Chapter 20

Walking over to the sofa, Xu Bin stood empty-handed, smoking without saying a word. He just turned to look at her and said, “Mom, I’m sorry. Did I disturb your sleep?”

Perhaps influenced by the evening’s events, Shen Ruyu was dressed in a rather conservative nightgown. The style was old-fashioned, but it still couldn’t hide the curves straining against the fabric.

Seeing Xu Bin’s indifferent demeanor, Shen Ruyu sat down beside him instead, furrowing her delicate brows. “Son-in-law, if there’s something on your mind and you can’t talk to Nannan about it, you can tell me.”

“Mom, it’s nothing. You should get some rest early!”

Xu Bin just wanted to quickly communicate with the system. He stubbed out his cigarette fiercely, intending to head back upstairs.

But Shen Ruyu grabbed his hand, snorting. “You know what annoys me? You’re just like the second one—a total clam. You keep everything bottled up and never share it with anyone. If you don’t spill it tonight, I’m not going to be happy about it.”

Xu Bin felt a bit torn between laughter and tears. “Mom, I think I’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep.”

“What do you mean ‘think’ or ‘should’? Nonsense. Is there anything you can’t tell me?”

Shen Ruyu grew anxious. “A son-in-law is half a son. Why are you hiding things from me?”

A son-in-law being half a son—this was a treatment Xu Bin had never enjoyed before. But the golden bracelet he’d given really seemed to work wonders.

Seeing the system playing dead and staying silent, Xu Bin thought for a moment, then looked up and sighed toward the ceiling. “Mom, some things are just hard to put into words.”

“Nonsense. What’s so hard to say? I’m your mother—there’s nothing you can’t tell me.”

After saying this, Shen Ruyu suddenly glanced upstairs with an expression that said, “I get it.” “I know, it’s hard to talk to Nannan about it, right? Come on, Mom’s treating you to some barbecue.”

Dragging him along forcefully, Xu Bin put on a tank top and beach shorts, while his mother-in-law headed downstairs in her loungewear.

Northeastern barbecue is all about value for money. They ordered a pile of skewers, and Shen Ruyu, blushing slightly, even took the initiative to order lamb penis, lamb testicles, and grilled oysters. She didn’t bother asking Xu Bin for his opinion when ordering.

That was just her personality—strong-willed and controlling. Among her three daughters, Xu Nan had it the worst, while the other two fought back fiercely.

“Six bottles of beer, chilled…”

Shen Ruyu called out again.

Xu Bin quickly interjected, “Mom, maybe we should just have some soft drinks.”

“Nonsense. A little drink won’t kill you. Besides, just drink up and speak your mind freely. Do you think Mom would harm you? If you get drunk, I’ll take you home. I’d like to see Yao Nan dare say anything about it.”

Shen Ruyu was in high spirits now, even requesting a private room. Her face lit up with gossip-fueled excitement, clearly eager to find out why her son-in-law, who had been so triumphant earlier, was now so downcast.

“Ding… ‘Into a Woman’s Heart’—activate?”

The system’s voice suddenly chimed in again. It was laggy, buggy, and had a bit of a personality. When the prompt sounded, Xu Bin felt his scalp tingle, unsure whether to use it or not.

This thing—the system reward from earlier hadn’t even been fully discussed, and now it popped up again.

The instability was a headache, but Xu Bin was also afraid the system might go on strike, so he directly chose to activate it.

“Ding… Skill: ‘Into a Woman’s Heart’ operates in two modes.”

“Mode 1: Hypnotic State. Even if she denies it, you can directly converse with her soul and get answers to all your questions. However, she will have no memory of it upon waking.”

“Mode 2: Confidant State. Best assisted by alcohol. It suppresses mental defenses and ethical restraints, allowing her to speak freely. But even if drunk, she will clearly remember every conversation upon waking.”

Now Xu Bin understood—the system wasn’t as riddled with bugs as he’d thought.

“Select Mode 2!”

He clearly saw the item “Into a Woman’s Heart” disappear from the inventory, leaving only the option for “Enchanting Incense (Male).”

Shen Ruyu, who had been carefree moments ago, suddenly seemed dazed. She took a big gulp of beer, looked up at Xu Bin, and said gravely, “Son-in-law, I know the money you used to buy me the bracelet came from legitimate means. But are you acting like this tonight because you’re regretting it?”

“You’ve never treated my daughter well. From the moment I first heard about you, you’ve always been cold to her. Now that you’ve spent the money, are you feeling the pinch?”

The words were aggressive, almost interrogative. The skill had taken effect—even though Shen Ruyu’s personality was naturally sharp-tongued, she usually cared enough about her daughter’s dignity not to ask such things.

Xu Bin had already realized this was the conscious state. The hypnotic mode of “Into a Woman’s Heart” would just be a dreamlike trance, utterly meaningless.

The second option, though, was far more interesting. She was asking questions she’d normally never voice, just waiting to see how you’d respond.

Fully conscious, disregarding all reasons, she was clearly asking what she wanted to know… Truly an intriguing function.

“Mom, you’re overthinking it!”

Xu Bin took a sip from his glass, thought for a moment, and said, “It’s hard to explain to Nannan. I’ve always invested in a lot of things, like cashing out 100,000 today. But there are always things that trouble me.”

“What’s going on with your investments? I heard from Nannan that you’re into a lot of things.”

Shen Ruyu asked with concern, “I don’t understand it, and neither does she, so I won’t say much. But seeing you like this, I can’t help worrying.”

A spark lit up in Xu Bin’s mind. With a wry smile, he said, “Mom, I’ve always worked hard to earn money. I’m not as poor as you think.”

“Just like cashing out stocks today—I’ve made a lot and lost some too. But with a principal of just a few thousand, overall, I’m still in profit.”

“It’s the same in other areas. I’ve also invested in some foreign futures. The principal was a few thousand, but the profits have rolled over to over 100,000.”

Xu Bin set down his glass and sighed. “Right now, the market’s volatile. It’s actually a sure profit, but I don’t know how much. Based on past data, that few thousand should’ve grown to at least 200,000. But tonight, there’s some turbulence. If the market turns bad, it might drop to just 20,000 or 30,000.”

“Son-in-law, that’s too much pressure. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Shen Ruyu chided him upon hearing this.

Xu Bin replied with a helpless tone, “Mom, I didn’t dare say anything. I invest just a few thousand at a time. Actually, I’ve been watching the markets at home all along. You don’t understand, and of course, Nannan doesn’t either. Look at all the computers and parts I brought over—things like blockchain and Bitcoin, I’ve been into them for a while now.”

“Ah… that pile of junk you had.”

“No, wait, son-in-law, those parts are that important?”

Seeing Shen Ruyu’s astonished expression, Xu Bin seized the opportunity. He suddenly downed a glass of beer, slammed the table in frustration, and said, “I have so many stock accounts too. The most infuriating thing is this—last year, when I made over 200,000, I didn’t sell. Now I’ve only taken out 100,000.”

That meant 100,000 had evaporated. Shen Ruyu said regretfully, “Then why didn’t you say so earlier? I thought it was all just junk.”

Xu Bin looked aggrieved. “Mom, it’s not just you who doesn’t understand. Nannan gets scolded by you and still doesn’t get it. When I told her I had some Bitcoin, she thought I was running a scam.”

“Nonsense. What does she know? You should’ve told me sooner.”

In places like tea houses, where all sorts of people gather, the only thing they worship is money. Shen Ruyu knew exactly how many US dollars one Bitcoin was worth.