Cao Decheng raised his hand and draped it over her shoulder.
With a faint smile, he said, "Don't worry. Old Cao is actually quite easygoing, especially with younger folks like you. He just has a habit of teasing his own family."
"Given your current status, as long as you’re not married to me yet, you’re still an outsider. So, Old Cao will definitely treat you politely."
"But once you marry me and become part of the family—his daughter-in-law—he’ll probably start teasing you too."
"..."
The girl was speechless.
But she understood what Cao Decheng meant.
And she also knew that many people seemed to have this same flaw: polite and courteous to outsiders, but blunt and straightforward with their own.
Though, from the sound of it, Old Cao wasn’t the abusive type when it came to "teasing his own." It was more of an affectionate, sharp-tongued banter.
With outsiders, he wore a mask, hence the politeness.
Thinking this, the girl felt a little less nervous.
She asked, "So, when do you plan to tell your dad?"
Cao Decheng replied, "First, we’ll go back to Zhonghai to see Grandma. Then I’ll ask where Old Cao is—who knows where he’s traveling right now? Once we confirm his location, we’ll hop on a plane and head over. Might as well make it a little trip for us too."
The girl nodded.
Cao Decheng added, "Old Cao’s living the good life. As far as I can remember, he’s never had a proper job. Later on, he started traveling around the country, saying he wanted to visit every single 5A and 4A-rated tourist spot."
"On average, he stays at each scenic area for a month."
"Which means completing all the 5A sites alone would take him about thirty years."
"..."
The girl was stunned.
This was the first time she’d heard about it.
She’d only known that Cao Decheng’s father was once the richest man before retiring to travel.
But she never imagined it was like this—a thirty-year plan right from the start?
Good heavens.
They were only in their twenties, not even thirty yet.
She couldn’t even fathom how much life experience one would gain from traveling for three decades.
Cao Decheng continued, "By my estimate, he’s already been at it for about ten years. The space elevator project started a decade ago, and that’s when Old Cao officially began his travels..."
"Sometimes I envy him, especially when I’m exhausted. Just thinking about him makes me want to call and yell at him."
"But I don’t dare. Old Cao hits hard."
"Pfft!"
The girl couldn’t help but laugh.
She felt like Cao Decheng had shared a lot about Old Cao today.
Probably because he was about to introduce her to him, so he wanted her to know what to expect.
So,
she didn’t interrupt, just listened quietly, occasionally asking a question or two out of curiosity.
...
Three days later.
School officially went on break.
The two of them had already packed their bags—just a small backpack each.
Soon after, they boarded a plane to Zhonghai.
Upon landing,
they were picked up by The Fourth.
When they met, Cao Decheng beamed. "Auntie."
Though their relationship was different, on the surface, she was his aunt.
So, he addressed her accordingly.
The Fourth reached out and ruffled Cao Decheng’s hair. "You’ve grown taller again, haven’t you? Even taller than your dad now. Each generation outdoes the last—good, good."
Cao Decheng smirked. "Damn right."
Beside him, the girl greeted politely, "Hello, Auntie."
From The Fourth’s words, the girl could tell that this family loved teasing each other.
Which made her feel even more at ease.
Truthfully,
this wasn’t her first time meeting the family in Zhonghai.
But the visits had been few—only three times so far, and all brief.
Naturally, she’d been a little reserved.
However,
she wasn’t unfamiliar with this aunt.
The queen of the entertainment industry.
In showbiz today, a single word from The Fourth could send shockwaves for days. A light cough from her would keep many people awake at night.
To put it simply,
for many film and TV projects these days, if you didn’t include The Fourth’s name as a producer, getting approval could be tricky.
Not that the censors would deliberately block you.
But if your project had any issues, they’d definitely hold it up.
On the other hand, if The Fourth was listed as a producer, the censors would be a bit more lenient.
As long as nothing crossed the line, they’d let it pass.
That was the kind of influence she had.
...
The Fourth took the girl’s hand and gave her a once-over. She looked about the same as the last time they’d met.
Then, the group got into the car.
A mix of visible and discreet security followed as they headed to the eco-park.
Currently, there were two main residences in Zhonghai.
One was a more remote mountain villa.
The other was the eco-park.
Everyone could stay wherever they pleased—whichever was more convenient at the time.
As for the old family home, though it stood empty now, no one had sold it.
After all,
it was the ancestral house.
It held memories spanning two or three generations.
It had been preserved, to one day serve as a family museum.
...
On the road,
Cao Decheng asked, "Auntie, where’s Old Cao right now?"
"Your dad..."
The Fourth paused, then shook her head. "No idea. Let me ask for you. You need him for something?"
"..."
"..."
Cao Decheng and the girl exchanged glances.
Even The Fourth didn’t know?
Old Cao really was like a dragon—seen the head, but never the tail.
Unbelievable.
Traveling so much,
he might as well be a missing person.
Cao Decheng explained, "We’re planning to get engaged in half a year—around New Year’s. So... we wanted to give Old Cao a heads-up. Otherwise, he’ll complain that we didn’t take him seriously."
The Fourth chuckled, then nodded. "That’s wonderful news! You really should let your dad know. Hold on, I’ll ask for you."
Without delay, she instructed the car’s AI to call Young Master Cao.
The call connected quickly.
The Fourth didn’t beat around the bush, explaining the situation straight away.
After a moment of silence, Young Master Cao’s voice came through. "Engagement? That fast? Is the girl desperate to marry, or is Cao Decheng the one in a hurry? Damn, I wasn’t even graduated at twenty-one... What’s his rush? No idea who he takes after."
"..."
"..."
Cao Decheng rolled his eyes.
The girl pressed her lips together, unsure whether to laugh.
The Fourth sighed. "They’re on speaker. The kids can hear you."
"..."
Another pause from Young Master Cao. "Ah, engagement! Great! I support it. Alright then, I’ve got things to do. We’ll talk later."
Cao Decheng called out, "Dad."
"Grandpa’s here."
"..."
Cao Decheng groaned. "Can you be serious for once? I said we’re on speaker."
"What’s with the nonsense? Got something to say? Spit it out. Otherwise, court’s adjourned." Cao Cheng showed no mercy when dealing with his son.
This was a Cao family tradition.
Each generation refusing to bow to the next.
So, the elders had to keep them in check.
Young Master Cao had grown up this way.
Cao Decheng said, "I just wanted to ask where you are. We’re on break, so I thought I’d bring my girlfriend to see you. Maybe do some traveling too."
"Western Regions!"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
