Chapter 141: Getting Married at the End of the Year

In the virtual world known as the "Sea of Gardenias," Li Fu gently embraced Wang Yun. Although it was a virtual realm, they could remarkably simulate the sensation of a mutual embrace, giving him the exquisite feel of holding soft jade in his arms.

"Did you miss me?"

Wang Yun planted a light, dragonfly-like kiss on Li Fu's cheek and then rested quietly in his arms.

"I missed you to death."

Li Fu responded by giving Wang Yun a deep, passionate French kiss.

"Then why didn't you come to the Imperial Capital to find me?"

"Haven't I been busy researching the aerospace plane lately? As soon as I wrap things up in the next few days, I'll be right over."

Feeling Wang Yun's attachment to him, a wave of guilt washed over Li Fu. Ever since their graduation, they had spent far more time apart than together. Throughout the entire year of 2019, Li Fu had been tied up at the Jiuquan Aerospace Center for the better part of it. Upon returning, he immediately threw himself headfirst into the aerospace plane project without a moment to rest. Truly, he had been far too busy.

Influenced by her family's arrangements, Wang Yun had recently entered a government department in the Imperial Capital. Her job was relaxed, the benefits were good, and she had never found the opportunity to visit Sanjiang Town. Furthermore, since they were not yet married, they still had to be mindful of the Wang family's reputation.

"Ah-Yun, let's get married."

Li Fu said softly to Wang Yun. Although proposing in a virtual world felt rather informal and lacked a certain solemnity, Li Fu knew it was time to give Wang Yun her rightful status.

Upon hearing this, Wang Yun froze completely. She never expected Li Fu to bring up such a matter at a time like this. A blissful smile bloomed across her face, and she nodded uncontrollably.

"Mmm!"

Li Fu pulled Wang Yun tightly into his embrace. Often, grand words were unnecessary; a simple embrace was enough to express everything in one's heart.

"Accompany me to buy some things. I haven't gone shopping in ages."

After a long while, Wang Yun spoke softly.

"Alright, how about we go look at rings and wedding dresses first?"

Li Fu nodded. With a single thought, he led Wang Yun out of the chat world and back to the landing street. One of the great advantages of the virtual world was its support for multiplayer party operations. As long as they formed a party, the group leader could guide the members to stroll together through various virtual worlds.

With another thought, the two of them arrived at the massive virtual shopping world constructed by Taobao. Because it was a virtual realm, the shopping environment essentially recreated real-world physical goods on a one-to-one scale. Of course, items could also be scaled up or down according to preference, allowing users to inspect prospective purchases from multiple angles and in full detail.

Naturally, this shopping space was divided into numerous worlds categorized by product type, forming distinct shopping zones. For instance, buying clothes meant choosing to enter the apparel-shopping world, which could be further subdivided until the view presented a colossal shopping mall or pedestrian street. Lined with clothing boutiques on every side and bustling with a vibrant, energetic crowd of people walking to and fro, it looked entirely lively.

It was completely indistinguishable from real-world shopping. Moreover, the bustling crowds were not mere NPCs; these were fellow shoppers. Encountering acquaintances allowed one to greet them, chat, or even form shopping parties together, fully immersing users in the joy of retail therapy.

Shopping was essentially every woman's favorite pastime, and Wang Yun was no exception. She led Li Fu through a virtual shopping world, reveling in the joy of consumption. Soon, Li Fu's hands were laden with numerous shopping bags—though completely unnecessary in the virtual world, carrying these imaginary bags was precisely what made it feel like a real shopping trip.

"Mr. Li, we've arrived home."

In the real world, the car carrying Li Fu slowly came to a halt in the courtyard of the Li family residence, and the driver gently reminded him.

"Alright."

Li Fu nodded. While his mind accompanied Wang Yun on her shopping spree, his physical self returned home in preparation for dinner. Multitasking like this was difficult for ordinary people, but thanks to his cultivation of primordial energy, which had unlocked the full potential of his brain, Li Fu found it effortless.

"Mom, I'm back! What's for dinner?"

As soon as he stepped into the house, Li Fu called out loudly while walking toward the kitchen.

"Everything you like. Your younger brother brought his girlfriend home today, so I cooked a few extra dishes. Go set the table."

Seeing Li Fu, his mother's face broke into a broad smile. While busily stir-frying, she instructed him to prepare the utensils. Given Li Fu's current wealth, hiring domestic help or a butler would not have been unusual in the slightest, but this idea had been vehemently opposed by his parents, who were accustomed to a lifetime of hard work.

Although they no longer needed to worry about making a living, they were not yet at the point of needing servants to wait on them hand and foot. Furthermore, Li Fu had imparted the methods of primordial energy cultivation to them. While advanced age limited the dramatic effects, practicing it had noticeably improved his parents' health, and the gray hairs on their heads were gradually diminishing.

Presently, Li Fu's mother's favorite pastime was puttering around the kitchen preparing delicacies, cooking for the whole family, and keeping the house meticulously clean. As for Li Fu's father, he had unexpectedly developed a fondness for virtual gaming—a fact that thoroughly astonished Li Fu, who never imagined his lifelong farmer father would take a liking to video games.

"Where's Dad?"

Li Fu asked while helping set the tableware neatly on the table.

"Playing games, of course! Can you believe it? At his age, he's playing video games just like a young person. He simply has too much time on his hands. If I'd known, I would have kept a few plots of farmland for him to keep farming."

Li Fu's mother shook her head as she spoke, considering gaming to be a frivolous waste of time.

"Let him play if he enjoys it. He has nothing else to do anyway."

Li Fu felt that after a lifetime of hardship, his parents deserved to enjoy some leisure in their twilight years.

"Never mind him. Li Fu, when are you and Ah-Yun getting married? Look, your younger brother has already brought his girlfriend home. As the older brother, you need to hurry up. Ah-Yun is a wonderful girl, and your father and I both like her a lot. We're just waiting to hold our grandchildren."

Having finished complaining about the old man, Li Fu's mother immediately shifted her nagging to Li Fu. Seeing his business grow ever larger—though outsiders might not realize the full extent of his wealth, the family had some inkling—coupled with traditional rural values, urging Li Fu to marry early was something she did constantly.

"Mom, I've already discussed this with Wang Yun. We'll get married at the end of the year."

"Really?"

Hearing Li Fu's words, his mother paused, still somewhat skeptical, and stopped what she was doing to look at him.

"Yes, really. In a little while, I'll go to the Imperial Capital to discuss it with her family, and we'll finalize everything by the end of the year. We're both growing tired of a long-distance relationship anyway. Once we're married, Ah-Yun can move here and work locally with a legitimate reason."

Li Fu nodded solemnly. A man of age should marry and a woman of age should wed; it was only natural.

"Splendid! Tomorrow I'll go consult someone to pick a auspicious date."

Hearing this, Li Fu's mother beamed with joy. Her eldest son was finally getting married, and she would soon have grandchildren. Just thinking about it brought her immense happiness, infusing her cooking with even more vigor.

Soon, the table was neatly arrayed with dishes. Every single one was a specialty of Li Fu's mother, all of them childhood favorites. Unable to resist, Li Fu reached out to pinch a piece of food to taste beforehand.

"You're a grown man, why are you still eating with your hands like a little child?"

Caught red-handed by his mother, Li Fu was met with her amused laughter.

"Mom's cooking is just too delicious, I couldn't resist sneaking a bite."

Only at home did Li Fu revert to showing childlike playfulness; out in the world, he was always composed and aloof, never acting in such a manner.

"I'll go check on the soup. Go call the others down for dinner."

Li Fu's mother smiled and shook her head, watching Li Fu as if he were still a food-obsessed child.

Shortly thereafter, his father, his younger brother Li Xing, and a tall, delicate-featured beauty trailing closely behind Li Xing came downstairs.

"Brother, this is my girlfriend, Tang Yue."

Li Xing introduced his girlfriend to Li Fu with a somewhat embarrassed smile.

"Hello, welcome! Make yourself at home, don't be shy."

Li Fu smiled and nodded while mentally instructing Xiao Ying to run a background check on Tang Yue. Swiftly, a detailed personal profile materialized in Li Fu's mind. Scanning through the data in an instant, Li Fu mentally nodded in approval; Tang Yue came from a fairly decent family of merchants, and more importantly, she herself was a good, upright person.

Li Xing and Tang Yue had been classmates at the same university. Thanks to Li Fu imparting the primordial energy cultivation technique, Li Xing had undergone a noticeable personal transformation, which gradually brought him and Tang Yue together.

"Hello!"

Hearing Li Fu's welcoming words, Tang Yue nodded, looking at Li Fu with a mixture of curiosity and awe, having already heard countless legendary tales about this remarkable figure.

The five of them chatted amicably while eating dinner.

"Li Xing, you've graduated now. Have you figured out what you want to do next?"

"Brother, speaking of that, I actually wanted to ask for your help. My classmates and I want to start a virtual gaming company. Everything is fully prepared on all fronts; the only thing missing is seed capital."

At this, Li Xing perked up immediately, grinning broadly at Li Fu.

"How much seed capital do you need?"

Naturally aware of the unspoken half of his brother's thought, Li Fu fully supported his entrepreneurial ambitions.

"Ten million will do."

"Ten million? Is that enough? Do you need a bit more?"

Li Fu smiled and nodded. To him currently, ten million was nothing more than a drop in the bucket.

"It's plenty. Several of us are pooling our funds together. Brother, I want to make it clear upfront: I'm borrowing this money from you. Once the business turns a profit, I'll pay you back principal and interest. Business is business, even between brothers."

Li Xing appeared exceptionally confident.

"Haha, good. A loan it is then."

Hearing Li Xing's words, Li Fu laughed heartily. Seeing his younger brother develop independence and autonomy was naturally the greatest joy for him.

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