True to Bulma's words, her home wasn't far from the site of their motorcycle accident. After about half an hour of walking, John finally escorted Bulma to her house.
The massive dome-shaped structure before him was far more awe-inspiring in real life than it had ever been on television.
Seeing John's look of awe as he stared at her home, Bulma felt a sense of satisfaction.
As a token of her gratitude, Bulma invited John to her house for dinner, as it was already evening, and she had planned to treat him to a sumptuous meal.
However, John hesitated. It seemed a bit inappropriate to have dinner at someone's house on their first meeting.
"Bulma, it's not necessary to have dinner. Besides, I don't know your family, and it would be awkward to eat together," John said.
Hearing John's words, Bulma suddenly remembered her eccentric mother. She agreed with John, thinking that if her mother met him, who knew what might happen.
She quickly changed her tone, saying, "You're right. This weekend, when I'm off work, I'll take you out for a grand meal. It's too informal to eat at home."
John, thinking Bulma misunderstood his reluctance to eat home-cooked meals, quickly shook his head and said, "No, no, no, Bulma. I don't mean to imply that your home-cooked meals are ordinary. It's just that I came unprepared, and it would be rude to show up unannounced."
Hearing John's words, Bulma realized he had misunderstood her. Just as she was about to explain, a car pulled up beside them. Bulma's mother stepped out, followed by a butler carrying numerous shopping bags, clearly returning from a shopping spree.
Seeing Bulma and a young man standing at her doorstep, Bulma's mother's eyes lit up as she approached.
Upon seeing her mother, Bulma's heart sank, and she silently cursed under her breath, "Oh no!"
Before Bulma's mother even reached John, her laughter could be heard. She said with a smile, "Ah, you must be Bulma's boyfriend. That's wonderful! Your father and I have always been worried about her. With such a bad temper, will she ever find a husband?"
"Now that I see you, I'm relieved."
"Hello, Auntie. I'm John, Bulma's friend, not her boyfriend," John said, remembering the scene from the Dragon Ball series he had watched earlier. Bulma's mother's behavior made his scalp tingle.
Bulma, overhearing her mother badmouth her temper and imply she might not find a boyfriend, became upset. "Who has a bad temper? I have a good temper! And when I do find a boyfriend, he'll be super handsome, and you'll be so jealous! Humph!"
Bulma's mother, unbothered by her daughter's complaints, turned to John and said, "See? This is not a bad temper. What is a bad temper?"
John, feeling awkward, didn't know how to respond.
Bulma's mother continued, "John, since my daughter doesn't like you, how about dating me instead? Let's see... tomorrow we can go eat some delicious food. I've been craving that restaurant's cuisine for a long time."
Hearing Bulma's mother's words, John broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly turned to Bulma and said, "Bulma, I'll take my leave now. I'll find you another time."
Then, addressing Bulma's mother, he said, "Goodbye, Auntie!" and promptly took off running.
Bulma's mother, still smiling, said, "John, we'll go on a date next time."
Hearing her words, John ran even faster, disappearing down the street in an instant.
Bulma said to her mother, "You've scared off another one of my friends."
Bulma's mother maintained her smile and said to Bulma, "You need to learn to judge people's intentions. I was just testing this young man for you."
"John is not bad. Although he's a bit ordinary-looking and a bit cunning, I can tell he's not a bad person. He's someone you can date. Give him a chance."
It turned out that Bulma's mother had been acting all along to test Bulma's friend.
As the daughter of the Capsule Corporation's heiress, Bulma had always attracted people with ulterior motives. Therefore, her mother often put on this act to test Bulma's friends.
Of course, Bulma's mother was also naturally eccentric, so her performance could be considered a true reflection of her character, albeit more exaggerated than how she behaved with family.
Bulma scoffed, "You're overthinking it. Aside from being a little wealthy, I'm not worth deceiving. Even if someone takes some of our family's money, what's the big deal? We have enough to last several lifetimes."
Bulma's mother was a bit amused and exasperated. She sighed inwardly, "My foolish daughter, if it's just about money, it's not a problem. I'm worried about someone who wants to deceive you and steal your heart!"
That evening, at Bulma's house, the family of three enjoyed a lavish dinner prepared by their kitchen robot.
Bulma, knowing her father was the chairman of the Capsule Corporation and that many people sought connections with him, wondered if someone had told him about the Dragon Balls. She asked her father, Dr. Brief, "Dad, do you know the legend of the Dragon Balls?"
Dr. Brief, an elderly man with glasses who always wore a white lab coat and had a disheveled appearance, replied, "Dragon Balls? I have heard of them. Someone told me that if you gather all seven Dragon Balls, you can summon Shenron and make a wish. Shenron can grant any wish."
"Humph! That's too far-fetched. I'm a scientist, and I won't be fooled by such a trick," he added.
Hearing her father's skepticism about the Dragon Balls, Bulma felt discouraged. It seemed unlikely that he would help her in her quest.
As Bulma pondered how to proceed with her search for the Dragon Balls, Dr. Brief said, "By the way, that person who tricked me gave me two glass balls with stars inside, claiming they were Dragon Balls. I chased them away..."
"What? You have Dragon Balls!" Bulma exclaimed, interrupting her father as she stood up in surprise.