Chapter 34

After all, not every parent could accept two boys being together.

Ao Qingyuan said, "It's fine. My parents are pretty open-minded. They feel that as long as two people get along and can stay together for the long term, gender isn't important."

"That's good." Mother Wenren breathed a sigh of relief. "Then when there's time, the elders from both our families can get together."

Wenren Yan added, "After I visit Uncle and Auntie, we can find a time to have a meal together."

"That's right." Wenren Jing, who had hardly spoken, said, "The proper etiquette can't be skipped."

After chatting for over an hour, it was time to eat. Ao Qingyuan naturally noticed that there were dishes he liked on the table, and he secretly felt delighted. He felt that his future parents-in-law had probably accepted him. He had never expected the atmosphere to be this pleasant when he came to meet Wenren Yan's parents today. Originally, he had been mentally prepared for Wenren Yan's parents to dislike him, or even mock him and urge them to break up.

He had not expected Wenren Jing and his wife to be so kind and approachable. It made Ao Qingyuan feel much more at ease.

After lunch, Ao Qingyuan and Wenren Yan ate some fruit at home before leaving. On the way back, Wenren Yan looked at the clearly more cheerful Ao Qingyuan and asked with a smile, "You've already told your family about us?"

Ao Qingyuan nodded as if it were only natural. "Of course I told them. I told my aunt too—she's my agent."

Wenren Yan smiled. "And your family didn't object?"

"They definitely didn't agree at first!" Ao Qingyuan leaned against the car window and bragged to Wenren Yan, "But who am I? How could I let my boyfriend suffer? And I definitely couldn't let my parents have any prejudice against the boyfriend I chose. So I persuaded them. Luckily, the boyfriend I chose is especially impressive. All I had to do was show them your résumé. Wow, my parents saw all that dazzling stuff—child prodigy, genius, heir to the Wenren Group, and founder of Yan Feng Capital. Young and accomplished, a pillar of society! They agreed right away."

Wenren Yan lowered his head and smiled. "What a smooth talker."

Wenren Yan knew perfectly well that no matter how outstanding or capable he was, no matter how masterfully he navigated the capital market, for Ao Qingyuan's parents, the issue of gender alone was enough to outweigh all his merits. Although Ao Qingyuan made it sound easy, Wenren Yan could completely imagine how much effort he had put into persuading his parents to accept him as his boyfriend.

Wenren Yan smiled faintly, once again feeling that he had chosen the right person. This brat was not only of good character and handsome, but also a boyfriend he could trust and rely on.

"So, when are we going to your home?" Wenren Yan asked.

Ao Qingyuan said, "How about next weekend?"

It was a good chance to settle this major life event while he was on vacation.

A smile shimmered in Wenren Yan's eyes as he looked gently at Ao Qingyuan. "All right."

The weekend arrived in the blink of an eye. Wenren Yan had once laughed at Ao Qingyuan for being restless and overthinking before going to the Wenren Family home. This time, it was his turn. Wenren Yan was actually a little nervous too.

"I wonder whether Uncle and Auntie will like the gifts I prepared for them."

"They definitely will." Ao Qingyuan was full of confidence. "As long as I like them, they'll definitely like them too."

"So confident?" Wenren Yan looked at Ao Qingyuan.

Ao Qingyuan nodded, completely justified. "Because they love me!" Since they loved him, how could they bear to make things difficult for someone he liked? Wasn't that what people meant by loving the house and its crow?

Wenren Yan smiled. He suddenly felt much more relaxed.

By the time the two of them arrived at the Ao Family home, it was already a little after ten in the morning. Mother Ao, who usually went out every weekend to play cards with her old friends, stayed home and repeatedly rearranged the fruit and pastries on the coffee table. Father Ao watched until he grew impatient. "Stop arranging some Eight Trigrams formation already! You're making my head spin."

"But I don't know what Little Wen likes to eat. What if I put something he doesn't like in front of him, and he misunderstands and thinks I don't like him?" Mother Ao frowned and looked at Father Ao, who was sitting beside her doing nothing but reading the newspaper. "And stop pretending! What time is it? You're still reading the newspaper. Aren't you nervous?"

"The child's surname is Wenren, not Wen. Don't get it wrong when he gets here," Father Ao corrected Mother Ao, then added, "And why should I be nervous? He's the one coming to visit us. He should be nervous."

"Then you have to be nicer to him too. If we treat him well, he'll treat our son even better."

Father Ao glared. "Would he dare treat our son badly?"

Just then, the doorbell rang. The housekeeper went to answer it, then turned back and said, "Madam, Qingyuan has come back with someone."

"Oh, oh, oh," Mother Ao instinctively stood up, only for Father Ao to pull her back down.

Wenren Yan and Ao Qingyuan happened to see this the moment they entered. Ao Qingyuan burst out laughing. "Mom, don't tell me you're nervous?"

"Nervous my ass!" Mother Ao looked at her foolish son as though she hated that he had failed to live up to expectations. Who exposed their own family like that?

Wenren Yan smiled. The nervousness that had been lingering in his heart suddenly vanished. He respectfully handed over the gift boxes he was carrying. "Hello, Auntie. Hello, Uncle."

"Oh, oh, what a handsome young man! Hurry and sit down!" Mother Ao accepted the gifts and set them aside, asking after him attentively. "What would you like to drink? Coffee? Tea? Juice? Cola?"

Before Wenren Yan could answer, Mother Ao continued, "I heard Qingyuan say that you studied in the United States from a young age and only just returned. You must be used to drinking coffee, right?"

Wenren Yan glanced at the tea set already arranged on the tea table and said with a smile, "Tea is fine for me."

Mother Ao immediately said, "Relax. Just treat this place like your own home. Don't mind the tea on the table. That's the gongfu tea Old Ao brewed himself, but he's not very good at it."

Father Ao was instantly speechless. He looked helplessly at his wife, once again confirming that the mother and son's talent for undermining others was purely hereditary.

"You actually dislike my skills? I've been the one cooking for you all these years. I've cooked for decades, and now you're starting to dislike my skills. Mine is ancestral craftsmanship, all right? You dislike me that much? Then you can cook for me next time."