7: Chapter 7: Taking him home to meet the parents?

"What is dragon-phoenix soup? The name sounds so fantastical. What is it made of? It's so fresh and tender," He Yueyou said, her mouth never stopping even as she spoke.

"It's made with wild pheasant and—and eel." Cao Xiao was also eating heartily and almost blurted out that it was snake, but he suddenly paused. Girls were generally afraid of snakes. If he told her now after she had already eaten it, the consequences would be severe; He Yueyou would definitely explode, and might even throw up what she'd eaten. It was better to tell her it was eel for now; even if she found out later, the fallout wouldn't be as bad—at most, she just wouldn't eat it again.

"This eel is so big. Are wild ones always this large?" He Yueyou picked up a piece of snake meat and held it before her eyes, asking curiously.

"Yeah, wild ones grow for a long time, so they naturally get that big." Cao Xiao was now full of regret. He didn't dare look He Yueyou in the eye, keeping his head down and pretending to eat seriously. He hadn't thought things through today. One slip-up and he might lose her as a friend entirely. He really wanted to slap himself; he had only thought about showing off his prize and hadn't considered that girls might fear snakes.

"Wow, this eel really is huge," He Yueyou remarked.

Cao Xiao really didn't want to continue this topic. He lowered his head to gnaw on a piece of rabbit meat and then focused solely on eating the snake meat, wanting to finish it off first. Unexpectedly, He Yueyou's remark almost made him choke. Thinking about a certain viral topic regarding eels on the internet a few days ago, a sense of pure evil made him shudder involuntarily. He was even more afraid to speak now and quickly scooped the rest of the snake meat into his own bowl.

"Cao Xiao, why are you eating so fast? Leave some for me, I haven't had enough yet!" He Yueyou thought Cao Xiao was snatching the food. Seeing that he didn't reply, she tried to stop him, using her chopsticks to compete for the snake meat to put in her own bowl.

Cao Xiao was truly on the verge of a breakdown. It really wasn't easy trying to make up for his mistake! If He Yueyou ever found out, she would definitely hate him to death.

They finally finished the meal, and Cao Xiao's stomach was incredibly stuffed. The meal had ended on an awkward note. Originally, Cao Xiao wanted to have a good chat with He Yueyou to learn more about her situation, but he had messed it all up.

After eating, He Yueyou took the initiative to help clear the table and wash the dishes. Seeing her clumsy movements, it was clear she had never done this before. In over a year, he had never seen her cook for herself; she was another person who didn't know her way around a kitchen. Cao Xiao had no choice but to tell her to go back and rest.

It was getting late. After washing up, Cao Xiao collapsed onto his bed and fell into a daze before drifting off to sleep.

While they were eating, in a brightly lit dining room at Shengshi Manor, a group of people were also having a late-night snack. However, their expressions were quite unsightly. These were the very people from Private Room 666, including Director Huang.

After the KTV lost power and the fire broke out, these people had fled in a panic. Usually pampered and high-ranking, they only cared about their own lives in a crisis. They were pushed and pulled along with the crowd out of the KTV. By the time they gathered outside the lobby, they were all in a pathetic state. Several people's clothes were torn, and Director Huang had even been knocked down and stepped on several times, leaving footprints all over his clothes.

Most public places use fireproof materials for decoration, so even if a fire starts, it doesn't spread quickly. The fire department arrived within ten minutes and extinguished the fire shortly after. Only then did the Shengshi employees appear to soothe the customers. After coming out, Director Huang and the others had been clamoring to cause trouble for Shengshi. Since Cao Xiao had broken their phones, they couldn't immediately contact the management to handle it. They shouted for a long time; while others had been appeased with free bills and left, they remained, relentlessly cursing.

Seeing that they were all people with some degree of influence and that Shengshi was in the wrong today, a shareholder of Shengshi eventually stepped forward and promised some benefits. Only then did the group stop their fussing. Normally, they wouldn't dare act like this; the Shengshi Group was very powerful, and even combined, they wouldn't be enough for the group to deal with. Today, they were just taking the opportunity to squeeze out some benefits. Director Huang, acting as the vanguard, was quite practiced at this, suggesting he had done it many times before.

The benefit they secured today was free consumption for everything at Shengshi, not just the KTV bill like the other customers. They could enjoy unlimited free spending on any of Shengshi's other services today. This was a level of treatment they usually couldn't even ask for. Among them were wealthy bosses who wouldn't think twice about spending eighty or a hundred thousand for entertainment, but there were ten of them today, and Shengshi's prices were outrageously high; not a single one of them could produce that much cash to squander. Of course, they couldn't go overboard, or they would surely be dealt with, and even more harshly.

That was why these people were now appearing in this luxurious room.

"Director Huang, you're the one who invited us out to play today. You didn't handle what you promised, the prize slipped through our fingers, and we ended up in this state. You have to give us an explanation," a gloomy, thin middle-aged man said, hugging the hostess sitting beside him.

"Exactly, today was such bad luck. But that woman really was top-tier. If that kid hadn't come out to mess things up, she might be in my bed right now. Right, call her out again tomorrow; we have to get her this time. If she won't come, I'll have someone bring her directly to help me blow off some steam. And that idiot who interfered today—you're the local power here, find him and teach him how to behave," a middle-aged man with a large belly said viciously.

"Gentlemen, I put a lot on the line today. That woman is from our office and is usually quite obedient. I didn't expect her to be so difficult today. But as for calling her out again, let's forget it. Her background isn't simple; the company leaders are all very polite and protective toward her. Before we figure out her background, it's better not to act rashly. I might even get in trouble tomorrow, so you brothers have to look out for me. Don't worry, once I find that kid, I'll definitely give him a harsh lesson and record a video to send to you all," Director Huang promised solemnly.

Cao Xiao knew none of this, and even if he did, he wouldn't care. These people were at most local bullies; once he left this area, they wouldn't be able to do anything to him.

The next day, Cao Xiao woke up early. He had forgotten to turn off his alarm yesterday and hadn't realized it was the weekend. He had things to do today, so he didn't linger in bed, washed up, and prepared to head out.

To his surprise, as soon as he stepped out, he saw He Yueyou dragging a small suitcase, also preparing to leave. Today, He Yueyou wasn't wearing her work uniform. She wore a white sun hat, a white T-shirt under a light green sun-protection jacket, slim-fit jeans, and black canvas shoes, radiating a youthful aura.

"Eh? Cao Xiao, aren't you resting at home on the weekend? Where are you going?" He Yueyou also saw Cao Xiao heading out and asked curiously.

"I'm going to the county to see my parents today, and then I'm heading to Jinghu City. Where are you going so early?" Cao Xiao's sleepiness vanished the moment he saw her.

"Ah! You're going to Jinghu City? I'm going there too. My mom is on vacation over there, so I'm going to accompany her. Are you driving?" He Yueyou said excitedly as soon as she heard Cao Xiao was going to Jinghu City.

"What a coincidence. I'm driving. You were going to take the bus, right? Why don't you come with me to the county first, and then we can go to Jinghu City together? It won't be boring on the road." Cao Xiao thought he was lucky today to be able to travel with the girl he liked.

"Sure! Taking the bus is too much trouble; you have to transfer several times. Driving is much faster." He Yueyou didn't want to take the bus either. From here to Jinghu City required three transfers, and with the delays from waiting, she might not even reach Jinghu City by one or two in the afternoon.

"Give me the suitcase." Cao Xiao took the initiative to take He Yueyou's suitcase and put it in the trunk. He also put the packaged game meat from yesterday inside; otherwise, it would be hard to explain if he suddenly brought it out later.

It was still early, so the two first went to a roadside stall for breakfast. After filling the car's tank at a gas station, his pocket was lighter by several hundred yuan, with exactly one thousand left. He still had to buy some gifts for Second Aunt's family later, which would cost another few hundred. Cao Xiao's heart bled; he thought it wasn't that people were becoming lazy and staying home more, but that just stepping out of the house cost enough to make one's heart ache.

Now that the shackles on Cao Xiao's heart were gone, he spoke more freely. The two laughed and talked along the way, and their bond deepened a bit more. The county roads were in good condition, and since it was early on a weekend, there wasn't much traffic. They reached the county town in forty minutes without any obstructions.

The house Cao Xiao's parents rented was in an old residential area. He parked the car downstairs.

"Yueyou, do you want to come up for a bit?" Cao Xiao asked He Yueyou after getting out of the car.

"Not today. I didn't bring any gifts. I'll visit another time when there's a chance. I'll just wait for you in the car. Please give my regards to your parents," He Yueyou said to Cao Xiao after a moment of hesitation, as if she had thought of something just as she was about to get out.

"Oh, then wait for me a moment. I'll be down soon." Cao Xiao had invited He Yueyou up out of courtesy, without any other intentions. But now he realized that suddenly bringing a girl home—and a beautiful one at that—felt like bringing a girlfriend to meet the parents. His current relationship with He Yueyou was only that of ordinary friends, not even close friends. He Yueyou was probably afraid of being misunderstood, which would lead to an awkward situation.

Thinking of this, Cao Xiao felt a bit dejected. It seemed He Yueyou really didn't have any romantic interest in him and only saw him as a friend. Her occasional concern for him when they were neighbors, including giving him milk the other day, was just because of her kind nature; she was good to everyone around her.

But wasn't it precisely because she was kind and beautiful that Cao Xiao admired her? A beautiful exterior only makes the heart flutter, but a kind soul makes one unable to extricate themselves. Cao Xiao had been through a few relationships and self-importantly thought he had seen through love. In his years of working, he had seen many beautiful girls and felt attracted to them, but it never went beyond that. It wasn't until he met He Yueyou and got to know her that he began to silently watch over her in their daily lives, appearing whenever she needed help—even if it was just to change a lightbulb. He had never shown a hint of his admiration to her, always helping her covertly and calmly.

He opened the trunk, took out the game meat, and went up to his home on the fifth floor. His younger siblings weren't back today, and his parents were out doing business, so no one was home. He put the food in the fridge and called both parents to tell them he had left some game meat in the fridge, so they didn't need to cook lunch. He told them he was heading out for business but would be home to accompany them in the evening.

Looking at the crowded and messy home, Cao Xiao felt a pang of sadness. If he hadn't obtained the Intelligent Industrial Mother Machine, it might have taken his family many years to escape their predicament, and who knew how long it would take to have a home of their own.

Closing the door, Cao Xiao's expression became more determined. For this family, so his parents wouldn't have to work so hard and could enjoy their later years in health and peace, and so his siblings could have a better future, he had to work even harder. Having a cheat code didn't guarantee success; until he had power that could rival the world, he had to remain low-key and move step by step, or he might bring trouble to his family.

Jinghu City was over two hundred kilometers from the county town. After getting on the highway from the county, Cao Xiao drove at a speed of a hundred kilometers per hour. He had been a bit distracted since leaving home, thinking about what to do once they reached Jinghu City. His conversation with He Yueyou was also a bit half-hearted. Combined with the need to drive, he spoke less. He Yueyou probably hadn't rested well yesterday and fell asleep shortly after they hit the highway. She must have been dreaming of something wonderful, as she had a sweet smile on her face even in sleep, with a bit of crystal at the corner of her mouth. She was truly a carefree girl, happy even while sleeping. Looking at those cute and sexy lips, Cao Xiao felt an impulse to kiss her. But it was just a thought; if he looked a few more times, he might really be unable to resist, so he could only focus on driving with his eyes fixed ahead.

"Yueyou, wake up. We're in Jinghu City. Where is your destination?" They arrived at Jinghu City at eleven o'clock. Cao Xiao woke He Yueyou and asked where she needed to go.

"Oh, we're here already? I'm going to the Baishan Lake Resort. If you have business to attend to, just drop me off anywhere and I'll take a taxi myself," He Yueyou said groggily, rubbing her eyes and looking out the car window.

"It's fine, my business isn't urgent. Sending you there won't take much time. By the way, are you coming back today?" Cao Xiao thought to himself, how could I possibly just leave you? But he said something else.

"Then I'll trouble you! I'm not going back until tomorrow at noon. Don't worry, I'll have my mom's driver take me back tomorrow. You don't need to worry about me," He Yueyou said politely.

"By the way, do you know the way? I'm not familiar with Jinghu City," Cao Xiao asked.

"I'm not familiar either. Let's use the phone's navigation then. Once we're near Baishan Lake, I'll have my mom come out to meet me." He Yueyou took out her phone and opened Baidu Maps to start the navigation.

Following the navigation route, it took over twenty minutes to reach the Baishan Lake Scenic Area. The scenery here was beautiful; it had been a famous national 5A-level scenic area for a long time.