Chapter 111
The first to arrive at the scene was Mu Mingqiu.
When Mu Mingqiu stepped out of the Maybach, he was dressed simply in a white shirt and suit pants, his fiery red hair striking and handsome.
“Young Master!” Seeing their young master as the first to arrive on the scene, Black-Clad Man No. 3 and the others were so excited they nearly jumped for joy.
Their efforts had finally paid off—earning a monthly salary of 100,000, indulging in delicacies from land and sea, and enduring the hardships of undercover work for so long.
Their Young Master Mu was indeed the first to arrive!
Watching No. 3 and the others drop all pretenses, Black-Clad Man No. 1 paled: “No. 3, I always believed in you… I never thought you were really a spy…”
No. 3 snorted coldly. “Men die for wealth, birds perish for food!”
The moment Mu Mingqiu got out of the car, he headed straight for his destination, passing through the crowd of black-clad men while the Mu family’s undercover operatives lined up to cheer him on.
“Thank you for tipping me off,” Mu Mingqiu said with a bright, confident smile. “Once I bring Little Boss Lan back to the Mu family, you’ll all be first-class heroes, rewarded with fiefs and titles!”
Led by No. 3, the black-clad men nodded with tears in their eyes.
Mu Mingqiu walked up to the roast duck stall.
At that moment, the stall was bustling with a lively crowd. Though the second batch of roast ducks wasn’t ready yet, the black-clad men who had missed out on the first batch were still eagerly waiting in front of the stall, full of anticipation.
Night had just fallen, and the streetlights flickered on one by one. Under the warm, bright glow above the roasting oven, the roast duck stall seemed to embody the vibrant, bustling essence of a lively marketplace.
The second batch of ducks had been in the oven for less than twenty minutes. As they rotated inside, their surfaces gradually took on a glistening golden sheen.
Jian Yunlan watched the fire by the oven, occasionally fanning it with a palm-leaf fan to ensure even heating.
The customers chattered excitedly:
“Little Boss, how much longer?”
“It’s my first time seeing the roast duck process up close—so fascinating!”
“These ducks are huge—just looking at them makes my mouth water. I can’t hold back anymore…”
Little Boss Lan sat on a small stool, gripping the fan with the calm composure of a seasoned vendor who’d been running a stall for twenty years. “Twenty more minutes,” he said. “No need to crowd around and wait—you’re blocking the way. Everyone will get their share later!”
Though he looked like a three-year-old child, his voice soft and sweet, the commanding presence he exuded at the stall made his words utterly convincing!
And that wasn’t even accounting for the little dog glaring vigilantly beside him.
The small dog sat primly next to the little boy. Its body was silver-white, with streaks of cyan and red woven into its flowing fur. It lounged lazily, half-asleep, yet radiated an aura of quiet authority. No one doubted that if anyone dared to cut in line or cause trouble, they’d be the first to face the dog’s swift justice.
And so, the crowd of onlookers actually backed off a little, clearing some space around the stall.
Though they stepped back physically, many kept their eyes glued to the roasting oven, unmoving.
It was at this moment that Mu Mingqiu strode straight through the crowd and stopped in front of Little Boss Lan. He bent down, looked earnestly into the little boy’s eyes, and said gently, “Baby, I’m your long-lost father!”
Jian Yunlan: “?”
Ye Qingquan: “???”
Nearby, Ye Qingquan was being restrained by Black-Clad Man No. 1, unable to move.
Even so, upon hearing Mu Mingqiu’s words, he struggled violently: “Mmph! Mmmph mmph mmph!”
Ye Qingquan’s fair, delicate face was filled with rage. Though he couldn’t speak at the moment, his expression screamed volumes:
Who the hell are you?!
Since when are you my baby’s father?!
Even if—hypothetically—Mu Mingqiu and Huo Ye were already married (which they weren’t, they were only engaged), the baby would still be Ye Qingquan’s baby, with no connection whatsoever to the Huo or Mu families!
As he struggled, Ye Qingquan let out muffled protests, tears glistening in his eyes. The whole scene painted him as a pure, white lotus beauty being oppressed by dark forces—a sight that tugged at the heartstrings.
Black-Clad Man No. 1 shivered beside him and defended himself weakly: “N-no, Mr. Ye, I don’t think I’m covering your mouth… How come you can’t speak…?”
Ye Qingquan: “…”
How could he admit that he’d burned his tongue while eating the roast duck too eagerly, causing it to swell, and then accidentally bit it again, rendering him temporarily unable to speak clearly?
It was just too embarrassing.
So Ye Qingquan could only continue glaring at Black-Clad Man No. 1 with those aggrieved, stubborn eyes, as if he were the root of all evil.
Mu Mingqiu shot a meaningful glance at Ye Qingquan before turning his attention back to Little Boss Lan.
Gazing earnestly into those round, dark-blue eyes, he softened his voice further:
“Little Boss Lan, believe me—I’ll do everything in my power to treat you well, support your dreams, and in the future, the Mu family’s vast fortune will all be yours…”
Jian Yunlan: “…….”
No way!
If he had hesitated before, he certainly didn’t now.
Upon hearing the keyword “vast fortune,” Jian Yunlan immediately stood up, shaking his head and stepping back.
No way—absolutely not! He could never give up his dream of running a street stall for some billionaire inheritance!
The little boy waved his hands, but before he could say anything, a deep, magnetic voice cut in from the side:
“Lanlan is my child—Huo Ye’s child. What does he have to do with the Mu family?”
Hearing this voice, everyone froze.
Black-Clad Man No. 1 burst into tears, wiping his face excitedly: “Young Master! Young Master, you’ve finally arrived! We’ve waited so long for you, Young Master!!!”
He cheered and glanced around, expecting the other black-clad men to share his joy and welcome their young master with equal enthusiasm.
But… the rest of the group remained silent.
Some even checked their phones, looking anxious.
Black-Clad Man No. 1: “…”
Oh no.
Turns out, he was the only true loyalist in the entire black-clad organization—everyone else was a spy!
Huo Ye’s footsteps grew closer.
The crowd’s expressions shifted.
Following the sound—
A tall, broad-shouldered man in a perfectly tailored suit walked in against the light. His face was strikingly handsome, his every movement exuding the grace of nobility, especially the dazzling gemstone cufflinks at his sleeves…
That is, if you ignored his disheveled hair and the two faint, cockroach-like antennae sprouting from his head.
Huo Ye hadn’t wanted to make his entrance in cockroach form.
But he’d just finished fighting his own mother over a piece of roast duck and hadn’t had time to clean up before rushing over!
“If I’d known Little Boss Lan would set up his stall twice today, I wouldn’t have fought her for that one piece of duck,” Huo Ye thought ruefully on the way. “But whatever, it’s in the past now.”
Lanlan was his child, after all, and Ye Qingquan… Ye Qingquan was his future wife.
Surely they wouldn’t mind if his appearance was slightly unkempt?
Huo Ye looked expectantly at the two.
…Seeing Huo Ye’s entrance, Mu Mingqiu curled his lip in disdain.
Jian Yunlan just looked confused. Who’s this?
Ye Qingquan, however, paled, stumbling back several steps—even trembling slightly.
Huo Ye nodded to himself, satisfied.
As expected of the man he’d once loved—Ye Qingquan was already slipping perfectly into the role of the runaway wife with a secret child. He understood the assignment!
The corner of Huo Ye’s lips curved up further. With an air of undeniable dominance, he took several purposeful steps toward Ye Qingquan:
“That’s right, Qingquan. I’ve… returned. You and the baby belong to me—in the past, today, and in the future—”
But the next second, Ye Qingquan let out a shriek and pulled out a portable insecticide spray from his pocket.
Huo Ye: “??? Wait—”
That second stretched into eternity.
If this world had slow motion, the audience would’ve witnessed many things happening in that single moment:
Little Boss Lan spreading his arms protectively in front of the stall to shield the roast ducks, while the silver puppy leaped in front of him to block the spray;
Mu Mingqiu’s gaze at Ye Qingquan softening with newfound appreciation;
Huo Ye’s handsome face twisting in horror as he scrambled backward;
And, of course, Ye Qingquan’s finger slowly pressing down on the insecticide nozzle, his eyes flashing with childhood memories—
Ye Qingquan’s greatest fear in life was cockroaches.
As a child born in the south, one of the main reasons he’d fled north was to escape the giant, face-hugging Guangdong cockroaches. Back when he’d first gotten together with Huo Ye, a big part of the appeal was that Huo Ye was a local—meaning he might one day help Ye Qingquan secure a Beijing residency permit.
Not that Ye Qingquan particularly loved Beijing—he just never wanted to suffer under the tyranny of southern roaches again!
And now, right before his eyes, stood a massive, antennae-waving, life-sized cockroach!
Ye Qingquan didn’t even have time to register the face. Squeezing his eyes shut, he unleashed a relentless spray of insecticide:
“AAAAAHHH A COCKROACH AAAAAHHH STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!!”
Everyone: “…”
Huo Ye, now drenched head to toe in insecticide: “…………”
Under Ye Qingquan’s frantic assault, the entire bottle was soon emptied.
And Huo Ye was left completely coated in sticky insecticide.
A pitiful sight.
The air fell deathly silent.
“……”
Only after a long pause did Ye Qingquan dare to cautiously open his eyes.
He’d sprayed so much—surely even a cockroach that big would be dead by now, right?
Hesitantly, he peeked forward—
Huo Ye stood before him.
His face and hair were plastered with insecticide, his features twisted into something barely recognizable. Though traces of his former handsomeness lingered…
He looked kind of gross.
Huo Ye covered his face with one hand, letting out a pained gasp: “Dude, what the—I *%?#?#@#&*”
Ye Qingquan: “…Uh, do I know you?”
Huo Ye wiped his face, gritting his teeth as he took a step back. “Whether you admit it or not, I already know—Lanlan is my child. Qingquan, you know the truth. I am Lanlan’s father!”
“I hereby announce the annulment of my engagement to Mu Mingqiu. Qingquan, I’m going to marry you—”
But his declaration was cut off by another voice—bright and arrogant.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Mu Mingqiu sneered, kicking Huo Ye aside disdainfully. “I’m Lanlan’s father. Watch and learn!”
The next second, Mu Mingqiu did something no one expected.
…He turned to Ye Qingquan, dropped to one knee, and pulled out a ring with a look of deep affection:
“Qingquan, marry me. Let’s raise Lanlan together.”
—”Okay?”
Dude this is getting crazier lmao ? (bet u hou ran would also join)
???
…I thought the cockroach thing was metaphorical!
So during the twenty minutes, Huo Ran going arrive and kick the older brother Huo Ye and punch My Mingqiu in the face…while still counting down the minutes until the roasted ducks are done or everybody else arrives and then fight for being in line for the second batch of roasted ducks?
Yesss, this is the ship I was secretly rooting for the whole time!! ??
Thank you for the update! 🙂
A harem just for the roast duck
And what will granny Huo will say to get Jian YunLan
Yes! Yes! Im so happy Mu propose ???