Sending Fang Yanmeng upstairs inevitably led to an inquisition from my mother, forcing me to honestly recount how I stumbled upon Fang Yanmeng while collecting medicinal herbs in the small town. My father chimed in from the side, stating that my background and Fang Yanmeng’s were mismatched.

My mother immediately took offense. "Old Zhao, I don't like the sound of that. Our son is handsome, and that Miss Fang clearly likes his type. Besides, isn't our son starting his own company..."

"...Oh, I almost forgot! Zhao Qian, tell us, when did you start a company?"

This finally gave me the opening I needed to confess to my parents. "When I first got home, I told you, but you wouldn't believe me. I partnered with Zhu Da and a few friends to open a tofu company..."

My mother probed tentatively, "Iron Ox Brand Tofu?"

I was slightly taken aback. "Mom, you’ve eaten it? Is the taste okay?"

My mother casually flicked on the television. "Never mind the taste, just watch the TV yourself."

I couldn't recall the last time I had watched television. I suspected our set might be broken because out of over eighty channels, nearly one-eighth featured advertisements for Iron Ox Brand Tofu, either promoting its texture or flavor. This wouldn't be surprising if we were a massive enterprise like Chaoyang Energy, but this was just a small tofu factory.

Commander Zhu, oh Commander Zhu, are you so uncomfortable with having too much money that you’d throw millions into promotion?

My father spoke up suddenly. "I have tasted the tofu. The flavor is quite pure. But I can't figure out where you got the capital to pull off this kind of pervasive advertising. I’m honestly worried you might lose the little savings your mother and I have."

Sweat broke out. Without a second thought, I pulled out my phone and called Zhu Da. Losing my parents' savings was out of the question, but this level of advertising for a product like tofu was indeed excessive.

"Commander Zhu! Have you gone mad? I just watched TV—why are our products running so many ads and sponsorships? Be careful you don't lose your villa!"

Zhu Da's voice sounded completely innocent. "Commander Zhao, it wasn't my choice, it was your fourth wife's initiative! You have no idea about her authority. She went to the TV station, said a few words, and all the major and minor programs, along with local channels across the country, went crazy promoting us for free. I couldn't stop them! But you have to admit, our tofu sales are skyrocketing. The village chief has developed several new bean products, and our production workshop is starting to take shape. We’re just waiting for the venerable you to inspect and correct our work."

"Are you talking about Xiao Chuchu? Don't speak carelessly in the future. What 'fourth wife'? If she overhears you, she’ll surely get angry."

Zhu Da’s voice rose an octave higher. "Are you dense, Old Zhao? You don't know how excited they get every time we mention you. Although she isn't as unrestrained as Fang Yanmeng in her actions, I think she's about to lose control. To tell you the truth, she was just with us. She asked about your house location and then rushed off. Go check the door right now; she might already be downstairs."

Bang, bang, bang. A knocking echoed. My heart jumped, and I told Zhu Da, "I can't talk now; I'll catch up with you later about checking the workshop."

My mother, changing channels, got up to answer the door when she heard the knocking. Standing outside was a beautiful, mature young woman, possessing a completely different allure than the somewhat cute, schoolgirl charm of Fang Yanmeng from that morning.

"Who are you looking for, dear?" My mother assumed the visitor was at the wrong address.

"Auntie, I'm looking for Zhao Qian."

My mother's brain clearly couldn't process it immediately. She knew all her son's capabilities—first, he brought home a little sister, and then this morning, a girlfriend. She was starting to feel utterly perplexed by her own son.

"And you are...?"

"I... I... I am Zhao Qian's girlfriend. My name is Xiao Chuchu..."

Slap! The remote control fell from my mother’s hand, and her mouth hung open, unable to close.

I emerged awkwardly to greet her. This time, I had really overdone it. How was I going to explain this to my parents? Fortunately, my father was seasoned enough. He walked over, gently led my mother back to their room, and left the two of us alone to sort things out in the cramped living room.

Xiao Chuchu set down the small purse on her shoulder and turned to me. "Zhao Qian, are you alright? Does your bottom hurt? I brought some band-aids; do you need me to put one on for you?"

I nearly fled back to my room in fright. My bottom didn't hurt at all, but if Xiao Chuchu were to help me apply a bandage there, the situation would become catastrophic. I had to admit, my interactions with Xiao Chuchu had been few. I had played the role of her impromptu guide in the larger town primarily because I liked doing good deeds, but more importantly, she was stunningly beautiful. Even though I already knew Zhao Fen, Zhao Fang, and Fang Yanmeng, Xiao Chuchu's beauty was mature, a completely different flavor from the cuteness of Zhao Fen and Zhao Fang, and a different kind of enjoyment compared to the lively finesse of Fang Yanmeng.

"I'm fine, don't listen to Zhu Da's nonsense. By the way, I really need to thank you for running so many ads for us. Let me pay you some advertising fees as a token of appreciation."

Xiao Chuchu looked a bit hurt. "Zhao Qian, do we need to be so formal? If it weren't for you, Mengmeng and I might have lost our lives in Peach Blossom Village. You saved us, no matter how you look at it. Is this small favor something you need to dwell on?"

Now I had formulated a new principle: one shouldn't do too many good deeds, especially in an era where true goodness is rare. One could easily end up accused of being overly flirtatious.

"It was really just a small matter, a simple gesture. You two shouldn't take it to heart."

"A small matter? Are two lives a small matter? Do you know how moved Mengmeng and I were? Daring to jump into the floodwaters in that critical moment was immense courage. And in the end, you gave the chance of survival to Mengmeng and me, sinking to the bottom yourself. How often do you see such spirit in society today? I still clearly remember your fearless, uncomplaining eyes as you submerged beneath the water, Zhao Qian. You are the best and bravest man I have ever met."

What in the world? I sank to the bottom not to display my spirit of self-sacrifice; I was following Taozi's instructions to find the energy stone! I never expected them to misunderstand! "Chuchu, actually, you don't know. I went under for something else, really. I wasn't drowned by the flood; I'm not as noble as you imagine."

Xiao Chuchu shot me a playfully coquettish glare. "Stop talking! Being overly modest is just pride! If I hadn't come to find you today, would you have ever sought me out?"

"How could that be? I still needed to visit and thank you properly. After all, your advertising was a much-needed rain for our Iron Ox Tofu."

"Fine, if you want to thank me, you can treat me to dinner sometime. It has to be just the two of us; no one else allowed."

"Ah..." The direction of things felt precarious, but Xiao Chuchu had helped me immensely; a dinner was certainly appropriate.

After sitting together for a while longer, seeing that I remained quiet, Xiao Chuchu took a small DV camcorder out of her bag and started fiddling with it. I secretly glanced over; the device looked familiar—very similar to the one Fang Yanmeng used that night to film the evidence of the village chief committing murder.