You went on a blind date and presented an A-level wanted criminal as a meeting gift?

Lin Chen's phone rang at five o'clock in the afternoon; it was Shen Manyun's voice message.

"You brat! Do you even know what day it is today! Your dad won't tell you, so I'll ask you for him: are you coming home for dinner tonight?"

Lin Chen glanced at the date.

October 18th.

My parents' 30th wedding anniversary.

He almost forgot.

"Mom, don't cook dinner tonight, it's my treat."

"I've already booked the entire 'Lanting' restaurant by Emerald Lake at 7 o'clock."

"Rent out the whole place? That Michelin three-star restaurant? Where did you get so much money... Never mind, I won't ask anymore. Now that you're so capable, I'll talk to your dad."

Shen Manyun hung up the phone, and Lin Chen made three more calls.

The first call was to Su Qingge.

"Tonight is my parents' 30th wedding anniversary, and they're having a banquet at Lanting. You're welcome to come."

Su Qingge remained silent for a second.

"Just me?"

"you guess."

The second call was to Jiang Tingxue.

"Tingxue, are you free tonight? It's my parents' wedding anniversary, and we'd like to invite you over."

Jiang Tingxue paused for a moment, then resumed her usual cool and aloof tone.

"What time is it?"

"Seven o'clock, Lanting."

"it is good."

The third call was to Su Ke'er, and the moment the call connected, the other end exploded.

"Brother Lin Chen! You called me on your own initiative! Did you miss me?"

"Tonight is my parents' wedding anniversary. Come over for dinner."

"Ah! It's Auntie's anniversary! I'll go get a gift right away! What should I wear?!"

Lin Chen hung up the phone, leaned back in his car seat, and closed his eyes for a while.

There's no need to call Ye Qingcheng.

Lanting was originally her property. After he sent the message that he had booked the entire venue, Ye Qingcheng only replied with three words.

"understood."

But Lin Chen was certain that she would show up tonight.

And they dress more elegantly than anyone else.

At 7:00 AM sharp, at Lanting.

This restaurant is located on the shore of Emerald Lake, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the lake. The afterglow of the sunset spreads across the water, and the view is truly breathtaking.

Lin Zhiyuan was wearing a newly bought dark blue jacket, and his hair was styled meticulously with hair gel, but his expression was so stiff that he looked like he was going to a funeral.

Shen Manyun was wearing a dark red cheongsam, her well-maintained face was painted with lipstick, and she was holding Lin Zhiyuan's arm, smiling from ear to ear.

"Old Lin, can you smile? Today is our anniversary!"

I laughed.

Lin Zhiyuan tugged at the corners of his mouth, but the effect was practically zero.

Lin Chen seated his parents at the main table and had just poured tea when someone arrived at the door.

Su Qingge was the first to arrive.

She changed into a navy blue fitted dress, her hair down, and wore a pair of small pearl earrings. She transformed from a sharp-tongued female detective into a gentle and refined lady. She carried a gift box in her hand.

Happy 30th Anniversary, Uncle and Aunt!

She smiled and handed over the gift box.

"These are a pair of jade bracelets, from my mother's old collection. She said they would be perfect as a gift for my aunt."

Shen Manyun's eyes lit up.

This bracelet has excellent clarity; it's clearly not an ordinary piece.

"Oh, Qingge, this is too much! Please sit down, sit here, next to Uncle!"

Shen Manyun patted the seat to Lin Zhiyuan's left.

Lin Chen noticed that the position was closest to the main seat.

Su Qingge's ears turned slightly red when she sat down.

Three minutes later, the sound of high heels came from the doorway.

The moment Ye Qingcheng pushed open the door and entered, even the air in the restaurant seemed to quiet down for a moment.

She wore an ivory-white haute couture gown, highlighting her collarbones, and around her neck hung an extremely understated yet absolutely six-figure diamond necklace.

Her makeup was exquisite but not heavy, and she looked like a piece of walking ice jade.

Happy anniversary, Uncle and Aunt.

Her gift was a painting.

An authentic work by Qi Baishi.

虾。

It's not large in size, but the authentication seal and collector's stamp in the lower right corner are clearly visible.

Lin Zhiyuan was truly stunned this time.

Although he was a rough man, he had run a teahouse all his life and knew a thing or two about the market for calligraphy and paintings.

This painting is worth at least eight figures.

Shen Manyun opened her mouth, wanting to say, "It's too valuable, I can't accept it," but Ye Qingcheng had already handed the painting to her assistant behind her for safekeeping, and then sat down in the seat to Lin Chen's right.

The movements were so fluid, it was as if they had been rehearsed a hundred times.

Su Qingge tightened her grip on the teacup slightly.

Two minutes later, Jiang Tingxue arrived.

Wearing a white knitted cardigan, a black midi skirt, and her hair styled in a loose side braid, she exuded a refined and elegant aura.

Her gift was very practical: two customized high-end medical check-up packages, plus a health recipe book she wrote herself.

"Uncle's liver function indicators were a bit high last time, so I marked the weekly ingredient combinations in the recipe book. Auntie can just follow them."

Shen Manyun held her hand and nodded repeatedly.

"Tingxue is so considerate!"

The three women took their seats.

The atmosphere at the table subtly maintained a superficial harmony.

Su Qingge's smile was just right, Ye Qingcheng's expression remained as aloof as ever, and Jiang Tingxue sat quietly, her gaze occasionally sweeping over Lin Chen.

Then Su Ke'er arrived.

"Aunt--!"

She was wearing a pink sundress with a white cardigan over it and white sneakers, looking like a ripe peach just picked from a tree.

She was carrying a huge gift bag when she ran over, bypassed everyone, and rushed behind Shen Manyun, hugging her neck from behind.

"Auntie! Happy 30th anniversary! This is a scarf I knitted myself! I spent a month knitting it! I unraveled it and re-knitted it three times!"

She took out two hand-knitted scarves of different colors from the bag, one dark gray for Lin Zhiyuan and one burgundy for Shen Manyun.

The stitches are a bit crooked, but the sentiment behind them is wonderful.

Shen Manyun almost choked with laughter as she was hugged around the neck.

"You little rascal! Sit down right now!"

Su Ke'er obediently sat down to Lin Chen's left, secretly tugged at Lin Chen's sleeve, and gave him a sweet smile.

Four women.

All done.

The battleground begins.

Lin Chen had a string in his mind that was even tighter than when he was interrogating Yan Huo.

He poured the first cup of tea for Su Qingge with remarkable ease, the action unintentional, as if it were just a casual gesture.

But he knew the significance of this "casual" gesture in the eyes of the four women.

Su Qingge sat next to his parents, and he poured her tea first, which was equivalent to confirming a subtle order in front of everyone.

Su Qingge's lips curled up slightly involuntarily, but she quickly regained her composure.

Ye Qingcheng narrowed her eyes slightly but didn't say anything.

When Lin Chen poured the second cup of tea, he handed it directly to Ye Qingcheng and said something.

"The venue was well chosen today; Qingcheng was a great help."

Ye Qingcheng took the teacup and gave a curt "hmm," but when her fingertips touched Lin Chen's fingers, she didn't pull away.

He handed the third cup to Jiang Tingxue, and said something in a low voice as he did so.

"I flipped through that cookbook, and the medicinal food combinations were more professional than I expected."

Jiang Tingxue's expression didn't change much, but her hand holding the teacup was much steadyer than usual.

He poured the fourth cup and placed it in front of Su Ke'er, then casually patted her head.

"The scarf is nicely knitted."

Su Ke'er's face turned bright red instantly. She lowered her head and drank her tea quickly, almost choking.

Lin Zhiyuan sat in the main seat, watching his son's maneuvering among the four girls, his palms constantly sweating.

He kicked Shen Manyun's foot hard under the table, lowering his voice.

"Aren't you going to do anything about your son?!"

Shen Manyun patted him on the shoulder.

"What's it to you! What's wrong with any girl you like?"