Luo Meiling, who was speaking softly on the phone, turned to Zhou Wang with a slight smile in response to his apologetic look, indicating that she didn’t mind. She even picked up a lighter, as if to help Zhou Wang light his cigarette.
Zhou Wang quickly gestured that it was unnecessary, but as he took the lighter, he gently brushed against Luo Meiling’s fingers, causing her cheeks to flush slightly.
Only then did he leisurely light his cigarette and, as he exhaled a plume of smoke, he turned to the wide-eyed Shao Xiaoqi and chuckled softly,
"I can stop being your uncle, but do you believe... I could directly become your dad?"
"I..."
Under Luo Meiling’s surprised gaze, the haughty Shao Xiaoqi just barely managed to swallow back the word "damn."
Once Luo Meiling wasn’t watching, the flustered and purple-faced Shao Xiaoqi glared at Zhou Wang angrily, "You wouldn’t dare!"
"Do you think I dare or not... To be honest, your sister Luo is charming, she really does fit my ideal type."
Faced with such an empty threat, Zhou Wang just smiled nonchalantly.
"I..."
Shao Xiaoqi held back once more.
Knowing his own mom well enough, Zhou Wang had just touched her hand twice, and she didn’t show much resistance; this meant she truly had a good impression of him!
Although fermenting this good impression into love definitely wasn’t simple, Luo Meiling wasn’t an easy woman, but the issue was...
Shao Xiaoqi didn’t dare take the gamble!
Imagine one day, late at night, Shao Xiaoqi returning home alone to find the main bedroom all lit up, his usually habitual mother still awake. As he stood there in shock, Luo Meiling walked out of the bedroom holding Zhou Wang’s hand, shyly saying to him,
"Xiaoqi, you might have to start calling him something different, not Uncle Zhou anymore, you’ll have to call him Dad Zhou..."
Damn!
The mere thought of that scenario made Shao Xiaoqi feel like he was about to explode.
It was only then he realized he had been mocking Guo Bing, and if that scene ever became reality, he might not even stand a chance in this social circle anymore...
"Bro, Brother Dog, I’ve realized my mistake, okay? Please don’t mess with me and don’t mess with my mom!"
Shao Xiaoqi caved in instantly, desperately pleading, even resorting to the name Young Master Zhang called Zhou Wang back in Ming City.
"Still calling me Bro?" Zhou Wang just gave a faint smile.
"Uncle, I’ll call you Uncle... Uncle Zhou, from now on you’re my real uncle; nobody can change that!"
Shao Xiaoqi now found calling Zhou Wang "Uncle" not awkward at all; it rolled off the tongue so smoothly!
"Alright, alright, I’ll think about it." Zhou Wang chuckled, patting his shoulder.
Shao Xiaoqi panicked again, "What do you mean by ’think about it’?"
"It means ’I’ll try my best’..."
"No, Uncle Zhou, what do you mean you’ll try your best?"
"What if your mom makes the first move, and I can’t refuse?"
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Just when Shao Xiaoqi was frantically pacing, Zhang Shihao returned, leaving him no choice but to dejectedly return to his seat, clearly unable to enjoy his meal...
After suppressing Shao Xiaoqi, Zhou Wang turned his attention to Zhang Shihao and Luo Meiling, as he had to be sharp dealing with them.
Why?
Because these two weren’t the run-of-the-mill small fry Zhou Wang had faced before. Achieving their current status required earning it from plenty of "drinking battles"; these two were real veteran warriors...
In less than an hour, two bottles of Moutai were finished, and when another pair was placed on the table, Zhou Wang knew there was no avoiding a fierce battle.
...
By nine, the feast finally came to an end, with the three having consumed four bottles in total.
This was in spite of Zhou Wang protesting that if he drank anymore, he would really vomit, yet both Zhang Shihao and Luo Meiling appeared more sober than him, at least on the surface.
"Let’s go, let’s head to your Ambassador’s Mansion to continue drinking. If you can’t, it’s okay, Meiling and I will drink, you can just have tea!"
At their age, what they defined as the "second half" differed from the usual younger crowd, at most just singing a bit of karaoke, and since Zhou Wang’s place could accommodate that, they simply proposed heading to his courtyard instead.
Since they graciously allowed him to drink tea, Zhou Wang had little else to say, only managing a wry smile as he had Xiao An lead the way.
With flushed cheeks, Luo Meiling took a few steps in her high heels and noticed Shao Xiaoqi was trailing behind, prompting her to ask in confusion,
"Xiaoqi, you can head home, no need to follow us..."
"Mom, why don’t... you head home too, I think you’ve had a bit much."
Normally, Shao Xiaoqi would’ve slipped away a while back, but he couldn’t relax, yet couldn’t find a suitable reason to stay. All he could do was subtly suggest.
"Aren’t you aware of your mom’s alcohol tolerance? Using your young people’s jargon, haven’t you battled with me before, when have you ever won?"
With an arched brow, Luo Meiling waved him off, "Just go on, your allowance for the month has already been transferred to your card."
"Alright then, Mom... just drink a little less, come back early, I’ll be home tonight, you must come back!"
Shao Xiaoqi could only say this helplessly as he walked away, glancing back every few steps.
Seeing Shao Xiaoqi’s helpless demeanor nearly made Zhou Wang lose his composure with laughter, though he managed to keep it in.
Though Luo Meiling found her son’s change of heart inexplicable, she didn’t dwell on it too much. The three of them laughed and chatted as they made their way to the Ambassador’s three-bedroom mansion where Zhou Wang resided.