For instance, today he had been busy all day and had just randomly dropped by the park to clear his head.
It was completely impossible for Li Zhiyan to have known his whereabouts in advance, yet he had shown up right when it mattered and saved her.
Coupled with the coincidence at the restaurant last time, a situation like this could only be explained by destiny. If this wasn't destiny, then what was?
"I told you, Aunt Gu, you and I are meant to be. You are destined to be my girlfriend."
"The two of us are destined to end up together."
Looking at the utter seriousness on Li Zhiyan's face, Gu Wanzhou already understood that this matter really wasn't going to be easy to handle.
Her bond with Li Zhiyan was growing deeper by the day, and now he had saved her once again. Cutting ties with him was completely out of the question.
How wonderful it would be if Li Zhiyan were willing to acknowledge her as his godmother instead! Then all her problems would be solved instantly.
Right now, she truly had no idea what to do.
"You brat, how can you be so good at fighting? That thug was well over six feet tall and built like a tank."
"How on earth did you manage to beat him?"
"Did you used to practice combat sports?"
Li Zhiyan looked at Gu Wanzhou before him and said, "Aunt Gu, I’ve never taken any combat classes. I didn't think twice about it at the time; I just wanted to protect you. Besides, he insulted my mother, so I was ready to risk my life with him anyway."
A pang of sympathy for Li Zhiyan stirred in Gu Wanzhou's heart. Children from single-parent families would always fight to the death to protect the people who loved them. The sight of him standing bravely in front of her just now was something she would never forget for as long as she lived. In this lifetime, her ties with Li Zhiyan were truly impossible to untangle.
"Your mother is so fortunate to have a son as good as you."
"I only wish I had a son like you."
As the two continued their stroll, Gu Wanzhou still dropped hints about wanting to become Li Zhiyan's godmother. If she could take Li Zhiyan in as her godson, then every single difficulty would be effortlessly resolved.
"Aunt Gu, I know what you're trying to say."
"You still want to adopt me as your godson, don't you?"
"Two Sprites."
Passing by a small convenience store, Li Zhiyan casually pulled out a few coins and bought two bottles of Sprite. He twisted the cap off one of them and handed it to Gu Wanzhou.
"Still, you really don't need to fixate on making me your godson. If we become mother and son, there will be zero possibility of us ever being together. You'd be permanently sealing off one of the future possibilities for your life."
"Remember what I said to you before?"
Unbidden, Gu Wanzhou recalled the movie quote Li Zhiyan had spoken earlier. Once again, she couldn't help marveling at his talent; the boy was truly extraordinarily gifted. At the same time, her mind began to race: if she really cut off all possibility of being with Li Zhiyan and became his mother instead, would she feel a sense of loss?
For some reason, an uncomfortable sensation welled up in her chest. That didn't seem like a good idea at all.
Thinking back to the time Li Zhiyan had pressed down on her legs, her face began to grow hot. The boy's hands really seemed to possess some kind of magic.
"Brat."
"You beat that guy up like that just now... Are you going to be in trouble?"
Gu Wanzhou changed the subject.
"Don't worry, Aunt Gu."
"There aren't many security cameras around, so there's basically no evidence to be found."
"Besides, he was the one trying to harass you first; I was just acting in righteous self-defense."
"And that place is pretty far from your house. Just don't go walking around over there alone at night and you'll be fine."
The reason this era felt so wild was precisely because there weren't enough surveillance cameras and information didn't spread instantly across the internet. Back in 2024, in a major city like Wancheng, every street corner was covered by cameras, and if you actually did something wrong, you basically had no way to escape.
"Oh, that's good then."
As they walked, Li Zhiyan suddenly reached out and took Gu Wanzhou's hand.
The gesture made her entire body give a slight jolt. Holding hands was something only romantic couples did. Yet, she felt as though she lacked the courage to pull away from Li Zhiyan.
"Listen, this isn't right. Men and women should keep their distance."
Noticing her hesitation, Li Zhiyan said, "Aunt Gu, didn't you just say you think of me as a kid?"
"There's nobody else around right now. Can't a kid even hold hands with an elder? Are you being overly sensitive, or do you secretly view me as a man you could date?"
Gu Wanzhou wanted to loosen her grip, but hearing him speak like that made her simply leave her hand in his.
That's right, she only thought of him as a child, nothing more. Letting a child hold her hand wasn't a big deal. Even so, as she thought this, the image of Li Zhiyan touching her thigh kept flashing through her mind, along with that time the little scoundrel had snuck a kiss and slipped his tongue past her lips.
"Aunt Gu."
Holding her soft, smooth hand, Li Zhiyan finally let out a sigh of relief. He was making progress with Aunt Gu after all; at the very least, he could hold her hand now when no one else was around. This was the first step in pulling his big cart!
"Just give me a chance to date you. I really do like you."
"If you're willing to be with me, I will treat you with all my heart."
In his previous life, Li Zhiyan had experienced too much of the coldness and warmth of human nature, so in this life, he only wanted to protect the people who were genuinely good to him. Gu Wanzhou was undoubtedly one of them.
Meeting his gaze, Gu Wanzhou wanted to refuse him once again. But the events that had transpired between them recently kept echoing in her mind. For a moment, the words of rejection failed to leave her lips. The boy really was a good person at heart, and she simply didn't have the heart to crush him.
"F... fine. Auntie will think about it—about dating you."
"Don't get your hopes up too high, though. After all, Auntie is old enough to be your mother, and your classmate's mother at that."
Gu Wanzhou comforted herself inwardly: she was just thinking about it, merely considering it, and there was no way she would actually agree to him.
***
### Chapter 028: A New Mission
Although Gu Wanzhou had only said she would consider it, Li Zhiyan knew this was already a massive breakthrough. Once she started thinking about it, she would gradually be pushed forward step by step until she finally ended up with him.
"Alright, Aunt Gu, let me walk you home."
Gu Wanzhou nodded. For some reason, her face was growing hotter by the second.
The night was pitch black, and the dim shadows seemed to conceal countless hidden dangers while stray cats darted back and forth from time to time. In the past, such an atmosphere would have filled Gu Wanzhou with dread and terror. But tonight, with Li Zhiyan walking by her side, she felt her heart overflowing with a profound sense of security.
"Oh, right, brat. Auntie has decided to buy that apartment."
"I've looked at a few nice ones recently. I'll just treat it as an investment."
"What you said last time made a lot of sense."
"The more Auntie thinks about it, the more right you are."
Li Zhiyan said with absolute certainty, "Don't worry, property values are definitely going up."
"Besides, you'll probably see the returns by the time the new semester starts."
"Real estate prices from now on are going to go up every single day without fail."
As they walked hand in hand, a few passing pedestrians cast strange glances at Li Zhiyan and Gu Wanzhou. This kid was certainly in for some serious luck with the ladies! In reality, there were still plenty of people in society who fancied mature women, only they never dared to voice it out loud.
These stares made Gu Wanzhou feel a little uneasy.
"Listen, isn't it a bit weird for us to be holding hands like this?"
"It's fine, Aunt Gu. People are definitely going to assume you're my mom. Isn't it completely normal for a mother and son to hold hands?"
Hearing him put it that way, Gu Wanzhou finally dismissed her worries. In fact, a large age gap could sometimes be a blessing in disguise; nobody would ever jump to conclusions about them being in a romantic relationship. After all, the idea of an 18-year-old youth dating a 41-year-old woman was simply too absurd.
Hand in hand, they finally reached the entrance of the residential complex. Only then did Gu Wanzhou say, "Alright, let go of Auntie's hand now."
"There are too many people around here who know me."
"If someone sees us, it won't look good."
Li Zhiyan released her hand. Keeping it up indefinitely really wouldn't be appropriate just yet.
"Okay, Aunt Gu."
"I'll walk you to your building, and then I'll head home."
Walking side by side to the foot of her building, Li Zhiyan took advantage of the moment before Gu Wanzhou could react and pulled her into a brief embrace.
"Goodbye, Aunt Gu."
"Goodbye..."
The flush on Gu Wanzhou's face refused to fade away.
Upstairs, Yu Sisi had just walked over to the window and caught sight of her mother parting ways with a young man. A wave of doubt stirred in her heart. Was her mom actually thinking about dating someone?When Li Zhiyan returned home, the lights were still on, and Zhou Rongrong was sitting in the living room waiting for him.
Looking at his mother bathed in the warm orange glow of the lamp, Li Zhiyan felt a deep sense of warmth in his heart. The faint smell of a coal stove drifted from the kitchen—it was obvious his mother had been worried he might go hungry and had prepared food for him.
"Xiaoyan, are you still hungry?"
"Mom made a pot of chicken stewed with mushrooms and kept it warm on the stove for you."
Li Zhiyan gave a soft hum of agreement; he actually was quite hungry now.
Changing into his slippers, he sat obediently at the dining table like a good boy, waiting for his mother's cooking.After setting out the dishes, steamed buns, and a bowl of prepared chilled mung bean soup, Zhou Rongrong asked with a curious smile, "Son, the girl you were on a date with must really like you, right?"
"You used to ask me if a plain guy like you would ever find a girl willing to stay with you for life."
"Well, look at that—now you have one."
Her eyes and tone were brimming with maternal love.
"Mom, it's still way too early for that, so stop asking so many questions. Anyway, whenever I actually find a girlfriend, I'll definitely bring her home for you to see."
The person he would bring home for his mother to see was naturally Su Mengchen. Even though his mom claimed she didn't mind, if he actually dragged Gu Wanzhou or Rao Shiyun through the front door, she would probably die of anger.
"Alright, then I'll just wait to meet my daughter-in-law!"
"Mom is going to bed now; I have to work tomorrow. Just leave the dishes on the table when you're done, and I'll clean them up in the morning."
Watching the retreating back of his mother as she headed to her bedroom, Li Zhiyan felt completely fulfilled. The feeling of coming home to someone waiting for you was just wonderful beyond words.
***
Back in his room, Li Zhiyan switched on his electric fan, and a cool breeze blew across the room, making him feel immensely comfortable. He booted up his computer and checked his text messages.
The fifty thousand yuan reward from the system had already been credited to his account.
"I've got 130,000 yuan in savings now, bringing me one step closer to becoming a millionaire."
"This is practically picking up free money."
"Let's see if the system tasks have refreshed."
Sure enough, a new mission had appeared.
"The night after tomorrow, Liu Huan is plotting with several business partners to get Rao Shiyun drunk at a dinner party and take the opportunity to book a hotel room with her."
"Please thwart Liu Huan's scheme."
"And find a way to kiss Rao Shiyun on the lips."
"Mission Reward: Seventy thousand yuan in cash."
"Skill: God of Wine (Learning in progress)."
"God of Wine skill: Once acquired, you will be able to drink thousands of cups without getting drunk."
"No matter how heavy the drinkers are, none of them will be a match for you."
"Bonus: The mobile phone number of Liu Huan's wife is as follows..."
Li Zhiyan felt a surge of excitement; the skills provided by the system were consistently overpowered.
As for Rao Shiyun having another dinner banquet, Li Zhiyan wasn't surprised at all. People in business didn't necessarily have drinking parties every single day, but having one every three to five days was a given. After all, China was a society built on human connections, and back in 2010, drinking culture was still extremely prevalent.
"The God of Wine skill! This is so practical. If I ever decide to enter the corporate or official world in the future, I'll be completely invincible."
"And what's the deal with Liu Huan's wife's phone number?"
Still, Li Zhiyan figured that Liu Huan's wife must be quite attractive. After all, Liu Huan himself was fairly handsome, and a guy who looked good and had money surely wouldn't have an ugly wife.
"However..."
"This task of kissing Aunt Rao on the lips is a bit tricky—and it has to be a real kiss!"
"Looks like I'm going to have to plan this carefully."
"If there's ever a mission involving breastfeeding in the future, that would truly give me a massive headache."
***
Late into the night, Gu Wanzhou lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
Deep within her heart was an indescribable, unfamiliar feeling—it felt like a sudden stirring of romantic emotion. The abrupt appearance of this young boy named Li Zhiyan had completely thrown her life into disarray.
"Xiaoyan, why on earth do you have to fancy a woman as old as me?"
In her mind, the scene of Li Zhiyan saving her today replayed over and over again. Even though the boy was only eighteen, the way he had stepped in front of her to viciously beat back that dyed-blonde punk who stood over six feet tall had given her such an overwhelming sense of security.
As she kept thinking about it, Gu Wanzhou felt a familiar warmth stir within her. Under the moonlight, she glanced at her slender, pristine fingers.
Slowly, she climbed out of bed, opened her nightstand drawer, and fetched her nail clippers, setting to work on trimming the nail of her middle finger.
***
### Chapter 029: The Monitor's Mom Is Very Pretty
Gu Wanzhou's fingers were exceptionally long, fair, and flawless, resembling a delicate piece of fine art under the moonlight. Carefully clipping the nail of her right middle finger, she felt thoroughly satisfied. For her, trimming that single nail was quite enough.
***
The next day, lacking any active system tasks, Li Zhiyan had plenty of free time. He spent the entire day holed up in an internet cafe with Li Shiyu playing Dungeon & Fighter, soaking in the youthful atmosphere of their school days.
Lately, he was growing increasingly fond of summers like this, filled with the lingering scent of mature women and the raw energy of youth. Having a system was truly wonderful; it allowed him to live out his favorite lazy lifestyle to the fullest. Ordinary time-travelers always had to spend every waking moment worrying about missing out on this or that business opportunity—how exhausting.
A life without deep thoughts was the most relaxing kind.
At noon, Li Shiyu went to the opposite shop and bought two portions of egg fried rice, leaving his wallet practically empty. After grabbing a bottle of cola and a bottle of mineral water, he handed the chilled cola to Li Zhiyan.
"What, you're not drinking cola?"
"I'm sick of it."
How could Li Zhiyan possibly miss right through his buddy's clumsy disguise?
"Cut the act, just take it."
Pulling a five-hundred-yuan bill out of his pocket, Li Zhiyan laid it directly on the table in front of Li Shiyu. The two schoolboys surfing the net at the adjacent terminals cast looks of undisguised envy.
"Damn, Brother Yan! You didn't steal that money from your aunt, did you?"
"Don't scare me like that; I don't want to watch you getting strung up from the ceiling fan and whipped with a leather belt!"
Li Zhiyan knew very well what kind of fortune five hundred yuan represented back in their student days.
"Relax, that's not something my mom would ever do."
"Just take it and spend it; you can pay me back later. I've been doing some translation work recently and made tens of thousands of yuan."
"Since I'm so generous with you, there's no way I'm going to shortchange myself."
Li Shiyu's eyes widened in sheer disbelief, and four words echoed in his mind: *Brother Yan is a legend!* A single internet cafe session only cost 176! Just how many years' worth of internet sessions could this buy?!
"Brother Yan, you didn't break any laws, did you? I know your English grades; how on earth did you land a translation job!"
"Who doesn't know a few words of English? What kind of translation pays tens of thousands of yuan? Is it even legal?!"
Right on cue, Li Zhiyan demonstrated a fluent sentence of French on the spot.
"French translation. You can rest easy."
At that moment, his loyal sidekick looked at him with nothing short of absolute reverence.
"Turns out Brother Yan is the hidden true dragon in our class!"
"Liu Zifeng can go fly a kite; he's nothing!"
"If you use this kind of talent to pursue Yu Sisi, you're guaranteed to win!"
Li Zhiyan realized that a simper's mindset was genuinely impossible to overturn overnight.
"Stop obsessing over Yu Sisi. I'm not chasing her anymore; I'm chasing her birth mother."
Li Shiyu nodded thoughtfully.
"That's the ultimate revenge against Yu Sisi! But wait, our class's rich kid Liu Zifeng has a grudge against you, too."
"Why don't you go chase Liu Zifeng's mom?"
Li Zhiyan replied casually, "I'm going after Liu Zifeng's mom as well."
"You're insane!"
"Oh, and don't forget the class monitor's mom. That bastard Liu Yaolong has given us plenty of trouble."
In reality, because Li Zhiyan's family couldn't afford to give gifts to the teachers, their head teacher constantly made things difficult for him. And Liu Yaolong, acting as the head-teacher's primary brown-noser, naturally took the lead in tormenting him every single day, constantly assigning him extra cleaning chores and even forcing him to sweep the ground floor of the teaching building all by himself. Every single time, Li Shiyu would silently pick up a broom and accompany him to sweep, simply to make sure he wasn't too lonely.
"Have you ever seen Liu Yaolong's mom?"
"Yeah, I have. She came to our school once to drop off some study materials for Liu Zifeng. But you were home sick with a fever that day. She was drop-dead gorgeous."
At the mention of the words "drop-dead gorgeous," Li Zhiyan mentally noted down the class monitor's mother.
"Hey, internet cafe manager, five bottles of iced cola."
Li Zhiyan called out. The manager brought them over, and Li Zhiyan handed him a twenty-yuan bill.
"Drink up. The afternoon is still young, live it up."
A person might not find many true friends in a lifetime. Having even one loyal confidant made Li Zhiyan feel content; after all, no one else would have been willing to sell their bicycle to help him out.Just then, Jiang Xian walked in, wearing a loose white T-shirt and a tight black hip-skirt.
"Teacher's wife, came looking for someone at the internet cafe again?"
"Mhmm.At that moment, Jiang Xian noticed the hundred-yuan bill sitting on Li Shiyu's desk. Enjoying the occasional envious glances from the younger students nearby, Li Shiyu had intentionally left the money lying out in the open.
"Li Shiyu, did you strike it rich or something? You've got so much cash lying around."