For the sake of his wife and babies, he had to make it happen no matter what.
At this moment, Liu Huaqiang gave a thumbs-up. "Young Master Zhang is indeed a man of great generosity. Shall we find a place to chat?"
"Let's go. I haven't eaten yet anyway."
With that, Zhang Hao directly opened the back door and got into the car.
Liu Huaqiang's expression flickered slightly, making him even more certain of his previous thought.
Self-confidence stems from strength.
For Zhang Hao to be so arrogant and aloof, he must have someone powerful backing him up.
Before long, the car arrived at Shenghai Grand Hotel.
In the most luxurious private dining room, Zhang Hao was received with great hospitality.
Aside from Liu Huaqiang, Wang Fugui was also present to accompany them, and the look he gave Zhang Hao was filled with utmost respect.
Liu Huaqiang said with a flattering smile, "Brother Zhang, how many secret recipes do you have in total? How many are vegetarian and how many are meat dishes?"
"Let's talk after I've eaten my fill."
Zhang Hao replied casually while eating.
Because he was simply too starving.
He had originally planned to grab some late-night snacks after leaving Su Yuyan's place before heading back to the dormitory, but he hadn't expected to run into Liu Huaqiang and get brought straight to the hotel, giving him the chance to enjoy a hearty meal.
"No rush, take your time eating."
Liu Huaqiang smiled warmly and said no more.
A few minutes later, Zhang Hao had eaten his fill.
He leaned back comfortably in his chair, lit a cigarette, and instantly felt even more relaxed.
Before Liu Huaqiang could speak, Zhang Hao thought for a moment and said, "There is no cuisine among the Eight Culinary Traditions that I can't master. Each tradition has at least a hundred dishes or so. You can find someone to take notes, and I will dictate the secret recipes in detail."
Hearing this, astonishment showed on Liu Huaqiang's face.
The Eight Culinary Traditions, with over a hundred dishes each, would add up to well over a thousand dishes in total.
You've got to be kidding me—the entire menu of the hotel didn't even have two hundred dishes combined.
"Brother, we don't need that many. How about this: let's start with the dishes currently served in my hotel. If business becomes even more booming afterward, we can consider introducing new dishes. After all, as you know, having too many dishes..."
"At least two hundred. Not a single one fewer."
Before Liu Huaqiang could finish speaking, Zhang Hao directly interrupted him.
He was here to make money, not to listen to someone dawdle and drag their feet.
"Um... Alright then."
After a brief hesitation, Liu Huaqiang chose to agree, doing so entirely to save face for Zhang Hao.
"Fugui, bring over the menu."
"Right away, Brother Qiang."
Liu Fugui hurriedly stood up and left the room, returning a moment later with the menu in his hand.
Zhang Hao opened the menu and took a look; there wasn't a single dish on it that he didn't know how to make.
"I'll dictate and you write. Twice-cooked pork: cut the pork belly into chunks, boil them with ginger slices for five minutes, then fish them out and slice the pork. Without putting oil in the wok, stir-fry minced ginger and garlic until golden brown, add Pixian broad bean paste and stir-fry evenly, then add fermented black beans, green peppers, red peppers, dark soy sauce, and salt. Stir-fry for one minute and dish it out."
...
Three hours later.
Looking at the menu, Zhang Hao recited the preparation methods for each dish fluently, as if reciting from memory.
Then he went on to dictate the recipes for several more dishes, making up a full total of two hundred.
Among them were fifty vegetarian dishes and one hundred and fifty meat dishes.
After finishing, he took a sip of a beverage to quench his thirst.
Liu Huaqiang smiled and said, "Brother, you've worked hard. If the business booms from here on out, I'll buy more new recipes from you. Come on, let's make a toast in advance. Cheers."
With that, he raised a glass of baijiu.
Seeing this, Wang Fugui quickly picked up his wine glass, eager to offer a toast.
Zhang Hao waved his hand. "Forget about the drink; just give me the money directly. It's getting late and I should head back. I have to look after the kids tomorrow."
Liu Huaqiang froze for a moment, then smiled and agreed.
"Alright, I'll transfer the money to you right now."
Shortly after, Zhang Hao received a transfer of five million.
Seeing the seven-figure balance on his bank card, his mood instantly turned cheerful.
Come to think of it, it had been well over half a year since he last had this much money.
With this sum, he could improve the lives of his wife and babies.
"That's it then, I'm heading out first."
"Wait a second, Brother. I'll arrange for someone to drive you back."
...
Ten minutes later.
Zhang Hao arrived at the entrance of the dormitory.
Pushing open the door and walking inside, he saw his three roommates each busy with their own things.
Zhao Yong was holding dumbbells to work out his arm strength.
Dazhuang was sitting in front of the computer playing PUBG.
Shaohua was lying on bed playing Honor of Kings on his phone.
Although they noticed he had returned, not a single one of them spoke.
"Are you all deaf? You see your dad coming back and you don't even say hello?"
Zhao Yong casually remarked, "We figured you'd be back sooner or later. Guarding Goddess Su without sleeping with her, yet choosing to sleep with a bunch of rough guys like us instead—could it be that you swing the other way?"
Shaohua, who was busy playing his game, immediately chimed in, "Haozi, don't tell me you're a ready-made dad who got saddled with someone else's kid."
"Get lost!"
Zhang Hao said with displeasure, "That's because my wife and I only reunited a few days ago, and we're still getting familiar with each other."
"Give it some time, and even if you begged me to come back, I wouldn't."
At that, Zhao Yong's amused voice rang out.
"I beg to differ. Once you've spent some time sharing a bed with Goddess Su, you'll definitely want to come back every single day, only to find you can't."
Zhang Hao was somewhat puzzled. "How do you figure that?"
"Haven't you heard that saying? Married men fear January 31st the most, while married women fear December 1st the most."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Zhang Hao was completely baffled.
Although he didn't understand Zhao Yong's words, he knew they had to be deeply wicked.
After all, even though Zhao Yong looked proper on the outside, he had a restless heart.
Zhao Yong smiled and explained, "First split the dates apart, and then read them in reverse. That way you'll understand."
Zhang Hao frowned slightly and began muttering under his breath.
"Split the dates apart and read them in reverse... January 31st becomes 31st of January? December 1st becomes 1st of December? Oh~"
Zhang Hao suddenly understood, and the look he gave Zhao Yong was filled with utter contempt.
"Your mind is way too filthy, kid. Can we still hang out and play nicely from now on? You don't even have a girlfriend, but you sure have plenty of dirty ideas."
"Hehe, isn't this 'he who touches vermilion turns red, he who touches ink turns black'? I learned it all from you."
"Get lost, don't go learning bad habits behind your dad's back."
With that, Zhang Hao lay straight down on his bed.
Remembering that he had just earned five million, he couldn't wait to share the joy with Su Yuyan.
"Wife, are you asleep?"
Zhang Hao sent a WeChat message.
Before he could receive a reply, he heard Zhao Yong speak up.
"By the way Haozi, did Miejue Shitai say anything to you? There's a mock test tomorrow morning, supposedly to check the students' academic performance. Since graduation is coming up and all, they want to make sure nobody fails to get their diploma."
"Also, the sports meeting is the day after tomorrow, and as soon as it wraps up, we get the May Day long holiday."
Zhang Hao's expression shifted slightly.
He glanced at the calendar: tomorrow was April 30th, and the day after that would be May Day.
Though participation in the sports meeting was optional, he probably had to attend the mock test.
Ding-dong~
A WeChat notification sound rang out.
Chapter 26: Who is this beauty?
Hearing the sound, Zhang Hao hurriedly looked at his phone screen.
The message was sent by Su Yuyan.
"Not yet, hubby."
Seeing the word "hubby", Zhang Hao smiled knowingly.
However, the next moment, he noticed that the message had suddenly been recalled.
Buzz~
A new message notification chimed in: "Not yet."
Zhang Hao replied with a smile: "Even though you recalled it, I already saw it. Wife, I just got back to the dorm. Before coming back, I sold a secret recipe. Guess how much I sold it for?"
"How much?"
"Three million."
"Really or fake?"
"Of course it's real. If you don't believe me, should I transfer one and a half million over to you?"
"Transfer it."
Zhang Hao smiled and directly transferred one and a half million over.
Although he had just harvested a huge fortune, he wasn't the least bit stingy toward Su Yuyan.
Because she was his wife and the mother of his babies.
When it came to money, there was no "yours" or "mine" between them.
When Su Yuyan received the remittance of one and a half million, her sleepiness vanished instantly, and a look of astonishment crossed her face.
But immediately afterward, she transferred the money right back to Zhang Hao.
Zhang Hao frowned slightly: "Wife, why did you transfer the money back again?"
"Because that's your money, and the amount is too large, so I can't take it."
"Wife, you're being too formal. Why are you still drawing lines between us? What's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine."
"No way, I haven't even spent the fifty thousand you gave me last time yet. I'll pay you back once I have money."
"Wife, if you talk like that, I'm going to get mad!"
"Don't be mad, I'm just speaking from the heart. Let's stop chatting for now, I have to work tomorrow, good night."
"Wife, there's a school exam tomorrow morning, so I won't be able to come over to take care of the babies. I'll come over at noon."
"It's fine, the nanny is here. Just focus on your exam with peace of mind."
"Yeah. Since we have money now, should we buy a car first or a house first?"
"If you ask me, let's save money first. I'll figure out a way to make money too, and strive to save one hundred million within half a year."
Zhang Hao's expression shifted slightly, and his heart was instantly filled with deep emotion.
"Wife, you're so good to me, but leave the heavy lifting of making money to your husband."
"Who was just talking about not drawing lines between us?"
Zhang Hao was slightly stunned.
Su Yuyan: "Alright, it's getting late, time to sleep. Good night."
"Good night."
The chat ended, and Zhang Hao placed his phone by his pillow.
Thinking of Su Yuyan, a smile involuntarily formed on his face.
It was clear that she wasn't that kind of materialistic girl, otherwise she wouldn't have returned that one and a half million.
Though she came from a privileged background, she must have received an excellent upbringing since childhood.
Amidst these thoughts, Zhang Hao suddenly remembered something.
"System, are you there?"
"The Host is present. What service do you require?"
"How much do I owe you? Just deduct it directly from my card."
"Understood."
Beep, beep.
A text message notification sounded.
Zhang Hao opened the text and saw that twenty-seven thousand had been deducted.
Super Medical Skill: nine thousand owed.
Super Martial Arts Skill: eighteen thousand owed.
Exactly twenty-seven thousand.
"Ding: Congratulations to the Host for successful repayment. Detected that the Host's bank card balance is 2.72 million. Are there any skills you wish to purchase?"
"No!"
Zhang Hao refused decisively.
This system was way too much of a scam.
He had finally managed to earn some money, yet it was proactively prompting him to buy skills—did it really insist on driving his balance into the negative before it would be satisfied?
"Understood, Host. If you don't wish to buy, so be it. They will appear randomly in the future."
Zhang Hao didn't reply; he scrolled through some short videos for a bit and then went to sleep.
...
The next day at 11:30 AM.
Having finished his exam, Zhang Hao walked out of the school and stood by the roadside waiting for a taxi.
Gazing into the distance down the end of the road, he desperately hoped a taxi would show up soon.
Although there was still one day left in the task of teaching the babies to say "daddy," he longed to see the babies even more.
It had been sixteen hours since last night—the longest time he had been away from them since first meeting the babies.
I wonder if the babies have been crying or making a fuss?
Have they all eaten their fill?
They should be having their milk right about now.
The adorable faces of the three cute babies flashed through Zhang Hao's mind, making him feel even more anxious.
Finally, a taxi entered his field of vision.
"Driver, go to Biguiyuan Community on Chenghua Avenue."
"You got it."
The driver stepped heavily on the gas pedal.
A few minutes later, Zhang Hao arrived at his front door.
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Coming."
The door opened, and the kind-hearted nanny stood in the doorway.
"Xiao Zhang, you're here."
The nanny greeted him with a smile. When she saw that Zhang Hao's hands were empty, she couldn't help asking, "How come you didn't buy any groceries today? Are you not setting up your stall?"
"Not anymore."
Zhang Hao replied with a smile.
When you can make money just from secret recipes, who the hell needs to set up a street stall?
He believed it wouldn't be long before the business at Shenghai Grand Hotel became even more booming.
And by that time, it wouldn't just be Liu Huaqiang coming to him to buy secret recipes.
If he sold all the recipes, pulling in three million would be a breeze.
The nanny nodded with a smile and didn't ask any further questions.
"Don't just stand at the door, come on in. I just finished making lunch, and the babies finished their milk and just fell asleep."
"Yeah."
Zhang Hao walked straight into the bedroom.
Even though all the babies were asleep, he still went in to check on them.
Seeing the three cute babies lying side by side on the bed like adorable little porcelain dolls, the corners of his mouth curved upward on their own.
"Babies, Daddy has money now. From now on, I'm going to let you live a much better life."
Whether they heard Zhang Hao's voice or understood his words, the three babies who had been sleeping soundly all curved the corners of their mouths and smiled.
Seeing this, Zhang Hao smiled warmly, watched them for a few minutes, and then went off to eat.
...
Soon it was afternoon.
"Ruirui, say daddy."
"Jingjing, say daddy."
Zhang Hao was very patiently teaching Erbao and Sanbao to say "daddy."
Ever since the babies woke up, he hadn't done anything else; he had been teaching them to say "daddy" the entire time.
Yet no matter how he taught them, Erbao and Sanbao simply wouldn't say it, only making some strange sounds like *pa-pa*, *da-da*, and so on.
The nanny standing nearby chuckled.
"Xiao Zhang, you can't be too impatient either. After all, the babies are still little, and they've only met you a few days ago. This kind of thing takes time."
"I know, Auntie."
Zhang Hao nodded with a smile and was just about to continue teaching the babies when he suddenly saw the nanny clutch her chest with her hand, her expression turning somewhat painful.
"Auntie, what's wrong?"
The nanny endured the pain for a moment before her painful expression eased up.
"I'm fine, it's just that my heart suddenly aches occasionally. It's an old problem."
Zhang Hao frowned slightly, his expression turning solemn.
"Auntie, let me take your pulse and diagnose you."
With that, he stepped in front of the nanny.
The nanny smiled in mild surprise. "You even know how to practice medicine?"
Zhang Hao nodded and reached out to press his fingers against the nanny's wrist.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Suddenly, a knock on the door rang out.
Zhang Hao's expression shifted slightly. He glanced at the clock on the wall—it wasn't even five o'clock yet, not yet time for Su Yuyan to get off work.
Who could it be?
The nanny smiled. "I'll go open the door."
"I'll get it."
Zhang Hao walked straight out of the bedroom.
He went to the living room door and pulled it open.
At that very moment, a sexy-looking beauty came into view.
Chapter 27: Treating the nanny
The beauty had exquisite features: willow-leaf eyebrows, apricot-shaped eyes, a cherry mouth, and an oval face. She had dyed her short hair a blonde color, wore a short skirt that barely covered her hips, and a white T-shirt on top.
Her figure was strikingly curvaceous, making even the normally proper Zhang Hao unable to resist taking a few extra glances.
"Who are you?"
"Who are you?"
Locking eyes, Zhang Hao and the beauty asked simultaneously.
"I'm Su Yuyan's bestie, my name is Bai Jie. Who are you?"
As Bai Jie spoke, she stared at Zhang Hao's handsome face.
Two words popped into her head: *so handsome.*
He looked just like the idol Eddie Peng.
Zhang Hao smiled calmly and nodded. "Ah, a friend of Yuyan's. Hello, I'm her husband."
"Husband!"
Bai Jie's eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
"No way, Yuyan and I are best friends who tell each other everything. If you're her husband, how come she never mentioned it to me?"
"Maybe she hasn't had the chance to yet."
Waa~
Suddenly, a baby's cry echoed from the bedroom.
Hearing the sound, Zhang Hao hurried into the bedroom.
Bai Jie followed right behind him with a look of confusion on her face.
She didn't believe this handsome guy was Su Yuyan's husband.
If he were, Su Yuyan definitely would have told her at the very first moment.
Lost in thought, she arrived at the bedroom doorway.
When she saw Zhang Hao changing a diaper for Dabao with practiced, smooth movements, realization suddenly dawned on her.
"Oh, I get it. He must be a caregiver hired by Yuyan to look after the babies."
"Because what modern man actually knows how to take care of babies?"
"He just had the nerve to claim he was Yuyan's husband. Sure he's good-looking, but he's got some thick skin."
Bai Jie muttered under her breath.
Although she felt some resentment toward Zhang Hao, the look she gave him was tinged with a burning intensity.
Just as no man doesn't like beautiful women, the reverse was equally true.
Before long, Zhang Hao finished changing Dabao's diaper.
Dabao stopped crying as well, sitting up to continue playing with toys.
Looking at the three cute babies, Zhang Hao's face was full of doting affection.
At that moment, Bai Jie walked over with her phone in hand.
"Handsome, add me on WeChat."
Zhang Hao was taken aback. "Why add WeChat?"
"To make friends, of course."
"Uh..."
A weird expression appeared on Zhang Hao's face.
Was this beauty's personality always so outgoing?
Asking to add WeChat upon a first meeting—wasn't that a bit too proactive?
Besides, didn't she just refuse to believe he was Su Yuyan's husband?
Why bother adding him on WeChat then?
Click.
Suddenly, the sound of the door unlocking echoed.
Su Yuyan had finished work and returned home.
Hearing the sound, Bai Jie turned her head, smiled, and hurried over.
"Yuyan, you're back."
"Bai Jie, you came so early."
Su Yuyan broke into a bright smile.
They had agreed that her best friend would come over as a guest today, but she hadn't expected her to arrive so soon.
"Of course! We haven't seen each other in so long, I had to come early."
With that, she leaned in close to Su Yuyan and whispered, "The caregiver you hired has such thick skin—he actually claimed to be your husband. Sure he's handsome, but he shouldn't just spout nonsense like that."
Su Yuyan was slightly stunned. "Um... He really *is* my husband."
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Bai Jie was struck dumb with astonishment.
She never imagined that this major hunk actually turned out to be her best friend's husband.
"Wife, you're back."
Zhang Hao greeted her with a smile.
Hearing Su Yuyan call him her husband, his heart bloomed with joy.
"Yeah."
Su Yuyan nodded with a smile and said, "Let me introduce you. Her name is Bai Jie, my best friend."
"I already know."
Zhang Hao wore a smiling expression.
However, no sooner had his voice trailed off than he saw Bai Jie walking over again.
"So you really are the brother-in-law. I thought you were just the nanny. Come on, let's add each other on WeChat."
Zhang Hao froze for a moment.
He thought to himself: *Now that our relationship is clear, why are we still adding WeChat?*
Could this girl just add anyone she meets on WeChat?
Lost in thoughts, just as he was hesitating whether to accept or refuse, he heard Su Yuyan speak up.
"Bai Jie, why are you adding him on WeChat?"
"No particular reason. You're my best friend, he's your husband, and we're all friends now, right? It'll be easier to stay in touch if anything comes up."
"Oh."
Su Yuyan nodded slightly, though there was a somewhat reluctant look on her face.