"Do you know how dangerous it is to casually call someone handsome?"
"How dan..."
Before Murong Yanran could finish speaking, Li Haochen's kiss sealed her lips. The passionate affection enveloped them, and they became so engrossed they were oblivious to the world around them.
Two minutes later, their lips parted. Murong Yanran, with a blush, pouted and playfully chided Li Haochen, "Look, my lip gloss is all gone."
"Let me see." Li Haochen leaned in as if to inspect, but his intention was for her soft lips. As expected, he succeeded again, though this time it was just a brief touch.
"See, I've reapplied it, hahaha!"
Murong Yanran wiped the corner of her lower lip and gave him a big eye-roll, "Let's go, home."
"Mm, home."
At home, Xie Baolian was already waiting in the living room, checking her phone from time to time with an anxious expression.
About ten minutes later, the sound of a car engine echoed from outside. Xie Baolian jumped up and hurried out. Seeing Li Haochen step out of the car, she rushed over and hugged him, "You rascal, you dared to trick me! You'll pay for this later."
Though Xie Baolian spoke that way, her eyes held no blame, only overflowing maternal love. She patted him all over, "Son, are you hungry?"
"Uh... I... I am hungry, very hungry." Li Haochen, seeing the loving gaze in Xie Baolian's eyes, couldn't bear to disappoint her and quickly changed his tune, even though he wasn't hungry.
"Then wait here, I'll cook something for you." With that, she dashed to the kitchen like the wind.
Murong Yanran put down Li Haochen's small luggage and pushed him towards the room, "Go take a bath quickly, and I'll give you a massage when you come out."
"How about we give each other massages, hehe!"
Murong Yanran knew Li Haochen's lewd talk, so she rolled her eyes and walked upstairs on her tiptoes with her hands behind her back, lightly saying, "Let's see how you behave."
"Huh?" Li Haochen hadn't even registered what she meant and stood there stunned for a moment, then broke into a foolish grin, "Am I faster than Captain Donkey? Hehehe!"
When Li Haochen emerged from his bath, he was surprised to find that Murong Yanran had also finished her bath, her hair still wet. This had broken her previous record for the shortest bath time.
Li Haochen didn't let Murong Yanran massage him; instead, he blew her hair dry. Her long, dark, and lustrous hair nearly reached her waist.
Knowing Murong Yanran was sensitive to heat, he didn't set the hairdryer to the highest heat setting, only medium heat. The hot air buzzed, scattering her hair, which emanated a faint, pleasant fragrance.
The medium heat was indeed insufficient. After blowing for a long time, her hair was only about sixty percent dry. Holding the hairdryer continuously was quite tiring. Li Haochen couldn't help but admire the masseuses who worked in foot baths, but life was like this: only by enduring worldly hardships could one attain worldly wealth.
A few minutes later, Xie Baolian brought out a large bowl of egg and lean pork noodles. It was a truly massive bowl, making Li Haochen flinch.
"Son, come and eat it while it's hot."
Xie Baolian pulled out a chair and sat down, propping her right hand under her chin, her large, bright eyes fixed on Li Haochen as he ate.
Li Haochen savored the meal filled with love, eating with gusto. Although he ate a lot, it seemed as if the bowl hadn't changed.
Ten minutes later, Li Haochen finally slurped the last strand of noodle into his mouth. His belly felt like a giant watermelon, and the noodles were reaching his throat.
Seeing Li Haochen finish every last bit, Xie Baolian walked back to her room with a satisfied expression.
"Burp~"
"Stuffed?"
"Burp~ What do you think?" Li Haochen pointed to his bulging stomach.
"I'll make you some digestion tea."
"No... I really can't eat anymore. You go rest, I'll be fine after sitting for a while."
"Are you really okay?"
"Mm, don't worry."
After Murong Yanran returned to her room, Li Haochen groaned on the sofa. He rested for about an hour before feeling slightly better.
He read a novel for a while longer, and drowsiness crept in. He checked the time; it was already half-past midnight. He stood up, patted his stomach a few times, and then went back to his room to get into bed.
That night, he dreamt sweetly. When he woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. His stomach had returned to normal after a night of digestion, but he still wasn't hungry.
He came out to find that the two women had already left for work. The breakfast in the pot was light: white congee, pickled string beans, and red bean buns. He figured Murong Yanran had prepared them for him.
After breakfast, Li Haochen entered his space to retrieve the lobsters and coral trout he had set aside yesterday. He decided it would be better to take them out in the afternoon.
He surveyed the situation on Jiuzhou Island within his space. The growth remained unchanged, a steady 50 centimeters every day.
"I've brought in a lot of fish, shrimp, and crabs recently, but the island's growth hasn't increased. Is 50 centimeters the limit?"
Li Haochen pondered for a moment and then let the thought go. He was already very satisfied with the current situation. As long as he continued to increase the variety and quantity of marine life and build a solid foundation, he would eventually reach the top and look down upon the world.
He walked over to the reef area and looked at the sea snails there. They were quite pleasing. Many had already reproduced quite a bit, but the expensive "General's Hat" and rock snails were fewer. The abalone had grown larger, but unfortunately, they hadn't reached breeding age yet, so he had to continue waiting.
He left his space and did half an hour of shuttlecock exercises before riding his electric scooter to the warehouse. When he arrived, it was empty, making Li Haochen feel a bit sheepish. He immediately locked up and entered his space to pick coconuts.
The entire morning was spent picking coconuts. After several hours of hard work, he finally replenished the warehouse.
After leaving the warehouse, he immediately rode his bike to the pedestrian street. He had been busy with the house and going out to sea recently, and hadn't had a good gathering with his brothers. Although their friendship was very strong, it still needed to be maintained.
As the saying goes, a neighbor is better than a distant relative, and so is friendship. Once you stop meeting, affection fades, and without affection, friendship is lost.
Before coming, Li Haochen had called Chen He and the others. At this moment, the three of them were discussing how to greet Li Haochen later. Their sly glances made the upcoming scene easy to imagine.
As soon as Li Haochen parked his electric scooter, the people inside the shop had already seen him clearly through the surveillance cameras and were waiting by the back door.
"Crick-"
As Li Haochen opened the back door and walked in, Chen He and the others immediately swarmed him, attacking him in any way they pleased, using moves like the "Bird-Flipping Dragon Claw Hand" and "Second Nail Finger," enjoying themselves immensely.
"Oh... my Dapeng."
"Here... Dapeng." The three stopped their sneaky tactics and greeted Li Haochen with international gestures.
"You animals wait for me."
"Tch-"
The three scoffed in unison, completely unfazed by Li Haochen's 'threat'.
"Alipay transfer of 183,567 yuan received."
At this moment, a demonic voice echoed in their ears, lingering and refusing to fade.