...everything felt very warm and familiar to Li Zhiyan.
Having a second chance at life was truly wonderful and deeply precious.
When Zhou Rongrong returned home, finished washing the dishes, and took off her apron, she walked into Li Zhiyan's room wearing a simple black long skirt bought from a street stall.
"Xiaoyan, there are no outsiders here now. Tell Mom, did you get into some kind of trouble, or do you want a new computer that can run games?"
Instead of answering, Li Zhiyan praised, "Mom, you are so pretty."
Mom at this age was just as elegant and beautiful as she was in his memories from thirteen years ago.
He felt a bit regretful that he hadn't inherited his mother's good looks, but in this world, nothing was ever truly perfect.
The world was broken and battered, and Mom patched it back together piece by piece.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Zhou Rongrong patted her son's head. Though she acted indifferent on the surface, inside she was blooming with joy.
Her son had never praised her looks before.
"Out with it, what's on your mind?"
Zhou Rongrong was certain that Li Zhiyan must have something going on.
"I really have nothing on my mind."
"If nothing's wrong, why did you cry like that today? Mom knows you. The only other time you cried like that was when you got bullied and beat up by someone when you were a kid. Did you get into another fight with someone?"
"Mom, I'm really fine."
Li Zhiyan assured her again. Only after confirming it with him several times did Zhou Rongrong finally let her guard down.
"I just have one wish."
Li Zhiyan hugged Zhou Rongrong around the waist.
Zhou Rongrong thought to herself that she was right—no one in the world knew her son better than she did.
This brat definitely wanted something from her.
"Go ahead."
"Are you planning to go work in Modu?"
Li Zhiyan couldn't bear the thought of any possibility of an accident happening to his mother again; going to work in Modu was absolutely out of the question.
"How did you know?"
Zhou Rongrong hadn't expected that she had only just thought about the idea of working in Modu, and Li Zhiyan had already blurted it out.
"This must be that telepathic bond between mother and son!"
"Well, Mom was planning to go to Modu after you start university. You know, housing prices are getting higher and higher these days."
"Depending on this job in Wancheng,"
"buying a house for you is basically impossible."
"So Mom has to make money to buy you a house and get you a wife."
Chapter 008: Gu Wanzhou's Astonishment
"No, I won't let you go. Stay here in Wancheng and work, and keep me company."
Li Zhiyan was firmly opposed. It had been thirteen years, and he had only just felt the warmth of maternal love again.
He absolutely would not allow any possibility of anything happening to his mother.
"But, Xiaoyan, you'll need money to get a wife in the future."
"No, Mom, I won't let you go."
Li Zhiyan hugged Zhou Rongrong tightly like a little child. He missed the warm embrace of a mother's love far too much.
With no other choice, Zhou Rongrong could only pat her son's shoulder helplessly.
It seemed her plan to go work in Modu was a dead end.
"If Mom doesn't go to Modu, what are you going to do about a house in the future? You can't possibly live in a rented apartment in an old residential building like this forever."
"No girl will be willing to marry you then."
"Don't worry about that, I've figured out a way to make money."
Li Zhiyan had already thought it through. With the system, he could make money by completing system tasks.
If all else failed, he could buy some cryptocurrency. Although the wealth-building cycle might be long, ten years from now, it would be more than enough to make him a billionaire.
Being able to come back as a reborn mama's boy made Li Zhiyan truly content inside.
Seeing her son acting like a seven-year-old again, Zhou Rongrong felt a mixture of helplessness.
As for her son making money, she certainly wasn't counting on it; it looked like she would have to figure out a way to work more overtime to earn a bit extra.
...
That evening, after returning to her room, Zhou Rongrong walked over to the dressing table and looked at herself in the mirror.
Her son's praise was like honey, making her heart feel sweet.
Did this brat really think she was pretty?
In the second bedroom, a small electric fan blew breeze toward Li Zhiyan.
He was only eighteen years old right now, with a strong body that had zero fear of the cold!
Li Zhiyan opened the system, wanting to study it more closely.
Aside from the reminder to go to Xinyuan Grand Hotel tomorrow night to collect his fifty-thousand-yuan reward, there was only a computer programming skill currently in progress.
"My system, let's call you the Salted Fish System."
Li Zhiyan gave his system a name.
Just as he was planning to get some proper rest, the system suddenly popped up a notification.
"Programming technology has been successfully learned."
Li Zhiyan felt as if a vast amount of new information had flooded into his brain.
It felt like programming expertise. Having mastered this new technology, Li Zhiyan couldn't sit still anymore.
Opening up his dilapidated computer, Li Zhiyan tried writing a small automated vegetable-stealing script and found it as easy as turning over his hand.
"Unbelievable, System, I apologize to you."
Li Zhiyan realized that his system wasn't entirely a "salted fish" after all; at the very least, he now possessed a high-end skill. Programmers weren't as oversaturated in this era as they would become later, and the technique he had mastered was clearly top-notch. He could make a decent amount of money doing freelance work in the future.
This was an invisible fortune!
And who knew what other rewards the system might implant later on, such as physical fitness or similar enhancements?
Those kinds of things were far more meaningful than mere money.
Afterward, he wrote a few more small programs. Having thoroughly enjoyed the thrill of being a programmer, Li Zhiyan browsed the internet and watched a bit of the first season of *Love Apartment*, which had aired just last year.
Around eleven o'clock, he finally drifted into a deep sleep.
The next morning, when Li Zhiyan woke up, he saw his mother standing at the doorway, looking as if she had been waiting for him for a while.
"It's past eight, son, get up and eat."
"Yeah, Mom."
Leaping out of bed, Li Zhiyan headed to the bathroom to wash up. He felt as though every single pore on his body was jumping with joy; by now, he had completely integrated himself into the year 2010.
"Son, why does Mom feel like you've been acting so strange these past two days? You're in such a good mood today."
"I'm happy just seeing you. I only want to stay by your side and be a mama's boy for the rest of my life."
Zhou Rongrong reached out and stroked Li Zhiyan's face.
"Silly child, look at your lack of ambition."
"Can Mom stick by you forever? Alright, eat your breakfast, Mom has to go to work."
"Remember to be careful out there and don't get into fights with people."
"Oh, and take this two hundred yuan for pocket money."
"Spend it sparingly."
In the past, when Li Zhiyan heard such nagging, he would have felt annoyed.
But right now, his heart felt nothing but pure happiness—he had his mother's love again.
"Mom, I can make money, I don't need your money."
Zhou Rongrong didn't take him seriously. Leaving the money on the table, she walked to the doorway, slipped on the high heels she had bought at a street stall, and headed out.
In the afternoon, Li Zhiyan took a detour to an internet cafe.
Sure enough, that rascal Li Shiyu was using a heavy machine gun on New Square.
"Righteous father, you're here! Hop online and play a few rounds! I just learned a glitch to clip beneath the defenders' spawn in New Square!"
"No thanks, I've got some things to take care of this afternoon."
"Do you want me to go with you?"
"No need, just stay here and enjoy your game. I'm just going to set up online banking."
As Li Zhiyan was about to leave, he added, "By the way, I think you should stop chasing Wang Xinyue. She's not a good person."
Li Shiyu shared a similar background to him, though he had it even worse—he had chased their female classmate Wang Xinyue from their first year of high school all the way through their third year of college, a full six years.
In the end, he was played for a fool. The green tea bitches of this era seemed to have already become a common trend.
"I know. Let me try one more time; if it still doesn't work when school starts, I'll give up."
Although Li Shiyu didn't know why Li Zhiyan had suddenly brought up Wang Xinyue out of nowhere, he felt that his best friend was different now. Trusting him was definitely the right move.
"Alright. In a few days, I'll take you to a bathhouse to unwind. I guarantee you won't be agonizing over Wang Xinyue anymore after that."
Li Shiyu successfully clipped through the map into a glitch, fell to his death on a slope in B-site, and asked in confusion, "It's just taking a bath, what's there to have fun with? It's not like we've never been before."
...
That evening, checking the time the system had indicated, Li Zhiyan arrived at Xinyuan Grand Hotel.
"Fifty thousand yuan... that really is a huge sum of money."
In the past, Li Zhiyan used to think fifty thousand yuan was a paltry amount, but later he came to understand that anyone willing to lend you fifty thousand yuan in this society—aside from your parents—deserved to be treated as a close friend for life.
When faced with money, human nature is put to the ultimate test.
Thinking about the fifty thousand yuan reward, the unpretentious Li Zhiyan felt an inexplicable surge of excitement.
Just as he reached the entrance of Xinyuan Grand Hotel, Li Zhiyan saw a Mercedes-Benz E-Class pull up to the curb.
Shortly after, Gu Wanzhou stepped out from the driver's seat, dressed in a black professional suit paired with skin-toned stockings and high heels.
The moment she caught sight of Li Zhiyan standing at the entrance, Gu Wanzhou was taken aback.
She suddenly recalled what Li Zhiyan had said to her:
"I always have this feeling, Aunt Gu, that we'll meet again very soon."
She hadn't expected that in such a short span of time, she would run into this kid who had dared to confess his feelings to her in public once more.
In the passenger seat, Yu Sisi stepped out, holding herself with the haughtiness of a princess.
"Li Zhiyan?"
Chapter 009: Liu Zifeng's Mom Is So Pretty
The moment she saw Li Zhiyan, Yu Sisi was reminded of yesterday's awkwardness.
Quite a few classmates were still gossiping about how she had been overly self-absorbed.
And yet this guy had actually confessed to her own mother!
Even though she knew her mom would never end up with Li Zhiyan, she felt extremely uncomfortable deep down.
Following Gu Wanzhou to the entrance of Xinyuan Grand Hotel, she snapped irritably, "Li Zhiyan, what are you doing here?"
Originally, she hadn't thought much of Li Zhiyan at all; she had merely kept him on a string for her own amusement.
But now, she felt a profound sense of disgust toward him.
Given his single-parent family background, she wouldn't look twice at him in this lifetime.
Liu Zifeng was the only one within her range of consideration, and nothing more.
"Sisi, is that any way to speak to your classmate?"
Standing nearby, Gu Wanzhou corrected her daughter's attitude.
Yu Sisi turned her head away, clearly refusing to speak another word to Li Zhiyan. She felt that Li Zhiyan didn't possess a single redeeming quality that could possibly interest her.
Originally, having this clown chase after her and provide her with a sense of emotional validation and accomplishment had been somewhat useful, but after yesterday, she never wanted to deal with Li Zhiyan again.
Watching Yu Sisi's retreating back, Gu Wanzhou felt a twinge of helplessness. Her daughter was growing up, and discipline was indeed getting harder.
"Xiaoyan, what brings you here?"
Gu Wanzhou remembered what Li Zhiyan had said yesterday about the two of them being fated.
She hadn't expected them to bump into each other right here.
"Aunt Gu, I helped someone with a project earlier. After contacting him, he told me to come here to pick up my payment."
According to the system's instructions, all he had to do was come here and find President Liu Yan to collect his money.
"A project? What kind of project?"
Gu Wanzhou couldn't help her curiosity.
"Computer programming, things like that."
As soon as Li Zhiyan finished speaking, Gu Wanzhou's impression of him plummeted rapidly.
Previously, she had assumed that Li Zhiyan liked her because he came from a single-parent family, lacked affection, and suffered from an Oedipus complex combined with adolescent fantasies.
In Gu Wanzhou's heart, Li Zhiyan was a pitiable, honest kid.
But now, it seemed he was not only immature, but also scheming.
Why had he claimed they were fated yesterday?
He probably just knew she would be coming to Xinyuan Grand Hotel today.
So he had deliberately come here, pretending it was fate. Judging by his childish talk of computer programming, it was safe to conclude he was lying.
A second-tier university student who couldn't even manage his own studies, let alone handle complex computer stuff.
Cooking up such a lame excuse made him no different from a ten-year-old child.
If he was going to be this annoying, she didn't even need to bother with a cold-shoulder treatment anymore.
She could just reject him outright.
Li Zhiyan sensed a shift in Gu Wanzhou's gaze.
Indeed, his explanation sounded far-fetched; no normal person would believe it, yet it happened to be the absolute truth.
At that moment, an Audi A6 pulled up right behind them.
Liu Zifeng stepped out of the passenger seat first.
Then, a voluptuous and stunning beauty wearing a black skirt suit stepped out from the driver's seat.
Her plumpness was of that just-right variety—not fat in the slightest.
Her D-plus bust and the fleshy, stocking-clad legs visible beneath her short skirt made Li Zhiyan's hormones accelerate. Although she was clearly around forty years old, she was undeniably gorgeous.
This mature charm left Li Zhiyan in a slight daze.
Why did this woman look somewhat familiar? Yet he couldn't quite place her for a moment.
Right!
Li Zhiyan finally remembered who this voluptuous beauty was.
Liu Zifeng's mother, Rao Shiyun.
No wonder Liu Zifeng was so handsome; it turned out he had such a gorgeous mother. In his past life, he had simply never paid attention.
When Liu Zifeng saw Li Zhiyan, his expression darkened.
Young people at that age were fearless and reckless by nature, so they rarely bothered to hide their emotions.
He had gotten into fights with Li Zhiyan before and couldn't stand him, and seeing him now only made him even angrier.
Why on earth was this punk showing up here?
Rao Shiyun walked up and greeted Gu Wanzhou.
"Wanzhou, your daughter is getting prettier by the day. When is she going to become my daughter-in-law?"
Gu Wanzhou gave a helpless smile.
"You'll have to get your son to work harder for that. She won't agree, and there's nothing I can do."
Afterward, Rao Shiyun noticed Li Zhiyan standing beside Gu Wanzhou.
"Wanzhou, is this young man your nephew?"
In Rao Shiyun's estimation, this young man had to be Gu Wanzhou's nephew.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be standing so close to her.
"No, this is my daughter's classmate, Li Zhiyan."
Hearing the name Li Zhiyan, Rao Shiyun grew interested.
Looking the boy up and down, she knew that if Li Zhiyan actually harbored thoughts of being with Gu Wanzhou, he stood basically zero chance.
Gu Wanzhou had extremely high standards; she wanted someone either exceptionally handsome or highly successful in their career.
This kid had ordinary height and looks, so Gu Wanzhou would definitely look down on him.
As for a career—capable and talented men in this world never lacked admirers.
She herself liked capable men, too.
But he was only eighteen. After graduation, he'd probably only make a few thousand yuan a month. What kind of future could he possibly have?
His only advantage was probably his youth.
Still, Gu Wanzhou wouldn't date him just because he was young.
Relationships with a large age gap—especially one spanning a full twenty-three years—came with far too many obstacles.
An eighteen-year-old boy dating a forty-one-year-old woman, holding hands, kissing, sleeping together...
No matter how you looked at it, it was unrealistic. All she could say was that the kid had plenty of nerve.
"So this is the Li Zhiyan who confessed to you? The young man has a lot of guts."
"Daring to confess to Aunt Gu, who was a famous beauty back in her day!"
"Little Li, you certainly have an eye for things. Auntie wishes you success in winning the beauty's heart soon."
Rao Shiyun's seemingly approving gaze made Gu Wanzhou's cheeks heat up slightly.
Why did this woman have to bring that up?
Did Liu Zifeng tell her?
This whole affair was bound to become the talk of their social circle for years to come.
"Stop talking nonsense."
"It's about time, let's head inside."
"Almost everyone is here."
Rao Shiyun waved at Li Zhiyan.
"Well, Li Zhiyan, we'll go on ahead. Keep it up—Auntie thinks you can definitely win over Aunt Gu!"
Gu Wanzhou's pretty face flushed even warmer.
Her impression of Li Zhiyan dipped even lower.
She was increasingly convinced that Li Zhiyan simply suffered from a fixation and wanted to find a woman twenty-three years his senior to sleep with just to satisfy his own fantasies, venting his adolescent hormones.
To that end, he had even resorted to such childish tricks to pretend they were fated.
Li Zhiyan nodded slightly. He had checked earlier; Liu Yan hadn't arrived yet, so he would just wait a little longer.
Chapter 010: I Want to Sit Next to Aunt Gu
Inside the private dining room, most of their friends had already arrived.
Aside from Liu Yan who was still absent, there were eleven people in total.
"They're here. How come President Liu still hasn't arrived?"
"President Liu's business has been booming lately—he even upgraded to a Mercedes S-Class."
"No need to rush, he'll be here shortly."
"Director Gu, I heard an eighteen-year-old boy in your daughter's class confessed to you. Is that true?"
Rao Shiyun chimed in, "Of course it's true! Our Beauty Gu's charm just keeps growing. At forty-one, she can still attract an eighteen-year-old boy! Old Zhang, you're done for; you've got more and more competition."
Although Gu Wanzhou was already forty-one, she was truly stunning.
Much like Rao Shiyun, she still had numerous suitors even in middle age.
Some people were even willing to abandon their current families for Gu Wanzhou, just for a chance to be with her.
After all, such a gorgeous, top-tier mature woman was hard to come by.
Zhang Hongbin just smiled.
"Kids don't know any better. Director Gu shouldn't hold it against him."
"Everyone has adolescent fantasies when they're young. Once his passion burns out, it'll blow over."
Liu Zifeng sat down and poured himself a glass of Sprite.
"I think that Li Zhiyan is a total psycho, a loser with a fixation, which is why he confessed to Aunt Gu."
"A completely worthless piece of trash."
Young people spoke recklessly, without any filter.
"Xiaofeng, don't talk about your classmate like that!"