At 3 a.m., the landmines in front of the station

"what…"

Hua Leng got up upon hearing the sound, slipped her snow-white feet into her slippers, and walked towards the door.

Click.

The door opened, and Su Che's somewhat haggard face appeared before them.

"Husband, are you so weak?"

Hua Leng looked at his handsome face, which seemed to be filled with excessive indulgence, with amusement. Her initial lack of interest in the date suddenly turned into a desire to have some fun.

After all, Su Che, who hadn't left a single drop, was the one she considered worth developing. This made her feel that she could take this opportunity to see his potential...

【interesting.】

Hua Leng lifted her delicate hand and led her into the house.

"Sigh, from now on, I really can't trust UU's plans anymore. I just can't handle this whole dating system she's created."

Originally, everyone took turns dating once a month, and it wasn't supposed to be a dating format, so I could slack off and do some casual fun. But now, everyone seems to think that a date isn't complete without sleeping together...

In modern society, nobody believes that "a date without food counts as a date," so what do you think...?

Su Che didn't treat Hua Leng as an outsider at all, and poured out all his grievances in one go.

As his fiancée, Hua Leng's status at home was naturally unmatched by anyone else, and she also had an obligation to comfort him and help him relieve his anxiety.

"Is that so? My husband, if you're too tired, I do have a plan."

"What plan?"

"You could chase away half of the kittens."

Hua Leng curled the corners of her lips and uttered cruel words.

"what?"

"Look, if you chase away half the kittens, you can rest for 10 more days, right? If you ask me, some unnecessary cats can be abandoned once you've had your fill of playing with them. This way, the energy you save can be used to pamper other, more important cats. It's like killing two birds with one stone, isn't it?"

She spoke ironically, which made Su Che frown deeply.

But he wasn't stupid; he knew that Hua Leng was trying to say, "Since you can't bear to abandon them, you have to accept reality, face it, and raise them. Even if they're greedy, it's your own choice."

"Don't say anything more, I understand."

Su Che sighed and was helped into the house, where he slumped onto her fragrant bed.

"My husband, actually I can foresee your future to some extent."

"is it?"

"Yes. My husband's life from now on will be a cycle of exhaustion, day and night, desperately trying to protect the cats he has taken in, and in the end, he will be drained dry by the hungry cats, losing all his former spirit."

"My lord, your initial intention to defeat Master Lu will ultimately crumble under the entanglements of this powerful family, leading to your complete downfall. You will fall, and they will fall with you."

She looked into his confused eyes and said seriously.

"Leng Leng, according to what you've said, what should I do to get out of this predicament?"

Su Che was starting to feel anxious.

He couldn't say for sure whether it was better to grit his teeth and continue gathering materials, then go all in, or to face reality and join the fight if they couldn't win.

But in any case, the latter would make him unable to swallow his anger, and he would feel that he had been seriously insulted in terms of dignity, which he could not accept.

Conversely, although there is a chance of defeat in the former case, at least one has taken the challenge and given it their all, so there will be no more regrets in terms of both emotion and reason, and one can be more at peace with oneself.

At this moment, Hua Leng spoke up: "Instead of getting hung up on changing your state, you should first reflect on how your state became like this. Only by starting from the root of the problem can you dispel your illusions and become rational."

Her words were always concise and to the point, and they made him think deeply.

Su Che pondered that Hua Leng might be saying that the root of all evil comes from "hatred," and the root of the inability to resolve "hatred" comes from cats.

The number of cats limits one's self-improvement rate, suppresses physical health and energy recovery rate, and prevents one from relieving energy and getting back on track every day.

That's why she brought up the topic we just discussed—cutting back the cats.

After calmly considering the situation, Su Che realized that extreme reduction was definitely out of the question, but extending the cooldowns of less important cats was still an option, such as Yi Xiang, or a few maids.

Ultimately, however, this adjustment can only be considered a minor tweak and cannot solve the problem at its root.

"Oh, right."

Something suddenly came to mind in Su Che's hazy brain; at that moment, a flash of inspiration struck him—

I remember, the root of all evil wasn't actually An Qing and the others... but rather...

[Old Wang's herbal tea!!!]

Ta-da!

Suddenly, a chill ran through my heart.

Su Che's pupils narrowed slightly, and with Hua Leng's reminder, he suddenly understood.

"Yes, yes."

"Without Old Master Wang's herbal tea, how could I have endlessly taken in these cats? How could I have the confidence to take good care of them and meet their enormous needs?"

"If I hadn't had tea in the first place, I would most likely have taken a realistic view of my own capabilities and approached the issue rationally."

"Although the herbal tea makes me more endurance and stamina-enhancing, it's ultimately not my own creation. It's beyond my personal control, and it even bleeds me dry financially. Every time I interact with the cats, I always think, 'It's okay, if all else fails, I still have the tea as a backup,' or 'Since she wants it, I'll give it to her. If not, I'll just drink the tea myself...'"

"The repeated concessions gradually eroded my thinking, and the termites gnawed a hole in my bottom line. I could take their hands and walk into their boudoir without thinking, and even if I was too tired to get out of bed the next day, I would still choose to drink a mouthful of herbal tea in the morning, just like drinking coffee, and pretend that nothing had happened."

"This version of me is not, at all, the original me."

"I have been corrupted by Mr. Wang's products."

"Whether it's Gaoyao Tea, Tiandao Tea, or Tinghua Tea... every single one of his products is leading me astray, providing ample justification for my downfall. He... he seems to be destroying me!"

Su Che suddenly understood.

With Hua Leng's reminder, they finally found the crux of the problem.

Hua Leng tilted her pretty face forward slightly and, in a calm tone, further guided the conversation:

"My husband, will you hold a grudge against that old man?"

“Hate. Of course I hate him. He made it impossible for me to beat Dad anymore, he made me so, so bad. I became like an addict, I was already… already…”

At this point, she pressed on with another question:

"Then, husband, have you ever thought about what kind of life you will face after you give up those tea drinks?"

"what……"

Like a crow with its neck choked, Su Che fell silent.

"Without herbal tea, can my husband still function normally?"

She narrowed her beautiful eyes, as if she could see into people's hearts, and asked a question.

"I have no idea…"

The first thing Su Che thought of was the painful image of his cats running away from home one after another, and his regret for his past actions.

He couldn't accept this, nor could he accept the disappointed looks the cats gave him.

Seeing his uneasy expression, Hua sneered.

Her laughter outshone all the flowers.

She pressed her full lips against his ear, and whispered tenderly, like a fallen angel with scarlet wings:

"If my husband feels he can trust me, then let me, as his wife, help you overcome your addiction?"

She took his hand.

……

……

Chapter 326 Near the End: Tea and the Truth

After leaving Ari's room, Su Che fell into a state of self-reflection.

My fiancée truly is a guiding light on my life's journey; she effortlessly uncovered the root cause of the problem.

Su Che began to wonder if his "trump card" also had negative effects, or if it was a handy and controllable tool.

Today, he decided to postpone his appointment and go to see Old Wang first to see what was going on and ask him if there would be any side effects he hadn't mentioned if he stopped taking the medication.

"Ugh."

As for the dating, only Xiaoxiao was left at the very end and hadn't finished. The others' draws were basically all done. Su Che breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that the big task was coming to an end and the pressure wasn't as great as it had been at the beginning.

That morning, he packed his things, grabbed his bag, and went out alone.

His destination was Grandpa Wang's tea shop. He wanted to resolve his inner confusion, so he didn't inform Grandpa Wang beforehand and chose to go directly there.

It was 9:35 a.m., inside Grandpa Wang's teahouse.

"Old Lu, you look great lately. You look like you could live another three to five years."

At that familiar tea table, two aged figures sat facing each other.

One of the elderly men was standing next to a young and beautiful woman.

The wisps of steam from the tea filled the room, and the delicate fragrance of jasmine tea could be smelled from afar.

"Hey, Master, I've finally put my mind at ease, so of course I'm beaming, haha."

The elderly man sitting opposite Mr. Wang was dressed in a Zhongshan suit, with a dragon-headed cane hanging on his left hand. He had white hair and sharp eyes, and at first glance, he did indeed appear to be in very good spirits.

Of course, if Su Che saw this, he would be terrified.

Because this old man was none other than his mysterious grandfather, Lu Qiancheng.

Beside Elder Lu, Nao Ise stood expressionless, like a goddess statue.

Today, she wore a black and white high-end everyday custom long dress, with her beautiful legs covered in white stockings hidden under the dress, appearing and disappearing.

Her makeup was as exquisite as ever, and every inch of her skin radiated an untouchable glow;

Her long, flowing hair, cascading down her shoulders like tassels, cascaded down her snow-white nape like a waterfall.