The Little Maid Was a Master of Flattery, and the Gold Was a Sweetener

The next morning, at eight.

Zeng Mo heard a knock at the door and sat up, yawning sleepily.

"I never imagined that playing around with the little maid last night would make me sleep until eight this morning. We only slept an extra two hours, but it feels as if I got eight hours of sleep. I'm full of energy."

"I feel so refreshed, like I could keep this up for a whole week."

Xiao Ti and Xiao Yue had also heard the knock. They put on their clothes and sat up.

"Master, that was a potion made from a divine creature. Although it didn't turn Master into a divine creature, even just drinking a little of it had an extraordinary effect." Xiao Yue smiled.

"Really?" Zeng Mo was surprised.

Xiao Ti hurriedly added, "And Master slept through the whole night! A divine creature's energy can nourish Master's body, improving its condition for an entire week."

"I didn't expect that feeling refreshed could last a whole week."

Zeng Mo frowned, then suddenly thought of something. "If I eat rice that contains divine energy, will my body absorb the energy in it?"

Xiao Ti and Xiao Yue looked at each other, both bewildered.

"No."

Xiao Yue explained, "Master, unless the rice is the body of a divine creature, the divine energy in it won't be completely absorbed. Otherwise, it will gradually dissipate into the air."

Zeng Mo understood. "I get it. If I eat rice containing divine energy, and the rice itself isn't from a divine creature, it will only nourish my body and improve its condition. It won't stay in my body for a long time, and eventually it'll dissipate."

Xiao Ti and Xiao Yue nodded.

"Then I know what to do. I can use this method to cultivate divine creatures ahead of time."

Zeng Mo nodded slightly, then picked up his phone.

Just as he did, a message popped up.

"Mr. Zeng, congratulations! Your movie, The Melon's Shadow, has earned 5.13 million in box office revenue this month. The money has already been transferred to your account."

"Your previous movie earnings, together with the revenue from the last month, have brought in more than five million."

Zeng Mo looked at the message and felt utterly satisfied.

Right now, without even counting the ten million in his Stone of Strength, the income he'd earned this month, along with the four hundred thousand in the card Xiao Ti had given him, amounted to more than a thousand times what he used to have.

He had more than a million in available savings.

That was more than he could have imagined earning in five hundred years.

Although the five million was nothing compared to what he had now, it had once been his most important source of income.

He'd used part of what his parents earned working in the city to pay for his own living expenses.

Thinking of this, Zeng Mo opened the chat with his mother. He had meant to message her before, but had forgotten. Now he directly sent her 10,000,000 yuan.

Xiao Ti, sitting to one side, saw it and asked, "Master, you sent your parents so much money. How are you going to explain where it came from?"

"It'll be hard to explain."

Hearing Xiao Ti's question, Zeng Mo tapped his finger once and looked at her.

"Little Ti, you're always coming up with clever plans. I want to use this last year to buy my parents the things they want and give them the life they've dreamed of, so they can enjoy their final year in peace."

"Master wants his parents to feel proud of him," Xiao Yue said.

"And he wants them to think he's made something of himself, not to think he got rich through some shady means," Xiao Ti added.

"All right, you saw right through me. That saves me the trouble of coming up with an excuse." Zeng Mo's expression turned serious for a moment. Then he sighed and said, "Since you've already figured it out, tell me what I should do."

"Master, just chat with them as usual. When you go home next month, tell them Xiao Ti and I are going with you. That way, your parents will be satisfied when they see the two of us."

"Okay."

Zeng Mo nodded, then said, "I want to send them a couple million more. I'll say it was five thousand for winning a lottery. That way, they won't be suspicious, and they'll be happy."

"Sure. They probably won't believe it, but they'll be happy to see that you're thinking of them," Xiao Yue said.

Hearing Xiao Ti's suggestion, Zeng Mo sent his mother a few more messages. Then, since she'd done so well at work, he gave her another five thousand and transferred another two million to her.

Just as Xiao Ti had said.

His mother didn't refuse. She simply replied, "You're thoughtful, and you have it hard working away from home. Spend the money you earn on yourself. If you want to treat your coworkers to a meal, go ahead. Don't hold back. Make more friends if you can, and try to find yourself a girlfriend while you're still young."

"I understand, Mom. And don't worry, I haven't accepted anything from her. This is the first time I've sent money home." Zeng Mo replied.

His mother said, "If you really mean it, come home for the New Year and pay your respects to your ancestors. You haven't been back in so many years. Your father's relatives will complain about him every time, asking why you never come home. He can't tell them that you don't want to, so all he can do is say you're busy with school and work."

Hearing his mother's words, Zeng Mo felt a little sad.

Back when he'd lived in that world, his father and grandmother had resented his mother because she was three years older than his father.

They also disliked being ranked second in the family.

His aunt and uncle didn't like him either.

And there were quite a few relatives who were two-faced. They'd come to him when they needed something, but otherwise they'd act all superior and make things difficult for him.

Whenever he ran into trouble, his relatives would all make excuses and turn him away. In the end, it was his mother's side of the family who treated him best and helped him the most.

Back then, Zeng Mo had truly felt that it was better to be close to one's neighbors than one's relatives, and that his mother's side of the family was more dependable.

Naturally, after he'd grown up, he hadn't wanted to visit his ancestral home or deal with those people. He didn't want to listen to his relatives' nagging, either.

Xiao Ti smiled and said, "Doesn't Master want to make his parents proud of him? Why not go home tomorrow? You're going to pick up the jade plaque the day after. Talk to the female lead and see if she can accompany you to visit your parents for three days."

Zeng Mo heard her and laughed. "Xiao Yue really is my thoughtful maid. Come here, Master's going to give you a reward."

He kissed Xiao Yue on the cheek, then told his mother that he'd come home for the New Year and would also go see the other relatives he hadn't visited in years.

Xiao Ti and Xiao Yue laughed at each other, then went to get breakfast ready for him.

Not long after, the three of them finished breakfast.

Zeng Mo quickly got through his daily routine.

Before long, it was afternoon.

After teaching Liu Fang a new self-defense move, he drove around the western part of the city for half a day. He had nowhere in particular to go, just driving around to get used to the city.

In the end, he had no choice but to wrap up the day's activities and return to the studio.

At the studio,

Qing'er and Yu Lin were holding a small notebook and discussing the second short film that Chen Ning was about to shoot.

Zeng Mo sat on the sofa, watching Qing'er and Yu Lin discuss the script with great enthusiasm. Meanwhile, he quietly sat off to one side, looking as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

He couldn't help thinking about what had happened that night.

If the system hadn't made three people come back to life that day, something else might have happened.

Zeng Mo guessed that what had happened that night—the hazy, unreal feeling—might only have been a dream.

When the two of them finished talking, Zeng Mo told Chen Ning that he planned to pick up the jade plaque tomorrow, then go home to visit his ancestors.

"Hubby, you're going home to pay your respects? How long will you be gone?" Chen Ning asked.

"Three days." Zeng Mo smiled and added, "Do you want to come back with me and meet my parents?"

Hearing Zeng Mo say that, Qing'er, sitting nearby, burst out laughing.

But Chen Ning shook her head. "We just got back from a trip, and now we're going home to visit your ancestors? That's a bit too much."