Illusion and Reality: Take Good Care of Your Parents

"Mo Tianxiao! You're staying behind for overtime today. All these documents must be processed, or you're not getting off work!"

Mo Tianxiao opened his eyes, only to find a fierce-looking, greasy middle-aged man with a balding head throwing a thick stack of documents at him.

"Skinflint Zhou?"

Looking at the familiar face before him, wasn't this the boss of the small company he worked for in his previous life on the Blue Planet?

It was precisely because this skinflint made him work overtime every day without paying him a dime of overtime pay that he had decisively quit to find a new job. He never expected to see this guy again.

Smack.

Mo Tianxiao threw the documents Skinflint Zhou handed him onto the floor, dusted off his pants, and stood up. Looking at the dumbfounded Skinflint Zhou, he kindly reminded him:

"Still busy exploiting your employees, huh? You better go home and check if your wife is cheating on you. I heard that the project manager, Lao Wang, hooked up with her a long time ago."

Lao Wang was also his manager in his previous life, lower in rank than Skinflint Zhou but better looking. He shared the same virtues as Skinflint Zhou—both were "good bosses" who loved to make empty promises and exploit their employees.

Having said his piece, Mo Tianxiao brushed himself off and walked right out.

He left behind a crowd of shocked colleagues and a bewildered boss.

"Holy crap! Brother Mo is going hard on the offensive today. He actually dared to provoke Skinflint Zhou like that? He's definitely getting fired now."

"What do you know? Little Mo is handsome and highly educated. Staying here is just a waste of his talents."

"What are you all arguing about during work hours?! Is your work done?!"

Skinflint Zhou glared at the whispering employees around him and cursed loudly.

Pushing up his glasses, Skinflint Zhou stormed to the door. "HR Department! Fire Mo Tianxiao for me right now!"

After roaring, he slammed the door and walked out into the corridor, pulling out his phone to make a call.

Ring, ring...

"Mmh~ Hello, hub... hubby, what's up? I... mmh... I'm exercising right now. If it's nothing important, I'm hanging up."

Hearing the intermittent, breathy voice on the other end, Skinflint Zhou's face turned livid with rage. "Exercising? Exercising, you say? Come on! Let's video call! I want to see exactly what you're exercising!"

"Oh, hubby, what are you doing~ I told you I'm exercising. Stop messing around, I'm hanging up now... mmh~"

He had held onto a sliver of hope, but now that his wife directly hung up on him, his fury skyrocketed.

"WTF! F*ck you! You cheating dogs better wait and see!"

How dare they cuckold him!

On the other side, Mo Tianxiao drove back to his parents' home. Pushing open the door, he saw the familiar decorations: a simple, unadorned hundred-square-meter living room and a crystal pendant lamp gathering a bit of dust.

"Tianxiao? Why are you back?"

A beautiful middle-aged woman walked out of the kitchen. Seeing Mo Tianxiao, her face immediately lit up with joy.

"Old man, old man, hurry up and make a few more dishes! Our eldest son is back!"

Hearing this, a vigorous middle-aged man with a few white hairs on his head walked out, a look of surprise in his eyes. "What? Is it tough making a living out there? I told you to come back and inherit my business, but you insisted on venturing out on your own. Now you know how hard it is, right?"

"What are you saying? Our son rarely comes back. Hurry up and go cook."

The woman quickly urged him, stepping forward to pull Mo Tianxiao along. "Tianxiao, today your dad happens to be cooking himself. Our family can have a nice gathering."

"Okay, Mom."

Mo Tianxiao looked at the beautiful woman before him, a faint smile appearing on his face as he replied gently.

"Why do you seem a bit strange today? Did you run into some difficulties outside? It's fine. Worst case, just come back. Isn't your dad still here?"

"It's nothing, I just really missed you guys."

Hearing this, the woman glared at him with slight dissatisfaction. "You silly child, if you miss us, just come back. Would we ever stop you from coming home?"

"Tiancong! Come down and eat, your brother is back today." After scolding Mo Tianxiao playfully, she shouted upstairs.

"Quickly, sit down and get ready to eat."

Mo Tianxiao was pushed into a seat, waiting for dinner.

Thumping footsteps echoed from upstairs as an eleven or twelve-year-old boy hastily ran down, his face full of pleasant surprise. "Brother! You're back!"

"Tiancong, have you been studying hard lately?"

Mo Tianxiao looked at his younger brother with a smile. Fortunately, he had a brother, and their family was not short of money.

"Of course! I was first in the whole grade in the last monthly exam. I'll definitely surpass you in the future, Brother!"

The little boy's face was full of pride. He had looked up to his brother as a role model since childhood. Since his brother could always take first place, as the younger brother, he naturally couldn't fall behind.

"Not bad. It seems the Mo family's foundation can be safely handed over to you in the future."

Mo Tianxiao nodded in satisfaction. As expected of the Mo family bloodline, none of them were inferior.

"What are you chatting about? It's time to eat, hurry and wash your hands."

The woman brought out the dishes, and the middle-aged man untied his apron, placing two bottles of baijiu on the table.

"Since you rarely come back, want to have a drink?" the middle-aged man asked.

"Let's drink. I must drink with you until you're happy today, Dad."

Mo Tianxiao took the bottle, opened the cap, poured a full glass for his dad first, and then filled his own.

Under the illumination of the crystal lamp, the family appeared incredibly harmonious and happy.

After a few rounds of drinks, both Mo Tianxiao and his father were a bit drunk.

The middle-aged man looked at Mo Tianxiao drunkenly. "Tianxiao, remember this: the business world is like a battlefield. If you want to carve out a place for yourself with your own strength, you must be ruthless! Back when I was young..."

"Alright, alright, you're starting to brag about your past again. What era is it now? That old set of tricks doesn't work anymore. Don't teach Tianxiao bad habits."

Seeing the middle-aged man starting to babble, the woman quickly supported him to leave. "Tianxiao, I'm taking your dad back to the room. Don't go back today, just stay here for the night."

"Okay."

Mo Tianxiao shook his head and nodded in agreement.

After his parents left, Mo Tianxiao's previously hazy eyes instantly became clear.

"Tiancong, come here. Brother has something to tell you."

"What is it, Brother?"

Mo Tiancong walked forward, looking at his older brother curiously.

"Brother is going to a very distant place to work hard. It might be a long time before I come back next, or I might not even be able to return at all. After I leave, you need to take on the heavy responsibility of taking care of Mom and Dad. Don't make them angry, and study hard, you hear me?"

"Brother, where are you going? I want to go there too in the future!"

Mo Tiancong's face held a trace of determination. His brother had been his role model since he was little. The path his brother walked, he wanted to walk it too, and even surpass him.

"You brat, not everyone gets the chance to go. Besides, if you leave, who will take care of Mom and Dad? Just stay here obediently. Once I've made something of myself, I'll come back and get you all."

If there's a chance...

Mo Tianxiao silently added in his heart.

The next moment, the surrounding space shattered like an illusion in a mirror or a reflection on water. With a loud boom, everything collapsed.

Mo Tianxiao felt as if he were falling into an endless abyss as a sense of weightlessness washed over him.

His eyes snapped open!

Opening his eyes once more, Mo Tianxiao found himself standing within a massive cavern, faced with several tunnel entrances.

Sensing the cultivation within his body and the energy fluctuations in his surroundings, he gradually regained his bearings. A profound sense of relief washed over him, making his entire being feel remarkably lighter.

"Congratulations, young friend, on passing the first trial."