spring bite mark

Chapter 88 Where is Xie Jian's mother?
The restaurant is on the 26th floor. The hotel serves meals from 6:00 AM to 2:00 AM, with abundant ingredients and extremely high-quality cooking. Yan Changye is quite familiar with this area, and he is walking along while chatting quietly with Jiang Manman:

"Among the five-star hotels in the port city, this hotel has the best reputation for its catering service. Many of its dishes are prepared by top chefs, and the dining experience is no less than that of other high-end catering brands."

Xie Jian immediately made his presence known: "Manman, the best dishes are sweet and sour pork and spicy fish balls. I eat a lot every time I come! You should try them later too."

Jiang Manman was a little surprised: "You've been to this international business hotel before, Xie Jian?"

Xie Jiancui gave a crisp "Yes!": "I'm here! If my dad is too busy to go home until late at night, he stays here, and I bring my luggage to keep him company."

Otherwise, how could they have found Yan Changye at the hotel so easily and so naturally...?

Yan Changye coughed lightly and pinched Xie Jian's little bottom.

Xie Jian remained silent.

Jiang Manman didn't mind and chimed in, "That's right, the Xie Group's headquarters is right next door, so it's quite convenient for Xie Yunxi to live here."

Without revealing anything, Yan Changye changed the subject: "Don't listen to Xie Jian. The local specialties in the port city tend to be bland, but we have a Mapo Tofu and a Laifeng Fish here. They are spicy and fragrant, and I think Madam will like them."

Jiang Manman smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll try everything Xie Jian mentioned later."

As they chatted, they entered the restaurant.

There weren't many diners at this time, but even so, as soon as the three of them stepped into the restaurant, they immediately felt the crowd. Many people moved closer, their eyes suddenly flashing like spotlights as they all looked at Yan Changye.

When Jiang Manman goes out alone, she actually gets a lot of attention.

But with Yan Changye around, Jiang Manman felt no pressure. Looking at the girls gasping for breath as they stared at Yan Changye, she joked:
"If you had stayed in Hong Kong any longer, you would probably have become the cinnabar mole of the city's young ladies."

"Don't talk nonsense, I'm very low-key." Yan Changye pointed to Xie Jian in his arms. "Besides, I have a shield."

But a shield can't necessarily stop every restless heart.

Therefore, a few bodyguards discreetly kept the crowd at bay. The hotel manager himself was waiting in the restaurant when Chao Yan Changye came to greet him.

"You've arrived? Assistant Shen already informed us in advance and reserved the best seat for you."

The greeting mentioned here includes the form of address. Yan Changye was always very satisfied with Shen Zongqian's thoughtfulness, so he put Xie Jian down and followed the manager to a private booth with excellent privacy.

"This must be the madam and young master?" the manager asked enthusiastically. "I've met the young master a few times, but this is the first time I've met the madam. You two are a perfect match!"

"Alright, you can go ahead and get busy. We'll get our food ourselves," Yan Changye said casually. After the manager left awkwardly, he got up and went to the self-service area to get his food.

The private booth had a custom-made glass wall offering a superb panoramic view. While waiting for her food, Jiang Manman gazed at the harbor scenery for a while before asking Xie Jian, who had been watching her intently, with great interest:
"Why are you staring at me?"

"You're beautiful!" Xie Jian's eyes sparkled, and her face was flushed. "You're much, much more beautiful than in my dreams."

Jiang Manman exclaimed, "Auntie even appeared in your dreams?"

“Yes, it has! It’s appeared many times. But I can never see it clearly or touch it.” Xie Jian’s tone was slightly frustrated. “In my dreams, I call your name, but you never respond.”

Jiang Manman looked at him, her feelings complicated: "Why are you so concerned about me?"

“I want you to be my mom!” Xie Jian said matter-of-factly. “You’re gentle and beautiful, better than any of my classmates’ moms.”

姜漫漫想起谢见曾经送给自己的那幅导致宴长夜揍他屁股的画。这孩子，好像对母爱有种执念。

Jiang Manman asked curiously, "Where is your own mother?"

Xie Jian stared at her blankly, then fell silent.

Yan Changye walked in carrying food, glanced at Xie Jian, and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Jiang Manman said "Oh," and then replied, "Let's talk about Xie Jian's mother." Yan Changye scoffed, "He's never even met his mother, what could he possibly know?"

Jiang Manman's curiosity was piqued even more: "Never seen it before?"

Yan Changye did not answer immediately, but instead said to Xie Jian in a low voice, "I didn't recommend sweet and sour pork and spicy fish balls. Go get them for your Manman yourself."

Xie Jian quickly said "Oh" and ran to the self-service area.

Jiang Manman looked at Yan Changye: "You deliberately sent him away, what are you trying to say?"

"Xie Jian was taken away right after he was born, before he even opened his eyes." Yan Changye's expression turned slightly indifferent. "He was a child who wasn't loved by his mother."

Jiang Manman: "..."

"Xie Jian doesn't know about this," Yan Changye said in a detached voice. "Don't tell him either; children are fragile and will be very sad."

“Such a cute child, how could his mother bear to abandon him?” Jiang Manman couldn’t understand.

Yan Changye lowered his eyes, chuckled, and placed a plate of Mapo Tofu in front of her, his tone somewhat intriguing:

"Yes, such a lovely child, and you just abandon him like that."

Xie Jian had already carefully brought the food in.

Jiang Manman and Yan Changye tacitly ended the topic.

During the meal, Jiang Manman discovered that Xie Jian was an extremely picky eater.

No carrots, no green vegetables, no fish, no pork...

In just over ten minutes, he had already picked out a large pile of food he didn't want to eat.

Jiang Manman placed a slice of carrot on his plate: "No wonder you look so thin and small, and are such a picky eater!"

Xie Jian said with a bitter face, "Manman, Daddy said it's okay to be a picky eater. Many foods contain the same nutrients. For example, I can eat tomatoes and pumpkins to get carotene!"

"Your daddy spoils you so much?" Jiang Manman said, somewhat speechless. "If you were my child, I would have spanked you."

Xie Jian stared silently at the carrot, on the verge of tears, and reluctantly put it in his mouth.

Yan Changye found it quite interesting: "It seems your words are quite effective. He's tried everything at home, but he just won't eat, so now everyone has adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards his diet."

“When I was little, life was a bit tough. Forget about balanced nutrition, even eating rice was a luxury. More often than not, those people would just throw half a cold steamed bun at me.” Jiang Manman paused for a moment. “I suspect that my short stature is related to poor nutrition. But I’m a girl, so it’s okay. Boys should try to grow as tall as possible.”

Despite being taken away by human traffickers and living a pitiful life on the streets, her tone didn't reveal any sadness, but rather regret.

Yan Changye chuckled: "From a genetic point of view, Xie Jian won't be that short in the future, so don't worry about it."

"Xie Yunxi is very tall?"

"...about the same as me."

"What if his mother is short?"

Yan Changye paused for a few seconds: "1.65 meters is considered short in the north, but in the south, it's actually not that bad..."

Jiang Manman was genuinely surprised this time: "He's the same height as me! You've met his mother?"

(End of this chapter)