Middle-aged tycoon: Twins come knocking on his door when he goes home for Chinese New Year

Li Ze looked at the woman dressed in such a flamboyant manner and his mind raced.

Only then did I match this person with the little girl with two snotty noses in my memory.

"Are you... Xiaoya?"

Li Ze was both amused and exasperated.

Eighteen years ago, Li Ya was just a little girl in her early teens.

It was winter then, and this girl ran all over the village every day. Her face was red from the cold, and the naughty boys in the village called her "monkey butt".

On the day he and Ruoran got married, this girl was still squeezing into the crowd, reaching out for wedding candy.

Unexpectedly, eighteen years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the "monkey's butt" of yesteryear has become the charming young woman before us.

When Grandma Wang saw that Li Ze recognized her, the wrinkles on her face deepened with a smile, and she quickly nudged her granddaughter beside her:

"Yes, yes, it's Xiaoya!"

"See, isn't this fate? We know each other inside and out."

"Although Xiaoya is divorced, divorce isn't uncommon these days. The key thing is that she's a good person and knows how to care for others!"

Li Ya lowered her head shyly, her darkly lined eyes glancing at Li Ze from time to time, and called out in a sweet, coquettish voice:

"Brother Ze..."

Li Ze felt goosebumps rise all over his body.

He quickly took half a step back and waved his hand in refusal:

"Grandma Wang, please don't play matchmaker."

"This is really inappropriate."

"I came back this time to win Ruoran back."

"I haven't even won Ruoran's favor yet. If you pull this stunt on me, and it gets back to Ruoran, I'll never be able to step foot in her house again."

"Please don't mention this again, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Wang was still somewhat unwilling to give up, and tugged at Li Ze's sleeve, saying:

"Hey, Zezi, try to think more positively."

"But she's so stubborn, what if she really stops being with you?"

"Besides, it's not a bad thing for a man to have a backup plan..."

"Stop! Stop!"

Li Ze quickly interrupted, his attitude becoming firm:

"Grandma Wang, I'm serious."

"I will not marry anyone but Zhang Ruoran in this lifetime."

Seeing that Li Ze was so unyielding, the others who were originally eager to try their luck also joined in.

The aunties and grandmas who wanted to introduce their daughters or nieces to Li Ze were also somewhat discouraged.

However, there are also those who are blind to the truth.

Take, for example, Grandpa Li, who lives next door to Grandma Wang.

The old man had been holding back his words, but now that he saw everyone in front of him give up, he felt his chance had come.

He pulled a little girl who had been playing on her phone behind him to the front.

"Zezi, look, we don't want those divorced women."

"Look at my great-granddaughter!"

"She just turned eighteen this year, and she's incredibly beautiful!"

Li Ze took a closer look and almost spat out his leftover dinner from last night.

This girl looks quite young, but her outfit is too... too "energetic".

In the dead of winter, he was wearing a short, shiny down jacket with the zipper undone.

Inside was a low-cut tank top; the cleavage was so deep you could raise fish in it.

Her lower body was even more shocking; in such cold weather, she was wearing a super short skirt with sheer black stockings.

Most importantly, a large tattoo could be faintly seen on the thighs covered by black stockings.

The runes look like some kind of scribbled nonsense.

The foundation on her face was so thick it looked like she was wearing a thick layer of white powder, and it kept crumbling when she moved. Her eyelashes were as long as two fans.

This is a typical "young, edgy girl"!

Grandpa Li is still here, enthusiastically promoting his products.

"My daughter's name is Lulu. She has a great personality, isn't shy, and can even do that 'social dance' thing—it's so cool!"

The girl named Lulu shoved her phone into her pocket, chewed gum, and walked over in a nonchalant manner.

Without saying a word, she actually reached out and grabbed Li Ze's arm, practically pressing herself against him.

She blinked her eyes, which were covered in false eyelashes, and called out in a sweet, coquettish voice:

"Brother Li Ze~"

"I heard you drove back in a Maybach? Can you give me a ride?"

Li Ze felt a pungent, cheap perfume smell hit him, making his head ache.

Before he could even pull his hand away, Li Mengli, who was standing next to him, couldn't stand it any longer.

With a "snap".

Li Mengli reached out and pulled Lulu's hand off Li Ze's arm.

Li Mengli stood in front of her father, hands on her hips, looking at the spirited young woman with disdain:

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"Can't you have some sense of boundaries?"

"You said yourself you're only eighteen, while my dad's forty, old enough to be your father!"

"If you're looking for one of those 'coin-popping old guys,' don't even think about messing with my dad!"

"Don't you even know what kind of occasion this is? Aren't you afraid of getting arthritis in your legs from the cold!"

Lulu was a little embarrassed after being roasted by Li Mengli.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Tch, what are you pretending for?"

"If you don't want to bring it, you don't have to. What's the big deal?"

After saying that, she didn't bother to make a fool of herself any further, so she took out her phone and went off to play with it.

Li Ze shook his head helplessly as he watched this scene.

He cleared his throat and solemnly addressed the still-present neighbors, saying loudly:

"Dear fellow villagers, I, Li Ze, appreciate your kindness."

"But please stop introducing me to any potential partners."

"When I came back this time, my heart was only for my wife, Zhang Ruoran."

"No matter if she hits me, scolds me, or kicks me out, I've made up my mind about her for life."

"If I ever see another woman, may I be hit by a car and die!"

"So, everyone, let's stop wasting our time and go home."

Li Ze spoke with absolute certainty, and even swore a solemn oath.

The neighbors looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Although I was a little disappointed that I didn't get any benefits, I couldn't help but sigh.

"Oh my, I didn't realize Zezi was such a romantic."

"Yes, he's so rich and so devoted. Ruoran is really lucky."

"With such a devoted man by her side, she's destined for a life of happiness."

Hearing these comments, Li Mengli couldn't help but purse her lips.

These people change their tune faster than turning the pages of a book.

Just now, she said my dad was a heartless bastard and a scoundrel, and that my mom had a hard life.

Now, in the blink of an eye, it's my mom who's blessed.

In this world, money really can turn black into white.

After the neighbors finally dispersed, Li Ze breathed a sigh of relief.

He turned to the old man who had been standing guard beside him like an invisible figure and gave him an order:

"Oldest one."

"From now on, have someone guard the area around this old house."

"If anyone tries to introduce me to someone or try to build a relationship, I will keep them all out."

"Just say it's a construction site, no unauthorized personnel allowed."

"I just want to have a peaceful and quiet New Year."

The old man nodded: "Understood, boss."

……

Time flew by and it was already past six in the evening.

Winter nights come early; it's already completely dark by then.

A dim light bulb illuminated the main room of the old house, its simple design radiating warmth.

Li Mengli was on her phone calling her mother:

"Hey Mom, Dad and I aren't coming home for dinner tonight."

"Yes, my uncle insisted on having us eat at his house, saying he bought a lot of groceries."

"Okay, I understand. We'll head back after we finish eating. You don't need to wait for us."

After hanging up the phone, Li Guoqing returned shortly after on his electric tricycle.

The truck bed was filled with a lot of things, including chickens, ducks, and a freshly roasted duck, which smelled incredibly tempting.

"Let's go! Zezi, Mengli!"

"Come to my house! I'll cook you something!"

……

at the same time.

Zhangjiazhai, dozens of kilometers away.

Zhang Ruoran hung up the phone with her daughter and turned back to the main room.

The food was already laid out on the folding table inside the room.

Although there were two fewer people, the Zhang family's dinner was still quite lively.

Zhang Ruoran, Li Menghan, and their three uncles sat together.

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

Li Menghan's uncle, Zhang Jianmin, put down his wine glass, looked at her head as she ate her rice, and suddenly asked with a gossipy look:

"Oh, Menghan."

"I heard from your mom that you've started dating someone recently?"

As soon as he said that, everyone at the table turned their attention to Li Menghan.

Li Menghan blushed, put down her chopsticks, scratched her head, and said somewhat embarrassedly:

"Uncle, how do you know everything?"

"Yes, actually... we started dating in the second semester of our senior year of high school."

"But back then I was afraid it would affect my studies, and I was also afraid you would scold me for having a relationship too early, so I never dared to tell you."

The eldest brother, Zhang Jianguo, laughed heartily and pointed at his nephew, saying:

"You little rascal, you're really cunning!"

"I was wondering why I was glued to my phone all the time, grinning like an idiot. Turns out I was dating someone."

"Okay, at least you had some sense of propriety in announcing it on WeChat Moments only after graduation."

Second Uncle Zhang Jianjun, being more pragmatic, asked with concern:

"How's that girl?"

"Where are you from? Did you go to the same school as them? What's your family's financial situation like?"

Li Menghan answered honestly:

"Her name is Dai Yuqian, and she is also a local of Han City."

"But she didn't go to the same university as me; she went to the vocational college next door."

"Her family's financial situation is also quite ordinary; both her parents are ordinary workers."

"Although we don't go to the same school, we're both in Seoul, and we often see each other on weekends."

Zhang Ruoran placed a piece of pork rib on her son's plate and said with a loving expression:

"As long as the person is good, their education and family background are secondary."

"Now that you've started dating, you should treat the girl better."

"Boys should be more generous. If you don't have enough living expenses, just tell your mom and she will transfer money to you."

"When you go out to eat or see a movie, don't let the girl pay. Don't seem stingy."

Uncle Zhang Jianmin added insult to injury from the side:

"That's right, that's right."

"The men in our Zhang family are all devoted to their wives."

"You must never be like your father, who treated women so badly and abandoned them."

"If you dare do that, your uncle will beat you up."

Upon hearing that the man was mentioned again, Li Menghan's smile faded slightly.

He straightened his back and solemnly promised:

"Uncle, don't worry!"

"I would never be like him!"

"I will treat Yu Qian well, and I will be responsible for her for the rest of my life."

Everyone at the table nodded happily, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

Then everyone started chatting about other everyday things.

Only Li Menghan, though she verbally agreed, kept shoveling food into her mouth.

But his eyes kept glancing at the phone on the table.

I felt a little panicked.

Because starting this morning, he sent several WeChat messages to his girlfriend, Dai Yuqian.

Ask her if she went back to her hometown for the Chinese New Year, and what she was doing.

But now, a whole day has passed.

The chat window still only contained the green bubbles he had sent; there wasn't a single reply from the other side.

While there have been times when they were slow to respond, never before have they completely disappeared like this.

"What's going on...?"

"It's been a whole day, why are you so unresponsive to my messages?"

Li Menghan was feeling very uneasy, and even her favorite pork ribs didn't taste as good anymore.