Ch 77: After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

The Star River Coast’s fireworks show had always been a grand affair—year after year, the crowds surged like waves. The coastline was divided into two sections: a viewing zone, which featured neat rows of minimalist round tables that could accommodate about twenty tables of guests, and a pedestrian zone, where people had to stand packed together to watch, though it could hold several hundred attendees.

By the time Ruan Cha finished her milk tea, the remaining four members—Xu Nan, Xie Chang’an, Ji Feiyang, and Xie Sui—had all arrived. Amid the bustling crowd, the group spotted Ji Feiyang trudging along stiffly, half-dragging the dazed, sleepwalking-looking Xie Sui in a slow and painful march.

“……”

It was hard to tell which one of them was suffering more.

Xie Chang’an had a DSLR slung around his neck and a backpack full of snacks. The moment he got his ticket from Ruan Cha, he was ready to lead the group to the viewing area.

But as soon as he turned, Ruan Cha grabbed him by the arm.

Seeing his excitement, she sighed helplessly,

“Xie Chang’an, maybe read the ticket first before running off?”

“Huh? We’re not in the viewing zone?”

Before Chang’an could answer, Ji Feiyang froze, staring at Fu Chen in disbelief.

“You picked the pedestrian zone?”

Crowded. Shoulder to shoulder. No seats.

Damn, Fu Chen—your intentions are showing!

After roasting him, Ji Feiyang leaned in, lowering his voice so only Fu Chen could hear over the noise.

“Bro, be honest. Are you planning to use the excuse of ‘too crowded, might get separated’ to hold Ruan Cha’s hand later? That’s way too calculated!”

Fu Chen: “……”

He’d had enough. With one motion, he slapped the ticket onto Ji Feiyang’s face and said in a low voice,

“Take a good look at what’s written on it.”

Of course… if he really did get the chance to hold hands, he wouldn’t mind at all.

Hearing that, Xie Chang’an and Ji Feiyang quickly looked down at their tickets—and both of them froze.

“We’re in the cruise zone. We’ll head straight to the pier for boarding.”

Ruan Cha waved her ticket and patiently explained:

“The ship has snacks and entertainment. We’ll all be able to enjoy the fireworks comfortably and happily.”

This was her first time acting as team leader—she had to make sure everything went perfectly.

After speaking, she linked arms with Xu Nan and Huang Jiajia, and the three girls cheerfully jogged toward the pier for ticket check-in. Since it wasn’t peak crowd time yet, the coast wasn’t too packed.

Watching them go, Ji Feiyang peeled the still-drowsy Xie Sui off his own shoulder and dumped him onto Xie Chang’an.

“Let the cousins keep each other company.”

He turned to Fu Chen, frowning.

“Wait, cruise zone? I thought those had to be booked three or four months in advance? You planned this way ahead?”

After all, cruise tickets were hard to reserve—only about six or seven yachts were allowed to dock. Normally, they were snapped up months in advance by rich insiders wanting to throw private parties.

Fu Chen paused, glancing at him sideways without replying. Since Feiyang knew to shut up now, he let it go and headed toward the pier.

Originally, after watching footage from past fireworks festivals, Fu Chen had thought the viewing area wasn’t that great. He’d given up on his original plan of getting the others to step away so he could be alone with Ruan Cha there.

Instead, he’d arranged for the presidential suite balcony at his family’s Xinghe Hotel for the group to enjoy the show.

But then, on New Year’s Eve, while they were chatting on WeChat, Ruan Cha sent him a picture of cruise tickets and two ship diagrams, asking which spot had the better view.

Thinking back to that moment, Fu Chen couldn’t help but smile and shake his head.

Spending time alone? Yeah… probably not gonna happen.

——

Elsewhere.

Xu Nan and Huang Jiajia, who had boarded the cruise earlier, were both full of curiosity—especially Huang Jiajia, whose eyes practically sparkled with gossip.

“Cha Cha, whose cruise ship did you get this from?”

Ruan Cha scratched her head.

“My dad asked an uncle to help buy it the year before last. But later he got too busy and forgot all about it. It’s just been docked and maintained this whole time, never used.”

“Then the day before yesterday, my dad heard we were coming to watch the fireworks. He slapped his forehead and remembered—hey, we’ve got a yacht parked at the Star River Coast dock.”

It wasn’t just this one either—Uncle Ye also had a yacht and had originally offered it to her. But after asking Fu Chen which location offered a better view, she decided to go with her family’s own.

Huang Jiajia & Xu Nan: “……”

Every time they thought they had a handle on Ruan Cha’s background, she’d casually throw out a new surprise that smacked them in the face.

To be fair, their families also had yachts, but on the day of the fireworks festival, getting a spot to dock at the Star River Pier was a nightmare. They had no clue how Ruan Dad managed to pull it off.

The moment the group boarded the yacht, attendants came forward to welcome them. On a long white dining table lay beautifully presented seafood dishes, and a nearby table was stacked with things like Ludo and bridge cards for entertainment.

Smelling the aroma of the food, Xie Sui, still half-asleep, sniffed the air and tilted his head toward Ruan Cha, his voice laced with rare grievance:

“Ruan Cha… don’t we have any napa cabbage?”

He really wanted to eat Three Slacker Fish’s cabbage again. What was the meaning of life if not food and sleep?

His words were instantly seconded by Huang Jiajia, but worried she might make things difficult for Ruan Cha, she explained on her behalf,

“I want it too, but Three Slacker’s cabbage is hard to buy. Even your parents had a hard time getting some—the last batch all went to our school’s cafeteria. It’s not something you can just get again.”

Originally, Ruan Cha hadn’t planned on bringing up Three Slacker, especially with over a dozen people in her [Foodies] WeChat group.

But seeing Huang Jiajia speak up for her, she felt a little guilty about hiding it.

“Actually… it’s not that hard to get, if you really want it.”

Huang Jiajia: ???

Under the expectant gazes of everyone except Fu Chen, Ruan Cha coughed lightly.

“Three Slacker Fish… is actually our family’s own farm. If you guys want to eat it, I can ask the aunties and uncles who watch the mountain to go up and pull a few heads. Ten or more cabbages is totally doable. It’s just that it takes time—getting from Cabbage Mountain to Nanshi takes almost half a day.”

“And I can’t exactly ask them to go pick cabbage in the middle of the night.”

Everyone else: ……

They had underestimated her.

Back then, the whole social circle thought that the Liang family taking back the Ruan trio was like adopting three delicate ancestors who’d need to be pampered—and that the Liang family paid for everything.

But reality?

Not even close.

The idea of getting alone time? Yeah, that was definitely off the table.

——

On the other side.

Already aboard the yacht, Xu Nan and Huang Jiajia were bursting with curiosity—especially Huang Jiajia, whose gossip radar was off the charts.

“Cha Cha, who’d you get this yacht from?”

Ruan Cha scratched her head.

“My dad bought it through an uncle two years ago. Then he got busy and forgot about it—it’s just been docked for maintenance ever since.”

“Then the day before yesterday, when he heard we were going to the fireworks festival, he slapped his forehead and remembered: oh right, we have a yacht docked at the Xinghe Coast pier.”

And it wasn’t just their family’s yacht—Uncle Ye had one too and offered it to her. But after asking Fu Chen which one had the better viewing angle, she chose her own yacht.

Huang Jiajia & Xu Nan: “……”

Every time they thought they understood Ruan Cha’s background, she’d casually throw out another power move.

Truth be told, both of their families owned yachts too—but a prime viewing spot at Xinghe Pier during the fireworks show? Now that was elite. They had no clue how Ruan Dad locked it down.

As soon as Ruan Cha’s group boarded, the attendants came up to greet them. On a long white table lay plates of finely prepared seafood dishes, while a side table was filled with games like Ludo and bridge cards.

The aroma hit, and half-asleep Xie Sui twitched his nose and turned his head toward Ruan Cha, his voice carrying rare complaint:

“Ruan Cha… don’t we have any napa cabbage?”

He really wanted to eat Three Slacker Fish’s cabbage again. Wasn’t the point of life good food and sleep?

His comment got full approval from Huang Jiajia, but she was considerate enough to help explain for Cha Cha’s sake.

“I want it too, but that cabbage is hard to buy. The last batch your parents bought all went to our school cafeteria—it’s not easy to get more.”

Ruan Cha hadn’t planned to bring up Three Slacker, especially since the [Foodies] WeChat group had over a dozen members. But seeing Huang Jiajia speak up for her, she couldn’t keep it a secret anymore.

“Actually… it’s not that hard to get, if you really want it.”

Huang Jiajia: ???

Under the curious gazes of everyone except Fu Chen, Ruan Cha cleared her throat.

“Three Slacker Fish is actually grown by my family. If you all want to eat it, I can ask the uncles and aunties watching the mountain to pull a few heads for you—ten or more cabbages no problem. It just takes time. Getting it from Cabbage Mountain to Nanshi takes almost half a day.”

“And I can’t exactly ask them to go pick cabbage in the middle of the night.”

Everyone: …

They had seriously underestimated her.

Back when the Ruan family returned to the Liang family, everyone in the social circle assumed it was like adopting three spoiled ancestors—the Liangs would have to foot the bill for their food, clothes, and everything else.

But reality?

The Ruan trio didn’t need a single handout. They had networks, money, and independence—and even without the Liangs, their life was thriving.

Xie Sui’s sleepy eyes instantly brightened. He leaned forward.

“Ruan Cha, I want—”

“Just talk, don’t lean in. It’s already cramped.”

Fu Chen calmly grabbed his collar and pulled him back a bit.

Ji Feiyang, holding in his laughter, pushed Xie Sui onto a chair.

“You’re tall, sit and talk. Finish up, then go back to sleep—perfect timing.”

Xie Sui: ……

I don’t wanna sleep, I wanna talk about cabbage.

Meanwhile, Huang Jiajia, in prime hugging position, easily wrapped herself around Ruan Cha’s arm, acting all cutesy.

“Cha Cha, I wanna buy cabbage too.”

“Buy, buy, buy—I’ll move you to the front of the line.”

Ruan Cha caved immediately. Jiajia was already sweet and soft like a doll—when she acted cute, it was lethal. Her nose nearly bled.

“After the fireworks show, I’ll have my mom add you guys to the cabbage customer list, okay?”

Huang Jiajia lit up with joy, nearly kissed her on the cheek—though she held back in case it made Cha Cha shy. She settled for a big hug.

Seeing that, Xu Nan built up the courage to go up and hug Cha Cha too.

Turns out—

Being happy also meant hugging your bestie.

She thought about the Spring Festival blessing and signed photo Cha Cha delivered from Liang Cunjin, and with her cheeks pink, hugged her again—pretending it was like hugging her idol.

Hearing Cha Cha agree to the cabbage, Xie Sui finally relaxed.

He mumbled a thank you, crossed his arms over the table, and dropped his head back down, quickly falling into a fragrant nap.

The others were half-amused, half-exasperated. If the Xie family hadn’t confirmed his health, they’d all assume he had narcolepsy.

Seeing him really asleep, Ruan Cha asked someone to fetch a light blanket to cover him—after all, it was windy on the yacht and easy to catch a chill.

“I got it.”

Fu Chen naturally took the blanket from her hands, gave it a little shake, and gently draped it over Xie Sui.

Huang Jiajia, watching the whole exchange, tilted her head.

Why did it feel like there was definitely something going on between Cha Cha and Fu Chen again?

Meanwhile, Xie Chang’an, just recovering from the string of surprises, pulled out snacks from his bag and called out with his DSLR,

“Come on, let’s take a group photo before the fireworks start!”

Ruan Cha had wanted to take pictures with her friends anyway, so she happily jumped in and helped arrange everyone to face the scenic, painting-like coastline.

Just as they were figuring out their positions, they all looked up—

Only to find that sleeping Xie Sui, still wrapped in a blanket, had mysteriously floated over like a ghost, eyes half-lidded.

“……”

Bro, are you really asleep or not?

As soon as he got there, Xie Sui closed his eyes again, wrapped the blanket tighter, and went straight back to sleep.

At that, everyone burst out laughing.

Fu Chen, chuckling, leaned toward Ruan Cha and whispered,

“Don’t worry. Once the photo’s being taken, the Sleep Burrito will magically open his eyes.”

Ruan Cha instantly thought back to when they first met and how he sleepwalked all the way to the cafeteria with no issue.

She lowered her voice in awe,

“Legendary skill. I’m jealous.”

Getting everything done without losing sleep—peak salted-fish lifestyle.

Fu Chen didn’t hear her comment at all. He was far too distracted by the warm breath brushing his neck, his heart thumping so fast it felt like fireworks exploding in his veins.

“Ah!!! The fireworks show’s starting!”

Huang Jiajia waved excitedly.

“Everyone come here! Xie Chang’an, hurry up! If you wait too long, you’ll miss your spot in the photo!”

Xie Chang’an, adjusting the tripod:

“Coming! Coming! Don’t rush! And stop bouncing—you’ll mess up your makeup and the pictures will turn out bad!”

Ruan Cha laughed, tugged Fu Chen’s arm,

“Let’s go too! Gotta get a good spot!”

Staring up at the dazzling fireworks lighting up the night sky, Fu Chen was speechless for a moment.

So…

He hadn’t imagined it.

There really were fireworks.

Then he looked down at Ruan Cha’s hand still wrapped around his arm, and a soft, faint smile played at his lips.

Technically speaking, they were holding hands.

——

Author’s Note:

Technically speaking…

You’re dating. All right, your scene is done now.