My Online Girlfriend Has a Twin Sister

"That’s right! I agree with your mother on this. A man should be responsible. As long as you don’t go overboard, your mom and I will support you," Mr. Chen added.

"Of course. I’ll keep that in mind." Chen Yuan didn’t even blush as he said it.

It seemed he’d gotten much bolder now.

However, the matter of his two girlfriends was enough to make him break out in a cold sweat.

’As long as I don’t go overboard...’ He wasn’t sure if having two girlfriends fell into the "overboard" category. He awkwardly turned to look out the window.

"Son, can your mom ask you something? Where is this girl you’re dating from? Is she in the same major? How tall is she? Do you know anything about her family?"

"He’s only been dating her for a few months. How could he know all those details?"

"But he can’t know *nothing*."

"That’s just how college kids date these days. You’re behind the times. Now, it’s all about chemistry. Nothing else matters."

"Hey! I’m asking our son, not you. Why are you talking so much? Shut up and focus on driving!"

The two went back and forth for a bit.

Chen Yuan took the opportunity to gather his thoughts. He turned to see his mom’s face brimming with curiosity about her future daughter-in-law and was suddenly struck by how untenable this whole two-girlfriend situation was.

He had given himself all sorts of pep talks before the trip.

Only now did he realize that just saying the words out loud made his skin crawl, to say nothing of getting his traditional parents to accept the reality of it.

But what could he do? ’Dead is dead, no matter how you get there.’ It was just a different way to meet his end.

He figured he could probably still be saved in the end.

"She’s from Mingzhu City, and her major is different from mine. She studies philosophy and social sciences. Oh, and she’s an art student, too. Lately, she’s been planning to study finance. She’s about five-foot-seven. I don’t know much about her family’s circumstances, but I’m sure they’re not bad." Chen Yuan thought for a moment. ’That’s a mostly truthful answer,’ he figured.

"Is this young lady really so multi-talented?" Mrs. Chen was pleasantly surprised, her interest piqued even more. "Philosophy is wonderful! That’s perfect for a gentle, quiet girl. Art cultivates her character, and finance will help her earn money. She’s completely well-rounded, isn’t she, Chen? Students from Mingzhu City are really just built different!"

"Indeed. A true all-around talent. She’s so exceptional, I’m almost worried our son isn’t good enough for her."

"Don’t worry about that. My son is exceptional, too. He deserves the best girl in the world," Liu He said, unable to suppress a proud smile.

Chen Yuan scratched his head, a little bashful.

"So, does that mean she can cook, too? She’s coming over specially to make us a meal? What a thoughtful child. Chen, we didn’t bring a gift... That doesn’t look good, does it?"

"You’re right. Why don’t we swing by somewhere and buy something? We can have our son help pick out something she likes."

"She can cook, and she’s very good at it. As for a gift, you don’t need one. You don’t have to buy anything. We can just go straight there and eat," Chen Yuan quickly tried to dissuade them.

"You silly boy, you have no manners. What’s wrong with buying a gift? This young lady knows we’re coming and is going to all this trouble to prepare a meal. As the elders, we absolutely cannot show up empty-handed," Liu He chided Chen Yuan once more. "Listen to me. Turn toward the mall right now. Don’t you talk back."

"Mom..."

"Tsk!"

At Liu He’s sharp "tsk," Chen Yuan immediately backed down.

But a headache bloomed in his temples. He complained silently in his head, ’Mom, this isn’t about *if* we should buy a gift. This is about how *many* gifts we should buy.’

Originally, Chen Yuan had planned to wait until they were all at the dinner table to break the news.

Mr. and Mrs. Chen cared a great deal about saving face. They would never cause a scene during a meal, no matter how angry they were. That meant he could take advantage of the situation to get through the most difficult part of the ordeal.

They could scold him in private later. Things had already progressed this far, and maybe, just maybe, once they met everyone, the situation might take a turn for the better.

But how was Chen Yuan supposed to explain buying two gifts?

That was the cause of his headache.

...

「Dongmao Mall, First Floor」

The smiles never left the couple’s faces. They chattered on and on about Chen Yuan’s relationship, discussing what the girl might like.

For them, this was a massive, wonderful surprise.

If the information Chen Yuan had provided was true, then this girl was exceptional.

She was tall and pretty, with grades so outstanding she won a scholarship every single year. She could play the piano, had studied ballet, and to top it all off, she was a Mingzhu City local.

A girl like that was a once-in-a-lifetime find.

And what’s more, this future daughter-in-law seemed so sincere, waking up at five in the morning to go to the market and specifically preparing dishes from Chen Yuan’s hometown.

Watching them, Chen Yuan was secretly dumbfounded.

His mother, who would normally never spend one or two thousand yuan on skincare for herself, was now buying it without a second thought. No one could stop her, and she was full of justifications.

"It’s money well spent. Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be if our first gift was some cheap thing? People would laugh at us! We’re buying this famous brand, and that’s final. Not another word from either of you."

"Alright, let’s go pay then," Mr. Chen agreed.

"Ma’am, you have excellent taste," the salesperson said with a smile. "This is our most popular product. It’s always in high demand. We just got a new shipment in this morning. If you decide to purchase it, I’ll write up the order and give you eight free gifts."

"Mom..."

"What is it now?" Liu He shot him a glare. "It’s not your money, so stop acting like you’re the one paying for it."

"I’m not trying to talk you out of buying it. I just mean..." Chen Yuan held it in for a long moment before finally blurting out, "Maybe... we should buy two?"

"Hm?" Liu He froze.

"Hey! I just saw there’s a promotion for buying two! What kind of discount do you offer?" Chen Yuan’s eyes lit up as he spotted a sign in the store, as if grasping a life-saving straw. "This is great! It says you get a one percent discount if you buy two! What a steal!"

"Is... is that a good deal, son?" Mr. Chen asked hesitantly.

"Then let’s just listen to our son and buy two!" Liu He said, biting the bullet. "Go ahead and wrap up another one. Ring us up. I’ll go pay."

"You got it!"

The salesperson was beaming. She’d never met such refreshingly decisive customers.

The three of them finally left the store, gifts in hand.

Liu He climbed into the car impatiently, urging Chen Yuan, who was back in the driver’s seat, to get going so they wouldn’t keep the young lady waiting too long.

Chen Yuan agreed immediately.

He took a deep breath, fastened his seatbelt, and pulled out his phone to send a message to Jiang Ning.

The message read: We’re almost at the district.

Then, as if resigning himself to his fate, Chen Yuan started the car and drove toward Fengting District.