Middle-aged tycoon: Twins come knocking on his door when he goes home for Chinese New Year

An hour later.

SKP underground parking lot in Seoul.

Li Ze, carrying a small black briefcase, slowly walked to his Audi.

This suitcase was something he had just bought on purpose; it contained the results of an hour of work he had done at that craft shop.

Through the car window, Li Ze saw that his daughter, Li Mengli, was already sitting in the passenger seat.

She was excitedly fiddling with her phone, her smile never fading.

Li Ze opened the car door and got in, carefully placing his suitcase in the gap in the back seat, and asked with a smile:

"Honey, how's it going? How's the endeavor going in the past hour?"

"What nice things did you buy?"

Upon hearing this, Li Mengli immediately turned around and looked at Li Ze with a sigh:

"Dad! There's way too much money in that card you gave me!"

"A billion! I was calculating for ages just now, and I realized there's no way I can spend it all, absolutely no way I can spend it all!"

"I used to hesitate before buying a milk tea, wondering whether to add pearls. But just now, I looked at those clothes and bought them without even blinking."

"This feeling of not having to consider the price is just too... too unreal."

Li Ze laughed and said while fastening his seatbelt:

"That's right."

"You'll get used to it eventually. Money is something you earn to make life less stressful."

Li Mengli pointed to the back row and said:

"Dad, look behind you."

Li Ze looked back.

Good heavens, the spacious back seats of the Audi were already piled high with shopping bags of all sizes.

Li Mengli said, like a child eager for praise:

"I bought my mom three new outfits, all of them are high-quality cashmere coats and down jackets."

"I also bought two outfits for myself."

"Most importantly, it's for that kid Xiaohan."

"Look at those blue and white bags, they're all for him."

"To save money, this kid wears the same few dark tracksuits all year round, making him look like a little old man."

"This time I picked out a lot of brightly colored trendy brands for him, the more stylish the better, I really want to change his dull and dreary style."

Li Ze nodded, looking at the bags with eyes full of approval:

"Hmm, it's pretty good."

"That kid really should dress up a bit. After all, he's in a relationship now, so he needs to look more presentable."

Li Mengli then took out two exquisite little red boxes from her bag and waved them in front of Li Ze:

"Oh, and I also went into a jewelry store when I passed by."

"I bought a small gold ornament for myself and my mom."

"But it wasn't expensive; the two together cost less than two thousand yuan."

Li Ze was starting the car when he heard the number and paused for a moment.

He turned his head and looked at his daughter with an incredulous expression:

"How much? Two thousand?"

Li Mengli blinked her big eyes and asked somewhat nervously:

"What's wrong, Dad? Did you spend too much? I think gold is quite expensive right now..."

Li Ze shook his head helplessly and then laughed out loud:

"Silly girl, you're really terrified of being poor."

"I gave you a credit line of one billion, and you only spent two thousand at the jewelry store?"

"What did you buy? Golden earwax?"

Li Mengli opened the box, and inside lay two very tiny gold pendants, about the size of a fingernail.

"This is it? I think it's quite pretty, small and exquisite."

Li Ze glanced at the two little gadgets and sighed:

"You're really saving Dad money."

"But whatever, as long as you're happy."

"But remember this: next time you go into a jewelry store, buy the big one if you like it."

"Even if you take over that gold shop and melt down all the gold to make a gold basin, Dad can afford it."

"Buying only two grams is too stingy and doesn't suit our family's status."

Li Mengli stuck out her tongue and nodded obediently:

"Okay, I'll definitely splurge a little next time!"

After speaking, Li Mengli stared curiously at the black briefcase Li Ze had placed on the back seat and asked:

"By the way, Dad, what were you doing for the past hour?"

"What's in that box?"

Li Ze smiled mysteriously:

"I'm going to prepare a gift for your mom."

Li Mengli's eyes lit up:

"Wow! Dad, you even prepare a gift for Mom by hand? That's so thoughtful!"

"Tell me quickly, what's the gift?"

Li Ze shook his head and started the car:

"Keep it a secret."

"Oh, Dad, just tell me first!"

Li Mengli clung to Li Ze's arm and acted coquettishly:

"I promise I won't secretly tell my mom that I'm the mole on our side. I'll keep it a secret!"

Li Ze shook his head again, his face resolute:

"no."

"It won't work if I say it; you'll see when the time comes."

"Dad, you're the best."

"no."

"Waaaaah..."

Watching his daughter act silly, Li Ze was in a great mood.

I checked the time; it was already noon.

I ate early this morning, and I'm a little hungry now.

Li Ze didn't rush back. He took his daughter to a famous high-end private restaurant in Han City and had a delicious lunch there.

It was already past 2 p.m. when we finished eating.

Li Ze drove his car, loaded with gifts and seafood, towards Zhangjiazhai.

My phone rang while I was on the road.

It was my cousin, Li Guoqing, calling.

"Hey, Zezi, it's me, brother."

Where are you spending the New Year tonight?

"If you don't mind, why don't you bring Mengli to my house for New Year's Eve dinner tonight? I've prepared a lot of dishes myself. My second brother and the others have also gone back."

Li Ze originally intended to refuse.

After all, I need to spend tonight at the Zhang family's place with Ruoran and the children.

But then I realized that I hadn't been back for eighteen years.

I should also go and spend some time with my cousin.

So Li Ze said:

"Brother, I have some things to do at Ruoran's parents' house tonight, so I'll be a little late."

"But don't worry, I'll definitely eat your meal."

"Once I'm done with my work here, I'll come over and have a couple of drinks with you."

Li Guoqing was overjoyed on the other end of the phone:

"Okay, okay! Just come! I'll wait for you no matter how late it is!"

After hanging up the phone, the car exited the highway and turned onto a country road.

By the time they arrived at Zhangjiazhai, it was already past three in the afternoon, almost four o'clock.

As soon as the Audi came to a stop, Zhang Yuan and Zhang Dan ran out of the yard.

Li Ze opened the trunk and called out:

"Come on, lend a hand."

The father and daughter, along with two younger relatives, began moving things out.

The styrofoam boxes filled with seafood were unloaded one by one and placed on the open ground in the yard.

Zhang Ruoran and her three sisters-in-law were sitting under the eaves, chatting and eating sunflower seeds.

When they saw Li Ze return, they all looked over.

Li Ze lifted the lid of the foam box.

The contents inside were exposed.

The giant king crab was still blowing bubbles, a dozen or so lively little green dragons were waving their pincers, and there was a huge pile of abalone and crayfish.

"Wow--!"

Zhang Yuan and Zhang Dan, the two children, had never seen anything like this before, and immediately exclaimed in surprise:

"This is such a lavish spread!"

"Wow, this king crab is huge! And there are so many lobsters too!"

"That must add up to several thousand dollars, right?!"

Hearing the children's exclamations, the adults in the yard couldn't sit still either, and they all got up and gathered around.

Jiang Qiuyan, the eldest sister-in-law, stared wide-eyed at the king crab, which was as big as a washbasin.

"Oh my! Isn't that the king crab from TV?"

"Wow, that's huge! How much meat must it have?"

"Mengli, did your dad buy all of these?"

Li Mengli nodded proudly:

"Yes, Auntie, my dad just went to Wuhan to buy these, especially for our dinner tonight."

Second sister-in-law Tang Dan glanced at Li Ze standing beside her.

She asked, somewhat surprised:

"Mengli, is this your dad?"

Li Mengli linked arms with Li Ze:

"Yes, Auntie, don't you recognize my dad?"

Second Sister-in-law smiled somewhat embarrassedly:

"I recognize him, but it's been so long, I can hardly believe he's actually back."

"And it looks much more impressive than before."

At this moment, Geng Qi, the third sister-in-law who always had a sharp tongue, couldn't hold back anymore.

She cracked sunflower seeds, her eyes sweeping over the seafood, and said in a sarcastic tone:

"Wow, you've really struck it rich."

"So you finally decided to come back? These past eighteen years have truly been tough on Ruoran."

"You think buying some seafood will erase the past? You're dreaming."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruoran's expression changed slightly.

She walked over and tugged at Geng Qi's sleeve:

"Third Sister-in-law, let's not talk about these things during the New Year."

Then, Zhang Ruoran looked at the large pile of seafood on the ground, her brows furrowing slightly, and said to Li Ze:

Why did you buy so much stuff?

"What a waste of money! Our whole family is just having a simple home-cooked meal; we can't possibly finish this."

Li Ze smiled and waved his hand:

"If that's the case, with so many of us, how could we not finish it?"

"Besides, the New Year's Eve dinner is all about having abundance every year."

"Buying more is definitely the right thing to do, so the kids can all try it too."

At this moment, the three brothers-in-law inside the house also heard the commotion and came out.

They were all somewhat surprised to see such a large quantity of high-end seafood.

The eldest brother, Zhang Jianguo, nodded and said:

"Alright, Li Ze, you've gone to all this trouble."

"This stuff is really hard; we're in for a treat tonight."

The second brother, Zhang Jianjun, also said a few polite words.

Only Zhang Jianmin, the younger brother's brother, glanced at Li Ze but remained silent.

He simply squatted down quietly to help move the boxes.

Everything was quickly moved into the yard.

The eldest brother, Zhang Jianguo, clapped his hands and called out:

"Alright, everything's ready."

"It's getting late, let's all work together to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner!"

"Women, wash the vegetables; men, kill the fish and chop the meat—don't just sit idle!"

Everyone responded enthusiastically, and the whole courtyard suddenly became lively.

Li Mengli originally wanted to take out the gifts, but Li Ze quietly pulled her back and whispered:

"There's no rush yet."

"It will be more effective to bring it out when the New Year's Eve dinner officially begins."

Li Mengli nodded knowingly.

So the family started busying themselves in the yard.

Li Ze also rolled up his sleeves, ready to help process the lobsters.

As soon as I squatted down, my three sisters-in-law surrounded me.

As they picked vegetables, they surrounded Li Ze, their eyes sparkling with gossip.

This clearly signals the start of a three-way trial.

The eldest sister-in-law spoke first:

"Li Ze, tell your sister-in-law the truth."

"Your older brother and the others told me yesterday what you've been doing all these years."

"But you must have been lonely all these past eighteen years. Tell me, have you done anything to wrong Ruoran?"