Mom Makes a Good Point

Su Ting ignored Xu Mo's exaggerated display of distress—chest-thumping and all.

Her gaze remained fixed on the phone screen, scrutinizing the transfer records from someone else.

It was exactly as Xu Mo had claimed.

And that wasn’t all.

There were also chat logs between Xu Mo and Liu Yong on WeChat.

Hiss…

Even Su Ting, who had weathered countless storms, couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

A few billion was nothing to the Xu Family or to her.

Just a minor collaborative project.

The kind she didn’t even need to glance at.

After all, the projects that ultimately crossed her desk for review were worth hundreds of billions.

Only then would it land in her hands.

And even then, they had to be in the trillions.

But that aside,

thirty or forty billion was still an unimaginable sum for most people.

To put it bluntly,

many mid-to-upper-tier entrepreneurs in society

would spend their entire lives striving just to grow their companies to a valuation of a few billion.

Hitting ten billion already made you a standout.

And those who managed to scale their businesses to thirty or forty billion?

They were as rare as phoenix feathers.

Those were the self-made success stories, the ones with a bit of networking luck.

And that was only if everything went smoothly, without major setbacks.

Su Ting was well aware her son had gone into acting.

She knew, yes.

But she hadn’t paid it much mind.

Honestly, how many unserious ventures had Xu Mo dabbled in before?

Yet now, at this very moment,

Su Ting realized her son might not be the same as before.

Had he finally done something worthwhile…?

Ahem, ahem… Su Ting cleared her throat and slid the phone back toward Xu Mo.

"Impressive. You’ve grown capable."

Her light, almost airy tone carried layers of unspoken emotion—

pride, nostalgia, and a touch of discomfort.

It was like…

knowing your child was the class dunce,

only for them to miraculously ace the final exam and bring home a perfect score.

And even then, you’d call the teacher to confirm it was real before finally letting yourself believe it.

Xu Mo chuckled awkwardly.

"Nah, it’s all thanks to the incompetence of others."

"Huh? What???"

"Never mind." Xu Mo wiped the smile off his face and reclaimed his phone. "Now that you know I’ve got the skills, Mom, about the whole cooking thing—"

"You want a raise, is that it?"

"Yeah— Wait, no—"

Xu Mo shot an exasperated glare at Xu Shi.

The one who’d spoken wasn’t just anyone—

it was the big sis.

That girl had a knack for butting in at the worst times.

Her sudden interjection left Xu Mo momentarily flustered.

"A raise? Fine by me!" Su Ting declared with a wave of her hand.

Xu Mo was torn between laughter and tears. "Mom, it’s not about the money."

"Your bank accounts are all frozen right now. Where else are you going to get startup funds? A man asking a woman for money is embarrassing enough, but borrowing from friends? Even worse." Su Ting side-eyed him, her words dripping with implication.

Xu Mo’s lips twitched. "Then what do you suggest?"

His mother was clearly hinting at something.

Xu Mo decided to humor her.

Su Ting smiled. "My advice? Buckle down and cook for a month. Earn your seed money the honest way."

Xu Shi nodded in agreement. "Mom’s got a point."

Round and round they went,

right back to the topic of cooking.

Xu Mo was genuinely at his wit’s end with these two.

"I don’t need to cook to make my first fortune."

This time, a flicker of concern crossed Su Ting’s brow—joy and worry tangled together.

Before Xu Mo had revealed those billions in earnings,

she’d thought he was just joking around.

But now?

Su Ting was starting to realize she might not understand her son as well as she thought.

"Is it really that hard to cook one meal for your family?"

Xu Fuqiang’s displeased voice boomed from the doorway.

He’d barely stepped inside when he caught wind of his son’s rebellious remarks.

The old man was livid.

After hiding your skills all these years,

you can’t even cook for your own family?

Xu Mo thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I’ll cook, but not every day. I’ve got a business to start—things might get busy."

Xu Fuqiang’s mustache bristled. He hadn’t yet heard about the billions. "Going independent?"

"Not exactly. Just trying to make a living."

"Need startup capital?"

"I can handle it myself."

"I’ve got some advice. Care to hear it?"

"Not really… Fine, go ahead…"

Xu Mo quickly backtracked when he noticed his father’s hand twitching toward the belt at his waist—the infamous "Seven Wolves" leather strap.

Not that he was afraid of it.

With his mastery of ancient martial arts,

his defenses were impenetrable.

The belt’s threat was purely symbolic.

No, Xu Mo was more worried about what would happen if the old man actually pulled it out—

his pants might just follow.

And with his little sister and everyone else around,

that would be… undignified.

If it were just Su Ting here,

fine.

But the whole family was present.

Disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful.

Xu Fuqiang nodded, pleased by his son’s sudden compliance. "I don’t need to spell it out. Look at your more accomplished friends—not the deadbeats, the real ones. Their fathers threw them into the deep end early, made them start from the bottom in the family’s smaller companies."

"But you? You’re the Xu Family’s only son. Your mother and I spoiled you rotten. Never laid a hand on you, never raised our voices. Everywhere you go, you’re treated like royalty—just because you’re Xu Fuqiang’s boy."

"The proposal I'm giving you is to set aside all these accolades. We'll arrange for you to gain experience in a mid-to-upper-tier company."

Xu Mo touched his cheek and couldn't help interrupting Old Xu.

"That doesn't seem appropriate?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Dad, I'm not bragging, but my face has way too much recognition value. Wherever I go, I attract attention. The incognito approach doesn't work for me—in other words, I'd love to keep a low profile, but my natural charisma just won't allow it!"

"........"

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

Xu Mo wasn't wrong.

But why did they all suddenly feel this overwhelming urge to punch him?