Sister Zhu, you're now a homeowner in Shanghai. This guy doesn't know about that, does he?

Uh... when I was scraping together the down payment, I borrowed money from a fellow villager. He might actually know; we're from the same hometown.

Chen Cheng nodded, "I see. He's got his eye on your apartment, plus Sister Zhu is so virtuous and capable of handling everything both inside and outside the home."

Scum helped analyze the situation, not forgetting to quietly compliment Sister Zhu.

Who doesn't like hearing nice things? Sister Zhu found it incredibly comfortable to listen to.

Chen Cheng continued, "Just watch. You didn't answer his call today, so he'll definitely change his strategy tomorrow."

"With tears and snot streaming down, he'll put on a show in front of you about a prodigal son returning and being worth more than gold."

"Making you willingly serve as his free housekeeper for the rest of your life."

"Sister Zhu, I suspect if you don't beat him up now, it'll be hard to get away from him."

Sister Zhu was amused by Chen Cheng and playfully made a move to hit him, looking annoyed.

"I think I should be the one hitting you."

Sister Zhu clenched her fist, looking at Chen Cheng's cheeky expression with puffed-up eyes. Yet, she couldn't hide the smile at the corner of her mouth; Chen Cheng's clowning around really pleased her.

"Oh, stop making fun of me. Quickly, help me think of a solution."

"Since you know his goal, just take it one step at a time. Sister Zhu hasn't spent all these years for nothing; dealing with a loser who wants to rekindle an old flame is a piece of cake."

"If that doesn't work, call me over and just say you already have a boyfriend."

"At that time, buddy will go and back you up. I guarantee that as soon as he sees buddy's looks, temperament, and this fit physique, he'll immediately retreat and run far away, never daring to bother you again."

"boyfriend?" A blush immediately appeared on Sister Zhu's face.

She pouted and thought about it. With Chen Cheng's looks, height, and the aura of driving a ferrari with one hand, fooling Chen Zufa would be a piece of cake.

"That's more like it."

Sister Zhu wasn't actually planning to let Chen Cheng do that; dealing with someone whose motives she understood was well within her grasp.

But she was still very happy that Chen Cheng offered.

After eating, Sister Zhu thought for a long time about where to take Chen Cheng to look around.

Finally, she decided to go play in the water, gave Chen Cheng directions, and took him to Dianshan Lake for kayaking.

One of her subordinates had come here on a weekend and told her about it; she had always wanted to come but never had the time.

It was the height of summer, so playing outdoors by the water was the most suitable choice.

It just meant Sister Zhu had to go to a roadside clothing store to buy a T-shirt, shorts, and sneakers.

The outfit Gao Yue bought for Chen Cheng really wasn't suitable for the outdoors.

The lakeside was densely shaded, and they were playing in the water.

The two of them kayaked and squirted water guns, playing wildly all afternoon, not even feeling the heat despite the thirty-degree weather.

But having enjoyed themselves, it was already dark by the time they headed back.

They ate together before returning to Ode to Joy.

Sister Zhu got out of the car far from the residential complex, afraid of running into Yu Chuhui and the others.

Before getting out, she specifically instructed Chen Cheng that everything today was a secret and he needed to keep it confidential.

Chen Cheng naturally didn't object; he was hoping for exactly that. It would be best if it stayed this way forever.

As soon as Chen Cheng got home, Sister Zhu sent him a message.

[By the way, how much were the clothes and shoes? I'll transfer the money to you.]

[What are you doing? Are we settling accounts like brothers?] Chen Cheng's mouth curved upward.

The meal at noon was quite expensive; the two of them spent nearly three thousand yuan.

Sister Zhu had expected it when entering the restaurant, but she still felt very embarrassed; she had insisted on paying for the afternoon kayaking and dinner.

[Of course. You treated me to such an expensive restaurant. I was already embarrassed. The clothes and shoes definitely need to be accounted for.]

Chen Cheng thought for a moment and replied: [I haven't given you any welcome gift, Sister Zhu. Today's dress is a welcome gift for you.]

[Besides, it wasn't something you wanted to buy; it was my own decision, so I'm paying for it. I don't know if you like it. Hehe~]

[...]

This guy complained for ages about the restaurant charging too much for cola, so why is he refusing to take money now?

What's the meaning of this?

Sister Zhu reacted for a few seconds, and after figuring it out, her mouth curled up, "This guy is actually quite thoughtful. Is he worried I can't afford it, so he's calling it a gift?"

She couldn't tell the brand of the dress, but the iconic 'YSL' logo on the heels was easy to recognize.

Even without checking, she knew it probably wasn't cheap.

Sister Zhu thought about how she would repay this favor in the future.

After thinking it through, she replied: [Alright, thank you, Chen Cheng. I really like this gift.]

Chen Cheng smugly raised the corner of his mouth, then selected a few photos taken in the afternoon and sent them to Sister Zhu.

In the photos, Sister Zhu's smile was bright, elegant, and fresh.

[I wasn't lying today. I said if Sister Zhu went to play a high school student, it wouldn't feel out of place at all.]

[In this state, if you put on a high school uniform, I guarantee no one would question it.]

Looking at herself in the photos, Sister Zhu felt like it was a lifetime ago, as if she had never smiled like that before.

Thinking of the person who took the photos, Sister Zhu's mouth curved upward, revealing a silly smile.

"Next time, what should I give him?"

[Sister Zhu favorability +3]

Chen Cheng looked at the jumping numbers on the virtual screen, and his mouth immediately curved upward.

Sister Zhu's favorability toward him was already 83.

He dared to say that if he ran downstairs right now and hugged and kissed Sister Zhu, if no one was around, Sister Zhu definitely wouldn't refuse.

However, he couldn't rush; haste makes waste.

There would always be opportunities.

One cannot give up the entire forest for just one tree. This is buddy's principle of conduct; there is no need to question it.

Over at Yu Chuhui's side, Ye Zhenzhen asked him when she got off work in the afternoon if he had time to take Mother Yu to Professor Lao Tao's house.

When Chen Cheng saw the message, he was somewhat speechless.

Just how little does this girl trust her to be so impatient about finding a backup plan for her mother?

Finding a job for Yu Chuhui's mother—although Chen Cheng had just said it casually at the time, he was genuinely prepared to do it, he just hadn't figured out how to arrange it yet.

He couldn't possibly arrange for Yu Chuhui's mother to work at Company Name; wouldn't that be like installing a surveillance camera on himself? He wasn't that stupid.

With Mother Yu's labor, the only work she could do was cleaning or being a nanny, and he couldn't possibly go to Old Tan for something like this, even though it would just be a matter of one sentence.

He had originally planned to just put her into the property management at Company Name and pay her salary himself to support her.

Having taken her first time, Chen Cheng wouldn't be stingy about this little bit of money.

But as it turned out, she thought we weren't reliable and went to beg Ye Zhenzhen instead.

Forget it. If Ye Zhenzhen handles it, it's the same as me handling it. We are one family, no need to talk about two families.

For the next few days, Chen Cheng was quite peaceful.

The few guitars he had ordered arrived, and he shut himself at home to focus on 'creating'.

The three little ones, Zhao Rui, Lin Miaomiao, and Deng Xiaoqi, had urged him several times.

I have to say, the body and brain buffed by System Daddy are truly comfortable; after practicing only a few times, Scum felt his guitar skills return to their peak, and he even had a feeling of sudden enlightenment.

"Wandering, on the road"

"Are you leaving? Via Via"

...