I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Pei Shiyu up, saying, "Get up, it's time to eat."

"Is it that late?" Pei Shiyu said, her eyes simultaneously looking out the window.

"By the time you're all dressed up, it'll be dark. Where's your dad?"

"He'll be here soon. He wants to eat with us too."

"What should we do then?"

"Let's eat together."

"Eating together isn't a problem, but it won't look good if I just show up at your house."

"Then why don't you go downstairs and wait? When my dad gets home, I'll text you, and you can come up with some excuse to come up."

"That's a good idea."

"Go on down," Pei Shiyu urged.

I checked the time. It should still be early. I'd been lying in the car all afternoon. I walked to the living room and waited for a while.

Pei Shiyu came out of the cloakroom and went straight into the bathroom. I sat on the sofa in the living room, lit a cigarette, and dialed my mom's number…

"Lin Che, why are you acting like this? Even if you have something to do, you should tell me. You're not even answering your phone." As soon as she answered, she started berating me.

"I was kidnapped yesterday and almost lost my life. Would I not answer your phone if I wasn't in trouble?" I replied in a half-joking tone.

"I don't want to hear a word you're saying right now." She didn't believe me!

That's fine too. It saves me from having to explain it to her and then get a lecture. Because I already know I was wrong. Sometimes a person's life doesn't just belong to themselves, you have to consider more factors. Like, if I really hadn't come back, Pei Shiyu, no matter how deep her feelings for me were, would at least be traumatized, especially since her family had just suffered a death.

Not to mention my mom. So, telling her this way is easier. A few scoldings won't hurt. So I immediately changed the subject: "I'm bringing someone over for dinner tonight. Save me a spot, on the first floor. I'm a customer tonight, so I need to enjoy the ultimate treatment."

My mom hung up the phone directly. It was the first time she'd treated me this way. But from another perspective, it's a good thing. It means our relationship has entered a normal mother-son dynamic. I prefer it this way. It's definitely not because I'm being a masochist!

I thought about Wang Rui again. We haven't seen each other for a while since she returned to China. If Pei Shiyu is the main ingredient in a dish, then Wang Rui is like the seasoning. The main ingredient is important, but without the seasoning, life, like the dish, becomes bland. So, both are indispensable, a harmonious blend of love and friendship.

I sent Wang Rui a message: Eating together tonight. I'm bringing my girlfriend, and possibly my future father-in-law.

I deliberately added a cowardly emoji after the text.

I didn't put my phone down, acting like I was ready for a long chat, but Wang Rui surprisingly didn't reply. A woman as magnanimous as her either hasn't seen it, or she's still at work. So I don't need to project the kind of thoughts I have about Pei Shiyu onto her…

Just as I was thinking this, I heard the sound of keys at the door. It was so fast that I didn't have time to hide. It was Pei Xianglong. The light in the living room was good, so he saw me right away.

"What are you doing here?" he asked me in his usual loud voice.

I couldn't answer right away, and after a long pause, I stammered, "Aren't I supposed to be taking Pei Shiyu home? We're planning to have dinner together tonight. Aren't I just waiting for you to come home? Let's go to the same restaurant as before."

"Don't change the subject. I'm asking you what you're doing in my house? Pei Shiyu came back at noon. You haven't been here this whole time, have you?" Pei Xianglong stared at me with his shrewd eyes.

Just as I was about to explain, Pei Shiyu came out from inside, neither too early nor too late, wrapped in a bath towel, seemingly at random. I immediately shut my mouth. Silence is golden now. Any more explanation would be futile. Pei Shiyu looked so sexy that even Pei Xianglong had to look away. Anyone would guess that our relationship was definitely not just that of ordinary friends.

As I expected, she screamed and quickly ran into her room. Although the situation was tense, I still found the scene quite amusing.

"You can still laugh!" Pei Xianglong pointed at me, enraged.

I straightened my posture. Since I'd been exposed anyway, I could only try to salvage the situation myself. We'd talked about this topic before, and Pei Xianglong wasn't completely against it.

"Then I'll tell you the truth..."

"Were you lying before? Am I blind?"

My scalp tightened. I decided to go all out: "Pei Shiyu and I have indeed gotten together. Don't worry, I will definitely treat her well."

"What did I say last time? And how did you try to wriggle out of it last time?"

"Wasn't I just afraid you'd think I wasn't good enough?"

"Are you good enough?"

"Although I haven't met your requirements, I will definitely work hard in the future, work hard to make money, and strive to be half the son you've always dreamed of."

Pei Xianglong didn't answer me directly. Instead, he shouted loudly at Pei Shiyu's room, "Pei Shiyu, come out here."

I thought she would be scared, but she wasn't! She came out in a nonchalant manner and immediately said, "Why are you shouting so loud? I'm not deaf."

I was amused again. It was clear that she had been eavesdropping. The way she came out acting against him surprised me.

"How did your previous relationship end? You've only known him for a few days, and you're already so frivolous and getting together with him. Where do you get the confidence to speak so loudly?"

"Why do you need confidence to be in a relationship?" Pei Shiyu's mouth was hard.

"You're so old, but you're still like an eighteen-year-old, getting tricked by people so easily."

"I don't care if I get tricked!"

"I can't control you anymore. Do you believe I'll hit you?"

"I believe you. It's not like you haven't beaten me before."

Pei Shiyu's answer made Pei Xianglong, who had already raised his right hand, stop awkwardly in mid-air and ask, stuttering a little, "When... have I ever... hit you?"

"Didn't you hit me when I was a kid?"

"Which child hasn't been hit by their parents?"

"Was I still a child at sixteen?"

"If you hadn't been dating early, would I have had to do that? Besides, would you call that hitting?"

"We're just eating together, is that called dating?"

The uncompromising attitude of the father and daughter gave me a little insight into Pei Shiyu's past. I guessed it was something like watching a movie or eating a meal with a classmate. I can totally understand that. Besides, she's so beautiful. It would be strange if no one liked her!