Her coy tone made Qin Ningyi extremely uncomfortable. His face instantly turned cold, and he was about to signal for a waiter to handle the situation when An An softly interjected.
"Auntie, it might not be convenient for us," An An said.
An An was seated in a spot blocked by greenery, so the two women hadn't seen him. Hearing a voice suddenly come from behind the plants, they tilted their heads and looked, their faces instantly turning green.
They had thought they'd found a wealthy bachelor enjoying himself, but why was he with a child?
Upon clearly seeing An An's features, they exchanged a glance. This child was clearly his son!
So the question was, should they still try to ensnare this "second-hand man"?
The woman behind the woman in the halter dress gently tugged her skirt and whispered, "I think his clothes don't look like designer brands. Could we be fooled by his looks?"
It wasn't entirely their fault for thinking this. To match Qin Ningyi with a father-son outfit, An An had chosen relatively casual styles. These clothes were mostly from Qin Feinan and had no visible logos.
The woman in the halter dress turned back to Qin Ningyi and smiled, her eyes appraising his attire. He didn't seem to be wearing any brands, but...
"Sweetie, some custom-made clothes don't have logos either. His clothes look like they have good quality, perhaps..."
Qin Ningyi's hearing had already picked up their whispered conversation. He cast a helpless glance at the two women hatching their plans.
An An spoke up at the opportune moment, smiling adorably. "Auntie."
His smile was disarming, and the two women found it difficult to put on a bad face for such a handsome little boy, even though he had disrupted their plans for the evening.
"Hmm? Hello, little one." The woman in the halter dress was still undecided. To leave herself an out, she maintained a polite smile.
"You were fooled by my dad's looks," An An said calmly, adding a touch of shyness. "I'm sorry, you were talking too loudly, and I didn't mean to eavesdrop."
Seeing the awkwardness on their faces, An An lowered his head and chuckled secretly. When he looked up again, he still had a look of feigned pity.
"Let me tell you, the clothes my dad wears are all gifts from my aunt. Dad doesn't have many clothes, and Aunt felt bad, so she personally made a few pieces from some fabric..."
"Alas," An An sighed with a solemn air. "Auntie, my mom is still eating inside. We have to wait here for her to come out. If she sees us having dinner with other people, she won't bother with us anymore."
The two women hadn't recovered from their embarrassment when they heard this piece of information.
Even his clothes had to be made by his sister, and he had to rely on his wife's good graces to have dinner? This man, with such an aristocratic appearance, was actually a gigolo?
They couldn't believe it, but could something a child said so casually be a lie?
At this point, no matter how much the woman in the halter dress admired Qin Ningyi's looks, she had to leave.
They were looking for a rich man, not just a handsome face.
As the two women walked away, Qin Ningyi gave An An a thumbs-up. "Son, you're amazing!"
He had been worried that if he had called a waiter, the commotion these two women might cause could have alerted Huo Rou and the others, ruining his plan to observe them covertly.
Fortunately, An An was quick-witted. Although everything he said was true, anyone who didn't know the full story would likely misunderstand.
An An accepted Qin Ningyi's praise, then put on a serious face and examined him.
After a thorough appraisal from head to toe, he said leisurely, "Dad, aren't you a bit of a lady's man?"
Before Qin Ningyi could answer, An An got up and sat beside him. "Let me shield you. We don't want Mom to be snatched away before I get you back by making her angry."
An An chuckled mischievously, and Qin Ningyi ruffled his hair hard. "Nonsense!"
Seeing his obvious distraction, An An secretly smiled.
It seemed Dad really cared about Mom.
Inside the private room, everyone's excitement at seeing Huo Rou again had finally subsided.
"Captain Huo, I almost thought we'd never see each other again. Alas, after you left, I was transferred to another unit. I thought I'd never see you again and always prayed for your safety."
"That's right, Captain Huo. After that incident, we all received commendations. It was such a shame you left just like that."
"But I still don't understand. If you didn't want to bother with us troublesome soldiers, fine, but why didn't you even contact Commander Si?"
Some were still holding a grudge about her departure, and after a couple of drinks, they became careless and started to vent.