Bin Chen was absolutely furious.
"Hong, what the hell is wrong with your son?! What is this?! What's going on?! Damn it! You better explain this to me!"
Hong Zhang thought, Explain my ass!
Do I even know what's happening?! Things are completely out of my control right now!
I can't handle this, I… I have a heart condition anyway. I'm sick, really sick.
Whether I'm faking or not, just don't bother me—I'm sick!
Hong Zhang lay there pretending to be ill, but nobody paid him any attention.
Who would believe that nonsense?
Besides, the two old men were busy enough already—protecting the phone while also trying to restrain Bin Chen!
Zhi Xu said, "Bin! Look at you, can't take a little joke anymore?"
Elton Leng added, "Yeah, come on! My daughter only called him 'daddy' a couple times, and later even… well, never mind that! Gotta say though, your daughter's way feistier! Even without seeing what's happening, she sounds way more passionate than mine!"
Bin Chen pointed a finger at him, "Say that again and I'll lose it!"
Elton Leng laughed, grabbing his finger and pushing it down. "Hey now, when my daughter was all over Fyren earlier, what did I say? Didn't I sit through the whole thing with you guys?"
Zhi Xu chimed in, "Besides, your daughter is a well-bred young lady with good upbringing—what are you worried about?"
Elton Leng: "And she never even leaves the house!"
Zhi Xu: "Heck, she doesn't even step beyond the inner courtyard!"
Elton Leng: "She's just there to discuss work, right?"
Zhi Xu: "Just a slight change in the type of work, that's all!"
Elton Leng: "That girl sure doesn't hold back once she sets her mind to something!"
Zhi Xu: "And she definitely doesn't look back—what a fine horse!"
Elton Leng: "A fine horse deserves a fine saddle!"
Zhi Xu: "And a good rider to match!"
Each remark was sarcastic, each word stabbing right at the heart.
Bin Chen was trembling with rage. Finally, he sat down on the mahjong table and slammed his hand down, scattering tiles everywhere.
"I knew they never broke up! And they still had the nerve to lie to me! Said it was over!"
"Dammit! Raising a daughter is nothing but raising a traitor! I see it now—every family's the same! No matter how sweet and obedient they are when they're little! Once they grow up, huh! They're just like spilled water—someone else's family!"
"Plotting against her own dad with her boyfriend—what kind of crap is that!"
Zhi Xu said, "Hey now, Bin, that's casting too wide a net!"
At this moment, Zhi Xu was the only one with a relatively healthy mindset.
But what he didn't know was that his healthy mindset wouldn't last much longer.
And what he really didn't know was that the grand finale today would be centered on him.
Zhi Xu held the phone protectively behind his back and began to take charge, waving one hand to calm everyone down.
"Alright, alright, everyone chill! We've all seen our share of the world—it's just a little something between a boy and a girl. What's there to be so surprised about? Adolescence, huh? Young people, right? They've reached that age—wanting to date is perfectly normal, isn't it?"
"Hong, hold off on that heart attack for a bit, okay? You can be sick again in a few minutes."
"Elton, keep an eye on Bin. Don't let him jump off the building."
"Bin, not to call you out, but weren't you all excited and smug when you were watching Elton's drama earlier? How come it's not okay when people watch yours?"
"Besides! It's not even that big a deal! We've all been young—your daughter can't stay by your side as an old maid forever, can she? I think this is fine. The two of them are just sharing some intimate words, adding a little spice to their relationship. It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with their character, and it definitely doesn't mean you failed as a parent, right?"
"As long as they keep things within a comfortable and enjoyable range for both when they actually do it… us old folks shouldn't interfere."
"This kind of thing—there's no such thing as one side losing or gaining. Both sides are equal. They're all adults, and everyone has physical needs!"
"My family works in pharmaceuticals, so we're honestly much more open-minded about this than the average person. We even have a dedicated research team that studies related equipment, toys, and medications sold all over the world. What does that tell you? Men and women everywhere have these needs—it's human nature! It's just a necessary physiological activity, like eating, drinking, or going to the bathroom."
"Let me put it this way! If my daughter got herself a boyfriend, I wouldn't feel the slightest bit upset! Why? Because it's normal! Because… well, you know—since ancient times, the union of yin and yang, the complementarity of men and women… humanity depends on this for reproduction and continuity. When you think it through, it's all the same. Who among us wasn't born because our parents slept together?"
"Broaden your thinking! Widen your perspective! Anyway, I'm an open-minded person. I've already prepared myself mentally. I actually hope my daughter finds a boyfriend quickly and just moves out to live with the guy—save me from having her annoy me at home every day!"
The old man was impassioned, stirring… and downright pee-inducing!
He spoke with flying spittle, like a grand orator holding forth—expounding with clarity, flowing words, and grand principles…
His words actually calmed the other three old men down quite a bit.
Hong Zhang's heart condition improved considerably. He watched the other two cautiously, not daring to meet their eyes.
Elton Leng stared coldly at Bin Chen, thinking, Laugh at me? Your daughter's even worse than mine!
Well, at most my daughter just… damn, it's pretty much the same!
Just as the wise and profound speaker Zhi Xu was holding court, he heard sounds coming from the phone behind him. Instantly, he shrank into an excited, almost servile posture—hunching over, back curved, his voice pitching higher but dropping to a hushed volume: "It's happening again! Again! Let's see if there are any new characters this time, kekeeke!"
He placed the phone on the table. The four of them, now "calm and composed"—each with their own hidden agendas—leaned in closely to continue listening.
Fyren had been careless. Earlier in the bathroom, after arguing with Eliza, she had "warmly rewarded," "deeply apologized," and "passionately admitted her mistakes," which left him so excited that he forgot to hang up.
Dazedly holding the phone, he was still thinking about how to talk to Cora when she entered the room already fully energized. The moment she saw Fyren, she started unleashing her skills fiercely!
Fresh from one beauty, another showed up. In his excitement, Fyren tossed the phone onto the sofa and completely forgot about it.
And now… the call was still connected.
The electronic door chime sounded: Beep beep beep!
Click!
Fyren was startled and tried to find his phone, but then he heard a familiar voice: "Fyren? Fyren, what are you doing?"
Fyren thought to himself:
[Xena!? Wasn't she on a business trip to Southlandia? How is she back?]
[Damn, my place is way too popular today! What's going on!?]
Cora's face instantly darkened, but after a moment, she forced a smile: "I'll go get your underwear and socks."
"Hey! Don't use the bathroom on the first floor!"
"I hung them on the third floor. Why?"
"Oh, then never mind! It's fine."
Cora turned and left, feeling irritated.
Hmph! Eliza was annoying enough, and now Xena had to show up and cause trouble!
She had known all along that someone like Fyren wouldn't exactly be tame.
But the strength of the competition was seriously starting to piss her off.
The four old men—three of them wilted.
Only Zhi Xu was excited, rubbing his hands together eagerly!
"She's here! She's here, everyone! Listen closely—which character is it this time? So exciting! Aren't you excited?"
The other three old men glared at him, eyes nearly burning with fury.
Then came a clear, bewitching voice:
"Fyren!"
Fyren felt a bit flustered. After all, there were already two beautiful women in the house—one on the first floor and another on the third.
Xena rushed into the living room and leaped into the air, launching herself forward.
If Fyren didn't catch her, she would have hit the ground.
He caught her in his arms, and she giggled. "Am I heavy?"
Fyren asked, "When did you get back?"
"Just got off the plane!"
"Aren't you going home to see your parents?"
"I've seen them for so many years, what's so interesting about them? Hehe, your big sister missed you! I've been thinking about you like crazy these past few days! You dumbass, you never reply to my messages promptly!"
Fyren set her down, but before he could say anything, Zaring came in carrying a large bag.
"Xena, where should I put this?"
"Bring it here, bring it here! Just leave it there!"
Fyren asked, "You have this much luggage?"
"Yeah, yeah, it's luggage. Zaring, get out. Don't come in unless I call you, or I'll beat you to death! Understood?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Zaring chuckled and turned to leave.
"What is all this? Why so secretive?"
"Our company's new products! I want you to test them out with me!"
"Products!? From Houde Group?"
"No, from our pharmaceutical factory!"
"Medicine?"
Xena pulled open the bag. "Look!"
Fyren took one glance and immediately grabbed both sides of the bag to close it. "Have you lost your mind, sis?"
"Hahaha! For medicine, for patients, for the benefit of the people! Today, we must test their... effects!"
"Stop messing around, what kind of nonsense is this!?"
"Oh, I get it. Our Fyren is an innocent soul, not too familiar with these things! Well, big sister Xena will explain them to you!"
"No, no, no, stop fooling around…"
"This one here—it's got all kinds of vibrations... This one's realistic, mhm, very lifelike; this one's got strong horsepower, tsk tsk, it's definitely wild! And this one—this size is just too big!"
Xena bit her finger thoughtfully. "I wonder if I can handle it?"
Fyren started throwing items back into the bag. "Xena, you're kind of... I don't even know what to say about you. Just these things alone, you—"
"Just these!? Underestimating me!?"
Xena opened the bag again. "We're in this business—never heard of a butcher who doesn't eat meat! This one, you can use it to write on me, body calligraphy, oh! This one, you can cuff me with it—where exactly is up to your imagination. This one can be used to spank me, and this tail is for plugging—"
ZhiXu's face turned pale!
Just as he was about to hit the end call button, EltonLeng snatched the phone from him. "Zhi! You've gotta hang in there!"
"No…" ZhiXu stammered. "I got a little carried away just now, I was wrong. Seriously, brothers, I was really wrong. Quick, quick, turn it off. We're all grown-ups, this is just... not appropriate!"
BinChen thought, Excellent!
Absolutely excellent!
Like... translate-into-twenty-languages excellent!
Heh! Perfect!
From now on, none of us can laugh at anyone else.
Wait! First, we have to finish making fun of ZhiXu—then we'll officially be even.
But judging by how things are going now, staying even might be tough. Xena was on a rampage.
Eliza might be high-level, but she didn't have any equipment.
Cora might have skilled moves, but Xena made her switch lanes.
Xena was something else!
A max-level mage!
Front row... early-game development was strong, top-tier mythical gear!
Over there, HongZhang clutched his chest: Oh no! I think my heart attack is really acting up!
HongZhang tried to quietly slip toward the door, but EltonLeng called out, "Hong! Hey! Don't leave now! Come on, it's still going!"
HongZhang thought, If I don't leave now, I won't be able to later!