The divorce comeback system arrived right after I was born.

In early July, Chen Zhifei made two trips to Zhuhai and finalized the hardware design for the first phone with Huang Zhang's team. The chip used was Qualcomm's latest flagship platform, the screen was a 2K AMOLED supplied exclusively by Samsung, and the overall industrial design was handled by Meizu's old team.

Huang Zhang has no other flaws, but he is extremely meticulous about product details. He can revise the curvature of a back cover twenty times.

But it must be said that the results of this kind of obsession are indeed impressive.

The moment Chen Zhi picked up the prototype, he knew that once this thing came out, 90% of the mobile phones on the market would have to take a backseat.

The press conference is scheduled for mid-August and will be held in Beijing.

There's less than a month left.

The problem Chen Zhi is facing now has nothing to do with business.

His mother called again.

"Chen Zhi, don't you know the way home?"

"Mom, I've been busy lately—"

"You're so busy, so busy, you're so busy you don't even come home anymore, right? Your dad was talking about you yesterday, saying that his son has probably settled down in Beijing and doesn't want us anymore."

"When has my dad ever nagged me? Doesn't he always find me annoying?"

"That's just your dad being stubborn! He was secretly looking through your childhood photos the night before last, and when I caught him, he wouldn't admit it, saying he was looking for an invoice tucked in an old photo album. An invoice? Who puts an invoice next to their son's one-month-old photo?"

Chen Zhi suppressed a laugh.

"Okay, okay, I'll be back this week."

"Really?"

"Really."

Zhang Guifang's tone immediately changed 180 degrees: "Then Mom will make you braised pork and your favorite sweet and sour carp. By the way, how many days are you staying? Do you want Mom to pick you up from the station?"

"No need to pick me up, I'll go back myself."

"Oh, by the way," Zhang Guifang lowered her voice, "how have you and Wanwan been lately? Why don't you bring that girl back with you? Your Uncle Lin was drinking with your dad last month; it's been a long time since the two families got together."

Chen Zhi held his phone, his mind racing.

Should I give my parents a heads-up about having had three girlfriends? They'll need to help me keep my marriage a secret eventually, so I need to prepare them mentally.

"Mom, Wanwan is busy with work lately and can't come back."

"Oh dear, that girl must be so tired every day..."

"Okay, I'll hang up now. I'll call you when I arrive."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Zhi stared at the ceiling for a while.

So here's the question.

Which girlfriend should he bring home first?

Chen Zhi took out his phone and started calculating.

Ask Lin Wanwan first.

After the message was sent, Lin Wanwan replied instantly with a long voice message, chattering about how she was flying to Shanghai this week to record a variety show and had two commercial performances next week. Su Man had filled her schedule until the end of August, keeping her incredibly busy.

The voice message ended with a pitiful plea: "Honey, I also want to go back to see my parents... Could you please tell Mom that I'll definitely come back as soon as I'm done with my work!"

Chen Zhi replied with an "okay".

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Wanwan's parents knew that he was planning to bring two other people back with him this time.

Ask Li Zhiyi again.

"Chen Zhi, I stayed at school during the summer vacation to help my supervisor organize research materials. I might be busy until mid-August."

A small emoji was added at the end, depicting a kitten burying its head in its homework.

Since Li Zhiyi can't go either.

That leaves Pei Ningxue.

Chen Zhi leaned back in his chair, pondered his words, and then sent a message to Pei Ningxue.

I'm planning to go home this week, do you want to come along?

Pei Ningxue's reply came quickly.

[Going back to your place?]

【right.】

Meeting your parents?

It wasn't a special trip, it was just something I happened to be doing...

Pei Ningxue sent a single word: "Heh."

Do your parents know me?

Chen Zhi hesitated for a moment, then finally replied: "I don't know yet."

So you're planning to bring a woman your parents don't know at all home.

【…】

[Chen Zhi, what identity do you want me to appear in?]

This question stumped Chen Zhi.

In what capacity? Girlfriend? Fiancée? Company CFO?

His parents only knew that he had a childhood sweetheart named Lin Wanwan, and that their families were neighbors. Now that he suddenly brought a strange woman home, his mother's first reaction would definitely be, "Did you dump Wanwan?"

The second reaction would most likely be to hit him with a rolling pin.

But then again, he would eventually have to let his family know about Pei Ningxue's existence, and dragging it out would only make things more complicated.

Chen Zhi took a deep breath and replied to a message.

[My girlfriend, just say you're my girlfriend.]

Pei Ningxue remained silent for a while.

Then she sent a message: 【What about Lin Wanwan? What will you say if your mom asks?】

I have my own plans.

You're really something.

Pei Ningxue remained silent for a while.

Okay, I'll go. What time do we leave?

We'll drive back the day after tomorrow morning.

Okay, I'll do as you say.

-

The day of departure was a Friday.

Pei Ningxue's driver, Lao Zhao, parked his unassuming black Mercedes-Benz S-Class downstairs at Wanliu Academy early in the morning.

Chen Zhi carried a backpack downstairs, opened the back door of the car, and Pei Ningxue was already sitting inside.

She was dressed very simply today, in a white T-shirt and light blue jeans, her hair tied in a low ponytail, and she only had a thin layer of sunscreen on her face. She looked clean and refreshing, and her aura as a young lady had been largely toned down.

"Why are you so nervous?" Pei Ningxue glanced at him.

"I'm not nervous."

"If you're not nervous, could you please stop turning your phone on and off so much?"

Chen Zhi silently put his phone into his pocket.

"I was just thinking about how to introduce you to my mom when we get there."

"Didn't you say I was your girlfriend?"

"Sigh." Chen Zhi sighed painfully.

Five hours later, the car entered the urban area of ​​Jiangcheng City.

In July, Wuhan was even hotter than Beijing. The sun was blazing overhead, and the heat waves on the ground were visible to the naked eye.

Chen Zhi's hometown is an old neighborhood in the east of the city, about a 20-minute drive away.

"Shall we go to the supermarket to buy some things first?" Chen Zhi glanced at his phone.

Pei Ningxue nodded, saw a Yonghui Supermarket by the roadside, and turned the car into the parking lot.

The two people went into the supermarket.

Pei Ningxue pushed the shopping cart, while Chen Zhi walked beside her.

"What are you buying?" Pei Ningxue glanced at the shelves.

"Milk, fruit, tea that my dad loves to drink... Oh, and my mom loves cherries."

"OK."

Pei Ningxue walked straight to the fruit section, with Chen Zhi following behind.

She was very serious when choosing fruit, squeezing each cherry to check if it was too soft or too hard.

The two strolled from the fruit section to the snack section, and then from the snack section to the beverage section. Pei Ningxue picked up two bottles of baijiu (Chinese liquor), while Chen Zhi picked up a case of beer and a carton of pure milk.

When the shopping cart was almost full, Chen Zhi suddenly remembered something.

"My dad forgot about the tea."

"Wait here for me, I'm going to the tea plantation."

Chen Zhi turned around and crawled into another row of shelves.

Pei Ningxue pushed her shopping cart slowly to the condiment section and casually picked up a bottle of olive oil.

Just then, at the other end of the same shelf, a woman in her fifties was picking out soy sauce.

Zhang Guifang was wearing a floral short-sleeved shirt and sandals, and carrying an eco-friendly bag containing a few scallions and a piece of tofu.

She picked up a bottle of soy sauce, looked at the price, put it back, and exchanged it for a bottle that was two yuan cheaper.

Then she pushed the cart around the shelf, heading to the checkout counter.

As she turned the corner, she saw a familiar figure from behind.

The tall, thin man, wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts, was taking something from the tea shelf; it was her son.

Zhang Guifang's first reaction was joy.

That brat, we've arrived, and he didn't even call home.

She was about to call out when she suddenly noticed something beside her.

In front of another row of shelves, a young woman was pushing a shopping cart that was full of items.

With her long hair and fair skin, the way she stood there picking things out seemed to draw all the lights in the supermarket to her.

Pretty.

Zhang Guifang admitted that the girl was indeed beautiful.

But she is not Lin Wanwan.

Lin Wanwan was someone Zhang Guifang knew very well; she'd watched her grow up, a lively and adorable girl with a sweet face. The girl in front of her, however, had sharper features and a different air about her—a certain… something else, Zhang Guifang couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it was definitely a very expensive feeling.

She hadn't thought of it that way at first.

Chen Zhi returned with the tea leaves and naturally walked over to the woman, putting the tea leaves into her shopping cart.

Zhang Guifang stopped in her tracks.

She saw Chen Zhi lower his head and say something to the woman. The woman turned her head to look at him, her lips moved slightly, and she probably replied with a sentence.

Then the two of them pushed the shopping cart forward together.

They walked side by side, very close to each other.

Zhang Guifang tightened her grip on the soy sauce bottle.

She didn't call out to them.

She stood in front of the condiment shelf, watching her son and the strange woman's figures disappear in the direction of the checkout counter.

It's not Lin Wanwan.

Who is that?

Classmate? Impossible, classmates wouldn't go to the supermarket together and buy a whole cart of stuff.

Friends? Not really. When two people stand together, friends wouldn't be that close.

Zhang Guifang thought for a moment, put the soy sauce into her cart, and followed along at a leisurely pace.

She stood far away behind the pillar at the cashier, watching Chen Zhi and the girl line up to pay.

Chen Zhi took out his phone to scan the QR code and pay.

The girl stood beside them, helping to pack the items into bags.

There's a tacit understanding between the two; they don't need to say much, their actions are perfectly coordinated.

Zhang Guifang narrowed her eyes.

Those who are dating are definitely dating.

A thought suddenly popped into her mind—

Did this guy break up with Wanwan?

Then you found a new one outside?

Zhang Guifang almost couldn't resist rushing forward, but she gritted her teeth and controlled herself.

The supermarket is crowded; what if I make a mistake?

Moreover, with that girl present, if she were to ask her directly, no one, regardless of who she was, would be embarrassed.

No, we need to stay calm and talk about it when we get home.