus ice cream and fries at the amusement park.
On top of that, while the dishes from the private chef looked exquisite and used the best ingredients, they just didn’t taste as good as the simple home-cooked meals her dad made.
“No worries. When you’re hungry later, Grandpa will take you to eat something else.”
…
By the time they returned to the villa, it was already 6:30 p.m. Lu Xiyao video-called Lu Qin.
Lu Qin had just finished dinner and was preparing ingredients to set up his night market stall near the university. Shen Hongda and Jiang Qin didn’t appear in the video, choosing to sit outside of the camera’s view, silently observing Lu Qin on the screen. They saw him organizing the ingredients on his food cart, looking busy and a bit worn out.
Shen Hongda and Jiang Qin exchanged glances, both feeling a mix of emotions. Since the divorce, Lu Qin had not only been making a living but also raising Xiyao on his own. It was clear he was working hard. He even had to set up a food stall at night. Raising a child as a single father was no easy task.
Jiang Qin’s eyes welled up, and she quickly stood up and went to the bathroom to hide her tears. Shen Hongda also stood up and walked to a corner, pulling out his phone to make a call to an old friend.
…
Later in the evening, Jiang Qin stayed with Lu Xiyao in an upstairs room, playing games.
In the living room, an older man with graying hair sat beside Shen Hongda, and the two sipped tea together.
“Oh, I think I understand the situation,” the man said.
“Your son-in-law—or rather, your ex-son-in-law—can’t find a job, and you can’t step in directly. So, you’ve asked me to help him find a decent job?”
“That’s right,” Shen Hongda nodded.
“That’s easy. Consider it done.”
Shen Hongda added, “But, Old Chen, it has to be discreet. He mustn’t realize that someone is helping him.”
Chen Dahai reassured him.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered.”
“By the way, why did your daughter get divorced in the first place?” Chen Dahai asked.
Shen Hongda sighed.
“It’s the young people’s relationship. We old folks don’t meddle.”
“It’s a pity, though. I always liked Lu, I thought of him as my own son.”
“Now that I’m helping you out, how do you plan to thank me?” Chen Dahai teased.
“Hey, didn’t you say it was no big deal?” Shen Hongda shot back, annoyed.
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” Chen Dahai quipped.
Shen Hongda rolled his eyes at him, and then his gaze fell on the two boxes of simply packaged cakes on the table.
“Here, take these two boxes of… oh, rice cakes. I brought them from abroad just for you.”
“Rice cakes? From abroad?”
Chen Dahai picked up the boxes, looking skeptical.