Ice is not averse to deception

As for whether Zhang Defa had romantic feelings for Chen Li, Sun Bing didn't want to draw any conclusions, but he believed that at some point, those feelings must have existed.

Even if Zhang Defa himself didn't realize it, Sun Bing could still glean some of the emotions hidden between the lines.

In the long course of life, everyone will encounter many different people. Loyalty may not mean no longer being moved after having someone else in your heart, but rather that even when you are moved, you still have your own principles and bottom line.

A lifetime is too long, but for Zhang Defa, his life seemed too short. So short that he could only love one person in his lifetime, so short that even though Cuiying had long since passed away, the heart-fluttering moments and memories that belonged only to the two of them were enough to support Zhang Defa to the end of his life.

This inevitably reminded Sun Bing of Liu Ruo and... Dongmei.

One thing is certain: no matter how many hardships he went through, he only ever loved Liu Ruo in his heart. But Sun Bing could also sense Dongmei's feelings for him. Compared to Liu Ruo's strong and even domineering nature, Dongmei, who appeared tough on the outside, actually had a more considerate and gentle side.

Sun Bing did indeed think that if he had chosen Dongmei instead of Liu Ruo, his life might have been a completely different experience.

But Sun Bing wasn't so indecisive about this matter. Just like Zhang Defa, when his heart was already filled with someone, even if he met the right person, even if he had to go through so much hardship and loneliness alone, there was no room left in his heart.

Perhaps it was thinking of Zhang Defa, or perhaps it was the flood of thoughts that brought Chen Li back to the past, but in just half an hour, Chen Li finished drawing the details of the pendant.

Wu Dayong, who was already overwhelmed with problems, suddenly became nervous when he saw the pendant.

Unsurprisingly, this pendant is completely different from the one in Wu Dayong's photo.

The good news is that Sun Bing was unaware of this at the time, picked up the drawing paper, and turned to leave.

Sun Bing's sudden stop made Wu Dayong's heart jump into his throat.

"What's wrong, Bing-ge? Is...is everything alright?"

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Sun Bing turned to look at Wu Dayong with a serious expression, but then turned his gaze to Chen Li. He then took out a thousand yuan from his pocket and handed it to Chen Li: "Let's keep things separate. I smashed your car, so I definitely need to pay compensation. You have to accept this money."

Chen Li seemed somewhat surprised, yet also as if it were within her expectations, and couldn't help but say, "It seems I was right after all, you are Sun Bing."

Sun Bing didn't understand the meaning of Chen Li's words. Just as Zheng Jie could see through Wu Dayong's tricks at a glance, Zhang Defa knew them even better than they knew themselves.

He walked up to Sun Bing and pulled out five hundred-yuan bills: "You don't need that many. I've checked it. It's just some paint damage. Five hundred yuan is enough for the paint touch-up."

Sun Bing didn't argue, stuffed the money into his pocket, and pulled Wu Dayong towards the studio.

At this point, only three days remained until the agreed-upon deadline. Sun Bing had already obtained the details of the pendant, and in fact, it would take at most two days to complete the piece.

Back in the studio, Wu Dayong urged Sun Bing to start working quickly. The sooner he finished the work, the sooner he could receive Zhang Defa's inheritance and avoid any unforeseen complications.

"I need quiet, you..."

Sun Bing glanced at the door, and Wu Dayong instantly understood what Sun Bing meant, walking towards the door without hesitation.

As they walked, he reminded Sun Bing, "Brother Bing, the project is in your hands now. Whether or not you can fulfill your godfather's last wish depends on you. Good luck! Good luck!"

As Sun Bing picked up the carving knife and stared blankly at his work, Sun Xiaoni was also staring blankly at Liu Ruo in front of her.

"I'm your mother, do you think I don't know what you're thinking? So I advise you not to waste your time."

Liu Ruo stood in front of Sun Xiaoni with her hands on her hips, exuding an air of superiority.

Sun Xiaoni looked wronged and said with a mournful face, "If it were Brother Bing, he definitely wouldn't think of me that way. I understand. It's normal to feel betrayed."

If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, many people would hardly believe that the person who said these words was a nine-year-old girl.

The saying "no one knows a daughter better than her mother" can also be reversed. Sun Xiaoni is precocious despite her young age. She was more than capable of dealing with her grandmother Liu Hong, let alone Liu Ruo in front of her.

Early in the morning, Liu Qiang went out to find Dongmei's address, leaving only Sun Xiaoni and Liu Ruo in the hotel room.

Sun Xiaoni knew very well that her most important task now was to send a text message to Sun Bing to inform him that she had to prevent herself from becoming a child of a single-parent family.

With Liu Qiang gone, things became much easier for Sun Xiaoni. However, the problem was that Liu Ruo had changed her phone password and even disabled the face and fingerprint unlock functions to prevent Sun Xiaoni from catching her while she was asleep.

It was indeed a headache for Sun Xiaoni that a woman who didn't know how to cook was interested in military strategy.

But soon, Sun Xiaoni came up with a solution. Under the pretext of missing her grandmother, she asked Liu Ruo for her phone and made a call.

However, her attempt to quietly move towards the bathroom was noticed by the cautious Liu Ruo, who immediately pulled her back to the room.

"Make your call here, why go to the bathroom?" Liu Ruo gave Sun Xiaoni a look to warn her not to try anything funny.

Sun Xiaoni retorted, "Ms. Liu, you've gone too far. Can't I even go to the bathroom?"

Liu Ruo immediately snatched the phone away: "Making a call while in the bathroom? Can't you show some respect for your grandmother? We'll talk when you get back."

Having no other choice, Sun Xiaoni pretended to go to the toilet and then started having a long phone conversation with her grandmother, which lasted for more than an hour.

Sun Xiaoni originally thought that Liu Ruo wouldn't have enough stamina, so she deliberately found a movie that Liu Ruo liked to watch in order to attract Liu Ruo's attention.

No fruit.

Sun Xiaoni underestimated a woman's determination to take revenge on a heartless man. He would occasionally turn his head to look at Sun Xiaoni, ostensibly to show concern for the children, but actually to prevent Sun Xiaoni from tipping him off.

However, Sun Xiaoni was not worried. She believed that a nine-year-old child would definitely have more energy than a thirty-two-year-old woman, and they would see who could outlast whom.

But Sun Xiaoni was quickly defeated.

Liu Ruo kindly reminded Sun Xiaoni, "I'm running low on phone credit. If you keep chatting like this, your phone will be disconnected. Don't blame me for not warning you."

That's shameless.

He even deliberately twitched his eyebrows to strike a victorious pose.

Now, Sun Xiaoni was completely out of options. If she continued chatting and her phone ran out of service, she would have no chance at all. Then, the scene at the beginning happened.

Liu Ruo felt great. Even though she had only defeated a nine-year-old child on a mental level, it still gave her a strong sense of honor.

Sun Xiaoni, whose identity had been exposed, instantly became agitated.

Sun Xiaoni acted out every possible behavior a child could exhibit: sulking, ignoring people, crossing her arms, sighing, and tilting her chin up.

"Alright, stop being stubborn. I'm definitely not giving you the phone, but we can talk about other things, like what you want to eat and Mom will buy it for you."

Sun Xiaoni looked disdainful, feeling frustrated by her defeat: "Can food really heal emotional wounds? Ms. Liu Ruo, you're too naive."

Before Liu Ruo could speak, Sun Xiaoni said directly, "I want cream puffs, cream puffs from the Golden Triangle, I want ten!"

Liu Ruo almost burst out laughing, but thankfully Sun Xiaoni had admitted defeat and wanted some cream puffs to calm her emotions, which wasn't unreasonable.

He then got up, put on his coat, and prepared to go downstairs. Before leaving, he reminded Sun Xiaoni, "I've already told the front desk that they won't let you go out, and no one will lend you their phone, so I advise you not to overthink it."

After saying that, Liu Ruo went downstairs with a victor's expression.

What Liu Ruo didn't notice was that the moment the door closed, a sly smile appeared on Sun Xiaoni's lips.

After all that trouble, Sun Xiaoni only managed to get Liu Ruo's phone? She just wanted to use Liu Ruo's phone to tip off Brother Bing?

"Adults are so naive!" Sun Xiaoni couldn't help but sigh, then got up and went out.

Sun Xiaoni has been intelligent since childhood, which may stem from having an artist father and a mother who is more rational than emotional. This genetic combination has shaped Sun Xiaoni's exceptional intelligence and allowed her to shine in life.

Sun Bing is somewhat timid, but Sun Xiaoni prefers her father. So whenever she feels that Sun Bing's interests are being harmed, she argues her case to secure enough "personal benefits" for the weaker party in the marriage.

It's nothing much in a day or two, but over the years, Sun Xiaoni has become proficient in applying Sun Tzu's Art of War without ever having had any theoretical experience.

Calling her grandmother, being caught by Liu Ruo, and even her earlier sulking were all part of Sun Xiaoni's plan. She already knew that Liu Ruo had spoken to the front desk staff and wouldn't lend Sun Xiaoni her phone, much less let her leave the house.

But Liu Ruo overlooked one thing: this was Sun Xiaoni! The indomitable and exceptionally intelligent Sun Xiaoni!