At nine o'clock, as Fu Guiru had requested, Li Ye arrived at his residence in Tokyo's Minato Ward an hour early.
The moment he entered, Li Ye felt his old mother's sharp gaze sweeping over him from head to toe like radar. She even reached out and stripped off his coat.
Li Ye had nothing to hide, so naturally he was unruffled. He handed his coat to his old mother openly and without concern.
Li Ye had been around in his previous life too. He knew women's sense of smell was especially sensitive to certain scents—alcohol, perfume, the scent of Chinese flowering crabapple. There was no way any of it could escape a woman's nose.
Fu Guiru took Li Ye's coat, and her expression eased considerably. Then she tossed him a set of pajamas.
"Go take a shower, then call Xiao Yu."
"I already told Xiao Yu I was safe after getting off the plane."
"Cut the crap. You went out carousing the moment you got off the plane. Look how capable you think you are."
"I didn't go carousing. I just went to see a friend."
Li Ye wanted to explain further, but halfway through, Fu Guiru's slipper came flying at him. Startled, he hurriedly ducked into the bathroom.
Five minutes later, Li Ye came out of the bathroom and found his old mother carefully examining his clothes beneath the light.
This was downright Mother's lantern inspection for wear and tear!
Li Ye had no doubt that if he had drunk even a little today, picked up even a trace of fragrance, or even changed into freshly laundered clothes without the smell of sweat, there was a chance he would have nowhere to hide beneath Fu Guiru's fiery golden eyes.
He grinned and sidled over, teasingly asking, "Mother, are