Yang Haoran wasn’t a fool, of course. Even without Aunt Shen’s reminder, he wouldn’t have blurted anything out. Keeping his tone perfectly even, he said, “Oh, Shiwen, go ahead. I’m in my room right now, and no one’s here.”
“It’s like this, Haoran. Didn’t you say before that you liked my mom?”
“Huh? That was just a joke. Don’t take it to heart.”
Yang Haoran forced his voice to sound light and casual, but the hand gripping his phone trembled faintly.
“No… just hear me out. My mom talked to me yesterday. She said she’d found a boyfriend and wanted to introduce him to me at lunch today. I met the guy, Haoran. My mom’s new boyfriend is our age. His name is Mu Haipeng.”
At these words, Zhou Shiwen grew frantic, his explanation spilling out in a rush.
“What? For real? Aunt Shen actually found a boyfriend—and he’s our age?” Yang Haoran put on a show of shock, his voice pitching up in feigned alarm and haste, as though his heart was racing with worry.
He couldn’t help admiring his own acting chops. Thanks to his mother’s “tutelage,” he’d long since mastered the art of putting on a performance.
“Yeah. Not only did she bring him to meet me at lunch today, but tonight—somehow—she brought him straight home for dinner. And from the way she talked, those two are planning to spend the night together.”
Zhou Shiwen spoke in a rapid, urgent burst.
Hearing this, Yang Haoran let out a quiet sigh of relief. Shiwen clearly hadn’t caught on. His own nerves settled, and he pressed on anxiously. “What? That’s insane! How could Aunt Shen be so reckless?”
Shen Qing, listening in, itched to kick him right then and there. What gall he had, saying something like that!
“My mom sprang this on me out of nowhere—I never saw it coming. The guy’s got a pretty average face, all shifty-eyed and weaselly. She must’ve been duped. That’s why I’m calling you. Hurry over and talk her out of this foolishness.”
To fire Haoran up, Zhou Shiwen had no choice but to trash the guy, even if it went against his conscience. The man was handsome enough, nothing like average or shifty-eyed.
Shen Qing knew full well that an ugly stand-in wouldn’t have fooled her son. That’s why she’d picked someone good-looking. Handsome men were a dime a dozen, but Mu Haipeng’s particular circumstances had made him the perfect choice.
Only now did Yang Haoran grasp the real reason for the call. But come over and foil his own plans? Catch himself red-handed? No chance. He fell silent for a calculated beat, pretending to mull it over. Zhou Shiwen, panicking, jumped in. “That guy’s nothing but a con artist. Mom won’t listen to me at all. But she likes you a lot. If you tell her, she’ll believe you for sure.”
Sensing the moment was ripe, Yang Haoran replied, “Shiwen, Aunt Shen isn’t some shallow woman who falls for a pretty face. And she hardly seems like the type to get conned. I’d buy it more if you said she was the one doing the conning.
“If Aunt Shen picked this guy, he’s got to have something special going for him—qualities you haven’t spotted yet. I don’t love the idea of her dating, but…” He let the words hang, his meaning crystal clear. He was sure Shiwen would get the hint.
He was already at Shiwen’s house, after all. That “guy” was him. Agreeing to show up? Out of the question.
“No… didn’t you say you had those kinds of feelings for my mom? How can you just stand by and watch her throw herself at some other guy?” Zhou Shiwen was desperate now. Without Haoran, his whole scheme would crumble into nothing.
When simple persuasion failed to shake him, Yang Haoran sighed in mock resignation. “What good would me showing up do? Sure, maybe I chase the guy off, but she’ll just find another one. It fixes the symptom, not the root. Besides, I respect Aunt Shen’s choices. Shiwen, lighten up. You can’t fight the rain or a mom wanting to remarry. As her son, you ought to trust her judgment.”
Silence stretched out on the line. Yang Haoran figured he’d finally worn him down and moved to end the call—only for Shiwen’s voice to cut through again.
“Are you… waiting for me to give you my blessing to go after my mom?”
Yang Haoran blinked in confusion. Where had that come from? Had he ever said anything like it? Then it clicked. Shiwen must have read his reluctance as fishing for a green light—wanting permission to pursue her but too awkward to ask outright, so he’d hinted around it.
Yang Haoran nearly laughed despite himself. What a ridiculous tangle. But agree or not, he couldn’t just shut it down outright—not without tipping his hand.
He thought it over, then decided to roll with it. No sense raising suspicions. In a subdued tone, he murmured, “I never said that. But if that’s what you think, I can’t exactly argue.”
The words carried an unspoken admission—far subtler than spelling it out.
Zhou Shiwen went quiet for a moment before replying. “Haoran, I can back you pursuing my mom. Just come over and help me get rid of that guy.”
Yang Haoran froze in genuine surprise. What the hell? Shiwen supporting him chasing his own mom? It was beyond anything he’d expected. Shen Qing, eavesdropping nearby, felt a jolt of astonishment too. Her son had been dead set against her and Little Ran getting together. Now a fake boyfriend had flipped him just like that?
“Shiwen, don’t pull my leg. You need to respect Aunt Shen’s decisions. If she’s into him, she’s got good reasons. We can’t call him a scammer on a hunch. Your mom’s my elder too—she’s got way more life experience and perspective than we do.”
“And let’s be real: even if I showed up and booted the guy, why should I believe you’d actually support something as wild as me chasing your mom? We’ve been friends forever. You can’t snow me.”
Yang Haoran was done playing nice. He went for the kill with some brutal honesty, desperate to wrap up the call.
He’d make it up to Shiwen with a proper apology tomorrow.
Faced with such flat refusal, Zhou Shiwen reeled. He’d never imagined Haoran digging in like this. He fidgeted like a cat on a hot tin roof, his thoughts a whirlwind. At last, with no options left, he made up his mind. It couldn’t get any worse. If Haoran found out the truth, fine. If things worked out with Mom, he’d have to come clean eventually anyway.
“Haoran, some things I never wanted to say—they’d embarrass the hell out of me. But if it’ll convince you, here goes. Swear on your life you won’t breathe a word. Once you hear it, you’ll get why I’m serious. You’ll know I’ll back you.”
Zhou Shiwen’s voice shook a little, but the words flowed steadily—betraying his iron resolve.
