Meanwhile,
Xia Shule parked outside the Xia Family home, but he did not get out right away. He sat in the car, trying to figure out how to phrase what he wanted to say.
After turning it over in his head for ages, he finally made the rather hasty decision to just say it outright and discuss any issues afterward. He always spoke his mind directly; he simply could not come up with a tactful approach.
But in reality, this was nowhere near as difficult as he had imagined.
For once, both his parents were home. They were curled up on the couch watching a soap opera. His dad was clearly about to fall asleep, yet he was still hanging in there.
"Dad! Mom~"
That thunderous shout scared every trace of sleepiness out of Xia Dunrong. He shuddered and snapped wide awake.
Ming Yue knew it was her son as soon as she heard him. "Lele, you're home! Mommy missed you."
Despite saying she missed him, she never took her eyes off the soap opera. Xia Shule leaned over for a look. The male and female leads were kissing passionately. No wonder his mom had no time for him.
Xia Shule sat off to the side without disturbing her, playing on his phone while he waited for her to finish. Once Ms. Ming Yue started watching a show, she could not hear a word anyone beside her said.
Half an hour later...
Never mind his dad, Xia Dunrong-even he was getting sleepy just playing on his phone.
Yawning, Xia Shule asked, "Mom, how much longer until you're done? There's something I want to tell you two." If he did not say it soon, he would fall asleep.
Xia Dunrong perked up. His son could say whatever he wanted, as long as they did not have to keep watching the soap opera.
Just as Xia Shule finished asking, the ending theme began playing on the television. Ming Yue turned to her son. "It's over. What did you want to say, sweetheart?"
"It's nothing major..." Actually, it felt pretty major. "It's just..."
This would all be a little too sudden for his parents. Xia Shule let out a long breath, then blurted it out.
"I'm getting married!" Better to get the pain over with quickly than drag it out. Those words exploded like a thunderclap.
His parents were completely unprepared. Their smiles froze on their faces, and they sat motionless, as if their systems had crashed. Seeing them frozen like that, Xia Shule's smile gradually faded. What was going on...?
Surely it was not that terrifying?
Xia Shule waved a hand in front of their faces. "Uh... you two still there?"
Oh my god, had he scared his parents senseless? If he'd known, he wouldn't have been so blunt.
"Ah!!!!" Ming Yue practically leaped ten feet into the air. Suddenly coming to her senses, she drew deep breaths, her face full of disbelief.
"You're getting married? To whom? When? Do you know him well? Do you really love him?... Not that boy from the Jiang family."
Ms. Ming Yue launched straight into a five-question barrage, then helplessly added that the Jiang family's boy was out of the question. Deep down, she was terrified it would be him. It was not that he was unimpressive; he was simply wrong for her son.
If it really was that boy from the Jiang family, who knew how much her precious son would suffer after marrying him? Ming Yue supported every decision Xia Shule made unconditionally, but being with Jiang Gechen was the one thing she could not accept.
Xia Dunrong recovered. "Sweetheart, listen to your dad. This is a major life decision. Don't rush into it. Besides, I don't think that boy cares all that deeply about you. Don't go throwing yourself into this headfirst!"
Now it was Xia Shule's turn to stare blankly at the two people losing their minds across from him. Apparently, his reputation as Jiang Gechen's hopeless doormat was still deeply ingrained.
Helpless, Xia Shule realized he had to shake off the Jiang Gechen label as soon as possible. "I never said I was marrying Jiang Gechen. I've met... my true love!" His eyes sparkled.
Disbelief was written plainly across both their faces. Ms. Ming Yue's face, in particular, was already twisting. "Who? Who? Who! Who?"
Ming Yue had watched Xia Shule chase after Jiang Gechen, and it had broken her heart. Now he was saying he was getting married, but not to Jiang Gechen? No one would believe that.
Xia Shule curled his fingers and lowered his head, pretending to be bashful. "It's Yan Zhiyi! We fell in love at first sight at Old Mr. Yan's birthday banquet a few days ago, so we decided... to have a whirlwind marriage!"
Thud!
The apple in Xia Dunrong's hand fell to the floor, landing on his toes. But right now, he had no time to worry about his toes or the apple. He felt as though the words he had just heard had come from another world.
Was his time up? Was that why he could hear voices from heaven?
"Ah!!!!" Ms. Ming Yue jumped three feet into the air again. "Lele, don't joke with Mommy~"
Xia Shule did not react. He simply looked at them with a completely serious expression. Xia Dunrong and Ming Yue exchanged a glance and knew it had to be true.
Although the news had caught Ms. Ming Yue completely off guard, it was still countless times better than hearing that he was marrying Jiang Gechen.
It took the two of them only a minute to accept it.
Xia Dunrong sighed. "Honestly, Lele, as long as you're happy, your mom and I will support you no matter what. We've always had a problem with that boy from the Jiang family, mainly because he bullied you. We don't know President Yan well either, but at least he won't be as immature as that boy. If you really like him... come home if he ever mistreats you. Even if it costs me my life, I'll make sure you get justice!"
Ms. Ming Yue nodded beside him, her eyes reddening. She hated to let him go and was worried, but her son liked him, and at least he was not Jiang Gechen. "Sweetheart, as long as you truly like him."
Xia Shule could sense that, as long as it was not Jiang Gechen, his parents could feel a little more at ease no matter what. Look-as soon as they heard it was not Jiang Gechen, both of them immediately relented.
He blamed himself and the plot. Only now did he realize how much his involvement with Jiang Gechen had worried his parents.
Their words moved Xia Shule so much that little pearls of tears began to well up, ready to fall. But right then, he had no choice but to go against his conscience and say, "I really do like him, and he likes me too."
"Dad, Mom, we're planning to register our marriage tomorrow." Something occurred to Xia Shule, and he made up his mind. "Before we do the paperwork tomorrow, I'll bring him home to meet you."
"Isn't... isn't that a little too fast?" Ming Yue still could not stop worrying. It had only been a few days since the birthday banquet.
Xia Shule thought for a moment, then said with a haughty little air, "I like him too much. I have to tie him down quickly and make him mine alone!"
That was exactly the sort of thing Xia Shule would say. It also fit his personality: he only felt secure when he held what he wanted tightly in his hands.
Hearing that eased Ming Yue's anxiety a little. She knew her son's temperament, so this was nothing unusual.
That meant he probably had no unspoken troubles.
Ming Yue took her son's hand. "It's all right. If he mistreats you, just divorce him. Oh, should we get things ready too? To welcome our son-in-law?"
"President Yan..." Xia Dunrong frowned. "How did you end up with President Yan...?"
"What is it, Dunrong?"
"Nothing. I just can't imagine President Yan falling in love with our son at first sight."
What Xia Dunrong did not say was that, with Yan Zhiyi's status and standing, he must have met countless beautiful people eager to approach him. There were probably just as many who had been offered to him.
Someone of President Yan's standing surely would not toy with their son, but Xia Dunrong simply could not picture his son and President Yan together.
It was as though his son had casually stumbled upon a one-of-a-kind grand prize.
"Oh, stop worrying. I know what I'm doing. Besides, he wouldn't trick me, right?"
Actually, when Yan Zhiyi had given him all those things earlier, he really had grown suspicious. He had thought the man might be planning to sell him off.
But Yan Zhiyi had no need to swindle him out of money, and as for his looks... although Xia Shule considered himself as handsome as the legendary Pan An, Yan Zhiyi surely had no shortage of beauties around him.
So the man had to be sincere about working with him!
"All right, I need to get to bed. You two should turn in early too!" Xia Shule turned and headed upstairs, wiping away his little pearls of tears.
His parents truly worried about him, but they still respected his decision. He even felt that if he had wanted to marry Jiang Gechen, they probably would have agreed after he made a fuss and acted up a little.
It was precisely because his parents always let him do as he pleased. Even if things turned out badly in the end, they would use every means at their disposal to clean up his mess.
That was exactly why he had ultimately dragged the Xia Family down with him. It was why Jiang Gechen had seen his parents as bad people who had spoiled a child rotten.
Thinking about it now, had Jiang Gechen been jealous because he had never experienced that kind of love himself?
At the end of the day, the man was pretty underhanded.