Wei Yumeng, who was worrying on the balcony, suddenly received a call from Mu Linjing's parents. Already suspecting she might have revealed a flaw, she immediately became nervous. After taking several deep breaths and adjusting her tone, she answered the phone with feigned ease.
However, Uncle Mu's tone on the other end was quite grave, "Yumeng, your aunt and I are in Pengcheng. Is it convenient for you to pick us up at the station?"
Wei Yumeng shivered. She had lied, claiming Mu Linjing was away on business abroad. Logically, Mu's parents shouldn't have come at this time. Could they have found something out?
The most pressing matter was to pick up the two elders. Otherwise, they were in an unfamiliar place, and the station was crowded and complicated. She couldn't rest easy if they weren't brought back.
Wei Yumeng quickly agreed and told Mu's parents to find a place to rest, saying she would be there soon.
On the way to the station, she couldn't help but feel anxious, thinking of many excuses to deal with Mu's parents, hoping to keep them in the dark for as long as possible.
After searching the station for a while, she finally found Mu Linjing's parents and greeted them enthusiastically, "Uncle, Aunt, I've finally found you. Have you been waiting long?"
The Mu family was an ordinary family, and the two elders were also very simple. After a few pleasantries, they got into the car with Wei Yumeng.
On the road, Wei Yumeng kept introducing the places they were passing. She claimed it was to let the elders see the sights, but in reality, she didn't want to be asked about Mu Linjing at this time.
As she wished, the two elders seemed genuinely captivated by the scenery of the big city and didn't ask anything. They successfully arrived at the hotel.
"Uncle, Aunt, the arrangements today were rushed, so I've found this hotel for you for now. You can stay here first, and if you don't find it suitable, we can change to another one tomorrow."
Looking at the luxurious star-rated hotel, Uncle Mu smiled gratefully, "Yumeng, it was we who came so suddenly, making you run around. This hotel is so good, it must cost a lot per night. How can we let you spend so much?"
Aunt Mu chimed in, "Yes, there's no need for us to stay in such a good hotel. Linjing has a place to live here, doesn't she? We can stay at her place."
Wei Yumeng dreaded this and quickly waved her hands, "Uncle, Aunt, Linjing has been away on business for some time, and the house is a bit messy. There's no time to clean it today. You should stay in the hotel. It's more convenient for everything, and there's someone to clean the room."
But the couple seemed to have agreed beforehand and refused to stay in the hotel.
Aunt Mu said, "I knew this girl doesn't like to tidy up. Now that we're here, we can help her clean up the house. Yumeng, can you take us there? It's too much trouble for you this way?"
"No trouble, no trouble," Wei Yumeng quickly denied. At this point, she could only take them to Mu Linjing's home.
Mu Linjing's home was indeed messy. Ever since Mu Linjing disappeared, no one had been there.
A house that hadn't been cleaned for over a month had a smell of mold mixed with dust as soon as they entered. Everyone choked a little.
Aunt Mu covered her nose and entered the house. After putting down her things, she started tidying up, "This girl, living alone is worrying.
Wei Yumeng also helped her clean, and the room was soon tidy. Then they sat down.
Aunt Mu finally had time and gave Uncle Mu a look. The two of them opened their accompanying backpacks and took out bag after bag of things.
"Yumeng, these are local specialties from our hometown. You probably can't eat this kind of food in the city. We brought some for you to try. See if you like them."
Seeing the elders' enthusiasm, and knowing she had been deceiving them all along, Wei Yumeng felt a pang of guilt, thinking she didn't deserve these gifts.
But seeing their expectant eyes, she knew that if she didn't accept them, they might misunderstand and think she disliked the items. So she quickly smiled and gathered the gifts.
"Thank you, Uncle and Aunt. You remembered me even from so far away."
After accepting the gifts, the couple exchanged a look, and Uncle Mu finally spoke.
"Yumeng, we've actually come to ask for your help with something."
Seeing the hope in their eyes, Wei Yumeng's heart tightened. Just as Uncle Mu was about to speak, the doorbell rang. She ran to the door as if relieved and saw Zhan Yichen. She nodded at him.
She had anticipated that Uncle and Aunt would come because they were worried about Mu Linjing, so she had informed Zhan Yichen in advance and asked him to come. She hoped that the elders would shift their attention to this future son-in-law.
As expected, his arrival made the elders stand up from the sofa, "Yumeng, who is this?"
Wei Yumeng quickly pulled Zhan Yichen over to them, "Uncle, Aunt, let me introduce you. This is Linjing's boyfriend, and also my little brother-in-law."
Aunt Mu realized, "You must be Yichen. Linjing mentioned you on the phone. You are indeed a handsome young man. No wonder our Linjing praises you so highly whenever she talks about you."
This made Zhan Yichen a bit embarrassed. He had never asked what Mu Linjing's family thought of him, but judging by Aunt Mu's attitude, it seemed to be quite good.
Wei Yumeng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and gestured for them to sit down, "Yichen, please chat with Uncle and Aunt. I'll go out to buy some groceries. We'll all have dinner together tonight."
She appeared calm and unhurried, but in reality, she left Mu Linjing's house as if fleeing. She couldn't handle it anymore and wanted Zhan Yichen to take over for a while.
Seeing that Aunt Mu's attitude towards Zhan Yichen was acceptable, she was unsure whether to be happy.
If Mu Linjing hadn't met with an accident, this scene would have been cause for celebration. However, under the current circumstances, there was more regret than joy.
She went out and chose some dishes. When she returned, they were still chatting. She then disappeared into the kitchen, not only to avoid questions but also to overhear their conversation.
However, for a long time, it seemed to be only Aunt Mu who was talking to Zhan Yichen, asking about his work and hobbies. Uncle Mu had not asked a single question.
This made Wei Yumeng wonder if Uncle Mu disliked Zhan Yichen.
In fact, Zhan Yichen had also noticed. Since he arrived, Uncle Mu hadn't been very warm to him and had been scrutinizing him the entire time.
While it was natural for a father to scrutinize his daughter's boyfriend, their intuition told them that Uncle Mu was not very satisfied with the situation.