At six in the morning, with the faint light of dawn, the hallway remained dimly lit, yet the disbelief on Pei Yue’s face was crystal clear.
Initially still groggy, Lu Xingyan, after three seconds of locking eyes with his mother, felt as if he’d been doused with a bucket of cold water, suddenly alert as if he could sit for an exam again with just a pen.
Pei Yue gripped the stair railing tightly, alternating her gaze between Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo’s door, her throat feeling as if it were blocked, unable to articulate a word.
She had come downstairs for a drink of water, only to find traces of a dragged suitcase on the floor, prompting her to check if Lu Xingyan, the little rascal, had returned.
She never expected to stumble upon such a surreal scene.
Was this not real?
About seven or eight seconds later, she unexpectedly slapped herself across the face.
—Not too hard, but enough to sting. It wasn’t a dream.
Since when did the womenfolk get so ruthless as to abuse themselves?
Lu Xingyan almost thought he was dreaming, his face filled with astonishment as he whispered, “Mom, are you okay? Why did you hit yourself?”
“…”
“It’s nothing, just felt like there was a mosquito.”
Pei Yue finally spoke, though her expression was dazed, her voice somewhat elusive.
Where would mosquitoes come from in the dead of winter?
Lu Xingyan rubbed the back of his head, looking her up and down. “Mom, what are you doing up here so early in the morning, and why are you wearing this padded coat? Isn’t it a bit too festive for this?”
Pei Yue “…”
She didn’t know what she was thinking. Ignoring the serious matters, she followed Lu Xingyan’s lead and replied, “What do you know? This is a collaboration between a luxury brand and a traditional Chinese painter, limited edition.”
…?
Middle-aged women were really easy to deceive, believing this to be a limited edition of the same style from the 1990s.
Lu Xingyan glanced at the ceiling, feeling a bit speechless.
But he quickly remembered that the current focus seemed not to be on the padded coat.
Taking advantage of Pei Yue being led astray by him and not coming back to her senses, he casually said, “Ah, so sleepy. I’ll go back to my room and sleep a bit longer. Mom, you should go back to bed too. It’s only six o’clock.”
Pei Yue watched him walk to the top of the stairs, open his room door, and walk-in…
Just one more action of locking the door, and Lu Xingyan could temporarily evade Pei Yue’s interrogation, enjoy a good nap, and deal with things later.
But fate had other plans. Just as he was about to close the door, Pei Yue suddenly snapped out of it, taking a swift step forward, and kicked the door open!
Lu Xingyan was utterly bewildered.
Was this damn limited edition sleep-padded coat equipped with Popeye’s strength buff?
He nearly toppled over from the sudden kick to the door!
As Pei Yue snapped back to reality, she rushed forward without a hint of breathlessness, grabbed Lu Xingyan’s ear, and swiftly delivered another lesson—a door-closing lecture.
“For heaven’s sake, what the hell were you doing in Ruoru’s room? Sneaking around like this early in the morning, are you trying to get yourself killed?! Speak up, did you do anything to Ruoru? Since when? Did she notice? Or did you coerce her? Lu Xingyan, are you trying to drive me to an early grave or make me lose my mind?! Speak up already!!!”
With the blood from the door-kicking incident still choking him, Lu Xingyan found himself subjected to a barrage of scolding as Pei Yue continued relentlessly. By now, he was seeing stars.
And Pei Yue wouldn’t let up, her incessant nagging implying she was about to stamp him as a rapist and drag him to the police station!
Coughing a few times, enduring pains from all over his body, Lu Xingyan managed to croak out, “No, it’s not… Mom, you need to give me a chance to catch my breath and explain. How can you think so low of me!”
Pei Yue, still gripping his ear, twisted it another 135 degrees.
“Ouch—ouch—ouch!!!”
“Mom! Stop twisting! Ruoru and I are dating! It’s a legitimate relationship, we just slept together, I didn’t do anything wrong, let go!!”
Initially, Lu Xingyan hadn’t planned to confess, but Pei Yue’s protective stance over her daughter nearly scared him to death, denying him a chance to explain. She nearly beat him to a pulp in just a few moves!
Dating. Legitimate relationship. Just sleeping together?
Pei Yue froze for a moment, her eyes widening slowly as she processed the information. “What did you say? Say that again!”
“I’m dating Shen Xingruo. She’s my girlfriend now!” Lu Xingyan exclaimed loudly.
Pei Yue stood still, stunned. After several seconds, she tightened her grip, twisting his ear another 135 degrees.
Lu Xingyan screamed in agony, almost ready to depart this world.
—Not a dream.
Pei Yue slowly released her grip.
A mixture of shock, confusion, and various other emotions swirled together, but in the end, the feeling of joy emerged victorious.
Her heart brimming with happiness, Pei Yue broke into a smile, her gaze towards Lu Xingyan turning gentle and kind.
Lu Xingyan was still closing his eyes and rubbing his ear.
Pei Yue, being particularly considerate, helped him sit on the edge of the bed, gently patting his back with care and tenderness as she asked, “Son, you mean… you’re dating Xingruo now, right?”
Raising the index fingers of both hands and bringing them together, she nodded, “So when did you two start dating?”
“…We started right after the college entrance exam.”
So early!
Pei Yue followed up, “But how come nobody could tell? How did you two end up together?”
“I confessed, and she accepted. How else would we be together?” Lu Xingyan wondered.
Pei Yue was taken aback for a moment. After a brief pause, she moved on to the most crucial question, “So, what’s the status of your relationship now?”
Lu Xingyan glanced at Pei Yue, expressionless, and replied, “The status of purely sleeping under the blanket.”
For a moment, a flicker of undisguised regret flashed across Pei Yue’s face.
But soon, she cleared her throat twice, sitting up a bit straighter involuntarily, and said in a more proper tone, “Well, this pace isn’t too slow. Don’t rush things, you know? Haste makes waste.”
Realizing her phrasing might not be appropriate, she corrected herself, “I mean, you must give Xingruo full respect, no forcing, no coercion, understand?”
“You’re still young, you still have your studies to focus on. It’s not good to rush into things too early. If something unexpected happens, you might have to drop out and go home to take care of a child…”
“Mom, what nonsense are you talking about?” Lu Xingyan interrupted.
Pei Yue remained matter-of-fact, “Where did I go wrong? I’ve been young too, you know. You’re at an age where anything can happen, especially with just sleeping under the blanket… one thing leads to another…”
She paused, then continued, “Of course, I’m not saying it’s not okay. What I mean is, if something were to happen, you should be prepared, right?”
“Wait until after graduation… or actually, you don’t even have to wait until then. I think senior year is fine. Isn’t senior year mostly about writing papers anyway? By then, you’ll also be at the legal age for marriage. You can go get your marriage certificate, and I’ll help you plan a grand wedding!”
“With the marriage certificate, having a child would be legitimate. It won’t tarnish the girl’s reputation, and I’ll be there to help take care of your child.”
Pei Yue continued earnestly, following her train of thought, “It doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl, what’s important is that they have a brain like Ruoru’s. We need to nurture them well from a young age. When I had you, I spoiled you too much. I let you slack off on your studies. My grandchildren can’t turn out like you, without any skills or knowledge.”
“As for looks, you have some redeeming qualities, so I’m not worried. Ruoru is also so beautiful, so there won’t be any problems there.”
Lu Xingyan interjected, “No, no, no, I think it’s better if the boy looks like me and the girl looks like her. Let’s not have the same personality as her though, we can’t have our children inheriting Ruoru’s personality.”
Somehow, Lu Xingyan initially thought his mom’s imagination could reach the Milky Way directly. He was still a virgin, yet his mom was already considering helping him raise children. It was a bit too much.
But as he listened, he found himself getting drawn into Pei Yue’s narrative. And before he knew it, he was earnestly discussing with her about whose personality their future children should inherit.
Meanwhile, Shen Xingruo slept peacefully under the covers, unaware that in the half-hour since Lu Xingyan left, her future in-laws and husband had already planned out her future child’s life.
At nine in the morning, Shen Xingruo got up to freshen up. As she descended the stairs, she saw Pei Yue and Lu Xingyan unusually harmoniously huddled together looking at their phones.
She greeted them as she descended the stairs.
Seeing her coming down, Pei Yue’s eyes lit up with a smile, and she warmly greeted, “Ruoru, awake already? You slept late last night. Are you hungry? Your aunt went to the supermarket, but some mushrooms and chicken congee are simmering on the stove. I’ll ladle you a bowl, just wait.”
Pei Yue stood up and patted Lu Xingyan’s head, “Why don’t you go warm up some milk for your future wife?”
Shen Xingruo “…”
Future… wife.
Standing on the stairs, Shen Xingruo paused for several seconds before casting a glance at Lu Xingyan.
Lu Xingyan silently exchanged a gaze with her, conveying the message: Yes, it’s exactly as you think. The truth is out, there’s no hiding it. You’ll have to come over and be a concubine in my household.
Shen Xingruo “…”
Throughout the three-day New Year holiday, Pei Yue’s mouth never stopped smiling, showing her extra affection and care towards Shen Xingruo.
She would tell Shen Xingruo, “If Lu Xingyan doesn’t treat you well, just break up with him and I’ll give him a good scolding,” while at the same time, showering Shen Xingruo with extravagant gifts.
Passing by a maternity and baby store while out shopping, she would stroll in, muttering to herself about how “my future grandchild should dress as cute as this.”
During lunch at home, Lu Xingyan openly served dishes to Shen Xingruo, teasing lazily, “Girlfriend, I must say, thanks to you, my mom has been extra sweet to me these days. Do you notice?”
Pei Yue looked at him with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Of course, after all, the more a mother-in-law sees her son-in-law, the more she likes him.”
“…?”
“Mom, you’re going too far.”
Pei Yue grinned, “Not at all. If you were my son-in-law, maybe you’d get better treatment.”
She then served him a spoonful of food. “Speaking of which, the year you were born, there was a construction project on the west side of the imperial capital. The ancestral grave of the Lu family was moved, and the new location was carefully chosen by a feng shui master. It’s really good feng shui! That master had some real skills. If it weren’t for the auspicious feng shui, how could you have found such a good girlfriend as Shen Xingruo?”
Lu Xingyan “…?”
No, he got into Xing University through his efforts, and Shen Xingruo agreed to be his girlfriend because of him.
Why should the ancestral grave, which had nothing to do with studying or working hard, take credit for this?
The mother and son argued back and forth at the dinner table. In the evening, Shen Xingruo dragged Lu Xingyan back to their room for end-of-term revision.
Fortunately, he was well-prepared. He had previously outlined the plot and noted down famous quotes. So, when Shen Xingruo asked about it, he put on a pretense of having already read it, launching into a lengthy discourse as if he were an expert. He even pulled out his excerpt notebook for Shen Xingruo to see, saying, “I take my reading very seriously. Look at this, these are all the quotes I jotted down while reading.”
Shen Xingruo glanced at him and then turned to the excerpt notebook.
Lu Xingyan remained calm and composed, not skipping a beat.
Shen Xingruo hadn’t flipped through a couple of pages when her hand stopped abruptly.
“‘Love for me is not a skin-to-skin affair, nor is it about daily meals. It is an immortal desire, a heroic dream amidst the weariness of life.'” — Marguerite Duras, “The Lover”
“You’ve read Marguerite Duras’s ‘The Lover’?” Shen Xingruo asked.
Lu Xingyan nodded, recounting the gist of the story to her and then pretending, “I think this quote is particularly well-written, very profound. It’s just like how I feel about you.”
Shen Xingruo fell silent for a moment, pressed her temples, then picked up a pen and wrote underneath it, “I never said this.” — Marguerite Duras
Lu Xingyan “…?”