My buildings have attributes

"Hmm...this will do, it's fine." The assistant said, resting her chin on her hand as she observed him. After finishing her work, the assistant left. Not long after, it was time to leave. Li Ran went out, and as soon as he reached the company building, he saw Chen Xiaoqi waiting for him at the door.

Overjoyed, he ran over and said, "Why are you here? Aren't you busy?" "How can I not go see my parents? Didn't you even ask me?" Chen Xiaoqi began. "Ah, I forgot," Li Ran said awkwardly, scratching his head. He had been too excited and had overlooked it. Thinking about it, it made sense; Xiaoqi wasn't there, so what was the point of him going to see her? He then laughed at his own foolishness.

When Chen Xiaoqi and the others arrived at Chen Ling's house, Chen Ling was already home. As soon as Chen Xiaoqi entered, she asked, "Brother, where's sister-in-law?" Upon hearing this, Chen Ling replied smugly, "We're talking about you today, it has nothing to do with me." Just as the two were arguing, Chen's mother came out of the kitchen and said, "Xiaoqi, you're here! The food is ready. Chen Ling, call your father out, it's time to eat."

So Chen Xiaoqi went into the kitchen to help her mother serve the dishes. When her father came out, he saw Li Ran still carrying things and said, "You're here, why bring anything? We have everything we need." "Uncle, this is a small token of my appreciation. I didn't know what you and Aunt liked, so I picked these," Li Ran said nervously. "Okay, let's eat," her father said casually. "Put the things on the table," Chen Ling quickly interjected, trying to smooth things over. Li Ran then placed the things on the living room table, and they sat down to eat.

During the meal, which was also their chat time, everyone sat together, and Chen's mother began to ask, "Are you Li Ran?" Chen's mother had seen Chen Xiaoqi's Weibo post and knew his name. "Yes, Auntie. I'm 28 years old this year, and I do charity work," Li Ran began to briefly tell Chen's mother about himself.

"Oh, so you're a few years older than Xiaoqi. It's alright, men know how to care for others and take care of them as they grow up," Chen's mother said after thinking for a moment. Then, Chen's mother asked Li Ran a few more questions, such as where his hometown was, who else was in his family, and what his parents did.

At this moment, Chen Xiaoqi began to speak, "Mom, are you checking my household registration?" Seeing her mother constantly questioning Li Ran, Chen Xiaoqi started to answer. However, after hearing Chen Xiaoqi's words, Chen's mother didn't stop there, but continued to ask, "How did you and Xiaoqi meet?" Just as Li Ran was about to answer, Chen's father spoke up. "Let's eat, the food's getting cold," Chen's mother said, finally stopping her questioning after hearing Chen's father's words.

What should have been a simple meal felt like an eternity to Li Ran. After finishing his meal, Li Ran prepared to leave. He figured it shouldn't take too long, as it was his first time meeting the parents. He then said goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Chen. "Uncle, Aunt, I have something to attend to, so I'll have to go now. I'll come see you again when I have time," Li Ran said, feigning that he had other business to attend to.

"Okay, then go ahead and do what you need to do." Mr. Chen said slowly after hearing this. "Dad, Mom, I'll go see Li Ran off." Chen Xiaoqi said as she pulled Li Ran along. After they got downstairs, Chen Xiaoqi said, "Did Mom ask too many questions and make you angry?"

“No, no, Auntie asked me, and I was actually happy. How could I be angry? I'm just a little uncomfortable, but I'll be fine in the future. The fact that you took me to meet your parents shows that I'm important to you, right? They are your parents, so naturally I should respect them and treat them well.” Li Ran’s words were heartfelt. “That’s good. You can go now then,” Chen Xiaoqi said reluctantly. After the two hugged goodbye, Li Ran turned and went back inside, so Chen Xiaoqi also went upstairs…

Chapter 200 Internal Family Wars

Upon returning home, Chen Xiaoqi began to argue with her mother: "Mom, why did you keep asking Li Ran questions?" She recalled that when her mother met Li Lili, she didn't ask any questions and just chatted casually.

“How can that be the same? Your brother is marrying a wife who is coming into our family, while you are marrying out. Of course, you need to know about the other family’s situation. Otherwise, your mother would be very worried about you marrying into the family.” Chen’s mother began to speak.

She's right, marrying a wife is indeed quite different from marrying off a daughter. Just then, Chen's mother said again, "What? Did he complain to you?" Chen's mother thought to herself, this won't do. She had only asked a few questions, and he's already complaining as soon as they left the house.

At that moment, Chen Xiaoqi said, "What? He also said that you are my parents, so naturally I should respect you and treat you well." Hearing Chen Xiaoqi say this, Chen's mother felt a little better. At this time, Chen Ling also spoke up for Chen Xiaoqi, saying, "I have met Li Ran. We have worked together twice and have a good personal relationship. He is a very nice person, and he does charity work, so he has a very good personality."

"What's wrong with doing charity? Many people use the name of charity to make money." Mr. Chen started to say this. It's said that a daughter is her father's lover from a past life, and no matter what kind of boyfriend she finds, her father will never be satisfied. So Mr. Chen began to retort. "Dad, don't worry about that. Didn't you ask me about my company before? When my company had that problem, it was Li Ran who came to help me. The project I'm working on now was also arranged by him."

After hearing his father's words, Chen Ling began to speak up for Li Ran. He knew Li Ran's character and didn't want his father to misunderstand. Then he heard his father say, "Hmph, he's got other plans, he's after your sister." Looking at his father's righteous expression, Chen Ling didn't know what to say. Just then, his mother said, "Alright, alright, you two stop arguing." Hearing his mother's words, the two of them ignored each other and went about their own business, watching their own TVs.

After a while, Chen Xiaoqi started saying to Chen Ling, "Brother, come here, I want to talk to you." Chen Ling looked at the unrestrained Chen Xiaoqi and couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you talking to me like that?" Chen Ling turned to look at Chen Xiaoqi.

"Stop talking nonsense and come here. I want to talk to you," Chen Xiaoqi said after hearing this. Chen Ling couldn't refuse Chen Xiaoqi, so he stood up and followed her. Chen Xiaoqi entered Chen Ling's room and then began to act very formally.

"Ahem, brother, what are you thinking?" Chen Xiaoqi coughed first, cleared her throat, and then began to speak. "What do you mean, what are you thinking? What do you mean?" Chen Ling asked her, looking completely bewildered. "Stop pretending and tell me the truth." Chen Xiaoqi looked at Chen Ling in front of her, feeling that he was playing dumb with her.

"What? You mean what happened today? Yes, I deliberately told Mom about it yesterday, to remind her to meet Li Ran. Who told you to mess with me? I'm much more righteous than you. You didn't tell Ningxue about meeting our parents, you just tricked her into coming here. See how good I am? I even reminded Li Ran beforehand so he could be mentally prepared." Chen Ling said righteously, feeling that he had done the perfect thing.

Hearing this, Chen Xiaoqi rolled her eyes. She said, "That's not what I meant, don't pretend." Chen Xiaoqi continued. At this point, Chen Ling really couldn't figure out what Chen Xiaoqi was referring to, so he scratched his head and said to Chen Xiaoqi, "What are you trying to say? I can't think of anything at all, please give me a hint."

Chen Xiaoqi looked at Chen Ling, whose expression seemed sincere, and got straight to the point: "Li Lili, what are you thinking?" Hearing Chen Xiaoqi's words, Chen Ling was speechless. What was he thinking that he had to explain to a little kid like her? So Chen Ling said, "Kid, why do you care so much?" After saying this, Chen Ling got up to leave, but Chen Xiaoqi grabbed him.

"Brother, this is so irresponsible of you!" Chen Xiaoqi said righteously, pulling Chen Ling along. Chen Ling looked at the angry Chen Xiaoqi and felt completely innocent, so he said to her, "How am I irresponsible? I just don't want to think about these things right now. Why are you worrying about this?"

“I’m not worrying unnecessarily. I just think you’re afraid that if you don’t make a commitment to Li Lili, she might leave you one day and you won’t find anyone better than her.” Chen Xiaoqi voiced her thoughts, as she was quite satisfied with her sister-in-law, Li Lili. “If she leaves, your brother won’t find anyone better? Am I that bad? You should worry about yourself first and not worry about so much. Just keep an eye on your Li Ran.” Chen Ling’s expression was complicated as he said this.

He naturally heard Chen Xiaoqi's words and wondered if he had truly failed to provide Li Lili with a sense of security. He couldn't help but ask himself, "What's wrong with Li Ran? Is he hiding something from me?" Chen Ling's words were merely casual, but Chen Xiaoqi took them seriously. She then questioned him in an accusing tone. "No, he's fine, don't worry. I was just joking, why did you take it so seriously?" Chen Ling looked at Li Lili and couldn't help but sigh: Women in love... their IQ drops to zero.

Looking at Chen Ling's expression, Chen Xiaoqi felt like the emperor wasn't worried, but the eunuch was. She and her mother were both anxious about him, but he acted as if nothing was wrong. Eventually, Chen Xiaoqi gave up and said, "Do whatever you want. Anyway, if you break up later, don't blame me for not warning you." Chen Xiaoqi was very disappointed in Chen Ling's attitude. "Why are you siding with your brother? I'm your own brother, okay?" Chen Ling asked, seeing Chen Xiaoqi's annoyed expression.

"That's precisely because you're my brother that I'm kindly reminding you. Otherwise, I wouldn't care about other people's family affairs. Alright, just keep acting up." After saying that, Chen Xiaoqi sighed and then walked out.

Chapter 201 A Long-Awaited Familiarity

Chen Ling pondered Chen Xiaoqi's words in his room, and he couldn't help but doubt his own actions, wondering if he had been irresponsible. As he thought about it, Chen Ling fell asleep.

The next morning, when Chen Ling got up to go to work, he saw his mother watching the news in the living room. Chen Ling said, "Mom, why are you up so early?" Hearing his voice and seeing that Chen Ling was up, his mother said, "Breakfast is still in the pot, get it for yourself!" Chen Ling frowned and went to the kitchen to get breakfast. Just as Chen Ling was about to eat, he saw his mother turn off the TV.

Then she sat down next to him and started talking about Li Lili again. "Son, is Xiaoxue going to work today too?" Chen's mother asked knowingly.

"Yes, Mom, the company is very busy lately, so please don't try anything with her," Chen Ling quickly reminded his mother upon hearing her words.

Then, Mrs. Chen said, "Well, you can bring her over after you get off work tonight." Mrs. Chen's meaning was very clear: she wanted to meet Li Lili.

Then Chen Ling's rebuttal was heard: "Mom, didn't you just see her the day before yesterday? How come you saw her again?" "But we didn't see each other yesterday, did we? Besides, don't bring up the meeting that day. I hadn't finished talking to her when you took her away. That doesn't count." Chen's mother started to act like a rogue.

"You should rest first. You haven't had a moment's rest these past few days!" Chen Ling's words were quite clear! Chen's mother had just seen Li Lili; there was no need for them to meet so frequently. Just as Chen's mother was about to say something more, her mouth was opened, but before she could speak, Chen Ling interrupted her.

"Alright, Mom, I'm full. I'm going to the company now." After saying that, Chen Ling picked up his briefcase, got up, pushed the chair back, and quickly left.

"Sigh, my son doesn't understand his mother's heart." After Chen Ling left, Chen's mother muttered to herself. She then helped Chen Ling clear away the dishes before going back to her room to find Chen's father.

Chen Ling had already arrived at the company. When he saw Li Lili, he thought of what Chen Xiaoqi had said yesterday, and also of what Chen's mother had said today. Chen Ling couldn't help but shake his head and went back to his office.

Chen Ling had things to do today. The foundation work at the construction site was completed yesterday, and today he needed to go there to activate the system and begin building the hospital. After finishing his work in the office, Chen Ling prepared to go to the construction site. So, he went outside and called Liu Yuyang over, and together they headed to the construction site.

"I'm about to explode." As soon as he got in the car, Chen Ling started complaining to Liu Yuyang. "What's wrong? You look so resentful." Liu Yuyang was very curious after hearing Chen Ling's words.

"Oh, my family is pressuring me to get married. My mom used to ask at night, but now it's gotten really intense. She makes breakfast in the morning and waits for me. It's one thing for my mom to ask these questions, but Chen Xiaoqi is also following suit. She gave me a lecture last night!" Liu Yuyang found it amusing to see Chen Ling in front of him. It wasn't a big deal, but look how much trouble he's causing.

Then Liu Yuyang, as if watching a show, said, "Then you should get married." After saying that, he laughed. Chen Ling, seeing Liu Yuyang making fun of him, said angrily, "Hey, how can you have no sympathy at all? I'm already like this, and you're still laughing at me. Besides, I'm your boss. Watch your words."

Liu Yuyang found Chen Ling's expression hilarious. "Alright, boss, since you're unhappy at home, I'll take you to relax tonight," Liu Yuyang said with a sinister smile. Soon, they arrived at the construction site. As soon as Chen Ling and the others got out of the car, they heard passersby talking about the construction site. "I heard they're building a hospital here." "Yeah, I heard that too. It'll be much more convenient later." The two walked along, talking. Upon hearing this, Chen Ling and Liu Yuyang exchanged a smile.

"System, exchange for three construction teams." Chen Ling hadn't used the system in a long time. "Exchange complete, deducting 150 million." The system quickly completed the task assigned by Chen Ling. These construction teams quickly got to work. Chen Ling had gotten used to using construction teams to complete projects; it was convenient and fast. They even had identity information.

Chen Ling stared intently at the construction team, a long-lost feeling welling up inside him. He suddenly realized he'd been so preoccupied with his personal life lately that he seemed to have neglected his work. So Chen Ling checked the system and said, "Haven't I been in contact with you for a long time?" The system replied, "Yes." Chen Ling thought for a moment, deciding he should focus on his work.

"Remind me to work hard from now on," Chen Ling said firmly to Liu Yuyang. However, Liu Yuyang was amused by Chen Ling's words. He already knew Chen Ling had fallen for Li Lili. So he said, "Come on, you should just get married and have kids soon."

"Stop joking, I'm serious. After seeing the system, I really felt a long-lost sense of familiarity. I want to get myself back. This is too childish. Work is more important." Chen Ling said seriously.

After hearing Chen Ling's words, Liu Yuyang couldn't bear to provoke him any further, so he said, "Okay, I'll support whatever you do." After saying that, Liu Yuyang laughed to himself. He thought about his own words and felt they were incredibly hypocritical, let alone what Chen Ling was thinking. Then he saw Chen Ling say, "Forget it, forget it, I won't count on you anymore. I'll rely on myself." After saying that, Chen Ling didn't forget to pat Liu Yuyang on the shoulder.

They lingered at the construction site for a while. Just as they were about to head back, Chen Ling saw his mother calling. Holding the phone up to Liu Yuyang, Chen Ling said, "Look, you're driving me crazy." After saying this, he hung up. Seeing this, Liu Yuyang scoffed at Chen Ling's good fortune—someone was pressuring him, and he had a beautiful woman by his side—unlike himself, who had no girlfriend. Chen Ling glared fiercely at Liu Yuyang, looking like he wanted to devour him. Seeing Liu Yuyang's gloating expression, he grew increasingly angry, yet there was nothing he could do about it.

"Shut up from now on. I don't want to hear you talk anymore, it's infuriating." After saying this, Chen Ling turned around and went back to the car.

Chapter 202 Drowning Sorrows in Alcohol

After Chen Ling returned to his car, Liu Yuyang followed him. Just as Liu Yuyang got in, he heard Chen Ling say, "Let's go back to the company." Upon hearing this, Liu Yuyang started the engine without a word.

The two remained silent, neither uttering a word, and the atmosphere became somewhat eerie. Then, Chen Ling coughed to clear his throat, looked at Liu Yuyang as if to say something, but then closed his mouth again.

Liu Yuyang had been glancing at Chen Ling out of the corner of his eye, and seeing his expression, he found it hilarious. He wondered when Chen Ling had become so adorable. Liu Yuyang chuckled to himself, thinking he'd see how long Chen Ling could hold back his words. If he couldn't speak, he wouldn't say anything either. The two of them bickered like this all the way back to the company, and neither spoke a word to the other.

Seeing this, the company staff felt the atmosphere was strange, wondering if something had happened again. They sped up their work, no longer daring to chat. "Boss, this is the hospital contract. Why did it only arrive today?" Li Lili asked after placing the contract on the table. "There were some issues with the last contract, but it's alright. The initial payment has already been made, don't worry," Chen Ling explained. Li Lili didn't say anything more.

As Li Lili was about to leave, Chen Ling suddenly asked, "Do you want to get married?" Li Lili looked at Chen Ling, wondering what he meant. Could she just get married whenever she wanted? She thought better of it and shook her head, saying insincerely, "No, why?" Hearing this, Chen Ling replied, "Nothing." Hearing that it was nothing, Li Lili left.

Chen Ling felt exhausted at the thought of his mother interrogating him again when he got home. So he texted Liu Yuyang, "Let's go for drinks tonight."

After a while, Chen Ling checked his phone. Liu Yuyang hadn't replied, so he sent another emoji. But Liu Yuyang still didn't reply, which caught Chen Ling's attention, so he sent another one.

Chen Ling had already sent many emojis, but Liu Yuyang didn't reply. So he called Liu Yuyang. After the call connected, Liu Yuyang remained silent, waiting for Chen Ling to speak. Seeing this, Chen Ling said, "Come to my office." Not long after hanging up, Liu Yuyang came in, still expressionless.

Just then, Chen Ling started trying to get him to talk. He said, "If you want to laugh, just laugh. Why hold it in?" Liu Yuyang found Chen Ling's behavior amusing, but he was determined to save face. Liu Yuyang had no intention of reconciling with Chen Ling; even if he did, he wanted Chen Ling to show sincerity. "Let's go for drinks tonight," Chen Ling said again.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuyang merely nodded, remaining silent. "Liu Yuyang, don't go too far," Chen Ling said, his temper flaring. He thought Liu Yuyang had been spoiled rotten, becoming so willful and unruly. He never expected that Liu Yuyang would simply leave after hearing his words, which infuriated Chen Ling.

As soon as Liu Yuyang stepped out of Chen Ling's office, he burst into laughter. His colleagues stared at him in astonishment, wondering what their boss had said to make him so happy. After work, as soon as Chen Ling walked out of his office, Liu Yuyang was already waiting. Chen Ling glanced at Liu Yuyang and started walking.

Seeing that Chen Ling wouldn't speak to him, Liu Yuyang decided to tease him further. So he stopped moving and stood motionless. Chen Ling, seeing this, angrily said to him, "Aren't you going to follow me?" Hearing Chen Ling's words, Liu Yuyang followed. The two quickly arrived at a nearby bar. Just as Liu Yuyang took a sip of his drink, Chen Ling began to complain, "I don't want to get married."

Seeing Chen Ling's annoyance, Liu Yuyang quickly forgave him and asked, "Why are you so against marriage? Isn't marriage a good thing?" Chen Ling retorted, "What's so good about it? There are so many things to deal with. Being single is so much better, so free. Can I still be so reckless after marriage? Going out drinking all night?" Chen Ling wasn't wrong; marriage brings many mundane matters. "I feel like your relationship with Goddess Shen has become distant," Liu Yuyang voiced his concern. He noticed Chen Ling wasn't going on dates with Goddess Shen after work anymore, so he asked.

"Right, human relationships are really strange. We didn't even argue, but we gradually drifted apart. I felt it today too. I wanted to ask her, but I held back. Later, I asked her if she wanted to get married, and she shook her head."

Chen Ling resonated with Liu Yuyang's words and recalled her question to Li Lili earlier that day, so she spoke to Liu Yuyang, seemingly distressed. At this moment, Liu Yuyang replied, "Then I don't understand, how can you two, who are so aligned, have a disagreement?" Chen Ling was also puzzled by Liu Yuyang's words; he couldn't understand what was going on.

So Chen Ling shook his head, trying to stop thinking about it. Then he said to Liu Yuyang, "Let's not talk about it anymore, let's drink." Chen Ling then picked up his drink and started drinking. Seeing Chen Ling's determination, Liu Yuyang realized he wanted to get completely drunk, so he decided to keep his head up so he could take Chen Ling home.

Chen Ling kept drinking bottle after bottle. Liu Yuyang looked at Chen Ling, completely baffled as to why he was doing this. He just stared at Chen Ling, unsure of what to say. Then, Chen Ling offered Liu Yuyang a drink. "Let's drink, brother," Liu Yuyang said, taking the drink from Chen Ling and downing it in one gulp.

Chen Ling exclaimed, "Drinking to drown my sorrows only makes them worse!" Liu Yuyang looked at the empty wine bottle on the table, so empty that he couldn't even tell how much was left, and tried to persuade Chen Ling to stop drinking. But how could a drunk person listen to such words? So Chen Ling ignored Liu Yuyang's advice and continued to drink in large gulps.

Liu Yuyang didn't say anything more. Since he was unhappy, let him drink to his heart's content.

After getting drunk, Chen Ling fell asleep soon after. Liu Yuyang then found two waiters to carry Chen Ling back to the car and drove him home.

Chapter 203 Drifting Further and Further Away?

As soon as Chen Ling arrived home, his parents saw that he was quite drunk and rushed over to help him, asking what had happened and why he had drunk so much. Liu Yuyang didn't say anything after hearing Chen Ling's mother's words; he simply helped Chen Ling into the bedroom and then left. After helping Chen Ling take off his shoes, Chen Ling's mother and father went back to their room to rest.

After the two returned to their room, they were still talking about what had happened to Chen Ling that day, and how he had drunk so much. After a while, Chen's father comforted them, saying that he was probably out socializing, which temporarily put Chen's mother's mind at ease. So, early the next morning, Chen's mother made Chen Ling a hangover soup.

However, as soon as Chen Ling woke up, he prepared to go back to the company. He was afraid his mother would question him again, so he wanted to escape as soon as possible. "Son, you're awake? Have some hangover soup." Chen's mother said with concern as soon as she saw Chen Ling come out of the room. "Okay." Seeing this, Chen Ling had no choice but to go and drink it. He couldn't let his mother's good intentions go to waste. "Have you been unhappy lately?" Chen's mother began to speak gently.

"No, Mom," Chen Ling said calmly after hearing his mother's words. "That's good. I was worried something was bothering you because you drank too much yesterday," Chen's mother said, sounding somewhat doubtful. "It's nothing," Chen Ling said, shaking his head. Then Chen Ling told his mother that he had to go to work.

So he left home and headed to the company. Chen Ling still had a bit of a headache while he was in the car. After Chen Ling left, his mother also went back to her room.

"Old Chen, something must have happened to our son," Mrs. Chen said firmly to Mr. Chen as soon as she entered the room. "How do you know? I heard everything. Didn't he say nothing was wrong? Don't overthink it," Mr. Chen retorted after hearing Mrs. Chen's words. However, Mr. Chen's words did not lessen Mrs. Chen's suspicions. Instead, she said, "You didn't see our son's expression. Forget it, I'm not talking to you anymore." After saying that, Mrs. Chen ignored Mr. Chen. She began to wonder what was wrong with Chen Ling.

So she took out her phone and called Chen Xiaoqi. "Hello, Mom. Why did you think of calling me so early in the morning?" Chen Xiaoqi said while brushing her teeth.

"See, can't I call you if there's nothing wrong?" Chen's mother was speechless after hearing Chen Xiaoqi's words. Then Chen Xiaoqi started saying, "Alright, Mom, let's get down to business! Is it about my brother?" Chen Xiaoqi immediately realized it was related to Chen Ling, so she asked directly.

"Yes, I wanted to ask about your brother and Xiaoxue. Have you seen them recently? Is something wrong?" Chen's mother hurriedly asked Chen Xiaoqi, worried that something had happened between Chen Ling and Li Lili. "I don't know. The film crew has been busy lately, and I haven't had time to see you. How could I have time to care about them? But let me tell you, my brother is so irresponsible. You know, last time at home, I talked to him. I asked him when he was going to marry Li Lili, and he wouldn't answer. He just stammered and told me not to worry about it." Chen Xiaoqi started complaining, thinking about her conversation with Chen Ling last time.

Upon hearing Chen Xiaoqi's words, Chen's mother, already uneasy, became even more worried. She said, "Your brother was drunk yesterday, could it be that they broke up?" Then she heard Chen Xiaoqi loudly exclaim, "No way! I'll call and find out what Ningxue has to say." Chen Xiaoqi thought that Li Lili had finally dumped Chen Ling, and she had long suspected that things couldn't continue like this. She needed to win back Li Lili's heart; after all, there weren't many people as good as Li Lili anymore, and it wouldn't be easy for Chen Ling to find someone more suitable.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Xiaoqi immediately called Li Lili and asked, "Ningxue, what have you been busy with lately?" Li Lili had just arrived at the company when Chen Xiaoqi called.

"Just got to the company? What's up?" Li Lili asked while organizing the documents in her hands. Chen Xiaoqi on the other end slowly replied, "Nothing, I just wanted to ask when you're free so we can grab a bite." Hearing this, Li Lili said, "How about tonight? A new hot pot restaurant opened, want to check it out tonight?" "Okay, I'll contact you tonight," Chen Xiaoqi readily agreed. After hanging up, Chen Xiaoqi got busy. Li Lili continued working, and it was at this moment that Chen Ling arrived.

Upon seeing Li Lili, Chen Ling wanted to greet her but then kept quiet. He walked straight into his office. Love is a strange thing; nothing had happened between them, yet they had inexplicably drifted apart. Seeing Chen Ling's reaction, Li Lili simply shook her head and went back to her work.

Soon it was time to leave work in the evening. Li Lili left the company as soon as it was time; she had arranged to have hot pot with Chen Xiaoqi. So when Chen Ling came out to go home, he saw that Li Lili had already walked away.

"Ningxue, over here." Chen Xiaoqi waved to Li Lili as soon as he saw her approaching. Li Lili saw Chen Xiaoqi and quickly walked over. Both of them shared a love for hot pot, and they ate heartily while drinking beer.

Just as they were enjoying their meal, Chen Xiaoqi cut to the chase, saying, "Why didn't you bring my brother today?" "Isn't it just the two of us?" Li Lili replied, remembering their phone conversation. "Oh, right, I forgot. I'm going to his house tonight, do you want to come with me?" Chen Xiaoqi, already planning her scheme, began subtly probing Li Lili's thoughts.

"I think I'll pass," Li Lili said awkwardly. "What's wrong? Did you and my brother have a fight? You're acting strange today." Chen Xiaoqi finally asked the question she most wanted to ask. Upon hearing her words, Li Lili didn't know how to explain for a moment. She shook her head and then nodded. Seeing this, Chen Xiaoqi understood what was going on.

"Did my brother upset you? He's just a bit dim-witted. You should be more accommodating to him," Chen Xiaoqi began to advise Li Lili.

Chapter 204 The Hearts of Parents Are Always Full of Pity

“We didn’t even argue, and then we suddenly drifted apart. I don’t understand it either.” Li Lili said to Chen Xiaoqi, then picked up the wine on the table and took a sip. “That’s still his fault. I don’t know what’s going on in his head, but don’t worry, I will definitely stand up for you.”

"I'm sure," Chen Xiaoqi said, patting his chest. Li Lili laughed upon hearing this. What could he possibly decide? Maybe he just didn't love her anymore! She thought about what had happened with Chen Ling recently and couldn't help but smile bitterly. Chen Xiaoqi looked at Li Lili, unsure what to say. "It's okay, no matter what happens between your brother and me, we're still friends! We can eat hotpot and drink beer together," Li Lili said, expressing her own fondness for Chen Xiaoqi. "Okay," Chen Xiaoqi nodded vigorously.

The two ate for a while longer when Chen Xiaoqi received a call from her mother. Her mother anxiously asked, "Xiaoqi, how did it go? Have you contacted them? Have you found out what happened?" "Mom, I'll go over later. That's all, I'll hang up now," Chen Xiaoqi said calmly, glancing at Li Lili beside her.