He wants to adopt a younger sister, but his aloof wife disagrees.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, pounding against the car windows.

Su Xiaoruan huddled in the passenger seat, her body still trembling uncontrollably. Her dirty hands hung in mid-air, wanting to grab something but not daring to, for fear of soiling the leather seats of this luxury car.

Jiang Che didn't say anything, but silently turned the car's heater to the maximum.

Ten minutes later, the car entered the underground parking garage of Tomson Riviera.

Jiang Che parked the car, looked at the girl in the passenger seat who looked like a frightened quail, sighed, got out of the car, walked around to the passenger side, and opened the car door.

"Can you walk?"

Su Xiaoruan gritted her teeth and tried to move her leg. Cold sweat instantly broke out, and she shook her head.

Without saying a word, Jiang Che bent down, put one hand under her knees and the other hand around her back, and lifted her up in his arms.

"Holy crap..."

Su Xiaoruan gasped instinctively, her body stiffening like a wooden block. The smell, a mixture of rain, cheap perfume, and earth, instantly assaulted Jiang Che's nostrils, but he only frowned slightly and didn't throw her out.

……

The elevator goes directly to your apartment.

When the heavy armored door opened with a "beep" and the motion-sensor light in the entryway turned on, Su Xiaoruan was completely speechless.

The first thing you see is the high-ceilinged living room, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows offering a dazzling view of the Bund. Under your feet is a Persian carpet that even a layman could tell is priceless. The abstract paintings on the walls look exceptionally sophisticated under the warm yellow lighting.

All of this was like another dimension of the world for her, a young woman who spent her days in internet cafes, cheap rental rooms, and street food stalls.

Just now in the car, she only thought this uncle was rich, but now it seems that he's not just rich, he's practically robbed a bank.

Jiang Che placed her on the shoe-changing stool in the entryway.

Su Xiaoruan looked down at her red loafers, which were covered in black mud and sewage, and then at the spotless off-white marble floor in front of her.

She instinctively pulled her foot back, her toes awkwardly gripping the sole of her shoe. The feeling of shame made her afraid to even breathe.

"Take off your dirty shoes and throw them by the door."

Jiang Che opened the shoe cabinet, his gaze sweeping over the row of high heels that belonged to Shen Qingge, and finally took out a pair of gray men's spare cotton slippers and threw them at her feet.

"Wear this."

Su Xiaoruan felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She quickly kicked off her tattered loafers and stuffed her cold little feet into her large, warm cotton slippers.

Jiang Che took off his trench coat, hung it up, and turned to get a towel.

Just as he handed a dry towel to Su Xiaoruan, his fingers accidentally touched the back of her cold hand—

A completely emotionless, mechanical voice suddenly echoed in my mind.

【Ding! 】

[Host detected performing the action of "rescuing a lost girl," behavior deemed to meet system activation conditions...]

[The Godly Rich Player Development Interactive System is now linked!]

Jiang Che paused, his eyes narrowing slightly.

As an online novelist, he was no stranger to this kind of formula, but when the golden finger actually fell on his head, the shock was still indescribable.

A semi-transparent, pale blue light screen appeared before my eyes:

[Host]: Jiang Che

[Currently Bound Training Target]: Su Xiaoruan (Status: Extremely Poor)

[Evaluation of the subject]: A rough gem severely tarnished. Her beauty is sealed by inferior cosmetics, and her soul is polluted by a low-class social circle.

[New player gift pack has been sent, please check!]

Jiang Che thought for a moment: "Open it."

[Congratulations on receiving: 500 million RMB in cash (funds have been legally laundered and deposited into the host's bank card ending in 6688).]

[Congratulations on acquiring the skill: God-level Home-Style Cooking (There's nothing a meal can't solve; it warms the stomach and the heart.)]

[Congratulations on acquiring the passive skill: Basic Deterrence Aura (The host's aura will suppress and attract immature members of the opposite sex).]

"Buzz—"

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

Jiang Che took out his phone; it was a bank text message:

「您尾号6688的储蓄卡于23:55分收入人民币5，000，000.00元。[工商银行]」

Looking at that string of zeros, Jiang Che took a deep breath.

This five million is more than the amount of household expenses Shen Qingge gives him in a year.

At that moment, the gloom of being a "son-in-law" that had weighed on his heart for a whole year seemed to be mostly dispelled by this sudden surge of confidence. He was no longer a stay-at-home husband who could only depend on his wife for a living; he had the capital to stand tall.

"Uncle... what's wrong?"

Su Xiaoruan, wrapped in a towel, watched Jiang Che staring blankly at his phone and cautiously asked a question. She was a little afraid of this man now, feeling that his aura had suddenly become stronger, more awe-inspiring than any "gangster boss" she had ever met.

Jiang Che snapped out of his daze, put away his phone, and turned his gaze to Su Xiaoruan.

At this moment, Su Xiaoruan looked like a drowned rat, and her stomach also made a loud "gurgling" sound.

Su Xiaoruan's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, and she clutched her stomach, wishing she could bury her head in her chest.

Are you hungry?

"No... a little..." Su Xiaoruan's voice was barely audible.

"Wait."

Jiang Che uttered two words and turned to walk towards the open-plan kitchen island.

Su Xiaoruan sat on the shoe-changing stool, not daring to run around, only craning her neck to watch Jiang Che's back. This uncle... can cook?

Jiang Che opened the refrigerator and took out noodles, scallions, and eggs.

The skill "God-level Home-style Cooking" is activated.

At that moment, the ingredients seemed to come alive in his hands. His technique for chopping scallions was fluid and effortless, and his control over the heat when frying eggs was precise to the second.

With the sizzling sound of hot oil being poured over scallions, an overpowering aroma of scallion oil instantly filled the entire living room, directly entering Su Xiaoruan's nose and making her mouth water.

Ten minutes later.

A steaming bowl of scallion oil noodles was served on the table.

The noodles are golden and glistening, topped with a crispy-edged, runny-yolk poached egg, and garnished with bright green scallions, emitting a fragrant aroma.

"Come and eat." Jiang Che tapped the table.

Su Xiaoruan dragged her injured leg and limped over like a cat that had smelled blood.

She sat in the expensive dining chair, looking at the bowl of noodles in front of her, then at Jiang Che, somewhat incredulous: "For...for me?"

"What else? Feed the pigs?" Jiang Che poured himself a glass of water and leaned against the island platform, speaking casually.

Su Xiaoruan stopped being polite, grabbed her chopsticks, picked up a large mouthful of noodles, and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Whoosh—"

The piping hot noodles, coated in the savory aroma of scallion oil, exploded on her tongue. That ultimate carbohydrate satisfaction instantly filled her empty stomach and icy body.

too delicious.

This was absolutely the best thing she had ever eaten in her life.

Su Xiaoruan wolfed down her food, completely lacking any ladylike demeanor, and didn't even bother to wipe the soup that splashed on her face.

Jiang Che looked at her quietly.

As she ate, Su Xiaoruan suddenly slowed down.

A tear fell into the bowl without warning.

Then came the second drop, and the third drop.

Her mouth was stuffed full, her cheeks were bulging, but tears kept streaming down her face, making her already smudged eye makeup even worse.

"Not tasty?" Jiang Che raised an eyebrow.

Su Xiaoruan shook her head vigorously, finally managing to swallow the noodles in her mouth, and sobbed as she said:

"No... Waaah... It's so delicious!"

"After my mother died... no one has cooked me a hot meal since."

"My 'friends' only ever tell me to drink, to fight, to put on a show... Nobody ever asks me if I'm hungry."

Su Xiaoruan raised her head, her red eyes looking at Jiang Che. The feigned ferocity in her eyes was gone, replaced by the cautiousness and gratitude of a stray dog ​​that had been taken in.

"Uncle... thank you."

Jiang Che looked at her dirty yet incredibly real face, and a soft spot in his heart was touched.

He remembered the carefully prepared dinner he had thrown away that evening.

Some people regard his efforts as worthless, while others are moved to tears by a bowl of noodles.

What a messed up life.

Jiang Che walked over, pulled out a tissue, and without being disgusted by the dirt on her face, roughly but not forcefully wiped her face.

"Alright, why are you crying over a meal? Wipe your tears."

Su Xiaoruan sniffed and obediently let Jiang Che wipe her face, like a well-behaved puppy.

Jiang Che looked at her and his gaze softened, but then his eyes fell on her clothes that were still dripping wet.

"Go take a shower after you finish eating."

Jiang Che pointed towards the bathroom, his tone regaining its usual faint authority:

"Wash those scribbles off your face, and change out of those tattered clothes. You're not allowed to look like that in this house."

Su Xiaoruan held the bowl, staring blankly at Jiang Che.

Although the man's tone was fierce, she felt that this might be the warmest sentence she had ever heard in her life.

At that moment, she had no idea that this bowl of noodles was the beginning of the turning of the gears of her destiny.