Divorced, Raising a Child and Running a Stall, the CEO Ex-Wife Chases Him Back — Part 2

"It's okay. As long as I'm with Dad every day, I don't need a big TV."

Lu Qin flashed a brilliant smile. His little padded jacket was warm and didn't let in any drafts.

He had refused Shen Muyan's assets because he had hands and feet to earn money with, and he was confident he could support his child.

Just then,

a ding rang out in Lu Qin's mind.

Gourmet Stall System activated. Running a stall can earn points, which can be used for draws.

Received 100 points for first-day activation.

Automatically spent 100 points for the first draw...

Draw complete. Congratulations on obtaining the "Max-Level Fried Noodles Technique." You can now make the most delicious fried noodles in the world.

In an instant, unparalleled experience and techniques for making fried noodles flooded into Lu Qin's mind—the stir-frying methods, seasoning combinations, heat control... Countless details seamlessly merged together, and he mastered them all.

Lu Qin had never imagined that something as simple as fried noodles could involve so many particular techniques.

"Am I going to set up a stall and sell fried noodles?"

Lu Qin wasn't disappointed by the first skill the system had given him, nor did he feel any sense of letdown.

He had once been a top student at Qingbei University. If he hadn't gotten married, perhaps he could have made a name for himself in the high-tech industry.

But he didn't regret getting married either. Otherwise, where would he have found such a lively and adorable little one?

His little one was the best gift Heaven had given him.

No profession was inherently noble or lowly. Every trade had its masters. He believed that as long as he put his heart into his work, even running a food stall could turn out well.

Besides, Lu Qin now had the system.

And since the little one had always loved the food he cooked, he had grown to enjoy cooking too.

Elsewhere,

the enormous CEO's office had seamless gray marble floors, exquisite artwork hanging on the pristine white walls, and not a speck of dust in sight. Its minimalist decor gave it a somewhat cold, detached feel.

After returning from the Civil Affairs Bureau, Shen Muyan immediately threw herself back into work. The divorce did nothing to affect her mood.

After all, her marriage to Lu Qin had existed in name only. Their marriage certificate was nothing more than a piece of paper.

She sat down at her desk and quickly immersed herself in work.

When she opened the documents, the first several were all customer complaints.

"Guest in room 8188 complained that the Salted Egg Yolk Baby Bok Choy Soup at Rose Restaurant tasted terrible. The soup base was bland and flavorless, not rich in the slightest, no different from plain boiled water."

"An elderly couple in room 5431 complained: Was Pork Tripe with White Jade Beans stir-fried with the chef's feet? It tastes awful!"

"Director Zou, our esteemed VIP guest in the presidential suite, is extremely disappointed in the standard of our hotel's Michelin chef. The guest only wanted a simple bowl of egg fried rice, but we were unable to satisfy him."

Shen Muyan rubbed her brow. In recent years, guests had become increasingly demanding about hotel food. It wasn't just Ouri Hotel—other hotels in Jiangcheng faced the same issue.

Especially at five-star chain hotels like Ouri, where guests were either wealthy or influential, expectations for food and accommodation were naturally high.

Under Shen Muyan's meticulous management, Ouri Hotel's room service had already reached an impeccable standard, leaving guests fully satisfied. There were rarely any complaints in that area.

Yet complaints about the hotel's food and beverage department only continued to rise.

Food was the first necessity of the people. Those in Dragon Country often had exceptionally high standards when it came to eating.

At Ouri Hotel in Annan District alone, Shen Muyan had replaced the kitchen team several times. She had hired top chefs from domestic five-star hotels, poached renowned chefs from three-star Michelin restaurants, and some had even appeared on culinary shows.

But even so, guest satisfaction with the dishes had not improved.

It gave Shen Muyan a headache. Tastes varied too much—could she really invite a State Banquet Chef? That was obviously unrealistic.

Shen Muyan closed the documents. As she pondered the problem, her eyes happened to fall on the divorce certificate beside her. Her beautiful eyes lingered on it for several seconds as she blankly drifted into thought.

For some reason, an inexplicable emptiness rose in her heart, and for the first time ever, she had no interest in working.

She got up and moved to the genuine leather sofa in the lounge area. Her long, straight legs crossed beneath her black business skirt as she closed her eyes to rest and had someone bring her a cup of coffee.

The young, beautiful secretary set down the coffee. As the CEO's confidante, she naturally knew about the divorce.

But from the time the CEO had hurriedly married in secret six years ago until now, she had rarely mentioned anything about her husband. Song Xuanxuan was extremely curious about what kind of man the CEO's husband was. There had never even been a photograph on her desk.

Song Xuanxuan guessed that the couple's relationship had not been good.

But why had they gotten married?

And now, why had they divorced so suddenly?

Curiosity crawled through Song Xuanxuan's heart like ants, but she didn't dare ask her boss.

"Boss, are you tired? Want me to massage your shoulders?"

"Mm."

She had only rested for a minute when Shen Muyan's phone rang.

"Shen Muyan!!! You got divorced?!"

The voice on the other end was utterly shocked, so high-pitched it was nearly breaking.

Shen Muyan moved the phone slightly away from her ear before calmly replying, "Yes, I got divorced. Are you surprised?"

"I'm speechless. Lu Qin is such a great guy, and he's handsome too. Why did you divorce him? Besides, who could stand a workaholic like you with no sense of romance at all?"

"There were no feelings between us."

"Come on, feelings need time to grow! You're only willing to spend your time on work. Can't you spend more time with your husband and daughter?"

Fang Ya was completely speechless with her best friend. Lu Qin was such a good man—handsome and kind-hearted—and she had actually chosen to divorce him. She could just wait until she regretted it bitterly.

"What about little Yao Yao?"

"She's with him."

"Y-you—you—! Shen Muyan, you're going to piss me off to death!"

"You'll regret this. This time, I'm on Lu Qin's side."

Fang Ya angrily hung up. For the moment, she didn't want to speak to Shen Muyan, a woman who threw away treasures without appreciating them.

She had given up such a wonderful husband and daughter. This woman was too stupid.

At some point, Song Xuanxuan had already slipped out. Only Shen Muyan remained in the vast, luxurious office.

After taking a sip of coffee, Shen Muyan thought of that man's face.

To be honest, by Shen Muyan's picky standards, Lu Qin was pleasing to the eye. From what little she knew of him, his personality, character, and values all seemed quite good. Perhaps if they had properly dated from the beginning, they might have developed well and had a beautiful future together.

But their first encounter had happened at the wrong time and in the wrong place.

Two strangers had done the wrong thing.

And then they had a child.

Lu Qin and Shen Muyan had both encountered an utterly shocking accident, and their lives had taken a turn...

Shen Muyan sank into her memories. At night, she would drag her exhausted body home to find everything in the house arranged in perfect order, which always put her in a good mood.

Lu Qin truly was a very attentive man. Though they were not close, he would cook noodles for Shen Muyan.

They were just ordinary egg noodles, yet they were fragrant and delicious, better than what she ate at restaurants outside. Shen Muyan could finish a whole bowl every time, even though she had never eaten late-night snacks before.

Lu Qin's handsome face, the adorable little one, and those delicious egg noodles kept appearing in her mind...

Then the phone suddenly rang, shattering the warm scene in Shen Muyan's thoughts.

She picked it up and saw that it was a work call.

Workaholic Shen Muyan rose to her feet, returned to her desk, and continued working.

Chengnan Old District.

"Young man, three thousand a month is a fair price, and it even comes with a little courtyard."

"I can see it isn't easy for you with a child. No need for three months' rent as a deposit either. Just pay the first month's rent."

The landlady was straightforward, and Lu Qin was equally decisive. He signed the contract and paid immediately.

He rented the place mainly because it was close to the little one's kindergarten, only a ten-minute walk away.

Though the area looked old, its environment and sanitation were quite good.

The elderly neighbors were friendly. Seeing that the landlady had a new tenant, they took the initiative to come over and greet them.

The little one had always been adorable and polite. After sweetly greeting everyone in her soft little voice, an apple and an orange promptly appeared in her two fair, tender hands.

They had once lived in a luxurious villa, but now they had moved into an ordinary residential neighborhood. The contrast seemed rather stark, but it didn't affect either father or daughter.

The little one looked here and rummaged there, her eyes filled with curiosity.