"Let's go, Han Yong! Come downstairs and see the car your son bought for you!"

Ma Honglian was even more excited than Han Yong. Without even putting on her coat, she was ready to head out the door in her cotton slippers.

"My chicken..."

Han Yong, filled with a sense of responsibility, was worried about his stewed chicken, only to be rudely interrupted by Ma Honglian.

"Enough already! That cooking of yours is barely passable—it won't kill anyone, at most. You think you're fit to serve my son? Forget the chicken! We're going out to eat later!"

Ma Honglian had clearly been repressed for too long; today, she was somewhat floating on air.

But Han Lie didn't feel embarrassed at all; instead, he felt a twinge in his heart. His father really wasn't very reliable, and in his previous life, he himself hadn't given his mother any hope at all. So her past overbearing behavior and her current exuberance were all quietly hiding and reflecting something. In this family, everyone had their own issues—ordinary, imperfect, full of contradictions—but this was his, Han Lie's, den.

"Alright, we'll drive to a restaurant later. The treat's on me, you two just enjoy yourselves!" Han Lie said.

No sooner had Han Lie finished speaking than Wang Saozi, the queen of gossip, interjected.

"Oh my, what's all this? Looking down on someone? Brother Han, Sister-in-law, you just go downstairs and check out the car. Leave the kitchen to me! I've been helping in the cafeteria for fifteen years; you think I can't handle a few home-cooked dishes?"

Wang Saozi prattled on as she rolled up her sleeves and dove headfirst into the kitchen. "Go on, all of you, go! I'll cook!"

Good heavens!

Not only were Han Yong and Ma Honglian stunned, but even her husband, Huang Yu, was dumbfounded. Wang Saozi was famously the laziest person in the whole building, so lazy she wouldn't even bother to pick up a soy sauce bottle if it fell over at home. She indeed had a talent for cooking; her communal-pot dishes were as good as any master chef's. It was a pity, though, that she rarely cooked at home even three times a year. Forget Huang Yu, even her own son hardly ever got to taste her cooking. Today, the sun must have risen in the west...

After the shock passed, Huang Yu quickly plastered on a smile. "Right, right! Let my wife handle it. Come on, Brother Han, let's go see the car!"

Han Yong was quite uncomfortable and fell silent again.

Ma Honglian, on the other hand, reacted more quickly and, without further ceremony, said to Wang Saozi, "Alright then, dear sister, we'll leave it to you! We'll have a drink at home later!"

Han Lie couldn't be bothered with such trivial matters and watched his mother arrange things with a smile.

When the group finally went downstairs, Han Yong and Ma Honglian grew even more excited, their spirits soaring.

Huang Bo put it so precisely: when you succeed, everyone around you is a good person. See? It fits perfectly, doesn't it?

Looking at his parents' high spirits, Han Lie felt this was a good thing.

These people simply wanted to curry favor for some benefits from him. No problem. As long as they kept Old Han and Old Ma happy, what benefits couldn't I provide? Ten million a year—is that enough for my parents to happily squander? Not enough? I'll double it! What's the big deal?

Ordinary nouveau riche believe in hiding their wealth and deliberately keeping their distance from their old social circles, and for good reason. Firstly, they can't afford the drain. With so many people trying to leech off them, whether financially or emotionally, no normal person can handle it. Secondly, they fear being targeted by more powerful entities, constantly getting fleeced.

Han Lie had no such concerns. To put it bluntly, considering his parents' circle of relatives and friends, Han Lie earned enough in a month to have them treat his parents like royalty for a lifetime. When wealth accumulates to a certain extent, and one knows how to spend it, it truly can be overwhelming.

As for being fleeced like a pig for slaughter, there was even less need to worry. The financial world had always been about overt plunder and covert scams. When had anyone ever heard of a law-abiding financial magnate being treated like a pig for slaughter by others? No one could touch them!

This time, Han Lie hadn't planned to be too high-profile upon returning home, but he also didn't impose any restrictions on himself. His primary goal was to make his parents happy. Sigh, I'm just too filial...

The group went downstairs and circled the Q7.

Han Yong got into the car and gripped the steering wheel, so excited that only one phrase came to his lips, repeated over and over, "Too expensive, too expensive..."

Ma Honglian also sighed, "Your dad doesn't deserve to drive this car!"

Then, in less than a minute, the news caused an uproar upstairs. People with casual acquaintances peered out of their windows to watch the commotion, while those with closer ties threw on their coats and rushed downstairs, gathering around the Q7 and gaping.

"This is your car?!"

Ma Honglian was beaming with pride, her grin never leaving her face. "This is the car our Pipi bought for his dad. Oh dear, I don't know much about these things... should we set off some firecrackers or something?"

The neighboring women, the aunts and older sisters, were almost dying of envy. Clueless? They thought. She knew perfectly well, even thinking of setting off firecrackers to broadcast it. Just showing off!

Even Director Xu from their building, known for being the most aloof, couldn't sit still. He came downstairs impeccably dressed in a suit and leather shoes, carrying two packs of soft Zhonghua cigarettes to hand out.

Hearing Ma Honglian's words, Director Xu immediately nodded earnestly. "For other cars, it might not be necessary, but for a Q7, you definitely should set off a string of firecrackers! Sister-in-law, don't you move. Little Lie, go to my apartment and ask your aunt for that ten-thousand-shot 'Earthshaker' firecracker string. Let's hear some celebratory noise quickly!"

Heh, what a shrewd old fox!

Han Lie couldn't refuse his kind gesture, so he smiled, nodded, and went upstairs to fetch the firecrackers.

The door to Director Xu's apartment on the third floor was wide open. Mrs. Xu was telling her daughter to find the firecrackers while she herself took Han Lie's hand, showering him with warm pleasantries, compliments, and exclamations.

Xu Ting was only sixteen this year. While not stunningly beautiful, her recently developed figure possessed a girl's unique youthful vitality. She shyly glanced at Han Lie, not daring to look at him directly.

What did an 89-point attractiveness score mean for a man?! It was practically equivalent to a 95-point score for a woman!