In the rented room, after Ji Shiyou and the other two finished their meal, Tang Yong went to work.
"Brother Ji, I'm sorry. We didn't mean to say that about you. I apologize, please don't take it to heart." He Si said sincerely to Ji Shiyou, who was tidying up the dishes with him. He felt a bit embarrassed, as he was sure Ji Shiyou had heard Tang Yong's words.
"You didn't say anything, why apologize? Tang Yong is right, the public security hasn't been good lately. It's not just burglaries, even petty thugs seem to be on the rise. I don't dare to walk through the alley after dark. It's right to be careful, I won't mind." Ji Shiyou said, shaking the water off his hands. Mingyue had already told him about her parents' romantic history. A hero saving a beauty was a significant turning point. He wanted to confirm if it had happened yet.
"Brother Ji is right. A few days ago, I went to pick up Brother Yong from work and ran into three thugs bullying a girl." Hearing Ji Shiyou's words, He Si breathed a sigh of relief and chimed in, following Ji Shiyou's lead.
"Ah, then what happened? Did you drive away the thugs and save the girl?" Ji Shiyou's heart tightened. It seemed the hero saving a beauty had occurred. Logically, his mother-in-law, whom he hadn't met, should have found him, and they should have known each other. Why was his father-in-law not calling him by name and acting like an outsider? Something must have gone wrong, and Ji Shiyou felt a bad premonition.
"Brother Ji, what are you joking about? How dare I? Before I even got close, I saw a young man appear and quickly beat down those three thugs. Then he took the girl and left, like a hero. I watched from afar, they looked so well-matched. They must be a couple, or perhaps newlyweds." He Si, rarely gossipy, was talking about his own wife and love rival. Ji Shiyou, watching his father-in-law "green" himself, didn't know how to respond. Just then, his phone rang. Under He Si's envious gaze, Ji Shiyou immediately returned to his room. Because in this world, only one person called him: Mingyue.
"Ji Shiyou, I've successfully approached my mother and become her best friend. However, a deviation has occurred." Mingyue said, speaking from the rooftop of the dormitory building about her situation.
"I've also successfully become your father's roommate and am on brotherly terms with him. It's about the hero saving a beauty, right? I already know." Ji Shiyou said quietly, sitting on his bed. The two of them chuckled in unison over the phone and began exchanging information. Finally, they both agreed that the man who suddenly appeared and stole He Si's thunder in the hero-saving-a-beauty incident was the culprit behind the deviation. Fortunately, Ming Yanan couldn't find him at the moment, and it was only a secret crush. They still had time to change things. Their current mission was, first, for Mingyue to stay by Ming Yanan's side. They hoped that man wouldn't appear, but if he did, Mingyue could timely prevent any further development between them. The other urgent matter was to quickly get He Si and Ming Yanan to meet and set them up, making them fall in love in the shortest possible time. Only then would their mission be complete, and the situation return to normal.
"Finished talking with your boyfriend? I'm so envious. What does your boyfriend do? Is he also studying? Introduce me sometime, I'll help you vet him." Seeing Mingyue return, Ming Yanan, already in bed, teased her.
"He's already graduated and is now an online writer. You'll see him in a couple of days. Aren't we going to buy luggage? I'll have him come help us carry things. Jealous? How about I introduce you to a boyfriend?" Mingyue changed into her pajamas and snuggled into Ming Yanan's bed, speaking half-truthfully, as it was part of her plan with Ji Shiyou. The person she would introduce was He Si.
"I don't want one. I have my Prince Charming. I'll remain pure for him and marry no one else. I'll never be unfaithful, don't ruin our relationship." Ming Yanan put on a show of being an ancient chaste maiden, while Mingyue was the scoundrel trying to abduct a civilian.
"Remain pure? Let's see how you do that." The two girls playfully wrestled on the narrow bed, tickling each other.
"Yanan, do you really want to wait for someone whose name you don't even know? Maybe you'll never meet him again, and you won't accept anyone else? It's not worth putting your feelings on someone so ethereal!" After their playful fight, Mingyue began to brainwash Ming Yanan.
"You're right, but from the moment I saw him, I felt an inexplicable connection. That must be fate, I want to hold on. If he truly doesn't appear, then it's fate without a connection! I'll give up then, at least I tried." Ming Yanan said wistfully, lying on the bed.
"Give up hope, you won't have any more interactions with him." Mingyue thought to herself. With her and Ji Shiyou around, that man would never get another chance to approach Ming Yanan. However, the next day, Mingyue felt like she had been slapped in the face.
"Hello everyone, my name is Yue Zan, and I'm very happy to meet you all. We'll be classmates from now on, please take care of me!" On the podium, a tall, elegant young man introduced himself. The female students below went wild, some screaming, others staring at Yue Zan, drooling. This Yue Zan was incredibly handsome, radiating a natural charisma, like a male lead straight out of an idol drama. Only Mingyue and Ming Yanan remained relatively calm, but only on the surface. Ming Yanan was smiling broadly, making eye contact with Yue Zan. Their eyes seemed to be locking, and they could only see each other. It was obvious who could make Ming Yanan react like this. This Yue Zan was the one who had stolen He Si's thunder and saved the beauty in his place, Ming Yanan's Prince Charming. But what shocked Mingyue was that she knew this Yue Zan. In the original owner's memories, she called him Uncle Yue. Although this person's appearance was younger than in her memories, she recognized him instantly. Her mother had taken her to see this Uncle Yue several times. Little girls liked handsome guys, so the original owner remembered him vividly.
"So, this Yue Zan didn't appear out of nowhere. He was always in Mom's life. Also, my name is He Mingyue. 'He' is from Dad He Si's surname, and 'Ming' is from Mom's surname. Then 'Yue'... is it a homophone for Yue?" Thinking about the intimate actions between her mother and Yue Zan when they met in her memories, Mingyue suddenly felt a chill down her spine. Could it be, could it be! Her biological father wasn't He Si, but this Yue Zan? Was He Si cuckolded, or was he a fallback?
"Hi! We meet again. How about dinner together tonight?" While Mingyue was in turmoil, Yue Zan walked down from the podium, sat in the seats in front of Mingyue and Ming Yanan, and turned back to smile at Ming Yanan, saying, "Okay!"
"No!" Ming Yanan and He Mingyue spoke simultaneously, one accepting, the other refusing.