"Auntie, I bought this especially for you."

Jiang Bo had just received the black tea and hadn't even managed to be polite about it when he watched Chu Mingcheng pull out a set of cosmetics and hand them to his wife.

After Li Ying accepted the gift, the smile on her face—genuine or not—certainly brightened the atmosphere.

But among the remaining gifts, she recognized the Maotai, but why did that foam box look so familiar?

"Ah Cheng, what's this?"

"Oh, I got lucky the night before last and caught a pretty big yellow croaker. I figured Uncle might have some important business dinners coming up at year-end, so I brought it over."

After all, men had countless business dealings during the New Year period.

The tea from earlier had supposedly "gone straight to his heart," but that was really just because Jiang Bo enjoyed black tea.

But when Li Ying opened the box to reveal the large yellow croaker, Jiang Bo instantly felt that bringing this fish to dinner with old friends would give him bragging rights for a whole year.

Unfortunately, it was far too valuable. This was his daughter's boyfriend's first visit—how could their family accept such a thing?

Just as he'd expected, Li Ying immediately refused. "No, no, if it were just two or three jin, Auntie would shamelessly accept it. But this one's too valuable. We can't take it."

The previous gifts had all been in the thousand-yuan range; their combined value was probably only half that of this large yellow croaker.

And that was comparing current prices. In a few days, the story would be completely different.

This time of year, many people deliberately hoarded stock, planning to sell fish during the final days before New Year to maximize profits.

Given Chinese spending power, especially in Zhejiang Province, there was no need to worry about expensive items not selling.

The number of ultra-wealthy might not compare to some places, but there were plenty of families with disposable income. Splurging on a large yellow croaker at year-end was nothing unusual.

Chu Mingcheng had already shown tremendous sincerity on his first visit. Li Ying had no intention of accepting such an expensive gift from him.

But he'd already brought the fish and had no plans to take it back.

The two sides went back and forth politely until finally, Jiang Luoluo secretly sidled up to Jiang Bo and whispered, "Dad, what's the big deal about accepting a fish? You're about to lose your precious daughter!"

"..." Jiang Bo's heart immediately sank.

Based on everything Chu Mingcheng had done since walking through their door, he couldn't find a single fault.

He'd worried beforehand that being too handsome might mean the guy was a player, but he hadn't forgotten what Jiang Luoluo had said a few days ago.

'Dad, you're so handsome. Are you a player?'

That question required no thought whatsoever. Therefore, he now had strong approval for Chu Mingcheng's good looks.

As for his job, his daughter had already made things clear. Since they'd invited him over, it meant they wouldn't dwell on the matter.

So it seemed his little cabbage really was going to belong to someone else. What was accepting a fish compared to that?

"Fine, since it's Ah Cheng's kind gesture, put the fish in the fridge and store it properly!"

Li Ying looked at her husband and daughter, a hint of a smile in her eyes, then said to Chu Mingcheng, "Alright, Auntie will shamelessly accept it then. You sit and rest for a while. I'll go get busy."

"Luoluo, I'm leaving Ah Cheng in your care. Honey, come help me prep the vegetables!"

After Li Ying had whisked away both Jiang Bo and the fish, Jiang Luoluo noticed the obvious relief on Chu Mingcheng's face and couldn't help smiling mischievously. "Not so nervous anymore?"

Chu Mingcheng nodded. "I've relaxed quite a bit. Auntie seems very easy to get along with. Uncle doesn't say much, but he seems gentle too."

"See? I told you my parents are actually pretty easygoing." Jiang Luoluo smiled and took his hand, leading him toward her room.

Since the door was open, Chu Mingcheng could see the room's layout at a glance.

He glanced toward the kitchen and, seeing the adults weren't paying attention, leaned in to tease by her ear. "So impatient in broad daylight?"

"More exciting with your parents right outside?"

"Exciting my foot!" Jiang Luoluo punched him in embarrassment and walked into the room first. "If you want to stay out there, then stay there!"

"Hehe!" Chu Mingcheng chuckled and quickly followed her in.

He was genuinely curious about Jiang Luoluo's room.

He'd been to her place in Xiamen a few times but never had the chance to stay long.

Their real breakthrough had happened after he'd given her the jade pendant and hairpin.

As a result, Chu Mingcheng had always wondered just how many pairs of stockings Jiang Luoluo, who rarely wore them, actually owned.

But now, in Hangzhou, it wasn't stockings he was curious about.

The first thing he did upon entering was scan the bookshelf and desk. His eyes lit up when he spotted a photo album.

As expected, most well-off families kept photo albums documenting various memories.

While Jiang Luoluo wasn't looking, Chu Mingcheng quickly stepped forward and grabbed the album.

But before he could open it, a startled cry came from behind him, followed by a rush of fragrant air as the album was snatched from his hands.

"Hey, what kind of person are you, touching things in someone else's room?"

Jiang Luoluo had nearly died of fright.

That album contained childhood photos of her, including some in ridiculous outfits—like split pants.

Having elders see those photos was embarrassing enough; if her boyfriend saw them, it would be complete social suicide.

"I was just curious!" Chu Mingcheng felt disappointed—he'd been so close to opening it.

Unfortunately, Jiang Luoluo took the album right out of the room, probably stashing it somewhere he couldn't easily reach.

He had no choice but to continue looking around, wondering if she might have a diary or something.

Most people didn't keep diaries, but he couldn't rule out that cringey teenage phase everyone went through.

Sadly, he found nothing.

When Jiang Luoluo returned, Chu Mingcheng simply sat in a chair and asked about the earlier visitors. "Luoluo, that family from before—were they here about you?"

He wasn't stupid. He'd mixed up the names at the door, but he'd felt how they'd looked him up and down with faint displeasure.

Of course, he wasn't asking out of jealousy, just pure curiosity.

After all, running into that guy three times today was quite the coincidence.

"Don't overthink it. Pure coincidence they came today." Seeing him ask, Jiang Luoluo immediately explained, "They came with that intention last year, but my parents said it was up to me."

"I rejected him outright back then. Later, I heard the guy went to Australia, and I thought the matter was over. Never expected them to come again this year."

"I see!" Chu Mingcheng nodded, but his focus wasn't on why they'd come. Hearing "Australia," some ideas started percolating again.

That place was fantastic—all sorts of things could run wild there.

Too bad he didn't have a pocket dimension or something; otherwise, he'd definitely bring some local specialties over, or bring some of their specialties back.

For now, he could only look for opportunities to make some of their money.

Seeing that Chu Mingcheng wasn't bothered by the matter, Jiang Luoluo naturally dropped the topic.

"By the way, Ah Cheng, Jiayi said she's coming in a couple of days to hang out in Hangzhou for three or four days. See when Chen Yang's free and bring him along so they can spend time together?"

"Zhou Jiayi's coming? That's easy. Ah Yang will have time soon. We can all go out to sea and have a picnic on some small island. That'll give them a chance to get to know each other better."

Jiang Luoluo fell silent for a moment before saying, "We're not going to run into vicious criminals again, are we?"

Chu Mingcheng looked surprised. "There's such good fortune? Last time was a million. I wouldn't mind if it's slightly less this time."

Jiang Luoluo was speechless and rolled her eyes. But having been through it once, if they really did encounter someone on a small island again, they definitely wouldn't handle it the same way as last time.

Winter days always seemed to pass more quickly. Hangzhou, much like Wenzhou, was already getting dark before five-thirty.

Li Ying had also finished preparing a full table of dishes—time for dinner.

Seeing his father-in-law immediately open a bottle of Maotai, Chu Mingcheng knew there was no escaping drinks tonight.

"Can you handle alcohol?" Jiang Bo asked, lifting the bottle.

"Not particularly, but I should be able to have a little with Uncle," Chu Mingcheng replied with a modest smile.

"Alright, then drink with me." As Jiang Bo moved to pour, Chu Mingcheng quickly stood and held his glass with both hands to receive the liquor.

The two women just watched with smiles. Relationships between men were actually quite simple. One drinking session could make them brothers. If not, just get them drunk.

"You two should eat something first to line your stomachs. Drinking on an empty stomach is bad for you." Li Ying served some food to Jiang Bo, and Jiang Luoluo wasn't to be outdone, placing a lamb chop in Chu Mingcheng's bowl.

Jiang Bo knew the routine too. He ate a little first and took the opportunity to ask some questions.

"Ah Cheng, Uncle wants to ask you a few things. Is that alright?"

Chu Mingcheng hurriedly swallowed the lamb chop and nodded repeatedly. "Of course, Uncle, please go ahead."

Jiang Bo didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.

"You and Luoluo are together now. You made this special visit today, so we have a basic understanding of you."

"But could you tell me about your family situation and your future plans?"

After hearing the questions, Chu Mingcheng considered for a moment. Mainly because Jiang Bo's questions were quite broad, and he needed to organize his thoughts.

"Like Luoluo, I'm also an only child. My parents are both in good health with no medical history."

"Originally, my parents had saved money for me to buy a house, but I later borrowed it to buy a boat. However, my income's decent, and Luoluo and I bought a large boat together. Uncle and Auntie should know about this, right?"

Both Jiang Bo and Li Ying nodded. Jiang Luoluo hadn't hidden the boat purchase from them.

Originally, they would definitely have objected. This was purely their daughter's investment—what if she met a heartbreaker?

But when Jiang Luoluo showed them the jade pendant and hairpin, they fell silent.

They had discerning eyes and could naturally tell the value of those two items at a glance.

If Chu Mingcheng was willing to give gifts worth millions, then Jiang Luoluo's co-investment in a boat was really nothing.

More importantly, they knew the general financial situation of Chu Mingcheng's family, which made his gesture even more remarkable.

This incident had made them understand his feelings for their daughter, which was why their attitude today was genuinely warm rather than just polite.

Seeing that they knew about Jiang Luoluo buying the boat with him, Chu Mingcheng continued, "My plan is to first buy a house in Xiamen once I've earned enough."

"But if Uncle and Auntie think we'd be too far away, we could also buy a place near the sea around Hangzhou and develop our future here. For deep-sea fishing, it doesn't really matter which city we're based in."

Chu Mingcheng wasn't wrong about this. With a large boat, his main target would be tuna, and the most convenient place to sell tuna was Shanghai.

In the East China Sea, the prime spots for tuna were east of Taiwan and on the East China Sea continental shelf.

As for the South China Sea islands, though rich in resources, he couldn't possibly travel that far, even staying in Xiamen.

At most, he'd stick to nearby areas...