Girl: Thank You, Uncle

From Zhonghai to the Western Regions, the distance was still quite far.

Even with direct flights.

It was more than four thousand kilometers.

Leaving before dawn, only arriving at noon.

Come to think of it.

Cao Decheng could only leave home before dawn too, after all, he had to avoid a bunch of younger brothers and sisters.

These younger siblings, the older ones were only about four or five years younger than him.

They were already in high school.

The younger ones were still very little, not even in school yet.

Clingy as hell.

These days, when he returned home, Cao Decheng truly felt what it meant to be the eldest brother acting like a father—constant noise and chaos that nearly gave him a headache.

It was probably at this moment that Cao Decheng finally understood why Old Cao suddenly wanted to travel for over ten years—it was to get away from this noisy bunch of descendants.

Too noisy.

But he couldn’t help but admire Old Cao.

Traveling and having kids, both without missing a beat.

In these ten or so years, it seemed like nothing was delayed—those who were meant to be born were born, and even those who maybe shouldn’t have been, still came along.

However,

There were some things Cao Decheng found hard to talk about. After all, as the eldest son of the Cao family, even though he was aware of some of Old Cao’s "bad habits," like the issues with the women around him,

He couldn’t say much.

Every one of those women was his elder relative.

Even those who had no real relationship with Old Cao, he still had to be polite and respectfully call them “aunt.”

Not to mention his own mother, Tang Xin, who didn’t interfere with these matters—what could he possibly say?

And his maternal grandparents, the two of them, said nothing either.

Anyway, Cao Decheng didn’t believe his grandparents were unaware of the situation.

What kind of status did those two have?

If they really wanted to investigate something, this country probably wouldn’t hold any secrets from their eyes.

So,

As the eldest son and legitimate grandson, Cao Decheng knew some of Old Cao’s flaws, but he could only turn a blind eye.

Sometimes, he even had to cover for Old Cao.

For example, right now...

After noon.

Cao Decheng was at the airport with the girl by his side, casually grabbing a bite.

Waiting for Old Cao.

Old Cao showed up an hour later.

They greeted each other with a bear hug.

Father and son hadn’t seen each other for a while.

Phone calls didn’t count.

"Kid, not bad, you’re even taller than me now. What have you been eating to grow like this? You’ve shot up fast these past few years. Even in college, you’re still developing... Oh, by the way, I’ll take you to eat something good later. It’s a real hard-hitter, absolutely a tough dish."

"…"

Cao Decheng hesitated. Although Old Cao seemed more serious this time,

When he said “a real hard-hitter,” the mischievous glint in his eyes and the slight curl at the corner of his mouth couldn’t be hidden from Cao Decheng.

Father and son knew each other too well.

Even if they hadn’t grown up together,

They weren’t strangers either.

When Cao Decheng was young, he often ran off to the capital.

He had even seen with his own eyes how Old Cao handled his maternal grandfather.

So he knew very well that Old Cao was no good.

Even though they hadn’t met for a long time, and in theory, meeting again should have been a bit warmer, Cao Decheng knew better than to let his guard down now.

Otherwise, he’d be the one suffering.

“Let’s talk about food later,” Cao Decheng quickly changed the subject, pointing to the girl beside him, “This is my… girlfriend, Chen Yi!”

Cao Decheng introduced her to Old Cao.

Cao Cheng just glanced at her.

The girl was delicate.

And looked alright.

Not exactly a perfect girl, but just by looking at her demeanor, there’s clearly nothing lacking.

Her family background should be decent.

If I were to give a score, at least a ninety...

Wait.

Forget the scoring.

Who actually scores their daughter-in-law?

Cao Cheng shook his head.

Pushing aside all the messy thoughts, he nodded with a smile: “She’s quite good. You two handle your own business. If you like each other, then be together. I support that... Besides, our family doesn’t have that many rules. As long as you’re happy, that’s what matters.”

“Thank you, Uncle,” Chen Yi replied obediently.

To be precise,

she wasn’t exactly a stranger.

Although Chen Yi hadn’t seen Young Master Cao much since growing up,

she had met him as a child.

It was just that she was too young back then... she barely had any memories.

After all, they lived in neighboring courtyards.

In any alley courtyard, which kid hadn’t met some Young Master Cao?

Not to mention their generation,

even their parents’ generation—

most of them were younger than Young Master Cao or at most just a few years apart. Even if they weren’t close, they were at least acquaintances who nodded hello.

...

A few people pulled their small suitcases and headed out.

At the parking lot, the RV was already packed inside.

The windows were rolled down for ventilation.

Summer here was hot, but to get some fresh air, they had to endure it for a while.

Father and son walked side by side, with Chen Yi trailing half a step behind. She was sensible enough to give them space, letting the two chat as they walked.

They hadn’t gone far.

From a distance, they saw the RV window open, and faintly, the silhouette of a young woman inside.

Cao Decheng had sharp eyes.

He immediately recognized who it was.

Outside, Old Cao wore a mask, but the girl inside the vehicle was bare-faced, her hair loosely tied back, looking relaxed and at home.

Cao Decheng said dryly, “You really are carefree.”

Cao Cheng didn’t feel ashamed at all—in fact, he was proud, nodding with a smug air: “That’s right. Envious, huh? But envy won’t help you. Your status isn’t the same as mine. I’m a damn businessman. My identity is widely recognized as having the lowest moral standards. Who in the world thinks businessmen are good people, right?”

“With my status, as long as I don’t break the law, pay my taxes properly, and maybe do a little charity now and then, the public thinks I’m a saint. Nobody cares how many women I have; some might even say I’m awesome.”

“That’s the perk of being a businessman. Got it?”

“But you’re different.”

“You’ve taken a different path since childhood. To become a county magistrate at your level, you’re one in a thousand—an exceptional talent.”

“You need to keep yourself clean, understand? Got it, kid?”

As he spoke, Cao Cheng gave Cao Decheng’s shoulder a serious pat.

Cao Decheng’s face was full of gloom.

The truth was, what Old Cao said was pretty accurate, but wasn’t it a bit too blunt?

A little harsh.

Still,

Cao Decheng had to admit, Old Cao really saw through things.

There are plenty of perks to being a businessman.

And the public’s expectations of businessmen are really low.

As long as you don’t do anything bad, you’re a good person.

But officials are different. You have to be a good person. If you don’t do bad things but don’t do good things either, you’re as good as dead.

So yeah.

Old Cao really understands things clearly.

It wasn’t surprising that Old Cao used to post pictures of young girls just to rile up his fans. Although many fans would scream in frustration, very few actually thought Old Cao was acting unethically.

On the contrary, quite a few people envied him.

That’s what made it so strange.

This is social psychology — something worth studying.

Only by understanding psychology can one truly master the art of influencing people.

Cao Decheng pondered this.

This kid had loved learning since he was little, and he was quick to reflect on things and draw his own conclusions.

That was a good habit.

It was also the kind of education he’d received from his maternal grandfather’s side.