Chapter 25: Gu Family Parents
“Is this the right classroom?”
A little after 8 a.m., two suspicious-looking men wearing black baseball caps and blue masks appeared at the entrance of a lecture hall.
It was none other than Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang.
With nothing urgent to do at home, Xu Huazhang came along to attend Mu Lantu’s class with him.
Mu Lantu checked the course schedule on his phone against the room number on the door frame. “Yeah, this is the one.”
Inside, there were about 50 or 60 students. Since class hadn’t started yet, some were reading, some scrolling on their phones, and others chatting.
Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang entered through the back door. Dressed in common university student attire—hoodies and jeans—they didn’t draw any attention.
Bodyguards Zhou Ye and Ge Tao followed closely behind Xu Huazhang. But with their commanding presence, they didn’t look like students at all. Both wore fake glasses as a disguise, constantly pushing them up every few seconds, clearly uncomfortable.
Mu Lantu chose a seat in the second-to-last row—not out of preference, but out of courtesy, unsure how full the class would get and wanting to avoid taking someone else’s usual spot.
Xu Huazhang sat next to him.
Zhou Ye and Ge Tao sat directly behind them.
Mu Lantu took off his backpack and pulled out the textbook he’d be using for class—a secondhand copy he’d bought off another student. He began reviewing the material in advance.
Xu Huazhang pulled out the water bottle he’d brought for Mu Lantu and placed it on his desk, then took out a book to read himself.
More students trickled in. Some noticed the four quiet, sharp-looking men at the back of the room, unable to hide their curiosity, but no one dared to disturb them.
A few minutes later, the bell rang. In walked a professor in his fifties, holding lecture notes in one hand and a simple glass tea mug filled with chrysanthemum and goji berries in the other.
“Good morning, everyone. Let’s pick up where we left off last class. We discussed how architectural drawing serves architectural design. Therefore, in the different stages of architectural design…”
After the long lecture, Mu Lantu felt he had gained a lot and had taken several pages of notes.
The next class wouldn’t be until Tuesday. The two of them packed their things and left with the crowd.
Mu Lantu naturally positioned himself between Xu Huazhang and the other students as they exited, forming a bit of a protective barrier.
“The cafeteria has these amazing pan-fried dumplings—thumb-sized. Let’s grab some before we head back.”
Xu Huazhang had no objections.
But plans never keep up with changes.
Just as they stepped out of the teaching building, Xu Huazhang’s phone rang. The ringtone was different from the ones Mu Lantu had heard before—simple and urgent.
Zhou Ye immediately called Zhan Peng.
“Get the car ready.”
Xu Huazhang answered the phone and listened for a moment before saying just one thing: “I’m on my way.”
Before he could even apologize, Mu Lantu beat him to it.
“Business comes first.”
Xu Huazhang gave him a quick hug—brief but tight—and said hurriedly, “Be careful on your own. I’ll send you a phone number in a bit—it’s my eldest brother’s personal line. If you run into trouble, call him. If you can’t reach me, don’t worry.”
Mu Lantu could tell it was something urgent. He nodded quickly, obediently.
“Got it, got it…”
Xu Huazhang gave him a wave and left in a rush.
Once he was gone, the air around Mu Lantu seemed colder. A hollowness lingered in his chest. They’d been practically glued to each other recently. He was starting to get used to Xu Huazhang’s presence—his voice, his scent. Without him, even the spring sunlight felt dimmer, the flowers in the garden duller.
But Mu Lantu didn’t dwell too long. He wasn’t the sentimental type. Besides, there’s no bad mood that good food couldn’t fix.
He decisively continued on toward the campus cafeteria.
Ding.
[Gorgeous Beauty : Xu Huafeng, 19876543210.]
[Gorgeous Beauty : I bet your photo would make a great wallpaper. Send me one?]
Mu Lantu touched his cheek. It felt a little warm.
[Ahem, Little Five.]
[Here, Host.]
[Have you taken any pictures of me recently?]
[Yes, Host.]
005 opened its photo gallery—two albums in total. One for landscapes, the other for portraits of Mu Lantu. It was a task Mu Lantu had assigned it from the very first world he traveled through—to keep memories.
Mu Lantu chose a recent photo to send to Xu Huazhang. It was taken the day he sat cross-legged on the carpet in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, preparing calculations for a planetary launch point.
After buying the pan-fried dumplings, Mu Lantu went straight home.
He had a lot to take care of too.
It had been several days since his last livestream. Any longer, and he risked losing all his followers.
Once he launched the stream, he first pinned his class schedule in the chat.
Fans who got the live notification started trickling in—and the first thing they saw was the schedule.
[Streamer, how could you disappear for days! That’s your schedule? Are you a college student?]
[Wait, this can’t be right. No college student has a timetable this empty!]
Mu Lantu was just moving his LEGO blocks to the table when he glanced at the comments.
“Yes, I’m a college student—graduating this year. This timetable is for the classes I’m sitting in on. From today on, my streams will avoid these time slots.”
He clapped his hands. “Alright, let’s get started with today’s LEGO build. We’re working on a high-rise apartment building—more than eighty floors. Definitely a big project. It’s my own design, and it’s not your everyday apartment block, so feel free to get excited.”
The audience gasped in awe, but Mu Lantu paid them no mind and got to work.
Unintentionally entering the stream, a viewer named Palace Jade Liquor didn’t hesitate to send two rockets in a row.
[The streamer has such a nice voice—say a few more words, please!]
Other fans helpfully explained:
[Big spender, the streamer gets really focused when building LEGO. He probably can’t see your comments right now.]
[Thanks for the heads-up. In that case, I’ll get to the top of the leaderboard first. He should see it once he finishes building!]
That one line, however, was clearly full of bravado. But then again, Spicy Strips Aren’t Spicy was just a small-time, unknown newbie streamer with fewer than 2,000 followers. Even if someone topped the leaderboard, it didn’t mean much compared to the top fans of major streamers. The current leaderboard top spot only required a contribution of 2,000 yuan—something most of the viewers could easily surpass if they wanted. So the newcomer’s statement came off as a bit awkward.
The other viewers stayed quiet for a moment.
Then Palace Jade Liquor sent another two rockets, becoming the new number one on the leaderboard.
The former number one was the viewer with the nickname Humble Corporate Slave—the one who had once almost impulsively quit their job. Now bumped to second place, they weren’t online at the moment.
Just then, a Treasure Map fell from the sky—gold ingots scattered like fairy dust, sparkling brilliantly.
[System Notification: “HZ” has gifted a Treasure Map to the streamer Spicy Strips Aren’t Spicy. Everyone, come grab the gold ingots!]
The stream’s chat went wild. Even viewers from other streams who saw the alert came flooding into Spicy Strips Aren’t Spicy‘s channel to snatch up the gold.
But it didn’t stop there.
“HZ has gifted Treasure Map ×1 to Spicy Strips Aren’t Spicy!
“HZ has gifted Treasure Map ×2 to Spicy Strips Aren’t Spicy!
…
“HZ has gifted Treasure Map ×20 to Spicy Strips Aren’t Spicy!
Twenty Treasure Maps. Each one worth 5,000 yuan. That’s a total of 100,000 yuan!
The fans went crazy. Some of them didn’t even make that much in a year.
Everyone started frantically calling for the streamer’s attention, but Mu Lantu was completely unaware, still deeply focused on assembling his LEGO.
Several fans who liked the streamer were afraid the rich viewer might get offended and politely explained on Mu Lantu’s behalf.
HZ didn’t reply in chat—but gifted another Treasure Map. His attitude was clear.
Fans finally relaxed and quietly enjoyed the stream.
When it was time to end the broadcast, Mu Lantu finally noticed the updated leaderboard.
“Thank you all for the support, and thanks to big spender HZ for the gifts. Are you an adult? If you’re a minor, you can apply for a refund—contact customer service for details.”
HZ was online but didn’t respond.
Mu Lantu didn’t dwell on it.
“That’s it for the morning stream. I’ll be back at 3 p.m. See you then.”
Mu Lantu didn’t feel like eating out, so for the first time, he cooked at home for lunch.
He made a pot of rice, three dishes, and one soup: tomato and scrambled eggs, stir-fried pork with green peppers, cola chicken wings, and winter melon pork rib soup—all relatively simple dishes.
He opened his iPad, pulled up a movie, and sat the black-and-white dumpling plushie across from him at the table. Even alone, Mu Lantu ate with great satisfaction.
Suddenly, Gu Jincheng called.
“President Mu, what are you up to?”
Mu Lantu also called him “President Gu.”
“President Gu, I’m having lunch. What’s up?”
“Are you free tonight? I want to treat you to dinner.”
Mu Lantu paused the movie, “Didn’t I tell you last time it wasn’t necessary? It was just a small matter—hardly even an effort for me.”
“Come on, just say yes. My parents want to treat you.” Gu Jincheng explained.
“They gave me a good scolding when they found out what happened yesterday—said I wasn’t taking a life-saving favor seriously. Please don’t misunderstand—I didn’t mean it like that. I really consider you a friend. We’ll have lots of chances to hang out in the future. And since you said you were busy yesterday, I didn’t want to bother you again.”
“I understand.”
“So it’s settled then?”
Mu Lantu agreed in the end. Families like Gu’s don’t like owing favors—they’d rather owe money than a personal debt. Better to give them a chance to repay the kindness.
The dinner was arranged at Zhenshan Restaurant in the capital—one of the top establishments, with five-star service.
Mu Lantu arrived ten minutes early—not too early to make it awkward, but not so late as to keep the hosts waiting.
The Gu family had arranged for Gu Jincheng to wait outside the private dining room.
When he saw Mu Lantu, Gu Jincheng warmly slung an arm around his shoulder, “President Mu, you’re here. Come on, my parents are inside.”
Seeing the handsome young man walking in with their son, the middle-aged couple inside brightened and rose to greet him, their tone warm and welcoming.
“You must be Lantu? So glad to finally meet you.”
Gu Jincheng made introductions, “This is my father, Mr. Gu Yingwu, and my mother, Mrs. Huang Xiumin.”
Mu Lantu greeted them politely, “Hello, Uncle Gu. Hello, Auntie Huang. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Huang Xiumin gave his hand a firm pat, her gratitude written all over her face, “Good child, come sit. Our Jincheng owes you so much!”
Mu Lantu was humble, of course.
After some pleasantries, the four sat down around the table.
Gu Yingwu smiled, “Let’s have the waiter bring the dishes first—then we can chat at leisure.”
