Chapter 128: Returning Home

On the afternoon of October 2nd, Li Mu uploaded "Legend Overlord 1.0," a simple cheating tool he had spent the last two days developing, to the internet. While it was merely a basic auxiliary script, the game *Legend* had only just entered its open beta, and the user base was still small; thus, Li Mu's speed in releasing a cheat for the game could be described as nothing short of miraculous.

Because the game was still in its infancy, Li Mu did not bother with any formal promotion, simply posting it on gaming forums to let players know it existed.

After uploading the tool, he and Zhao Kang took the night train home, arriving in Haizhou on the morning of October 3rd.

He had left on September 2nd and was returning on October 3rd, exactly one month later. To Li Mu, who had spent his previous life drifting away from home for years, this duration was less than a mosquito bite, yet the moment he stepped off the train, he realized he actually missed home.

Chen Wan had been waiting to see him. They had made a pact: regardless of where Li Mu was during the National Day holiday, Chen Wan would visit him. She had originally planned to go to Yanjing, but upon hearing Li Mu would be back on the 2nd, she abandoned that idea and waited for him in Haizhou.

As they exited the station, a crowd of taxi drivers swarmed them. Li Mu and Zhao Kang waved them off and pushed through the crowd. Just as he caught his breath, Li Mu spotted Chen Wan standing about ten meters in front of him.

The weather in Haizhou was still warm. Chen Wan wore a white Western-style shirt and a long black skirt, standing in the crowd facing the light. She looked tranquil and beautiful. Despite the chaotic noise of the station square, when his gaze focused on her, Li Mu felt as if time had stopped. She was the sole center of this place; as long as she remained still, everything else was as quiet as a maiden.

Zhao Kang also saw her. He whispered to Li Mu, "Sister Wan is truly beautiful."

"You're only speaking the truth," Li Mu smiled slightly and walked toward her.

"Sister."

At over thirty years old, Li Mu found he could call this young woman in her early twenties "Sister" with perfect sincerity.

As Li Mu approached, Chen Wan opened her arms as if welcoming a younger brother. Li Mu stepped forward and gently held her. Chen Wan’s heart began to race, but she kept a doting look on her face and said, "You bad boy, it's been so long!"

She then glanced at Zhao Kang and greeted him with a smile. Zhao Kang gave a silly grin and called her "Sister," though he knew he wouldn't be getting the same embrace Li Mu had received.

After a brief hug, a blush spread across Chen Wan's cheeks. She forced herself to remain calm and asked Li Mu, "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Not yet."

"Let's go," Chen Wan said. "We'll get breakfast first, then I'll take you both home."

"Did you drive here?" Li Mu asked.

Chen Wan nodded. Li Mu and Zhao Kang followed her to her Audi parked by the roadside, tossed their bags into the trunk, and got in—Li Mu in the front passenger seat, and Zhao Kang in the back.

As the car pulled away, a middle-aged man on the edge of the square tossed away his cigarette butt and made a phone call, chuckling as he spoke: "Hey honey... I didn't manage to pick up our son... don't bother calling him. Someone else picked him up... Oh, never mind, don't ask. I'll tell you when I get home."

Li Mu's father hadn't told his son he was coming to pick him up; he hadn't planned on it initially. After all, his son was a grown man, and the station was close enough to walk home. However, as the arrival time approached, he couldn't help himself and told his wife he was going out for a stroll.

Li Mu's mother knew him too well. A stroll at nine in the morning? Who was he kidding? He definitely went to the station to pick up their son.

And sure enough, he had gone, but missed him.

Back at home, Li’s father was teased by his wife: "Look at you, you miss your son even more than I do."

"Hey, I figured I was going for a walk anyway, so I might as well head to the station and pick him up. Two birds with one stone!"

Li’s father kept grinning foolishly, which piqued his wife's curiosity: "You didn't even pick him up, what are you grinning about? And who picked him up, anyway?"

Li’s father chuckled. "Guess!"

His wife rolled her eyes. "I don't have the patience for this. Just tell me."

"Chen Wan."

His wife paused. "You mean Little Wan?"

"That's right," Li’s father nodded. "She drove there, picked up both Li Mu and Little Kang, and left. I walked back. Li Mu isn't home yet; they probably went to get breakfast."

His wife sighed, "I tell you, our son and Little Wan are truly destined. She’s such a loyal and affectionate girl; ever since that time she bumped into Li Mu, she’s treated him like a younger brother."

She then added with relief, "This is good. Your family lives far away, and Li Mu hasn't had much contact with them. As for my side of the family, with Yuan-yuan and Little Wei, Li Mu hasn't been very close to them either. He's grown up without any older siblings to look after him."

Li’s father chuckled. "Our son has plenty of charm! I've always felt that Little Wan likes our Li Mu."

"Nonsense. Of course she likes him if she treats him like a younger brother."

"I'm not talking about that kind of liking. I mean the way a man and a woman like each other."

"Really?" His wife was stunned.

"That's what I think." He then described what he had seen at the station.

His wife fell into deep thought, silent. Li’s father sighed, "It's true what they say: dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and mice beget children who can dig holes. My son's way with women is really..."

His wife laughed and retorted, "I was the only one who had the eye to pick you back then, so don't be so full of yourself."

After that quip, she continued, "Actually, Little Wan is a really good girl. Aside from being three years older than Li Mu, there isn't a single fault to find."

Li’s father nodded. "I don't think the three-year age gap is an issue. She's such a fine girl that the age difference is negligible. The main concern is family background. I don't know what her family does, but they are clearly wealthy. I'm just worried they might care about social status."

"You think too much," his wife replied. "Even if the two kids could end up together, it wouldn't be right now. How old is your son? Besides, even if they do, they aren't getting married today. It's too early to worry about social standing. Not to mention our son's capabilities, our shop's business is doing so well. If we work hard and build this up, in a few years, our son won't necessarily be someone they'd look down upon."

Li’s father nodded in agreement. "You're right. We need to focus on running this business well."

His wife hummed in agreement. "Have you thought about what I said regarding the Semir brand? Should we take it on? I think that brand is pretty good; it has great momentum."

Li’s father thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Alright! I'll listen to you. After the holiday, once our son goes back to Yanjing, we'll head to Wenzhou and sign the deal for Semir."

His wife smiled. "You were so hesitant a few days ago, why so decisive today?"

"I need to hurry up and earn enough money for our son to get married," he replied. "Time waits for no one!"

...

At a famous soup dumpling shop in Haizhou, Li Mu downed two steamers of dumplings, and Zhao Kang was even more intense, eating three.

No matter how good food tastes elsewhere, nothing beats the flavors of home; they couldn't get enough of it.

After devouring the meal, Li Mu drank half a bowl of egg drop soup and asked Chen Wan, "Sister, what have you been up to these past few days?"

"Nothing much," Chen Wan shrugged. "I wanted to hang out with my cousin, but he’s been busy performing everywhere. Television stations keep inviting them; they're having the time of their lives."

Li Mu nodded. It was the perfect time for them to strike while the iron was hot. With those four songs, they could dominate the charts until the end of the year or even the first half of next year. By the time those songs became played out, they would truly be big stars.

"Oh, by the way," Chen Wan said, "Dong Ai complained to me about you."

"Complained about what?"

Chen Wan laughed. "She said you played her."

Li Mu gave a sheepish smile. "I wouldn't say that, but Sister, you know how it is—student unions and such just aren't my thing."

"That's true!" Chen Wan knew that in her heart, Li Mu was a genius who was worlds apart from the average college student; why would he care about a student union position?

As for what made Li Mu so special, Chen Wan felt she could talk about it for an entire day. Aside from being handsome—though there were plenty of handsome men—Li Mu was talented. The songs he wrote were classics among classics. Moreover, he single-handedly made the band "Simple Plan" famous. She had also been following the "Yiting" website he created, and she had even registered an account on the "Tieba" forum he launched a while back to play around on it.

She hadn't told Li Mu that she was the moderator of the "Muzi Tieba," and her username was "Protect the Bad Boy." She was certain that if Li Mu ever checked the Muzi Tieba, he would guess it was her.

Li Mu hadn't visited the Muzi Tieba, though. After uploading those two songs on a whim, he had been too busy to look back.

Mentioning Dong Ai, Chen Wan added, "Dong Ai is quite straightforward, but she's a genuinely good person. You should interact with her more in the future. She's a senior now, but she'll be staying at Renmin University for her master's degree next year. You never know when you might need her help."

Li Mu nodded. "Since she went to the trouble of inviting me to dinner for your sake, I should definitely treat her to a meal when I return to show my appreciation."

"That's the spirit," Chen Wan smiled. "Courtesy demands reciprocity."

Knowing that Li Mu and Zhao Kang's parents were surely waiting for them, Chen Wan drove them back to the Xiling Coal Mine residential area after breakfast. Li Mu and Zhao Kang said their goodbyes and headed to their respective homes.

Li Mu had been away for a month, and his parents had missed him dearly. The moment he walked in, his mother fussed over him, distressed that he had lost weight.

Li Mu took off his jacket, revealing his toned muscles. "I haven't lost weight, Mom. I've been building muscle."

His mother pinched his arm and nodded with approval. "Yes, that's better. You look like a real man now. A man needs a strong physique."

His father chimed in from the side, "Since you've started working out, keep it up. Your health is your greatest asset."

Li Mu nodded repeatedly. "I know, Mom and Dad, don't worry."

He then asked curiously, "How has the shop been doing this past month while I was away?"