Chapter 80: Mom’s Interrogation
Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Mom’s Interrogation
Xia Shanshan suddenly changed the subject. Jiang Xia hadn’t expected his mom’s offensive to be so swift, and he froze on the spot.
"You and Yanwan haven’t secretly promised to marry each other, have you?" Xia Shanshan asked with a strange expression. Her saying this, however, meant she had known about their little ’thing’ for a while and had just been holding back from asking.
"Of course not. It’s just... kids messing around, they don’t know what they’re saying." Jiang Xia scratched his face with a finger, looking away guiltily.
"Kids don’t know, but you don’t either? Do you think your mom isn’t as smart as you?" Xia Shanshan rapped him on the head, then sat on the sofa, crossing her legs and looking at her son, ready to cross-examine him.
"So, tell me. What are you really thinking?"
"What am I thinking about what?" Jiang Xia continued to play dumb.
"About Yanwan, of course. You two are dating, aren’t you? Don’t play dumb with me. You’re running over to her house every day. Your father and I aren’t blind," Xia Shanshan said irritably. ’Does this kid really think he’s done a good job keeping it a secret?’
"...Yeah." The corner of Jiang Xia’s mouth twitched. He had no choice but to admit it.
"So, what are your intentions?"
"We’ll just date for now. It’s not like we can get married right away, can we? Besides, the law doesn’t even allow it," Jiang Xia said casually.
’In my last life, we had our wedding right after graduation. Thinking back, we were exactly at the legal age for marriage then.’
Xia Shanshan’s eyes widened. ’This kid has only been dating for a short while and he’s already thinking about marriage?’
’Forget it. No point in arguing with a kid.’
’Generally, this is how couples are when they first start dating. They all feel like they’ve found the one, even making all sorts of promises during their intimate moments—one swearing he’ll marry no one but her, the other vowing she’ll marry no one but him. If the parents try to intervene, they’ll cry their eyes out.’
’But after a while, it’s easy to discover all sorts of flaws in the other person. That’s when the conflicts start. Any little thing can trigger an argument, and then they start getting on each other’s nerves, which leads to a breakup.’
"You want... to marry her?"
Jiang Xia nodded without the slightest hesitation. "I do. I’m just afraid she might not be willing."
’After all, not all divorced couples can successfully reconcile. Even if they start dating again, the old rifts don’t just vanish into thin air.’
’I could tell as much from the way Lin Yanwan wouldn’t give me a direct answer.’
Xia Shanshan: "..."
"I think it’s best to take things slow. You can date for now; this is supposed to be a phase for getting to know and adjust to each other. You can talk about marriage later," she said after a moment of thought.
Jiang Xia was speechless. ’We have over a decade of history together,’ he thought. ’We know every little habit and sore spot about each other inside and out. How else are we supposed to ’adjust’? By practicing the divine art of concave and convex naked in bed?’
"Mom, I’m serious. I’ve decided it’s her for this lifetime. I think you two already have the makings of a great mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair. You don’t want your future daughter-in-law to be snatched away by someone else, do you?" He stopped beating around the bush and spoke with great earnestness.
The corner of Xia Shanshan’s eye twitched violently. ’Honestly, I do really like that kid, Lin Yanwan. She’s even called me ’Mom’ before, so that’s an automatic +100 to my first impression of her.’
"You’re not changing your mind?"
"I’m not changing my mind."
"That certain?"
"Yep. I’m absolutely, positively sure."
"You still have your whole life ahead of you. Don’t be in such a rush to draw conclusions."
Xia Shanshan began patiently reasoning with him. "Take me, for example. Back in the day, I was considered the belle of the school. So many boys chased me, and every one of them said things sweeter than songs. But in the end, why do you think I chose your father of all people?"
"I’d like to know that too," Jiang Xia replied, eager for the gossip.
"Shoo, shoo. We’re talking about you right now, don’t change the subject."
Xia Shanshan shot him a glare. "My point is, life is very long, and you’ll meet all sorts of people. It’s true that Yanwan is an excellent kid, and I like her too, but you’re the one who has to build a life with her. Don’t let a moment’s sweetness cloud your judgment."
"First love is the most memorable, that’s true, but the person who can walk with you all the way, support you through thick and thin, and grow old with you—that’s the one who is truly right for you."
Xia Shanshan painstakingly continued to share her experience with her son, speaking as someone who’d been there. Ordinarily, this talk would be a little too premature for an eighteen-year-old. Without enough life experience, how could he sustain a long and lasting relationship?
But Jiang Xia was currently acting like a stubborn bull, refusing to turn back until he hit a wall. She had to make these things clear to him. She didn’t expect him to absorb all of it, but it would be great if he could at least understand some of it.
Jiang Xia was silenced by his mom’s lecture. ’Compared to my mom,’ he thought, ’my experience with relationships is child’s play. And no matter how I look at it, my marriage in my past life was a genuine failure. Otherwise, why would it be so hard to put the pieces back together now?’
"Son, just think it over carefully. I’m not against you being in a relationship. If, in a few years, you can really bring Yanwan home as my daughter-in-law, I’ll be more than happy. Do you understand what I’m saying?"
"I understand."
Jiang Xia nodded. As an adult, he knew there was no point in arguing further. ’Ultimately,’ he thought, ’as long as I can tear down my wife’s Heart Wall, getting remarried should be a sure thing.’
"Good. Now, let’s talk about your college choices."
Xia Shanshan’s thinking was simple: ’If the two of them can get into the same university, I’ll let things develop naturally. But if it becomes a long-distance relationship, it would be better for them to break it off sooner rather than later.’
’That kind of thing is completely unreliable.’
"Mom, I’ve decided. I’m not applying to a School of Fine Arts," Jiang Xia said seriously. He had given this a great deal of thought.
’I’m an art student, so logically, getting into a renowned national School of Fine Arts would be the best choice. But that would inevitably mean being separated from my wife.’
’Forget my parents, even I don’t believe our relationship could stay the same if we were on opposite ends of the country.’
’In my past life, with how developed the internet was, trending topics were constantly filled with stories of long-distance cheating—men and women, married and unmarried. The most famous had to be that ’warrior’ who ’rode a thousand miles alone’ to ’charge for love,’ only to find a nasty surprise.’
"Have you made up your mind?" Xia Shanshan frowned.
’To her, it seemed her son was trading his future for an uncertain relationship—a terrible bargain.’
’If they broke up in the end, all this effort would be for nothing. The loss would far outweigh the gain.’
"Yes, I’ve decided."
Jiang Xia nodded firmly. He let out a long breath. At that moment, he wasn’t just thinking about his wife; he was also thinking about his Qitian Animation Company.
As someone who had been reborn, he knew what earth-shattering changes the country would undergo in the next few years. He knew which region’s economy would become the most prosperous.
’The eight major Schools of Fine Arts might be good, but they aren’t necessarily the right fit for me. I’m going to ride the tailwinds of economic globalization and make the name of Qitian Animation resound throughout the world!’
...
(Good night, everyone.)