Chapter 24: The Reason Behind the Hostess’s Enthusiasm

Zhang Pu was indifferent to the attitude of those two girls toward him; after all, he didn't care for them either. Coming to their home was merely a matter of social obligation, nothing more than going through the motions.

It was the hostess, Xu Huiping, who genuinely surprised him this time. Although he had felt a hint of doubt during her invitation phone call, now, experiencing her warmth in person, his sense of astonishment rose anew. Perhaps it was some kind of conscience awakening in this woman, he mused inwardly.

Regardless, her enthusiasm was welcome—without it, even sharing a meal here would have been awkward. The food she prepared was decent; Zhang Pu thought it was at least far better than the haphazard fast food and takeout he had been subsisting on recently.

This, perhaps, was what a home should be like—the happiness of home. Ordinary students away at school longed for such a life. Yet Zhang Pu was an exception. He knew that once he reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment in his cultivation, he could gradually do without food altogether. No matter how skilled Xu Huiping was in the kitchen, she could never compare to his own mother.

Still, he ate this meal naturally enough. Having spent a thousand years in the cultivation world, he was no longer the naive youth of his previous life. If he wished, he could deploy his social prowess and easily win over a woman like Xu Huiping. Moreover, this time, the shrewish hostess was actively extending her hospitality.

All feasts must end, even the pleasant ones. After sitting politely for a while at the Hong family home, Zhang Pu chose to take his leave.

Descending from the Hong family's apartment, he did not expect Xu Huiping to follow immediately after him. What was with this sudden burst of enthusiasm? A more impure-minded youth might suspect she was trying to seduce him.

But Zhang Pu felt nothing but a light, detached indifference toward her. Xu Huiping, breathing heavily from her hurried steps, came up to tell him she had forgotten to mention something earlier.

Oh? Was there really such a thing?

Zhang Pu found it curious: a shrewd woman like Xu Huiping, forgetting something—especially at a dinner that seemed meticulously planned by her. More likely, she had chosen this moment deliberately, away from her husband and daughter, as well as her niece.

Had it been his previous life, his heart would have pounded nervously. But now, after wandering through countless star realms in the cultivation world, a mature woman like Xu Huiping was nothing but a drop in a vast ocean of women, hardly worth notice. His heart was as calm and still as a dead pond, without exaggeration.

At this moment, Zhang Pu was simply curious: he genuinely wanted to see if this woman could produce anything surprising.

This Sunday, Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying’s circle was planning an outing, and Xu Huiping had signed Zhang Pu up, seemingly forcing Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying to agree to his inclusion.

That was the news Xu Huiping had rushed over to tell him.

In his previous life, Zhang Pu might have fainted with happiness, dizzy with misunderstanding, and the reader's imagination could fill in the blanks. But this life, his heart remained as tranquil as ever: was it a joke that someone like Xu Huiping could stir the inner world of the formidable Emperor Zhang of the cultivation realms?

What did Xu Huiping mean by this gesture?

Despite his busy cultivation schedule, he thought carefully: Xu Huiping arranging a trip for him on the weekend, letting him join Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying’s group—wasn't this a benefit after the dinner invitation? Truly a benevolent person!

Maybe he had been too suspicious; perhaps he ought to slap himself for doubting her motives.

In his previous life, he would have felt ashamed, blaming himself for judging a noble soul with petty suspicion. But now, with his insight, he could see directly into the heart of an ordinary person, even if his cultivation wasn’t yet sufficient.

As expected, Xu Huiping had more to add—she made a special point of it.

Xu Huiping gave Zhang Pu a small task, as if assuming he wouldn't dare refuse her command.

She hinted that Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying already had potential suitors. In today’s society, early maturity was the norm, and as an aunt and mother, she was resigned to facing reality. Perhaps her words were meant to comfort Zhang Pu a bit: he shouldn’t feel disappointed, since as a country boy lacking both looks and merit, it was impossible for him to woo either Wu Xiaomei or Hong Yingying.

Her true intention was for Zhang Pu to report back on how Wu Xiaomei, Hong Yingying, and their boyfriends interacted. She didn't want anything inappropriate to happen during this outing.

Normally, Hong Yingying and Wu Xiaomei were tightly monitored at home, but this time, she believed they had found an opportunity to be with their boyfriends. Xu Huiping thought this situation was ripe for trouble, yet for certain reasons, she couldn't prevent the outing.

As a parent, she was excluded from joining, but Zhang Pu was not. He could represent her, allowing her to maintain contact from afar and exert remote control over the girls.

What nonsense was this?

In his previous life, Zhang Pu might have felt flattered by the Hong family’s favor, but now he simply found Xu Huiping’s scheme annoyingly trivial.

He could easily have refused, yet in the end, he found himself agreeing almost involuntarily.

He wasn’t sure if he genuinely wanted to go; he knew he could finish the old man’s pill by Saturday, and had nothing scheduled for Sunday.

Perhaps he worried Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying might encounter trouble during the outing. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to them, regardless of his feelings—after all, they were daughters and relatives of his parents’ classmates.

Having returned to life anew, Zhang Pu sensed, however faintly, that something was bound to happen to Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying during this trip.

He might not like the two of them, but when it came to moral responsibility, Zhang Pu could not ignore his conscience.