The two chatted sporadically, their moods exceptionally good. As their conversation flowed, it naturally turned to the topic of romantic partners.
“Now that you’ve transformed, you’re practically a rich and handsome guy. Lots of people must be chasing you,嘻嘻!”
“Oh, tons of them. Enough to circle BinDa a few times. It’s so annoying, sigh!” Li Haochen said jokingly.
“Tch, I don’t believe a word of it.” Zhang Zilin gave him a look and, with a hint of nervousness, asked, “Have you broken up with Qianrong yet? Found someone new?”
“We never even started anything, okay?”
“Don’t change the subject. You haven’t answered yet.”
Just as Li Haochen was about to reply, Murong Yanran’s call came in. “Are you busy?”
“No, just met a high school classmate. Sitting in a coffee shop for a bit.”
“Oh… Right, do you know any good hotels around your area? I have two friends coming over tomorrow and staying for a night.” Murong Yanran’s intuition told her Li Haochen was likely with a woman at the coffee shop, but she didn’t ask directly, instead finding a pretext to inquire about something else.
“Hotels, huh? Alright, I’ll arrange it and let you know.”
After hanging up, a hint of disappointment flickered in Zhang Zilin’s eyes. She forced a smile. “You look so happy. Is that your girlfriend?”
Li Haochen nodded, a happy expression on his face, not denying it.
Seeing this, Zhang Zilin felt a pang of loss, a fleeting emptiness. She quickly reverted to her usual optimistic and sweet demeanor, feigning curiosity. “So, how is she? Pretty? Good figure?”
“Both are quite good, hehe!”
“How good is ‘quite good’? Do you have a photo? Let me see…”
Zhang Zilin pestered him relentlessly, chattering non-stop. Li Haochen, unable to refuse, handed her his phone. Upon seeing Murong Yanran nestled against him, beaming with happiness, her astonishing beauty, and her graceful figure, Zhang Zilin couldn’t help but feel envious, sighing that she hadn’t lost unfairly.
“Why didn’t I meet you sooner…”
“What are you muttering about?”
“Uh… I said your girlfriend is really beautiful.”
A while later, Li Haochen glanced at his watch. “Class monitor, I apologize, but I need to leave. I have something on at home tonight.”
“Granted. Go ahead, go ahead…” Zhang Zilin, however, showed no intention of leaving, merely waving him off.
Li Haochen smiled apologetically, then hurried to the cashier to pay. After a moment’s thought, he handed over a few hundred extra yuan to the staff with some instructions and then left the coffee shop.
The reason for his haste was that he didn’t want Zhang Zilin to know he was buying gold jewelry from her store, otherwise, he would have received another steep discount.
Arriving at Zilin Jewelry, he went straight to the bridal counter. The dragon and phoenix bangles were all similar, differing only in thickness and size. Li Haochen directly chose the heaviest pair, then bought a large gold plaque and a pig-shaped charm.
“Miss, that’s all. How much will it be?”
As the sales assistant was calculating, she received a call and recalculated before handing over the calculator. “Boss, it’s twenty-three thousand in total.”
“Uh… only twenty-three thousand?” Li Haochen blinked in surprise, then his expression shifted. “This girl, I owe her another favor.”
After paying and wrapping the gold items, Li Haochen left Wanda City and hailed a Didi back to Li Village.
As he got out of the car, he could already hear the lively chatter from outside Li Dehai’s house. Upon entering the courtyard, it was already packed with guests, filling six large tables.
“Haochen, come here quickly.” Seeing Li Haochen enter, Li Dehai waved him over.
As soon as he sat down, the surrounding aunts and uncles swarmed him, their purpose the same: girlfriends.
Li Haochen’s face flushed under their questioning. Helpless, he finally took out his phone to show evidence, which brought him a moment of peace, though a few still held onto a sliver of hope.
“Haochen, you need to choose the right person when you get a partner. It’s not me bragging, but my niece is an overseas returnee from a prestigious university. She’s beautiful, has a great figure, is knowledgeable, and is a university teacher. She’s three years older than you, which is perfect – ‘a woman three years older is like holding a gold ingot.’ She’s coming to visit me tomorrow. How about I introduce you two?”
“Uh… Fourth Aunt, I…”
“It’s settled then! I’ll introduce you at the banquet tomorrow!” The woman didn’t give Li Haochen a chance to refuse, cutting him off and darting back to her table, leaving Li Haochen somewhat amused and exasperated.
Family banquets were much like everyday meals, mostly consisting of relatives and helping uncles and aunts. While it was a home-style meal, it couldn’t be shabby. If done poorly, some people might feel displeased. Moreover, the portions had to be generous; everyone should be able to eat their fill and even pack some to take home.
The liquor and cigarettes were Maotai and Huazi that Li Haochen brought back. He was generous with his relatives.
Li Haochen had a couple of small cups with his great-granduncle. The small, few-ounce cups made Li Shuren tear up with joy. He held Li Haochen’s hand tightly, constantly urging Li Haochen and his brother to quickly give him some great-grandchildren to play with, like a child, he was overjoyed.
The banquet didn’t last too long, as there were many tasks to be done for the wedding. The wedding preparations had already begun in the dead of night, including setting up the bed.
After the banquet dispersed, Li Haochen didn’t return to his own home but stayed at Li Dehai’s place to see if any help was needed.
At midnight, Li Haoyang came in reeking of alcohol, his face etched with fatigue. It was likely he had been out with his groomsmen for dinner and karaoke.
Seeing Li Haochen, a flicker of joy crossed his face. He walked over and gave him a firm hug.
“Why didn’t you call me when you got back? Look, you’ve gotten stronger.”
“Brother, rest for a bit. You’ve had quite a bit to drink, haven’t you?” Li Haochen pulled Li Haoyang to a chair by the courtyard and poured him a cup of hot tea.
“Smoke?”
Li Haochen shook his head.
“Your wife doesn’t let me smoke. I only have a couple when I’m feeling troubled.”
Li Haoyang looked at his parents, who were busy inside, with a look of guilt. He took a few deep puffs of his cigarette and sighed heavily. “I’m not educated like you. I left home early, and after years of drifting, I haven’t achieved much. Getting married has put so much pressure on the two elders. Instead of letting them enjoy life, I’ve made them suffer. Don’t you think I’m a total failure?”
“Brother, look at the smiles on Uncle and the others. This is happiness. Even though there’s some hardship, sweetness will surely follow after bitterness. Believe me.”
“Mmm, I hope so. Haochen, I’ll have to return that ten thousand yuan to you a bit later.”
Li Haochen didn’t say it was okay or that he didn’t need it back, as he understood it was a man’s responsibility. He lightly patted Li Haoyang’s shoulder. “Brother, mine can wait. The priority now is for you to quickly give me a couple of nephews to hold, hehe!”
“Soon, hehe!”
“Is your wife pregnant?”
“Mmm, twins. If not for that, would a professor and principal from a major city let their precious daughter marry me?”
“Brother, you’re awesome!” Li Haochen gave him a thumbs-up and smiled.