Chapter 21 Part 1

While they were talking, the doorbell rang. Ye Qi’s eyes darted around, and he quickly spoke up, “It should be Yaoyao and the others. I’ll go open the door.”

“Goodness, this kid forgets everything else the moment he hears Yaoyao’s name.” Zhang Huichun teased with a smile.

Ye Qi smiled as he opened the door. His gaze landed on Lu Yao, then shifted to Shen Zhirou standing beside her, and he said with a smile, “Yaoyao, you’ve arrived. Uncle and Auntie have been waiting a bit. Come in quickly—don’t stand outside talking.”

Lu Yao had been in a good mood at first, but her face darkened the moment she saw Ye Qi. She looked past him toward Zhang Huichun inside. “Mom, didn’t we agree it would just be family gathering together? Why is he here?”

“Oh, come on, how can you talk like that? You two arrived so late—if Xiao Ye hadn’t been here helping me, how could we have managed?” Zhang Huichun quickly spoke up in Ye Qi’s defense.

Ye Qi glanced at Lu Yao, then at Zhang Huichun, waved his hand with a smile, and said, “You know Yaoyao’s temper by now, Auntie. She’s just straightforward like that. I’m used to it—no problem at all.”

“See, Xiao Ye is so tolerant. Yaoyao, he’s a guest—how can you speak to him like that?” Zhang Huichun smiled and shot her daughter a stern glance.

Shen Zhirou had been watching them talk without interjecting. She tightened her grip on the gift box in her hand. However, Lu Jitong noticed her discomfort and stepped forward to defuse the situation. “Xiao Shen, come on in. Why’d you buy so many things when you’re basically coming home?”

“It’s fine. This is my first time here, and I wasn’t sure what you and Auntie like, so Yaoyao told me.” Shen Zhirou was clearly still a bit reserved on her first visit. Having grown up with her grandmother, she hadn’t interacted much with other elders, so facing so many of Lu Yao’s family members made her feel constrained.

“Come on in and set those things down first—take a rest.” Lu Jitong ushered her inside.

Lu Yao glanced at Ye Qi, her gaze turning icy. “Of course guests are welcome in our home, but you and I aren’t that close. Don’t act like my family and call me Yaoyao. Adults should have some sense of social boundaries.”

Ye Qi felt a shiver under Lu Yao’s stare. He usually called her by her full name anyway, since she didn’t like people getting too familiar. Today, though, he’d gotten carried away by Zhang Huichun’s praise and wanted to show off to Shen Zhirou how close he was to Lu Yao, so he’d let it slip. He hadn’t expected her to call him out so directly, and now he felt his face burning with embarrassment.

But this wasn’t the first time Lu Yao had given him the cold shoulder. After a moment of awkwardness, he quickly composed himself and said with a smile, “Look at me and my memory—I forgot you told me that last time. Sorry about that, Lu Yao.”

Lu Yao shot Ye Qi a glance but said nothing more. Instead, she turned and went to find Shen Zhirou.

She took Shen Zhirou’s hand and found her palm damp with sweat. Lu Yao leaned lightly against her with a soft chuckle, her lips brushing close to Shen Zhirou’s ear as she whispered, “Your palm is all sweaty. Don’t be scared—my mom doesn’t bite.”

Ye Qi’s gaze had been following Lu Yao the whole time. Seeing her so intimately leaning against Shen Zhirou, he barely suppressed the anger surging in his heart.

Shen Zhirou, too nervous to notice Ye Qi’s stare, gave Lu Yao a helpless look but still felt tense as she said to Zhang Huichun in the kitchen, “Auntie, let me help you with dinner.”

“No need, no need—Xiao Ye already helped us finish everything up. If you two had come just a little later, we’d have even washed the pots by now.”

Zhang Huichun’s tone was cool toward Shen Zhirou, but she then turned enthusiastic as she said to Ye Qi, “Xiao Ye, come help me serve the dishes. Wenshen and the others should be here soon too.”

“Coming, Auntie.” Ye Qi responded with a bright laugh, his voice loud and carrying, as if he were putting on a show for Shen Zhirou.

Lu Yao’s face turned cold. Seeing Shen Zhirou’s embarrassment, she gently squeezed her damp palm and said softly, “Ignore him. He’s nobody important. He just knows how to butter up my mom, but what’s the point? It’s not like she’ll divorce and marry him or something.”

Lu Yao’s voice wasn’t too loud or too soft, but everyone in the living room could hear it clearly.

Lu Jitong coughed heavily, giving Lu Yao a warning look with his eyes. “Yaoyao, he’s a guest too—don’t say things like that. Think about it: Zhirou’s here for the first time, and she has to hear this? What kind of behavior is that?”

“You and Mom both know it’s Zhirou’s first time here, right? Then why invite Ye Qi over to make things uncomfortable? This is the last time—if you two call unrelated people next time we visit, we won’t have time to come back anymore.” Lu Yao’s face showed no expression, her thin lips pressed into a line, as if she might storm out the door at any second.

Lu Jifeng could see that things were about to blow up and hurried over to smooth things over. “Yaoyao, your mom and dad were a bit inconsiderate this time, but it’s Zhirou’s first visit. We can’t make it too awkward. Don’t be mad—Uncle will talk to them. It definitely won’t happen again. Why don’t you and Zhirou go sit on the sofa for now?”

As he ushered the two of them toward the sofa, Lu Jifeng shot a meaningful glance at Lu Jitong.

Lu Jitong slipped into the kitchen and quietly said to Zhang Huichun, “That’s enough now. Yaoyao’s upset again. Keep it brief later, or with your daughter’s stubborn streak, she might not even come home for New Year.”

Zhang Huichun paused, stunned that her daughter would get worked up over Shen Zhirou. She nodded impatiently, muttering under her breath, “I don’t know what spell that Shen Zhirou’s cast on her. In just a few days, she’s defending her like this.”

But she knew her daughter’s temper all too well. If things escalated to the point where everyone lost face, it would end badly for all of them.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Lu Jifeng’s son and his family arrived—Lu Yao’s cousin Lu Wenshen, his wife Liu Pingping, and their daughter Taotao.

Lu Yao stood and introduced the woman beside her. “This is my cousin and his wife. And this is my niece, Taotao.”

Shen Zhirou smiled and greeted them warmly, then joined Lu Yao in playing with Taotao for a little while.

Lu Wenshen exchanged greetings, but froze when he spotted Ye Qi in the kitchen. He knew the guy had a crush on his sister, yet Lu Yao had never given him so much as a glance. Still, Ye Qi kept showing up at her parents’ place, trying to win them over. Lu Wenshen had never been fond of him and offered only a curt nod.

With everyone more or less assembled, Lu Jifeng clapped his hands. “Alright, we’re all here. Everyone, take a seat.”

Shen Zhirou settled beside Lu Yao, while Ye Qi slid into the chair next to Zhang Huichun, looking as comfortable as if he owned the place.

“Uncle, Auntie, dig in. Try the braised prawns I made today—the timing came out perfect,” Ye Qi said cheerfully, serving generous portions to Lu Jitong and Zhang Huichun.

Lu Wenshen stared across the table, at a loss for words. He shouldn’t have come today. His uncle and aunt had clearly invited Ye Qi to intimidate Shen Zhirou. What kind of mess was this?

Shen Zhirou could tell that Zhang Huichun and Lu Jitong weren’t exactly rolling out the welcome mat for her. She’d tried to join the conversation several times, but Zhang Huichun kept dominating it with Ye Qi, chattering away as if they had a lifetime of catching up to do.

Shen Zhirou sat there awkwardly until Liu Pingping, Lu Yao’s cousin’s wife, noticed her discomfort and chimed in with a friendly smile. “Zhirou, right? Come visit us with Yaoyao in a few days. We should get together more often.”

“Sounds great. Yaoyao and I will definitely come,” Shen Zhirou replied, smiling back.

After a bit of small talk, Shen Zhirou began to relax. She picked up a bite of food with her chopsticks and glanced at Lu Yao—only to see her meticulously peeling the braised prawns Ye Qi had prepared. Shen Zhirou pursed her lips silently, resolving to make some for Lu Yao at home next week.

Lu Yao focused intently on peeling away the shells. Ye Qi, noticing her apparent interest in his dish, leaned in with a grin. “I deveined every single one of these shrimp. How do they taste?”

Lu Yao’s expression remained as impassive as ever. “Isn’t deveining shrimp standard when you cook them?”

Ye Qi was ready for the jab—perhaps accustomed to her sharp tongue by now—and shot back smoothly, “True enough. But try this batch. The flavor’s spot on.”

Lu Yao ignored him and kept at it, transferring the plump shrimp meat to a small dish before sliding it over to Shen Zhirou. She wiped her hands on a napkin and leaned in close, whispering, “Go on and eat. You barely touched your food since we sat down.”

She was so near that her warm breath tickled Shen Zhirou’s ear, turning it a visible shade deeper. With the whole family watching, Lu Yao pulled back right after.

Shen Zhirou’s palms grew damp with nervous sweat, but she let out a quiet breath of relief and smiled at Lu Yao. “There’s too much. Let’s share.”

“Okay.” Lu Yao returned the smile.

Lu Wenshen’s eyes went wide with shock as he watched Lu Yao peel shrimp for Shen Zhirou. He knew her personality inside out—she was icy to everyone, impossible to draw out. He could scarcely believe this warmer side of her.

Zhang Huichun watched from the side, her eyes blazing with anger. Her own daughter showed no pleasant expression toward Ye Qi whatsoever, so she spoke up unhappily: “How come I never see you peeling shrimp for me and your dad like this? Now you’ve got a girlfriend, and it seems like she’s the only one in your heart.”

Lu Yao paid little mind to her mother’s words. She smiled faintly and replied: “As long as you and Dad understand. Zhirou is the one I chose myself. We’ll get married after spending a little more time together. The family should see fewer unrelated visitors from now on—and more gatherings with actual relatives.”

Zhang Huichun’s face darkened, on the verge of slamming down her chopsticks. Lu Jitong hurriedly tugged at his wife’s sleeve and said to Lu Yao: “As long as you’re happy with her, that’s what matters. Your mother and I won’t meddle in your personal affairs, so long as you and Zhirou are doing well.”

On the surface, Ye Qi pretended not to realize Lu Yao was talking about him. He shoveled rice into his mouth without pause, though the veins bulged on the hand gripping his chopsticks.

The meal dragged on in excruciating awkwardness. Afterward, Shen Zhirou moved to help with the dishes, but Lu Yao held her back.

Her mother didn’t care much for Shen Zhirou—a fact Lu Yao had sensed the moment they walked in. There was no point in letting Shen Zhirou get closer; it would only expose her to more of her mother’s barbed remarks.

Shen Zhirou lowered her gaze slightly and asked softly: “What’s wrong?”

Lu Yao leaned in close to Shen Zhirou’s ear, her voice a hushed murmur: “Nothing. I got oil all over my hands peeling those shrimp for you earlier. Shouldn’t you help me wash them first?”

The warm breath tickled Shen Zhirou’s ear tip, making it twitch faintly. She replied softly: “All right, I’ll do it.”