166. You Can't Handle It

Everyone remained silent as they watched the Maybach drive away.

"Today I truly understand what it means to have fortunes change drastically over the next thirty years. Who would have thought that Zhang Zhaohai, who seemed to have accomplished nothing in his life, actually made his big move by raising his son?"

Don't bring up things like relying on your son.

What's wrong with relying on your son?

They can raise their sons to be successful, and then rely on them to achieve great things, making them the envy of many.

"I was thinking of introducing my daughter to Old Zhang's son, but now I think I'll pass. My girl... sigh, never mind, I'd better save face for myself."

"That's true. Someone like Xiao Zhang is someone we wouldn't dare to aspire to."

Amidst the sighs of dismay, everyone was quite self-aware.

We're all from ordinary families with modest means. Although those who dare to make this idea all have pretty and charming daughters, it all depends on who they introduce them to.

Even with a handsome and wealthy young man like Zhang, his family knows their own situation and they feel that their daughter doesn't have the fortune or the qualifications to be with him.

"Qingzhu, your daughter is so outstanding, why didn't you mention her to Lao Zhang at the dinner table?" an old classmate asked.

Upon hearing this, Xie Qingzhu immediately looked somewhat embarrassed.

"You... you can pretend I didn't mention it, but his son has a girlfriend."

Suddenly, everyone around them realized what was happening.

"Yeah, that's true. We were just overthinking things. Someone as outstanding as him, how could he not have a girlfriend?"

"He should be getting chased by girls everywhere."

During the casual conversation, everyone gathered around Zhang Yang's Cullinan, offering their opinions and taking photos to show off to their children back home, to demonstrate what other people's children are like.

A moment later, the designated drivers for these old classmates arrived. Some got into the cars, others hailed taxis, and they all left the garage.

Xie Qingzhu waited for the BMW that came to pick up her precious daughter.

"Mom, I was telling you, I just saw a Maybach on the side of the road, and the guy driving it was super handsome." The girl in the car was cheerful and lively, with thick, black double braids hanging down her shoulders, making her look younger and more youthful.

"Is there a middle-aged man in the back seat?" Xie Qingzhu had a good idea of what was going on, and seeing her daughter's starry-eyed expression, she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Huh? Mom, how did you know?" the girl asked in surprise.

Xie Qingzhu smiled and shook her head, took out her phone, and showed the photo she had just casually taken. "Take a look, isn't this the boy?"

The girl stared wide-eyed, looking at her phone and then at her mother.

"Mother!"

She clung to Xie Qingzhu's arm and shook it vigorously, "Tell me quickly... let me think, could it be..."

"Yes, he's the son of your mom's classmate. Look, I even added him on WeChat," Xie Qingzhu said with a smile.

"Push it to me!" The girl's eyes were burning with desire.

Xie Qingzhu looked at her daughter for a while, gently shook her head, and put down her phone. "He has a girlfriend."

"Huh?" The girl's face immediately showed disappointment.

"Don't be disappointed. Even if he doesn't have a girlfriend, he's probably not right for you." Xie Qingzhu couldn't help but speak the truth when she saw how excited her daughter was.

"Why isn't it suitable?" the girl asked, still somewhat unconvinced.

Xie Qingzhu shook her head and chuckled, simply telling her daughter to drive home. She knew her daughter was always proud and concerned about her image, so she didn't want to say anything too hurtful.

The girl couldn't help but grumble along the way.

"Mom, I always see you nagging me and saying I have high standards. Now that you've found someone good, why don't you introduce them to me?"

"You, you, you always have to tell me the truth." Xie Qingzhu was getting a headache from her daughter's nagging. "He drives Cullinan and even gave his dad Maybach. Do you think you can hold onto a guy like that?"

"Mom, are you serious?" The girl immediately quieted down.

"How could this be fake? Look, let me show you their car." Xie Qingzhu simply showed her daughter the still-fresh photos.

The girl glanced over and then quieted down.

She's not some girl still in the ivory tower of academia; she understands things better than anyone else.

A guy this handsome, who can earn his own money to drive Cullinan and give away Maybach, is definitely not someone she can even dream about.

Not to mention he already has a girlfriend.

The little exchange between the mother and daughter was just an interlude that happened today among countless old classmates during their private conversations after dinner.

At this moment, Zhang Yang drove his brand-new Maybach back to his building.

"Dad? Huh? Dad?"

He turned to look at Zhang Zhaohai and immediately saw that Zhang Zhaohai's eyes were slightly closed, his breathing was even, and there was a faint snoring sound.

What a rare, deep sleep after being drunk!

Zhang Yang smiled and shook his head, parked the car, and helped Zhang Zhaohai out.

Having spent years handling woks and tossing food, Zhang Zhaohai wasn't exactly thin; rather, he had the robust build of a middle-aged man, probably weighing around 150 or 160 pounds. Most people couldn't lift such a physique, but for Zhang Yang, a monster of immense strength, it was no problem.

He effortlessly helped his father all the way home.

The house was quiet and empty in the afternoon; my mother, Song Wenqin, must still be busy at the shop.

Since hiring staff at the shop, my parents no longer need to do the work themselves. There are people cooking, serving, and washing dishes, so the two of them can now just look after the shop and collect money, truly living the life of a boss and his wife.

"Dad, wake up?" Zhang Yang called out twice.

"Hoo..." Zhang Zhaohai responded to Zhang Yang with a snoring sound.

"Alright then." Zhang Yang had no choice but to help his father to bed, cover him with a light blanket so he could have a good sleep, and then put the Maybach car keys on the table.

This will also save Dad from not being able to distinguish between dreams and reality when he wakes up.

He arranged everything and went out to retrieve his Cullinan.

In the quiet, deserted afternoon, bathed in golden sunlight, Zhang Zhaohai slept soundly.

He had a very long dream.

In his dream, he had wasted half his life, living an ordinary life, but unexpectedly, his family's fortunes changed, and they suddenly became incredibly successful.

Maybach, Cullinan, mansions, luxury cars...

At the class reunion, his former arrogant classmates vied to toast him, and even the prettiest girl in the class greeted him with a smile.

Of course, he is a man of principle.

But I couldn't help feeling so good.

In the end of the dream, he sat in the back of the Maybach, looking at his son in front of him, whose back view was handsome, and suddenly burst out laughing.

Hahaha.

Then, he opened his eyes, suddenly waking up. Looking at the somewhat cracked and mottled ceiling, he was stunned and a little dazed, feeling as if he had been transported to another world and didn't know what day it was.

"So it was just a dream," he muttered to himself, a sense of emptiness washing over him. "What time is it? Did I oversleep? I still need to get to the restaurant."

His mind was blank, and he subconsciously felt that he still had to go work at his brother-in-law's restaurant.

Suddenly, Zhang Zhaohai jolted awake and jumped out of bed to put on his shoes.

While doing so, I reached for my phone on the bedside table.

He didn't find the phone, but he did touch something cool.

"Hiss? What is this?"

He stared wide-eyed at the double-M car keys in his hand, and then a surge of joy welled up inside him and burst forth instantly.

He was fully awake.

"So it wasn't a dream after all! Haha!" Zhang Zhaohai laughed and stood up.

He remembered.

The Maybach is real, and the Cullinan is real too. This afternoon, he just attended a long-awaited class reunion, feeling incredibly glamorous. Then, he went home and sat in the back seat of the Maybach. It was so comfortable that he fell asleep in the blink of an eye.

"That kid's pretty strong; he brought me back all by himself."

Zhang Zhaohai patted his head, looked at the infinitely sunny afternoon, and was in a great mood. He immediately hummed a song and prepared to go downstairs to study his car some more.

This is such a good thing, I have to announce it on my WeChat Moments.

"I forgot to ask Zhang Yang, how expensive is this car? This kid really knows how much money he's willing to spend on his father."

···

Zhang Yang took a taxi to the underground parking garage of the Haojue Hotel and picked up his Cullinan.

It was late afternoon, and I didn't know where to go, so I decided to take a stroll around Star City World Commercial Street, his only property in Yinghai.

Although Star City World Commercial Street is a small business, it shouldn't be underestimated. After all, it generates tens of millions of yuan in revenue annually. In Magic City, it might not seem like much, but in Yinghai, it's quite impressive.

Besides, this industry is actually his first industry in the true sense.

Now that he's back, he naturally wants to make the usual trip around.

Outside the Star City World Commercial Street property.

Zhang Yang parked the Cullinan casually, and as soon as he turned around, he saw that Manager Chen from the property management had already come over to greet him.

"Okay, I'll just wander around. You go ahead and get back to work."

Zhang Yang just came over casually and didn't want to make a big fuss. As for the property management's work, there wasn't much to see. Rather than watching from the property management company, he figured it was more reliable to go down and walk around himself and discover the problems himself.

So he quickly sent Manager Chen from the property management company back home.

After a short while, Zhang Yang strolled around the commercial street, just like an ordinary customer, walking and browsing to get a general idea of its appearance.

Well, if we don't nitpick, the property management company does a pretty good job.

"Huh, the barbecue restaurant is under renovation now?"

Zhang Yang stopped and looked at the once-famous Wind and Cloud Barbecue Restaurant not far away. The signboard had long been removed, and the interior was being renovated.

He also saw a familiar figure.

With her curvaceous figure and slender, mature silhouette, isn't that Li Xiaoxuan, the single hot mom?

"She did indeed take over the shop."

Zhang Yang muttered to himself, and seeing how busy Li Xiaoxuan was, he didn't go up to disturb her, but just watched from a distance.

Even if such a handsome guy like him doesn't go inside, he'll still get noticed after a while if he stands outside the door.

A moment later, Li Xiaoxuan, this single hot mom, came running out with a face full of surprise.

"Mr. Zhang! What brings you here?"

"Hmm, come and see." Zhang Yang had barely finished speaking when he was suddenly swept into a tight embrace, and in the blink of an eye, he was holding a soft, fragrant body in his arms.

"Not... you?"

Li Xiaoxuan suddenly hugged him without any warning.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Zhang, I... I really couldn't help it." Li Xiaoxuan looked up, her face slightly flushed.

"You're putting me in a difficult position. Are you doing this on purpose?" Zhang Yang said, casually placing his hand on Li Xiaoxuan's slender waist.

"No, it's just... I just couldn't control myself," Li Xiaoxuan said softly.

Zhang Yang felt that Li Xiaoxuan just wanted to curry favor with someone powerful.

However, it's not a big problem. This single hot mom is indeed quite tempting. It's a win-win situation. Giving her a powerful backer is no big deal.

Of course, I'd rather not be someone's father.

"Alright, alright, let go now." Zhang Yang patted Li Xiaoxuan's waist, gesturing to her, not paying much attention to the stares of the surrounding shopkeepers.

Li Xiaoxuan obediently let go, but after thinking for a moment, she still hugged Zhang Yang's arm.

The two strolled inside.

Along the way, Zhang Yang listened to Li Xiaoxuan talk about the store.

"My shop plans to operate on a completely self-service model, with low profit margins and high sales volume. I intend to start by selling coupons online and getting people to visit the shop to increase its popularity," Li Xiaoxuan kept talking.

"Then I wish you success." Zhang Yang offered a simple word of encouragement.

"Um... could I trouble Mr. Zhang with something?" Li Xiaoxuan hesitated for a long time before suddenly mustering up her courage to ask.

"Hmm? What's up?"

"Um... can I pay the rent for the shop next year on a quarterly basis?" Li Xiaoxuan asked in a low voice.

"Are you under financial pressure?" Zhang Yang asked with a smile. "It's okay, I can give you as much time as you need. If you're really having a hard time, waiving your rent for a year or two is no problem."

The rent for this shop is only a few hundred thousand yuan a year, which is nothing to him.

It doesn't matter to me, of course.

"Huh?" Li Xiaoxuan was taken aback, her eyes instantly lighting up with surprise. "How can that be, Mr. Zhang? The rent certainly won't be less. I just want to leave myself some room for maneuver. Don't worry, as long as the business is doing well, I'll definitely pay every six months, without fail."

"Let me ask you something," Zhang Yang thought for a moment, "Don't blame me for being blunt, but you haven't poured all your money into this business, have you? If things don't go well, you won't be left with no other options, will you?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoxuan stammered.

"Well... at least they left themselves a way out."

"Never mind, forget I asked." Zhang Yang shook his head, took a few steps, and looked Li Xiaoxuan up and down again. "Do you need to borrow money? The kind you can pay back anytime."

Li Xiaoxuan stared blankly at the handsome face in front of her, a warm feeling welling up inside her, and she didn't know what to say.

"Mr. Zhang, you..."

"If you're really in dire straits, you can come to me. I can lend you some money to tide you over," Zhang Yang casually promised. "Seeing you running a shop and fighting for custody, it's not easy for you."

After he finished speaking, he casually put his arm around Li Xiaoxuan's waist.

"Why... why are you helping me like this?" Li Xiaoxuan asked hesitantly, her eyes filled with a strange sense of anticipation.

"Does feeling pity count? Or is it lust at first sight?" Zhang Yang asked with a smile.

"With so many women around you, how could you possibly be attracted to a single mother like me?" Li Xiaoxuan said lightly, then suddenly stood on tiptoe and gave Zhang Yang a passionate kiss. "Besides, as long as you don't mind, I'm always yours."