I became a movie star at the age of three; Dilraba and I are childhood sweethearts.

"Hey, Xiao Chen, what important work do you have to do?"

"Has another big Hollywood director approached you to star in a movie?"

Dilraba blinked her big, curious eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, is there another new movie coming out?"

Everyone thought that, given Xiao Chen's current position, it was normal for him to be so busy that he barely had time to breathe.

For him to ask for his phone to handle something, it must be something extremely important.

Xiao Chen took the phone, just smiled, and didn't answer.

He unlocked the screen, and his long, slender, fair fingers began to tap rapidly on it.

Everyone assumed he was replying to an email or contacting his agent, Wang Jinhua.

Only Dilraba, relying on her childhood friendship with Xiao Chen, was the boldest.

She quietly peeked her head out from behind Xiao Chen's side, like a kitten, and glanced at the phone screen.

She was stunned after just one glance.

The screen displayed neither an email nor WeChat, but the interface of a shopping app.

The shopping cart is overflowing, it's full of...

"Huanggang Little Champion", "Five-Year College Entrance Examination and Three-Year Simulation", "Elementary School Math Olympiad: Learning by Analogy", "Must-Do Practice Problems", "Tianli 38 Sets", "Hengshui Golden Papers"...

From first grade to high school graduation, from Chinese, math, and English to physics, chemistry, and biology, various versions and levels of difficulty are available.

Everything you could want, a dazzling array!

At the very bottom of the screen, there's a glaring red total price.

It displayed a staggering five-figure number!

Dilraba's mouth gradually opened into an "O" shape.

She rubbed her eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"Good heavens!"

A gasp escaped her lips uncontrollably.

Even though she's still in school, I've never heard a teacher tell her to buy so many workbooks!

What is Xiao Chen trying to do?

Suddenly, Dilraba realized what was happening, and her expression became even more surprised.

Brother Xiao Chen is going to buy a workbook for Er Gouzi!

Seeing Dilraba's reaction and expression, Sha Yi and the others were immediately drawn over.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Why that expression?

"Has another big Hollywood director approached Xiao Chen to act in a movie?"

Dilraba pointed at Xiao Chen's phone screen, her voice trembling slightly.

"Look...you all!"

"Brother Xiao Chen... he really is buying exercise books for Er Gouzi!"

Upon hearing this, everyone gathered around.

When the content on the screen was clearly seen, the entire pergola fell into a deathly silence.

A few seconds later, an even louder burst of laughter erupted.

Sha Yi laughed so hard he slapped his thigh.

"My God! They actually bought it!"

"The complete set from elementary to high school!"

"Xiao Chen, are you going to take over Er Gouzi's entire academic career?!"

Leslie Cheung laughed until tears streamed down his face.

"That's too cruel!"

"How long will this take to finish?!"

Mei Yanfang couldn't help but chuckle, giving Xiao Chen a reproachful look, but her eyes were full of doting affection.

"You're really...so mean."

Liu Yifei covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking violently; she could already imagine what was happening.

When that mountain of exercise books appeared in front of Er Gouzi, what a look of despair must have appeared on the face of that four-year-old child.

The crowd chattered amongst themselves, all mourning for poor Er Gouzi.

Xiao Chen, the instigator, remained calm, as if he had only done something insignificant.

He calmly entered the address, selected "express delivery," and then clicked to pay.

After doing all this, he put away his phone, ignoring the various gazes directed at him.

He simply picked up a slice of watermelon and slowly began to eat it.

His calm and composed demeanor was as if he had just spent a fortune.

The person who wanted to inflict a "curse of knowledge" on a four-year-old brat was not him at all.

This cunning and composure raised everyone's respect for him to a new level.

Just kidding.

Xiao Chen always keeps his word.

As night falls, the mountain village is exceptionally quiet.

Xiao Chen cooked dinner himself.

He was in a good mood today and cooked several traditional northern dishes, but none of them were spicy.

Soon, with the help of the guests, the meal was ready.

Chicken stew with mushrooms, pork stew with vermicelli, sweet and sour pork, and the three delicacies...

A table laden with steaming dishes, their aroma filling the air and tempting everyone's mouths.

Dilraba was the first to pick up her chopsticks.

"Wow! It smells amazing!"

She picked up a large piece of sweet and sour pork and stuffed it into her mouth, panting as it burned, but she couldn't bear to spit it out.

"Mmm! Delicious! Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a perfect balance of sweet and sour!"

She gave a vague, indistinct praise.

Sha Yi ate with such gusto that he was sweating profusely, wielding his chopsticks like spinning wheels.

"Xiao Chen, your cooking is amazing!"

"It's a waste of his talent that he doesn't run a restaurant!"

"Whoever marries you in the future will be incredibly lucky!"

Upon hearing Sha Yi's words, both Dilraba and Liu Yifei were stunned, clearly lost in thought because of what Sha Yi had said.

That's true.

I wonder which lucky girl will be able to marry Xiao Chen in the future.

He's handsome, capable, and most importantly, a great homebody.

Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung also praised Xiao Chen's cooking skills.

They had tasted all sorts of delicacies, but none of them could warm their hearts and stomachs as much as these few home-style dishes in front of them.

Everyone enjoyed the meal immensely, and the atmosphere was harmonious and joyful.

At the dinner table, everyone chatted and laughed about Er Gouzi again, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

After dinner, everyone went back to their rooms to wash up and prepare for rest.

Life in the mountains is like this: working at sunrise and resting at sunset.

The guests here all enjoyed this schedule; the rare regularity made them all feel at peace.

However, just as everyone was dozing off, a piercing scream suddenly erupted from the girls' room!

"ah--!"

"Snake! There's a snake!"

A piercing scream shattered the tranquility of the night sky.

Xiao Chen, Sha Yi, and Zhang Guorong jumped out of bed almost instantly, without even having time to put on their shoes.

They rushed toward the source of the sound.

Xiao Chen was the first to rush to the door and asked in a deep voice.

"What's wrong?!"

The door was yanked open from the inside with a bang, and Dilraba and Liu Yifei rushed out, their faces pale.

They clung tightly to Xiao Chen's arms, one on each side, their bodies trembling like leaves.

Dilraba's voice was trembling with tears as she pointed into the room.

"Snake...snake! It's a huge snake!"

Mei Yanfang also came out. Although she didn't lose her composure like the two young girls, her face was also pale, clearly she was quite frightened.

There's a snake?

Sha Yi and Zhang Guorong peeked into the room and were also startled.

On the floorboards in the room, a snake nearly a meter long, yellow and black in color, was coiled up.

With its triangular head held high, Nose hissed as it exhaled, its cold, vertical pupils gleaming eerily under the light.