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

Bai Li coughed twice:

"It's nothing. I just remembered something interesting."

Zhang Qian rolled her eyes with a charming air.

"Pay attention, big brother, don't get distracted..." she drawled, her voice soft and sticky.

Bai Li's gaze burned with fervor, one of the Seven Deadly Sins overshadowing his curiosity about Xie Lingmo's current state.

... (has already behaved himself)

Two hours later.

Zhang Qian nestled contentedly in Bai Li's arms, her index finger gently tapping Bai Li's chest:

"This love is truly stronger than gold; I've finally found something harder than diamonds..."

Zhang Qian tilted her head back, her blue hair cascading over Bai Li's collarbone:

"I just felt like I was just like Xiao Gou."

Bai Li chuckled and pinched her in front of her:

"You're doing alright today, you're worth three Mengmengs."

"I've already fed Tingting and Jiaxin, now only Xiaoshuang hasn't checked in yet."

When Lin Xiaoshuang was mentioned, Zhang Qian changed her posture.

"Big brother."

She reached up and tucked the blue hair that was hanging down her cheek behind her ear, panting:

"After Mengmeng finished eating and went home, Xiaoshuang became very mysterious."

She locked the door and said she had something to do. She told us not to bother her.

Bai Li stopped what he was doing after hearing this.

This is a rather unusual thing.

When Little Yellow Hair came back in the Coaster today, he was still confidently shouting that he was going to do something big tonight.

So this girl actually retreated on her own initiative?

Bai Li propped himself up against the headboard, but he didn't intend to knock on the door to check on him.

Everyone has their own privacy, and he believed that Lin Xiaoshuang would naturally tell him when she wanted to.

The breathing beside me gradually calmed down.

Zhang Qian closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep, a faint smile on her lips.

The time has passed midnight.

The next stage of filming for the short drama is about to begin.

Most importantly, he still has 202 million yuan in spare cash in his bank account.

Originally, I had saved this money to buy a Lexus minivan so that I could have more space when taking the girls out.

As a result, Xie Tianyun generously gave away the modified Coaster, saving the budget for buying the car.

Bai Li rubbed his chin.

Why not keep one million for yourself as a safety net to ensure a carefree lifestyle, and give the remaining one million two hundred and twenty thousand to your parents?

Just do it.

Bai Li opened the mobile banking app, entered her father's card number, and entered 1.02 million.

Transfer confirmed.

Less than two minutes passed in total.

The screen lit up, and my mom's caller ID popped up.

The elderly couple were probably not sound asleep when they were woken up by the text message notification in the middle of the night.

Afraid of waking Zhang Qian, Bai Li threw off the covers, put on her pajamas, and walked out of the bedroom with her phone in hand.

"Hello, Dad, Mom."

On the other end of the phone, my mother's voice trembled:

"Xiao Li! Your dad just received a text message; over a million yuan has been deposited into his account!"

The old man next to me snatched the phone, his voice booming as he slammed it through the receiver:

"Son, I saw it was you who shared it. Why so suddenly? Did something happen?"

Bai Li moved her phone further away and rubbed her ear.

"Dad, it's nothing, I just wanted to give you some money to spend."

Bai Li's voice is gentle:

"This is a share of the profits I earned from filming short dramas. I'm transferring some to you so you can improve your lives."

"You two should keep this money and eat and dress well."

"In a few days, we'll find some people to demolish that mud-brick house in our old home and build a two-story house instead."

Bai Li made all the arrangements perfectly clear.

After finishing the important business, Mom lowered her voice and began her daily check-up routine.

"Xiao Li, where are you right now? Are you in the county? Or are you out playing with Tingting and the others?"

Bai Li, with one hand in his trench coat pocket, glanced at the end of the corridor:

"I'm in the villa near the Heavenly Palace in the Clouds. With Qianqian."

There was a full five seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

My mother sighed heavily.

She may not have had much worldly experience, but she understood the rules of conduct.

"Xiao Li".

My mother's tone became earnest, and she emphasized each word:

"That young girl followed you innocently, without any status or recognition."

"You can't be an ungrateful traitor like Chen Shimei."

"Treat them well, treat them all equally, don't neglect any of them, and don't let them down. Do you understand?"

In the eyes of this simple rural woman.

It doesn't matter what your social status or background is.

As long as a girl is willing to follow her son wholeheartedly, no matter how bad her background is, she is still one of his family.

Bai Li readily agreed:

"Okay, Mom. Don't worry, I won't mistreat them. Go to sleep early."

After hanging up the phone, Bai Li stood in the corridor for a while.

Outside the villa, the night breeze of Pingxian County rustled the green plants in the garden.

He turned around and went back the way he came, heading towards the master bedroom.

I had just reached the door when I pushed it open and took a step forward.

With a "bang," my toe kicked something hard.

Bai Li stopped and looked down at the phone screen in the dim light.

A thermos cup is standing upright on the carpet by the door.

There was a pink square sticky note pressed under the thermos.

He crouched down and picked up the thermos and the note.

The words on the sticky note were written with a black ballpoint pen.

The handwriting is crooked and uneven, with inconsistent stroke thickness, clearly at the level of an elementary school student.

It says:

"Brother, drink this if you're thirsty tonight. It's warm and won't upset your stomach."

At the end of the note was a particularly ugly smiley face, with two irregular circles of different sizes for the eyes.

Bai Li squatted in place, frozen in place.

This stroke of the brush, this dog-scratching handwriting.

Who else could it be but a "spirited young woman"?

Bai Li held the cup in her hand.

He remembered what his mother had said on the phone: "Don't let them down."

To outsiders, she was a good-for-nothing girl who smoked and drank.

Those girls from the lower class who dress in bright colors and often argue with people on the street.

After meeting him, she gave him all her gentleness and understanding without reservation.

Bai Li leaned against the door frame, his throat bobbing twice, and his nose felt a little sore.

He gripped the thermos tightly, staring at the pink note in his palm.

"Mom, I understand," Bai Li murmured softly.

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the rows of closed doors on the first floor, and spoke softly in the quiet night:

"I will not let them down."

"Because they... are really nice."