Chapter 58: Always Use Condom

"Mom..." Shuyan cried out in embarrassment, calling out loudly.

"Alright, alright, your mother isn’t deaf yet! I just want to hold a grandchild, that’s all. Fuitsu, when can we meet your parents?" Shuyan’s mother asked happily.

"Mrs. Tanaka, when the opportunity arises, I’ll have my parents come over to Kyoto for a visit!" I quickly wrote her a blank check.

"Good! Anyone can tell at a glance that Fuitsu is an honest boy. From now on, consider this your home too. If you ever get tired of the food at university, just come over here and have Tsuijie whip up some dishes for you!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Tanaka. I understand!" I nodded and smiled at the two of them, while Shuyan shot me a fierce glare.

While Shuyan’s mother and I were talking, Professor Shuji and Shuyan’s father came back downstairs together. Shuyan’s father was holding the painting of the tiger descending the mountain that I had just finished. He rushed over to me in a flurry, asking in disbelief, "Did you paint this?"

Seeing his eager and urgent expression, I wasn’t sure what was going on and simply nodded at him in confusion. Mrs. Tanaka said disapprovingly, "What’s making you so flustered? Don’t go scaring Fuitsu!" Great... it’s not like I’m that timid, am I?

Ignoring his wife’s scolding, Shuyan’s father saw me nod and burst into a happy laugh. "Heaven is truly helping me! Now there’s hope for this year’s art exhibition!"

I looked in confusion at Professor Shuji, who was already sitting on the sofa. Professor Shuji smiled and explained to me, "Shuyan’s father became an art enthusiast under my influence. Even though he’s very busy running his business, he’s still a member of the Municipal Calligraphy and Painting Association. When I showed him the painting upstairs, his eyes went wide, and he kept pressing me to tell him where it came from. The moment I told him, he rushed down here. In a few days, the association is holding an art collection appreciation fair, so he’ll have a lot of face now! But I’ll say this, Shuke—Fuitsu already gave this painting to me. It’s fine if you want to borrow it for the exhibition, but don’t you dare try to keep it for yourself!"

So that was what was going on. Hearing Professor Shuji say this, Mr. Tanaka looked utterly disappointed, staring at the painting reluctantly with a heartbroken expression. Shuyan, of course, knew that her father’s passion for art was hardly less than her grandfather’s. Seeing him like this, she quickly said, "Dad, Grandfather already took this painting. At worst, can’t you just ask Fuitsu to paint another one for you?"

"What do you know? How much heart and soul does it take to produce a masterwork like this? It’s not something you can just paint on command! It requires the right timing, the right place, and the right inspiration! It seems I’m truly out of luck—if I had known, I wouldn’t have gone to sign that contract with the American today. If I had stayed home, maybe Master Fuitsu would have given this painting to me instead!" Mr. Tanaka said with a face full of regret.

Getting snapped at by her father, Shuyan pouted her lips in discontent and argued back, "What ’right timing and right inspiration’? I saw Fuitsu paint this tiger in less than half an hour! And ’Master Fuitsu’? Is it really as mysterious as you make it sound?"

"What? It was painted in half an hour?! I thought it was something he painted in the past!" Mr. Tanaka asked, his mouth agape as he turned to his father.

Professor Shuji nodded and explained, "Fuitsu painted it right in front of me! I was stunned while watching him paint and didn’t pay much attention to the time, but watching him move his brush like a divine force, it really was only about half an hour!"

Hearing his own father say so, Mr. Tanaka doubted it no longer. With a face full of anticipation, he sat down beside me, looked at me, and said sheepishly, "I’m truly embarrassed about earlier. Seeing that you’re not even twenty yet, Fuitsu, I really couldn’t believe you could paint such a masterwork, so I lost my composure for a moment!"

I quickly replied, "Please don’t say that, Mr. Tanaka. Just call me Fuitsu!" Pulling out the two boxes of American ginseng I had bought for him, I handed them over and continued, "I heard that you run a business and manage a company, so I figured you must work very hard. I bought two boxes of ginseng to help boost your energy!"

Mr. Tanaka accepted the ginseng with a smile and set it on the coffee table. He looked at me, hesitating to speak, nervously rubbing his hands together before glancing at his wife. Mrs. Tanaka gave him a scolding look and said, "Aren’t you going to thank Fuitsu? I keep telling you not to judge a book by its cover—is this all you’ve learned from doing business?" Turning to me, she added, "Your uncle just dislikes people who have no real skill but put on grand airs. When he walked in earlier, he assumed you were that kind of person. Don’t take it to heart!"

Hearing his wife lecture him like that, Mr. Tanaka defended himself, "Isn’t it because of those so-called ’promising young men’ you used to find for Mimi? Every single one of them was an empty suit pretending to be something great!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Mrs. Tanaka glared at him, shutting her husband up, before turning to me apologetically: "Fuitsu, don’t listen to your uncle’s nonsense. My Mimi didn’t care for any of those people. You have to trust my Mimi’s taste in men!" Shuyan’s mother explained anxiously, as if worried I might reject her daughter.

Though I kept quiet, I understood perfectly in my heart. "It’s alright, Mrs. Tanaka. Mr. Tanaka, if you like my painting, I’ll paint another one for you when I have time. Let’s give this one to Grandfather first!"

"Great, great! Whenever you have time is fine, no matter what you paint!" Hearing me agree to paint for him, Mr. Tanaka was overjoyed beyond words.

Professor Shuji, who had been sitting beside us all this time, also chuckled and said, "Fuitsu hasn’t forgotten about an old man like me just to curry favor with his father-in-law. Not bad at all! Shuke, and my dear daughter-in-law—previously, when you two were setting Mimi up on blind dates left and right, this old man didn’t say anything. But this time, I’m putting my foot down. Earlier upstairs, I told Mimi that I will only recognize Fuitsu as my grandson-in-law. I won’t accept anyone else!"

Mrs. Tanaka quickly added, "Dad, let’s not mention those past matters anymore. The moment I set eyes on Fuitsu, I knew he was an honest boy. Mimi’s judgment was right on the mark after all, so I certainly won’t oppose them!"

At this point, Mr. Tanaka also nodded and chimed in, "I feel the same as Shulin. But as for the kids’ matters, let them handle it themselves—we shouldn’t interfere too much!"

Mrs. Tanaka laughed heartily and said, "And just a moment ago, I was saying I wanted to hold a grandchild early!" Hearing this, everyone burst into laughter, leaving both Shuyan and me blushing furiously, barely able to handle the embarrassment.

Before long, the housekeeper, Tsuijie, came to inform us that dinner was served. Everyone moved to the spacious dining room to eat. At the table, they teased Shuyan and me relentlessly once again. I could only endure it in silence, already plotting in my mind how to extort compensation from Shuyan later. Unable to stand their teasing any longer, Shuyan ran off to wash the dishes the moment she finished her meal, while I was pulled aside by Mrs. Tanaka for a private chat.

Shuyan’s mother asked with a smile, "Fuitsu, where are you currently living?"

"I’m living in the faculty apartments arranged by the President," I answered truthfully, not knowing why she was asking.

"Oh? So you’re not living in the student dormitories?"

"Yes. I’m not used to sharing a room with a lot of people, so the President arranged that place for me. It also happens to be surrounded by professors, making it convenient for me to consult them on academic questions. Shuyan lives right next door to me," I explained.

"You live right next door to Shuyan?" A bright smile instantly spread across Mrs. Tanaka’s face as she lowered her voice and asked, "So... have you and my Mimi done ’that’ yet?"

"’That’?" I asked as an automatic reflex. In short order, I realized what she was asking, and my face flushed bright red. I quickly shook my head and said, "Mrs. Tanaka, nothing has happened between us, really!"

Seeing my blushing face, Shuyan’s mother looked at me with an ambiguous smile and said playfully, "Don’t worry, I’m not here to interrogate you. Your aunt isn’t that conservative! But it’s still better for you two to be careful. You must make sure to use protection when you do it—a single moment of carelessness could lead to a new life!"

My face turned completely red. What kind of mother-in-law is this?! Who talks to their prospective son-in-law like this?! I quickly explained again, "Mrs. Tanaka, I really haven’t done anything with Shuyan! If you don’t believe me, you can ask her!"

"Hehe, then have you never kissed my daughter?"

"I..." This lie was hard to tell. After all, that accidental kiss with Shuyan had happened in the classroom with many witnesses, which was how the rumor spread through the university in the first place. Shuyan’s mother had called me over precisely because she had heard about it; even if I didn’t say anything, she already knew.

"Seeing you stay quiet, that means you have! I know you young people nowadays are very impulsive. Now that you’ve kissed, I reckon it won’t be long before you do ’that’ in a fit of passion. Just make sure you take proper protective measures, alright?" Shuyan’s mother said with a smile upon seeing my silence.

"What are you two talking about?" Shuyan, who had run off to pretend to wash dishes, walked over to us wiping her wet hands, asking with a smile.

"Nothing!" I answered in a flash. If Shuyan found out what her mother had just said, wouldn’t she torture me to death back home?

"Hehe, it’s nothing. Fuitsu is still young, so I was just teaching him a few things!" Mrs. Tanaka winked at me and said.