Chapter 216: Fair Competition

Chapter 216: Chapter 216: Fair Competition

"You’re both too kind. You’re going to make me blush."

"I was only doing what needed to be done."

Just then, the traffic ahead cleared.

Jiang Fan stepped on the gas, and the car pulled away.

The atmosphere in the car became incredibly light, a welcome change from the earlier tension.

Jiang Fan lowered the front passenger window just a bit, making it convenient for Li Jiaxiang to smoke.

This display of perceptiveness raised Li Jiaxiang’s opinion of him even higher.

But just as he lit his cigarette, Li Muwan’s face was right in front of his.

"Didn’t I tell you before? No smoking in the car."

With that, Li Muwan snatched the cigarette from Li Jiaxiang.

They say a daughter is her father’s sweet comfort, and Li Muwan was no exception.

It’s just that her comfort came with a bit of a draft.

"Can’t I just have one?"

Li Jiaxiang tried to negotiate.

But one look from Li Muwan and he instantly fell silent.

’To think, he had weathered all sorts of storms in his life, yet he was utterly powerless against his own daughter.’

"Alright now, smoking isn’t good for you. You should learn from Fan."

Zhou Jing chimed in with support.

With both his wife and daughter saying so, he could only give up.

"Ma’am, he can’t learn from me on this. I only don’t smoke because of Wan. Look, Mr. Li has reached an age where it’s natural to have a few little habits."

"Besides, I know how hard it is to quit smoking. Just cutting back a little is fine."

"Exactly! The craving is unbearable if you don’t smoke."

Li Jiaxiang slapped his thigh.

Suddenly, he felt a sense of kinship with Jiang Fan, as if they were kindred spirits who had met too late.

The more he looked at this young man, the more he liked him.

’Just listen to how well this kid talks.’

’Then think about that brat from the Liu Family who used to infuriate him all the time...’

’Truly, there’s no pain until you start comparing.’

"That’s still not okay. No smoking today. You already had one at home."

"Don’t think I don’t know!"

Li Muwan turned her head, not falling for it at all.

In this relaxed atmosphere, Jiang Fan drove with renewed energy, and before long, they arrived at the Celestial Dragon District.

The area was huge and bustling, the perfect choice for taking her parents for a walk, looking around, and grabbing a bite to eat.

"Wan, why don’t you take your mom ahead? I’ll go park in the underground garage and meet you guys by taking the elevator straight up."

"Huh? What about Dad? Dad, what are you still doing in the car? Get out and come with us."

Li Muwan asked, finding it strange.

"I’ll go down with Fan. We’ll take the elevator straight up."

"I’m getting old, too lazy to walk."

Li Jiaxiang shifted in his seat, refusing to get out of the car.

Seeing that she was about to say more, Jiang Fan preemptively stepped on the gas.

"Mom, look at him!"

"You need to be stricter with Dad."

Li Muwan turned and whined, tugging on Zhou Jing’s hand.

"It’s fine, it’s fine. Let’s go up first. I’ll have a word with him later."

"He’s getting more lawless by the day."

"Alright then."

Still, she was a little worried. She knew better than anyone what kind of person her old man was.

It would be difficult for Jiang Fan to get the upper hand with him, especially when they were alone together. Certain things are easier to say in private.

’If he handles it poorly, the whole act will be exposed, and all our effort will be for nothing.’

Harboring this worry, Li Muwan walked into the Celestial Dragon District’s number one shopping mall with Zhou Jing.

Women are born to love shopping, especially in a mall like this. All sorts of designer clothes, bags, and cosmetics... every one of them vied for their attention.

The mother-daughter pair had just stepped into a store when they completely forgot all about Jiang Fan and Li Jiaxiang.

Meanwhile, Jiang Fan parked the car and casually opened a hidden compartment on the side.

From inside, he took out a pack of Zhonghuas.

"Mr. Li, will these do for now?"

Upon seeing the cigarettes, Li Jiaxiang’s mouth split into a grin wider than anyone’s. He was overjoyed.

He was a heavy smoker to begin with, but ever since a health scare a couple of years ago, the mother-daughter duo had severely restricted his smoking.

They had even limited him to one cigarette a day, two at the absolute most. For a chain-smoker, this was utter torture.

Just now, when he was about to get out of the car, Jiang Fan had subtly given him a look. An unspoken understanding had formed between the two men.

Lighting one up and taking a long drag, Li Jiaxiang radiated pure bliss from head to toe.

"Fan, I have high hopes for you."

"If you ever run into any trouble in the future, just call me. Don’t hesitate."

"Haha, alright."

Jiang Fan simply nodded, not taking it too seriously. He knew it was just pleasantries, anyway.

"You don’t smoke, so why do you have Zhonghuas in your car?"

"I haven’t had one of these in years. The taste really hasn’t changed."

Jiang Fan continued rummaging through the hidden compartment for something.

"It can’t be helped. I have to go out for business and social events. Even if I don’t smoke, a lot of people do, so I have to offer them around."

"So I always keep a pack in the car. Plus, I often have to drive clients around, and sometimes they forget their cigarettes or run out."

"If I have some on hand, it can be a lifesaver in a pinch."

Of course, Jiang Fan was just making all of this up on the spot.

"Meticulous down to the smallest detail. No wonder you were able to build yourself up from nothing to where you are today."

"You have a bright future ahead of you."

Li Jiaxiang said with heartfelt emotion.

The cigarettes were finished quickly. The two men went up the elevator side by side and arrived in the mall.

Following the store location the mother and daughter had given them, they soon found the pair. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

But before they could even go inside, the expression on Li Jiaxiang’s face changed.

Because standing in front of the mother and daughter was a young man, and from the look on Li Jiaxiang’s face, he clearly knew him.

"Mr. Li, do you know this person?"

"Liu Yuning. The young master of the Liu Family."

Jiang Fan nodded, his face impassive. He knew nothing about any Liu Family, let alone this "young master."

But in the next second, his expression changed dramatically.

"Could this be the one...?"

Li Jiaxiang nodded.

"Let’s go. We’ll head over first. I don’t know how he found this place, or us."

Li Jiaxiang was a man who had weathered great storms and held a high position; naturally, he could control his emotions.

Just as they walked up to the store entrance, Liu Yuning came jogging over.

"Mr. Li, what took you so long? I’ve booked a table at a restaurant nearby."

"I heard they have a new Sichuan chef who’s excellent. Let’s go try it together."

"No, thanks. Why are you here?"

Li Jiaxiang shook his head coolly before asking.