Now who doesn't know that mom spoils Cao Cheng at home

Wang Haodong was in a hurry.

He didn’t even wait for his father—he just took off.

The main reason was that he had to run. He couldn’t wait for Ren Yushang to spill everything. If his father found out first, there was no way he wouldn’t get a beating.

It wasn’t that Wang’s father was particularly upright—he just hated losing face in public.

Most fathers liked to beat their sons in front of others; it made them look tough.

“Come on, hurry up!”

He jumped into the car.

Today, the butler was driving. He glanced back in surprise, “Young Master, what’s going on? You just went in with the boss. Where’s the boss now?”

“It's all your fault.” Wang Haodong glared.

“??”

The butler’s expression darkened. Damn it, it’s the New Year, and the Young Master is really something else. I haven’t even gone in yet—how could anything be my fault?

Wang Haodong snorted, “You’re the one who said to take the indirect approach, to flatter the little brother-in-law. I just told him we were going to the yacht club for the gala, and Ren Yuege overheard. She’s definitely going to tattle. Stop standing there, hurry up!!”

The butler understood.

But how could this be my fault?

I told you to flatter the little brother-in-law, not to take him to a brothel.

Use your brain, will you?

Am I the one who told you to bring the future father-in-law to the yacht gala too?

Ridiculous~~

“It's all your fault.”

The car started moving, and Wang Haodong muttered.

The butler driving nodded, “Yes, yes, it’s all my fault! All my fault!”

“Exactly. As long as you know, and admit you’re wrong!” Wang Haodong nodded too.

Damn.

The butler thought to himself, might as well just drive the car straight into the sea.

This job is not worth it.

But then he reconsidered…

The Young Master’s personality is like this—he’ll get over it.

He never holds grudges, so there’s no need for me to hold one against him either.

What else can I do?

As his personal butler, assistant, secretary… and his dad’s favorite son-in-law!

*Sigh.*

Young Master.

When will your brain catch up? You can’t just grow taller and heavier.

It’s really frustrating!

…

…

It was the eleventh day of Young Master Cao’s life as a rich second-generation heir.

Comfortable!

Today was New Year’s Eve.

There was a reunion dinner, and the Spring Festival Gala on TV!

In the past few days, he had met everyone he needed to, delivered all the gifts he was supposed to, and handled all the social obligations.

Finally, he could slack off and rest.

This year’s New Year’s Eve.

The festive atmosphere was thick!

Everything was bright red—spring couplets, red banners, the character “Fu” (fortune), paper cuttings, lanterns…

At the temple fair, there were dragon and lion dances.

Fireworks and firecrackers went off everywhere.

Coincidentally, both the Cao family and the Ren family didn’t have many relatives.

Old Master Ren had come through the war; most of his relatives had fled abroad or passed away.

The Ren family had another son, Aunt Ren’s older brother, but he was dead too.

Otherwise, Aunt Ren wouldn’t have been in charge of the entire company.

As for the Cao family… well, they had relatives, but they were estranged. When Old Master Cao went bankrupt and returned to the countryside, they almost completely cut ties.

Later, because of borrowing money for medical treatment, the relationship broke down for good.

As the saying goes, “When poor, even in a bustling market, no one cares.”

Even now, the Cao family wasn’t really rich… at least to outsiders, they were still the same.

Showing off poverty.

…

The smell of braised meat filled the air.

The aroma of oil splattered around.

The scent of dumplings boiled in water.

This was the true flavor of the New Year.

Dinner was also the New Year's Eve dinner, but Second Sister hadn’t come back.

Aunt Ren’s face darkened just a little.

She understood that her daughter was busy with work.

She supported her daughter’s job.

But no matter how busy, wouldn’t she come home on New Year’s Eve?

It’s not like she’s out of town. It’s just a short drive. She could come home, show her face, and then leave again, right?

Could family really get in the way of her work?

Was she really that busy?

Seeing her mother’s sour expression, Big Sister quickly said, “Mom, I’ll call Second Sister.”

“No need!” Aunt Ren said sternly.

You know what?

This was the first time Cao Cheng had ever seen Aunt Ren angry. That kind of presence wasn’t fake—just two simple words made the whole family fall silent.

Even Big Sister didn’t dare move.

Father Cao kept giving Cao Cheng meaningful looks.

Cao Cheng understood.

He spoke up, “Dad, why don’t you call Second Sister?”

No way!

Father Cao rolled his eyes. “Did you think that’s what I meant by giving you those looks?”

“If you don’t understand, don’t just blurt out nonsense.”

“Do you think I have a good relationship with Second Sister to just call her whenever? We’ve barely exchanged ten words in all this time.”

“Heh, heh-heh!” Father Cao forced a laugh. “Ahem, well, I, I need to go to the bathroom.”

A classic “poop and escape” move.

Slipped away!

That’s just like you, Old Cao, you sly old fox.

Cao Cheng actually understood what was going on.

After Father Cao slipped away, Cao Cheng shook his head with a smile and said to Aunt Ren, “Mom, Second Sister is probably really busy. I’ll pack some food and dumplings in a thermal container and bring them to her workplace. That way, it’ll still be a family reunion dinner.”

Everyone knew that Aunt Ren doted on Cao Cheng at home.

Whenever they met, she was incredibly gentle with him. She worried Cao Cheng might not get used to living at home, might not eat well, or sleep soundly.

Despite being so busy these days, she’d come by frequently, sometimes even cooking herself and reminding the cook to make nourishing soups every day to help her son stay healthy.

From her attitude, it was clear she truly treated Cao Cheng like her own son and spoiled him.

So,

Cao Cheng’s advice carried more weight than even Big Sister’s.

Mainly because Big Sister was timid; she really didn’t dare to speak up when Mom was upset.

That’s why

she always warned her younger sisters not to upset Mom—because she had a mental block about it.

Don’t be fooled by how she usually plays the role of Mom so convincingly—even Mom herself couldn’t tell she was acting.

But in reality, she wasn’t that strong.

She was just playing a part on the surface, at most capturing some maternal grace.

But she hadn’t learned it deep down in her bones.

So she was nowhere near as domineering as Aunt Ren, and not even as strong-willed as Third Sister.

On the surface, Third Sister seemed gentle every day—never causing trouble or seeking it out—but inside, she was very tough.

That was Cao Cheng’s feeling.

Third Sister was actually a bit like Aunt Ren, but that was ingrained deep down. The reason it wasn’t obvious yet was because she was still young and hadn’t yet gained Aunt Ren’s experience and the wisdom that comes with age.

Wait twenty years and look again—she’d be a carbon copy of Aunt Ren.

Cao Cheng’s eyes were like a ruler.

He was extremely accurate at reading people.

……

“It’s too cold outside. Don’t worry about her. Let’s eat and watch the Spring Festival Gala together!” Aunt Ren said, worried that Cao Cheng might catch a chill.

Although it was already mid-February, and even at night the temperature outside wasn’t too cold, it was just that Mom cared about him so much.

“It’s fine, Mom. I’ll drive there and back quickly.”

Cao Cheng smiled and called out, "Big sister!"

Ren Chenxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing Cao Cheng call her, she nodded, understanding what he meant, and immediately got up to find the insulated lunch box.

Lately, Cao Cheng and Ren Chenxi had been going around delivering gifts with their mother, and their relationship had improved a bit.

Not that it was perfect.

But there was a hint of mutual understanding!

And now, she suddenly felt that having an extra younger brother wasn’t so bad—at least he could calm their mother down when she was angry.

It used to be different...

Back then, when Mom was upset, no one in the family could soothe her. It was like a raging storm, darkening the skies—terrifying beyond words!

But now, with a younger brother around, just one sentence from him could clear the skies after the rain?

Big sister thought that was pretty good, though she couldn’t help feeling a little jealous!

Her mindset was going through all kinds of changes.

Finally, the ice was beginning to break, and there was emotional feedback.

Not much.

But it was a very good start.