At the start, I had to choose one of four options, and I immediately picked the Brahmin from the cou

The highway from Jianye to Jiangyang runs through a typical hilly landscape of southern China. In winter, the fields are desolate and empty, with only a few gray-green vegetable fields and ponds gleaming coldly in the distance.

With the car's heater on full blast, Zheng Hao fell asleep almost immediately, his soft snoring mingling with the low-frequency noise of the tires rubbing against the road.

Li Xiao had his eyes closed, but his mind was racing through Xinglan Intelligent Manufacturing's accounts.

Sun Zaiquan acted quickly; Peng Yue's team from Suzhou made two rounds of contact, and the other party's attitude was more positive than expected. Peng Yue is different from Luo Tiangong; he doesn't have that intellectual's aloofness, but rather a pragmatism honed by reality.

So inviting them over didn't take much effort at all. As for the settlement fee of over two million yuan, in Li Xiao's view, it was just a drop in the ocean compared to the profits they could bring.

Zheng Hao woke up just as the car exited the Jiangyang toll station. He rubbed his eyes and looked outside, muttering, "Damn, we're here already? I was dreaming about being in Sanya with Miaomiao."

"You still have a few unread messages from her on your phone," Li Xiao casually reminded him.

Zheng Hao took out his phone and saw five missed calls and three voice messages. He frowned, didn't open them, and simply flipped the phone over and placed it face down on his lap: "Annoying."

"You spoiled him."

"Don't add insult to injury," Zheng Hao sighed, sitting up straight and adjusting his collar. "Should I go first, or should I go first?"

"I'll drop you off first. Your house is nearby."

Zheng Hao's home is in a high-end residential area called Emerald Bay in the south of Jiangyang City. Zheng Guodong bought a detached villa a few years ago. It has front and back yards and a garage that can park four cars.

The car stopped in front of the villa, and as soon as Zheng Hao got out, the gate opened from the inside. A woman in her forties, wearing an apron, came out to greet him. She was Zheng Hao's mother, surnamed Wang, with the given name Qin. She was rather thin, and her face had that characteristic efficiency of women from Jiangyang.

"Hao Hao's back!" Wang Qin walked a few steps to the car, grabbed Zheng Hao's arm, and looked him up and down. "You've lost weight and gotten darker. Did you not eat properly at school? Your Aunt Lin's son is also studying at Jianye University. He gained eight pounds when he came back last month. How come you've lost weight?"

Zheng Hao, his arm being pulled by Wang Qin, seemed frozen in place. The impatience on his face instantly vanished, and he lowered his head, calling out, "Mom." Wang Qin ignored him, turning to Li Xiao in the car and smiling, "Xiao Xiao, thank you for bringing him back. Auntie made some radish and pork rib soup. Have a bowl before you go."

Li Xiao rolled down the car window and said, "I won't drink anymore, Auntie. I have to go home first. I'll find Haozi later."

Wang Qin didn't insist he stay. She reminded him a few more times to drive carefully before letting go of Zheng Hao's arm and giving him a light pat on the back of the head.

"What are you still standing there for? Grab your bag and come inside. Your dad went to the market. He heard you were coming back today, so he sent Lao Liu to buy lamb spine hot pot early this morning. He insisted on cooking it himself. And you, you didn't even call back on the way."

Zheng Hao pulled his bag out of the back seat, waved to Li Xiao, and followed Wang Qin into the courtyard.

Li Xiao's car turned around and drove away. Wang Qin looked back one last time from under the porch and sighed.

"For the past six months, you've been supposed to be studying in the provincial capital, but I don't know what you've been busy with all day. You don't answer your dad's calls, and when I send you a WeChat message, you just reply with an 'hmm.' You're even more stingy with words than I am." She scolded him while patting the dust off Zheng Hao's back.

Zheng Hao chuckled: "I've been busy with my studies. Look how thin I've gotten."

"What do you mean by being thin? You're not even dressed properly. Jianye is colder than Jiangyang. Your down jacket is too thin. I'll take you to buy two thicker ones later."

Wang Qin opened the shoe cabinet and placed the cotton slippers that had been prepared beforehand next to his feet.

As Zheng Hao was changing his shoes, Wang Qin suddenly said:

"Why didn't your female classmate, Lin Miaomiao, come back with you?"

Zheng Hao paused, his heart skipping a beat. Wang Qin didn't look at him, but simply bent down to straighten the shoes she had taken off, and said in a calm tone:

"Your dad doesn't know. I only heard about it from someone the other day. You're all grown up now, I won't stop you from dating, but it's not that easy to get into the Zheng family. You can have fun, but don't get yourself into trouble."

Zheng Hao froze completely as he changed his shoes, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

He always thought he had kept his extravagant lifestyle in Jianye a complete secret, using his own card for everything from sharing an apartment to buying bags and giving gifts. Little did he know that his mother, who was in charge in Jiangyang, had already found out everything.

Jiangyang is only so big, and the slightest movement in the circle can't be kept secret from these shrewd middle-aged women.

"Mom...whose gossip are you listening to?"

Zheng Haoqian chuckled twice, then reluctantly shoved his feet into his slippers, his eyes darting around.

"They're just ordinary college classmates. We usually eat together and study together. It's not as exaggerated as you think."

"Can you go to a department store in Deji Plaza while studying?"

Wang Qin straightened up, gave him a half-smile, half-smile, her gaze so sharp it seemed it could peel a layer of skin off a person:

"Your mother isn't senile yet. That girl plays the cello, right? She's pretty, but I have to remind you, in Jianye, no matter how much trouble you cause, as long as you don't get into a murder case, your father and I will turn a blind eye."

If she behaves herself, we won't interfere if you spend some pocket money to support her as a companion; but if she develops any inappropriate thoughts, you should know to do the following.

Wang Qin started working with Zheng Guodong at the age of 22, working her way up from a small building materials store with only three storefronts in the south of the city to the largest building materials market in Jiangyang.

For more than 20 years, Zheng Guodong was out drinking and negotiating business with others, while she was in the store managing accounts, leading people, and dealing with troublesome suppliers. Later, as the business grew, she also learned to deal with the county leaders.

In Jiangyang, when people talk about the Zheng family, half of them fear Zheng Guodong's temper, while the other half respect Wang Qin's skills.

You think your dad's proudest achievement in his life was the building materials market? He was proud that he made the right choice in marrying your mom.

Wang Qin took Zheng Hao's scarf off and hung it on the coat rack, her movements unhurried and her tone still casual and conversational.

"When I married your father, the Zheng family didn't even have a decent yard. I squatted in our rented room cooking noodles for him, while he squatted at the door talking to people about sand and cement. Later, when things got better, your father had a bad temper and offended people. Every time, I was the one cleaning up after him."

She turned around and looked at her son:

"So Zheng Hao, don't think that just because you've grown up and your wings have hardened, you can try to be like those rich kids and keep mistresses in secret. If you want to play that game, fine. But there are a few lines you can't cross. I'm telling you this right now—I've seen plenty of girls like Lin Miaomiao."

She is smart, but her intelligence comes from poverty; she calculates every step she takes to climb higher.

When I'm with you, first I want your bag, then your money, then your approval on social media, and finally, I want a formal title.

If you don't give it to her, she'll find a way to let the whole world know she's with you. At that point, your father won't be able to bear the shame in Jiangyang, and the Zheng family will certainly not accept this daughter-in-law.