57: Chapter 57 Returning Home in Glory

The dinner between the three of them ended in a subtle atmosphere.

After dropping Tian Zhenxi off at Sunshine Residential Complex, only Cao Kun and Ji Guangli remained in the car.

Ji Guangli leaned back in the passenger seat and said softly, "Auntie Zhenxi is such a good person, but her life has been too hard. We must take more care of her in the future."

"That's for sure."

Cao Kun quickly agreed.

Even if Ji Guangli hadn't said anything, he would still visit Tian Zhenxi often to take care of her.

Back at Fenghuali, the two took turns showering.

Just as Cao Kun lay down on the bed, his phone rang.

The caller ID showed "Mom."

"Hello, Mom," Cao Kun answered the phone.

"Xiao Kun, are you asleep?" His mother Plum Blossom's voice came through the receiver, carrying the characteristic bluntness of rural folk. "If you're not, I have something to tell you."

"Go ahead, Mom."

"Your Aunt Zhang introduced a girl to you, she's very pretty! She happens to be home these few days; can you come back and meet her?"

When Cao Kun was with Wu Mengmeng, he hadn't told his family, so they didn't know about it.

Now, hearing his mother ask him to come back for a blind date, Cao Kun immediately agreed.

Now that he had money, he really should make a trip back.

As the ancients said, returning home wealthy is like wearing silk in the dark if no one sees it. Now that he had both a car and a house, plus millions in savings, it was time to let his parents enjoy some luxury.

Moreover, his good brother Li Guanlin had helped him a lot in the past.

When he first bound the system and made money, he had said he would treat Li Guanlin to a full experience of dinner, karaoke, and a massage. He might as well do it all this time.

As for the blind date, Cao Kun didn't take it seriously; he even felt a bit reluctant to go.

He originally wanted to use Ji Guangli as a shield, but the words died in his throat.

It wasn't that he didn't like Ji Guangli, and he could feel that she liked him too.

The problem was that he wasn't sure if Ji Guangli could accept his "scumbag" side.

Currently, they hadn't defined their relationship, so he could play around freely and Ji Guangli might not care.

But if they truly committed to a relationship and he still messed around outside, he feared she wouldn't be able to handle it.

It seemed he needed to find a time to properly ask Ji Guangli what she was thinking.

Cao Kun made a secret resolution.

Then he spoke into the phone.

"Mom, I'll head back tomorrow, but don't get your hopes up about the blind date. I don't really want to get married yet."

This was the truth.

With the system, Cao Kun certainly wouldn't lack for women.

He hadn't had enough fun yet, so why would he want to get married!

"You're twenty-five and you're still not married? Your cousin's child is already old enough to run errands!" Plum Blossom's voice rose an octave. "Anyway, just come back and see. What if you like her? I'm telling you, I saw this girl's photo, she looks like a celebrity on TV!"

"Alright, alright, I'll go back," Cao Kun agreed helplessly, then suddenly said mysteriously, "By the way, Mom, I'm bringing a big surprise for you all this time."

"What surprise?"

"You'll know when the time comes."

After hanging up, Cao Kun lay on the bed, his mind already calculating the arrangements for his trip home.

Early the next morning, Cao Kun directly asked Ji Guangli for time off.

"Going home? Is something wrong at home?" Ji Guangli looked up and asked with concern.

"No, nothing's wrong. It's just been a long time since I've been home, and my mom misses me."

Cao Kun didn't mention the blind date.

Ji Guangli very readily approved Cao Kun's leave.

After all, the current Cao Kun was no longer who he used to be. The courage of Xuefen Company relied on him; he was currently the company's star employee.

After getting his leave, Cao Kun headed straight for the mall.

With the experience of going to Ji Guangli's house a few days ago, he was familiar with the process this time.

Moutai, Chunghwa cigarettes, and various high-end gift boxes filled the trunk of his car.

Besides these, he specifically bought a tri-fold smartphone for his father, Cao Chunlei—a phone that would give him face no matter how it was folded.

Then he bought three of the latest 17Pro Max models.

One for his mother Plum Blossom, and one each for his younger brother Cao Yang and sister Cao Ying.

Both were college students.

They cared quite a bit about their image.

Changing to a better phone could make them a bit more confident.

The two of them had originally planned to take summer jobs during their break.

However, they hadn't found work and were currently at home studying for their driver's licenses.

After buying the phones,

Cao Kun moved to the jewelry counter and spent over fifty thousand to pick out a gold necklace for his mother.

Cao Kun didn't even blink when he swiped his card.

He had originally thought about just giving his family money and letting them buy things themselves.

But given his parents' frugal nature, they wouldn't be willing to spend it even if he gave it to them.

It was better to buy the items directly and then give them some extra cash when he returned.

By the time the shopping was finished, it was already afternoon.

Ensuring he could reach the village around seven in the evening,

He then drove straight toward home.

His home was in Xin City, adjacent to Zhongzhou City.

It was very close to Zhongzhou City, less than a hundred kilometers away.

Despite the proximity, because he hadn't been doing well these past two years,

Cao Kun had rarely returned home.

This time, he was finally going to hold his head high.

This was also why he wanted to arrive at the village around seven o'clock.

In the summer, at this time, the sun had just set and it wasn't completely dark yet.

People who had been cooped up inside with fans or air conditioning all day would come out to wander around; the village entrance and intersections would be filled with people cooling off and chatting.

Driving back then would ensure people saw him, allowing for a better display of his success.

At seven PM,

Cao Kun slowly drove his car into the entrance of Yang Village.

Under the old locust tree at the village entrance, a dozen or so people had indeed gathered.

There were old men waving cattail fans, women holding children, and several shirtless middle-aged men playing cards.

Seeing this grand SUV drive in, everyone's eyes were drawn toward it.

Cao Kun slowed down, rolled down the window, and took out a freshly opened pack of Chunghwa cigarettes from the storage compartment.

"Oh, whose car is this? It's so grand!" someone whispered.

"Looks like the eldest son of the Cao family! Is that Cao Kun?"

Cao Kun stopped the car, leaned his head out, and greeted them with a smile: "Second Uncle, Third Uncle, cooling off?"

"It really is Xiao Kun!" A middle-aged man in his fifties walked over, sizing up the car in surprise. "This car... must have cost a lot of money, right?"

"It's alright, five or six hundred thousand," Cao Kun said casually, handing over a Chunghwa cigarette.

"Five or six hundred thousand?" A chorus of gasps sounded around him.

In an ordinary rural place like Yang Village, any family buying a car for over a hundred thousand was considered well-off.

A car worth five or six hundred thousand was something only a big boss could afford to drive.

"Xiao Kun, have you struck it rich out there?" another man asked enviously as he took a cigarette.

"Just doing some small business. Had some good luck and made a little bit of money," Cao Kun said modestly.

He handed out cigarettes to the other men nearby, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then drove away.

After Cao Kun left,

The crowd continued to buzz with discussion.

"That kid Cao Kun has really struck it rich! Buying such a nice car, and even his cigarettes are Chunghwa."

"Yeah! Someone used to say that going to school was useless for him, but they're being proven wrong now!"

"It seems one really should study hard!"

While some were envious, others were jealous.

"He must be doing something illegal, otherwise how could he get rich so fast?"

"Maybe it's an online loan. Young people nowadays love to put on these fake fronts."

"Right, the car is probably rented. A car this expensive isn't something you can just buy on a whim."

...