It was already past four in the afternoon by the time they got back to Yanmen Island. Chu Mingcheng had bought groceries, planning to cook dinner for Jiang Luoluo at his place.

But when he pulled up to the house, he found the back door open and could faintly hear voices coming from the front yard.

"Ah Cheng, is that your family?" Jiang Luoluo guessed, nervousness washing over her. The open door didn't look like a break-in, which left only one possibility.

"Could be," Chu Mingcheng replied, feeling strangely guilty, like a teenager caught on a date by his parents.

"Maybe we should sneak away," she suggested. "You could get me a hotel room, then bring my luggage over later tonight when you have a chance?"

Though there was nothing official between them, the morning's events had stirred something different in Jiang Luoluo. Before, she would have been perfectly composed meeting his parents—not nervous at all. But now she felt unprepared, her confidence wavering.

"Okay, let's go." Chu Mingcheng was equally reluctant to have his family see Jiang Luoluo. If they were discovered, he knew his parents would bombard them with questions. And if they found out he was treating such a beautiful girl as just a friend, they'd be heartbroken and start nagging him relentlessly to win her over.

He was quite comfortable with their current dynamic. Besides, he was about to throw himself into making money and leveling up his Aquatic Species Codex. Who had time for the messy business of romance?

But sometimes, the things you try to avoid have a way of happening anyway.

Just as Chu Mingcheng and Jiang Luoluo turned to make their escape, a woman's voice called out from behind them.

"Ah Cheng, you're back! Is this your friend?"

An Xiuwen had come over to tidy up the old house, worried her son—who was out fishing all day—wouldn't have time to clean. The first thing she saw upon entering was a pink suitcase, something she was certain her son would never own. The thought that her son might have a female friend, or even a girlfriend, that he'd never mentioned, filled her with surprise and curiosity.

She waited and waited, but her son didn't come home. Eventually, she decided to start cleaning. As she stepped into the front yard, she ran into a neighbor. Chu Mingcheng wasn't very close to the neighbors, usually just offering a simple greeting when he saw them. However, An Xiuwen had lived here for years, and since she and the neighbors were around the same age, a friendly chat was unavoidable.

Still, the thought of her son's friend lingered in her mind. After a few minutes of conversation, she went back inside, just in time to see the two of them about to slip out the back door.

"Mom, what are you doing here today?" Busted. Chu Mingcheng had no choice but to turn around and make introductions. "This is my friend, Jiang Luoluo."

Gone was her usual straightforward and confident demeanor. Jiang Luoluo, uncharacteristically shy, greeted his mother. "Hello, Auntie."

What a beautiful girl!

Even An Xiuwen, who had been quite a beauty in her youth, couldn't help but be impressed when she got a clear look at Jiang Luoluo.

"Luoluo, is it okay if I call you that?"

"Of course!"

Seeing the satisfied smile on his mother's face, Chu Mingcheng sighed inwardly. He knew that as soon as Jiang Luoluo left, he was in for a storm of questions.

But what happened next was completely unexpected.

An Xiuwen took Jiang Luoluo's hand affectionately and led her into the living room. "Luoluo, where were you two headed?"

Jiang Luoluo quickly replied, "Auntie, I was just coming back to get my suitcase. I'm staying at a hotel tonight."

“Why stay at a hotel? It's a waste of money and not safe. Why not stay here tonight, dear?”

"Huh?" Jiang Luoluo was completely stunned.

Chu Mingcheng blinked, marveling at his mother's skill. They had just met, and she was already trying to get her to stay.

"I have two empty rooms upstairs, dear. Let me show you." An Xiuwen pulled Jiang Luoluo along, leading her upstairs.

As they went up, the girl shot Chu Mingcheng a desperate, pleading look over her shoulder. It wasn't appropriate for a girl to suddenly stay in a man's house.

Chu Mingcheng spoke up. "Mom, Luoluo is a girl, after all. It wouldn't be right for her to stay in the same house as me, would it?"

"Of course not!" An Xiuwen nodded in agreement. "That's why you're coming back to town with me tonight."

Jiang Luoluo: "…"

Chu Mingcheng: "…"

He never thought his mother had a move like that up her sleeve.

If he went back to town, and since Jiang Luoluo didn't know anyone else here, staying at his house for a night didn't seem so bad after all.

An Xiuwen gave Jiang Luoluo a tour of the upstairs, making a point to show her the large bathtub. The tub was designed for comfort, perfect for leaning back in, and even had a small table for holding things. An Xiuwen sometimes came over, cut up some fruit, and brought her laptop in to watch dramas while she soaked. You could even open the window to see the night view, and the angle was such that no one could see in from outside.

Jiang Luoluo, who had been about to refuse, hesitated the moment she saw the bathtub. Seeing her waver, An Xiuwen immediately decided for her.

It was already dinnertime, so An Xiuwen didn't suggest having Old Chu come over to cook. Instead, she left, giving the two young people some time alone and telling Chu Mingcheng to make a nice, hearty dinner. She had confidence in her son's cooking skills—this was a great opportunity to score some points.

With An Xiuwen gone, the two of them let out a collective sigh of relief.

But Chu Mingcheng wasn't dense enough to suggest taking Jiang Luoluo to a hotel again. He went to the car, brought in the groceries he had bought, and started making dinner.

After they ate, Jiang Luoluo proactively washed the dishes and tidied up the kitchen. She was quick and efficient, clearly not a pampered, lazy girl.

With the chores done, they found themselves with nothing to do. Chu Mingcheng was just thinking he should probably head back to town and talk to his family about buying the boat when Jiang Luoluo brought up the videos.

"By the way, Ah Cheng, didn't you shoot some videos before?"

"I did. Why?"

"Have you edited them and added audio? If not, I can teach you how to do it tonight!"

"That works. I can register an account while I'm at it." Since Jiang Luoluo had offered to help, Chu Mingcheng decided not to rush back to town. The two of them went up to the attic.

Jiang Luoluo didn't have any brothers. This was her first time in a man's room, and she looked around with curiosity. But Chu Mingcheng's room was simply furnished, with not much to see.

He turned on his computer, took out his head-mounted camera, and transferred the video he had shot while fishing under the bridge pier.

Jiang Luoluo pulled up a chair and sat beside him. A pleasant fragrance wafted from her, and Chu Mingcheng subconsciously took a light breath.

He quickly snapped back to reality and first registered an account on Bilibili 【TN: Popular Chinese video platform similar to YouTube】.

"Bilibili now lets you categorize your videos. You should post the videos of Mimi eating fish and mice, too. You don't have to post them all today—you can space them out every few days."

"Remember to keep a lot of video material on hand and maintain a consistent update schedule. If your updates are unstable, it's hard to attract followers."

"And if you ever have something you need to do, you can do it without worrying."

Chu Mingcheng naturally took her advice. After all, she was the expert in this area.