A household staple: relatives from hell

It was Zheng Ye's first time visiting a partner's parents.

He had asked his secretary to prepare some gifts and loaded them all into the car.

Ning Shile was sitting in the car now, looking up how much those gifts cost.

Maotai and red wine.

Tea cakes.

Ultra-luxury skincare gift sets.

Perfume and handbags, too.

Ning Shile marveled, I can't even imagine how cheerful Mom and Dad will be when they get these!

Hearing that, Zheng Ye knew he was all set. He closed the door, walked around the car, and settled into the driver's seat.

"Don't worry about us!" Ning Shile rolled down the window and waved goodbye to Zheng Ye's parents. "We're off!"

Zheng Mother's nodded and took two steps forward, reminding him repeatedly, "Little Ye, take good care of Lele."

Zheng Ye acknowledged her.

Zheng Father's came forward too, his face stern as he told Ning Shile earnestly, "If Zheng Ye misbehaves, come back and tell me. I'll punish him."

A little touched, Ning Shile gave Zheng Father's and Zheng Mother's a sweet smile. "Thank you."

"Fasten your seat belt," Zheng Ye reminded him.

"Oh, right." Ning Shile nodded, pulled out the seat belt, and lowered his head to buckle it. Then he waved to Zheng Ye's parents and rolled up the window.

Zheng Ye stepped on the gas and drove off.

Although the Ning Family was also in business, their company wasn't large, and they kept a relatively low profile, living in a mid-range residential complex downtown.

It was quite a drive from the Zheng Family's villa district to the city center.

Ning Shile got carsick. Even taking a lozenge beforehand hadn't helped, and he began feeling unwell after only a short ride.

He closed his eyes, fighting the discomfort and hoping sleep would dull it.

Fortunately, Zheng Ye drove steadily, and Ning Shile actually fell asleep before long.

When he opened his eyes again, they were outside the Ning Family home.

His second uncle and aunt had arrived early and were waiting inside the Ning Family home.

The moment Zheng Ye stepped through the door, the two hurried over to greet him.

His second uncle was particularly phony, his fleshy face creasing into a smile as he bent forward to take the things from Zheng Ye's hands. "Oh, Mr. Zheng! You didn't have to bring so many gifts!"

His second aunt followed him over, her eyes lighting up at the sight of Zheng Ye.

How was the Zheng Family Heir so handsome?

She had heard that the Zheng Family Heir was in a vegetative state, that he was an obese, hideous man with psychological problems. Only after seeing him in person did she realize how absurd those rumors were.

The Zheng Family Heir stood tall and straight, with broad shoulders, long legs, handsome features, and an impressive bearing. He was clearly gorgeous!

His second aunt had only married into the family recently. She was young, barely in her thirties.

Dressed in a red dress, her black hair falling in large waves, she smiled with eyes that seemed to beckon him and said in an affectedly sweet voice, "You're Zheng Ye, right? My husband mentions you all the time. He says you're a promising young man, so talented and accomplished. Now that I've met you, I can see he was right."

"You must be tired. Come in, come in."

His second aunt took the skincare gift set from Zheng Ye and gave it a few extra looks.

It was actually DII! That was an ultra-luxury skincare brand, and the purple-box collection was the most luxurious of all. Sold in limited quantities, it wasn't something money alone could buy.

Her voice grew even sweeter. "Don't be shy. Make yourself at home!"

As she spoke, she reached out to pull Zheng Ye along.

Seriously, where did this fake-voiced freak come from? Has she lost her mind?

Ning Shile stepped sideways to stand in front of Zheng Ye, shot his second aunt a displeased glance, then tugged on Zheng Ye's sleeve. "Let's go, Brother Ye."

Zheng Ye looked at the hand holding his sleeve. After a long silence, he turned his hand over and took Ning Shile's.

Huh?

Ning Shile's gaze flickered as he stared at Zheng Ye's hand wrapped firmly around his.

Sensing his gaze, Zheng Ye instinctively tightened his grip.

Ning Shile's breath caught, and even his body stiffened involuntarily.

Wait, we're holding hands?

Zheng Ye didn't understand why Ning Shile was so surprised. Hadn't he said they should show off their love? Holding hands was only the beginner level.

Zheng Ye felt very confident now. Last night, he had specifically gone to the Tomato website and crammed several domineering CEO novels, copying down classic passages and memorable quotes to recite over and over. His head was now packed with useful material. Showing off their love would be no problem!

At that thought, Zheng Ye straightened a little more.

"You're back?" Seeing Zheng Ye holding her son's hand, Ning Shile's mother froze briefly, then smiled as though reassured. "Come, sit down. Ye, don't be shy. Make yourself at home."

"Mm." Zheng Ye nodded.

"Have a seat, Brother Ye." Ning Shile pointed at the sofa.

"All right." Zheng Ye released Ning Shile's hand and sat down.

He had barely sat down before the second uncle and aunt clung to Zheng Ye like burrs.

When did the Ning Family ever get a chance to speak to the Zheng Family? Today was their one chance to meet Zheng Ye face-to-face. Of course they had to seize it.

The sight of their fawning left Ning Shile speechless. Young Zheng this, Young Zheng that. Why don't you two marry Zheng Ye instead?

Zheng Ye: "..."

That really wouldn't be necessary.

Sitting beside Zheng Ye, the second aunt looked a little bashful. She lowered her eyes, not daring to look directly at him. "Young Zheng was so thoughtful coming over today. I noticed he even bought skincare products for my sister-in-law. I remember the toner alone costs several thousand, doesn't it? This whole set must cost tens of thousands."

Her eyes stayed fixed on the gift set. "I've wanted it for so long, but I could never bring myself to spend that much."

"My sister-in-law really is blessed," she said. "I don't think she wears much makeup, either. Well, that makes sense. All she has to do is clean the house and cook. Our housekeeper doesn't seem to wear makeup, either."

What was that supposed to mean?

Was she taking a roundabout jab at Ning Mother, calling her a housekeeper?

Ning Shile was getting angry.

She could say whatever else she liked, but talking about his mother was never acceptable!

Ning Shile's father also picked up on the insinuation. In a rare show of displeasure, he frowned and clicked his tongue. "That's not really fair..."

"Second Aunt is right," Ning Shile cut in with a smile. "My mom really is blessed. She has such a well-behaved son and such a harmonious family. Even without wearing makeup, she gets to use such nice skincare products."

"Compared to her, you really do have a hard life, Second Aunt." Ning Shile put on a sympathetic expression. "You don't have anything, not even skincare products."

Then he asked with perfect sincerity, "Second Uncle, does your family really not have the money?"

His second aunt's expression changed at once. She glared at Ning Shile and clenched her fists.

This was her second marriage. Frequent abortions in her younger years had left her uterine lining too thin for her to conceive, so they had never had another child. She only had a stepson, her husband's child with his ex-wife. Though she had devoted herself to him, even after all these years, the boy still refused to call her "Mom."

She tugged at her husband's sleeve, and he immediately told Ning Shile, "I simply don't spend money on useless things."

Then his second uncle glanced at the skincare gift set and magnanimously made the decision himself. "Since your mother doesn't use it anyway, wouldn't leaving that gift set sitting around be a waste? We'll take it home when we leave!"

He then turned to Ning Shile's father and trotted out that familiar line. "Little brother, you don't mind giving your sister-in-law a box of skincare products, do you?"

"Huh?" Sitting opposite him, Ning Shile's father hesitated.

What do you mean, huh? Brother Ye bought it for my mom. What gives her the right to take it?

Ning Shile was beside himself as he stared at his father.

Dad, say something!

Say no! Turn them down! Turn them down firmly!

"Ah... haha, of course I don't mind." Ning Shile's father rubbed his face and chuckled. "We're all family. Just take whatever catches your eye."

Ning Shile had no expectations whatsoever of his second uncle's family, but hearing Ning Father say that instantly upset him. He frowned. "Brother Ye brought these especially for you as a sign of respect. Is this how you treat them?"

His second uncle clicked his tongue and was about to snap at Ning Shile when Ning Father reprimanded him quietly. "The adults are talking. Mind your manners."

I'm the one with no manners? Fine, fine, fine. It's your wine anyway. Give it to whoever you want.

I'm done!

The sudden rise in Ning Shile's volume startled Zheng Ye.

Turning around, he saw Ning Shile glaring at Ning Father like a little hamster with its fur bristling, his cheeks puffed out in displeasure.

Ning Father pretended not to notice, guiltily averting his eyes.

Dad is always like this!

What matters more, his precious pride or his wife and child? He keeps going on about being family, but do those two even treat him like family? They're obviously just taking advantage of him!

Aaaaaah, I'm so mad! I want to throw a fit!

Ning Shile's internal monologue never stopped. Worse, his thoughts kept rising and falling, brimming with genuine emotion.

The noise gave Zheng Ye a headache. He casually took out a bank card and handed it to Ning Shile.

Ning Shile's voice cut off abruptly. Holding the card, he looked blankly at Zheng Ye. "What... does this mean?"

The markings on the card were unmistakable: a private black card from Dixing.

There was no credit limit, and it could be freely overdrawn. In other words, the cardholder could buy an island if he wanted.

His second uncle, second aunt, and Ning Father were all stunned by this sudden shower of money.

Zheng Ye said, "This card is enough for you to buy DII and its research team."

The gesture was undoubtedly telling Ning Shile: If someone takes your gift, I'll give you twice as much.

Ning Shile couldn't deny that he was a little swept away by this domineering CEO move.

It was a strange feeling, a sense of fullness as though his wallet had been stuffed to bursting, intoxicating and dizzying.

He pinched the card between his fingers, his heart pounding wildly.

So this was a man's charm!

Then Zheng Ye suddenly remembered something. He took the domineering CEO quotes he had copied yesterday out of his pocket and read aloud, "Ning Shile, you damned little temptress."

Ning Shile: "?"

"From now on, you're the one under my protection." Zheng Ye didn't even look at Ning Shile, concentrating entirely on reading his cheat sheet. "No one will dare touch you again. Touching you means touching me, and touching me means death."

Ning Shile's expression froze. "..."

He watched Zheng Ye reading from his cheat sheet, bewildered and wary. What does this mean? Is Zheng Ye trying to make me return the card through sheer cringe???

"Little thing, just tell me what you want from now on." Completely ignoring Ning Shile's expression, Zheng Ye read his cheat sheet with undivided attention. "Even if you want the moon in the sky, I'll satisfy you. Understand? Little thing, low vocal fry at half speed..."

Oh, I wasn't supposed to read the parentheses.

Zheng Ye fell silent and looked up at Ning Shile.

Ning Shile stared vacantly, his expression frozen, while his toes silently undertook a major construction project.

He was so embarrassed that he didn't even dare look at Zheng Ye. All he could do was pretend not to care and quietly turn away.

Yet when he turned, he saw his second aunt looking utterly won over as she gazed at Zheng Ye, her eyes more adoring than a fangirl's.

Ning Father was even more moved, feeling that now his son had found such a wonderful husband, he could die without regrets.

Ning Shile choked. Wait, did none of you see Zheng Ye's cheat sheet?

He even read the stage directions out loud!