A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

"What did you say to my dad again? What did you say? You said you'd let me try the Yantai electric cannon when I get back... I've never heard of that. Has this old man been reading martial arts novels lately? Why are his moves so rigid and formulaic?"

Fan Bingbing called right after I finished lunch.

Li Mu, who was driving, was taken aback, then asked:

"Didn't I tell you anything else?"

"I told you to come back and get the marriage certificate. Fine, I'll get it, but... what did I do wrong? If this keeps up, I'm too scared to go back."

"..."

Li Mu was speechless.

"Getting a marriage certificate is such a big deal, and you talk about it so casually. Are you actually afraid your dad will shoot you when you get back?"

"Of course you're afraid!"

"I'm definitely not afraid, since they're not hitting me."

"But the problem is, you hit me, bro. What are you babbling about? What happened?"

"Actually, it's nothing... we just ended up talking like this. Your dad's idea is that we should get our marriage certificate first, and then we can take over the empire I'm leaving you."

"Well……"

After a moment of silence, Fan Bingbing asked a truly peculiar question:

"So, does that mean I've become the crown prince?"

After she finished speaking, her boyfriend fell into an endless silence.

Even over the phone, she could sense her boyfriend's speechlessness.

So I chuckled:

"Hehe, just kidding. Okay, I get it. Anyway, they both like you more than me now, so it doesn't matter. At worst, I'll get a beating when I get back. By the way, when are your aunt and uncle coming?"

"Waiting for you to finish filming."

"What?! I've already finished filming a long time from now."

"But Uncle Fan said you'll be finishing filming in the next few days."

"Dream on! This is a historical drama, filming takes a long time, it won't finish until at least the end of November. I was just asked when I was coming back the other day, and I told them it wasn't appropriate to see you all alone and miserable every day, so I made up an excuse!"

"..."

Li Mu suddenly felt quite upset.

The silence during that phone call was more than the number of times he was speechless throughout the entire year.

"No way...girl, are you really not afraid of getting beaten up? You actually dared to lie about this?"

"I never expected them to suddenly want to get their marriage certificate. Didn't they say they'd go home with you to meet your parents on New Year's Day? They're changing their minds every day... What are we going to do?"

"The problem is... my parents are already prepared. Oh well, I'll call them and tell them, after you finish filming."

"We definitely can't delay. Otherwise, I'll be the one taking all the blame. That won't do... Wait a minute, let me think about it."

On the other end of the phone, Xiao Fan, who hadn't even removed her makeup, thought for a moment and said:

"Okay, today is the 28th, Halloween is November 1st, Saturday. I'll go back, okay? On the 1st and 2nd, you can pick up my aunt and uncle. We can have a meal together; I need to introduce them to me. I'll ask the film crew for two days off; I'll go back on the 1st and leave on the 2nd. After we finish discussing everything, I'll go back to the film crew. Also... I need to tell my aunt and uncle that we won't get our marriage certificate in China, but in the US. I'm worried that the news of my marriage will get out; people in China aren't very reliable."

Li Mu naturally had no objection to this matter.

Indeed, whether the two go to Yantai or Li Mu's hometown, no one can guarantee that something like, "Hey, did you know that Fan Bingbing got married? She just got her marriage certificate here a couple of days ago," will happen.

If you're going to keep it a secret, you should at least keep it a secret to the end. Otherwise, there's no need to hide it at all; you could just get married openly and formally.

So Li Mu readily agreed:

"Okay. I'll book tickets for my parents!"

"No, you go pick them up. How can you let your uncle and aunt come by themselves? Go back and bring them to Yanjing."

"Hmm...that makes sense."

Li Mu thought about it and realized that it made perfect sense.

Furthermore, he has already reported on the matter, and he will be a free agent until November 11th.

"Then could you talk to Uncle Fan? I'm going to the gym now. Once you've discussed it, call me. I'll be back tomorrow, okay?"

"OK."

Xiao Fan is also a decisive person; after hanging up the phone, he immediately started making arrangements.

They called back very quickly.

So, before anyone even entered the gym next to his workplace, Li Mu called the airline and booked a flight back for tomorrow. He also dialed his father's number again.

This time, Li Dajiang agreed just as readily.

After all, the third brother had just called to say that the woman's family hoped they could get a marriage certificate.

This is a big deal... but I'm not entirely satisfied with my son's words, "Dad, we don't need to prepare anything. Just have the two families meet, discuss things, and that's it."

The third brother doesn't understand anything.

How could an engagement be so hasty?

But is it not proper etiquette?

There are no rules...

But anyway, there's still time. I need to hurry up and get started.

After hanging up the phone, Li Mu went into the gym.

Han Xu was already waiting in the waiting room. When he saw Li Mu, he smiled and waved to greet him.

"Old Li."

The sales manager of the gym next door also gave a polite smile.

……

There's not much to say about getting membership cards, but as for private lessons... when the sales manager heard that one of them was a graduate of Beijing Sport University and the other had well-defined muscles...

They know exactly what's going on.

This isn't a student; this is a pure fitness enthusiast.

These kinds of people, besides making a quick buck by issuing membership cards, are the "poorest".

It's really not worth anything.

After becoming members, the two went straight to the changing room to change clothes.

Take a look.

Sometimes, the connections between people are just that wonderful.

We just met yesterday, but men have already done all the things that make friendships so special.

We fought together, we were together... and we even touched girls.

What?

What gun are you asking about?

A barbell is also a javelin.

We guide each other, supervise each other, work in groups together, and encourage each other.

After two hours, when the two of them came out of the gym, their legs were a little weak.

"Hey, let's go eat. Call Sui Kuan, I'll take you two to try some local snacks."

As a native of Yanjing, Han Xu extended an invitation.

But Li Mu waved his hand:

"You contact Sui Kuan; I have to go back."

"What's up?"

"Yeah, I have to go back to my hometown tomorrow to pick up my parents and get engaged to my girlfriend."

"...???"

Han Xu was about to say, "Didn't you just come from your hometown?" But after hearing this, it was clear that... this question was a bit too advanced for a college graduate who wanted to experience the glitz and glamour of society.

"marry!?"

"It's an engagement. Both sides need to meet to discuss it. It'll probably take two or three days."

"Was this...so sudden?"

Han Xu was speechless, but still nodded:

"Okay then. Call me when you're done, and I'll treat you both to dinner."

"Ha, okay. I'm off."

Dragging his two legs, which were completely exhausted, Li Mu smiled, waved, and got into the car.

……

They returned to Modern City, where Xiao Fan had clearly finished communicating with his classmates.

After Li Mu returned, he also shared his thoughts with others.

I'll arrive home tomorrow, the 29th, and come over on the 30th.

My parents have never been to Yanjing before, so this is a good opportunity to show them around. These few days will also help our two families get to know each other better.

The only regret is that I couldn't bring Xiao Fan along.

But Fan Tao took it very seriously and immediately nodded in agreement. Moreover... he was quite familiar with Yanjing, so he immediately began to work on the strategy.

In reality, there are only a few places to visit in Yanjing (Beijing), such as the Badaling Great Wall, Badachu Park, and Tianmen Square... Every Chinese person knows this, so this action is somewhat redundant. However, it conveyed the Fan family's attitude through this behavior.

So, early on the morning of the 29th, Li Mu had already boarded a plane to Zhengzhou.

Then, after landing at 9:10, I immediately took a taxi home.

I arrived home around noon.

As soon as he entered the house, he saw a pile of things on the ground.

Two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes, two bottles of Moutai liquor... two bags of red dates, and so on.

Tobacco, alcohol, sugar, tea, dates, fruit noodles, and meat.

They're all served in pairs.

It's only because the weather is cold now, otherwise Li Mu would have thought that the two large bags of high-quality pork belly would have gone bad overnight.

Even so, Zhang Xiuqin still froze several mineral water bottles in the refrigerator and even prepared a styrofoam box.

They thought he was taking the train, but when they heard that Li Mu was taking a plane, they thought the third brother was wasting money.

But after hearing that Fan Bingbing had booked the tickets, she felt "it's okay".

Li Mu was speechless.

But he had to admit his girlfriend's foresight. Sure enough, having a fiancée who could earn money gave him a lot of confidence in his own family.

The next part of the discussion was about the Fan family's reaction and various details.

The parents' attitude was very proper; one could even say it was extremely cautious.

Li Mu knew perfectly well that his parents were being so cautious for a reason: they believed their future daughter-in-law would be a good earner. A lot of money!

Although the third son is successful, he certainly doesn't earn as much money as the others, so he's "climbing the social ladder".

Otherwise, they wouldn't have said anything in their words:

"You have to treat her well, don't argue with her, be more accommodating, and don't make her angry..."

Li Mu actually felt quite uncomfortable hearing this.

I really want to tell my parents that the one who earns the most money is actually your eldest son.

But... whenever this impulse arises, the instinct of being a con artist kicks in again.

Strictly speaking, this guy provided Li Mu with the least amount of real-world help.

But ironically, his help is greatest in the spiritual realm.

Otherwise... sometimes Li Mu himself wondered how many incredibly arrogant things a rich person who suddenly became rich in his early twenties would do because of vanity.

Putting everything else aside, at least when it comes to marriage, if it weren't for this older brother, Li Mu would definitely not be willing to accept it and would not have chosen to hide it from his parents.

But now he's giving me these instructions, and I'm nodding in agreement.

Whatever my parents say is fine.

Recalling the last time a relative came to his house to borrow money, he felt completely calm.

Living life is such a thing...

Just as a person knows best whether the water is hot or cold when they drink it.

Closing the door is the best option.

Are you right?

The guy who got scammed.