Winter in the Xiangzhong region was the kind of damp cold that seeped straight into the bones.
The long-distance bus traveled along the flat provincial highway for more than four hours before turning onto a newly constructed county road.
The barren fields outside the window had disappeared, replaced by neatly planned modern farmland and beautiful homes scattered here and there.
Lu Changfu’s hometown had developed rapidly over the past few years. Their town in particular had benefited from being close to a newly emerging industrial park. Many families had managed to improve their lives through businesses or by renting out their land.
As the bus entered the town, the streets were spacious and clean, with shops lining both sides and brightly colored New Year merchandise signs hanging everywhere.
Song Liyuan looked out the window, somewhat surprised.
“Brother Lu, your hometown is pretty prosperous. It’s nothing like the countryside I imagined.”
Lu Changfu smiled. “Yeah, it’s developed quite a bit these past few years. My house is not far from the edge of town. It was newly built.”
A few minutes later, the bus stopped at the town’s bus station.
The station was less than ten years old and was clean and brightly lit. Lu Changfu got off the bus with his luggage while Song Liyuan linked her arm through his and looked around curiously.
“Changfu! Over here!”
A loud, energetic voice came from nearby.
Lu Changfu followed the voice and saw his father, Lu Jianguo, driving a brand-new white SUV parked at the station exit. His mother, Peng Jiali, had already impatiently pushed open the car door and stepped out.
Peng Jiali was wearing a high-quality dark green down jacket and a cashmere scarf. Her hair was styled, and her face carried the sharpness and efficiency characteristic of a businesswoman.
Lu Jianguo, meanwhile, was dressed in a casual jacket and looked full of energy.
“Dad, Mom!” Lu Changfu greeted them.
“Oh, you’re finally back!” Peng Jiali immediately grabbed her son’s hand and gave it a firm squeeze. Her eyes quickly fell on Song Liyuan, and a warm smile instantly spread across her face.
“This must be Liyuan, right? You must be tired from the journey! Come on, get in the car. It’s warm inside!”
“Hello, Auntie! Hello, Uncle!” Song Liyuan immediately broke into a sweet smile, her voice clear and pleasant.
“It’s no trouble at all. I’m so happy to meet you! Auntie, you have such a wonderful presence, and Uncle, your car is so cool!”
“This girl really knows how to talk!” Peng Jiali laughed even more happily as she hurried to help with the luggage.
“Come on, get in the car. It’s cold outside. I had some bird’s nest soup stewed at home. Have a bowl when we get back to warm yourself up!”
Lu Jianguo smiled and nodded. He patted his son on the shoulder and looked Song Liyuan over.
There was some scrutiny in his eyes, but even more satisfaction.
The girl was attractive, sweet-tongued, and seemed clever. Bringing her out would certainly make him proud.
Everyone got into the car, and the SUV smoothly drove away from the bus station. The heater inside was turned up high, and soothing music played in the background.
“Liyuan, Changfu told me you’re a store manager in Guangzhou? You must be very capable!” Peng Jiali, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around to chat with Song Liyuan.
“You’re flattering me, Auntie. I just help someone manage a store so I can make a living.”
Song Liyuan spoke modestly before smoothly changing the subject.
“Uncle and Auntie are the impressive ones. I heard from Changfu that you two run a large tile store in town, and business is doing really well!”
Those words struck right at Peng Jiali’s heart.
Her face lit up, and she immediately began talking about the store’s business this year. She also asked Song Liyuan about her family.
Song Liyuan handled everything gracefully. She described her ordinary family background in a warm and positive way while occasionally praising Lu Changfu for being capable and considerate.
Lu Changfu leaned back against the comfortable leather seat, listening to his mother and Song Liyuan’s conversation while watching beautiful houses pass by outside the window.
His family’s three-and-a-half-story modern rural villa was located at the eastern end of the town. It had been built a few years ago, with the exterior walls covered in the latest light-gray sintered stone from their own store. The design was grand, and there was even a small courtyard.
The car soon entered the village road and stopped in front of a beautiful villa.
The courtyard was enclosed by an iron fence, with a small truck parked inside. It was probably used to transport goods for the store.
The house was brightly lit, looking especially warm and imposing against the winter dusk.
“We’re here, we’re here! Come inside!” Peng Jiali got out of the car first and led Song Liyuan inside.
When the heavy copper-colored front door was pushed open, they entered a spacious foyer with gleaming tiled floors.
The living room was huge, decorated in the modern minimalist style popular these days. There was a crystal chandelier, leather sofas, a large-screen television, and even a piano in the corner.
No one actually knew how to play it, but Peng Jiali thought it made the house look more elegant.
The central air-conditioning kept the entire house warm like spring, completely free of the damp chill associated with old rural houses.
“Wow, Auntie, your house is beautiful! The interior design is so tasteful!” Song Liyuan exclaimed sincerely, her eyes shining.
The conditions were far better than she had imagined.
“We just picked the materials from our own store and decorated it casually.”
Peng Jiali spoke modestly, but the pride on her face was impossible to hide.
“Liyuan, you can stay in the same room as Changfu. Come, I’ll show you.”
The room had indeed been carefully prepared. It was spacious and bright, with its own bathroom. The bedding was brand new, and there were fresh flowers and snacks on the side.
[System Notification: The host has returned home. Due to his parents’ strong sense of satisfaction and happiness from his “new girlfriend” and the indirect display of a superior family environment, Happiness Value +5. Current Happiness Value: 91%.]
The system notification rang inside Lu Changfu’s mind.
He remained expressionless, but he was quite pleased inwardly.
It seemed that displaying one’s wealth—even if it was actually his parents’ wealth—could also increase the Happiness Value.
Dinner was served in the large dining room on the first floor.
The table was filled with an abundance of dishes: chicken, duck, fish, meat, seafood, and even high-end fruits that Peng Jiali had specially asked someone to buy from the city.
During the meal, Peng Jiali showed extraordinary concern for Song Liyuan’s “possible pregnancy,” constantly putting food into her bowl and asking her all sorts of questions.
Song Liyuan also fully demonstrated her acting skills. Sometimes she acted shy, sometimes obedient, making Peng Jiali so happy that she was practically beaming.
Even Lu Jianguo, who usually didn’t talk much, drank several extra glasses of wine. As he looked at his son and his “future daughter-in-law,” his eyes were filled with satisfaction.
Seeing how happy his parents were, Lu Changfu felt that he had made the right choice.
How impressive was it to bring someone like Song Liyuan home?
How much happiness could she bring his parents?
With Chen Lili’s cold and stubborn personality, bringing her home would probably only make the atmosphere awkward.
After dinner, Song Liyuan stayed in the living room with Peng Jiali, watching television and chatting.
Lu Changfu used the excuse that he was a little tired and went back to his room on the third floor.
His room was large, with a balcony and a study. The view was wide and open.
He walked onto the balcony and lit a cigarette.
The winter night was cold, but with underfloor heating and air-conditioning inside the house, the balcony wasn’t too unbearable.
The town in the distance was brightly lit, and he could even see the eye-catching sign of his family’s tile store.
A few years ago, his parents had worked from dawn to dusk running that store, saving enough money to build this house. Their lives were fairly comfortable.
Of course…
There were plenty of houses like this nowadays. It wasn’t anything particularly remarkable.
Now, however, he had returned with the money given to him by the system and a “perfect girlfriend,” which could be considered the icing on the cake.
His phone vibrated.
He took it out and looked at the screen.
Chen Lili’s mother had sent another message. Her tone was almost pleading, saying that the hospital had issued a final ultimatum: if they didn’t pay soon, the hospital would stop her medication.
Chen Lili herself had also sent him a message. It showed that it had been sent in the evening, but he had only received it now.
“I’ve arrived in town. Yuelai Hotel. Can we meet?”
Yuelai Hotel was the best hotel in town. It seemed that she hadn’t forced herself to stay at some cheap little inn this time.
Lu Changfu exhaled a ring of smoke and replied:
“Sure. Tomorrow at 2 p.m. Yuelai Teahouse, second floor, ‘Listening to Rain’ private room.”
“Before you meet me, go buy yourself a decent outfit and put on some makeup. Don’t come looking like you’re attending a funeral. I want to see someone who can get things done and make people feel good, not someone playing the victim.”
“I’ve already prepared the money and the agreement. But my money doesn’t buy tears, and it doesn’t buy gloominess… I want to see your ‘attitude’ and your ‘smile.’ When you can smile and calmly discuss serious matters with me, that’s when we’ll sign.”
He tapped Send.