What Self-Driving Route

This was Su Yang's first time visiting Meng Wenzhou's home—or, to be more precise, his parents' home.

Meng Wenzhou didn’t usually live here. Like Pan Ning, he had bought his own place and lived separately, while Meng Qianyu was the only one still staying at the family estate.

After all, Meng Qianyu had just returned from abroad not long ago. Given time, she’d probably move out as well.

Su Yang drove slowly into the estate, and once past the gates, a whole new world unfolded before him. A straight path stretched toward the main building at the heart of the property.

At the center of the road stood a circular fountain, flanked by vast stretches of lush green lawn on either side.

After passing the fountain, Meng Qianyu pointed to a spacious parking area on the right ahead and said, "Su Yang, you can park over there."

"Got it."

Su Yang acknowledged and steered the car in that direction.

The parking area already held several luxury vehicles: a black Rolls-Royce Phantom, a Bentley Mulsanne, a Toyota Alphard, a Bugatti Chiron, an Audi A8 Horch, a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, and a Maybach S680.

Su Yang knew the Chiron belonged to Meng Wenzhou, while the others were likely the cars of Meng Jianyun and his wife.

Across from this parking area was another equally spacious lot, currently empty—presumably reserved for arriving guests later.

After parking, the three of them stepped out of the car.

Just then, a man in his fifties, about 175 cm tall, dressed in a well-tailored suit and with an upright posture, emerged from the house.

His hair was slicked back, and his square-jawed face gave off an approachable vibe.

Spotting him, Meng Qianyu immediately waved and called out, "Uncle Chen!"

"Qianyu, you're back!"

"Yeah!" Meng Qianyu nodded, then leaned closer to Su Yang and whispered, "Su Yang, this is Uncle Chen, my dad’s butler. Though he’s technically the household manager, he’s practically family—his status here is really high..."

Su Yang replied calmly, "Ah, got it."

As they spoke, Uncle Chen approached.

He smiled at Pan Ning, who stood beside Meng Qianyu, and greeted, "Pan Ning, you’re here too!"

"Hello, Uncle Chen!" Pan Ning returned the smile with a nod.

"And who is this gentleman?" Uncle Chen then turned his gaze to Su Yang.

Noticing the question directed at him, Su Yang stepped forward politely, extended his hand, and offered a faint smile. "Hello, Uncle Chen. I’m Su Yang, a friend of Pan Ning and Qianyu."

Uncle Chen shook his hand warmly. "Nice to meet you. Mind if I call you ‘Young Su’?"

"Not at all."

"Please, come in." Uncle Chen nodded and led the way toward the main building.

The three of them followed quickly.

Su Yang took a moment to study the structure before him. The building stood about six stories high, roughly 30 meters, imposing and grand—almost reminiscent of a palace.

The first and second floors housed functional areas like reception halls, tea rooms, and banquet spaces, while the third floor and above were private living quarters.

Stepping into the reception hall on the first floor, Su Yang glanced around, taking in the lavish decor.

The space was expansive, designed in a predominantly European style, with high-end materials like marble, brick, and solid wood dominating the interior.

Every corner was meticulously designed, with the arched windows allowing just the right amount of natural light—bright enough for ample illumination but never harsh.

The lobby had soaring ceilings, adorned with a massive crystal chandelier hanging overhead. At the moment, numerous servants and butlers were bustling about.

Uncle Chen turned to Meng Qianyu and said, "Qianyu, your father is looking for you. Go see him first."

"Oh, okay~" Meng Qianyu nodded, then glanced at Su Yang and Pan Ning. "Brother Su Yang, Sis, please make yourselves comfortable. I’ll go change and be right back."

"Sure, take your time," they replied.

After Meng Qianyu left, Uncle Chen smiled at Su Yang. "Xiao Su, Xiao Pan, come have a seat over here."

The two nodded and followed him to an open tea area on the right side of the reception hall.

Just as they sat down, a familiar figure appeared at the entrance—Meng Wenzhou strolled in leisurely. The moment he stepped inside, he spotted Su Yang and Pan Ning on the right.

He gave Su Yang a nod and walked over briskly. "You’re here. Where’s Qianyu?"

"Your dad called her."

"Ah, got it. Uncle Chen, don’t worry about this. I’ll take care of it."

"You know Xiao Su too?"

"Know him? We’re practically best friends. I’m the one who invited him."

"So it was you? I thought Qianyu did."

"Nope, not at all. Go ahead, Uncle Chen. I’ll chat with them for a bit."

"Alright. Just remember, guests start arriving at two. Don’t forget."

"Don’t worry."

"Good. Xiao Su, you two relax and enjoy some tea."

Su Yang smiled. "Will do, Uncle Chen."

Once Uncle Chen left, Meng Wenzhou plopped down across from Su Yang and Pan Ning, starting to boil water for tea.

"What kind of tea do you want?"

"Anything’s fine. I’m not picky."

"Great, then let’s go with Da Hong Pao."

Su Yang leaned back on the sofa with a faint smile. "Where are the others?"

Meng Wenzhou checked his watch. "They’ll probably be here around 1:30. No rush—let’s have some tea first."

Su Yang thought for a moment before asking, "How did that thing turn out?"

"You mean Deng Hao? He did post an apology video, but the wording wasn’t exactly sincere—more like he was trying to weasel his way out. But whatever, as long as he posted it, I’m done dealing with him."

Su Yang nodded. "Yeah, forget it. Is Fatty not with you today?"

"Remember when you asked him to plan the road trip route the other night? That guy’s been obsessed—every free moment he gets, he’s holed up at home researching."

"Oh? That dedicated, huh?"

Hearing this, Pan Ning, who was sitting beside Su Yang, looked up. "What road trip route?"

Meng Wenzhou chuckled. "Your... uh, we were talking about going on a road trip together after my dad’s event wraps up."

Pan Ning frowned slightly. "Why didn’t anyone tell me about something this important?"

"Uh... you’d have to ask Lao Su about that. You two are together all the time."

Pan Ning turned to Su Yang.

Su Yang grinned sheepishly. "Heh, I forgot to mention it. It was just an offhand idea—nothing’s set yet."

Pan Ning nodded. "Perfect timing. I’ve been wanting to go somewhere far this time."

"Fine, I don’t care anymore. Lately, I’ve got nothing going on anyway. Whatever you guys want to do, I’m in." Meng Wenzhou chuckled as he picked up a box of tea leaves, scooped a handful into the fairness cup, and began pouring hot water.

"We’ll need to plan this carefully. Is Fatty looking into the route?"

"Yeah, he’s been studying it every day these past couple of days."

Pan Ning gave a slight nod and said nothing more.

After fiddling with the tea for a while, Meng Wenzhou placed two rinsed teacups in front of Su Yang and Pan Ning, filling them with tea.

"Try it."

"Alright." Su Yang picked up the cup, brought it to his nose for a whiff, then took a small sip.

"Mmm—good tea!"