Mom's New Circle of Friends

The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhang Yang set off back to Yinghai.

In the morning, the Cullinan sped along the highway, while Zhang Yang drove with the window half-open, eager to get home.

He had already done things like returning home in glory. For him now, with wealth and power at his disposal, it was commonplace, and he had long passed the stage of needing to demonstrate or prove it.

If he really wanted to prove himself, he should have ridden in Phantom, instead of keeping a low profile by driving a Cullinan.

He came back this time simply to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with his family, and also to take a break and relax occasionally.

Several hours later, they arrived at Yinghai.

Under a vast sky and with the crisp autumn air, his Cullinan was already far ahead of the competition on the main street.

"Should we be at my shop by now?" Zhang Yang muttered to himself, glancing around.

Just in time, it seems we've arrived at the location of our own restaurant.

At this moment, it seems that it was just past mealtime, and even if there was a banquet, it should have been time to leave.

Zhang Yang parked the Cullinan briefly, sat in the car, and looked out the window at the entrance of his restaurant.

Outside the restaurant, customers came and went in a constant stream.

My father, Zhang Zhaohai, was standing outside the door, seemingly shaking hands and saying goodbye to some friends, chatting and laughing.

It had been a long time since I'd seen my dad, and he looked even more imposing than before. His calm and composed demeanor gave him the air of a seasoned businessman who had built his fortune overnight.

"Business seems pretty good." Zhang Yang didn't plan to go down and disturb them at this time, but instead made a phone call to his mother.

The first thing I did when I got back was to take care of my mother's affairs.

Buy a car.

The call was dialed and answered shortly afterward.

"Zhang Yang? You're back?" My mother's voice was full of surprise. "Where are you now? Have you eaten?"

"I've eaten," Zhang Yang said casually, taking a bite of the mooncake Bai Xiaomi had made by hand. "Mom, are you at the restaurant or somewhere else right now?"

These mooncakes aren't difficult to make. They look like mooncakes, but they're actually made using the same method as mung bean cakes, pressed out with a mooncake mold. They have a refreshing mung bean aroma and a subtle milky flavor, making them quite delicious.

Bai Xiaomi made a whole box for herself to eat on the road.

"Today, only your dad is at the restaurant; your mom just happened to be out shopping with a friend," Song Wenqin said with a smile.

Zhang Yang chatted with his mother for a while before putting down his phone.

Looking at the restaurant outside, I realized that my father had already gone back inside sometime during the night.

··

In a newly developed commercial street in Yinghai, Song Wenqin had just put down her phone when a smile involuntarily appeared on her face.

Beside her stood a well-maintained, exquisitely dressed auntie, who was now looking on with curiosity.

"Your son?"

"Yes, I just got back from Magic City, I'll be coming over later." Song Wenqin smiled and glanced at the woman in front of her.

With her family's circumstances changing dramatically overnight, she naturally learned to adapt to the different life. For example, she would go shopping, and occasionally visit cosmetic clinics for skincare and maintenance to improve her overall appearance.

The woman in front of her is a friend she met at a cosmetic surgery clinic named Zhou Tong. Her family has many businesses and is quite wealthy.

Originally, the two of them didn't end up together, but ever since Zhang Zhaohai picked her up in his Maybach, Zhou Tong has been dragging her out shopping and such quite often.

"What a coincidence! I've heard you talk about your son all the time, and I'd really like to meet him." Zhou Tong smiled, her curiosity undiminished.

As the two were chatting, a girl carrying a bag of milk tea walked straight towards them from a nearby milk tea shop.

"Mom, and Aunt Song, these are milk teas for you." The girl said with a smile.

"Thank you." Song Wenqin smiled as she accepted the gift, adding a thank you.

This is Zhou Tong's daughter, Liu Jing. I heard she's still in school. The little girl seems cheerful and polite, and I have a good impression of her.

"Liu Jing, your Aunt Song's son will be over later. They're all young people, they can chat later." Zhou Tong looked at her daughter, blinked gently, and smiled meaningfully.

"Huh?" Liu Jing was immediately a bit overwhelmed.

Let's talk. I haven't even graduated yet, is my mom crazy, in such a hurry?

"What, you have a problem with that? Aunt Song's son is very outstanding. You have to call him 'brother' later and learn from him, understand?" Zhou Tong raised her voice when she saw Liu Jing's unwilling look.

"Okay, okay." Liu Jing pouted, but didn't say anything because there were outsiders present.

She has always been quite considerate of the bigger picture.

Song Wenqin remained silent with a smile. Although she had a good impression of the young girl in front of her, she honestly had never thought of anything else.

Marrying your own son? That's... not enough, is it?

A moment later, the three of them strolled around and went into a store to try on clothes.

Midway through, Liu Jing took a break and made a phone call.

"Are you there? I need to come out for a bit, something's come up."

"Liu Jing?" The voice on the other end was surprised and delighted. "What is it? Is there anything I need to prepare?"

"I'm having some trouble. I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend." Liu Jing said sullenly, "My mom's old habit is acting up again. She's going to play matchmaker again. Dress smartly later and pretend to bump into me. I'll send you the location."

"A shield, huh?" The other side immediately burst into laughter.

"One meal, no more than that," Liu Jing said without hesitation. "You may not be the school heartthrob, but you're definitely the class heartthrob. You shouldn't disappoint in this kind of situation, right?"

"Okay then," the other person agreed with a smile.

After hanging up the phone, Liu Jing breathed a sigh of relief.

She naturally had ways to handle such situations, like a general facing an enemy or a dam breaking up a river.

With a smile on her face, she turned and went back into the store. She casually joined them in looking at clothes.

A moment later, the group came out of the store and continued shopping.

Liu Jing walked around, stopping frequently, constantly looking down at her phone.

After an unknown amount of time, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she looked up, searching around.

The corner not far ahead.

A tall, slender, fair-skinned, and sunny-looking boy was watching from afar. As if noticing her gaze, the boy quietly made a hand gesture towards them.

"It's all set!" Liu Jing felt relieved.

A moment later, the three continued strolling forward.

On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, shopping malls were bustling with people, and the festive atmosphere was everywhere.

Song Wenqin and Zhou Tong strolled along, chatting and laughing, while Liu Jing, standing to the side, appeared to be smiling, but in reality, she had something on her mind.

Around the corner, a delighted greeting rang out.

"Liu Jing, what a coincidence?"

Song Wenqin and Zhou Tong both stopped in their tracks and saw a very sunny-looking boy walking towards them, with fair skin.

"This is..." Zhou Tong was slightly taken aback, looking at the boy in front of her, then at Liu Jing beside her, "Liu Jing, is she your classmate?"

"Yes, she's my... classmate." Liu Jing deliberately spoke unclearly, trying to appear guilty.

If you simply say it's your boyfriend, your mom might not believe you. Instead, do the opposite: stage a chance encounter, then act like you've been caught red-handed, as if you're about to say something but are hesitant and stammering. That way, it will seem more authentic.

"Hello, Auntie, my name is Lu Ting, and I'm Jingjing's friend." The boy confidently stepped forward and introduced himself.

"Jingjing?" Zhou Tong frowned, then looked at the boy in front of her.

To be honest, the guy in front of me was quite likable in terms of both looks and demeanor; I just didn't know what his family background was like.

She glanced at the boy's expression, then at her daughter's, and immediately guessed the gist of it, letting out a sigh.

"You must be Little Lu, hello." She nodded politely.

Song Wenqin stood aside, feeling nothing. After all, it was all just Zhou Tong's wishful thinking.

"Wenqin, it's really..." Zhou Tong said, her face full of embarrassment and apology.

"What are you talking about..." Song Wenqin acted as if nothing had happened, not mentioning the matter at all. "You guys go shopping later, my son and I will leave first."

"Well... that's fine too." Zhou Tong turned her head and took a deep look at her daughter.

Immediately, Liu Jing looked embarrassed and moved to the side, standing next to the boy Lu Ting.

"Auntie, what a coincidence! How about I treat you to dinner tonight?" Lu Ting said, taking the opportunity to exchange a quick glance with Liu Jing.

"Let's skip the meal, maybe next time," Zhou Tong said, shaking her head.

"Well... then next time," Lu Ting said with a hint of regret, then followed quite naturally to the side.

After walking for a while, taking advantage of the fact that there was no one else around...

Lu Ting smiled and looked at Liu Jing, "How was it? Not bad, right?"

"I'd give you a 90." Liu Jing gave a thumbs up, quite satisfied. "However, it seems that Aunt Song's son hasn't shown up yet."

"Don't worry, I reckon you two won't run into each other. Aunt Song will probably find an excuse to leave first," Lu Ting said confidently. "She wouldn't let her son get involved in such an awkward situation."

"That makes sense." Liu Jing wholeheartedly agreed.

Throughout the shopping trip, Lu Ting fully demonstrated his eloquence and behavior, and insisted on paying the bill several times.

Gradually, Zhou Tong's impression of the boy in front of her changed drastically once again.

Well, he's got good character and looks, and his manner of speaking and demeanor are also good. Most importantly, judging from the way he insisted on paying the bill, his family's financial situation can't be too bad.

Oh well, as long as my daughter is happy, what else is there to say?

For the next period of time, she and Song Wenqin tacitly avoided mentioning the embarrassing incident, acting as if it had never happened.

"My son seems to be arriving soon. You guys go ahead and shop, see you next time." Song Wenqin checked her phone.

Just now, Zhang Yang sent her a message saying he was arriving. She was planning to meet up with her son right now.

"Oh? Okay, okay, let's make another date next time." Zhou Tong nodded quickly.

"Okay." Song Wenqin nodded.

"Auntie, please take care." Liu Jing remained polite and courteous, leaving no room for criticism.

Song Wenqin smiled and nodded, but her gaze suddenly swept past the people in front of her and looked behind them.

Beside the roadside, next to the same Cullinan he drove back last time, his son, with his incredibly handsome figure, leaned against the car, smiling and waving.

"Zhang Yang!" she said with a smile and a wave, then walked straight past the group.

Liu Jing and her mother were slightly taken aback, and subconsciously followed Aunt Song's figure, watching her head straight for a figure.

"Jingjing, how about we have dinner together tonight?" Lu Ting said to himself.

"Don't speak!" Liu Jing suddenly spoke up, raising her hand to make a pause, her eyes fixed on one direction for a long time.

"What's wrong?" Lu Ting muttered with amusement, following the gaze of the person in the direction of the gaze.

Then, everything came to an abrupt end.

"Jingjing, this..." He stammered, about to say something, but then he saw the mother and daughter in front of him suddenly abandon him and run off into the distance.

Before leaving, Liu Jing seemed to have left out a comment.

"You're not allowed to call me that!"

"But... but didn't you ask me to come?" Lu Ting stammered, looking at the dazzling golden figure in the distance, his heart filled with only bitterness and grievance.

So, is this the fate of a shield?

He glanced at the dark Cullinan again, his heart skipped a beat, and a wave of inferiority washed over him, making him unable to even take a step.

··

"Son, you seem to have lost weight again." Song Wenqin said this as soon as she saw Zhang Yang.

"Mom, you're out of things to talk about, aren't you?" Zhang Yang shook his head, amused.

Thin? You're kidding. Thanks to the system, his physique has always been constant and invincible. How could he be thin?

"You're so stubborn. If I say you've lost weight, then you have." Song Wenqin smiled and stepped forward to cup her son's face in her hands to examine him closely, just about to say something.

A laugh came from the side.

"Wenqin, this must be your son. He really is..." Zhou Tong took a deep breath as she looked closely at the boy in front of her.

His features and demeanor were simply exquisite, handsome beyond compare; to say he was one in a million would be an understatement. And beside him stood a jet-black Cullinan —was that also his vehicle?

Is this the son Song Wenqin was talking about?

It's... it's like a dream.

"You didn't leave?" Song Wenqin smiled and then introduced them, "Zhang Yang, this is your Aunt Zhou, oh, and this is your Aunt Zhou's daughter, her name is Liu..."

"Hello, Brother Zhang Yang, my name is Liu Jing." Liu Jing's eyes were filled with amazement, and she reached out her hand with a little eagerness.

Why didn't she say so earlier! If she had said he was this kind of guy... then why did she put herself through all that trouble?

Liu Jing deeply regretted her cleverness.

Zhang Yang glanced at the girl in front of him, said "oh," shook her hand casually, and said politely.

In just that one touch, Liu Jing's heart was already racing, and she barely dared to look Zhang Yang in the eye.

"That...your boyfriend is still standing over there..." Song Wenqin hesitated for a moment, then pointed to the boy who was still standing not far away.

"Auntie, that's just one of my classmates, a regular classmate," Liu Jing blurted out, her face instantly turning bright red with embarrassment, her heart filled with regret.

"We can't just leave them there, can we?" Song Wenqin felt slightly uneasy.

"He... he has something to do later, so he'll leave first," Zhou Tong quickly interjected, trying to smooth things over. "It's alright, it's really alright."