The Future In-Laws Arrive

At one in the afternoon, the two arrived at the shopping complex called Tianjie beside the University of Finance and Economics.

"Which floor is the movie theater on?"

"...No idea."

"?" Jiang Qiuyi looked surprised. "You've never been here?"

"I've been here twice, I think." Chen Wen frowned as he looked around the unfamiliar Tianjie. "I was following my roommates both times. I don't remember the way."

Shopping complexes these days had increasingly complicated layouts. They practically wanted to turn the place into a maze so consumers would never find their way out.

"It's literally the shopping complex next to your own school..." Jiang Qiuyi helplessly rubbed her forehead, thinking that figuring out a place like this should have been basic practice.

Using the internal map by the stairwell, they smoothly found Tianjie Cinema on the fourth floor. After collecting their tickets, they entered with cola and popcorn in hand.

Following the steps upward, Chen Wen followed Jiang Qiuyi to the couple's seats in the last row.

When he turned to look at the girl beside him, her skin looked as tempting as cake under the dim yellow lighting, instantly reminding Chen Wen of the time they had watched a movie together last month.

"What is it?" Jiang Qiuyi asked curiously, noticing his gaze.

"Nothing." Chen Wen set down the cola and leaned back in his seat. "I just suddenly remembered what happened when we watched a movie last time."

At that, Jiang Qiuyi, who was usually so uninhibited, immediately blushed bright red. Embarrassed, she smacked Chen Wen's thigh. "Don't bring that up. It's so embarrassing~"

Chen Wen immediately fell silent.

Jiang Qiuyi glanced at Chen Wen. When she saw that he really had stopped talking, she became a little annoyed instead. She nudged him with her elbow and asked curiously, "How did you feel after I confessed to you that day?"

"Uh... didn't you say not to bring it up?"

"I'll ask if I want to." Jiang Qiuyi huffed. "Tell me already~"

Chen Wen was stumped. After pondering for a moment, he chose his words carefully. "At first, I guess I was suspicious?"

Jiang Qiuyi rolled her eyes at him. "What about after you confirmed it was real?"

"Mm... I didn't think too much about it then." Chen Wen answered honestly. "After we left the theater, you looked so dejected walking beside me that I reached out without even thinking."

A smile curled across her lips. Jiang Qiuyi leaned against Chen Wen's shoulder, holding his right hand in both of hers as she played with it and pressed on, "What about now?"

"Now..." Chen Wen turned to look at Jiang Qiuyi's delicate profile, then held both her hands in his palm. "Now, I feel like this is pretty great."

Hearing Chen Wen's answer, Jiang Qiuyi smiled so broadly that her eyes narrowed into crescents. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

Feeling the softness of the girl's lips, Chen Wen recalled Jiang Qiuyi's routine from that morning when they woke up. He instinctively turned his other cheek toward her. "There's this side too."

Jiang Qiuyi froze for a moment, then smacked the back of Chen Wen's hand hard. Lowering her head with a blush, she laughed. "You've learned bad things."

Coming back to his senses, Chen Wen suddenly felt a little awkward and turned away, pretending nothing had happened.

But Jiang Qiuyi had already reached out, cupped his head, and turned his face back. With a "Mwah~," she stamped another kiss on him.

Burying herself against Chen Wen's chest, the shy Jiang Qiuyi asked softly, "Satisfied now?"

Chen Wen took the initiative to wrap an arm around Jiang Qiuyi's waist and pulled her into his embrace, nodding. "Mm."

The movie began, and the two finally quieted down.

Chen Wen held the popcorn in his arms. Jiang Qiuyi took a bite herself, then fed Chen Wen a bite. She drank from Chen Wen's cola first too, and only after she finished it did they drink Jiang Qiuyi's together.

The plot of Dying to Survive was deeply moving. By the later parts, tears began pouring down Jiang Qiuyi's face, and she was utterly overwhelmed with emotion.

Chen Wen had always been rather slow when it came to such things. He simply thought the plot was pretty good.

Only when the movie ended and the lights came on in the theater did Chen Wen realize that his chest felt damp and cool.

Jiang Qiuyi had wiped all her tears on his clothes.

After they left the cinema, perhaps because the movie's atmosphere had faded, Jiang Qiuyi quickly emerged from her emotional state. Hugging Chen Wen's arm, she seriously discussed the plot with him.

The two sat down at a milk tea shop to rest for a while. Chen Wen listened as Jiang Qiuyi talked, replying now and then, when he felt his phone begin to vibrate.

He took it out and saw an incoming call. The caller ID read, "Aunt Lu (Jiang Qiuyi's Mom)."

Seeing the call, Chen Wen was visibly stunned. He showed the phone screen to Jiang Qiuyi.

"Hm? Why is my mom calling you?" Jiang Qiuyi asked in confusion. "Why don't you answer it?"

Chen Wen nodded, answered the call, and turned on the speakerphone. "Hello, Aunt Lu."

"Hello, Xiao Chen." A warm voice came from the other end. "I called Qiuqiu, but her phone was switched off. I wanted to ask if you knew where she was. Didn't she say her exams would be over this morning?"

Chen Wen turned and looked at Jiang Qiuyi in confusion, only to see her take out her phone and stick out her tongue sheepishly.

She had turned it off during the movie and forgotten to switch it back on afterward.

Jiang Qiuyi pointed at Chen Wen's phone and beckoned, signaling for her to take the call.

"She's right beside me. You can speak to her directly if there's anything." After saying that, Chen Wen handed the phone to Jiang Qiuyi.

"Hi, Mom~" Jiang Qiuyi called sweetly, then explained, "I was watching a movie just now, so my phone was off. What's up?"

"Oh, I see." Aunt Lu did not suspect anything and did not ask further. She went straight to the point. "Your dad has a last-minute business trip to Hu City, so I came along with him. We should arrive by this evening."

"Didn't you just finish your exams? I wanted to ask whether you were free to have dinner tonight."

"Xiao Chen is with you, right? Bring him along too. We haven't seen him in ages."

Hearing that her parents were coming to Hu City now, Jiang Qiuyi raised an eyebrow and gave Chen Wen a teasing, almost-smiling look. She nodded in agreement. "Sure."

"Chen Wen and I are at Tianjie beside the University of Finance and Economics. How about we have dinner here? I also happen to want to do some more shopping."

"Would it be convenient for you two to come here?"

Aunt Lu did not answer immediately. She checked the map and confirmed that Tianjie was not far from their hotel before saying, "Then we'll meet at Tianjie. You two can look around for what you want to eat first. I'll call you again when it's time."

"Okay~"

Jiang Qiuyi hung up and returned the phone to Chen Wen, smiling mischievously at him. "So? It'll be your first time meeting my parents after getting together with me. Are you nervous?"

"Are we going to tell them directly, about our relationship?" Chen Wen asked in return.

"Of course not." Jiang Qiuyi immediately shook her head. "If we tell them now, it'll affect my plan. I'm planning to tell them when I go home for summer vacation."

"Then I'm not nervous."

"Really?" Jiang Qiuyi did not believe him. "Shouldn't you be even more nervous at a time like this?"

Chen Wen looked puzzled. "It's just a meal."

"Who knows." Jiang Qiuyi intertwined her fingers, then slid her hand across the table to touch the back of Chen Wen's hand. Biting her lip, she said shyly, "I'm afraid I won't be able to help acting like this while we eat. I'm nervous to death."

[Public information]: Jiang Qiuyi's father was a renowned university professor and the head of an important research institute. He was usually busy with work and rarely had time for the family; he had a rigorous personality. Her mother was a full-time homemaker. Ever since Jiang Qiuyi started university, she had focused on taking care of her husband. She usually enjoyed dancing and held open-minded views. (The public information series is supplementary material for this book. Reading it or not will not affect the experience. If these introductions were inserted directly into the main text, they would somewhat affect the reading experience, so they are placed here instead. That way, they can be briefly mentioned in the main text, which feels more comfortable.)