Some say the title reflects the journey of the heart.

Securing the apartment purchase with a single phone call, Zhang Pa asked the most crucial question: "Is it one million?"

"One million," Long Xiaole said, sounding slightly displeased. "What, you don't trust me?"

Zhang Pa replied, "Trust you, my foot! Shut your trap right now. I am the Almighty today, and you need to serve me properly. Tell me, where do I go to pay?"

"Are you in such a rush to throw your life away? Nobody is pressuring you," Long Xiaole said. "My lecture the other day went in one ear and out the other. The moment you have a million in your hands, you should be figuring out how to make money breed, instead of rushing to settle the housing payment."

"I am in a rush to pay, so what?" Zhang Pa retorted.

Long Xiaole smiled slightly. "I'll call you back in a moment."

Before long, he notified Zhang Pa: "My dad wants to see you. He's treating us to lunch at the Imperial Banquet Pavilion. Get over here."

Zhang Pa asked, "Why does your dad always want to take me out to dinner?"

"Too many nonsense questions. If you want to buy the house, get your ass over here." Long Xiaole hung up.

Zhang Pa told Liu Xiaomei, "Someone is treating us to lunch at noon."

Liu Xiaomei asked, "Is it appropriate for me to go?"

"Of course it's appropriate. From the very moment I laid eyes on you, you became my kidney—you're never leaving," Zhang Pa said.

Liu Xiaomei slapped his arm lightly. "Is that any way to talk? You could at least say my heart."

Zhang Pa laughed. "My first reaction was the kidney; I can't just swap body parts to fool you."

"Men really are animals driven by their lower halves." Liu Xiaomei linked her arm through Zhang Pa's. "Come on, big sis will take you shopping for some clothes."

Zhang Pa said they needed to go to the bank to withdraw cash first, but Liu Xiaomei said she had some and dragged him toward the east.

There was a massive commercial complex in the east, consisting of several interconnected buildings—some ten stories high, others five or six. Long ago it was known as the Red Star Market, but now it was the Red Star Trade Center. Simply put, it was a wholesale market where vendors selling clothing, shoes, and hats from all over the province came to stock up.

Hailing a taxi on the street, Liu Xiaomei told the driver to head to the Red Star Market.

Zhang Pa quickly chimed in, "The clothes there are expensive."

Liu Xiaomei was stunned for a moment. "The clothes at a wholesale market are expensive? Where is it cheap then?"

"Up north, there's a market just west of Happiness Lane, things there are cheap. Canvas shoes and rubber sneakers cost twenty or twenty-five yuan a pair, and jackets or pants can be had for fifty or sixty," Zhang Pa explained. "The Red Star Market is cheap for bulk purchases, but if people like us go there to buy retail, it's definitely going to be pricey."

Liu Xiaomei blinked and asked, "Have you ever seen me give a cold sneer?"

"Nope. Are you about to give one?"

Liu Xiaomei let out a cold "humph" and sneered. "See that? That was my bone-chilling sneer. Scared you to death, didn't it?"

Zhang Pa said, "Not scary at all. In fact, it's quite pretty."

The driver couldn't help himself and snorted with laughter. "I was wondering—you're so damn ugly and yet so stingy, how on earth did you land such a gorgeous girlfriend? Turns out all your talent is in your mouth. Impressive, truly impressive."

Zhang Pa protested, "You're the ugly one! I'm just recovering from an injury. Besides, how can you tell I'm ugly when I'm wearing sunglasses this big?"

The driver said, "Aren't you wearing those sunglasses precisely to hide your ugliness?"

Liu Xiaomei burst into laughter, telling the driver, "Mister driver, you hit the nail on the head."

Zhang Pa was indignant. "Let me tell you, if you hadn't just said my girlfriend is pretty, I would definitely challenge you to a one-on-one fight right now."

The driver shook his head. "You might not necessarily beat me." With that, he turned his head to face Zhang Pa. "Take a look. Look familiar?"

Zhang Pa stared for a good long while. "Oh! Huang Bo! Everyone else is allowed to call me ugly, but how on earth do you have the nerve?"

"You're the one who looks like Huang Bo!" the driver snapped back anxiously. "I'm much more handsome than Huang Bo, and I'm more handsome than you too." As he spoke, he flexed his right arm. "Look at these muscles..."

Zhang Pa half-stood up, looking around with a deeply interested expression. "Where are the cameras?"

"What cameras?" the driver asked.

Zhang Pa said, "I know what's going on—you celebrities pretend to be cab drivers to film reality shows... Let me ask you something, if you celebrities are shooting a show and I didn't know about it, isn't this considered secret filming? If I don't consent and my face appears on the program, can I sue you guys? Of course, if you waive this cab fare... everything is negotiable, right?"

The driver froze for a second, then suddenly gave Zhang Pa a thumbs-up. "No wonder you managed to win over a beauty. Your shamelessness knows no bounds."

Zhang Pa gave a light cough. "No slander allowed; I actually can sue you."

They arrived at the Red Star Market shortly. During the brief journey, the driver eagerly detailed his background: the guy had actually participated in the National Sanshou Championships three times and had even appeared on television. His best finish was third place. After retiring with nothing to do, he bought a taxi to drive himself, which was basically just a hobby. What he valued most was the freedom.

Zhang Pa was deeply impressed. "With a smooth tongue like that, why don't you moonlight as a crosstalk comedian? You managed to cram all that talking into just one minute?"

The driver scoffed disdainfully. "A real man needs two things: hard fists and a sharp tongue." He told Liu Xiaomei, "Beauty, remember my license plate number. If he ever dares to bully you or treat you wrong, look me up. I'll sort him out for you." With that, he flashed his fist again.

Liu Xiaomei laughed heartily. "It's a deal, then. Thank you, big brother!"

"Don't mention it. Anyway, today's fare is on the house. May we meet again!" Leaning forward, he slammed the car door shut and started the engine. Just as the car was pulling away, the driver shouted at the top of his lungs, "I was just being polite, and you're actually not going to pay?! Too cheap!"

Zhang Pa stood frozen on the street, listening to the words drifting away on the wind, and asked Liu Xiaomei, "Was he talking about me just now?"

Liu Xiaomei grabbed Zhang Pa's arm with both hands and giggled. "This driver is hilarious."

Furious, Zhang Pa pointed at the departing taxi and jumped up, shouting at the top of his lungs, "If you've got the guts, turn around and come back!"

Naturally, the taxi wasn't going to turn back. Zhang Pa grumbled irritably, "Why didn't he fall for it? If he had been willing to drive back, oh ho ho, I would have docked his points and fined him to death!"

Liu Xiaomei laughed and said, "Stop joking around. Come on, let's go inside and buy some clothes."

The old wholesale market had been renovated and now looked thoroughly modern. It was divided into numerous distinct zones, including high-end commodity areas spanning the upper floors.

Zhang Pa checked the floor directory, memorized it carefully, and asked Liu Xiaomei, "What are we buying?"

"A few sets of clothes, a couple of pairs of shoes, and two bags. That's about it," Liu Xiaomei replied.

Zhang Pa said, "No problem, follow me."

So off they walked, but no matter where they walked, it was all women's clothing. Liu Xiaomei suddenly jumped onto his back, looping her arms tightly around Zhang Pa's neck. "Young man, trying to play tricks on big sis? Turn around."

Zhang Pa feigned ignorance. "Turn around for what?"

Liu Xiaomei said, "The escalators are that way, the men's clothing section is upstairs. What on earth are you wandering around down here for?"

Zhang Pa chuckled. "If you're this smart, once we get married, my life is going to be a tragedy."

Liu Xiaomei let out a "humph." "Don't try to trap me. You and I aren't even boyfriend and girlfriend yet, what marriage are you talking about?"

Facts proved that every single second of being in love is pure joy. As long as he was with Liu Xiaomei, Zhang Pa became wonderfully simple-minded; all other thoughts vanished, and he wanted nothing more than to grasp the present moment.

Shopping for clothes took an hour, mainly because the shoes, bags, and suits versus jeans were all in different zones, and most of the time was wasted walking between them.

Under Zhang Pa's forceful intervention, they only bought three outfits for him that day, one of which was formal wear. The formal wear was something Liu Xiaomei strongly insisted on, and since Zhang Pa didn't dare resist, he simply complied.

As an act of retaliation, Zhang Pa forced her to buy two additional pieces of clothing, which finally felt like taking satisfying revenge.

Emerging from the clothing mall carrying a mountain of shopping bags, they hurried off to their dinner appointment.

The cuisine at the Imperial Banquet Pavilion was truly top-tier; every dish was crafted to look like a work of art. The last time Xun Ruyu hosted, they were peers meeting as equals, where drinking was the main event and the food didn't really matter. Today, Long Jianjun was hosting: the alcohol was minimal, consisting of just a single bottle of clear liquor; the dishes were also sparse—three meat dishes and three vegetable dishes, making six in total—yet every single dish was exquisite.

When Zhang Pa and Liu Xiaomei walked through the door, Long Xiaole froze instantly. "Heaven is truly blind."

Zhang Pa put down the pile of bags in his hands. "Is that any way to greet someone?"

Long Xiaole sighed. "Heaven really is blind. How is this possible? How could a scumbag with your attitude possibly find such an amazing girlfriend?"

Zhang Pa scoffed disdainfully. "Shallow." Then he asked, "Where's your dad?"

"He's on the phone. The moment he hits a banquet, he gets busier than the Premier of the State Council." Long Xiaole eagerly attended to Liu Xiaomei. "Please, have a seat."

Zhang Pa said, "Back up. She's already taken, don't go getting any ideas."

Long Xiaole looked at him with contempt. "Your mindset is skewed; you always assume the worst. Right, Sis?"

Liu Xiaomei smiled and said thank you, introducing herself, "I'm Teacher Zhang Pa's—well, my name is Liu Xiaomei."

Long Xiaole said, "I'm Long Xiaole, he's like an older brother to me. I guess I should call you Teacher too." Then he turned back to Zhang Pa: "Look at you—you've been standing in the doorway for ages and didn't even dare introduce her properly. Were you really that terrified I'd steal your girlfriend?"

Zhang Pa pulled out his phone to check the time and asked, "What is your dad calling me here for?"

"Let my dad tell you himself; anything I say is useless," Long Xiaole said.

Just as they were speaking, the private dining room door was pushed open, and two men walked in. Leading the way was Long Jianjun—tall, straight-backed, impeccably dressed, and exuding immense self-confidence. He was the absolute picture of a successful man. Following closely behind was a man in his thirties wearing glasses and carrying a briefcase.

Long Jianjun smiled and extended a hand toward Zhang Pa. "We meet again."

Zhang Pa hurried forward to shake his hand. "Hello."

Long Jianjun glanced at Liu Xiaomei. "And this is?"

Zhang Pa said, "My dream girl, whom I am currently working hard to pursue."

Upon hearing this, Long Jianjun gave Zhang Pa a very thorough, evaluating look before extending his hand to Liu Xiaomei. "Hello, I am Long Jianjun."

Liu Xiaomei shook his hand and said, "My name is Liu Xiaomei, I'm a teacher at the Conservatory of Music."

"Teacher Liu, please, have a seat," Long Jianjun invited warmly.

Once everyone was seated, Long Jianjun introduced the bespectacled man beside him. "This is Hong Huo, Vice Director of our company's sales department. He's the one in charge of the Phase Six pre-sales."

Zhang Pa remarked, "What a great name—sales burning red like fire, bound to make a massive profit."

Hong Huo chuckled, "President Long hired me specifically because of this name." Turning to Long Jianjun, he asked, "President Long, shall we discuss the contract now?"

Long Jianjun nodded. Hong Huo pulled two printed sheets of paper from his briefcase and pushed them across the table toward Zhang Pa. "This is the housing purchase contract. Take a look and see if there's anything you'd like to change, or if you have any thoughts on it."

Zhang Pa flipped through it casually. All the Party A and Party B legal jargon held zero interest for him, so he asked Hong Huo, "Do me a favor and point out where the important parts are."

Hong Huo smiled and said, "Every single word on this contract is important." Nevertheless, he proceeded to point out the section concerning mutual responsibilities.