Chapter 635 Defining the Relationship

Jiang Xia fell.

He landed flat on his back, staring up not at the blue sky, but at Da Huang’s head.

Da Huang had burst out enthusiastically, knocking Jiang Xia down with a powerful pounce. Even his barks sounded affectionate.

Any second now, Da Huang was about to give Jiang Xia a full-face wash with his long, red tongue.

An Ning, enjoying the show, covered her eyes. "Oh my... I should probably leave. Is this something I should be watching for free?"

Jiang Xia wrestled with Da Huang’s head with both hands. He tilted his own head, speechless, and asked a very crucial question.

"What have you paid to watch?"

"?"

An Ning’s face was a picture of confusion, and then she burst out laughing.

"HAHAHAHA..."

Laughing herself breathless, An Ning squatted down and looked at Jiang Xia. "I’m not telling you! I’m just not telling you!"

She grinned triumphantly as Jiang Xia, still lying dazedly on the ground, tilted his head to watch her. The affection in their gazes was palpable.

"WOOF!"

Da Huang was not pleased.

He batted at Jiang Xia’s face with a paw, forcing Jiang Xia to look at him. Da Huang then shot An Ning a look, like a wife who had just caught her husband with his mistress.

An Ning didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, which only made her want to laugh more.

"AWOOOO—"

Xiao Lang had arrived.

Years had passed, but Xiao Lang still hadn’t grown any bigger.

The little wolf trotted out of Anning’s yard, came to a stop by her feet, and stared at the human-and-dog pair on the ground with utter disdain.

’Stupid dog and stupid dog’s owner.’

Xiao Lang bit An Ning’s pant leg and tried to drag her home, its expression screaming with worry: ’Let’s go! It’s contagious!’

An Ning, carrying her bath caddy, gave Jiang Xia a helpless wave and left.

Lying on the ground, Jiang Xia weakly reached out a hand and let out a long sigh.

"I thought the biggest obstacle would be meeting the parents, not you two!"

Hugging Da Huang’s head, Jiang Xia pushed himself up to his feet. Da Huang thought Jiang Xia was playing and happily trotted in circles behind him.

"Alright, time to go see Grandpa."

"Oh, give me a break... This old man didn’t even rank third."

Grandpa Jiang and Master Tang, who had appeared at some point, flanked Jiang Xia and sized him up.

"Still the same old him. Hasn’t improved a bit."

"What more could you ask for? It’s good enough that he’s come back to see us."

The two old men guarding the house tried to act pitiful.

But with their rosy complexions and healthy appearances, it was hard to argue they were having a bad time.

Jiang Xia, knowing he was in the wrong, entered the yard and immediately apologized.

"I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, really."

Grandpa Jiang and Master Tang put on an air of ignoring him, of disbelief, and didn’t reply at all.

Seeing this, Jiang Xia had no choice but to play his trump card and walk towards the gate.

"Oho, now he’s threatening us. He’s going to leave."

"See? I told you raising kids is useless."

The two went back and forth again. Jiang Xia smiled, closed the gate, and said, ignoring their banter, "I’m not leaving."

"I came back for a major life event. I just don’t know if anyone’s around to give me some advice."

’A major life event?’

’Give him advice?’

Grandpa Jiang and Master Tang exchanged a look. ’Should we acknowledge him? Let’s hear a bit more...’

"I came back to confess to An Ning, officially—"

"Really!"

"If he’s lying, I’ll break his legs!"

Before Jiang Xia could even finish, Grandpa Jiang and Master Tang had already stepped forward to flank him.

"You punk, you finally have the guts to confess! After hiding it for so many years, I thought I’d never live to see this day."

"Tell me about it. I was about to dissect you to see where you keep your guts."

Not only did the insulted Jiang Xia get no help, he was instead thoroughly roasted from head to toe.

Jiang Xia didn’t argue. He knew he was in the wrong.

Grandpa Jiang and Master Tang went on for quite a while, until their mouths were a bit dry. Seeing the silent Jiang Xia, they both sighed in boredom and stopped talking.

Grandpa Jiang was the first to head into the house, with Master Tang behind him. Jiang Xia obediently followed.

Inside, Grandpa Jiang sat on the living room sofa and pointed to the spot opposite him.

Jiang Xia looked at the empty space, and before he could speak, he saw Da Huang trot over with a small stool in his mouth and place it there.

"WOOF!"

Jiang Xia understood.

He sat down properly, his back straight, waiting for the lecture.

"Jiang Xia, have you made up your mind?"

"If Grandpa is talking about An Ning, then yes, I’ve been ready for a long time."

Of course, Grandpa Jiang understood his own grandson, but some things still needed to be said.

"Mm... Remember, you must treat her sincerely. No fooling around. You have a big business now, so it’s easy to attract unwanted attention. If An Ning has to come home and sort you out, I won’t help you."

Jiang Xia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"Grandpa, I’m not that kind of person."

"I know you’re not, but sometimes the methods people use to achieve their goals are impossible to guard against."

"You must always remember not to give anyone an opportunity to take advantage. An Ning has never been an ordinary person. If you make a mistake, she won’t forgive you."

Grandpa Jiang’s words were harsh, but Jiang Xia truly took them to heart.

"Grandpa, I’ll remember."

Grandpa Jiang nodded and continued, "Then how about we discuss the betrothal gifts? Find a matchmaker and settle things?"

"Grandpa, not yet. I haven’t even confessed to An Ning. After we’ve made things official between us, we can discuss it with you, okay?"

Jiang Xia wouldn’t dare bypass An Ning and go straight to proposing marriage. That would be disrespectful. Besides, times had changed. It was better to propose after An Ning had accepted him.

"Fine, I won’t meddle in you young people’s affairs. I’m going to go take stock of my things. Our family’s betrothal gifts can’t be shabby."

Grandpa Jiang was truly happy.

Master Tang had kept him in good health these past few years, and he thought he might even have the chance to become a great-grandfather.

The thought of a little baby calling him "Great-Grandpa" made Grandpa Jiang’s legs move even faster.

Master Tang was happy too. He had long since come to see Jiang Xia as his own son.

A few years ago, Master Tang had wanted to pursue Liu Yiyi, but Liu Yiyi, who had a daughter named Tangtang, tactfully rejected him.

Master Tang hadn’t pestered her. In the adult world, you simply move on when things aren’t a good fit.

Master Tang and Grandpa Jiang both went into their rooms, leaving Jiang Xia standing alone in the middle of the yard. He called out helplessly towards the rooms, "Where am I sleeping?"

"WOOF!"

Da Huang enthusiastically bit Jiang Xia’s pant leg and led him to his doghouse, generously offering to share it.

"Da Huang... you really are my best buddy."

"WOOF WOOF!"

Meanwhile, An Ning returned home in high spirits, humming a little tune as she happily walked past Lin Cuihua.

"Taking a bath... made you this happy?"

"Of course!"

An Ning skipped back to her room, took out her little romance notebook, and started looking through it for good ideas.

"How should I confess...?"

That’s right, An Ning was once again planning to confess to Jiang Xia. She didn’t want to wait a moment longer.

At the same time, Jiang Xia was thinking the exact same thing.

’What’s the best way to do it?’

’Flowers, moonlight, a beautiful view, gifts, or a delicious meal?’

Too many scenarios were playing out in Jiang Xia’s mind. Each one seemed fine, yet none of them felt good enough.

That night, both of them were sweetly agonizing over the very same thing.