My mother didn't say much when I got home; she assumed I'd been away at mandatory military training at school. It was fortunate that my father's old classmate didn't know where I’d actually been; otherwise, explaining things might have been difficult.

At dinner, my father told me, "Don't go wandering tonight. Help me write my semi-annual work summary."

I put down my chopsticks and replied to my dad, "What? You need me to write a work summary? Did I hear that right? Is the management at your company suddenly having a nervous breakdown?"

My father tapped me with a chopstick. "Don't talk nonsense. Everyone, from top to bottom, has to write one this year. The leadership just changed, that's all."

I recalled that the leader at my dad's company was the father of an alumnus from my school. Had he been ousted? "Dad, why did the leadership change? What happened to the previous one?"

Dad sighed. "The company was acquired. The new company is called Yuejin Construction Engineering Company. The new manager they sent is looking to make a big splash, so writing this summary is non-negotiable."

Pfft! I sputtered the mouthful of water I had just taken right onto the table. My father glared at me fiercely. "Dad, forget it. I'll find someone reliable to write that report for you. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

Seeing me about to leap up and leave, my dad snatched up the feather duster. "Little bunny, Huizi can't control you, but you are not walking out on me."

Scared, I quickly settled back onto the sofa. "Dad, how about this—I'll have your company's CEO write the report for you! Just think how much face that would save you!"

My father naturally didn't believe me. Seeing that we were about to clash again, my mother quickly changed the subject. "You know the CEO of your dad's company too? This Yuejin Construction Engineering Company—isn't it quite famous? I feel like I hear that name often."

"Of course, it's famous," Dad replied. "I heard from the crew on the construction site these past few days that it seems to be ranked sixth nationally. That’s way better than your son's tofu factory."

Dad didn't know anything about the tofu company, nor did he know it had changed ownership—though, come to think of it, it still belonged to the Zhao family lineage in a way.

Mom chimed in, "I believe in our son's capability. One day he'll merge the number one enterprise too. Wait, isn't the top-ranked company that little Mengmeng’s family owns? If our son married her, he wouldn't need to acquire anything, would he?"

Dad scoffed. "You can keep dreaming. You always think your son is some kind of prodigy, that just being able to take a beating means he can solve everything."

I looked at my dad. "Dad, the CEO of your company is also my girlfriend. Don't believe me? I can call her over now for you two to meet?"

My parents stared, wide-eyed. They had certainly witnessed my ability to acquire girlfriends before, so this might actually be true. Mom asked, "Son, are you saying the CEO of Yuejin Construction Engineering Company is also your girlfriend?"

I stated proudly, "Naturally. Have you noticed the person who moved into the apartment across the hall? They've been there for a while now."

Mom nodded. "We noticed. That young lady has quite a figure."

I continued, "Curvaceous. That’s her. Cheng Susu. I met her a while back when I was helping Tiger stand guard at night. Just wait, I'll call her over now so you two can meet."

"Ah, how can this be?" Dad looked completely flustered. Other girls would be fine, but having his direct superior show up made him nervous.

Mom scolded Dad. "What a coward! You're her future father-in-law, what's there to fear? Look how capable our son is! Later, I'll look up a list of all the famous companies in the country and see which one still has an unmarried daughter, and we'll have our son go meet her right away."

Dad scolded Mom back. "Are you crazy? Do you think our son is Pan An?"

The doorbell rang, and I went to open it. The other two quickly dropped the topic behind me.

Cheng Susu wasn't working overtime tonight; she preferred taking work home now, so she was always at her place every evening.

"Auntie, Uncle, hello. This is the first time I've come to visit you both since I moved in. I'm really sorry it took so long," I was relieved that Susu wasn't cold toward the people close to me.

Dad waved his hands frantically. "No, no, nothing. You're too busy with work. Just come over whenever you have time in the future."

I turned to Susu. "CEO Cheng, my dad works for your company now. If you have a chance, please look out for him."

"What!" Susu exclaimed, startled. "How is that possible? You never mentioned it to me."

Dad jumped in. "My company was just acquired. Besides, my job isn't worth mentioning—it’s just overseeing the site and standing guard at night. Don't listen to Zhao Qian's nonsense; I wouldn't dare bother you."

Susu looked concerned. "Uncle, you're treating me like a stranger? Without Zhao Qian, I wouldn't be where I am today. I’ll arrange a less demanding position for you shortly."

"No, no," Dad quickly waved his hands in refusal. "I actually like this job. It's relaxed and free. When I'm idle, I just chat with the masters on site. If I switched to another job, I’m afraid I wouldn't adapt."

Susu looked at me with a troubled expression. "Then what should we do?"

I said, "Forget it. If Dad is used to this job, let him keep it. It's not physically demanding, just requires staying up a bit late sometimes."

Dad insisted, "I'm accustomed to it. You two don't worry about me. You should go do what you need to do."

I took Susu by the hand toward my room, calling back to my father, "Of course, I'm going to write that summary report for the old man, so your manager doesn't chew you out."

Once we were in the room, Susu turned to me. "I honestly knew nothing about Uncle's situation. There are too many branch offices, and I don't recognize many of the middle managers. What should we do? We can't just let Uncle keep doing that, can we?"

I gently pushed Susu back toward the bed. "That's just Dad’s temperament. He does what he likes, no matter what. If he doesn't like something, you couldn't drag him to do it with nine oxen. We can talk about it again another time."

Susu giggled playfully. "Aren't you supposed to be writing a report? Why are you untying my dress?"

I teased back, "This is a necessary decompression before work. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll be too tense."

That 'decompression' lasted well over two hours. After tidying up the room and finishing the report, we left. Dad and Mom were still watching TV in the living room. Susu handed the hastily completed summary to my father. "Uncle, I finished the draft. It's getting late, so I should head back now."

Dad was almost overwhelmed with flattered surprise; he thought I had just been joking. Who would have thought the company CEO would actually write a summary report for him? Dad stammered, "Th-this, how can I accept this? It’s too much trouble for you. Please, sit down, rest a moment, let me pour you some tea."

"Uncle, I really must go. Next time," Susu said, hurrying out, as she needed to go home and shower.

Dad stared at the manuscript in his hands, still somewhat disoriented. "How could I possibly let the General Manager write my summary report? What kind of thing is this?"

Mom said happily, "This means our son is capable, that’s what it means. Son, keep it up! Mom supports you! Bring this wife home too—I like all your bevy of daughters."

My mother and I suddenly found common ground. "Mom, don't worry. If I don't bring home a whole crowd of wives, I’ll be letting you down. Tell me what kind you like. Longteng University has all sorts of girls. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied."

My father’s feather duster swung down immediately. "I knew you weren't going to study properly in college! Watch me beat some sense into you!"

I scrambled behind my mother to hide. "Mom, look at Dad! Crossing the bridge and tearing it up behind him! I just got someone to write his work summary, and now he’s hitting me."

Thump-thump. The door was knocked on twice and then pushed open from the outside. Fang Yanmeng poked her head in. "Brother Zhao Qian, I came to borrow a book. Oh, what are you all doing?"

As the saying goes, one should not air dirty laundry in public. Since Fang Yanmeng wasn't officially part of the Zhao family yet, my father’s 'wicked deed' being witnessed made him terribly embarrassed. He dropped the feather duster. "Mengmeng! We were just playing around. Come in and sit. Your mother and I are going to bed now."

With that, Dad and Mom retreated into their room. Fang Yanmeng giggled at me. "Why are you getting beaten right after Sister Susu leaves? Did Auntie and Uncle scold you for being too much of a flirt?"

I played along with Fang Yanmeng’s words. "Yes, exactly. That's why I need to cultivate self-discipline from now on. I estimate I might only favor you once every six months."

Fang Yanmeng suddenly grabbed my ear and pulled me toward my room. "Cultivate self-discipline? You mean hopping from flower to flower! You've already hooked another one since I last saw you. Hmph, and she’s got big R-cups! How am I supposed to live now that I’m the only one with small R-cups?"

I locked the door and pulled Fang Yanmeng into a hug. "My good wife, you’re jealous over that, are you? In a few days, I promise I’ll find someone with smaller R-cups than yours, so you’ll feel balanced psychologically."

Fang Yanmeng said with a trace of tears in her voice, "Balanced how? The family keeps growing, and the time you spend with me will only get less."

"That's not true," I countered. "Look, from tomorrow onward, I’ll be accompanying you to school every day. We’ll have more time together. It’s actually me who’s not home often now, neglecting Fenfen and Fangfang."

Fang Yanmeng’s tears dissolved into a smile. "That’s true. Starting tomorrow, you'll be with me at school. By day, you are mine; by night, I am yours."