Chapter 0286: A Bolt from the Blue

In a lifetime, one faces countless choices, and no one can guarantee that their choices are always correct. In Zhao Fusheng's view, what his foresight could ensure was that, within the lowest limits, he would not make the wrong choice.

"Brother, so many people." Standing at the entrance of the inflatable castle, Fan Beibei pouted.

Zhao Fusheng laughed: "What, Beibei doesn't like crowds?"

"Can't play."

Miss Fan Er slapped the thing beside her in dissatisfaction. There were too many children inside the inflatable castle; she was small and naturally couldn't compete with the older kids.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled: "Alright, let's stop playing. I'll take you over there to sit for a while and have some ice cream, okay?"

"Ice cream?" The little girl's eyes lit up with joy, but then she lowered her head: "No, Mom says it makes you poop."

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback for a moment, then realized she meant that eating ice cream could cause diarrhea.

Gently ruffling her hair, Zhao Fusheng said: "It's okay, we'll just have a little. I'll eat most of it, and you'll have a small part, alright?"

"Okay, okay!"

The little girl clapped her hands excitedly, clearly convinced by Zhao Fusheng.

Carrying her to the entrance of the mall, he bought an ice cream, feeding Fan Beibei with a spoon while observing the mall's situation.

Even in winter, the foot traffic was considerable; at least over by the supermarket, there was always a long line.

Moreover, inside the mall, Zhao's father had specifically arranged for many benches. Some shoppers, tired from walking, would come in to rest, and while resting, they would naturally browse the supermarket.

In fact, doing business is like this: often, vision and perspective determine success or failure. As long as one has a broader vision, even if they sometimes take detours, they can still succeed in the end.

Just like himself now—the reason his parents valued his opinions was largely because he had helped the family earn money. Bringing back tens of thousands in cash, facts spoke louder than words, proving he had truly grown up. Naturally, his parents no longer treated him like a child.

When he carried the tired Fan Beibei back to his father's office, he saw his mother looking at him with a strange smile.

"Mom, what are you smiling about?"

Zhao Fusheng was puzzled; he felt his mother must be hiding something from him.

Taking Fan Beibei from him, Zhao's mother glared at Zhao Fusheng: "You little brat, I'm your mother. Would I harm you?"

Zhao Fusheng chuckled without a word, but his meaning was clear.

Though she wouldn't harm him, his mother had often done things to set him up since childhood, like taking his New Year's money, claiming to keep it safe for him—she was quite adept at that.

Taking a deep breath, Zhao's mother looked at Zhao Fusheng, silently chanting: "I gave birth to him, I gave birth to him."

For a moment, if she hadn't been holding Fan Beibei, she would have made sure her son knew why flowers were so red. This little brat, just because he'd earned some money, dared to talk back to her—he deserved a good beating.

Li Yuan then spoke with a smile: "Fusheng, this time you've wronged your mother. Lately, she's been praising you to everyone she meets."

Zhao Fusheng grinned and winked at his mother: "Mom, don't worry, I'll be good to you in the future."

"Get lost!" Zhao's mother shot him a glare: "I'd be happier if you let me hold a grandchild sooner."

Zhao Fusheng immediately retreated, using the excuse that he had things to do at school, and left.

Watching his back, Li Yuan and Zhao's mother exchanged a glance, revealing a smile that only the two of them understood.

……

……

Compared to the usual busyness, the winter break was somewhat leisurely. Zhao Fusheng slept in every day, checked the backend of wo123, updated the website links, then went to the cafeteria for meals, and afterward to the library to read.

Even he hadn't expected such a routine.

During this time, the distributor of Aipu phones in Ninghai personally delivered ten phones to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng didn't stand on ceremony and accepted them all.

After all, this was his rightful compensation, and he didn't feel embarrassed about it. However, he couldn't just take them home; he needed to come up with a reason.

In the meantime, Zhao's mother and Li Yuan visited once and were quite surprised that Zhao Fusheng was living alone in a villa.

"Hmm, your Teacher Zheng has made quite a bit of money."

Looking at the luxuriously decorated, spacious villa, Zhao's mother sighed with emotion.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Indeed, she's earned too much."

In fact, if this house were placed ten years later, it would be worth at least over a million. Even now, if put up for auction, the price would definitely exceed two hundred thousand.

The reason Zhao Fusheng got it for over a hundred thousand was largely due to Zheng Jianshe's face and Zheng Yao's connections.

After all, whether it was the old Professor Zheng or Boss Zheng, they were influential figures on campus. If they wanted to buy a house, the school leadership would naturally oblige.

"Can you manage living alone?" Li Yuan looked at Zhao Fusheng with concern.

"It's fine. There's a cafeteria nearby; I go there when I'm hungry," Zhao Fusheng replied.

"What's in there?" Zhao's mother pointed to the bedroom upstairs.

"Ah, computers. My dorm mates' computers. I didn't feel safe leaving them in the dorm, so I moved them here," Zhao Fusheng answered calmly. He found that his ability to lie through his teeth was growing.

Zhao's mother didn't think much of it and nodded: "As long as you're comfortable living here, your father and I will be at ease."

They came and went in a hurry, not even having lunch with Zhao Fusheng, saying there were things to do at the mall. Zhao Fusheng was puzzled, wondering what they were up to.

Several peaceful days passed like this, until Zhao Fusheng received a certain phone call.

"Zhao Fusheng, where are you?"

On the phone, Fan Baobao's vigorous voice rang out.

Zhao Fusheng was completely confused: "I'm at home. What's up?"

"Which home?"

"Ah, not my home. It's a house Teacher Zheng bought; I'm just borrowing it for a while," Zhao Fusheng said with a smile. "You know, General Manager Zheng. You've met her."

"I know. Open the door for me now!"

Fan Baobao's sudden words made Zhao Fusheng's hand holding the phone tremble.

"What did you say?" Zhao Fusheng asked hoarsely.

"I said, open the door!" Fan Baobao said irritably. "Didn't you ask me to come and stay with you?"

At that moment, Zhao Fusheng finally understood what double act his mother and Li Yuan were playing.

He never imagined that his own mother would collude with Li Yuan to set him up so badly.

No wonder that day at the mall, his mother had originally opposed him living outside, but after he took Fan Beibei out for a walk, she agreed. It must have been because Li Yuan said something to her.

And a few days ago, the two elders came to his place to check it out, claiming to inspect his living environment. Now it was clear they were scouting the terrain.

Thinking this over, Zhao Fusheng held the phone and sighed: "Where are you?"

"At the phone booth by the小区 entrance." Fan Baobao said.

"I'll come down to get you."

Zhao Fusheng said resignedly.

Then he hung up, put on his shoes, and went out. At the小区 entrance, he saw Fan Baobao standing there with a suitcase, wearing a white down jacket.

"I'm freezing!" Seeing Zhao Fusheng, Fan Baobao stomped her feet and complained.

Zhao Fusheng reached out to take the suitcase, not bothering to say much: "Come on, follow me."

They walked home one after the other. As soon as they entered, Fan Baobao exclaimed in surprise: "This house is really big."

After all, it was built to villa standards, spacious enough to rival a hotel.

Zhao Fusheng put away Fan Baobao's suitcase, handed her a pair of slippers, and said: "Have a seat. I'll get you some hot water to warm up."

Fan Baobao nodded, didn't stand on ceremony, walked to the sofa, and sat down, waiting for Zhao Fusheng to pour her water.