Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

Bai Li strode forward and caught Li Fugui as he slid down the slope.

Old Li's physique is quite imposing.

Bai Li gripped his armpits with both hands, pulled him up, and finally managed to place him safely on the sofa.

Li Mengmeng ran to the kitchen, then carried a glass of cold water back to the living room.

Bai Li supported Lao Li's head with one hand and brought the rim of the glass to his lips.

Two large gulps of cold water were poured into his esophagus, washing over the burning stomach wall.

Li Fugui exhaled a long breath of murky alcohol, and his liver-colored face cooled down slightly.

The high alcohol content made his brain foggy, but his emotions were higher than ever before.

Old Li half-opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the young man bustling about in front of him.

It's no wonder that once you start looking at it, it becomes more and more pleasing to the eye.

He is tall, has regular features, is calm and composed, and most importantly, lives in Villa No. 1.

"Bai Li...right?" Li Fugui slurred, slapped Bai Li's knee, and let out a burp.

"Since you're the person Mengmeng has chosen to entrust her life to, then we're family. From now on, I'll call you Xiao Li."

Bai Li chuckled twice, then pulled over a few tissues and handed them over:

"Uncle, you can call me whatever you want. Today's incident was a complete misunderstanding, please take a rest."

"Just now, I completely misunderstood you." Li Fugui waved his hand, his eyes stinging, his tone incredibly soft.

"Xiao Li, don't blame your uncle for having a bad temper. You have no idea how difficult it has been for me to get to where I am today. I've suffered more than many people have eaten."

"I truly started from scratch."

These words carry immense weight.

Bai Li straightened up from her casual sitting posture.

Although he possesses a system, this kind of ruthless character who struggles in the mud and fights his way out of poverty with his bare fists is absolutely worthy of respect.

Li Fugui reached for the coffee table and pulled out a box of cigarettes.

Bai Li was extremely savvy; he took out a lighter, held it over, and with a flickering flame, lit Old Li's cigarette.

Take a deep breath and exhale the blue smoke.

Li Fugui, cigarette between his fingers, pointed to the night view outside the French windows, his voice weathered:

"Xiao Li, have you ever seen the sea? The sea is the most beautiful thing in the world."

"When I'm in a good mood, I go to the beach to feel the breeze."

"When I'm in a bad mood, I can still go dancing."

"And even when they couldn't afford food... they could still go swimming in the sea."

Bai's heart was pounding wildly.

This father-in-law has quite a story!

Li Fugui took two deep drags, the sparks flickering.

"Back then, I had no money or connections, only passion and a handsome face."

"One day I was wandering around the street when I saw a bar advertising high-paying jobs for male escorts. On a whim, I went inside."

"The interviewer didn't even let me fill out a resume." Li Fugui's expression turned painful as he recalled the experience, and his hand holding the cigarette trembled.

"He ran to the kitchen and brought out a piece of raw pork that was twelve centimeters thick and already smelled bad."

"There was a slit made in the middle of the meat, and a piece of butter was stuffed inside the slit."

Old Li sighed heavily: "The supervisor pointed to that piece of meat and said, 'If I can get all the butter out of the meat without using my hands, just with my tongue, I can stay and make a lot of money.'"

Bai Li felt a chill run down her spine.

Is this a job to hire someone to drink with you?

This blatant obedience test combined with practical assessment is absolutely insane!

"And then?" Bai Li couldn't help but ask.

"And then?" Li Fugui's face was resolute: "I had no other choice! I lived up to expectations, closed my eyes, suppressed my nausea, and managed to get that piece of butter out!"

"What a damn hardcore ruthless guy!" Bai Li thought to himself, "Awesome!"

"But I'm still too inexperienced." Li Fugui's tone shifted abruptly, a flicker of fear in his eyes:

"When it was my turn to take the first drinking escort order, I was already trembling with fear before the client even entered the private room."

"I was devastated. I didn't even dare to ask for my wages. I just ran away and quit."

As the cigarette ash fell, Li Fugui's face was filled with relief:

Fortunately, there's always a way out.

"On the night I was drowning my sorrows in alcohol, I met Mengmeng's mother."

"I drank a few bottles of beer by the roadside to drown my sorrows."

"The bar manager and his men found the stall, and Mengmeng's mother happened to be nearby. In the end, I was so drunk that I passed out, and she was the one who came and took me home."

Li Fugui smiled broadly: "Later, thanks to her thoughtfulness and start-up capital, my business was able to slowly expand."

The cigarette in his hand burned out, and the cigarette box was empty.

Bai Li sat upright on the sofa, the clues in her mind rapidly connecting.

The more I deduced, the more certain I became that this touching love story was riddled with flaws.

First, Old Li's alcohol tolerance.

He just drank a whole glass of 96-proof beer, and he can still barely talk. How could he have been knocked out by a few bottles of beer back then? He must have been drugged!

Secondly, the financial backer who has yet to show up.

Old Li had just run away, so how did the bar manager and Mengmeng's mother end up at the crime scene and conveniently pick her up?

The truth is about to be revealed:

The sugar daddy who spent money to buy Lao Li's money was probably Mengmeng's mom!

Discovering that the prey had escaped, he led a group to pursue them, and finally staged a hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress drama, drugging and kidnapping the prey in one fell swoop!

What the hell!

Bai Li thought to himself, "Wow!"

My father-in-law was a ruthless man who dared to face difficulties when he was young, and my mother-in-law was an even more powerful figure who could control everything.

He turned his head and glanced at Li Mengmeng, who was still washing fruit next to him.

This "legal loli" trick of adding ingredients to drinks in the kitchen during the day is a family tradition!

He learned from his mother and surpassed her!

Birds of a feather flock together; the women in the Li family all share the same simple and brutal methods for winning over men.

Bai Li suppressed her inner complaints and went along with the conversation, offering her support:

"Uncle, Auntie's vision and decisiveness are truly amazing. Mengmeng's intelligence and cuteness are just like Auntie's, and she also has your calm and composed nature."

This flattery made Li Fugui overjoyed and feel like he was floating on air.

"That's absolutely right! Great minds think alike!" Li Fugui struggled to his feet, gripping Bai Li's shoulders tightly with both hands, his old eyes gleaming:

"Xiao Li, you're just my type! We have to become sworn brothers today!"

He then tried to pull Bai Li to kowtow and become sworn brothers in front of the French windows.

Bai Li chuckled to himself.

My father-in-law is too impulsive. If he kowtows, what am I supposed to call Li Mengmeng from now on?

My eldest niece?

Li Mengmeng, who was washing fruit nearby, became extremely anxious.

The little girl, without even wiping the water off her hands, pounced over and clung tightly to her father's lower back.

"Dad, are you drunk?!" Li Mengmeng's voice changed, and she stamped her feet anxiously. "You really became sworn brothers with him? How am I supposed to call him now? The generations are all messed up! Sit down right now!"

After being shaken so vigorously by his daughter, Old Li's drowsy mind cleared up a little.

He looked around, smacked his lips, and reluctantly gave up this tempting idea.

He leaned against the sofa armrest and steered the conversation back to Bai Li:

"Xiao Li, you're so young to be living in apartment number one, your education must be exceptional. Which university did you graduate from?"

Bai Li tore off a tissue to wipe her hands and answered crisply:

"A university in Shanghai, majoring in science and engineering. After graduation, I just started messing around with whatever I could find."

Upon hearing the words "science and engineering", Li Fugui fell silent.

Old Li rubbed his face with both hands, looking very melancholy.

"It's easy to find a job in science and engineering. Although I graduated from Tsinghua or Peking University, I majored in pure humanities."

"Once you leave school, there are no high-paying jobs available, only interview opportunities, which is why you're forced to go through that kind of interview process."

Bai Li picked up her water glass, took a sip, and comforted her with a regretful tone:

"Uncle, it's not your fault. In the past, liberal arts majors had great prospects; they were a legitimate and good career path."

Li Fugui raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes.

He has been working in society for over thirty years, spanning several major cycles, and he has never encountered a time when liberal arts students had an easy time.

Could it be that I was too narrow-minded back then and really missed the golden period of opportunity?

Unable to contain his curiosity, Old Li leaned forward, determined to get to the bottom of it:

"When was 'before'? Give me a hint, when exactly did humanities become a promising field?"

Bai Li pondered for a long time before slowly revealing the answer:

"The Song Dynasty."

Li Fugui: "..."