Chapter 3

After about ten seconds of stalemate, Li Hongmei spoke.

"That game company you mentioned last time—Tian Guang... can it really make money? Or is it some kind of scam?"

Jiang Nian's eyelid twitched—he had never mentioned a game company.

"Yeah, it can."

"You're in Gao San and still playing games? I'm definitely replacing your phone!" Li Hongmei took off her apron and glared at him angrily, "No more gaming from now on. Keep your money and don't waste it."

"Ah, okay... fine." Jiang Nian didn't care—he didn't need his phone to complete the system task.

Then her tone softened, "The food's quite lavish. My son's grown up."

Hearing this, Jiang Nian quietly exhaled in relief and grinned again.

"When's Dad getting off work?"

"Soon. Stop showing off—go call Qianqian to come eat." Li Hongmei frowned; her son had never been serious since childhood—give him a sliver of sunlight and he'd burst into bloom.

"Where's Uncle Xu?" he asked.

Li Hongmei pulled a watermelon out of the fridge. "He went on a business trip for study—left this morning."

Knock knock knock.

A knock came at the door; Xu Qianqian opened the security door halfway, revealing a flushed face.

"What?"

"I came to call you for dinner. Hey, why's your face so red?" Jiang Nian spotted the blind spot and shoved himself forward, "What were you doing at home this afternoon?"

"Get lost!" Xu Qianqian held the door tightly.

Jiang Nian's hand slapped onto her arm—suddenly, Xu Qianqian stiffened all over, then screamed at the top of her lungs toward the opposite door.

"Auntie! Jiang Nian touched me!"

"What the hell?"

From the kitchen came Li Hongmei's scolding voice: "Jiang Nian, are you itching for a beating? Don't bully Qianqian!"

"I didn't! Don't make things up!" He was startled, panicked, and shoved himself inside; seeing Xu Qianqian about to scream again, he quickly clamped his hand over her mouth.

"Mmmmm!"

They were pressed extremely close—he could even see the fine hairs on her face. Her large, watery eyes locked onto him, filled with panic.

The summer evening wind was hot; he caught the scent wafting from her neck, and felt strangely embarrassed.

"Don't scream."

"Mmm."

"I'll let go if you promise not to scream. Nod if you agree."

Xu Qianqian mumbled, then nodded.

The moment Jiang Nian released her, she bit him—leaving a clear tooth mark on his arm. He sucked in a sharp breath but dared not cry out.

"Xu Qianqian, are you a dog?"

"Hmph, you deserved it." Xu Qianqian turned her head away.

Probably because of the struggle, a faint blush still lingered on her face. Jiang Nian finally noticed her outfit looked different—he scanned her up and down, momentarily stunned.

"JK skirt? Bought it new?"

No wonder she didn't open the door—she was trying on clothes. But it wasn't even a change of clothes; this JK skirt wasn't revealing, and the hem wasn't short—what was there to hide?

Xu Qianqian didn't see it that way—she felt embarrassed.

"What's it to you?"

"Nothing. Looks nice." Jiang Nian rubbed his arm and walked out, "Come eat soon—you like the lotus leaf steamed chicken."

Thud—the door shut.

Xu Qianqian stood in her living room, took a deep breath, then returned to her room to change.

7:30 PM.

Jiang Weizheng returned home, stared at the full table of dishes, and froze—he set his briefcase aside.

"What's the occasion?"

"No occasion. All this was made by your son." Li Hongmei rolled her eyes, urged him to wash up and eat, and called over the two kids watching TV on the sofa.

"Dinner's ready. Turn off the TV."

Soon, the four sat at the table. Li Hongmei repeated Jiang Nian's earlier words. Jiang's father and Xu Qianqian stared, dumbfounded, both turning to Jiang Nian.

"This can really make money?" Jiang's father asked.

"Of course it can, Comrade Jiang." Jiang Nian didn't blush or flinch.

"Really?" Xu Qianqian studied him several times—she'd never lacked money since childhood; her clothes and food were always a notch above Jiang Nian's. "You're in Gao San and still playing games? Watch out—you might not pass!"

When they were kids, they got along well; she often gave him small breads. Later, they drifted apart, and as they grew older, neither cared for snacks anymore.

Hearing this, Li Hongmei scolded him again, reiterating the phone-replacement threat.

Jiang's father picked up a piece of lotus leaf steamed chicken, ate it, and his expression turned complicated.

"Xiaonian, did your grandfather teach you this?"

"Yeah. Tastes good, right?"

"Sigh. Not as good as what your grandfather made." Jiang Weizheng sighed, put down his chopsticks, "When I was young, your grandfather's cooking was truly unmatched."

Then Jiang Weizheng opened his mouth as if to say more, but stopped. "Never mind—it's all in the past. Eat, eat."

Jiang Nian didn't care—he had little appetite for his own cooking. But he noticed Xu Qianqian seemed to love it, eating two bowls of rice, which was unprecedented.

Ding! The settlement panel appeared.

【Task: Prepare a lavish dinner for your parents. Reward: 800 RMB (completed).】

Almost simultaneously, his phone buzzed once.

Even though Jiang Nian knew the bank transfer details, he still couldn't help pulling out his phone to check.

The current balance is 1350.64 RMB.

"By the way, Hongmei, did you pay the water and electricity bills?" Lao Jiang suddenly looked up and asked.

"No, why?"

"Our water and electricity bills seem to be..." He trailed off, as if remembering something, and turned to look at Jiang Nian. "Did you pay the water and electricity bills?"

"Yeah, so what?"

Lao Jiang stared for several seconds. "Never mind. Keep your money. You'll need it when you grow up."

As he spoke, his gaze flickered unconsciously toward Xu Qianqian. He sighed inwardly—his own son was as stubborn and clueless as an ox.

The two families were perfectly matched, each well aware of the other's background. Too bad the two kids couldn't get along. Forced fruit never tastes sweet. He wondered who would end up with Old Xu's little cabbage.

After dinner, Xu Qianqian and Li Hongmei went to wash the dishes while Jiang Nian cleared the table. Twenty minutes later, a bowl of chilled watermelon was brought to the table.

After eating the watermelon and chatting for a while, Xu Qianqian went home.

Once the door was shut, the three of them prepared to rest.

Lao Jiang sighed. "Xiaonian, which class is Qianqian in again?"

"Next door to ours, haha!"

Hearing Jiang Nian laugh, Lao Jiang instantly bristled. "Laugh your ass off. If you were half as sensible as Qianqian, you'd thank your ancestors."

Jiang Nian wasn't Xu Qianqian—he was just getting a new task update.

【At thirty-eight, your body is already drained. The body is the foundation of revolution. Rebuilding a strong body and enhancing personal charm is the basis of a comeback.】

【Side Quest: Complete a 2-kilometer run in one go (no rest), reward: 300 RMB.

Complete a 3-kilometer run in one go (no rest), reward: 700 RMB.

Complete a 5-kilometer run in one go (no rest), reward: 1000 RMB.】