Chapter Forty-Two: Sweet Little Darling

After that, silence fell once more. Yuan Xiangdie had never considered following this man home. Xiao Wei was easy enough to handle—after all, he was just a child, and not difficult to deal with. But Jin Yuan had been so direct just now, wanting to take her home to meet his parents.

They barely knew each other, hadn’t even deepened their acquaintance, and yet he wanted to skip the entire courtship—going straight to meeting the parents.

Yuan Xiangdie’s mind was spinning. The first thought that sprang to mind was to seek advice from Julie.

On second thought, it made sense—after all, that girl had spent several carefree years abroad. It was safer to ask someone with experience in such matters.

But Julie, who should have had such experience, was at that moment still struggling with the aftermath of meeting a heartthrob at a party. After much effort, she’d gotten his contact information from a classmate, only to be blocked after a few brief messages.

She lay on her bed, hair in a wild mess, utterly lacking in dignity. Her room, once upstairs, had now been relocated to the ground floor.

Papa Mi and Mama Mi’s reasoning was that their daughter shouted so much upstairs every night, it frightened the neighbors into thinking the place was haunted.

“Oh heavens, you can’t do this to my prince charming. Please, look back at me! I’m not some weirdo. My feelings are genuine!”

Sitting downstairs reading the newspaper, Papa Mi pushed up his glasses with an air of calm, as if nothing could surprise him, as though this was all perfectly normal.

Mama Mi came out of the kitchen with a tray of fruit, a trace of worry on her face. “Honey, shouldn’t you check on Nana? She’s been like this for over a year now. If this goes on… what will become of her?”

Despite her words, not a hint of real concern showed on her face. It seemed like this was a peculiar pleasure between husband and wife; in fact, if their daughter ever behaved seriously, that would truly alarm them.

Papa Mi shook out the newspaper, turning to a new page, and looked at his wife with composure. After a pause, he set the paper aside and went to comfort his beloved spouse.

“What’s there to worry about? She’s always been this way, never once behaved properly. This so-called prince charming is probably just another nobody she met at some party. If he doesn’t like our Nana, there’s no need for us to throw ourselves at him.”

He thoughtfully peeled a grape and popped it into his wife’s mouth, fussing over her with the utmost care.

Julie had grown up in this environment. Suddenly, her chat window froze. Thinking it was a phone issue, she was startled when a call came through.

“Hello? You’d better have something important to say—or else you’ll have to make it up to me for losing my prince charming.”

Julie’s temperament never changed, even when she knew who was calling.

Yuan Xiangdie was well aware of Julie’s ways—she’d chased after more than ten men before, all of them stunningly handsome. She wondered if Jin Yuan had ever been subjected to such treatment.

“I need your help with something. Only you can help me,” Yuan Xiangdie said.

That piqued Julie’s interest. “Tell me, what is it? If there’s anything I can do, I’ll definitely help.”

It was rare for Yuan Xiangdie to ask for help, except in the past couple of years.

“It’s just… I want to know… is there anything I should prepare when meeting someone?”

Meeting someone? Prepare what?

Julie was utterly confused.

“I say, if you want my help, at least be clear. You’re being so vague, I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

Julie’s puzzled tone came through. Yuan Xiangdie, sitting in a café, blushed furiously—how could she ask such a question out loud?

“Oh, is it that An guy again? Is he bothering you, wanting to see you or something? Listen, you don’t need to be polite to people like that. Just call the police—that’s the best thing to do, trust me.”

Julie hadn’t even considered another possibility. Yuan Xiangdie, after all, was a firm believer in remaining single and had never shown interest in men. How could she possibly be facing the problem of meeting the parents?

Just as that thought formed, Julie’s composure broke.

“Jin Yuan wants to take me to meet his parents. I thought it wouldn’t be right to go empty-handed the first time.”

“His parents? Then just bring some health products, or clothes and jewelry—something like that. Don’t worry, the other side will prepare as well, you really don’t need to fret.”

…

“So that’s it. Thank you so much.”

The call ended abruptly, leaving Julie muttering to herself, “What kind of question is that? I thought there’d be something more challenging for me to handle…”

But as she recalled the conversation, something felt off. Meeting the parents? And what was the man’s name—Jin something? But as someone notoriously absent-minded, she couldn’t recall who he was and soon forgot the matter. By the time she woke up the next morning, she’d put it out of her mind.

By then, Yuan Xiangdie was already in the garden, holding the child and enjoying the scenery—but that’s another story.

After hanging up, Yuan Xiangdie remained anxious. She’d chosen the café opposite the company so as not to make the man wait, but also to get a sense of the etiquette for meeting the parents. Even if this was just a business partnership, she wanted to be thorough in her manners.

Jin Yuan, too, was uneasy, but his naturally cold demeanor hid it well. He had little interest in women, which worried his parents. Now that he’d finally said he was bringing a woman home, they were so excited they decided to cook themselves.

Well before it was time to get off work, they were already urging Housekeeper Hu to go pick them up.

“Hu, hurry up and fetch them. Don’t dawdle. If you delay my daughter-in-law, I won’t forgive you!”

A kindly-faced middle-aged woman leaned on a cane, wearing bright red glasses that gave her a unique flair. With her elegant long hair, she could easily be mistaken for twenty-seven or twenty-eight.

The middle-aged man beside her was different, dressed in casual clothes with a windbreaker on top, clearly planning to go fishing later if nothing came up.

“What’s the rush? The daughter-in-law’s already coming home—she’s not going to run away. Besides, the kid likes her. Why are you getting so worked up?”

At his words, the woman’s face changed, a hint of displeasure showing. Housekeeper Hu smiled but said nothing. The master had already informed him there was no need to pick them up; he’d drive himself home once his work was done.

“Sir said he’ll drive home himself—he’s still busy finishing up some work.”

Seeing the message on the screen, Housekeeper Hu wondered to himself whether the master really had unfinished work, or if the young lady was just too nervous and the master wanted to give her more time.

Qi Mei was Jin Yuan’s mother’s real name, the second daughter of the renowned Qi family of artists. She’d married the then-impoverished rascal, who later became a coal magnate.

“That rascal is always up to something. If the daughter-in-law slips through his fingers, I won’t let him off easy. Housekeeper Hu, pass that along clearly.”

The old man kept quiet, knowing that if he spoke, it would only spark another family quarrel. His wife had never thought much of him, and if not for years of compromise, divorce might well have been in the cards.

The two men exchanged glances and nodded before Housekeeper Hu sent the message.

Jin Yuan heard the notification but didn’t bother checking—he knew it was from Housekeeper Hu.

Yuan Xiangdie was still anxiously rambling, “Is there anything I should buy for Uncle and Aunt? What are their hobbies?”

She looked so nervous, as if she were about to face execution.

“There’s no need to be so tense. You don’t have to care what they think. You’re marrying me, not them.”

Even so, Yuan Xiangdie knew the basics of meeting elders. She reminded herself that at least Jin Yuan wouldn’t deliberately embarrass her after what he’d just said.

She forced herself to calm down—she couldn’t let panic get the better of her before even setting foot inside.

With two deep breaths, her mood slowly settled, as it must.

“Then…” she began again after a brief silence, the questioning note hanging in the cramped car interior.

Jin Yuan, unwilling to engage, shot her a cold glance. That was enough to make her fall silent.

“My father likes fishing. As for my mother… design a few outfits for her and compliment her beauty. That’ll do.”

Jin Yuan’s answer was simple; as the CEO, he rarely knew much about his family aside from that rascal.

But even those few words eased Yuan Xiangdie’s nerves considerably.

She murmured her thanks, her mind already whirling. Uncle liked fishing—that was fine. Her own father had enjoyed fishing, too, and often took her along. That would give them something to talk about.

But what about Auntie? She couldn’t just walk in and say, “Let me design you an outfit.” That would be idiotic. She’d just have to try her best.

“There are plenty of women in this circle more suitable than me—”

“If you say another word, I’ll leave you here.”

That was enough to frighten the timid Yuan Xiangdie into silence.