Chapter 68: Meeting the Mother-in-law Again
Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Meeting the Mother-in-law Again
The company’s first team-building event concluded on the same day the college entrance exams ended. Jiang Xia spoke enthusiastically about Qitian Animation’s future, painting one grand picture after another. As their spirits rose, the four of them switched from Coke to beer.
After the dinner, Wang Ming, emboldened by the alcohol, worked up the courage to offer to see Shen Ying home. Surprisingly, she didn’t refuse.
Jiang Xia secretly gave him a thumbs-up.
"Babe, do you think that blockhead will get a sudden rush of blood to the head and confess to Shen Ying tonight?" Breathing in the still-scorching outdoor air, he turned and saw his girlfriend, who had had a little to drink. Her eyes were hazy, and her small face was as red as a sunset cloud.
He really wanted to steal a kiss.
He leaned forward, his lips slowly drawing near. Just then, Lin Yanwan raised a hand to gently brush back a strand of hair the wind had blown across her ear, and his sneak attack instantly failed.
Jiang Xia couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.
"Are you saying he’s got liquid courage?"
Thinking of a drunken Wang Ming confessing his feelings, Lin Yanwan couldn’t help but giggle.
"That would most likely end in failure. What girl wants a guy to confess to her while he’s drunk?"
Jiang Xia thought about it and agreed. In his past life, when he had confessed to Lin Yanwan, he hadn’t made a huge spectacle of it, but he had still planned it meticulously for a long time.
But back then, they had already liked each other, so the confession was just a natural progression.
"Should we take a cab or walk back?"
"Let’s walk. We’re full, so we should walk it off."
The two walked slowly down the street, hand in hand. The night breeze from the riverside blew over them, gradually dispelling the summer heat.
Shortly after, the two returned to the Brocade Splendor Community and happened to run into her mother coming out to throw away the trash. They hastily pulled their hands apart.
Ji Wanqiu took it all in, her expression remaining perfectly calm. "Oh? So the two young scholars are back from their exams?"
"Hello, Auntie."
Jiang Xia immediately stood up straight, the tipsy feeling from the alcohol vanishing in an instant.
"Yanwan had a little to drink, and since it was getting dark, I saw her home."
Ji Wanqiu’s eye twitched discreetly. ’Even if Yanwan didn’t drink, don’t you find excuses to pop over all the time anyway, you little rascal?’
"You’ve gone to so much trouble, Xiao Xia," she said with a faint smile. "Why don’t you come upstairs for a bit? Have some tea, it’ll help you sober up."
"Alright, Mom."
Ji Wanqiu: "???"
She stared at Jiang Xia in utter shock, then glanced at her daughter. ’No way. Have they already tasted the Forbidden Fruit?’
’If the first time he called me ’Mom’ a few months ago was a slip of the tongue, then couldn’t this time be considered the truth coming out with the wine?’
Lin Yanwan shot Jiang Xia a fierce glare. ’Are you using the alcohol as an excuse to act crazy, too?’
Mortified, he quickly corrected himself, "Mom—no, Auntie, please don’t be surprised. I’ve had a bit to drink, my head’s a little fuzzy."
Hearing Jiang Xia call her "Mom" again, Ji Wanqiu was starting to feel numb to it.
"...Don’t be surprised?"
"I meant, don’t mind me!"
Lin Yanwan speechlessly facepalmed. ’Does this guy even know what he’s saying?’
"Just stop talking and go home."
"Oh, oh, okay. Goodbye, Auntie." Jiang Xia seized the excuse to make a graceful exit, turning to leave without a second thought. If he stayed any longer, he was afraid he’d say even more of the wrong things.
"Xiao Xia, wait a moment," Ji Wanqiu quickly called out to him. "You’re this drunk. How about I drive you home?"
"No need, Auntie. I’m not that drunk. I’ll be fine." As he spoke, Jiang Xia immediately took a few steps in front of them, but unfortunately, he couldn’t walk in a straight line.
"Mom, don’t listen to him. He took a lot of drinks meant for me today." Lin Yanwan quickly went over to support him.
Her underlying meaning was: ’Mom, go get the car. I’ll watch him here.’
The corner of Ji Wanqiu’s mouth twitched slightly. ’My daughter’s really grown up. Her loyalties are already shifting outward.’
"Fine. You two wait here. I’ll go get the car."
Watching her mom leave, Lin Yanwan forcefully pinched the soft flesh of Jiang Xia’s waist and said fiercely, "Were you doing that on purpose?"
"Of course not. My tongue is a little numb, and I got nervous seeing my mother-in-law, so it just slipped out," Jiang Xia said helplessly.
"I think you did it on purpose!" she huffed lightly. ’He’s always causing trouble for me. Now I’ll probably have to waste my breath explaining things to Mom.’
A little while later, her mother pulled up in front of them in an Audi with its four rings. Lin Yanwan helped him into the car, and after a moment’s thought, she got in too.
"Speaking of which, how did you two do on your exams?" Ji Wanqiu asked, glancing at them in the rearview mirror.
"It was okay," Jiang Xia said. He opened the window a bit, and the wind blowing in instantly cleared his head a good deal.
"And you, Yanwan?"
"I performed as usual."
Ji Wanqiu breathed a small sigh of relief. For her daughter to say she "performed as usual" meant she had done quite well. Based on her usual grades, her score wouldn’t be low, at the very least.
But Jiang Xia was an art student, after all. Once the results were out, there was a high probability they wouldn’t be at the same university. Could a relationship like that really last?
The three of them didn’t speak again for the rest of the ride. After dropping Jiang Xia off at his own community, Ji Wanqiu decided to probe her daughter’s thoughts.
"Yanwan, you two are dating, aren’t you," she said, getting straight to the point.
Lin Yanwan’s body stiffened. After a moment of silence, she looked out at the night scenery and answered softly, "Yes."
Ji Wanqiu wasn’t surprised by this answer. After all, she wasn’t blind. Their daily interactions clearly showed they were a very affectionate couple.
What she hadn’t expected, however, was for her daughter to admit it so readily.
"Actually, Mom found out a long time ago. I just didn’t ask about it then because I was afraid it would affect your studies." Ji Wanqiu sighed softly. "It’s not that Mom is close-minded, but, my daughter, have you really thought this through?"
Lin Yanwan couldn’t help but think of her failed marriage in her past life. In those final days, all they did was argue or give each other the silent treatment. ’Will this life really not be a repeat of that tragedy?’
"I don’t know." She shook her head gently.
"I know that Xiao Xia is a very outstanding kid, but you’re studying humanities, and he’s an artist. To be honest, the chances of you two getting into the same university are very low. Countless couples have been defeated by the path of a long-distance relationship."
Ji Wanqiu continued with a calm expression, "For both you and him, the four years of college will be filled with uncertainty every single day."
Lin Yanwan fell silent. She had thought about this, too. If Jiang Xia wanted to have better prospects, his only choice was to attend a famous School of Fine Arts in the country. But she couldn’t.
’Could it be that their two lives, like parallel lines that had finally intersected, would separate after college and extend infinitely, never to cross again?’
"Happiness is your own to find. As long as you’ve made a decision, Mom won’t object, of course. But I just hope that before you decide, you absolutely must think it through clearly. Otherwise, in the end, you’ll be the only one who gets hurt."
"I know. Thank you, Mom."
Lin Yanwan stared at the neon lights outside the window, lost in a daze.
...
(Had to go out and run some errands today. There will be another Chapter later.)