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

"Dad, Mom, I'm home."

The man's voice was soft and his tone was calm, like a casual remark he made one evening after school in high school, as he pushed open the door.

Wang Cuiping, who was wiping the table with a rag in the noodle shop, was stunned.

In the kitchen, Lin Ankang, who was chopping pickled mustard greens, also stopped chopping.

The two elderly people turned their heads in unison and looked at the young man standing at the door wearing a white shirt and carrying an old canvas bag.

Wang Cuiping was stunned for a second, then her eyes suddenly lit up with surprise.

She quickly threw down the rag in her hand, wiped her hands haphazardly on her apron, and hurried over to meet him.

"Oh my goodness, what brings you home at this hour!"

Wang Cuiping looked Lin Mo up and down. When she saw her son standing in front of her, all unharmed, her eyes immediately welled up with tears, but her face was full of genuine smiles.

"It's raining outside, are you wet? Are you cold?"

As she asked him how he was doing, she casually took the canvas bag from Lin Mo's hand, her eyes overflowing with affection.

In the kitchen, Lin Ankang placed the cleaver on the cutting board.

The old man strode out with a stern face, giving Lin Mo a once-over.

"How old are you? You don't even know to bring an umbrella when you go out. What kind of behavior is that?"

Lin Ankang was scolding him, but his eyes, which always looked stern, now held an undisguised sense of peace and reassurance.

The fact that everyone came back safe and sound is the best thing ever.

After a brief period of happiness, the shadow of reality slowly crept onto the elderly couple's brows.

Wang Cuiping put down her bag, pulled Lin Mo to sit down on the bench, her voice unconsciously lowered, and a hint of worry appeared in her eyes.

"Mo'er... does the boss over there know you're back this time?"

"Your dad and I have seen some of what's going on online, that... five million in breach of contract fees, what exactly happened?"

Lin Ankang pulled up a chair and sat down, took out a crumpled pack of cheap cigarettes from his pocket, knocked one out, and put it in his mouth.

"Paying back debts is a matter of course." The old man's tone was somewhat heavy, but he didn't get angry. "If you really get into trouble outside, we'll face it together. I've already put the noodle shop up for sale, and the house can be sold too."

"But there's one condition: our Lin family cannot be deserters."

Faced with her parents' concerns, Lin Mo didn't rush to explain the contract termination or the trending topics.

He knew all too well that when a person has a heavy weight on their mind, they can't listen to long lectures.

He simply watched his parents quietly, looking at his mother's gray hair and his father's rough fingers holding a cigarette.

Then, he made an extremely relaxed movement.

He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms on the table, and looked up at the two elders.

"Dad, Mom."

Lin Mo's voice was steady and deep, carrying an indescribable calmness and composure.

"I took a long, slow train, then transferred to a minibus, and walked two miles."

"I'm hungry, is there any noodles at home?"

"Make me a bowl of scallion oil noodles, with a fried egg, and make sure it's runny."

This most ordinary, down-to-earth phrase instantly broke the heavy atmosphere in the shop.

Wang Cuiping was stunned for a moment, then nodded repeatedly.

"Yes! We've got noodles! We can talk about anything else after we've eaten!"

She turned to Lin Ankang and shouted, "Old man, what are you smoking for! Our son's hungry, hurry up and start a fire! Fry three eggs! Use the best sesame oil!"

Lin Ankang took the cigarette he had just put in his mouth off, tucked it behind his ear, and snorted coldly.

"You come back and all you do is order me around? Who's the boss, you or me?"

The old man grumbled and cursed, but he walked faster than anyone else, practically plunging headfirst into the kitchen.

Less than half a minute later, the "boom" of the stove being lit came from the kitchen.

Immediately afterwards, a rich aroma, unique to old-fashioned Jiangnan noodle shops, filled the air.

The snow-white pork fat melted in the hot wok, and finely chopped scallions were thrown in, instantly sizzling and crackling.

The aroma of scallions mixed with the savory scent of lard forcefully assaults the nostrils.

Pour the soy sauce into the hot pan, and it will release a rich, caramel-like flavor.

Hearing that familiar voice and smelling that familiar scent, Lin Mo's tense nerves finally relaxed completely.

This is the essence of everyday life.

Lin Mo took out his phone from his pocket and placed it on the table.

The moment the screen lit up, a barrage of WeChat messages bombarded me.

The profile picture is a cartoon cat wearing sunglasses and looking arrogant, and the nickname is just one word: Jiang.

"Lin Mo! Have you arrived yet?"

"Is it raining in Jiangnan? I hate rainy days the most, my shoes will get wet."

"Tell me honestly, did you look around at the girls in town on your way home?"

"I'm so hungry... This is inedible. I want to eat your cooking."

"Are your parents good-tempered? Do they dislike that I can't do housework...?"

Looking at these messages that exuded a strong sense of "double standards, clinginess, and stubbornness," Lin Mo couldn't help but smile faintly.

This woman, who is clearly a cold and aloof beauty in the capital's social circles, becomes a gossipy and insecure chatterbox around him.

He typed with one hand and replied slowly and deliberately.

"I'm home. I'm waiting for my noodles."

"My dad's cooking is better than mine. I'll bring you to try it next time."

"Also, no picky eating, finish your food."

After sending the message, he simply placed his phone face down on the table, ignoring the little wildcat in Beijing that was likely to get angry again.

Ten minutes later, a large bowl was placed heavily in front of Lin Mo.

The noodles were distinct and coated with glistening sauce, topped not only with three golden-brown fried eggs on both sides, but also with a thick layer of tender braised pork.

Lin Ankang pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down. He took the cigarette out of his ear and put it in his mouth again, but still didn't light it.

Wang Cuiping sat next to Lin Mo, her hands folded on the table, her eyes fixed on him.

Lin Mo picked up his chopsticks, mixed the noodles, and began to eat them in large mouthfuls.

The noodles are chewy, the scallion oil is rich, and when you bite into the poached egg, the golden yolk flows down your chopsticks.

"tasty."

Lin Mo swallowed a big mouthful of noodles, gave a thumbs up, and said, "Dad, with your skills, even the head chefs of the big restaurants in Beijing would have to take a backseat."

Lin Ankang snorted coldly, but a hint of barely suppressed smugness flashed in his eyes.

"Stop flattering me. I've been making noodles for thirty years, do I need your praise?"

He paused, then his tone became muffled again, "Are you full? If you are, then tell me all the mess you've gotten into outside."

Lin Mo took a sip of hot soup and pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth.

He slowly unzipped the old canvas bag, took out a brown paper bag, poured out a thick document, and pushed it in front of Lin Ankang.

"Dad, look at this."

Lin Ankang frowned, vigorously wiped his hands on his apron, and then carefully picked up the document.

The old man wasn't highly educated, but he could still recognize the bold characters at the top.

"A termination... agreement?"

"Turn to the last page and look at that red official seal," Lin Mo guided calmly.

Lin Ankang swallowed hard, turned to the last page, and read it aloud word by word.

"Both parties...unconditionally terminate the contract...and the penalty for breach of contract...is waived?"

Lin Ankang suddenly raised his head, his eyes wide open, his face full of disbelief.

"It's waived?! Five million... just like that?"

Wang Cuiping also went over. Although she couldn't read the words, she was so excited when she heard the word "exemption" that she grabbed Lin Mo's arm.

"Mo'er, they didn't force you to sign any unfair terms, did they?"

Lin Mo chuckled softly and shook his head.

"Not only did I not lose money, but I also didn't lose any money."

He picked up his phone, which was lying face down on the table, opened the mobile banking app, and entered his password.

Then, he turned on the screen and pushed it between the elderly couple.

"They also paid me the appearance fee and some compensation for emotional distress."

In the dimly lit noodle shop, the light from the phone screen appeared exceptionally clear.

Lin Ankang trembled as he extended a rough finger, pointed at the string of numbers on the screen, and began to count.

"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions..."

By the end, the old man's voice was cracking.

five million.

The noodle shop was deathly silent, with only the rustling sound of the early winter wind blowing through the awning outside.

"You..." Lin Ankang was so frightened that his hand trembled and he almost dropped his phone.

He glared at Lin Mo, and after a long pause, finally managed to blurt out, "You didn't go sell yourself, did you?!"

Wang Cuiping was also terrified, her face turning pale: "Son, it's okay if we're poor, but you absolutely mustn't do anything illegal!"

Lin Mo chuckled and put his phone away.

He crossed his arms and, in the simplest and most understandable language, explained to the two elders in detail what had happened on the island in the past few days.

He didn't mention Jiang Ruoyun's terrifyingly wealthy background, only saying that he originally wanted to give up and be eliminated, but his cooking skills were so good that he became popular and became the show's cash cow.

"Dad, Mom, young people these days call this 'traffic' (internet traffic)."

Lin Mo spoke in a nonchalant tone, as if he were talking about something trivial that had nothing to do with him.

"The production team made money off me, so they were in the wrong from the start. Therefore, they not only didn't charge me a penalty for breach of contract, but also gave me a bonus."

He pointed to the contract, then to his phone.

"The money is clean; taxes have been paid."

"I didn't run away; I came back openly and honestly."

At this point, Lin Mo looked at his parents, each word spoken with conviction.

"So, our family's debts are gone."

"The house doesn't need to be sold, and the noodle shop doesn't need to be transferred."

These words were like a warm breeze, completely dispelling the gloom that had been hanging over the Lin family.

Wang Cuiping stared blankly at the contract on the table.

Suddenly, she let out a long breath, and tears slid down her cheeks.

But this time it wasn't despair, it was complete peace of mind.

"It's alright...it's alright..." she muttered incoherently, turning around to pick up the large bowl that Lin Mo had just emptied. "Mom will make you some more, you've gotten so thin."

Lin Ankang remained silent.

The old man, his eyes red, silently picked up a piece of pickled radish from the jar of pickled vegetables on the table, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed it vigorously, trying to hide the slight upturn of his lips.

He chewed very slowly and with great effort.

After a while.

Lin Ankang suddenly stood up, the chair scraping against the terrazzo floor with a "screech".

He strode up to the glass door of the noodle shop without any hesitation.

He stretched out his rough, large hand and grabbed the crookedly pasted red paper that read "Shop for Sale".

"Sizzle—"

The red paper was torn off fiercely and crumpled into a tightly clenched ball.

Lin Ankang opened the door and, with all his might, threw the crumpled paper into the trash can outside.

He dusted off his hands, turned to look at Lin Mo, and raised his chin slightly.

"I knew you were like me, tough as nails, you're not going to fail."

The drizzle outside is still falling.

But for the Lin family, this day marked a complete stabilization.

However, although the family crisis was resolved, this tranquil water town had no intention of letting things rest.

Under the eaves of the general store opposite the noodle shop.

Aunt Zhang was holding an umbrella and craning her neck to look into the noodle shop.

Uncle Li, who runs the hardware store next door, is holding his phone, pointing it at a short video and repeatedly comparing it to the back view of the person in the white shirt in the noodle shop.

"Hey, Old Li, look, isn't that Old Lin's kid?"

"No mistake! It's all over the internet! They say he not only became famous on TV, but also completely captivated a very wealthy heiress in Beijing!"

"Really? With the Lin family's background, they can actually marry a rich young lady from the capital?"

In this damp and cold weather, the gossip among neighbors is spreading like wildfire.