During the following period, Ren found himself with nothing much to do. He spent his days playing with his little Yueyue and even bought a gift, eagerly awaiting the day he would first meet Jada.
While Ren was waiting, the storyline in the "Cooking Master Boy" manga had progressed to the dumpling competition.
When General Lee was injured by the Dumpling Brothers, the young chef stepped forward to compete against the despicable Dumpling Brothers.
Unfortunately, the Dumpling Brothers had tampered with the young chef's pan-fried dumplings. Undeterred, the young chef immediately made a new batch, and just in the nick of time, the legendary Master Lang unexpectedly appeared, making the young chef's remade dumplings a hit.
This allowed the young chef to continue the competition with the Dumpling Brothers.
Eventually, the young chef's Ascending Dragon Dumplings triumphed over the Dumpling Brothers' Giant Dragon Dumplings.
This dumpling competition was indeed the climax of the story.
Even this part alone thrilled many readers.
Especially when the dumplings made by the young chef appeared to fly like a real dragon, not only did the spectators in the manga gasp in amazement, but so did the readers.
After all, people are genuinely interested in the culinary techniques mentioned in the manga.
Besides the culinary descriptions, many were also keen on what would follow this part of the story.
With everything being so exciting so far, the competition for the title of master chef was seen as a major climax by all readers.
Many speculated about the kind of dishes Ren would present in the competition among master chefs.
At home
"Ah ah ah ah..."
Yueyue was having fun blowing into an electric fan, enjoying the way her voice changed with the wind, giggling happily.
Since their visit to her grandparents, Yueyue had developed a fondness for playing with the fan.
So, although the weather was no longer very hot, Yueyue still insisted on buying a small fan.
While Yueyue was playing with the fan, Ren finished drawing the next issue of the manga and came out of the room to the living room.
Seeing Yueyue lying on the couch playing with the fan, Ren unhesitatingly scooped her into his arms amidst her startled cries, rested his chin on her head, and used her as a pillow.
It couldn't be helped; the girl was chubby and very comfortable to hold. A few more years, and like many girls, she'd care about looking slim and lose that cuddly feel.
Unhappy about her daddy's embrace, Yueyue tried to wriggle free with her little hands, protesting, "Daddy!! Let go of me~~~ Be careful, I'll dimple you!"
"Come on, dimple me." Ren playfully squeezed her soft cheeks and laughed, "Hahaha, I'm not afraid of your dimples! I'm the ultimate villain~~"
"Um..."
Yueyue couldn't even speak properly because of Ren's squeezing.
She felt so frustrated.
She hoped to grow up fast so that she could squeeze her daddy's cheeks and show him that it's not fun at all!
"Come on, bring it on..."
Just then, Ren's phone rang.
Looking at it, it was Xena calling?
As Ren picked up the phone, Yueyue took the opportunity to escape his embrace.
She grabbed the magic gun from the coffee table and went on a pretend shooting spree.
Watching Yueyue play, Ren feigned a chase, making her scream and scramble to her room.
After reaching upstairs, she even stuck her little butt out and slapped it in a mocking gesture at Ren before running back into her room.
"This girl~" Ren shook his head and smiled.
He had to admit, having a child was fun; with Yueyue around, he found himself laughing much more often.
Then Ren answered the call: "Hello?"
"Is this Mr. Hao? This is Xena, remember me?" came Xena's voice over the phone.
"Of course, Ms. Zhao is so beautiful, what man could forget?" Ren complimented her.
After all, compliments cost nothing, and if they make someone happy, it's worth it.
"Really? Mr. Hao, you're quite the smooth talker."
Women like to be told they're beautiful, and sure enough, Xena sounded much happier than before, then she got straight to the point: "Mr. Hao, you remember the missing person notice you posted before, right? That child is actually the one my sister adopted, and he has now been reunited with his biological parents."
"Your sister... is that the child we saw at the mall?" Ren was slightly startled, recalling the little boy with Xena when they met at the mall, and he felt a sense of surprise.
"Yes, they adopted him from the orphan
age," Xena laughed. "It's such a coincidence to see the notice in the magazine."
"It is quite a coincidence." Ren felt a bit awkward, hesitated, then ventured, "So... how are they now?"
He couldn't finish his sentence, feeling very awkward.
After all, anyone who has raised a child for so long would undoubtedly have a strong attachment, and having the biological parents suddenly show up must be painful, right?
Though Ren didn't complete his thought, Xena seemed to understand his dilemma and responded nonchalantly, "Don't feel awkward; my sister didn't hesitate to call them. If she didn't want to, the family couldn't have found the child anyway. Although they indeed were reluctant to let go, the biological parents said they would often bring the child to visit my sister and them."
"Oh, that's good then." Ren breathed a sigh of relief, but then another question arose, "So, why did you call me?"
"It's like this," Xena continued, "Since you helped my sister's child find his biological parents, I wanted to invite you to see Liule, it's almost time for the dance performance, and there will be fireworks at night; it's quite beautiful."
"Sure, which day?"
Ren agreed without hesitation. After seeing Xena's solo dance last time, he was curious about the group dance; such a grand scene must be captivating, right?
"Next month, the 17th."
"The 17th?" Upon hearing this date, Ren paused.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's settled then."
"Okay, goodbye."
After hanging up, Ren stood still for a while before shaking his head wistfully, "What a coincidence?"
That day just happened to be the day he and Jada met.
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