190: Chapter 190 is all about manipulation.

Back at 1288, the private chef Chen Cheng had called had already prepared the meal.

Father Guan and Mother Guan were experienced veterans; they didn't show any surprise at the luxury of 1288. Perhaps they had been surprised too many times and were already numb to it.

The elderly couple simply washed their hands, and Chen Cheng invited them to the table.

As the chef served the dishes, he announced their names.

"Steamed Hairy Crab, Pork Belly with Garlic Sauce, Spicy Stir-fried Chicken, Steamed Eggs with Sesame Oil, Steamed Yellow Croaker, Pork Rib and Lotus Root Soup, Osmanthus Lotus Root, Drunken Prawns, Braised Pig Ears, Broccoli in Superior Soup, and Lettuce with Garlic Sauce."

"Mr. Chen, all the dishes you ordered are served."

Chen Cheng nodded. "Same as usual, you may return."

The young man wearing a chef's hat nodded. "Alright."

"I've washed the fruit for you; it's drying in the kitchen."

Chen Cheng waved his hand.

After speaking, the chef and his assistant bowed slightly to everyone, greeted them, "Wishing Uncle, Aunt, and Miss Guan a pleasant meal," and then exited the dining room.

Watching Chen Cheng's actions, even veterans like Father Guan and Mother Guan were slightly moved inside.

This young man exuded an aura of superiority that was both very strong and very subtle, giving people the impression that he was easy to get along with while also possessing great authority and decisiveness.

"Aunt, I heard from Guan Guan that you usually like to drink some yellow wine? Shall we have some today?" Chen Cheng held the wine bottle with a smile on his lips.

Mother Guan's eyes lit up when she saw the Kuaijishan Lanting in Chen Cheng's hand, and she nodded happily. "Then we shall have a little."

Chen Cheng nimbly poured a drink for Mother Guan and placed the bottle within her reach.

He then looked at Father Guan. "Uncle, shall I join you for some white spirit?"

Father Guan's eyes twinkled as he turned to look at Mother Guan, who gave a huff of mock annoyance and nodded.

Chen Cheng suppressed his laughter; he had long expected that his future father-in-law was henpecked.

Mother Guan was so domineering toward Guan Juer, and she was no better to her husband.

Chen Cheng quickly poured Maotai for his future father-in-law.

Chen Cheng raised his glass. "Uncle, Aunt, this cup is to toast you both! Welcome to the Magic City."

Mother Guan waved her hand and laughed. "Xiao Cheng, our family doesn't have these rules. Let's eat, let's eat."

Chen Cheng smiled. "Aunt, don't try to fool me; I count as half a Xicheng native, you know."

"I'll finish this glass; you two please drink at your leisure."

With that, Chen Cheng tipped his head back and finished the wine in his glass.

Seeing Chen Cheng finish it in one go, Guan Juer reached out with her small hand to tug at his hem.

How could such a small action escape the keen eyes of the elderly couple? The couple exchanged glances, smiled, shook their heads, and picked up their glasses to finish the wine.

"Uncle, Aunt, please eat, please eat." Putting down his glass, Chen Cheng invited them to eat.

Everyone picked up their chopsticks, eating and chatting casually.

The private chef's cooking wasn't necessarily divine, but it was certainly no worse than an ordinary person's.

Eating at home had a sense of warmth and normalcy, and it wasn't as formal as being in a restaurant private room.

This was also the reason Chen Cheng chose to host Father Guan and Mother Guan at home.

After eating a few bites, Chen Cheng put on gloves and began to dismantle the hairy crab.

While dismantling a crab, Mother Guan asked casually, "Xiao Cheng, this place is so big, haven't you hired a housekeeper?"

Chen Cheng smiled. "I'm not used to having strangers in the house. Usually, when things need cleaning, I call a cleaning service."

Mother Guan raised an eyebrow; she had her answer.

She continued asking, "When we went to your office earlier, I didn't seem to see a secretary's desk?"

Guan Juer pouted and chided, "Mom~"

Chen Cheng looked at Guan Juer with a smile. "Silly, it's fine. Mom can ask whatever she wants to know."

"I will definitely hold nothing back."

The couple exchanged glances, their lips twitching. This kid was quick to climb up the pole; he was already calling her "Mom."

Guan Juer also realized what happened, her face instantly flushed red, and she gave a coquettish huff. "That's my mom!"

Chen Cheng smiled at the elderly couple. "Aunt, I don't have a secretary for the time being."

"Some miscellaneous tasks are handled by the company's chief steward, the Administrative Director."

"However, I'm already preparing to hire a secretary."

"The company recently acquired a venture capital firm, so business might be quite busy in the future. I've also sent the Administrative Director to the new company to serve concurrently as the HR Director."

"So I still plan to find someone to handle some miscellaneous tasks."

The more Mother Guan looked at Chen Cheng, the more she liked him.

No secretary, no housekeeper, yet managing everything inside and outside the home in an orderly fashion—this was not something an ordinary person could do.

However, this child seemed to lack a sense of security.

Not being used to having outsiders in the house, and not having a secretary in his position—these were all signs of a lack of security, worrying about outsiders knowing too many secrets.

Mother Guan didn't intend to advise him. Although Chen Cheng might be her future son-in-law, nothing was set in stone yet.

Even if it were, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to interfere too much in her son-in-law's business affairs.

Whenever Father Guan or Mother Guan raised their glasses, Chen Cheng would join them and down his drink in one go.

As they drank, Father Guan started to get tipsy, and whenever Chen Cheng downed his, he would too.

"Come, Xiao Cheng, cheers!"

"Big Brother, cheers!"

Mother Guan watched the two men starting to act crazy, her lips twitching.

Men really are all the same.

Meanwhile, Guan Juer looked at Chen Cheng with concern.

Chen Cheng's lips curled slightly; he placed his hand under the table, grabbed Guan Juer's hand, and tickled her palm.

Guan Juer immediately knew that Chen Cheng was pretending to be drunk, and she felt much more at ease.

After a few more drinks, Chen Cheng saw that Father Guan had reached his limit and didn't dare pour him another glass.

If Mother Guan's glare could kill, he would have died ten or eight times by now.

There was no help for it; he had to keep his father-in-law happy and also take care of his mother-in-law's mood.

Chen Cheng couldn't possibly get his future father-in-law drunk in his own home.

Chen Cheng put his arm around Father Guan's shoulders and helped him to the sofa to sit down, while Guan Juer poured tea for the two of them.

Chen Cheng winked at Guan Juer; her eyes were full of smiles, clearly seeing that her parents approved of Chen Cheng, and she was very happy.

Guan Juer turned back to the dining room to help Mother Guan clean up, and Chen Cheng spoke to Father Guan, who was already drunk.

"Uncle, was Guan Guan especially well-behaved when she was a child?"

Mentioning his daughter, a glimmer of clarity returned to Father Guan's eyes. "Our Guan Guan..."

Mother Guan watched Chen Cheng coaxing Father Guan, making him dazed, and smiled in annoyance.

No wonder this silly girl liked him so much; this kid was a master of psychological manipulation.

Today, he had proactively disclosed his family background, education, and work, found ways to pay the bill, and even taken them to visit his office to reassure them.

And now, he was sitting on the sofa guiding that tipsy old man to speak to avoid any awkward silence.

It looked like pure sincerity, but in reality, it was all tactics.

And he could do it without making you feel annoyed.

Indeed impressive!

Mother Guan looked at her daughter operating the dishwasher and sighed inwardly.

This kid was too smart; this silly girl was going to be completely wrapped around his finger.

"Guan Guan~"

Guan Juer looked up at her mother. "What's wrong, Mom~"

"You're sleeping with Mom tonight; Mom has something to tell you."

Guan Juer's face turned red instantly, thinking Mother Guan only said that because she didn't want her to run off to sleep with Chen Cheng.

She nodded shyly. "Mm!"