Return of the Celestial King

But despite her words, she was inwardly delighted.

Qin Tuo, however, said with a completely serious expression:

"Manni, you have to remember, this is extremely important. From now on, you must keep it on you day and night!"

Seeing how serious he was, Chen Man Ni nodded obediently.

Then, noticing that Qin Tuo didn’t seem to have eaten, Chen Man Ni offered.

"Oh, Qin Tuo, you haven’t eaten, have you? I’ll cook for you!"

Qin Tuo asked, a look of utter astonishment on his face:

"Oh? Manni, you can cook? Now that’s a surprise!"

Chen Man Ni rolled her eyes in annoyance and said:

"What’s that supposed to mean? So what if I don’t know how to cook? I can learn, can’t I?"

Qin Tuo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’Is cooking really something you can just learn on the fly?’ he thought.

But Chen Man Ni was already skipping excitedly toward the kitchen.

Seeing this, Qin Tuo felt a sense of foreboding...

Just as Qin Tuo was about to head to the kitchen to help, he got a call from Ouyang Tianqi.

"Hello? Mr. Ouyang, what’s up?"

Qin Tuo asked, puzzled, trying to guess the reason for Ouyang Tianqi’s call.

Ouyang Tianqi paused for a moment before speaking.

"Mr. Qin, you should be back in Ming City now, correct?"

Qin Tuo nodded, confirming it. Now he was even more confused about what Ouyang Tianqi was getting at.

Ouyang Tianqi said gravely:

"Mr. Qin, Chief Inspector Huo from the Provincial City’s Security Pavilion has specifically asked to see you. Would it be convenient for you to meet with him?"

Hearing this, something clicked in Qin Tuo’s mind, and he had a vague sense of what was happening.

He chuckled and said:

"Oh? The Chief Investigator from the Provincial City’s Security Pavilion has come to Ming City?"

Ouyang Tianqi nodded. "Yes, Mr. Qin. He’s also hosting a banquet at the Li Ge Hotel. If you’re free, would you be able to make it?"

Qin Tuo immediately asked:

"Any idea what this Chief Investigator wants with me?"

Ouyang Tianqi shook his head.

"To be honest, Mr. Qin, I don’t know either. I’m just relaying the message. But I expect you’ll find out what it’s about once you’re here."

Qin Tuo could hear the helplessness in Ouyang Tianqi’s voice and knew he wasn’t being deceived.

After a moment’s thought, Qin Tuo replied:

"Alright, I’m on my way."

Ouyang Tianqi breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Qin Tuo agree.

After all, if Qin Tuo had refused to show him that courtesy, there was nothing Ouyang Tianqi could have done.

After hanging up, Qin Tuo secretly pondered the Chief Investigator’s intentions.

Just then, he noticed thick white smoke billowing out from the kitchen!

"Whoa, what’s going on..."

Qin Tuo shot to his feet and rushed toward the kitchen.

When he got there, he found that Chen Man Ni had practically blown up the entire kitchen!

The pressure cooker on the stove was shaking violently, making a loud CLANGING and RATTLING sound.

In a pan nearby, a fish was thrashing about, spattering hot oil everywhere, which had scared Chen Man Ni so much that she had turned pale and was cowering in a corner, completely at a loss.

Seeing this, Qin Tuo was once again left speechless.

But Chen Man Ni, as if she’d seen her savior, shrieked:

"Qin Tuo, you’re just in time! Quick, help me get this fish under control!"

Qin Tuo said, exasperated:

"My dear lady, is this how you cook?"

Qin Tuo hurried over to salvage the situation. With great effort, he finally managed to restore some peace to the kitchen.

Yet Chen Man Ni, completely oblivious to her own part in the disaster, was still muttering to herself.

"What’s the deal, Qin Tuo? Is there something wrong with your kitchen? Why isn’t it like I imagined?"

Qin Tuo said in exasperation:

"Manni, with skills like these, you should never cook again. I’m afraid you’ll burn the kitchen down sooner or later."

Chen Man Ni’s face immediately flushed red. She knew she really didn’t have any talent for cooking.

"Too bad, Qin Tuo. Looks like we’re going to go hungry tonight!"

Chen Man Ni said, embarrassed.

But Qin Tuo just smiled and said:

"Don’t worry. Luckily, someone’s treating us to dinner tonight. Otherwise, we really would go hungry, just like you said."

Chen Man Ni asked, somewhat confused:

"Oh? A dinner invitation? Who’s treating?"

Qin Tuo said pensively:

"I’ve never met him either. Let’s head to the Lige Hotel. We’ll find out when we get there!"

Soon, the two of them had driven to the Lige Hotel.

At that moment, inside the Supreme Private Room of the Li Ge Hotel, Ouyang Tianqi, Xu Zhigang, and a host of other Ming City bigwigs were all gathered.

The scale of the banquet was exceptionally high; every single person present was a prominent and influential figure.

Just then, Qin Tuo and Chen Man Ni walked in.

The moment Qin Tuo appeared, all eyes in the room instantly focused on him.

Old acquaintances like Ouyang Tianqi and Xu Zhigang actively smiled and greeted him, while the other powerful figures also quickly put on smiles, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.

Seated in the center was Huo Jianqiang of the Security Pavilion.

The moment Qin Tuo walked in, his eyes scanned the room with a sharp gaze as he began to speculate silently.

Ouyang Feifei, who was sitting in a corner, had also been watching Qin Tuo the whole time.

But then, she noticed Chen Man Ni at his side, and her eyes widened in surprise.

Ouyang Feifei immediately walked up to them and greeted her.

"Hey, Manni! What are you doing here?"

Chen Man Ni looked closer and was just as surprised to see Ouyang Feifei.

"Oh, Feifei! Why are you here?"

As it turned out, Chen Man Ni and Ouyang Feifei had been high school classmates. Ouyang Feifei had later gone to the Provincial City and was now an investigator with the Security Pavilion.

Chen Man Ni, on the other hand, had stayed with her family to help her father, Chen Wenxiong, manage their business.

Chen Man Ni generously introduced him to Ouyang Feifei.

"Feifei, look, this is my boyfriend. His name is Qin Tuo."

Ouyang Feifei was utterly shocked!

This time, the Security Pavilion’s target was none other than Qin Tuo.

And now she was just finding out that their number one suspect, Qin Tuo, was actually Chen Man Ni’s boyfriend?

Ouyang Feifei’s mind was thrown into turmoil, but she controlled her expression well, revealing nothing of her inner conflict.

Just then, Ouyang Tianqi waved with a smile.

"Feifei, have you run into an old friend?"

Ouyang Feifei quickly ran back and linked her arm through Ouyang Tianqi’s, speaking in a cute, wheedling tone:

"Yes, Grandpa! Manni was my classmate. We were even deskmates!"

It was only then that Chen Man Ni realized Ouyang Feifei was actually Ouyang Tianqi’s granddaughter.

But Ouyang Feifei had never mentioned it before.

She couldn’t help but say with a wry smile:

"Feifei, you kept that a huge secret! I’m only just now finding out that you and Mr. Ouyang are grandfather and granddaughter."