Shen Yi's parents both looked over, causing him to jump in surprise. Hastily, he covered Fu Nanzhi's mouth and laughed awkwardly,
"She's had a bit too much to drink..."
"Pet name... Hehe... Just a pet name."
Shen's Father scratched his head, accepting the explanation. These days, young people were more open than in their time, so strange nicknames weren't a big deal.
Shen's Mother also sighed, shrugging it off, assuming her son was skilled enough to handle it without her worry.
Fu Nanzhi suddenly poked her head out from under Shen Yi's arm, mumbling,
"Don't block me, honey."
She then picked up her wine glass with enthusiasm, saying,
"Come on! Mom and Dad, let me toast you again!"
Without waiting for their reaction, she downed the drink in one go, then sat there staring blankly, entering a daze.
This time, she was completely out of it, blurting out "Mom and Dad" without hesitation. Shen Yi had no way to cover for her.
Shen's Father and Mother just stared at their wine glasses in shock.
"This... this... this..."
The meal ended in mixed emotions, a mixture of laughter and embarrassment.
Under Shen Yi's explanation, the two could only attribute Fu Nanzhi's behavior to being overly friendly due to drunkenness.
Seeing how drunk she was, Shen Yi decided to take her upstairs to rest.
In his arms, Fu Nanzhi twisted and struggled, mumbling,
"Let me go, I'm happy, I still want to drink with Mom and Dad."
The smell of alcohol hit Shen Yi, who tightened his grip to prevent her from moving too much as he climbed the stairs, opened the door to his room, and placed Fu Nanzhi on the bed.
Although Shen Yi rarely returned home, Shen's Mother still cleaned and aired the room regularly, so it was spotless, with fresh bedding.
Shen Yi turned on the air conditioner and knelt to remove her shoes.
Watching her wriggle on the sheets, he shook his head helplessly and pulled the blanket over her.
Heading back to the kitchen, he poured a glass of warm water. When he returned to the bedside, he helped Fu Nanzhi sit up and whispered in her ear,
"Here, open your mouth and have some water."
He held the cup to her lips, and she obediently took a couple of sips.
Placing the glass on the nightstand, he carefully tucked in the blanket before closing the door and leaving to let her rest, hoping she would sober up by afternoon.
As he descended the stairs, he found Shen's Father sitting on the couch watching TV,
his left hand playing with a bracelet while his right hand held a brush,
alternating between the two.
When he saw Shen Yi, he asked,
"Is she asleep?"
"Yes."
Nodding with satisfaction, Shen's Father eventually added,
"The girl... has a lively personality. Treat her well."
"Of course," Shen Yi replied.
"Where's Mom?"
"Your mother went out to play."
"Oh."
The conversation between father and son was brief and wooden, as usual for them.
The afternoon in the countryside was leisurely. Without work, people often gathered to play mahjong, a mild form of entertainment.
It was no different for Shen's Mother, who had a regular circle of mahjong partners. After tidying up the house after lunch, she headed out to join them.
In such a small township, news traveled fast. Before long, everyone knew about Shen Yi bringing a girlfriend home.
Around the mahjong table, four hands moved the tiles as Shen's Mother sat facing north, her face glowing with excitement.
Today was doubly rewarding, with her son bringing home a girlfriend and her luck at the table at an all-time high.
"Hui Juan, I heard your son brought a girlfriend home!"
"Oh my, when will we get to drink your son's wedding wine?"
Sister Ma casually tossed a tile onto the table while chatting.
Nine of Clubs!
"Pong!"
Shen's Mother's eyes lit up, seizing the opportunity and taking the tile, modestly replying,
"There's no rush! They're still getting to know each other, not even at the stage of discussing marriage yet."
Liu Huimin, sitting opposite, threw out a tile and said,
"Little sister, you're not being honest."
"Second Uncle Liu told me; you know, Shen Yi may look ordinary, but that girl is as stunning as a celebrity. You're lucky! It seems they'll definitely get married."
Liu Huimin, Liu Huijuan's older sister, was generally well-intentioned but loved to compare.
Her words sounded like praise, but the underlying envy was hard to miss.
"Since she's come all this way, you should at least treat everyone to a meal, don't you think?"
"Don't you agree?" she pressed, glancing at the others at the table.
The other two chimed in,
"Yes, wedding wine is secondary, but you must host a meal so we can see what she looks like."
Shen's Mother concealed a smirk, maintaining her smile as she replied smoothly,
"Of course! Of course we'll treat everyone, but not just yet. She's only just arrived, and overwhelming her with too much hospitality might scare her off."
She knew Shen Yi wouldn't stay long, planning to leave the next day. When they were gone, the obligation for a meal would be forgotten.
Pushing the tiles forward, she announced smugly,
"Self-draw!"
"Pure luck! Pay up."
The game concluded as the evening approached, with Shen's Mother triumphant, sweeping every hand.
Walking home with a satisfied grin, she greeted neighbors along the way, her steps light and lively.
Though the winnings were modest, the thrill of victory was priceless.
Such joy brought back memories of when Shen Yi was accepted into college—another time she had been this proud.
Back home, she got to work preparing dinner.
Fu Nanzhi had already woken up and come downstairs, greeting Shen's Father before sitting next to Shen Yi.
Still hungover, she vaguely recalled some moments from earlier and blushed as she quietly asked Shen Yi for details.
Smiling, Shen Yi gently tapped her nose and avoided confessing the truth, not wanting her to feel awkward during dinner.
The trio chatted casually. Most of the conversation revolved around Fu Nanzhi asking questions, Shen's Father responding, with Shen Yi filling in details.
They soon found themselves discussing Shen's Father's bracelet collection, a topic that sparked fascination—and humor—especially when he pointed out the beads' vibrant colors and explained the meticulous care required.
"This color is beautiful, right? It has to be carefully brushed; otherwise, it won't shine. It should be wrapped in cloth regularly to keep it clean."
Fu Nanzhi nodded along, less interested in the details and more in casually deepening their rapport.
By now, they were browsing photos hanging on the wall, focusing on those of Shen's family.
Entering the room, Shen's Mother cheerfully inquired,
"What are you all chatting about?"
Fu Nanzhi warmly replied,
"We're admiring your photos from back then. You looked so beautiful!"
Shen's Mother laughingly dismissed the compliment, but her eyes gleamed with joy as she announced,
"Oh, I'll go get the photo album. Let me show you pictures of Shen Yi as a child!"
Fu Nanzhi eagerly agreed, her eyes sparking with curiosity.
Though she'd seen some earlier, much of it was blurry now, and reliving the stories was always entertaining.
Turning page after page, Shen's Mother proudly narrated,
"This was from his full moon, one year, his first day of kindergarten..."
Fu Nanzhi's finger stopped, pointing at one photo: Shen Yi, dressed in a costume from an old opera - his lips painted red, a tiny ruby dot between his brows.
The outfit looked absurd to modern eyes, an ironic relic of a different era.
Shen Yi turned a shade redder knowing she was making fun of him.
Fu NanZhi couldn't contain her giggles,
"Heehee, you looked so adorable!"
Giggling at every snap, reimagining Shen Yi growing up, Fu Nanzhi found her earlier questions coming back to her lips.
"Oh, by the way, ShenYi, I heard he had a different name before. Does that memory still exist somewhere?"
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
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)
o a martial world and obtained a system that allowed him to draw one entry per year. Unfortunately, all he drew were useless white-tier entries. The probability for high-quality entries was extremely low, with the highest-tier mythic entry having a mere 0.001% chance! To increase the probability, he had to improve his martial realm, but he lacked the innate talent for cultivation. At the age of eighteen, Chen Yi fell into the hands of a gang and was forced into hard labor. Just as his life seemed destined for a bleak end, on his 18th entry draw, he actually pulled a mythic entry—Simulator! In the simulation, he could also draw one entry every year that passed, and upon ending the simulation, he would inherit all entries and his martial realm! In his first simulation, Chen Yi struggled desperately just to survive, knowing that living one more year meant one more entry draw! Finally, with hair turned white, he drew the entry he had longed for—Low-Grade Innate Talent! "Hahaha! Don't bully the old and poor! Time to cultivate and inherit my cultivation base!" ... From then on, Chen Yi continuously simulated and drew entries, his martial realm soaring higher and higher! Epic, legendary, and even mythic entries were gathered into his collection one after another! "What demon race or devil race? What dark turmoil? I don't know anything about that. They just charged at me screaming 'How can you possibly ascend to immortality?!' and got stuck to my fists, unable to be shaken off. Blind spots, speed bumps... go talk to my simulator. We're all struggling to survive out here. I'm trying so hard, so how are they still alive?"
