Chapter Thirty-Five: The Taste of Happiness

After dinner, Hua Shi'er did not return to the hotel. Instead, he drove Chen Nian to a medium-sized supermarket. Although it could not compare to the sprawling malls, it still boasted a shopping area of three or four hundred square meters.

Thinking he needed to buy something, Chen Nian asked quite enthusiastically, "What do you need to buy? I'll help you pick it out!"

Hua Shi'er curled his lips into a smile: "I need to buy underwear. Why don't you go pick some out for me?"

"Ah..."

They had grown accustomed to each other's company during this time, often joking and teasing. Hua Shi'er frequently flirted with her verbally, and Chen Nian felt she was being teased again. She immediately reached out to pinch his waist.

Just then, a surprised voice came from behind: "Chen Nian?"

Chen Nian froze. She turned to look and blurted out, "Mom... why are you here?"

Chen Nian's mother, Zhou Lei, was a woman in her thirties who still retained her charm. In the original story, she had looked haggard due to the pressures of life. But the woman appearing before Chen Nian now was dressed in professional attire, looking sharp, confident, and radiant.

Chen Nian was stunned, but Zhou Lei was even more so. She turned to Hua Shi'er and asked, "Boss, you know Chen Nian?"

Chen Nian pointed at her mother, then at Hua Shi'er, and asked in confusion, "Boss? What’s going on?"

Hua Shi'er smiled at the mother and daughter. "I'll explain." He gestured toward Chen Nian and said to Zhou Lei, "Auntie, your daughter Chen Nian is my girlfriend."

In truth, the "little yellow duck" wasn't exactly his type, but influenced by Liu Beishan's lingering emotions, the longer he spent with Chen Nian, the more drawn to her he became. Although he knew these were not his own original feelings, he was currently inhabiting Liu Beishan's identity, so he let things take their natural course. After all, he had accepted a system mission to fulfill Liu Beishan's wishes; he had to maintain some professional integrity. It would be too harsh to let Xiao Bei and Chen Nian in this world fail to end up together. Thus, he took this opportunity to declare his feelings right in front of Chen Nian.

Zhou Lei's jaw dropped. "You... you two!"

Chen Nian blushed. "Who... who is your girlfriend!"

Her words were a denial, but looking at her shy and bashful expression, Zhou Lei, having been through it all, knew perfectly well that her daughter was more than willing.

Hua Shi'er then turned to Chen Nian: "You have the college entrance exam coming up soon. I was worried that you would be distracted by your mother's situation, which would affect your studies. So, I took the liberty of resolving her troubles and buying this supermarket for her to manage, so you could focus on your studies without any worries."

Zhou Lei finally understood. "Oh my, and here I was wondering why such a kind person would pay off my debts and give me a job. I actually thought it was because you valued my abilities, as you said. Turns out, you just had your eyes on my daughter."

She had just taken over the supermarket and truly believed Hua Shi'er valued her skills. For the past two days, she had been working tirelessly to familiarize herself with the business, not even going home, just to repay her new boss's appreciation. It turned out this young boss was after her daughter. While having a daughter beautiful enough to attract a suitor was a kind of ability, this wasn't exactly the kind of "talent" she had in mind.

Chen Nian, who had been shy, was deeply moved by Hua Shi'er's words. Hearing her mother's comment, she said anxiously, "Xiao Bei, how much money did this supermarket cost you? Don't be impulsive. My mom isn't good at this. She's been cheated in business before, and she sold fake masks that caused allergic reactions. If you look at the debt collection notices posted on my front door, you'll know how many people she's wronged!"

Zhou Lei had been annoyed at Hua Shi'er for eyeing her daughter, but hearing her own precious daughter's words, she nearly choked with indignation. "Chen Nian, what are you saying? Why am I not good at this?"

Hua Shi'er quickly smoothed things over. "That’s right, Chen Nian. If Auntie didn't have talent, how could she have scammed so many people?"

That remark left Zhou Lei speechless, thinking, *Is this brat insulting me?*

Chen Nian couldn't help but laugh, though she said somewhat angrily, "This is no time for jokes. It'll be too late when my mom loses all your money."

Zhou Lei rolled her eyes. *Great, all that effort raising a daughter for nothing.*

Hua Shi'er waved his hand, telling the onlookers to get back to work, and then led the two into the office. Once inside, looking at the mother-daughter duo glaring at each other, he smiled at Chen Nian: "Don't worry. The supply channels for the supermarket are already well-established, so Auntie doesn't need to stress over that. Auntie was able to sell those fake masks so well, which naturally shows she has a real talent for marketing. She just needs to handle promotions and such—that's perfect for her strengths!"

Hearing that Hua Shi'er truly recognized her, Zhou Lei smugly lifted her chin at her daughter, making Chen Nian pout and huff.

Zhou Lei, provoked by her daughter's huff, was about to bicker back when she suddenly realized: "Wait, Chen Nian, didn't I tell you not to find a boyfriend during high school?"

She didn't wait for her daughter's reply and turned to Hua Shi'er: "And you, you've got it all planned out, haven't you? Solving my troubles and arranging a job, all just to woo my daughter..."

"Mom, what are you saying!" Chen Nian's face turned beet red as she shook Zhou Lei's arm vigorously.

With the truth out, both mother and daughter were grateful to Hua Shi'er. Of course, Zhou Lei remained a bit resentful; although he had solved her family's plight and seemingly provided her daughter with a future, his motives were impure—he had only done it to get to her daughter. She decided she would have to keep a close eye on this lad to see if he was truly reliable. As a single mother, she would always have her concerns when it came to her daughter.

While Zhou Lei did not oppose the relationship between Liu Beishan and Chen Nian, she set conditions: first, their dating must not affect Chen Nian's studies; second, they were not allowed to be together until Chen Nian entered college. Everything had to revolve around the college entrance exam.

With this meeting, Hua Shi'er's goal was perfectly achieved. He had resolved Chen Nian's worries. From that day on, although she still lived under the pressure of the upcoming exams, Chen Nian was always smiling. The cold, gloomy demeanor was gone, replaced by a sunny, lively, and vibrant spirit.

While Chen Nian's life became colorful and filled with the taste of happiness, the lives of Wei Lai and her two friends stood in stark contrast. In Hua Shi'er's words, they had already suffered "social death." Since being doxxed by netizens, they were terrified, staying indoors and never venturing out.

To keep track of them, Hua Shi'er had hired private investigators to monitor the three, receiving updates every two days. Information obtained through technical means by the investigators showed that at home, Wei Lai faced the cold violence of her father and the constant accusations of her mother, leaving her in a terrible mental state. Luo Ting faced an even worse environment, suffering domestic abuse from her alcoholic father. Xu Miao fared slightly better; because she had "voluntarily" exposed their wrongdoings, it counted as a confession, so the police had spoken with her family, and they believed she had been led astray by Wei Lai and Luo Ting, so they did not blame her too harshly.

Hua Shi'er instructed the private investigators to continue monitoring the three women. All his plans would wait until Chen Nian finished her exams.

He had thought that with Chen Nian's issues resolved, there would be no more trouble. However, to his surprise, something completely unexpected suddenly appeared before him.