Zhao Shuyang’s shout was like a thunderclap exploding beside Chen Yi and Ruan Mian’s ears. The two of them froze on the spot. Looking up, they caught a glimpse of Fang Ruqing’s figure flashing past the window.

Ruan Mian felt like a student caught dating in school by her parents. In her panic, she could only push Chen Yi’s arm, “Go quickly.”

Chen Yi was quite calm, gripping her hand instead. “Go where? It’s not like we’re dating in school.”

Only then did Ruan Mian react, but she still shook off his hand, then looked him over from top to bottom. “I think it would be better if you left.”

Seeing her such obvious gaze, Chen Yi suddenly realized. When he’d received Ruan Mian’s call earlier, thinking something serious had happened, he’d rushed out the door in such a hurry that he hadn’t even had time to change clothes.

The pajamas weren’t too bad—they were athletic style, a pure white T-shirt on top and black athletic pants below. If you didn’t say anything, you couldn’t tell they were pajamas.

It was just the slippers……

He looked down at the cotton cloth slippers on his feet. This person who was usually so competent at everything, for once felt a rare sense of being at a loss. “Is it still in time for me to leave now?”

The result, of course, was—

Too late.

In the time it took to exchange two sentences, Fang Ruqing had already come down from upstairs, her figure standing at the doorway, her expression gentle and calm. “Chen Yi’s here. It’s so cold outside, come in and sit for a while.”

Chen Yi simply gave up, nodding in response, “Sorry for the intrusion, Auntie.”

After entering the house, Fang Ruqing had Ruan Mian take Chen Yi to sit on the living room sofa first, and asked Chen Yi whether he wanted tea or juice.

Chen Yi quickly said politely, “No need to trouble yourself, Auntie.”

“It’s no trouble.” Fang Ruqing thought that since it was very late, tea leaves would affect sleep, so she brewed him a cup of flower tea to help with sleep, smiling. “Just treat it like your own home.”

Chen Yi was incredibly well-behaved, nodding in response. “Okay, thank you, Auntie.”

After brewing the tea, Fang Ruqing went into the kitchen to busy herself cutting fruit. Chen Yi put the glass cup on the coffee table, turned his head to look at Ruan Mian. “I’ll go over for a moment.”

Ruan Mian pretended not to hear the hint in his words. “Okay, you go.”

Chen Yi: “……”

He gave up, got up, and walked toward the kitchen by himself. From not too far away, Ruan Mian heard him say politely, “Auntie, it’s so late, please don’t bother. I’ll just sit for a while and then leave.”

“It’s fine, you go out and sit quickly. I’ll be done cutting soon.” Fang Ruqing’s hands didn’t stop moving, and she quickly finished cutting two more oranges.

Chen Yi got along with his parents like friends and rarely had experience dealing with elders, especially dealing with his future mother-in-law—this was the first time.

Having no other option for the moment, he could only turn back to look at his girlfriend.

Ruan Mian received his signal for help. Holding back her amusement, she got up and walked over. “Mom, it’s so late. You’ve cut so much fruit, we can’t finish it all.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll just cut this last one.” Fang Ruqing stopped the knife, arranged the plate, and Chen Yi naturally took the fruit platter from her hands.

She wiped her hands and smiled. “Let’s go, let’s go sit outside.”

The three of them sat on the sofa again. What followed was the standard routine of meeting the parents. Although she already understood Chen Yi well, Fang Ruqing still asked some questions about him and his family situation.

Chen Yi answered whatever was asked, his manner polite and appropriate, his bearing calm and reserved. Perhaps it was because of his military background, but he gave people a sense of exceptionally upright masculine character.

With an excellent family background, outstanding appearance, and parents who were old friends with Ruan Mingke for many years, knowing each other inside and out, Fang Ruqing could barely find anything to be dissatisfied with.

Most importantly, he was the person her daughter had liked for so many years. Even if she had wanted to find fault, at this moment she couldn’t bear to.

Before Chen Yi left, Fang Ruqing asked him to come for dinner tomorrow evening. “The two families live so close. In the future, when you’re home on vacation, come over whenever you want.”

“Okay, goodbye, Auntie.” As Chen Yi was leaving, Fang Ruqing and Ruan Mian saw him to the door. After walking a few steps, he turned back just in time to see the mother and daughter’s backs as they entered.

He inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief and ran back home quickly. Song Jing and Chen Shuyu hadn’t rested yet and were sitting in the living room watching television.

Song Jing turned down the TV volume. “Where did you go?”

Chen Yi lowered his head to send Ruan Mian a message, telling the truth. “My girlfriend’s house.”

Chen Shuyu was closer to him and saw his outfit. “You’re quite bold.”

“Hmm?” Chen Yi looked up. “What?”

But Chen Shuyu ignored him and instead turned to Song Jing. “Your son is remarkable. The first time going to his mother-in-law’s house, he wore slippers. I remember when I went, I wanted to wrap myself in gold from head to toe. Even a single hair standing up made me incredibly nervous. But him? The first time visiting, it’s like going to his own home.”

Chen Yi: “……”

Hearing this, Song Jing also glanced down at his feet. “Chen Yi, if I remember correctly, you’ve already passed your twenty-seventh birthday. How are you less sensible than when you were seventeen?”

Chen Yi slouched on the sofa, scratching his neck, explaining for himself. “It was sudden. I was originally planning to go tomorrow evening, but happened to run into her.”

Song Jing: “So you went to someone’s house in pajamas and slippers, empty-handed?”

Chen Yi stopped talking.

Song Jing sighed. “Like this, I really worry whether you could marry a wife without your father and me.”

“……” Chen Yi turned off his phone. “My mother-in-law invited me to come for dinner tomorrow evening.”

Song Jing: “Oh.”

Chen Shuyu: “This time remember not to wear slippers.”

Chen Yi: “……”

……

Early the next morning, Chen Yi was still sleeping when Song Jing pulled him up. By the time they got to the living room downstairs, he realized Song Jing had already had the servants tidy up all kinds of gift boxes, precious medicinal materials, calligraphy and paintings, and so on from the storage room, large and small, filling up the entire living room. The scene was quite spectacular.

Song Jing didn’t really understand Fang Ruqing’s family situation and asked, “Are you clear on who’s in your mother-in-law’s family?”

Chen Yi made an acknowledging sound. “Grandmother, stepfather, older sister, and a younger brother.”

“Then you look and see what things to bring over.” Song Jing instructed, “Although Mianmian’s parents don’t live together now, you can’t neglect the proper courtesies on either side. You can’t let them think we mind these things.”

“Got it.”

“Okay then, you pick first. I’ll go see if there’s anything else.” Song Jing called the servant to go to the storage room together.

Chen Yi nodded, then called out to her. “Mom.”

“What is it?”

He smiled. “Thank you for your hard work.”

Song Jing said flatly, “What hard work? I’m just afraid you’ll embarrass your father and me.”

“……”

By evening, Ruan Mian received Chen Yi’s call and went out to the street entrance to meet him, startled by the sight of all the large and small bags he was carrying.

“You brought way too much.” Ruan Mian reached out to help him carry two gift boxes, which were quite heavy. “What’s in these?”

“Alcohol.” Chen Yi picked up several other gift boxes from the ground. “For Uncle. He’s a businessman, should drink alcohol, right?”

Ruan Mian nodded, then asked, “What about these?”

“Ginseng and some medicinal materials, plus bird’s nest and nutritional supplements for Auntie.” Chen Yi shook his left hand. “These are for your younger brother and Zhao Shutang.”

Ruan Mian made an acknowledging sound, deliberately finding fault. “So there’s nothing for me?”

Chen Yi stopped walking, looked down at her, his features handsome, the twilight draped over him like a natural filter. “How could there be nothing? Come here.”

Ruan Mian walked over as told. “What?”

“Left pocket.” His hands weren’t free. “Get it yourself.”

Ruan Mian muttered about what could be so small. The next second, she suddenly thought of something, and her outstretched hand froze for an instant.

She looked up at him. At that moment, dusk was falling. The sun in the distance was setting on the horizon. The man’s figure was shrouded in twilight. His brow had lost some of its cold severity and was exceptionally gentle.

Ruan Mian seemed to have prepared herself mentally. She lowered her head again and reached her hand into his pocket, but felt nothing. Before she could react, she was suddenly pulled into the arms of the person in front of her.

She was stunned. “What are you doing?”

“The gift.” Chen Yi lowered his head and nuzzled her forehead. “Me.”

“Oh.” Ruan Mian blinked, stood on her toes to kiss his cheek, and walked forward carrying the things. “I accept.”

Chen Yi quickly followed, his peripheral vision imperceptibly glancing toward her.

He hadn’t failed to notice her momentary pause just now, and the flash of nervousness and shyness on her face when she reached into his pocket afterward.

Thinking of how she had still reached out to him after hesitating, Chen Yi’s emotions surged, and he inevitably felt some regret.

If time could be rewound, he would definitely, definitely put a ring in his pocket, so her nervousness and shyness wouldn’t be for nothing.

But there are no ifs in this world. Fortunately, there are countless next times in the future.

When they arrived home, Zhao Yingwei had pushed aside an engagement yesterday and couldn’t push one off today, so he would be home late. Fang Ruqing was in the kitchen preparing dinner.

The Zhao siblings sat in the living room. Chen Yi had been here once yesterday and was mentally prepared. Plus, he and Zhao Shutang were old classmates, so having someone he knew there, he ultimately wasn’t as nervous as the first time going to Ruan Mingke’s place.

Fang Ruqing told him to sit in the living room. “You young people chat for a while. Dinner is late tonight. Let me cook you two eggs to tide you over first.”

“No need to trouble yourself, Auntie. I’m not hungry.” Chen Yi smiled. “Let me go to the kitchen and help you.”

“No need, no need. I can manage. You go sit quickly.” Fang Ruqing called out to the living room, “Shuyang, make your brother a cup of tea.”

Zhao Shuyang: “Sure thing.”

Fang Ruqing wiped her hands, pushing Chen Yi’s arm, smiling. “Okay, there’s heavy cooking fumes here. You go sit outside.”

Chen Yi was pushed out of the kitchen by his future mother-in-law. She wasn’t polite at all, treating him like family, directly closing the door with a bang.

He touched his nose and was about to walk to the living room when he saw Ruan Mian poke her head out from the second floor. “Chen Yi, come up for a moment.”

The floor wasn’t high, and there weren’t many steps. He crossed them in a few strides and quickly reached the second floor. “What is it?”

“I’ll take you to meet Grandmother.” If it were before, Fang Ruqing would definitely have had Ruan Mian take Chen Yi to meet Duan Ying, but since talking with Ruan Mingke, Fang Ruqing felt she had overlooked many things before and no longer forced Ruan Mian to do certain things.

Last night after Chen Yi left, Fang Ruqing had mentioned this to Ruan Mian. The general meaning was that if she didn’t want to meet, then there was no need to.

But Ruan Mian was an adult now. She couldn’t be as childish as when she was little. No matter what, Duan Ying was still Zhao Yingwei’s mother. Ruan Mian didn’t want to make things difficult for Fang Ruqing. Moreover, she couldn’t say she hated Duan Ying—at most, she hadn’t been close to her before and wouldn’t be too close now, but the proper courtesies couldn’t be neglected.

She sighed almost inaudibly, but Chen Yi’s hearing was sharp. He turned his head to look over, pinching her finger joints. “Why are you sighing?”

“?” Ruan Mian looked up. “You could hear that even though it was so quiet?”

He made an acknowledging sound, reminding her, “Don’t change the subject.”

Ruan Mian opened her mouth wanting to say something, but thinking of how Duan Ying was now, she lost the desire to bring up those past matters.

People were already in that state—what was the point of talking about these things?

She didn’t intend to tell the truth, so naturally, she couldn’t say anything serious. “Nothing. I’m just worried she won’t be satisfied with you.”

—

Author’s Note: These past few days I’ve been writing important chapters. Going back and forth to revise, there isn’t enough time, so temporarily updating every other day.

Please understand, and thank you for liking it.