NOVEL NEXT Chapter 760: The Good Son-in-Law
A newly recognized big brother, Chen Jinchun insisted on inviting Lu Liang home for a formal dinner.
Lu Liang couldn't refuse her, so he accepted the invitation and arrived at Magic City Putuo District, near the west station.
It's about 15 kilometers in a straight line from the company, but due to the evening rush hour, it took an hour to get back.
"Come in, no need to take off your shoes, the house hasn't been tidied up yet." Chen Jinchun took the lead by opening the door.
A set of two bedrooms of just over eighty square meters, but from the doorway to the living room, it's full of express packages and cardboard boxes.
She showed an embarrassed smile: "I usually live in the apartment, only come over to tidy up on weekends."
"How much did you spend when buying it?"
Lu Liang did a quick once-over, new furniture and appliances, most of them still wrapped in plastic film.
"Total price 5.8 million, down payment 2.9 million, loan 2.9 million." Chen Jinchun took out a disposable cup and poured a glass of water for Lu Liang.
Lu Liang, being an old-timer in real estate, quickly calculated the monthly mortgage payment in his head: "It's about fifteen or sixteen thousand a month, right?"
"Fifteen thousand eight hundred."
Chen Jinchun nodded, although her monthly salary just surpassed the company's average line, after deductions she only got a little over twenty thousand.
But her half-year bonus and annual bonus are very high, on the same level as senior executives like Tang Caide and Li Yizhou.
Even though after paying the mortgage, she's left with only six thousand-plus, considering the annual comprehensive income, the pressure isn't particularly great.
"Hungry." Lu Liang sat on the sofa with one leg over the other, gesturing towards the kitchen, waiting to eat.
"Alright." Xiao Chen skipped to the door and brought back the takeaway ingredients she ordered on the way.
She put on a kitchen apron, looking the part, but soon enough clattering noises came from the kitchen.
"No worries, the food will be ready shortly."
Xiao Chen was busily flying around in the kitchen but didn't forget to reassure Lu Liang that she could handle it all.
Lu Liang remembered he had things to do in the evening; if he left Xiao Chen to handle everything more, dinner might turn into a midnight snack.
He couldn't help but sigh, rolled up his sleeves, walked into the kitchen, and said mockingly, "Get out."
"Looking down on people?"
Xiao Chen showed displeasure, but Lu Liang proved with his skills that he had the right to look down.
Da-da-da, without a pause, he quickly sliced potato strips, soaking them to remove starch in one go.
Xiao Chen boldly kept quiet then, with a flattering smile: "Shall I go set the tableware?"
The only response was a cold glare.
Half an hour later, three dishes and a soup were ready.
"Bro, I didn't expect you to have such skills."
Xiao Chen squinted with a smile, quickly took out her phone to take a picture and caption it: First meal cooked myself in the new home.
Lu Liang glanced at it, the comments quickly broke into double digits, and they were all familiar names: "Can you have a bit of face?"
Xiao Chen raised her chin, speaking righteously: "Could it be I should say that it was Bro, Mr. Lu, who cooked for me?"
"Just give it a try." Lu Liang said annoyed.
Xiao Chen stiffened her neck: "I dare not!"
Lu Liang felt frustrated,
Suddenly feeling he might have done something wrong.
He looked helpless and sighed: "Tomorrow, pack your things and go to Su City, 18th is Yao Guang's release, and for these few days, have your team coordinate with the marketing department for some promotions."
"No problem, leave it to me."
Xiao Chen smiled while taking bites of rice, slyly chuckling: "Bro, it really tastes good. If you ever open a restaurant, I'll definitely sign up for a monthly subscription."
Being an only child, she always hoped for a brother to take care of her; calling 'bro' felt more natural every time.
Lu Liang sneered, looking at Xiao Chen, his eyes showed no brotherly love, only undisguised disdain.
After dinner, Fang Shiyu came over and knocked on the door, Lu Liang washed his face, planning to leave. He looked at Fang Shiyu, then at Xiao Chen.
"Leaving."
Words ready to be spoken stayed unspoken; the cousin might like Xiao Chen, but Xiao Chen is not so sure.
However, there's still a way, the key is to do some ideological work with the cousin.
"Bye-bye, take care on the road~" Xiao Chen cheerfully stood at the door, seeing Lu Liang off.
On the way to the maternity and child hospital, Lu Liang suddenly asked, "Yu, what do you think of Xiao Chen?"
Fang Shiyu paused, his usually precise driving foot, more accurate than cruise control, eased a bit, creating a noticeable jerk inside the car.
He replied sullenly, "Sister Xiao Chen is very lively and cheerful."
"She's only three months older than you, stop calling her sister all the time. If interested, go pursue her."
Lu Liang looked like he hated iron for not becoming steel, seeing that the cousin had some feelings for Xiao Chen but was born shy and didn't know how to express it, wasting his 1.9-meter height and over 200-pound weight.
He continued, "Don't be fooled by Xiao Chen's cuteness and good personality; in fact, no one at the company is pursuing her."
The prettier and higher-ranking the female, the fewer pursuers, because guys often know in their gut they don't match, and thus steer clear.
Take Xiao Chen for example, she walks around every day with a No. 003 badge, and there's a rumor about her unclear relationship with him, so no one dares to provoke her.
"Oh~" Fang Shiyu responded, expressionless, continuing to focus on driving.
"With her personality, she's likely to meet the wrong people."
Lu Liang observed his cousin's expression through the rearview mirror; his usual calm expression finally showed a slight change.
He laughed and said, "Cousin, don't be so self-deprecating. Who else at your age in their early twenties has a million annual salary?"
"I'm not self-deprecating," Fang Shiyu defended.
"If you're not, go after her if you like her. In the end, it's still about being too self-deprecating," Lu Liang teased jokingly, having been there, he knew how to best provoke young men.
The car soon arrived at Puxin's maternity hospital, and just before Lu Liang got out, Fang Shiyu suddenly said, "I'll go after her."
"Looking forward to your performance!"
Lu Liang couldn't help but smile and walked into the inpatient department. Guided by the medical staff, he came to Wang Chuting's hospital room.
"The launch of Yao Guang should be the first major event in the car circle this autumn. Try everything possible, no matter the cost, to get a car for first-time evaluation..."
Wang Chuting was sitting on the hospital bed, seemingly holding a remote video conference when she noticed Lu Liang suddenly appear at the door.
She froze for a moment, then hastily said, "Let's end here for today, please implement what I instructed as soon as possible."
Wang Chuting closed her tablet, looking a bit guilty, "Weren't you in Su City? Why did you suddenly come back?"
Lu Liang, in a sarcastic tone, said, "If I didn't come back, how would I know there's such a hardworking Super Mom at home? You're undergoing postpartum recovery and still busy with company matters, you must be exhausted."
Founded by Wang Chuting, Chu Jun Media had developed over the years into a small, well-known domestic MCN internet celebrity incubation agency.
As of today, the signed influencers under the brand encompass various types of short, medium, and long video content creators, and the business is no longer limited to product promotion and live-streaming sales.
"I missed you, hug hug~~"
Wang Chuting's eyes darted, suddenly spreading her arms, pursing her lips with a grievance, "Having a baby was so painful."
Lu Liang felt speechless for a moment but still stepped forward, sat on the bedside, and embraced Wang Chuting in his arms, "You've worked hard."
One moment she was a capable businesswoman, the next a coquettish little woman.
She's always been good at playing with contrasts.
Who could resist that?
"Every time I see Junjun, I feel happy." Wang Chuting said with a smile, greedily absorbing Lu Liang's scent.
She whispered, "After all, Yao Guang is about to be listed in a few days, and I want to help a bit, contribute some effort. Maybe if you finish earlier, you could come back to see me sooner."
Lu Liang couldn't help but chuckle and teased, "Do you think I just got to know you today? Saying too much will reveal the truth, it sounds a bit fake."
"You're annoying, is that how you see me?" Wang Chuting said angrily, putting on an intense glare.
"Isn't it?" Lu Liang responded with a smile. In his impression, Wang Chuting was always career-oriented.
If it hadn't been for his insistence back then, she probably wouldn't have stepped back from the company even when she was visibly pregnant.
Just then, his mother-in-law suddenly pushed the door open.
The mother-in-law glanced at her son-in-law, her expression somewhat nervous, and asked, "Lu Liang, when... when did you get here?"
She felt a sudden sense of unreality. Although her daughter said that Lu Liang was the father of her child, she had only previously seen him in videos.
But seeing Lu Liang in person, she still felt like it was similar to those famous figures from TV stepping into reality.
Just like how Wang Chuting once exemplified to her, if Lu Liang formally went to their hometown in Ganxi for research, the entire city's leadership would have to accompany him, and the whole city would probably prepare three days in advance to restore its cityscape.
This is the kind of treatment a billionaire, the leader of a vast enterprise like Tianxing Automobile, should receive in third or fourth-tier cities.
"Auntie, I just arrived. I returned from Xiangjiang earlier, had something come up so I went to Su City temporarily, and rushed back overnight after taking care of things there."
Lu Liang smiled, explaining very clearly, not only for his mother-in-law to hear but also for Wang Chuting.
First, to show his importance, second, to show he wasn't the type to just shake it off without taking responsibility.
He waved his hand, calling Xu Jiawei, who was waiting outside, to bring in the health products he had bought in Xiangjiang earlier.
Lu Liang said with concern, "Auntie, I heard from Chuting before that you've had knee issues due to working in the fields early on, especially during rainy days.
So I specifically consulted a doctor from a late Qing dynasty emigré family during my Xiangjiang trip.
A friend told me their remedies are very effective, so I specifically got some TCM prescriptions from him.
You can try it out, and if it works, I'll bring you a few more treatments next time."
Lu Liang sighed, "I actually wanted to get the exact recipe to avoid having to go there often, but he said it's a family secret, definitely not to be leaked."
The mother-in-law, upon hearing this, was overjoyed and tightly held Lu Liang's hand, hurriedly saying, "I understand, I understand, Lu Liang, you're so thoughtful. Auntie doesn't even know how to thank you properly."
"We are family, no need for formalities," Lu Liang said.
"By the way, you haven't seen Junjun yet, right?"
The mother-in-law took Lu Liang's hand, her attitude suddenly more affectionate than towards her daughter, smiling, "He's in the next room, let me take you to see him, he's very cute. His nose and mouth are just like yours, eyes like Tingting's."
"Chuting, let's go see Junjun first."
Lu Liang smiled brightly, turned to Wang Chuting, and said, "Don't always work; rest when you should."
"Yes, I know." Wang Chuting was at a loss for words but looked at Lu Liang with a deeper affection in her eyes.
She knew Lu Liang was intentionally trying to please her mom, and his motives were clear, but if he didn't care about her, why would he go to such lengths?