A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

Chapter 178 The Influx of Phone Calls

"Hey...are you home yet?"

"Um."

At that moment, Li Mu lay on the clean and tidy bed in the inner room, holding up the phone and answering.

Where are you?

"I'm home too. Is it cold in your hometown?"

"It's cold, so my mom prepared an electric blanket and two thick quilts for me."

"Oh? It's so cold? Don't you have heating at home?"

"Are you talking about the kind of heating system in northern China where you use a stove and the hot water goes into the radiators?"

"right."

"No. We don't usually do this around here... but it is indeed a good idea, we can do it. Hmm, I'll go to the county to ask my brother-in-law about it tomorrow or the day after."

After taking off his cotton pajamas, which he had worn for at least three or five years, and tucking himself into the warm blankets, Li Mu lowered his voice:

"Today, I told my parents about our relationship."

"Oh?"

Fan Bingbing immediately became interested:

"And then? What did you say?"

"Just like you taught me, we met during an interview. My mom knows you; she used to be a huge fan of 'Princess Pearl.' But she doesn't know your real name. When I mentioned Fan Bingbing, they were both confused. But when I said I was dating Jin Suo... my mom thought I was crazy."

"Hahaha……"

Exaggerated laughter came from the other end of the phone.

"And then? What happened next?"

"Then... that's the process we came up with. I said that after we met, you liked me and pursued me... my mom thought I'd gone even crazier."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

"I told you I absolutely refused at first, but you kept pestering me every day... My mom almost went crazy."

"Hahaha...uh...hey! This wasn't part of the conversation we worked on! What do you mean I'm shamelessly clinging to you? Stop embellishing it with your own artistic interpretation!"

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself, and now the atmosphere has gotten this bad."

"Haha, okay... So what about Uncle? What was his attitude?"

"He didn't believe me. He thought I was a big star, how could I possibly be interested in him? He also thought I was crazy."

"Hahaha, don't tease me... Ouch... I just finished Pilates, my stomach muscles are prone to cramps, don't make every sentence sound crazy, hahaha..."

She laughed, and Li Mu, huddled in the blankets, laughed along with her.

"Anyway, he didn't believe me, so I said I'd call you, but by then dinner was already ready. My mom said to eat first... During dinner, I talked about us again, meaning that you can't tell anyone you're dating right now, and that your career should be your priority. As for me, didn't Brother Bie talk to them about this before? Anyway... that's roughly the gist of it."

"So, does that mean Uncle believes it?"

"I don't know, my dad's pretty stubborn, so it depends on how I talk to my mom. Anyway, I just hope he doesn't make me go on blind dates every day."

"But just talking about it won't do, will it? How about... you give me a call tomorrow?"

"The problem is, my parents don't even know if it's really you on the other end of the phone."

"Uh...that makes sense."

"But it doesn't really matter. Anyway, I've told you the truth, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Hmm... Oh right, I also saw that your article was reprinted in our local newspaper today."

"The Four Little Actresses?"

"Yes. My mom even asked me... why I didn't get selected. That reporter probably doesn't have very good eyesight."

"Hahahaha..."

Li Mu couldn't help but burst out laughing.

He didn't blame his girlfriend for not telling his parents about their relationship.

Boys don't care about this kind of thing, but it's not appropriate for girls to say it out loud... especially when the two of them have a very close, intimate relationship.

Little did they know... his hearty laughter soon carried out of the house, and even with the door blocking it, the elderly couple who were preparing to rest still heard it.

Li Dajiang thought for a moment, then suddenly stood up and whispered to his wife:

"The third brother is making a phone call..."

Zhang Xiuqin, who was already having trouble sleeping because of her son's relationship with Jin Suo, suddenly got up...

Quietly, the couple opened the door and walked step by step to their son's bedroom door.

"Of course I miss you..."

"Tomorrow? I need to get a haircut. We have a custom here that if you get a haircut during the Lunar New Year, your uncle will die."

"They're not in the village, you'll have to go to the town."

"Uh... what is that?"

"...Are you crazy? What do you mean I deliberately didn't cut it?"

"No... there are plenty of places to get a haircut in town, why would I go specifically to her?"

"No, it's really not... Don't slander me."

"what?"

"...Are you crazy? I'm not going. You're already upset just because I mentioned going to get a haircut, if I actually go, you'll explode!"

"Get lost! You women are the worst! You always say you don't care, but you're just saying one thing and meaning another. Didn't Zhang Wuji's mother say that the prettier a woman is, the more likely she is to lie?"

"...Are you serious?"

"Sure?"

"...What do you mean by 'a good comparison'? How can I compare? What makes her think she can compare with you? Besides...can you stop bringing up the past? These are just casual conversations I had before we started dating, and now you're using them against me? Is that appropriate?"

Upon hearing this, the couple's eyes widened in surprise.

Li Dajiang thought for a moment and then made a hand gesture.

The couple quietly returned to their house.

"Old Li... could what Old Third said be true? He's really dating Jin Suo?"

"..."

Li Dajiang thought for a moment, then shook his head:

"Looks like she really does have a boyfriend."

"Then... what about the matchmakers who were supposed to be arranging marriages for the third son?"

"..."

Li Dajiang was silent for a moment, then said:

Let's postpone it this year, and talk about it next year...

"Okay, I'll call tomorrow."

"Okay, go to sleep."

As the faint sounds of chatting and laughter drifted from his son's room, the night grew ever deeper.

……

In Li Mu's opinion, this woman named Fan Bingbing was absolutely wicked.

She actually encouraged me to get my hair cut by my high school crush, and incidentally... well, her exact words were, "Open your eyes and take a good look at yourself, what do I lack compared to her!"

That's utterly inhuman.

You're insane...

So he didn't go at all.

The next day, after waking up, I rode my motorcycle to a newly opened hair salon in town to get a haircut. I also bought some firecrackers as my mother had instructed, and then went straight home.

And then it began... a boring whole day.

Compared to bustling Guangzhou, life in my rural hometown is incredibly monotonous.

He couldn't stand it after just one day.

I can only pass the time by watching TV.

He didn't even bring his computer this time, since there's no internet connection in his hometown, and a laptop is practically useless against a brick.

However... at noon, he saw a news report on the cable TV channel Yanjing.

A news report on Beijing TV stated:

"...Entertainment News. Today is the Little New Year, and while ordinary people are busy preparing for the holiday, the entertainment industry is also bustling. Just the day before yesterday, the Southern Metropolis Daily published an exclusive roundup, which can be considered a very significant conclusion to this lively new millennium..."

When Li Mu saw the layout of his newspaper article, he instantly perked up:

"Mom! Mom! Look..."

He quickly called his mother over, but by the time Zhang Xiuqin, with a hand full of flour, entered the room, the news had already finished airing.

"What?"

"Uh... well, I just wanted to tell you that the news article I wrote was on TV."

"Oh, where?"

"..."

Li Mu remained silent.

Finally, he shook his head:

"It's over."

"oh."

Zhang Xiuqin didn't think much of it and went straight to the kitchen.

As Li Mu watched the entertainment news on TV, he thought to himself... The news about the Four Little Actresses is even on TV now.

It seems... this news has really gone viral.

To be honest, it exceeded my expectations.

It was just a news roundup, but now it seems to have caused quite a stir.

Just as he was pondering this, his phone rang.

It was an unfamiliar number calling.

Who is it?

Puzzled, he answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Li Mu, reporter Li?"

"It's me. And you are?"

"Hello Mr. Li, this is Huang Feng, Rong Xinda's agent, who is also Zhou Xun's agent. I got your contact information from reporter Bieyan. I hope I haven't disturbed you by calling you?"

"..."

Li Mu blinked subconsciously.

Rong Xinda? Huang Feng? Zhou Xun? Bie Ge?

"No, Hello, Manager Huang."

Having roughly figured out what was going on, Li Mu smiled and said:

"What do you need me for?"

"Um... Ms. Li, are you in Guangzhou now? You see, today isn't the Little New Year, and Zhou Xun and I wanted to pay you a visit. On one hand, she wanted to express her gratitude for your high regard in naming her one of the Four Little Actresses. On the other hand, our company also hopes to establish a good friendship with you, so we specifically asked me to convey our thanks to you."

Li Mu's lips twitched...

Is Zhou Xun, the legendary "maverick," coming to visit me?

For some inexplicable reason, he had a strange sense of déjà vu, like "a weasel paying respects to a chicken."

Although this word is not appropriate.

But... why is this so strange?

"Well... Manager Huang, I'm sorry, I'm not on duty this year. My workplace has already given us a holiday, and I won't be back until the third day of the Lunar New Year. What a coincidence!"

"Oh? You're not in Guangzhou anymore?"

"Yes, I'm at my hometown now. I came back yesterday."

"..."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, and then...

"Excuse me, Mr. Li, where is your hometown? We would like to pay you a visit."

"Haha, please don't."

Li Muxin said to disregard whether her words were just politeness or genuine...

But... I must say, it sounds quite pleasant.

"My hometown is a county under Kaifeng, not a first-tier city. Putting everything else aside, just getting here from Zhengzhou was quite a hassle. Manager Huang, I appreciate your kind intentions. Zhou Xun is one of my favorite actresses, and her overall abilities are second to none. This honor should rightfully belong to her, and besides... this is just my opinion. There's no need for you, Ms. Zhou Xun and Manager Huang, to be so polite. It's almost the end of the year, and you two must be very busy, so please don't trouble yourselves with such trivial matters."

His words made Li Dajiang, who had just entered the house from outside, pause in his steps.

Upon seeing his father, Li Mu waved slightly, got up, and walked towards the inner room.

Li Dajiang watched his son go into the house...

Recalling what I had just heard... for some reason, I had a feeling.

The third one... has grown up.