The car approaching them was clearly heading their way. Shi Xinxin wondered, "Didn't the driver just say there was traffic, how did they get here so quickly..."
As she mumbled to herself, she suddenly noticed something wasn't right.
The car gradually drove closer, and as it neared, she could see it clearly.
The car speeding towards them was a Rolls-Royce!
Shi Xinxin was stunned.
What kind of rich young master, bored out of his mind, would drive such a luxurious car to pick someone up? Shi Xinxin silently swallowed.
She had seen plenty of luxury car magazines. This Rolls-Royce wasn't just a top model; its features were also cutting-edge. It would easily cost over a million.
However, Shi Xinxin then remembered something else – a one-kilometer ride wouldn't be cheap...
The car stopped in front of them. Just as Shi Xinxin was about to step forward and speak to the owner, the car window slowly rolled down.
Shi Xinxin's expression completely froze.
She saw Sheng Chenjin's smiling face. *No way*, Shi Xinxin was frozen in place, her hand still raised as if about to knock on the car door. She couldn't move, couldn't not move, it was utterly embarrassing!
Then, she saw a hint of a smile playing on Sheng Chenjin's lips.
"Daddy, why are you here? We thought you had already left," Xiao Jie stepped forward.
Shi Xinxin gritted her teeth, took a step back, and actively tried to diffuse the awkward atmosphere.
Sheng Chenjin ruffled Xiao Jie's fluffy hair, casting a subtle glance at Shi Xinxin. "The traffic is terrible right now, and you won't be able to get back for a while. Might as well let Daddy give you a ride."
Xiao Yu and Xiao Qian also ran up, cheering.
They grabbed Shi Xinxin's hand and blinked. "Mommy, this is Daddy's kind offer. Why don't we all get in the car?"
Shi Xinxin raised her phone, about to say she had already called a car and didn't need to trouble Sheng Chenjin.
As if he could read her mind, Sheng Chenjin lightly tapped the steering wheel with his long, slender fingers and said nonchalantly, "The road is heavily congested right now. No cars will be able to get through. It'll probably take two or three hours."
Two or three hours. That was a lot of time for productive work. Besides, there were still some company matters to attend to...
Shi Xinxin could only swallow her frustration again.
Under the expectant gazes of the three little ones, she got into the car and deliberately slammed the door shut with a noticeable thud.
Sheng Chenjin merely smiled at her through the rearview mirror.
"What, you and the three kids in the back, are you treating me like a chauffeur?" he asked.
"Aren't you the chauffeur..." Shi Xinxin said, feeling speechless.
At the same time, Xiao Yu, sitting at the very edge, his eyes darting around, nudged Xiao Qian next to him.
Xiao Qian immediately understood his brother's intention and, feigning casualness, squeezed over.
Thus, before Shi Xinxin could finish her sentence, Xiao Jie suddenly nudged her.
Shi Xinxin took a deep breath and held onto the handle.
"Mommy, the back seat seems a little crowded. Why don't you sit in the front passenger seat instead?" Xiao Yu said with a troubled expression.
Xiao Qian nodded, his face serious. "We'll be on the road soon, and it's very dangerous if we don't wear our seatbelts."
There were exactly three seats in the back, and three seatbelts.
This point indeed resonated with Shi Xinxin. There were many unpredictable accidents on the road, and it was safer to wear a seatbelt...
Sheng Chenjin's lips curved slightly.
Next, he heard Shi Xinxin reluctantly agree, "Alright then. You three sit here properly and don't move around."
The three little ones, eager for their mommy and daddy to sit together and create an intimate atmosphere, nodded rapidly, almost as if the word "promise" was written on their faces.
Shi Xinxin could only get out of the car dejectedly and move to the front passenger seat.
Noticing the gaze from the side, she coughed lightly. "Let me make this clear, I'm not sitting here willingly. I'm being forced."
Sheng Chenjin smiled and nodded, not calling her bluff.
After buckling his seatbelt, Sheng Chenjin started driving. He noticed Shi Xinxin shiver slightly and turned on the air conditioning.
This was a good opportunity to increase their intimacy. The three little ones in the back were eagerly watching the two in front, but it was as if their mommy and daddy were strangers, not acknowledging each other.
...
All their efforts earlier seemed to have been in vain.
Xiao Yu was not willing to give up.
He gripped his seatbelt and swung his short legs. "Mommy, we haven't had noodles in a long time. How about we have noodles tonight?"
Shi Xinxin had no particular demands. Her usual standard was to not let the three little ones eat too much fried food, so she nodded. "Sure, where do you want to have noodles?"
Xiao Yu tilted his head. "How about we go to the noodle restaurant we went to last time?"
Shi Xinxin had no objections. She then looked at the other two little dumplings, her eyes asking for their opinions.
The two older brothers naturally followed their younger brother's lead and nodded obediently.
Xiao Jie, catching Xiao Yu's eye, asked obediently, "Daddy, you haven't had dinner yet, have you?"
The neon lights outside cast dappled patterns on Sheng Chenjin's face. He nodded. "Yes, I haven't eaten anything at all yet."
Xiao Qian suggested, "Then how about Daddy comes with us to eat noodles?"
Xiao Yu chimed in. "The tomato and egg noodles at that restaurant are delicious. Sweet and sour, Daddy will definitely like them!"
Sheng Chenjin also smiled. "Alright, then I'll respectfully accept your invitation."
The three little ones in the back burst into laughter.
Shi Xinxin watched this scene, dumbfounded, feeling like an outsider.
"What, are you guys treating me like I'm invisible?" she was almost amused to the point of anger.
Sheng Chenjin raised an eyebrow. "It's the children's kind invitation. If you disagree, wouldn't that be a bit too heartless?"
Shi Xinxin gritted her teeth.
*Threatening me? I'm not falling for this.*
"Mommy, we're just treating Uncle Sheng as a friend. You can't think about it in a sensitive way!" Xiao Yu said shrewdly.
Shi Xinxin looked at him. "You're calling him 'Uncle' so readily now, but you were calling him 'Daddy' just a moment ago?"
Xiao Yu stuck out his tongue.
In the end, Shi Xinxin didn't stop Sheng Chenjin from going to the noodle restaurant.
She sat back down, thinking it was just eating noodles together, no big deal.
Following the route Xiao Qian described, Sheng Chenjin drove them to a noodle restaurant near their residential building.
The walls of the noodle restaurant were covered in climbing ivy, with an openwork canopy of branches and leaves above. Coupled with the soft twinkling lights in the darkness, it exuded a unique warmth.
Shi Xinxin opened the door and went in first.
She deliberately made her footsteps loud, to express her current emotions.
"Five bowls of tomato and egg noodles," Sheng Chenjin said at the counter.