Ding Kai's Weibo followed only his classmates, and his followers were mostly his classmates. The post he made quickly disappeared like a small stone thrown into the sea, leaving no ripples.
Ding Kai's parents, having also finished the strangely named orange juice his son bought, were sound asleep.
Ding Kai woke up on his own, refreshed. The moment he opened his eyes and saw the bright sun outside the window, he jumped out of bed with a scream.
"I'm doomed! I'm doomed!!! I overslept! They wouldn't have let me sleep in and gone out to play without me, would they?!"
Muttering to himself, Ding Kai dashed into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. He changed into the short-sleeved shirt and shorts he had laid out by his bed the night before, opened a Meimei sausage, and started dialing his mother's number on his phone while eating.
"I don't know which attraction Mom and Dad went to. If it's far, I won't go look for them. Last time, a classmate told me there was a 5D cinema in Beijing..."
As he spoke, Ding Kai felt as if someone was staring at him. Suddenly, all sorts of horror movie scenes he had watched since childhood began to play in his mind.
Strangers hidden in wardrobes, people under the bed, bodies walled up by construction workers.
The more he thought about it, the colder Ding Kai felt the room becoming.
"Snap!"
A hand with red nail polish on it landed on Ding Kai's shoulder. Ding Kai caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and immediately screamed in terror:
"Mom! Oh my god!!!"
Completely startled awake by her son's scream, Ding Kai's mother looked at her high school son screaming and sprinting towards the hotel room door.
"Ding Kai! Stop right there!"
Hearing his name, Ding Kai didn't slow down at all. He knew it! You know, there's a kind of unspeakable presence, and when they call your name from behind, you absolutely must not turn around.
If you turn around, the light on your shoulder goes out!
"Ding Kai! What are you freaking out about!"
Seeing his wife call their son and him not listening, Ding Kai's father strode forward, placed his hands on Ding Kai's shoulders, and dragged him back to the living room sofa.
Ten minutes later.
Ding Kai finally believed that the two people in front of him were indeed his parents. He then sighed with relief, slumping onto the sofa:
"Mom, didn't you say yesterday that you'd set an alarm for seven in the morning to go out? When I woke up and saw how bright it was outside, I thought you had left me behind and gone out to play by yourselves."
Hearing her son's words, Ding Kai's mother rolled her eyes and took out her phone, poking the screen with the beautiful manicure she had gotten for eighty yuan specifically for their trip.
"My dear son! Open your eyes and look at what time it is!!"
Ding Kai looked at his mother's red manicure as she poked the time on the phone screen repeatedly. His eyes widened abruptly, and he stretched his neck forward, disbelief on his face:
"It's only ten past seven?! Impossible!! It was already bright when I woke up!"
"My silly son, our C City is inland. It gets light later than areas near the coast. Besides, it's May now, so what's so strange about the sun rising early?!"
Ding Kai rubbed the back of his head, listening to his mother's words:
"But... but yesterday we walked so far, yet when I woke up today, I didn't feel tired at all. I felt exceptionally energetic? I just assumed I must have slept for a long time..."
Ding Kai mentioning it made Ding Kai's parents exchange glances.
"That's true? Honey, I also feel exceptionally energetic today. If it were usual, I'd be getting a headache from Kai's constant startling?"
"Me too. Usually, when I wake up every morning, it feels like starting up a computer, very slow. Today, the moment I opened my eyes, I felt full of energy?"
The three of them looked at each other, then their gaze fell on the empty bottle of Meimei Niu on the coffee table in the living room.
They didn't have a habit of not drinking water before bed. Plus, this was some powerful drink their son had bought, and the couple had chugged it down before sleeping.
"This... Son, how much did you buy this Meimei, Meimei Niu for per bottle?"
Ding Kai's mother, who had started taking various nutritional supplements due to her age, asked first.
Ding Kai thought for a moment, "Three yuan a bottle. Oh, right! This drink is having a promotion now. Mom, quickly check if there's a 'Buy Another One' message under your bottle caps!"
As soon as Ding Kai said this, the couple quickly unscrewed their bottle caps.
"Yes! Yes, yes!! All three bottles have 'Buy Another One'!"
Because they had won the lottery, Ding Kai's family went to the Great Wall of Badaling on May 2nd with three bottles of Meimei Niu. After a whole day, although their calves still ached, they didn't feel tired at all.
Back at the hotel, the family of three confirmed:
"This Meimei Niu, it's got something!"
-
Liu Chen saw Ding Kai's Weibo. Because Ding Kai's review of Meimei Niu had flipped 180 degrees after a day, many netizens questioned if he had received advertising fees from the Meimei brand.
However, for every person who questioned, there were just as many who tried Meimei Niu out of curiosity.
As long as Meimei Niu generated buzz, whether it was doubt or praise, Liu Chen was relieved.
After finishing browsing the Weibo comments and scrolling through the QQ group messages from sales assistants at various Meimei brand exclusive counters in Beijing, detailing yesterday's sales figures, he chuckled so much that his eyes were narrowed into slits.
The three products he had launched all started with "Meimei" to quickly familiarize consumers with the Meimei brand name. Once a brand name is familiar to consumers, subsequent products will be more easily accepted.
Take this Meimei Niu, for example. To be honest, since the flavor of this Meimei Niu was jointly developed by Liu Chen and He Long, without the systematic role of a character, Liu Chen was still a bit worried.
But fortunately, with people traveling and it being a holiday, their requirements for beverages were simply to quench thirst. When they found that this drink could also replenish energy while quenching thirst, it was an exceptional surprise.
This was also why Liu Chen had printed the words "replenish energy" so small on the bottle.
Although Liu Chen knew that Meimei Niu was essentially being sold with no profit at the moment due to the promotion, roughly calculating the sales of Meimei sausage and Meimei pork jerky, just in Beijing's counters alone, he could earn a million yuan before the holiday even ended!
"Sigh, I wonder when I'll be able to get distributors nationwide to sell my products?"
Liu Chen leaned back in his chair, then stood up and flung himself onto the soft bed beside him, hugging the quilt he hadn't folded from waking up that morning, and began to fantasize.
"Knock knock!" A knock sounded on the door, followed by his mother's loud voice:
"Time to eat! Come down for dinner!"
Before Liu Chen could get up to open the door, his mother's footsteps hurried downstairs.
Liu Chen was a bit puzzled but didn't think much of it, assuming his mother was in a hurry to go downstairs to take care of the twins.
Liu Chen, with his long hair messy from burrowing into the quilt, wearing a pure white cotton nightgown and dangling pink flip-flops, looked nonchalant.
This was the sight of her Chenchen that Ren Yu saw standing at the bottom of the stairs.
When Liu Chen went downstairs, he also saw Ren Yu, dressed very formally: a white long-sleeved shirt, black suit pants, and even his hair neatly styled.
Seeing Ren Yu like this, Liu Chen's first reaction was to turn and run back upstairs!
Ten minutes later, Liu Chen came downstairs, wearing a light blue dress, thick-heeled flip-flops, and her hair neatly and smoothly cascading down her back.
Seeing Ren Yu still waiting at the bottom of the stairs, Liu Chen couldn't help but smile.
"Why are you here?"
Before Ren Yu could answer, Liu Chen answered herself.
"Did my mom ask you to come?"
As soon as Liu Chen finished speaking, she heard Liu Fang's voice from the dining room:
"Liu Chen, hurry over! Tell everyone why I asked Ren Yu to come for dinner today!"
Hearing her mother's words, Liu Chen instinctively looked up at Ren Yu.
Seeing Chenchen nervously look up at him, Ren Yu smiled and reassured her, "Let's go. Even the ugliest bride has to meet her in-laws, and besides, I think I look pretty good?"
Because Ren Yu spoke in a low voice, Liu Fang in the dining room didn't hear, only Liu Chen heard.
"Mm!"
Since they were going public with their relationship, Liu Chen no longer hid it. She took Ren Yu's hand, and they walked into the dining room one after the other.
"Chenchen...?"
Chen Long heard footsteps enter the dining room. He playfully pinched his little daughter's chubby cheek before looking up.
Upon looking up, Chen Long saw Liu Chen and Ren Yu holding hands. Chen Long instinctively turned to look at Liu Fang in the kitchen, then at Liu Chen, with a confused expression.
Liu Fang had heard the footsteps of the two children entering the dining room. Hearing Chen Long's confused voice, she brought out the freshly cooked Matsutake Mushroom Stir-fried Beef from the kitchen and placed it on the dining table.
Only then did she straighten her back and say casually, "Liu Chen and Ren Yu, these two kids are dating. Oh, and they are seriously dating."
Chen Long looked at his wife's calm demeanor. If he hadn't been sure he hadn't misheard that Liu Chen and Ren Yu were dating just now, he would have suspected he was hallucinating.
Otherwise, why would his Fang Jie be so calm?
Wait! Could it be that she was so shocked that she was stunned and was now feigning composure?
Thinking this, Chen Long felt it was very possible. He quickly walked past two dining chairs to Liu Fang's side, holding his wife's arms.
"Come, come, Afang, let me tell you something..."
As he spoke, Chen Long led Liu Fang out of the dining room.
As soon as Liu Fang left the dining room, Old Man Chen entered slowly, his hands behind his back. His MeiLi factory, like the Meimei factory area, was closed for three days during the May Day holiday. For the first two days, he had been worried about Liu Chen. It was only yesterday when Liu Chen returned that he finally felt at ease.
He entered the dining room leisurely, his gaze falling on Liu Chen's tightly clasped hands.
"Chenchen... Grandpa told you that dating is a test for boys. Look at you..."
Hearing Old Man Chen's words, Ren Yu raised the hand he was holding with Liu Chen's and said, "Grandpa, then it seems I have passed Chenchen's test."
Hearing this, Old Man Chen sat down in his seat with a disgruntled expression, then seemed to recall something:
"Hmph! My Chenchen is a simple child. You can't bully her!"
Ren Yu, holding Liu Chen's hand, sat down, his eyes confident and spirited:
"Naturally!"
In the past, Old Man Chen felt that Ren Yu was barely a good match for his Chenchen. But now, seeing this young man holding his Chenchen's hand and appearing in the dining room, Old Man Chen felt as if his prize cabbage, carefully cultivated, had been rooted by a pig.
Although this pig looked decent and had a decent career.
But, but, but why would he root the cabbage so early! He clearly wasn't a good pig! No, not a good person!
Old Man Chen was still hesitant, but Liu Fang had already accepted the situation. She returned to the dining room with Chen Long and sat down.
After sitting down, Liu Fang said with a smile, "Today is the last day of the May Day Labor Day holiday, and our Chenchen and Ren Yu have some good news to announce."
Good news?
Was she referring to the contract she signed in Korea?
Liu Chen thought, and just as she was about to get up and speak, Ren Yu tugged her hand.
Huh?
Feeling Ren Yu's action, Liu Chen turned her head in confusion to look at him.
"I am very happy today to be able to celebrate May Day with Chenchen and Chenchen's beloved family. At the same time, I believe everyone already knows that Chenchen and I are officially dating with marriage as the ultimate goal."
After saying this, Ren Yu stood up, raised his wine glass, and toasted the three elders present.
Then, he turned his head to look at Liu Chen.
Liu Chen was completely stunned. Yes, they were dating, but...
Dating with marriage as the prerequisite, what was that?!
Although her psychological age was in her thirties, she was still a freshman in college at nineteen!
What was the rush to talk about marriage? Was it a bit terrifying?!
Thinking this, Liu Chen's gaze towards Ren Yu became slightly resistant. She had finally been reborn. Dating was fine, and perhaps one day when she was tired, or when the time was right for marriage, she would get married.
But for now, let's just forget it!
Wait!
Why would Ren Yu say such a thing at dinner today?
Moreover, her mother, whom she expected to strongly resist this relationship, had acted as if nothing had happened earlier, and had even invited Ren Yu to their home for dinner.
At this moment, Liu Chen understood...
Ren Yu must have used the premise of dating with marriage to stabilize her mother, but, but!
I disagree!
Liu Chen's eyes darted around. She sat up straighter and looked in her mother's direction: "Dating with marriage as the goal is fine, Mom, you can rest assured, but at this stage, I still want to focus on my career. Brother Ren Yu will support me too, right?"
After saying this, Liu Chen turned her head slightly and smiled at Ren Yu. Her left hand, hidden under the dining table, had already clenched into a fist, giving the impression that if he dared to disagree, she would beat him to death today!
Ren Yu looked at Liu Chen's fist, then at his future mother-in-law's now-chilly expression, and nodded silently:
"Chenchen is right."