Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts

Watching Wu Lingyu hopping away, Xu Qingfan felt somewhat helpless.

What he actually wanted to say just now was, "Yu, our relationship will definitely get even better in the future!"

But Wu Lingyu had clearly misunderstood, thinking he was up to no good again, so she ran off without a second word.

"Am I that kind of person? Unjustly accusing me of being innocent!" Xu Qingfan muttered resentfully in the empty room, grabbing his pajamas to go take a shower in the bathroom.

After a jolting day, soaking in the bathtub with his eyes closed, his fatigue was soothed away.

Xu Qingfan reviewed the day's meeting in his mind, checking for any oversights.

To set up an e-commerce platform like "WeChat's knife technique" from his previous life, negotiating with WeChat, which was an unavoidable giant at this stage, seemed essential while they were still manageable.

Besides, WeChat's headquarters was also located in Hong Kong. It was only right that everyone should work together, cooperate, and contribute to the economic development of Hong Kong.

With Xu Qingfan as a stumbling block, the once-dominant "WeChat's knife technique" would most likely become his weapon, and he wouldn't have to worry about newcomers!

All he needed to do was use security risks as an excuse to outright ban other e-commerce platforms from directly linking to his pages, a simple matter of coding.

The next step was to continuously deepen his own moats, increase the entry costs for newcomers, and subdue the adversary without a fight if possible.

"All settled." He removed the towel covering his face and reopened his eyes.

With his own vision and Zhang Chunxue's execution abilities, it was hard for Xu Qingfan to imagine how could possibly lose.

And with Aunt Zhang, the hexagonal war god, taking the lead, there was no need to worry about someone underhandedly tripping them up because the path of righteousness would teach them a lesson.

"I definitely can't make Auntie angry!"

About what could anger Zhang Chunxue, because of Xu Qingfan's repeated insistence, Auntie still mentioned a few points: first of all, of course, was not to engage in illegal activities—not gambling or drugs!

"Actually, it's needless to say, because Auntie knows Xiao Fan's character, you would definitely not do those things."

"If there is anything else, it's that Xiao Fan must never be an irresponsible man, no matter the circumstances!"

Zhang Chunxue said this seriously, and Xu Qingfan listened earnestly.

What came to mind first were Xiaoxiao, Wanning, Yu, Yiyi, and Ruan Wen; they all depended on him, so how could he possibly consider himself an irresponsible man if he wanted to have them all?

Perhaps he had somewhat brainwashed himself successfully.

"Auntie, I promise you, no matter when, I will be a responsible man!" Xu Qingfan vowed earnestly for once without feeling shy in front of Aunt Zhang.

"Mm, Auntie believes you." Zhang Chunxue smiled lightly, lips pursed. If she knew what Xu Qingfan was thinking at the moment, she would feel a mix of resignation and relief.

...

Back to reality.

Xu Qingfan leaned on the edge of the bathtub, muttering to himself, "Am I being responsible, or am I not?"

Although Zhang Chunxue had never spoken to him about her marital issues, Xu Qingfan had pieced together hints over the years and vaguely guessed a bit.

First, Yiyi's maternal grandparents didn't like her, and Xu Qingfan had never heard Yiyi mention her father since he was little.

So, it was probably because of the child that the couple divorced shortly after Yiyi was born. The man quickly started a new family and hadn't visited Yiyi even once over the years.

Now the question arises.

What does Zhang Chunxue mean by being a responsible man? Is it about being faithful to the marriage, or is it about taking on a father's duty to his child?

Xu Qingfan had originally thought that managing the harmony among the five girls was the hardest task, but now he suddenly realized that dealing with their five respective families was even more challenging!

Xu Qingfan hadn't thought about sneaky tactics either, like dragging things out and keeping secrets, not registering the marriage, and eventually showing up with five ultrasound reports and making a scene.

And then, we could start over.

Or maybe spend a few years marrying each of the five girls in turn, divorce them on the grounds of emotional breakdown after having children, and finally command respect under the guise of caring for my ex-wives!

That way, probably no need to start over, but the latter half of my life would likely be wheelchair-bound.

Both ideas are born of desperation, Xu Qingfan would of course not put them into action, although he sometimes thought himself despicable, he still wanted to be human.

"So annoying~ Stop thinking about it, just deal with one thing at a time, sort out the difficulties in front of you first." Xu Qingfan shook his head, casting myriad complex thoughts aside.

Rather than worrying about how to win over my father-in-law, better to think about how to woo Wanning, Yiyi, and Yu first!

"How can I smoothly let Wanning, Yiyi, and Yu know about their relationship?"

"And Ruan Wen, she's several versions behind everyone else. Why did Xia Xiaoxiao have to tell her about us when it wasn't necessary!"

Dealing with Xiao Ruawen was really difficult, I could only wait for the girl to take initiative.

After all, Xu Qingfan had already taken the initiative once, and that got him a huge slap across the face.

"Brother Fan?"

"Aren't you finished with your bath yet?"

The sudden sound of knocking interrupted his train of thought, followed by Wu Lingyu's voice coming through.

"Ah... Yu?"

"I'm done, just getting dressed now."

Xu Qingfan only then realized that the bathwater had gone cold, he quickly got out of the bathtub.

After drying the droplets of water off his butt and slipping on his underwear, he wrapped a towel around himself and opened the door.

"What's up?"

Wu Lingyu's throat moved, she stole a few glances at his abs, then quickly turned aside as if to clear herself of any guilt.

"Um... Brother Fan, you should put some clothes on first, being shirtless can make you catch a cold."

Xu Qingfan walked over to the bed, picked up the pajamas he'd dropped there earlier, and started getting dressed while saying, "Yu, you misunderstood me just now."

"Hm?" Wu Lingyu was ready to use this pretext to look at him, but now his chest and the lines of his vest along with his six-pack abs were covered by clothes.

"I was just saying that when Yu and I get old, we will definitely have a better relationship than my parents do now. Yu thought I was going to say something bad, so she ran off before I finished."

"Ah...."

Wu Lingyu slightly opened her mouth, followed by a long period of silence.

"Yes, definitely!" she brightened up with a smile.

Xu Qingfan walked over, placed the towel on her head, and helped her dry her hair.

"Tell me, coming to find me this late at night surely isn't just to think of a reward, right?" Xu Qingfan asked with a smile.

Wu Lingyu gave him a playful scold with her eyes, then opened her mouth to say, "I didn't say goodnight to you just now, I'm making up for it now."

Yu tiptoed, quickly pecked him on the lips, then turned around and fled without looking back.

"Goodnight, Brother Fan!"

Xu Qingfan watched her retreating figure and smiled in relief.

"Goodnight, Yu."

...