Xiao Ai Was Still the Most Thoughtful, Golden Thread Bay

At eight the next morning.

Zeng Shen opened his eyes, sat up, and murmured to himself.

"I never thought I'd end up playing with Xiao Ai and Xiao Di until six this morning before going to sleep. I only slept for two hours, but I feel as refreshed as if I'd slept for eight."

"I even feel like this could last a whole week."

Hearing Zeng Shen's voice, Xiao Di and Xiao Ai stopped pretending to sleep, opened their eyes, and sat up.

"Master, those two potions were meant for divine creatures. You drank them before becoming one, so naturally, their effects were astonishing," Xiao Ai said with a smile.

"No wonder." Understanding dawned on Zeng Shen.

Beside him, Xiao Di added, "Besides, these potions contain a trace of divine energy, which will keep nourishing every cell in your body for a week."

"No wonder I feel like this state could last a week."

As Zeng Shen spoke, a question suddenly occurred to him. "After I take a potion containing divine energy, does my body eventually absorb that energy?"

Xiao Di and Xiao Ai both shook their heads.

"No."

Then Xiao Ai explained, "Master, only a divine creature's body can fully absorb the divine energy in these potions. Otherwise, it will gradually dissipate into the air."

After hearing that, Zeng Shen said in understanding, "I get it. If I eat the rice containing divine energy from my divine realm, or feed it to creatures that aren't divine species, it will only nourish our cells and improve our physical condition. Even if we eat it for a long time, the energy won't stay in our bodies permanently. It'll all dissipate in the end."

Xiao Ai and Xiao Di nodded.

"That's a bit of a shame. I thought I could use this method to start cultivating divine creatures ahead of time."

Sounding a little disappointed, Zeng Shen picked up his phone.

A text message suddenly popped up on the screen.

"Hello, Mr. Zeng. Your video earnings from Toutiao and Xigua this month total 513 yuan and have been automatically deposited into your account."

"The money I earned from video views before... I haven't uploaded anything for a month, but I still made over five hundred yuan."

Looking at the message, Zeng Shen was filled with emotion.

Even without counting the future proceeds from the piece of jade in Shi Mingqiang's hands, or the four hundred million on the premium card he had given Xiao Di and the others,

he already had over ninety million in readily available savings.

That was who knew how many times more than these five hundred-odd yuan.

Yet, little as those five hundred yuan were, they had once been an important part of his monthly living expenses.

They had spared his parents from having to set aside some of their already limited income to support him.

With that thought, Zeng Shen opened WeChat, tapped on his mother's contact, selected transfer, and entered 10000000, ready to send it.

Seeing this, Xiao Ai said softly beside him,

"Master, if you send your mother that much money, how will you explain where it came from?"

"That really would be hard to explain."

At Xiao Ai's words, Zeng Shen's finger paused. He looked at her and said,

"What do you think I should do, then, Xiao Ai? There's only a year left until the cataclysm. I want my parents to spend this last year buying the things they want and living the life they want, so they can enjoy this final year of peace."

"Master, you want your parents to have their moment to shine in front of their relatives, don't you?" Xiao Ai said.

"And you want them to be proud of you, without resorting to something as tacky as throwing money around," Xiao Di added from beside them.

"All right, you saw right through me. Forget what I said before." The serious expression on Zeng Shen's face instantly crumpled. After a pause, he continued, "Since you two figured it out, what should I do?"

"Just chat with your mother as usual, Master. Whenever you decide to go home this month, let me know. I'll go with you, and I guarantee I'll arrange everything to your satisfaction," Xiao Ai said.

"Okay."

Zeng Shen nodded. "Sending a little over two thousand yuan should be fine. I'll say my boss gave me a five-thousand-yuan bonus."

"That would work. Your mother probably won't accept it, but she'll be happy to see the thought behind it," Xiao Ai said.

Hearing that, Zeng Shen sent his mother a couple of messages asking how she was, then said he had earned a five-thousand-yuan bonus for doing well at his internship and transferred two thousand yuan to her.

Sure enough, it was just as Xiao Ai had said.

His mother didn't accept the money. She only replied, "It's enough that you thought of us. Working away from home isn't easy. Keep the money you earn for yourself. Treat your coworkers to meals when you should, and don't be stingy. Make more friends whenever you can, and try to bring a girlfriend home for New Year."

"I know, Mom, but please accept it anyway. This is the first time I've earned money to send home," Zeng Shen replied.

His mother replied, "If you really mean it, we'll be paying our respects to the ancestors at the ancestral hall in a couple of days. Could you come home if you're free? You haven't been to the ancestral hall in years. Quite a few of your elders and relatives in the clan ask your father why you aren't there every time. Your father can never find a way around the subject. He can't just say you don't want to come, so he always tells them you're too busy with school."

Reading his mother's message, Zeng Shen hesitated.

When he was little, his now-deceased grandparents had looked down on his mother for being three years older than his father.

They hadn't liked his father, the second child in the family, either.

By extension, they hadn't liked him.

Besides, quite a few relatives in the clan had little real affection for them. They would come to him when they needed something, then gossip and guilt-trip him if he refused to help.

When he needed something, every one of them made excuses. In the end, it was his mother's side of the family, who were already struggling to get by themselves, who often willingly offered help.

Back then, Zeng Shen had truly come to understand that a nearby neighbor was better than a distant relative, and that his mother's family was more dependable than his father's clan.

Naturally, after starting college, he no longer wanted to go to the ancestral hall to pay his respects and meet those people, nor did he want to listen to their boasting.

Seeing his hesitation, Xiao Ai said softly beside him, "Master, didn't you want your parents to be proud of you? There's no time like the present. Why not do it this time? And weren't you wondering how to tell your wife you wanted to head out for a drive after getting your license plate tomorrow? You can tell her you're going home for two or three days to pay your respects to your ancestors."

Hearing that, Zeng Shen immediately smiled. "Xiao Ai, you really are your master's thoughtful personal maid. Come here and let your master give you a kiss."

After kissing Xiao Ai on the cheek, Zeng Shen told his mother he would come home in a couple of days, then began asking about other things at home.

Seeing this, Xiao Ai and Xiao Di got out from under the covers and went to make him breakfast.

A little while later,

Zeng Shen finished chatting with his mother, got up, washed, and ate.

Once he finished breakfast,

he quickly went through his daily point-farming routine.

Before he knew it, afternoon had arrived.

After teaching Liu Miao a new self-defense move, Zeng Shen drove around the western part of the city for ages, but couldn't find Huang Ziliang and his gang of thugs anywhere.

In the end, he had no choice but to give up, finish farming points for the day, and return to the Like Family Studio.

Inside the studio,

Liu Tongtong and Li Yuqing were holding a small notebook, writing down the lines they would exchange when recording their second short video.

Zeng Shen sat on the sofa and watched Liu Tongtong rehearse her lines with Li Yuqing beside him. She was as alluring as ever, acting perfectly natural, as though nothing had happened.

His mind involuntarily drifted back to what had happened two nights ago.

If the system diary hadn't confirmed that something had happened between the three of them,

Zeng Shen figured he really would have thought that hazy experience that night had only been a dream.

Only after the two finished rehearsing did Zeng Shen tell Li Yuqing that, once he got his license plate the next day, he would be going home to pay his respects to his ancestors.

"You're going home to pay respects to your ancestors, honey? About how many days will you be gone?" Li Yuqing asked.

"Three days, probably." Then Zeng Shen joked, "Want to come with me and meet my parents?"

Hearing that, Liu Tongtong burst out laughing beside them.

Li Yuqing shook her head vehemently. "No way! Who takes their partner home for the first time to attend an ancestral ceremony? That would be so... you know."