"Sweetheart, wake up. Your parents are coming down."
Jiang Xia gently woke his girlfriend, reaching out to smooth her slightly messy hair and collar. He didn’t want his future father-in-law to see his daughter passed out drunk and disheveled, which would surely make the man suspect he had been up to no good.
"Ngh..."
Lin Yanwan let out a barely audible murmur. She slowly opened her eyes, and after a couple of blurry seconds, the image of Jiang Xia before her gradually came into focus.
"Maybe you should... head back first?" She swayed dizzily, grabbing Jiang Xia’s arm to steady herself. A puff of alcohol-scented air escaped her lips. "I’m worried that my dad will..."
"As long as you’re conscious when your dad gets down here, he most likely won’t beat me up," he chuckled.
"Okay." Lin Yanwan nodded slightly, her eyes half-open.
The four elevators were either down in the B2 parking garage or up on the twentieth-something floor. Not having time to wait, Lin Gaoyuan and Ji Wanqiu ran straight down the stairs. Jiang Xia heard the commotion from the stairwell entrance and helped his girlfriend walk over.
Seeing her dad jogging down the stairs with her mom close behind, both of their eyes filled with anxiety, Lin Yanwan squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to become more alert.
"Dad, Mom, I’m sorry. I... I made you worry."
"Hello, Uncle Lin. Hello, Aunt Ji." Jiang Xia immediately seized the opening and greeted them politely.
They maintained a tactful distance from each other—not so close that her father would think he was taking advantage of his daughter, yet close enough that anyone could see their intimate relationship at a glance.
"As long as you’re back, that’s all that matters. As long as you’re back."
Lin Gaoyuan finally let out a huge sigh of relief. He could tell his daughter had had a lot to drink, and her speech was slurred. But thankfully, she wasn’t passed out cold. ’Her mind is still there, so he probably didn’t take advantage of her,’ he thought.
’But the real question is, why does that kid look like he hasn’t had a single drop? Wasn’t this a class reunion? So as Yanwan’s boyfriend, you couldn’t even take a few drinks for her, is that it?’
The thought made Lin Gaoyuan’s anger flare up all over again.
’Yep, I just can’t stand this kid.’
The mother-in-law, however, spotted the injury on Jiang Xia’s face right away. She walked forward, handed a cup of water to her daughter, then turned to him and asked with concern, "Xiao Xia, does it still hurt? Did you put any medicine on it?"
"It’s much better now, Aunt Ji. The Diannan White Medicine that Uncle Lin secretly gave me works great." Jiang Xia managed a faint smile, but Ji Wanqiu could clearly see the muscles in his cheek twitching. She turned and shot her husband a glare. ’To think he hit him that hard!’
Lin Gaoyuan coughed awkwardly and stood to the side, not daring to speak. He’d lived long enough to know that Jiang Xia was giving him a way to save face.
"Why don’t you come upstairs for a bit? I can put some more medicine on that for you so it’ll heal faster," his future mother-in-law offered.
"There’s no need, Aunt Ji. If I get home late, my mom will worry just as much as you did," Jiang Xia said with a smile. "You should take Yanwan back home so she can get some rest."
"That’s true."
As she spoke, Ji Wanqiu discreetly tugged the corner of his shirt, pulling him aside. She whispered, "Xiao Xia, today was a misunderstanding. I’ve already given Yanwan’s father a stern lecture, so please don’t take it to heart, you hear?"
"Don’t worry, Aunt Ji. I completely understand why Uncle Lin did what he did. It’s a father’s duty. I don’t blame him at all," Jiang Xia said earnestly.
"What a good kid. I’m so glad you see it that way." She fiddled with her fingers, hesitating before she said, "If your parents ask, don’t hide it from them. Just be honest. I’ll pay them a visit another day to personally apologize."
"Aunt Ji, please don’t say that. Uncle Lin wasn’t being malicious, and a lot of the responsibility is mine." Jiang Xia sighed softly. "The truth is... the truth is..."
He trailed off, stammering, unable to get the words out.
"Hm? The truth is what?" Ji Wanqiu asked.
"To be honest, I’m more worried about what Uncle Lin thinks of me. If he thinks I’m a man of poor character, then does that mean Yanwan and I...?" His voice grew fainter and trailed off.
"What does his opinion matter?" Ji Wanqiu’s eyes flashed. "Yanwan has listened to me since she was little. You just focus on your relationship with her. As long as the two of you are solid, I’ll smooth over any other obstacles for you!"
Jiang Xia blinked. ’So playing the victim really is the ultimate trump card,’ he thought. By winning over his mother-in-law, he had instantly leveled up from being Lin Yanwan’s boyfriend to the Lin Family’s official son-in-law-in-waiting.
’The more I blame myself, the more my future mother-in-law feels I’ve been wronged. And so, after a bit of maneuvering, I’ve successfully PUA’d her.’
’It’s like they say, a blessing in disguise. Who ever said getting beaten up was a bad thing?’
"Thanks, Mom!" Jiang Xia grinned cheekily. "From the very first time I met you, I thought you were incredibly warm. I just knew you’d be my mom one day."
At his words, Ji Wanqiu couldn’t help but blush. She was instantly reminded of a few months ago, when he had also brought Yanwan home late at night. The very first thing he’d said upon seeing her was a practiced "Mom," which had left her completely stunned.
’Still, I have to admit,’ she thought, ’hearing him call me Mom actually makes me pretty happy.’
"Ahem! If you keep talking nonsense, I might just hit you, too. Call me Auntie!" she said, feigning anger.
"Aunt Ji," Jiang Xia said, pursing his lips. He ventured tentatively, "Can I call you Mom when no one else is around?"
"No!"
Ji Wanqiu’s rejection was instantaneous. ’The kids aren’t even married yet, and he already wants me to fork over the red envelope for formally changing his address to me? Not a chance.’
She gave Jiang Xia no room to bargain. Clearing her throat, she looked over at the father and daughter a few meters away and said in a normal volume, "Alright then, you should head home. It’s dark out, so be careful on the road. Come and visit another day."
"Okay, I will. Thanks, Auntie."
Jiang Xia shifted his gaze back to his future father-in-law. The two of them had been tacitly avoiding eye contact ever since meeting up. To put it plainly, the two punches from the afternoon had been nothing more than an issue of pride between two men.
"Uncle Lin, I’m heading out now. You should get some rest," he said.
"Mm, okay." Lin Gaoyuan gave a curt nod, his hands clasped behind his back, fingers fidgeting restlessly.
As Jiang Xia slowly turned to leave, Ji Wanqiu coughed loudly twice, shooting her husband a meaningful look and gesturing with her eyes toward Jiang Xia.
He wrestled with himself for a long moment, then wiped a hand over his face. In the end, he caved to his wife’s formidable pressure.
"Jiang... Jiang Xia..." he called out.
Hearing his name, Jiang Xia stopped in his tracks. He turned back to his future father-in-law, confused. "Uncle Lin, is there something else?"
"Um..."
Lin Gaoyuan pressed his lips together, shoved one hand in his pocket, and let his gaze drift to the streetlight outside. "Today, I... Thank you for bringing Yanwan home."
Ji Wanqiu shook her head, a helpless smile spreading across her face. ’He’s a grown man, and he’s still so thin-skinned. Is it really that hard to just apologize properly?’
"It was my duty. I won’t let Yanwan drink like that again."
Jiang Xia smiled and waved. "Uncle, Auntie, goodbye."
...