Don't Graze the Grass by Your Own Den

After dinner, Zhang Yang drove the two sisters home.

Throughout the journey, Bei Jiajia, still a little excited, sat in the back seat and chattered away.

Zhang Yang remained silent, but while waiting at the traffic light, Bei Wei gently pulled his right hand over and placed it lightly on his lower abdomen.

Everyone ate quite a bit that evening, including Bei Wei.

When you touch it now, you can feel her slender waist and slightly rounded, flat stomach.

"Look at you two, still inseparable in the car?" Bei Jiajia grinned and leaned closer, then exclaimed, "You're... pregnant?"

In the passenger seat, Bei Wei spat lightly and rolled her eyes at Bei Jiajia.

Amidst the laughter and chatter, Bei Jiajia's phone rang. She glanced at it, then quickly sat back down to answer it.

"Hello?"

The carriage was quiet, and conversations could be heard clearly.

Zhang Yang heard it clearly; the voice on the phone was unmistakably that of Bei Tianfu, Bei Jiajia's father, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Jiajia, have you been neglecting Gao Cong?" a voice came from the other end of the phone.

"He even went and told on me!" Bei Jiajia said angrily. "Dad, can't you just leave this alone? Is this never going to end?"

"Don't go too far. Your mother and I have seen the young man's sincerity. He's a perfect match for you. Don't take yourself too seriously. What are his conditions, and what are ours?" Bei Tianfu's tone was quite stern as he scolded Bei Jiajia.

Zhang Yang glanced in the rearview mirror; Bei Jiajia was holding her phone, looking quite aggrieved.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Whether you two work out or not, don't neglect them. Even if it doesn't work out, being friends is good too," Bei Tianfu said earnestly. "They came all this way to see you, you should at least give them a smile."

The back seat was completely silent.

I don't know how much time passed.

"This is so annoying," Bei Jiajia complained from the back seat. "I wanted to see the aurora borealis, I wanted to celebrate New Year's Eve... Now it's all ruined."

"No need for that. If you're really having a headache, it's no problem for me to give you another person a ride," Zhang Yang said generously. "Just give me a token amount. Once we get there, you can do whatever you want. It'll be easier to explain to your parents later."

In the back seat, Bei Jiajia's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.

"That's right, thank you, brother-in-law!"

"No need to thank me. It's nothing," Zhang Yang said casually.

It's just a few more people, no trouble at all. It'll be a good opportunity to see what kind of young man he is. Bei Jiajia keeps calling him "brother-in-law," so shouldn't he lend a hand with something so small?

Bei Wei had no objection to giving one more person a ride.

She was worried about Bei Jiajia following her around.

Now that they have several companions, they can keep Bei Jiajia occupied, making it easier for her and Zhang Yang to enjoy some alone time.

··

Later that evening, after dropping off the two girls, Zhang Yang returned to his home at COFCO Seaview No. 1.

After washing up and before going to bed, he lay on his Hästens mattress and chatted with his friends in Beijing for a while, inadvertently bringing up his plans for the New Year.

"Brother Zhang, you should have said so earlier! Heilongjiang is my hometown. You're going to Harbin, right? I'll arrange for one of my buddies to welcome you." A guy from the Beijing circle in the group offered.

This guy's family's main business is steel, which started in Northeast China. They expanded and became more successful before diversifying their investments. As for Harbin, the "Harbin City," their family's original business is still one of the pillar industries in the area.

As for the friend he mentioned, he lives in Harbin, and his family's business there is not to be underestimated.

Without receiving a reply from Zhang Yang, that guy quickly contacted Zhang Yang and even gave him his contact information.

"Brother Zhang, everything is arranged. Just let him know when you arrive."

"Okay, thanks." Zhang Yang didn't stand on ceremony and readily accepted the contact information, promising to get in touch later.

At the end of the year, he actually had many people asking him to spend New Year's Eve with them. But this time, in order to spend time with his sweetheart, he politely declined many invitations.

There's nothing I can do; I'm stretched thin, and bothering him won't help.

At first, he was happy to reply to some messages.

But there were too many people, so he simply pretended not to see them and didn't reply to a single one.

[Do you know that sometimes I wait for your reply so long that I fall asleep with my phone in my hand before bed, and the first thing I do when I wake up is check if you've replied, but you always just disappear suddenly in the middle of a conversation?]

I'm so tired.

Before going to bed, Zhang Yang accidentally saw a somewhat unfamiliar profile picture and sent several angry messages.

Who is this?

Zhang Yang muttered to himself, but had absolutely no recollection of it.

I wanted to check the chat history, but the chat boxes were deleted countless times long ago, and there's no trace of them.

"Who are you?"

Zhang Yang tentatively asked a question.

[Oh! You don't even remember my name.]

[Forget it, let's just delete it?]

Zhang Yang blinked, not delving into the matter further.

Anyway, it's someone he can't even remember, so they're probably not important. Delete them if you want.

He's added way too many girls and deleted way too many girls.

These girls are highly sought-after, goddesses in other people's eyes, but to him, they're just random passersby occupying his friend list, and he might remove them at any time.

He put down his phone and prepared to go to sleep.

But a short while later, the phone lit up again.

Are you asleep?

It's the same profile picture as before.

··

In the following day or two, Zhang Yang made some preparations for his trip.

Fly from Magic City to Harbin, then from Harbin to Mohe.

He needs to have a basic understanding of how to get around the area, what to do, and what to prepare.

Another example is measures to protect against the cold.

The Mohe drops to tens of degrees below zero at night. Although he is not absolutely immune to heat and cold, he can still achieve relative immunity by simply wearing light clothing and circulating his qi and blood.

But the sweet girl Bei Jiajia and her friends couldn't afford to be like that; they had to make sure they were properly protected from the cold, because it would be freezing cold at night, and that was no joke.

So, with a wave of his hand, he took the little sweethearts on a big shopping spree.

They provided everything, inside and out, including KAILAS jackets, ski suits, rabbit fur scarves, and all sorts of outdoor gear.

"Where's your friend? Remind her," Zhang Yang suddenly asked Bei Jiajia in the mall. "Don't be silly and just throw something on and let it pass by."

"What's there to remind me of? I might as well freeze to death." Bei Jiajia said casually, then noticed Zhang Yang and Bei Wei were looking at her, and smiled sheepishly, realizing what she meant. "Okay, brother-in-law, how could I not know? I told him to prepare a long time ago, but whether he listened or not, I don't know."

She hooked her arm around Zhang Yang's and explained.

"Don't get so close to your brother-in-law." Bei Wei, unable to stand it any longer, pulled Bei Jiajia away. "If you keep doing this, you won't get any of the good things next time."

"You're such a cheapskate." Bei Jiajia reluctantly let go. "Even my brother-in-law didn't object."

Upon hearing this, Bei Wei looked at Zhang Yang.

"Your sister is my sister," Zhang Yang said with a smile. "I treat her like a sister."

Bei Jiajia blinked, remaining silent, seemingly lost in thought.

Later that evening, downstairs at Bei Jiajia's apartment building.

"Should I pick you up tomorrow morning?" Zhang Yang asked, rolling down the car window.

"No need, brother-in-law. I'll have Gao Cong pick me up. He's a convenient tool right in front of me, might as well use him." Bei Jiajia waved her hand and laughed. "See you at the airport tomorrow, brother-in-law and I."

In the blink of an eye, Bei Jiajia disappeared without a trace.

"Let's go, where are we going?" Zhang Yang turned to look at Bei Wei in the passenger seat.

"Go back..." Bei Wei suddenly laughed and pounced on Zhang Yang, biting him on the cheek. "You need to avoid suspicion, understand? Stay away from Bei Jiajia from now on."

Zhang Yang felt a sharp pain on his face, but seeing the sweet girl's sour expression, he immediately laughed.

It's clear that she's quite wary of the relationship between her handsome brother-in-law and her sister-in-law, Bei Jiajia.

But honestly, he didn't actually do it.

Is this completely unnecessary?

In terms of looks, Bei Jiajia is youthful and beautiful, and her lively personality is undeniable, but she's definitely not a super beauty. Therefore, she has limited appeal to him.

In terms of stimulation...

Hmm? It seems like...

Zhang Yang was slightly distracted until he felt pain on his face again.

"Still thinking? What are you thinking about..." Bei Wei scolded lightly, then grabbed Zhang Yang's face and kissed him without any hesitation. "Hmph, you're not allowed to eat the grass near your own nest."

"No, no, I'm only going to eat you tonight," Zhang Yang said with a smile. "Can you handle it?"

"Who's afraid of who?" the sweet little girl retorted defiantly, as if she had forgotten the pain of her previous injury and how she had begged for mercy and called him "Daddy" last time.

That night, the night before departure.

Zhang Yang, of course, dominated the battlefield once again, killing so many that the little sweet girl was completely disoriented. It was late at night, and she was so delirious that she finally clung to Zhang Yang and drifted off to sleep.

Zhang Yang embraced the sweet little girl, feeling completely relaxed, his thoughts drifting further and further away.

Thinking back to the first time I met Bei Wei, I was just a lowly employee, not particularly good-looking, and overweight. I was practically invisible in the company. Naturally, I was a little intimidated by this youthful and vibrant girl, and I comforted myself with that thought.

But what about now...?

Who am I? Where am I?

On a whim, Zhang Yang got out of bed and went to the bathroom. Looking at the god-like figure with an invincible physique and handsome face in the mirror, he couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

Logically speaking, after such a long transformation, it should have already completed a leap from the inside out.

They should also be unable to recall the days when they were ordinary people.

But one must never forget one's roots.

Occasionally, on a beautiful night like this, reminiscing about the past and appreciating the present can prevent one from losing oneself too much.

As for those silly questions... like, if I were still the same person I was back then, would those girls who made vows of eternal love still love me to death?

To this question, Zhang Yang only wants to say one thing: there is no love without a reason.

When you're broke, fat, ugly, lazy, unambitious, and utterly useless, what right do you have to expect others to love you?

Someone owes you, and you've bewitched them?

You might not even love yourself like this, so how can you expect others to?

"System, why did you choose me?" Zhang Yang muttered to himself for no apparent reason.

What a pity.

The system, being not a personified entity, naturally did not respond to Zhang Yang's soul-searching question.

"Dismiss Liaodong." Zhang Yang said listlessly.

He wanted to know from the system whether he was chosen because he did have some unique qualities.

But now...

He felt that he might be lucky, which could be considered a trait.

Putting aside his distracting thoughts, Zhang Yang decided to stop thinking about things and went back to the bedroom, where he peacefully held Bei Wei and went to sleep.

Holding her soft, delicate body in my arms and sleeping soundly is far better than having wild thoughts.

··

The next morning, feeling quite refreshed, Bei Wei got up early to make breakfast.

She has the air of a virtuous wife and loving mother.

Zhang Yang checked the time, prepared to get up, and naturally practiced a set of Tai Chi in the morning sun.

In the kitchen, Bei Wei had just finished making breakfast and was about to come out.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, staring blankly at the ethereal figure on the balcony.

Every movement was ethereal and otherworldly. For a fleeting moment, the figure seemed so close, yet also so far away, untouchable.

For no apparent reason, Bei Wei felt a pang of pain in her heart, as if she were about to lose him.

Then, without thinking, she stepped forward and hugged Zhang Yang from behind.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Yang turned around and asked with a smile.

"I don't know, I just want to hug you." Bei Wei hugged Zhang Yang tightly, shaking her head gently. "I always have a feeling that one day you will leave me."

"Saying this so early in the morning is considered unlucky," Zhang Yang said with a smile, ruffling the little girl's hair.

"Then... then tell me, you promise..." Bei Wei nestled against Zhang Yang's chest.

"You're going to have to get emotional again?" Zhang Yang chuckled. "Okay, I promise I won't leave you, I won't go anywhere, I'll always be there for you, able to see and touch you..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sweet kiss was already on his lips.

A sweet aroma filled the air.

Zhang Yang hugged the sweet girl tightly, keeping the rest of his words to himself and immersing himself in the moment.

Later that day, after breakfast, the two set off for the airport.

With the New Year just around the corner, it's time to embark on this New Year's Eve journey.

··

At this very moment, downstairs at Bei Jiajia's apartment building.

A fair-skinned, bookish-looking young man was standing by the roadside, next to a brand-new Porsche Cayenne.

The boy was none other than Gao Cong, who had been pursuing Bei Jiajia relentlessly.

He's on the phone right now.

"Mom, I know, I know."

"Yes, go for it without worry. Our family and Bei Jiajia's parents have both approved of you. Don't worry, you won't lose your girlfriend," Gao Cong's mother said on the phone.

"By the way, are you getting used to driving the car?"

Gao Cong glanced at the brand-new Cayenne beside him and casually touched it.

This car was bought for him by his family because they thought he might stay in Magic City for a long time in the future.

"Satisfied, Mom."

"I'm glad you're satisfied. Mom won't bother you any longer. That's all for now. Good luck!" The other end of the phone hung up.

Gao Cong held his phone and took a deep breath.

He genuinely liked Bei Jiajia and had been pursuing her relentlessly, even following her all the way to Magic City.

However, there has been no progress.

Who would have thought that a few days ago, Bei Jiajia said she was going to Mohe in the north to see the Mohe and even asked for his ID information, probably to buy tickets. This really excited him.

Could it be that he was finally moved by his own perseverance?

Thinking of this, a sudden surge of heat welled up within him for no apparent reason.

After an unknown amount of time, a figure finally emerged from the distant stairwell.

"Jiajia." Gao Cong quickly stepped forward to help with the luggage.

"Thank you." Bei Jiajia glanced at Gao Cong. "Have you prepared all your own things?"

"Alright, alright," Gao Cong laughed. "You definitely won't get sick from the cold. By the way, how much did your plane ticket cost? I'll reimburse you."

"Who told you I bought a plane ticket?" Bei Jiajia blinked.

"Huh?" Gao Cong was taken aback.