Yunchen Xiatian's Silver Alliance))
While they were chatting in the living room, a soft click came from the Smart Lock at the entrance.
The front door swung open. Carrying two large bags of meat and vegetables, Li Yilan had barely stepped inside when the delicate fragrance lingering in the living room enveloped her.
She instinctively took a deep breath, and her shoulders and back, tense all morning, somehow felt looser.
She looked toward the three people on the rosewood sofa. At the sight of the boy in Dōfuku, Li Yilan's expression froze for a moment.
Before she could greet him, Wen Zhixia bounced over from the sofa like a lively little bird and took the grocery bags from her mother.
"Mom!"
"Zhizhi, you're home so early? I thought you wouldn't get home until around noon. You didn't even send a message first..."
"Uh, I forgot! Mom, let me introduce you. This is Chen Shi'an, my classmate, the one who gave you the wood carving for your birthday!"
"Oh, so you're here, Xiao Chen."
Li Yilan had already guessed that the boy in Dōfuku was Chen Shi'an. Her daughter had mentioned him plenty of times, after all, and it was the first time she had ever received a birthday gift from one of her daughter's classmates. It had certainly left an impression.
Like Wen Zhixue, she had seen Chen Shi'an in videos, but she hadn't expected his looks and bearing to be even more pleasing in person. Dressed in simple Dōfuku, he had handsome features, but his eyes lacked the restless energy of most people his age. Instead, they held a quiet composure. He clearly looked about the same age as Zhizhi, yet he gave her a particular sense of reassurance.
When Wen Zhixia went to greet her mother, Chen Shi'an