Return Journey, Another Upgrade

The two had lunch at a noodle shop in Star City Plaza.

While eating noodles, Li Xiaoxuan would occasionally take out a tissue and carefully wipe Zhang Yang's mouth, making Zhang Yang look like a lazy playboy.

The surrounding guests occasionally looked up and happened to see the beautiful woman carefully wiping the mouth of the man opposite her, and they were all extremely envious.

They only thought Zhang Yang was handsome.

Little did they know, good looks plus money were the key to instant success and dominance.

"By the way, what kind of restaurant are you planning to open? Still that self-service skewers place?" Zhang Yang casually grabbed a tissue and wiped his mouth. "To be honest, your place is a bit pricey, but the taste is pretty good."

"That's right. So I need to learn from this experience," Li Xiaoxuan sighed softly.

"After we finish eating, let's go check out the location of your new store." Zhang Yang nodded without asking any further questions.

After lunch, the two strolled over to the storefront of Wind and Cloud Barbecue.

Coincidentally, the shutter door of Wind and Cloud Barbecue was open at that moment, and the owner was busy inside, but he looked very grumpy, as if he hadn't slept well last night.

"This shop is fine. I see it has two floors. You can make use of the second floor." Zhang Yang stood at the shop entrance, chatting casually with Li Xiaoxuan as if no one else was around.

The shop owner came out and was startled when he saw Zhang Yang. Then, after hearing what the two were chatting about, his face turned red with anger.

"Oh, is this really okay?" Li Xiaoxuan looked at the shop owner, whose expression seemed off, and felt slightly embarrassed.

After all, this is something to be discussed in front of people.

"What's good or bad about it? The shop owner isn't renting it out starting next month," Zhang Yang said with a smile.

Around three or four in the afternoon, Li Xiaoxuan was going to pick up her child.

This was something she and her ex-husband had agreed upon beforehand; she could bring the child back to live with her on the weekend.

Having nothing else to do, Zhang Yang decided to go along with them.

The kindergarten is a high-end private kindergarten in Yinghai City.

This is the time when parents come to pick up their children from school. The kindergarten gate is packed with all kinds of vehicles.

Zhang Yang leaned against the car, watching Li Xiaoxuan run to the school gate.

Then, I received a beautifully sculpted little girl from the smiling teacher.

"Goodbye, Teacher Xu." The little girl turned around and waved goodbye to her teacher in a sweet, childish voice.

"Goodbye, Tongtong." The teacher also squatted down and said goodbye to her with a smile.

Li Xiaoxuan held Tongtong's hand and walked straight to Zhang Yang's car.

It was clear that Tongtong was overjoyed to see her mother, whom she hadn't seen in a long time. She had so much to say and skipped and hopped all the way.

"We've picked up the child." Zhang Yang stepped forward and said with a smile, then looked at the little girl in Li Xiaoxuan's arms, squatted down and greeted her, "Hello, Tongtong."

Tongtong was startled and kept hiding behind Li Xiaoxuan, then poked her head out.

"Mom, have you found a new dad?"

Li Xiaoxuan was stunned, her face turned red, and she quickly hugged Tongtong behind her.

"Little kids shouldn't talk nonsense. Say hello to Uncle."

"Hello, Uncle." Tongtong looked at Zhang Yang timidly and greeted him in a childish voice.

"Get in the car." Zhang Yang smiled, reached out and patted Tongtong's little head, and opened the car door for the mother and daughter.

It's just a child's nature.

Inside the car, Tongtong quickly revealed her innocent and carefree nature as a child.

"So, is Uncle a good friend of Mom's?"

"Yes, she's Mom's good friend." Li Xiaoxuan chuckled softly in the back seat of the car, taking out some snacks she had prepared for Tongtong in advance.

"Uncle, you're so handsome," Tongtong said while eating her bread roll.

"Thanks, little one." Zhang Yang said, unable to suppress the smile on his face as he drove.

He doesn't really care much when others say he's handsome or anything like that.

But who can refuse a child's heartfelt words? It's common knowledge that children don't lie.

Zhang Yang suddenly remembered a line from a popular game recently, which he could paraphrase. "[It's not that Xiaoxuan is too charming, it's just that Tongtong can't live without her father.]"

To be fair, Li Xiaoxuan looks quite similar to Hao Hao's mother in the game.

However, Zhang Yang never considered becoming someone's father. Even Dorgon couldn't handle it, how could Zhang Yang possibly manage? What a joke!

"Can Uncle bring Mommy to pick me up next time? Can you take me to the amusement park, buy me snacks, and play with me all day?" Tongtong asked, blinking her eyes.

"My dad never spends time with me; he always sends the housekeeper to pick me up."

"Your dad has never come to pick you up?" Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoxuan's expression immediately changed.

"Yes, Dad said he's very busy," Tongtong said innocently, stating the truth.

Immediately, Li Xiaoxuan became sullen.

She'll probably be unhappy as long as she doesn't get custody of her daughter.

Zhang Yang's original plan was to take the mother and daughter home and then go back first, after all, he never intended to play any extra role.

But Tongtong has such a sweet tongue.

So, he made a last-minute decision to take Li Xiaoxuan and her daughter straight to a children's restaurant, which had both food for children and a playground.

Well, he's twenty-five now, so it's hard to say when he'll have his own child.

Consider it a chance to gain some experience in raising a child.

In the evening, Zhang Yang ate some children's pizza at the Milibao Children's Restaurant.

How much of what a child eats can suit an adult's taste? Little Tongtong, on the other hand, ate with great relish and would occasionally run down to play and frolic with the other children.

"Mr. Zhang, I'm sorry to have taken up your time today," Li Xiaoxuan said apologetically.

"It's alright, our relationship isn't that shallow, why would we need to talk about such a small thing?" Zhang Yang smiled and raised his eyebrows.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoxuan blushed immediately.

Zhang Yang observed the contrast between the hot mom's occasional unrestrained behavior and her occasional shyness in front of him, and found it rather odd.

Is Li Xiaoxuan a young woman who looks like a young woman, or a young woman who looks like a young woman?

"Uncle, uncle, can you come and play with me?"

Not far away, Tongtong was skipping and hopping, waving her little hand high in the air.

"Mom will stay with you." Li Xiaoxuan quickly stood up, not daring to trouble Zhang Yang.

"It's alright, it's alright. We're already here, so we should make sure the kids have a good time," Zhang Yang said casually, getting up and heading to the play area.

Li Xiaoxuan stood there, stunned, watching the figure in the amusement park playing on the trampoline and swinging with her daughter. A strange, indescribable feeling welled up in her heart.

That was a long-lost warmth.

But soon, she shook her head, casting aside the unrealistic fantasies in her mind.

Around 8 or 9 o'clock, the three of them returned home, having thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Tongtong held Zhang Yang's hand with her left hand and Li Xiaoxuan's hand with her right hand, jumping and skipping happily between the two of them.

"Uncle, I wish you could be my dad."

Suddenly, Tongtong tilted her head back and blurted out what was on her mind.

Children speak without thinking, so Zhang Yang didn't take it to heart. However, Li Xiaoxuan was a little nervous and hugged Tongtong tightly, repeatedly giving her a warning.

"Be good, listen to me, Mommy will tell you again, this is an uncle."

"Oh, I see, it's Uncle," Tongtong said, sounding a little downcast.

It was late at night, downstairs at Li Xiaoxuan's house.

After her divorce from her ex-husband, Li Xiaoxuan also received a house in the settlement. The location and size of the house were quite good.

"Mr. Zhang, thank you for your hard work. By the way... would you like to come upstairs for a while?" Li Xiaoxuan asked Zhang Yang with expectant eyes.

"I'm not going up." Zhang Yang shook his head decisively.

Being impulsive for a moment doesn't mean you'll stay impulsive forever. He knows very well what it means to withdraw in time.

"Then... take care." Li Xiaoxuan nodded gently, a fleeting hint of disappointment in her eyes, but she concealed it well.

"Goodbye, Uncle." Tongtong tilted her head, held Li Xiaoxuan's hand, and looked very reluctant to part.

Zhang Yang smiled, stepped forward, patted her little head, and turned to walk towards his car.

··

I was so happy in Yinghai City that I didn't want to leave. The days passed by quickly.

Upon returning this time, Zhang Yang felt that he had not only not wasted his time, but had also gained a great deal.

For example, my parents' new restaurant started to get on track step by step. They bought a villa, ordered the renovation, and also gained a considerable business.

Although it's just a small, three-story commercial street.

But this is the foundation, this is the source of our confidence.

Today he only owns a commercial street in Yinghai City, but what about tomorrow? What about the future?

Many more industries are not only in Yinghai, but perhaps also in Magic City. Small industries accumulate little by little, and their foundation will gradually become richer and richer until it becomes enormous.

"Ouch, my back hurts." Zhang Yang rubbed his lower back.

This pain wasn't physical; no matter how strong his back was, no matter how tough he was, he couldn't help but feel a sense of emptiness that came from the depths of his soul.

"I need to take some time to recuperate when I get back this time," Zhang Yang thought to himself.

Today is the day he departs for Magic City.

There shouldn't be such a rush, but news keeps coming in from Magic City.

For example, regarding the stores, Bei Wei is reportedly signing several more franchise stores today. Once the signing is completed, he'll have enough experience points to advance to the next level.

For example, the apartment in Lakeville Regency that I bought for Bei Wei last time was officially handed over to the landlord yesterday.

The house has already been handed over, what are we waiting for? Why not move in?

With so many good things happening, Zhang Yang immediately decided to return to Magic City to celebrate with Bei Wei and also to welcome the joy of his upgrade.

"Mom and Dad, I'm going back to Magic City."

Before setting off, Zhang Yang called Zhang Zhaohai to let him know.

"Okay, you can go back now."

Zhang Zhaohai's voice on the phone was hurried, showing no sign of reluctance to part.

Come to think of it, the couple is currently very busy with the new store, so it's not difficult for Zhang Yang to go back.

Zhang Yang reluctantly put down the phone, walked around the house, locked the door, and went downstairs.

Heading to Magic City.

On the way to Magic City, Zhang Yang did not receive any love or care from his parents.

But the phone never stopped ringing.

Messages kept popping up on WeChat.

Designer Kobayashi came over under the guise of reporting on progress, but his real intention was to have a casual chat with him.

I received a thank-you message from Li Xiaoxuan, a single mom, and I even inexplicably sent her a video of Tongtong singing a nursery rhyme...

Bei Wei knew he was leaving for his return and kept sending him messages.

Zhang Yang let out a long sigh of relief, and suddenly had a strange feeling.

His older brother, Li Kaiguang, had been excitedly recommending a game to him that claimed to let him find a digital partner and be a cyber simp, saying that he felt loved.

But in reality, in terms of experience, even a low-end version of Zhang Yang's life experience card is far superior to the game's protagonist's life.

"It has to be real life to feel right," Zhang Yang said with a carefree smile, half-opening the car window and feeling the wind rushing towards him.

This feeling is incredibly pleasant.

He sped along the road and arrived back in Magic City late in the afternoon.

Without a moment's hesitation, Zhang Yang returned to COFCO Seaview No. 1, swapped out his Cayenne which hadn't been lonely these past few days) for Cullinan, and drove straight to Bei Tianfu's shell company.

Okay, forgive him for making that assessment.

In reality, the company that Bei Tianfu opened in Magic City in order to attract more franchisees is just a shell company with a facade, despite its seemingly respectable appearance.

Zhang Yang parked his car downstairs at the office building.

"Are you busy?" he texted Bei Wei.

A moment later, the phone rang.

Zhang Yang answered the call without hesitation.

The moment the call connected, Bei Wei's voice, filled with surprise and delight, came through the phone.

"You're back!"

Over the phone, Zhang Yang could faintly hear Bei Jiajia's soft urging and reminders.

"Quick, I taught you this, why didn't you say so?"

"What are you saying?" That was Bei Wei's muttering.

Zhang Yang heard a commotion on the other end of the phone, then it quieted down.

"Honey, you're back," Bei Wei called out shyly over the phone again.

Zhang Yang blinked, closed the car door, and walked straight towards the office building.

A moment later, at the front desk of Tianfu Catering Management Co., Ltd.., Zhang Yang had just stepped out of the elevator when a figure with flowing black hair rushed into his arms.

"Long time no see, my darling, my sweet husband." Bei Wei tilted her head up and offered a passionate kiss.

As Zhang Yang felt the passionate kiss and held the soft, sweet-smelling Bei Wei in his arms, time seemed to slow down.

The employees hired by the company witnessed all of this and whispered among themselves.

"Is this Sister Bei Wei's boyfriend?" a new employee whispered. "He's really handsome."

"You didn't know? Her boyfriend is not only handsome, but also incredibly rich. He drives a Bentley and a Cullinan all the time."

At the front desk, Zhang Yang patted Bei Wei's waist.

"Alright, alright, everyone's watching."

"I know." Bei Wei blushed and buried her face in Zhang Yang's arms for a while, too embarrassed to lift her head.

Beside her, Bei Jiajia came out upon hearing the news, standing to the side with a half-smile in her eyes.

"Great, they're bringing their lovey-dovey attitude to the company."

Blushing, Bei Wei left Zhang Yang's embrace, turning back to give Bei Jiajia a quick sidelong glance.

"Are you busy right now?" Zhang Yang asked casually, amused.

"I'm busy, but busy with great news." Bei Wei chuckled. "I have some great news for you. This afternoon, several more deals are going to be signed."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yang was overjoyed.

Finally, another upgrade is coming!