Chapter 3580 Xiaoxiao

As the two entered through the underground parking garage and arrived on the first floor, Takehiko Ito saw Ye Chen and immediately greeted him happily.

He found Ye Chen pleasing to the eye no matter how he looked at him, and now that he knew Ye Chen's wife had run away, he felt even more comfortable looking at him, and the more he looked at him, the more he resembled the son-in-law of the Ito family.

So he patted Ye Chen on the shoulder and said with a smile, "It's been a long time, Mr. Ye."

Ye Chen smiled and said, "How has Mr. Ito been lately?"

"Very good, very good!" Takehiko Ito said cheerfully, "The new house is much more spacious and comfortable. I'm currently working on my yard. I plan to transplant some of the precious tree species that I planted in Japan to Nanjing. If you have any favorite varieties, just let me know, and I will definitely find the best one to transport over for you!"

Ye Chen thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Ito, but I may not have the energy to take care of the plants."

Nanako chimed in, "Dad, Ye Chenjun is usually very busy. Unlike you, he doesn't have time to tend to trees and flowers."

Takehiko Ito laughed and nodded, saying, "That's true. I don't worry about any work matters at all now. I just enjoy my retirement every day. Recently, I've taken to going to the farmers market. I walk there every day to buy some fresh ingredients and then walk back. It feels really good."

Ye Chen asked him, "Is Mr. Ito adapting well to life in Jinling?"

Takehiko Ito laughed and said, "I've adapted, I've adapted very well. My appearance when I go out is very different from what I used to be. I've shaved my beard and dyed my hair black. Every day, when I walk around the most crowded places in Nanjing, people treat me like an ordinary middle-aged man. No one can recognize my real identity. So I don't have to worry about being seen through. My legs have healed, and I feel very relaxed."

Takehiko Ito truly enjoyed his life in Nanjing. It was a life of ease and comfort he had never experienced before. While the young people in the city were busy and worked very hard every day, the middle-aged and elderly people with certain economic means lived a truly leisurely life.

At that moment, Nanako's aunt, Emi Ito, came out of the kitchen and said respectfully, "Onii-chan, Mr. Ha, Nanako, dinner is ready, please enjoy."

Takehiko Ito smiled and said, "Mr. Ye, Nanako brought back a lot of top-quality ingredients from Japan, as well as the most famous Uji matcha from Kyoto. She said she wanted to wait for you to come so we could enjoy them together. So I've been looking forward to inviting you to my home for dinner for a while now."

Ye Chen knew Nanako's feelings for him, and upon hearing Ito Takehiko's words, he subconsciously looked at Nanako with a hint of gratitude in his eyes.

Nanako, blushing yet excited, quickly said, "Ye Chen-kun, please move to the dining room!"

Inside the restaurant, many Japanese dishes were already laid out on the tables.

The Japanese value ritual, so they pay great attention to the plating and decoration of each dish, making it a truly pleasing sight.

Ye Chen wasn't particularly interested in Japanese cuisine. The flavors were relatively bland, and the seasonings were rather simple. The country's overall culinary style was like a large chain restaurant, with most of the dishes consisting of various combinations of Japanese soy sauce, wasabi, miso, and citrus vinegar.

However, since he was a guest, Ye Chen naturally couldn't reveal his true feelings. So when Nanako enthusiastically introduced various ingredients and cooking methods, Ye Chen would praise her enthusiastically.

At the dinner table, Takehiko Ito kept wanting to gossip about Ye Chen's wife leaving without saying goodbye, but he held back from bringing it up for fear of saying the wrong thing.

It wasn't until they had almost finished dinner that he finally managed to say, "Mr. Ye, did those ninjas who came from Japan to help you recently provide any real assistance? If you think they're not up to par, I'll contact the Chinese authorities and send another batch of ninjas."

That's a pretty sophisticated question.

Instead of directly asking about the progress of the matter, they asked whether the ninjas had provided any substantial help. Although they were asking about the same thing, their motivations and feelings were quite different.

Asking directly would seem abrupt and gossipy, while this way of asking is much gentler and more natural. If it helps, then things have progressed; if it doesn't, then things are still uncertain.

Ye Chen was quite honest and didn't figure out Ito Takehiko's little scheme. Instead, he said truthfully, "Thank you for your help, Mr. Ito. These ninjas are currently working under the command of Inspector Li Yalin, but I'm not quite sure about the specific progress yet."

Takehiko Ito nodded, feeling relieved.

Having been a boss for so many years, he understands his subordinates' basic logic very well. If they proactively report their progress, it proves that they are performing very well; if they don't proactively report their progress, it must be a complete mess.

He thought this was fine. Ye Chen couldn't find Xiao Churan, and sooner or later he would lose faith in her. The next step after losing faith would be giving up, and the next step after giving up would naturally be to find someone else.

In high spirits, he showed no sign of anything amiss, and said very seriously, "Mr. Ye, if you need any assistance from the Ito family, please feel free to ask. The Ito family will do its utmost!"

Ye Chen casually thanked him, but his expression betrayed his melancholy.

Ito Takehiko was a smart man. He had already gotten the answer he wanted from Ye Chen's expression, so he didn't mention it again for the rest of the time.

Because his thoughts were all on Lin Wan'er, Ye Chen said goodbye to the Ito family father and daughter as soon as he finished eating.

As he drove to Zijin Villa after leaving Shanheyue, he sent a message to Lin Wan'er: "Miss Lin, is it convenient for you? I have made a new discovery and would like to talk to you about it in person."

Lin Wan'er quickly replied, "Young Master Ye is welcome to come anytime. I am always at the villa on the mountaintop."

Ye Chen replied, "Okay, see you later."

As Ye Chen drove to Zijin Villa, Lin Wan'er sent An Chengxi a WeChat message: "Xiao Xiao is coming to see me, saying she has made some new discoveries."

An Chengxi replied: "It probably has nothing to do with the stray cat army or Black Forest King, but it is most likely related to me."

Lin Wan'er sent a tongue-out emoji: "I think so too."

An Chengxi asked her, "Did Zhen Xiaoxiao buy it?"

Lin Wan'er replied: "Zhen Xiaoxiao is right beside me, but she wasn't bought, she was adopted."

After clicking send, she reached out and touched a calico kitten that was a few months old lying next to her. The kitten rolled over with a look of enjoyment, its four paws flailing around as if swimming in the air.

An Chengxi replied, "Then let's talk again after Xiaoxiao leaves."

"it is good."

The "Xiao Xiao" that Lin Wan'er and An Chengxi mentioned was Ye Chen's nickname.

But Ye Chen had no idea about any of this.

When he arrived at Lin Wan'er's mountaintop villa, he immediately noticed the difference from before: the calico cat beside Lin Wan'er.

He asked in surprise, "Miss Lin, where did this kitten come from?"

Lin Wan'er smiled at him and said, "Young master, this kitten is one that I just adopted. It used to live with other stray cats on Zijin Mountain, but it was always bullied by those stray cats, so I brought it home to raise."

Ye Chen thought the calico cat was quite beautiful, with its eyes scanning everywhere, seemingly very intelligent.

So he went up to the cat, patted its head, and asked Lin Wan'er, "What's this little guy's name?"

Lin Wan'er replied with a sweet laugh, "Young master, I call it Xiao Xiao."