Meeting the Parents

Over the next month, the two of them lived together most of the time.

Even when occasional business matters required him to return to the company, Cheng Xingye would always rush back before her classes ended, take the young woman to the university canteen for dinner, and then head home together.

When that apartment was first purchased, he had only regarded it as a temporary residence. The interior decoration had been left largely to a design firm, resulting in a space full of avant-garde flair yet lacking the warmth of human habitation.

However, ever since Lu Qingyue moved in, he gradually began to understand the concept of home.

Two years ago, Cheng Xingye would have found it difficult to imagine that someone like himself could become so infatuated with the feeling of returning home.

There would be a little scoundrel at home who loved raising flowers and grass and teasing dogs, and who would naturally sit on his lap at night, ordering him to massage her shoulders and legs before giggling as he pinned her down on the sofa to teach her a lesson.

The mere thought of these things made the idea of formally bringing her home to meet his family increasingly intense.

June finally arrived, and the final exam week came to an end. With the young woman's permission, Cheng Xingye brought her back to the family estate for dinner.

Although Lu Qingyue had been mentally preparing herself for a full week in advance, she still suffered from insomnia the night before the visit.

Cheng Xingye coaxed her well past midnight, but seeing her eyes still wide open like copper bells without a shred of sleepiness, he couldn't help pinching the tip of her nose and asking with amusement:

"What are you nervous for? Aren't you usually very bold when you sit on my lap?"

Lu Qingyue slapped his hand away, pressed her head deeper into the pillow, and her voice came out muffled:

"Can that possibly be the same?!"

She seemed naturally prone to nervousness in front of elders. During the Chinese New Year, she couldn't even squeak a word in front of her aunts and uncles, let alone this time when she was going to meet Cheng Xingye's parents.

Hesitant and terrified in her heart, Lu Qingyue was practically ready to get cold feet and retreat.

Before she could voice it, Cheng Xingye interrupted her plan:

"It's not like you haven't met my parents before. If they didn't like you, they wouldn't have let me bring you over for dinner."

In reality, although Cheng Li didn't say much out loud, he had dropped plenty of hints behind the scenes that it was about time Cheng Xingye brought the young girl home.

Previously, their father-son relationship had been strained, so he hadn't taken his words to heart. But now, with Lu Qingyue acting as a buffer between them, Cheng Xingye didn't want her to be caught in the middle and placed in a difficult position in the future.

Yet Lu Qingyue was unaware of this. The mere thought that the other party held a high position and were his elders made her tremble with fear as she hugged herself tightly, curled up into a ball, and hid under the duvet.

"What if it's a Trap Banquet set up just for me? What if they really use money to sway me? I might actually fail to resist the temptation."

Cheng Xingye stared at her and asked casually:

"How much would they have to give you for you to fail?"

Lu Qingyue thought for a moment. "One million?"

She actually threw out a specific number.

Cheng Xingye fell into a speechless silence, staring at her with a half-smile for a few seconds before suddenly reaching his hand under the blanket to tickle her sensitive spots:

"Little Lu, can you have a shred of backbone? One million is enough to scare you away? Or do you think your boyfriend is only worth that much?"

The moment he touched her waist, Lu Qingyue felt her scalp tingle.

She instantly softened into a puddle, giggling as she dodged and blurted out:

"One million is no small amount. If your mother is willing, next time I get a new boyfriend, I'll sell him to her too."

Cheng Xingye: "...."

"A new boyfriend?"

He seized on the keyword with acute sensitivity, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

Before Lu Qingyue could react and attempt to escape, he had already grabbed her waist and pulled her beneath him without a shred of doubt.

"Little Lu!"

With a couple of quick motions, he lifted the thin nightgown she was wearing, pressed his large hand against her skin, and pinched her waist unmercifully:

"I see you really need to be disciplined right now."

....

An hour later, the discipline session concluded.

Exhausted to the limit, Lu Qingyue finally curled up obediently inside the duvet, closed her eyes, and fell soundly asleep.

Cheng Xingye touched her forehead, which was still damp with a light sheen of sweat, and couldn't help lowering his head to kiss it.

If he had known this method could put her to sleep, he wouldn't have wasted so much effort trying to coax her for half the night.

Amused, he reached out to turn off the lamp, pulled her into his arms, and finally closed his eyes with a sense of complete satisfaction.

.....

Cheng Xingye had informed his family in advance, confirming that he would bring the young woman home for dinner today.

On the way to the Cheng family estate, Lu Qingyue was still attempting to jump out of the moving car and escape.

In the end, her attempted escape failed, and she was lifted by the scruff of her neck by Cheng Xingye, hoisted to the front door like a timid little wild rabbit afraid of strangers.

The Cheng family mansion was quite unlike an ordinary luxury estate.

Long before the car even approached, several housekeepers and staff members were already standing in waiting within the black wrought-iron gates to welcome them.

Lu Qingyue was so frightened by this grand display that her palms broke out in a dense layer of nervous sweat.

The whole family had turned out in full force to greet them, making Lu Qingyue almost want to spin around in place and run for the hills.

However, running away was out of the question.

Cheng Xingye had long anticipated that this little creature would definitely panic and try to flee. He held her hand firmly in his large grip, handed the gifts she had brought to the housekeeper standing nearby, and pulled his little scoundrel right up to the elders.

Though she had been full of anxiety all the way here, seeing the elders now finally reminded Lu Qingyue that she needed to greet them.

"Hello, Uncle and Auntie."

Guo Mengyun was extremely amiable, taking her hand and asking warmly about her well-being.

Cheng Li, however, maintained his usual aloof and composed demeanor, standing upright on the steps in a tailored suit. Upon seeing her, he merely said:

"You're here? Come inside, wash your hands, and have dinner."

There wasn't a trace of excessive warmth, nor was there any hint of perfunctoriness.

It was as if her visit today was truly just for a meal and nothing more.

Unable to guess what was on the older Mr. Cheng's mind, Lu Qingyue gave a nervous murmur of assent and let Cheng Xingye lead her inside.

Walking halfway, she couldn't help asking:

"Why is your dad wearing a suit even at home?"

Cheng Xingye paused and looked ahead at Cheng Li.

Today, the older Mr. Cheng wasn't just wearing a suit at home; his tie and cufflinks were fastened with absolute precision, and even his hair was combed meticulously without a single stray strand.

Cheng Xingye: "...."

He suddenly understood what was going on and silently hooked the corner of his lips. Deciding to spare his old man a shred of dignity, he gave a vague reply:

"He's used to it."

"Oh," Lu Qingyue replied in a puzzled tone.

Upon entering the house, they had to change into shoes at the entryway.

The housekeeper handed her a pair of pink indoor cotton slippers and placed them by her feet. When Lu Qingyue tried them on, the size was an exact fit, as if they had been specially prepared for her visit today.

Flattered, Lu Qingyue hastily expressed her thanks.

When she stepped further inside, another surprise awaited her.

The Cheng family estate was a detached villa built beside a lake. The architecture within the courtyard imitated the style of classical gardens, imbued with a quaint and poetic charm.

Yet the interior decoration took a drastic stylistic turn.

The curtains were lotus-pink, the sofa was draped with a goose-yellow blanket, and the vase on the coffee table held seasonal peonies, their delicate petals glowing softly under the illumination of the lights. The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of tangerine-scented aromatherapy.

Lu Qingyue thought that none of the family members looked like people to be trifled with, yet the household decor was astonishingly soft and cozy.

While she was marveling inwardly and before she could figure out what was going on, Guo Mengyun pulled her over to the sofa to sit and chat.

Cheng Li followed and sat down opposite them.

As a man in his forties who had held a high position for many years, merely sitting there radiated an authority that made people reluctant to meet his gaze.

Throughout the conversation, Lu Qingyue hardly dared to make eye contact with him, though fortunately Guo Mengyun kept asking her questions, leaving no awkward silences.

Although Cheng Li didn't say much, he wasn't idle either.

Every now and then, he would instruct someone to pour water for Lu Qingyue, or he would stand up and head to the kitchen himself to cut some fruit.

Perhaps because he had never raised a daughter, he had no idea what kind of fruit a young girl her age might actually like.

He spent a long time picking out fruits in front of the refrigerator, and when he finally emerged holding the fruit platter, his movements were somewhat clumsy and reserved.