Chapter 33: Number One in the World

Mother Lan knew exactly what was going on, but she was unwilling to admit it. She chose to keep avoiding the matter, sticking to the idea of dragging it out as long as possible.

Mother Lan’s reaction actually gave Lan Xu some courage. “Mom, it’s New Year’s Eve tonight. There’s something I want to tell you.”

“It’s New Year’s Eve, so just watch TV properly. Don’t talk about random nonsense.” Mother Lan said without glancing away, pretending to be completely focused on the Spring Festival Gala skit about encouraging families to have a third child.

“What’s the matter? If your mom doesn’t want to hear it, you can tell me. I’m willing to listen.” Father Lan perked up right away. Watching these skits was nowhere near as interesting as paying more attention to his own daughter.

“Dad, haven’t I been in a relationship? We’ve been together for quite a while now. I’m thinking about formally introducing her to you both.” Although Lan Xu was speaking to Father Lan, she kept her peripheral vision on Mother Lan’s expression the whole time.

“What? Together for quite a while? It’s only been a few months—that’s way too short.” Father Lan’s attitude flipped in an instant. “Xuxu, I’m not against you dating in college. I just think you should try things out without rushing to settle down.”

“If you’re bringing her home, you should at least date for a year or a year and a half. You haven’t even finished one semester yet, have you? A few months proves nothing.” Father Lan advised her earnestly.

In his opinion, his daughter should wait at least until after graduation before even thinking about marriage. How could she meet the parents and make it official during her freshman year?

“Alright, watch the Spring Festival Gala quietly. If you’re not going to, then go to sleep.” Mother Lan said with a stern face. “Don’t disturb me while I’m watching the skit.”

Realizing that one parent was completely in the dark while the other refused to face reality, Lan Xu slowly exhaled and went all out.

“Mom? Can I bring Lu Wuqi home to meet you both? We’ve actually been together since our senior year of high school. It’s been almost a year now.”

“What? Lu Wuqi?” Father Lan’s face filled with bewilderment. “Same name? That’s too much of a coincidence…”

Father Lan caught on quickly. Before he even finished speaking, he realized something was off.

The Lu Wuqi who’d been with his daughter since senior year… there was only one who frequently came over to their house to study and hang out with her.

“You like girls?” The bewilderment on Father Lan’s face quickly turned to confusion and anger. “What kind of nonsense is this, kid? Women can’t be with women! I don’t mind you being friends, but I absolutely oppose this foolishness!”

“Dad, I’m not fooling around. I like Lu Wuqi—the same way you like Mom. We’ll get married someday and stay together forever.” Lan Xu corrected him.

“Foolishness! Utter foolishness! You’re both women—how can you be together? I wouldn’t let you date boys, so you go and date a girl instead?” Father Lan’s brows knitted tightly, his tone harsh. He might as well have written “I oppose this” across his face.

“We didn’t raise you to get into Capital University just so you could do something like this. I wanted you to study hard and contribute to society afterward! How did you end up with a woman?”

Lan Xu frowned too, arguing her case logically. “Dad, being with Lu Wuqi hasn’t affected my studies at all. If she hadn’t been by my side the whole senior year, I might not have done as well on the Gaokao.”

“Besides, being together doesn’t stop me from contributing to society. Does liking Lu Wuqi mean I can’t keep pursuing teaching?”

“What a joke! Where in this society do women marry women? How are you supposed to get married? The country won’t recognize your relationship!” Father Lan scolded loudly.

Father Lan was fairly open-minded about certain things. He knew to give his adult child some freedom and that Lu Wuqi wasn’t responsible for her father’s mistakes, so he wouldn’t block his daughter from being friends with her.

But friends were friends, and partners were partners. He simply couldn’t accept his daughter being a lesbian.

“Do you know what happens if word of this gets out? People will gossip about you behind your back!” Father Lan felt angry at her for not living up to expectations. “Good thing Grandpa and Grandma went to bed early. If they heard this outrageous talk, they might pass out from the shock!”

“I won’t break up with Lu Wuqi.” Lan Xu hadn’t expected her father’s reaction to be quite so intense. No matter how harsh his words, they wouldn’t shake her resolve.

Father Lan slammed the cup in his hand down hard on the table, startling Lan Xu. “Won’t break up? You have to!”

“Enough—if you’re going to talk, then talk. Why smash the cup?” Mother Lan frowned and said. She looked at her daughter with complicated eyes. “Pretend I never heard what you said earlier. Think it over carefully, and we’ll talk once you’ve sorted it out.”

“I’ve thought it through. Lu Wuqi is wonderful. I like her, and I want to be with her.” Lan Xu said.

“Foolishness! Total foolishness!” Father Lan’s face flushed red with anger. “Women with women—what kind of propriety is that?”

“The law doesn’t forbid same-sex love, and plenty of countries allow marriage.” Lan Xu shot back. “Dad, what’s so wrong with Lu Wuqi? Why won’t you let me be with her?”

Father Lan: “She’s a woman! You won’t have kids!”

Lan Xu’s face hardened as she said, word by word, “So what? A woman can still take care of me just fine. And I don’t even like kids—I never planned on having any anyway.”

“She, she…” Father Lan had been about to pick at some flaw, like how being with Lu Wuqi might ruin her future.

But Lu Wuqi had gotten into Capital University too, with excellent grades to boot.

Her looks and character were beyond reproach—beautiful, polite, respectful to elders, and responsible. She’d started earning her own money right after the Gaokao. After Lu Fu skipped town, she’d held the family together and taken excellent care of her mother.

“What’s wrong with her? Is there anything bad about Lu Wuqi?” Seeing that her father was at a loss for words, Lan Xu pressed.

“She’s a woman!” Father Lan couldn’t come up with anything else wrong with Lu Wuqi, so he clung stubbornly to her gender.

“Her dad’s a gambler—an unrepentant one!” Father Lan added stubbornly. “Her family background is terrible. She’ll drag you down eventually.”

“No, she won’t. Auntie Zhou is going to divorce Lu Wuqi’s father.” Lan Xu countered.

Father Lan: “That doesn’t change the fact that she’s Lu Fu’s daughter. If he never comes back, those debts might land on her shoulders! What do you get out of being with her? Helping pay off her debts?”

“That’s not debt Lu Wuqi owes. I’ve looked into the relevant laws—none of her father’s borrowed money went toward her, so there’s no debt transfer at all.” Lan Xu refuted him with solid reasoning. “Plus, Lu Wuqi’s already earned a ton of money. Even if she has to repay anything, she won’t end up in the red.”

“How much could she possibly earn? A few thousand from part-time gigs a month? She finally made it into Capital University—she should focus on studying, not chase these distractions!” Father Lan, oblivious to her fifty-thousand-yuan monthly salary, spoke with utter conviction.

“It’s not a distraction at all! Lu Wuqi’s skills have been recognized by her department’s teachers! A big company’s CEO has taken notice of her. Even her part-time gig pays fifty thousand a month!” Lan Xu fired back swiftly.

“That’s… that’s still unstable! What company hires a college kid under twenty?” Father Lan refused to believe a word, convinced his daughter was lying just to get his approval for her and Lu Wuqi.

“Yingwei Technology—a major company recommended by my senior. I even saw their president greet Lu Wuqi personally.” Lan Xu spoke with growing confidence.

“Dad, even if we set aside work—which could be faked—the name on a property deed can’t be, right?” Lan Xu pulled out her phone, opened her photo album, and found the picture.

“See? Lu Wuqi’s already got the means to buy a house in the capital—full payment, over four million!” Lan Xu played her trump card.

“She even wanted to add my name to the deed at first, but I turned her down. I wasn’t going to take advantage like that!” Lan Xu kept her voice controlled, not wanting to wake the relatives living upstairs and downstairs.

“Property deed? Over four million?” Father Lan’s eyes went wide. Shock completely overtook his earlier anger.

After Lan Xu laid it all out, it wasn’t just Father Lan who was stunned—Mother Lan was too.

Mother Lan had known Lu Wuqi was making money. It showed in the occasional new clothes on her mother and the higher-quality ingredients at the market. But Mother Lan had never dreamed that one semester of part-time work could buy an entire house.

The couple pored over the property deed photo over and over. They even pulled out their phones to scan the QR code and verify its authenticity.

“Are the young people these days really that incredible? A house near Capital University… I wouldn’t even dare dream of it.” Father Lan looked dazed, like his entire worldview had just been rewritten.

“Dad, is there anything else wrong with Lu Wuqi? Do you have any other reasons to oppose us?” Lan Xu stood tall and straight.

Having an amazing girlfriend really was great—it gave her all the confidence she needed to kick open the closet door.

“She, she, she…” Father Lan stammered, utterly speechless.

Aside from her gender, he couldn’t find a single flaw with Lu Wuqi. Did he really have no other objections?

“Xuxu, Lu Wuqi really is great. But she’s a woman. Your relationship won’t be recognized by our country, and you’ll face a ton of pressure.” Mother Lan gathered her thoughts and spoke earnestly.

“Forget the neighbors’ gossip—even just your dream of becoming a teacher. If word gets out that you like women, plenty of parents won’t accept you. Have you really thought this through?”

Now forced to confront reality, Mother Lan voiced her deepest worry.