Chapter 333 - 330: Repaying Parents

Chapter 333: Chapter 330: Repaying Parents

The old couple now finally understood why Jiang Xia was so successful. Thinking back to the early days of the animation’s production, he had been all alone.

Outside of his classes, he would stay up late every night after school. He didn’t just have to draw, but also edit—he did all the work by himself. The production process was incredibly difficult.

As the saying goes, success comes to those who are prepared. If it hadn’t been for his perseverance, the *Cat and Mouse* cartoon would have likely been released much, much later.

Lost in thought, Jiang Wende handed the original sketches back to his son. He realized this was why he could only ever be an ordinary taxi driver; even a hundred of him couldn’t match Jiang Xia’s diligence and effort.

Thankfully, Jiang Xia was his son. It didn’t matter that he himself wasn’t accomplished; it was enough that his son was exceptional.

The family of three then settled in to watch *Cat and Mouse* attentively. It was undeniably a cartoon for all ages. The old couple would burst out laughing whenever Tom was pranked by Jerry. They occasionally asked questions, which Jiang Xia answered one by one from a producer’s perspective.

"This cowboy episode is one of the newest ones," Jiang Xia explained. "A season has twelve episodes and takes about two months to produce. We’re already on the fourth season."

"Besides *Cat and Mouse*, the company is also making another animated series called *Slam Dunk*. It’s set to start streaming online in March, which is why I’m in such a rush to get back to the office on the sixth."

Jiang Wende asked many questions about his work. But since he wasn’t in the industry and had never run a company, he only inquired about the situation and didn’t offer any advice. He just urged his son to take care of himself amidst his busy schedule and not to work himself to the bone.

For any parent, their child’s health always comes first.

After they were done asking about the company, the conversation gradually shifted from his university life to the young couple.

"Xiaxia, are you and Yanwan living together?" Xia Shanshan asked suddenly.

Jiang Xia nearly choked on the sudden question, his expression turning awkward. "Mom, how did you know?"

Xia Shanshan pursed her lips. "The last time I called you, Yanwan let it slip."

Jiang Xia instantly remembered. It was when she had just gotten out of the shower and loudly asked him to bring her some underwear. By sheer coincidence, his mom had overheard it on the other end of the phone.

"Mom, it’s not what you think. You see, even though the office is near the university, it’s almost an hour’s walk. Sometimes when I work overtime, it’s really late by the time I head back, and the dorms are already locked. To make work easier, she and I rented an apartment near the office."

He pursed his lips and continued, "It’s a two-bedroom apartment. So even though we’re under the same roof, you could just say we’re roommates. We sleep in separate rooms every night."

The old couple reluctantly believed the explanation about renting an apartment. But as for the two of them sleeping in separate rooms? They absolutely didn’t believe a word of it.

After all, they’d been there. When you’re young and in love, you can’t stand to be apart. Now that they were finally away from home with no parents to supervise them, he was trying to say they slept in separate rooms? Who was he kidding? Not even a ghost would believe that lie.

Seeing how lovey-dovey they usually were, it was more likely they slept in each other’s arms every night. And as for whether they were taking their clothes off and creating life? Well, anyone who wasn’t a fool could figure that one out.

At the end of the day, what young person could resist that kind of temptation?

Besides, their son had been a sweet-talker since he was a boy, able to spin one romantic line after another. It would be a miracle if Yanwan *hadn’t* been swept off her feet.

Despite their thoughts, the old couple was too embarrassed to call him out on his lie. They just told him to treat Yanwan well. Since they were living together, he had to be responsible for her.

A man who pulls up his pants and pretends he doesn’t know you—what kind of man is that?

Seeing the look on his dad’s face, Jiang Xia knew they had gotten the complete wrong idea. He was so frustrated he could cry, but he wanted to explain and had no idea where to even begin.

’I want to sleep with my wife too! But whose fault is it that I bombed my exams?’

"Alright, go get some rest," his father said, finishing the interrogation and shooing him away.

Jiang Xia nodded. Then, as if remembering something, he went back to his room, took a bank card from his wallet, and handed it to Xia Shanshan. "Dad, there’s a million yuan in here. The PIN is your birthday."

The tragic fate his family suffered in his past life still weighed heavily on him, even after his rebirth. So now that he had earned some money, his first thought was to honor his parents.

Jiang Wende stared blankly for a moment, then took the bank card from Xia Shanshan’s hand and tried to stuff it back into Jiang Xia’s. "It’s not like your mom and I are broke. Why are you giving us money? Take it back. You’re running a company; you need money for all sorts of things. You use it."

"Dad, just take it. A million isn’t that much to me right now. The company account has nearly fifty million, and my personal account has close to ten million. I was just thinking... Dad, you’ve driven a taxi your whole life. Leaving early and coming home late is hard work. You don’t have to work so hard anymore."

Jiang Xia said seriously, "Why don’t you just quit your job? You can buy a car to drive around for fun. As far as I can remember, you and Mom have never really gone on a trip. If you get bored staying at home, you could drive around and travel. Your son is earning money now. You don’t have to worry so much."

The old couple was stunned, not because Jiang Xia was so wealthy now, but because his filial piety moved them deeply.

"I’m only in my early forties. If I quit, what would I even do?"

Jiang Wende couldn’t help but roll his eyes. For him, driving a taxi was both his job and his life. The thought of having nothing to do all day but fool around sounded incredibly boring.

This was why many people started looking for a job again just a few months after retiring. It was simply too boring; even their old jobs had been more interesting.

Jiang Xia then looked at Xia Shanshan. Needless to say, she wouldn’t quit her job either. She had an almost religious devotion to teaching. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone to teach in a remote mountain village in his previous life after Jiang Wende’s accident.

"Alright, alright, we appreciate the thought. But you just need to take care of yourself. Don’t worry about us. I promise, I won’t work so hard anymore," Jiang Wende said.

"So, the money..." Jiang Xia scratched his head.

"I’ll hold on to this money for you. You can use it to get married later," Xia Shanshan said with a wide smile.

"Do whatever you want. I gave you the money, so you can spend it however you like."

Jiang Xia shrugged. "Mom, Dad, you two get some rest. I’m heading to bed. Good night."

Back in his room with the door closed, Jiang Xia flopped onto his bed and pulled out his phone to message his wife. The thought of having no one next to him, no soft, fragrant body to hold, made him miserable.

’Ah, it’s only my first day home and I already miss my wife’s tits, ass, and long, pale legs.’

’We have to sleep apart for another ten days or so... when will this ordeal ever end?’

"Boohoohoo, wifey, I miss you. I miss you so much it’s giving me a headache."