Chapter 77: Riding the Tiger
Shi Hai, of course, didn't come up with this playboy idea on his own.
In fact, this line of reasoning had been taught to him by Shi Meng earlier.
He was simply reusing it now.
But Liu Zhanshan didn't know that, and she would never have suspected Shi Meng of telling her brother such things.
So Shi Hai took advantage of this, pressing forward with his bluff:
"Mom, think about it—are relationships based on money reliable?"
Liu Zhanshan shook her head.
Relationships built on self-interest were the easiest to form, but also the easiest to break.
"Right, so I'm not interested in those kinds of relationships either. It's not just about being attracted to their bodies—I'm after 'love.'"
"You—! You want to become a heart-stealer!"
"Exactly! I want to make them feel like they can't live without me. Even if they don't like it, they'll eventually have to accept that I have other women. And if they can't get rid of the others, they'll have no choice but to coexist. That's what having a harem is all about, right?"
Hearing these words, Liu Zhanshan couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
A simple shift in perspective had suddenly turned her overly righteous son onto a dark path…
"…This is the first time, since the day you were born, that I've ever thought, 'Maybe we have a problem with our family's values.'"
"But isn't that what being a real playboy is all about?"
His argument was sound.
Even Shi Hai was beginning to feel like he was actually serious about becoming a playboy.
And seeing the expression on his mother's face, he knew he had succeeded.
His mom wouldn't press the issue any further.
From now on, whenever she saw him hanging out with Jian Sichun and the others, she would just assume he was trying to chase an impossible dream: building a harem.
She could think whatever she wanted, as long as she didn't dig deeper into it.
Enjoy the show, mom.
"…Okay, I get it now," Liu Zhanshan sighed.
At this point, she had already fallen for Shi Hai's tall tales.
"Even though I don't think it's a good idea, you are still my son…"
While she felt it wasn't right for the girls involved, if forced to choose, she'd still side with her son.
She would help him fulfill his wish.
If it didn't work out, at worst, Shi Hai would go back to being the guy who had no luck with women. It wouldn't hurt the girls too badly.
But if, by some miracle, it did work out…
Wouldn't she have lots of daughters-in-law?
And lots of grandchildren?
Liu Zhanshan had always had a dream.
She had always wanted a big family.
Liu Zhanshan was a rare only child of her generation. Her parents had devoted their lives to improving the lives of others, and because they overworked themselves, they passed away at an early age.
Shi Hai's father had cut ties with his family long before he met Liu Zhanshan, so she had never met her in-laws.
Even when her husband was seriously ill, he had stubbornly refused to contact his family, showing just how bad their relationship was.
Liu Zhanshan only knew that her husband had two sisters, but she had never met them and didn't even have their contact information.
So from the time Shi Hai was born, he had never met his grandparents or his two aunts.
Now, it was just her and her son, depending on each other.
While that was fine, as Shi Hai grew older, Liu Zhanshan couldn't help but feel a bit lonely…
She had always wished there could be more people in their family.
Although her aunt and uncle, and other relatives, had tried persuading her to remarry and even introduced her to some potential partners, Liu Zhanshan felt that if it was just about finding someone to pass the time, there was no need. It would only add trouble for her son.
She had no desire for a new husband.
The only man she would ever call her husband was the one she had already lost.
However, even though she didn't want to remarry, she did want new family members.
Especially a daughter.
As Shi Hai grew older, he became colder and more distant, and he nagged so much that Liu Zhanshan sometimes found him annoying, to the point where she wanted to kick him out of the house.
That's why she had always wanted a daughter—someone who would be closer to her, cling to her, cuddle, and share their thoughts and feelings.
This was why, when she saved Shi Meng, she had the idea of adopting her as a daughter.
And when Shi Hai's friend, Jian Sichun, asked to move in, she had readily agreed.
After all, she'd already heard Jian Sichun call her "mom"—how could she refuse?
So now, even though she knew Shi Hai's talk about wanting a harem was absurd and unrealistic, in her heart, she couldn't help but think that maybe this was the path closest to fulfilling her dream.
After all, those beautiful girls had already started calling her "mom," which meant they truly wanted to be part of the "Shi family."
Just imagining the scene of her house full of children and grandchildren…
Liu Zhanshan felt her heart fill with happiness.
For the sake of a house full of descendants…
She decided to "aid and abet."
And so, she became serious about it.
"I understand, Shi Hai… but now we need to analyze the situation carefully."
"Oh… huh?"
"If you really want a harem, the current situation doesn't look great."
Shi Hai was confused.
He had assumed that by saying something as outrageous as wanting a harem, even if his mom believed him, she wouldn't actually agree to it.
Knowing her style, he thought she would step back and let the younger generation handle their own affairs. She could just sit on the sidelines and enjoy the drama unfold.
But now… what was his mom even thinking?
"The ideal situation would be if Jian Sichun and Zhu Lingjie didn't know each other. That way, you could deal with them one by one…"
"But now they live together, and they definitely know each other's feelings. So right now, it's more of a 'peaceful competition' between them."
"But if they found out you wanted both of them at the same time, that peace would shatter. In the worst-case scenario, they'd both feel like they misjudged you and leave you."
"Of course, Mengmeng probably wouldn't leave, since she's already part of the family."
"But if she found out about your thoughts, she would definitely lose respect for you as a brother, and your sibling relationship would suffer."
"You don't want to end up with nothing and go back to being a lonely bachelor, do you?"
"But luckily, you've only shared these thoughts with me so far… so first, we have to make sure no one suspects anything."
"Right now, you still have the upper hand, since they both like you. We need to work on converting one of their feelings into real love first."
"Since I have a good relationship with them, let me test the waters for you. Don't rush into action just yet."
Shi Hai was growing more and more overwhelmed as he listened.
How had his mom suddenly become so invested in helping him strategize?
He quickly reached out to stop her from saying anything more and, puzzled, asked:
"Wait a second, Mom, what do you mean by all this? You're not against the idea?"
Liu Zhanshan crossed her arms and puffed out her chest, giving him a stern look.
"I'm your mother! Why would I be against you?"
"But… didn't you say this whole idea was ridiculous?"
Liu Zhanshan scratched her cheek and replied:
"It is pretty ridiculous… but if you're serious about it, Shi Hai, then maybe, just maybe, you could actually pull it off."
Although his mom seemed to believe him now, Shi Hai was filled with confusion.
What did she mean by "if you think this way, you can do it"?
Had she always thought he had the potential to be a playboy?
"Since you've already said you want a harem, I'm not letting you give up halfway! You're not the type to make empty promises, right?"
For the sake of my dream and your happiness, you need to step up, son!
"…"
Crap…
He'd gone too far with the bluff.
Shi Hai broke into a cold sweat.
Now, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
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