The dating reality show host just wanted to give up, but the rich girl fell for him.

During the plum rain season in Jiangnan, the fine, sorrowful rain weaves a layer of hazy veil in the air.

The damp air seeps into every nook and cranny, giving this secluded southern town a sense of antiquity and comfort.

"Sizzle—"

A rural bus with peeling paint and its exhaust pipe spewing out thick black smoke screeched to a stop, wobbling precariously beside a muddy ditch at the town's entrance.

Like an old man in his twilight years, the car door slowly sprang open with a sickening metallic scraping sound.

Lin Mo opened a black long-handled umbrella that he had bought for ten yuan at a roadside convenience store.

He carried the worn-out gray-blue canvas bag he'd worn out on the island in one hand and stepped steadily out of the car.

The soles of the cheap sneakers stepped onto the wet cobblestone path, splashing water and soiling the faded edges of the shoes.

But he didn't even frown.

The scene at this moment presents a stark and even jarring contrast to the mirror-like marble floor of Beijing Capital International Airport just hours earlier.

There is a somber VIP-only passage there.

There were rows of top-notch bodyguards wearing sunglasses and black suits.

There's even the golf club belonging to my father-in-law, Jiang Jianguo, which is always ready to be swung down and has a titanium alloy core.

And what about here?

There were no blinding spotlights, no long lenses and cameras covering every angle.

There was no nouveau riche like Zhao Kuo, who was always ready to bite people, nor were there tens of millions of netizens who were frantically spamming the live stream and were full of rebellious spirits.

The only sound here is the sizzling of fried dough sticks on the street corner.

Only the slightly hoarse shouts of the old man selling maltose could be heard.

And the air was filled with a slightly acidic smell of moss, soil, and fermented soybean residue.

Lin Mo took a deep breath of the moist air, which carried a slightly earthy smell.

The tension in my chest, which had been taut for a whole month because of the relationship and the exorbitant breach of contract fee, completely relaxed in that instant.

"This is my real world."

He lowered his eyes, listening to the white noise of raindrops hitting the umbrella, and chuckled softly in complete relaxation.

For a master who was extremely skilled in everything from music, chess, calligraphy, painting, traditional Chinese medicine, and cooking in his previous life.

In this life, he only wants to live by the motto of "eating, drinking, and waiting to die".

Those so-called worlds of fame and fortune, tens of millions in appearance fees, and trending topics that dominate the charts.

In his eyes, none of them combined could compare to the simple bowl of plain noodles at the alley entrance, topped with a generous spoonful of soul-stirring lard.

Lin Mo, with one hand in his pocket and holding a black umbrella, strolled leisurely through the narrow streets and alleys filled with the atmosphere of the city.

The drizzle tapped on the umbrella surface and dripped down the ribs in lines.

As he walked, a stunningly beautiful face suddenly appeared in his mind.

That's Jiang Ruoyun.

That aloof and cold-looking daughter of Beijing's richest man, seemingly untouched by worldly affairs.

Actually?

But he's a fool who gets sauce all over his mouth when he eats and is so afraid of thunder that he tries to burrow into someone's arms.

She's a super little foodie who will squat in the dilapidated courtyard on the island without any regard for her image, eagerly waiting for him to feed her.

She's also a silly girl who, in order to protect him, abandoned all the reserve of a billionaire heiress and dared to throw her unlimited black card directly at the villain's face.

I remember how reluctant she looked when we parted at the island airport.

She clutched the sleeve of her white shirt tightly, her eyes red-rimmed, like a kitten afraid of being abandoned.

And then there's that soft yet incredibly stubborn line, "I'll be waiting for you in the capital; you must come."

Lin Mo paused slightly, stopping in the rain.

On his face, which usually exuded laziness and nonchalance, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curved into an extremely doting smile.

"She's clearly a pampered young lady who never lifts a finger and can't even recognize the way around."

"He insisted on coming with me to the deserted island to eat those simple meals, and he ate them with such relish."

Lin Mo shook his head helplessly, but his eyes were filled with a tenderness that he himself did not realize.

He had already planned his retirement path long ago.

After settling the mess of the five million yuan penalty, I returned to this water town in Jiangnan.

He runs his own hole-in-the-wall restaurant, sleeping until he naturally wakes up every day, living like a salted fish that has completely lost all dreams.

But now, it seems that there is an extremely strong invisible thread in his heart.

The other end of this thread was tightly tied to the city of Beijing, thousands of miles away, and bound to the wrist of that foolish young lady.

"For that little glutton, I'll venture into that place teeming with powerful and wealthy, and wade into its murky waters..."

"It seems quite interesting."

Lin Mo murmured softly, his eyes losing their usual Buddhist-like indifference and gaining a hint of extremely restrained yet terrifying sharpness.

He's a max-level player.

Do you really think his state banquet-level culinary skills and lost intangible cultural heritage techniques are just for show?

Open a shop in Beijing, and with just a few simple moves, you could make those self-proclaimed refined and powerful people kneel down and sing "Conquer."

But he would never act like a son-in-law, trying to climb the social ladder by marrying into the Jiang family empty-handed.

He wanted to walk up to her with an upright and invincible demeanor.

However, before that.

He must first resolve the deepest ties left by this body.

Although he now occupies the original owner's body, the memories and emotions of the two lives have already been perfectly integrated in the past month or so.

He could clearly feel the pulse of the blood flowing within this body.

You can feel the deep affection for this dilapidated town and for those ordinary yet extremely great parents.

The rain gradually subsided, turning into wisps of misty rain typical of southern China.

Lin Mo turned a very familiar street corner, stopped, and slowly raised his head.

At the end of the line of sight is a narrow, old alleyway, marked by the marks of time.

At the entrance of the alley, a restaurant with a tiny storefront and a signboard blackened by years of cooking fumes quietly opened its doors.

Lin's Noodle Shop.

The five large, simple red characters are badly peeling, with the edges covered in patina from years of wear.

The store had no luxurious decorations whatsoever, and even the floor tiles were somewhat cracked.

There were only a few gleaming stainless steel folding tables and a cement floor covered in muddy marks from the rain.

In the huge iron pot by the door, an extremely rich pork bone broth was simmering.

The milky white water gurgled and churned, sending up large plumes of warm white steam.

Everything inside the store was shrouded in a somewhat blurry mist.

In the rising steam, a middle-aged couple wearing faded old aprons were busy at their work at a counter, their backs to the street corner.

Those were Lin's father and mother.

Lin Mo's right hand, gripping the umbrella handle, unconsciously tightened slightly, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the force.

He didn't go forward immediately, but instead watched the two familiar yet unfamiliar figures quietly through the rain.

Lin's father was bent over, kneading a yellowish dough with great force.

That back, which should have been straight, now appeared unusually hunched.

It was as if an invisible mountain weighing a thousand pounds was pressing down on his shoulders, making it extremely difficult for him to even breathe.

Lin's mother was chopping scallions nearby.

Although his movements were fairly nimble, he had to stop in excruciating pain every few cuts and pound his aching, stiff lower back with the back of his hand.

What stung Lin Mo's eyes the most were the large clumps of silver hair on the two elders' temples.

It was far more than I remembered, far too much, far too shocking.

In the original owner's remaining memories, her parents worked hard day and night, spending half their lives by the stove.

But they are always energetic, with the optimistic smiles typical of businessmen from Jiangnan on their faces.

But in just a few short months...

Because of the original owner's stupid decision as a complete simp, and because of that gold-digging woman, Su Qing.

Because of that "sky-high penalty of five million" that was full of fraud and malice.

For this honest and simple couple, their world had completely collapsed.

They were so anxious that they didn't dare to sleep all night, and they shamelessly went around asking relatives and friends for money.

They had even secretly contacted a real estate agent, considering selling the small noodle shop that they relied on for survival and into which they had poured half their lives.

The heavy years did not break them.

But their extreme anxiety about their son's future and their fear of the vast capital made them age more than ten years overnight.

That kind of vicissitude and weariness etched into one's bones can be clearly transmitted even through a rain curtain several meters away.

A surge of genuine warmth and piercing guilt welled up in Lin Mo's heart like a tidal wave.

It slammed hard into his chest, making his breathing catch slightly and his eyes even feel hot.

The sins committed by the previous generation and the mess they left behind almost completely destroyed this ordinary yet warm home.

"Those heartless capitalists who devour people without spitting out the bones and only know how to use dual contracts deserve to die."

Lin Mo took a deep breath of the cool air, forcibly suppressing the complex emotions surging in his eyes.

Fortunately, all the nightmares are finally over.

That arrogant and domineering Zhao Kuo is probably wearing a silver bracelet and singing "Tears Behind Bars" in the police station right now.

Su Qing, that gold-digging ex-girlfriend, has been condemned by the entire internet, ending up disgraced and homeless.

More importantly, the exorbitant penalty for breach of contract has been averted.

He even received a special bonus of five million yuan from the production team for free.

He is now clean and free, an extremely free and unburdened max-level boss.

Lin Mo folded up the long-handled black umbrella and casually flicked the water droplets off the ribs.

He strode across the shallow puddles and steadily stepped onto the moss-covered stone steps leading to the noodle shop.

The familiar aroma of noodle soup, mixed with the smoky fragrance of fried chili peppers, instantly enveloped his entire body.

Lin Mo looked at the elderly couple who were still working diligently with their heads down, and his nose suddenly stung with tears.

He steadied his breathing, letting go of all his defenses and pretenses in front of the camera.

In that most ordinary, down-to-earth, and instantly reassuringly lazy voice, she softly called out:

"Dad, Mom."

"Don't bother, I'm back."

The sound wasn't loud.

But it pierced through the dense rain and the boiling sound in the iron pot with remarkable clarity, reaching every corner of the noodle shop.

"Clatter".

The handful of thin noodles that Lin's mother was about to put into the pot fell onto the cutting board without warning, getting covered in snow-white flour.

Lin's father's rough hands, which were kneading dough, suddenly froze.

He seemed to be frozen in place, his breath catching in his throat for half a second.

The air seemed to be completely sucked out in that instant.

Even the drizzle outside seemed to slow its descent at that moment.

Two seconds later.

Two pairs of eyes, bloodshot and extremely cloudy and tired.

With extreme shock, disbelief, and ecstatic joy at the thought that it was all an illusion, he turned his head very slowly.