In the end, Kang Defa could only choke down his meal in a suffocating atmosphere. Even while eating, Liu Fengxia couldn’t keep her mouth shut. She asked snidely, “Second Sis, do you think Zhirou’s girlfriend can really hook Ning Lei up with a no-show job? I see your family’s Zhirou isn’t all that willing.”
“Hey, that kid’s got a stubborn streak—we’ll just coax her along slowly, a little at a time. Once they tie the knot, if worse comes to worst, we can go straight to Lu Yao. Don’t worry, Ning Lei’s situation is on my radar.” Ning Jianfang made grand promises while piling Ning Lei’s bowl high with shrimp and peeling them for him to boot.
Kang Defa watched his wife carry on like this, his teeth grinding in fury. She was always bending her elbow toward her family.
While eating, Ning Lei turned to Ning Jianfang. “Second Aunt, if it doesn’t pan out, just have my older sis and little sis pick some rich partners to marry. Then I can kick back and coast. Is that Lu Yao really gonna work out? Shen Zhirou said she’s just a project manager—isn’t that kinda low on the totem pole?”
Kang Defa saw Ning Jianfang still chatting and smiling amiably. He let out a cold snort and mocked Ning Lei. “Hmph. A grown man of twenty-five, not bothering to look for work, just scheming to mooch off his sisters. What kind of future is that?”
“Hey, Second Uncle, aren’t you just beating around the bush to call me useless? If I’m no good, what about you? You’re just a truck driver—what’s so impressive about that?” Ning Lei swallowed a shrimp and rolled his eyes at Kang Defa.
Kang Defa lost his appetite entirely. He slammed down his chopsticks and glared at Ning Lei. “I’m no big shot, but I earn my keep with these two hands. That’s a hell of a lot better than leeching off everybody else.”
Ning Guofu saw the mood souring fast and jumped to his son’s defense. “What’s that supposed to mean, Second Brother-in-law? We’re just here for a meal. You gonna make a federal case out of it? The boy’s still young—why get into it with him?”
Kang Defa’s eyes bulged as he stared at Ning Guofu. “Twenty-five and still young?”
“You bet he is. Even at forty or fifty, our Ning Lei will always be the Ning family’s precious Ba’er.” Ning Guofu stated it like plain fact.
Ning Jianfang shot Kang Defa a glare too. “If you wanna eat, eat. If not, beat it. Don’t talk smack about our Ning Lei.”
Kang Defa was too furious to touch another bite. He tossed down his chopsticks, changed into his shoes, and stormed out.
Ning Jianfang glared after him and told her brother and sister-in-law, “Forget about him. We’ll eat without him.”
In the end, it turned into a cozy family meal for Ning Jianfang and her brother’s clan. Her own household had been thoroughly sidelined.
Meanwhile, Shen Zhirou and the others had arrived at their spot. They’d ordered a feast, all waiting to hit the table. Afraid of splattering her clothes, Shen Zhirou donned the hotpot joint’s apron. Soon enough, the spicy and tomato pots bubbled to life, and her group dug in.
With food in front of them, the awkwardness between the group and Kang Yunheng eased up. He shared some school stories, and Shen Yumian chimed in now and then with updates from her own life.
Shen Zhirou ate while smiling at her little sister and brother’s tales of everyday hijinks. The meal passed in decent harmony. Afterward, Shen Yumian and Kang Yunheng cabbed back to their dorms together, while Shen Zhirou hailed one to the apartment she shared with Lu Yao.
She’d barely stepped out of the shower when her phone rang from an unknown number. Shen Zhirou picked up anyway. The voice on the other end cut right to it. “Know who this is?”
The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but the phone connection muddied it. Shen Zhirou couldn’t place it. “Who is this?”
“You met me just the other day and already forgotten? This is Zhang Huichun, Lu Yao’s mom. Look, the family’s getting together at our place tomorrow for dinner. You come too. We’re all one big happy family—we oughta meet. I’ll text you the address in a sec. Just follow that.”
Zhang Huichun didn’t bother asking if Shen Zhirou was free. She decided for her.
Shen Zhirou gripped her phone tightly, nerves jangling. She wasn’t great with elders at the best of times, and showing up without Lu Yao—didn’t that seem too casual? She jumped in quick. “Auntie, wouldn’t it be weird if I came alone? Yaoyao’s not back yet. How about I wait for her and we visit together properly?”
“What’s the big deal? An elder invites you to dinner and you dodge like that? You’re not hitched yet anyway—do what you want. Address incoming. Come or don’t.”
Zhang Huichun hung up, fired off the address text, and muttered under her breath, “With your rookie moves, you think you can go toe-to-toe with me?”
Shen Zhirou received the text message and suddenly found herself unable to stand or sit still. An inexplicable anxiety stirred in her heart. She knew Lu Yao disliked being disturbed and hesitated to call her casually, but this time she really needed to—at least to ask what Lu Yao’s parents liked, so she could buy gifts first thing tomorrow morning.
After a moment of hesitation, Shen Zhirou dialed Lu Yao’s number. Things on Lu Yao’s end were nearly wrapped up, so she wasn’t too busy. She’d returned at noon with no other work left. Fresh from a shower, she lay on the bed with her eyes closed, resting. Seeing Shen Zhirou’s name on the screen, a faint smile softened her brows, and she answered the call.
“Yaoyao, are you at the hotel? I didn’t disturb you, did I?” Shen Zhirou asked anyway, worried she might have interrupted Lu Yao’s work.
“No, I’ll be heading back next week anyway. What’s up? Did you miss me?” Lu Yao recalled the soft warmth of Shen Zhirou’s lips and unconsciously licked her own. Whatever the reason, she did miss her.
“Auntie just called and invited me over for dinner tomorrow. I wanted to ask what they like so I can grab gifts first thing in the morning.” Shen Zhirou’s fingertips poked lightly at the mattress beside her as she spoke.
Lu Yao’s brows furrowed slightly. She had explicitly told her parents not to meddle in her and Shen Zhirou’s affairs. Now, with her away, they were still summoning Shen Zhirou over—clearly up to something.
Her eyes sparkled, the commanding air from her workday gone. Instead, her voice turned soft and coquettish as she wheedled at Shen Zhirou. “Jie Jie, have you missed me?”
Just that one coquettish syllable turned Shen Zhirou’s ear tips pink. She forgot all about tomorrow’s gifts for the elders, her soul seemingly hooked away as she replied, “I have. I’ve wanted to call you for ages, but I was afraid you were too busy and it’d upset you.”
Lu Yao’s smile deepened, her voice dropping even softer, like the murmurs in Shen Zhirou’s ear those past few nights. “Jie Jie, this hotel mattress is way too hard—not comfy like home. And without you holding me, my waist is all red from it. Want to come rub it for me, Jie Jie?”
Shen Zhirou felt dazed and flustered, heat flooding her cheeks. The room’s air conditioning was on, but she still felt overheated.
She grabbed the water glass from the bedside table, took a sip, and fanned the sweat beading on her forehead before replying. “I could come, but Auntie wants me at your house tomorrow.”
“No big deal. I’ll call them right now. When I get back next week, I’ll bring you to see them together. You don’t have to go alone tomorrow, Jie Jie. Sound good?”
Lu Yao kept tempting her. Whether from hearing Shen Zhirou’s voice or the free day ahead with no work, she desperately wanted to see her—wanted her there, keeping her company.
Shen Zhirou had wanted to see Lu Yao anyway, and with the parent visit off the table, she agreed happily. “Okay, I’ll grab the next flight out. Send me the hotel spot and room number.”
“No need, Jie Jie. I’ll have Jiang Chen book it and text you the details. Just come keep me company.” Lu Yao let out a little hum, then winced again at the hard mattress beneath her. Once Shen Zhirou arrived, she could curl up in her arms and ditch the rock-hard bed.
Shen Zhirou chatted a bit longer, then packed a few clothes into a carry-on bag. She didn’t bring much else, planning to head back by tomorrow afternoon at the latest—she had to be at the company Monday and couldn’t stay with Lu Yao forever.
After hanging up, Lu Yao called her mother, Zhang Huichun.
Zhang Huichun’s eyelids twitched at the sight of her daughter’s name. She picked up in a hurry.
“Yaoyao, calling this late? Don’t you have work?” Zhang Huichun made small talk, wondering if Shen Zhirou had gone crying to her daughter again.
Lu Yao cut straight to it. “I’m not busy the next couple days. One or two more to wrap up next week, and I’ll head back to Jiangbei. Haven’t seen Zhirou in ages, so I asked her to keep me company a bit. She’s off tomorrow anyway, Mom. When I’m back, I’ll bring her to meet you. No rush for today or tomorrow.”
Zhang Huichun’s face darkened instantly. “Yaoyao, what spell has that Shen Zhirou cast on you? Why are you sticking up for her like this? We invited her over out of kindness, and she runs off to tattle. Folks who don’t know better might think we planned to eat her alive.”
Lu Yao’s brow furrowed slightly between her eyes, clearly growing a bit impatient. “She didn’t feed me any bewitching potion, but she is my fiancée. I hope you and Dad can respect her too—she’s the person I chose. If you really aren’t satisfied with her, there’s nothing I can do; I can only cut off all contact with her, and after that, don’t even dream of me getting married.”
“Sigh, don’t—I’m just venting a bit for the sake of it. You make your own decisions about your life; we won’t interfere with you and Shen Zhirou. Alright then, when you’re back from your business trip, bring her along to visit us.” Zhang Huichun gritted her teeth and forced down all her anger.
“Okay.” After receiving her mother’s reply, Lu Yao finally hung up the phone. She checked Shen Zhirou’s flight; she probably wouldn’t see her until around five in the afternoon. Lu Yao furrowed her brows as she looked at the hard, lumpy mattress pressing uncomfortably against her from below, missing Shen Zhirou even more.
