When Lin Yan arrived at the station, she found her parents already waiting at the exit.
A fine drizzle was falling. Her father held the umbrella over her mother, his own body getting half wet.
Lin Yan hurried over. "Dad, Mom, why didn't you wait in the car?"
"It's fine, the rain isn't heavy. We just wanted to see you sooner!" Seeing that Lin Yan was holding an umbrella, her father felt a bit more relieved.
"Let's go. It's quite cold out here. We can talk in the car." Her mother quickly took her daughter's hand. "You've gotten thinner!"
"Mom, no I haven't. My weight hasn't changed at all," Lin Yan said, letting her mother pull her along while she held up the umbrella with her other hand.
"Are you hungry? Your dad prepared a table of dishes for you. You can eat them after warming them up when we get home." Her mother held her daughter's hand, feeling as though her daughter had suffered outside.
"I am actually a bit hungry. I really want to eat Dad's cooking," Lin Yan said affectionately.
"We'll eat when we get back, we'll eat when we get back!" her father said happily.
Once in the car, Lin Yan and her mother sat in the back seat, leaving her father to drive in the front.
In the car, her mother incessantly asked about Lin Yan's situation at school. Lin Yan selectively shared some less important details.
Although her mother didn't fully understand everything her daughter said, she knew that her child was still doing very well in university.
Upon returning home, Lin Yan's father began warming up the pre-prepared dishes, cooking what needed to be stir-fried. Soon, a table full of delicious-looking dishes was served.
"Dad, this is too much! We can't possibly eat all of this!" Lin Yan said, feeling a headache coming on as she looked at the nearly ten dishes on the table.
"It's alright, we'll have leftovers if we can't finish it. Eat as much as you can. Look how thin you've become!" her father said.
"My training load has increased, my body fat percentage has decreased, that's not being thin," Lin Yan explained. At military school, training was unavoidable, so she wasn't thin but rather toned.
However, her parents didn't believe it was due to increased exercise; they just thought she had lost weight.
"Even so, you should eat well. Training is so tiring, you definitely need to eat more," her mother said, then proceeded to put more food onto Lin Yan's plate.
Lin Yan had no choice but to let their love drown her.
"Oh, by the way, Mom and Dad, someone will be coming to the house tomorrow."
"Who?" her mother asked, confused.
"You both know him. It's Shuo Jing."
"Him coming here...?" Her mother seemed to realize. "You two?"
"Yes! He and I are together, so he wants to formally visit you," Lin Yan said plainly, without any shyness.
"What? When did you two get together?" her father asked, frowning.
"On my eighteenth birthday," Lin Yan replied truthfully.
"Dad, we haven't been together for long, and we're telling you directly."
"Do you truly like him?" her father asked.
"I like him," Lin Yan confirmed with certainty.
"Young Jing is a good boy. Although his family is quite wealthy, he's a very down-to-earth person," her mother said, her impression of Meng Shuo Jing being very good.
"Then let him come. I'll go buy groceries tomorrow morning," her father said.
"What time will he be coming tomorrow?"
"Probably in the morning," Lin Yan said. She omitted the fact that he would be arriving tonight, but wanted to formally visit in the morning.
"Alright, then tomorrow morning your mother will host him at home, and I'll go buy groceries," her father said. He didn't dislike Meng Shuo Jing, but felt their families were too disparate in wealth – an unequal match.
However, since his daughter liked him, he had nothing more to say. But they had a good relationship with Meng Shuo Jing's elder sister and her husband, and they didn't seem to look down on them.
He just didn't know if Meng Qingyue's attitude would change if she knew her younger brother was dating Yan Yan.
The next morning, Meng Shuo Jing arrived with gifts. When he arrived, Lin Yan's father hadn't left home yet.
"Young Jing, you're here! Come in!" her mother welcomed Meng Shuo Jing inside.
"Hello Auntie, this is a gift for you. I had my sister pick it out, I hope you like it." Meng Shuo Jing handed a bag to Lin Yan's mother.
Hearing Meng Shuo Jing's words, Lin Yan's parents understood the implied meaning. It meant his family already knew he and Lin Yan were together, and knew he was visiting them today.
Indeed, Meng Shuo Jing was so thoughtful and considerate, completely alleviating their worries.
"Your sister picked it out? Then I will certainly like it." Her mother took the bag from him.
"This is for Uncle, I hope you like it." He then handed another bag to Lin Yan's father.
"Thank you, Young Jing!" Lin Yan's father took the bag. Although he felt a little more at ease, he still didn't have a good attitude towards the person who was taking his daughter away.
Meng Shuo Jing didn't mind Lin Yan's father's attitude. After all, he knew he was taking away the man's daughter, and facing some difficulty was normal.
Lin Yan offered no assistance to Meng Shuo Jing. If she were to protect him at this moment, her father would likely be very angry.
She gave Meng Shuo Jing a look of helplessness and then went to examine the gifts her mother had received.
"Since you're here, Young Jing, please sit for a while. I'm going to buy groceries," her father said, picking up his keys to leave.
"Uncle, I'll go with you!" Meng Shuo Jing said, preparing to accompany him.
"No need. You can talk with Yan Yan. You haven't seen each other for quite some time, have you?" her mother stopped Meng Shuo Jing.
Lin Yan's father left without waiting for him.
After her father left, her mother also left them some space, going into her room.
"Let's go sit in my room for a while. I have something to give you," Lin Yan said.
Meng Shuo Jing looked flattered. "It's my honor."
Fu Yin stared at the computer screen. Why had the line that was red yesterday turned green today?
She was reluctant to believe that her stocks would fall. Her professor had analyzed it, and she remembered the trend very clearly.
But why was it like this now? She remembered this stock would keep rising, rising until next summer. Why was it starting to fall now?
And it was falling so fast, almost back to the price she had bought it at.
Fu Yin felt a sense of panic. If things that had already happened could change, then what was the point of her rebirth?
This time it was the stocks that fell. What would it be next time? Would the areas she remembered were to be developed still be developed?
She didn't remember much to begin with. If she lost even these, what would she have left?
Fu Yin slammed the laptop shut and immediately prepared to call her manager to sell all her stocks.
She couldn't be sure if these stocks would continue to fall. She had to cut her losses in time.