Luo Jingyu went into the kitchen, while Zhan Jie followed Zhan Xi around to look at the apartment.

This spacious three-bedroom apartment with one living room and two bathrooms had excellent lighting and a good layout. It served as both Luo Jingyu’s home and workshop. Zhan Jie walked around with his hands behind his back, examining everything. He stopped at the most prominent workbench and picked up a few tools to look at them, not recognizing any of them.

He made an initial assessment of Luo Jingyu in his mind – this was a man who appreciated life’s finer things. The furniture was carefully selected, with different colors and materials that somehow matched well together. The artwork hanging on the walls showed artistic taste and wasn’t randomly bought. The balcony was full of lush, well-tended plants, clearly cared for by their owner.

He also had a cat, with all its things neatly arranged opposite the sofa. The small white cat followed them around, tiny and seemingly well-behaved.

Luo Jingyu’s bedroom clearly belonged to a single man, as clean and tidy as the living room, with a faint fragrance in the air.

On the bedside table sat two 7-inch photo frames, one horizontal and one vertical. One showed Luo Jingyu and Zhan Xi together, while the other was a solo shot of Zhan Xi smiling sweetly in front of flowering trees. Zhan Xi told Zhan Jie that Little Fish had taken it with his DSLR camera.

The bedding was dark blue, made up perfectly, with a whale body pillow over a meter long next to the pillows.

Zhan Jie thought about the whale floor lamp by the sofa and wondered if this young man really liked whales that much. He seemed childlike, still needing a body pillow to sleep.

At this point, Zhan Xi pointed at the large bed and said, “Little Fish makes his bed every day, never leaving it messy after getting up.”

Zhan Jie glared at her: “Who are you trying to criticize?”

Zhan Xi kept a straight face: “I’m criticizing myself. Sometimes I don’t bother fixing my bed after getting up.”

Zhan Jie: “…”

He then went into the master bathroom and saw a row of skincare products on the vanity. He picked up one bottle to look at it, all in English, and touched his chin uneasily.

Are men in their twenties all this into skincare these days?

The master bathroom smelled of lemon, with a sparkling toilet and towels hung as neatly as in a hotel room. Zhan Jie asked Zhan Xi, “Did he clean this himself?”

“Of course,” Zhan Xi answered. “I’ve never used his bathroom, I always use the one outside. Little Fish is very clean, he likes his rooms to smell nice, and he himself always smells good!”

Zhan Jie asked alertly: “How do you know that?”

“I…” Zhan Xi blushed, “You can smell it when you get close. Don’t believe me? Go smell him yourself.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Zhan Jie rolled his eyes, “I’m not a dog!”

After looking at the guest bedroom and storage room, they returned to the living room. Zhan Jie told Zhan Xi to stay behind, saying he wanted to chat with Luo Jingyu in the kitchen.

Zhan Xi asked, “Don’t you need me to translate?”

Zhan Jie replied irritably: “How can I ask questions with you there? How would I know if you’re changing his words?”

“Fine, he can type on his phone to show you,” Zhan Xi wasn’t worried. “When we first met, he would read my lips and type responses on his phone. Just don’t rush him, he types a bit slowly.”

Zhan Jie walked into the kitchen with his hands behind his back. At first, Luo Jingyu didn’t notice him, focused on cutting cauliflower. Zhan Jie watched him for a while, tilted his head, and noticed he cut very skillfully, like someone used to cooking.

When Luo Jingyu turned to heat the oil, he saw Zhan Jie and froze momentarily. A smile immediately appeared on his lips, though he looked a bit nervous. Zhan Jie said, “Don’t mind me, I’m just here to look around.”

Luo Jingyu nodded and poured oil into the wok to heat it.

Zhan Jie walked around the kitchen, his gaze falling back on Luo Jingyu.

The man wore an apron and was lifting the lid of a soup pot on another burner to check inside. A rich meaty aroma wafted out, making Zhan Jie’s stomach growl several times. He rubbed his belly, thinking it was good that the other man couldn’t hear.

Having worked in society for over ten years, mostly with male colleagues, Zhan Jie observed that this young man had a pure quality about him. His eyes were bright, and his smile rather shy – definitely not the smooth-talking, sociable type.

He wasn’t gloomy or introverted either. Instead, he gave off a soft, good-natured, approachable feeling.

In short, he was different from all the other men in their twenties that Zhan Jie knew.

The oil was hot, and Luo Jingyu started stir-frying the cauliflower.

After watching for a while, Zhan Jie saw Luo Jingyu add salt and scallions, then pick up a small dish of dried red chilies to show him. He pointed at the wok and blinked at him questioningly. Zhan Jie realized he was asking if he could eat spicy food, and nodded stiffly. Luo Jingyu smiled and poured all the chilies into the wok.

While cooking, he used his left hand to point at the wok, then himself, then outside the kitchen, and finally made an eating gesture with his mouth, his smile deepening.

Zhan Jie found he could understand his meaning – Luo Jingyu was saying [Zhan Xi and I both can eat spicy food.]

He replied, “People from our hometown all eat spicy food.”

Luo Jingyu had an “ah, I see” expression and gave him a thumbs up.

When the spicy cauliflower was done, only the winter melon and spare rib soup was still simmering. Luo Jingyu stopped and turned to face Zhan Jie.

They stood not far apart. Zhan Jie actually wanted to check if Luo Jingyu really smelled nice, but when he took a deep breath, all he got was the aroma from the soup pot, which nearly choked him.

He adjusted his breathing and stood straight with his arms crossed, asking coldly, “When I talk like this, how much can you hear?”

Luo Jingyu paused, then shook his head.

Zhan Jie raised his voice and pointed at the noisy range hood: “Can you hear this sound at all?”

Luo Jingyu looked at the range hood, shook his head again, and pinched his right thumb and index finger together to show Zhan Jie. Anyone could understand – this meant “a tiny bit.” He then pointed to his right ear and waved his hand.

“You can’t hear anything at all?” Zhan Jie frowned, finding it incredible. “Can’t you wear a hearing aid? Or what’s it called… a cochlear implant?”

Luo Jingyu shook his head again, looking quite uncomfortable now.

Zhan Jie grew increasingly disheartened as he asked: “Is it hard for you to understand what I’m saying?”

Luo Jingyu actually wanted to nod “yes, it’s difficult,” but thinking better of it, he quickly shook his head firmly and patted his chest.

But Zhan Jie wasn’t finished. He asked: “You can’t speak at all?”

“…” Luo Jingyu hadn’t been questioned like this in a long time. He could only nod.

He hadn’t even learned to say “Huanhuan,” he was completely deaf and mute.

Seeing Luo Jingyu’s lost expression, Zhan Jie clicked his tongue and leaned back against the refrigerator. He had never interacted with a deaf-mute person before and couldn’t imagine what a silent world was like.

He was very confused and asked: “You can’t hear anything at all and can’t speak – how did you have the courage to pursue my sister?”

This question couldn’t be answered with just nods and shakes. Luo Jingyu felt a bit wronged – initially, he had only wanted to secretly be good to Huanhuan, not daring to think about pursuing her. In the end, wasn’t it Huanhuan who caught him at her doorstep and even hit him with her purse? Could that really be considered him pursuing her? It seemed quite unfair…

Remembering Gao Yuan’s suggestion, Luo Jingyu bit his lip and took out his phone to type: [I will definitely be good to Huanhuan, work hard to earn money, I have a job, I have a house.]

He showed his phone to Zhan Jie, who scoffed and asked: “This house must have been bought by your family, right? At your age, how could you afford such a big house without family help? And with your job, how much can you earn in a month?”

Luo Jingyu felt these two points needed to be clarified immediately. He hurriedly typed: [I bought the house myself! No help from family! I earn 350,000 a year!]

After looking at the screen, Zhan Jie fell silent.

Luo Jingyu worried he wouldn’t believe him and was thinking about how to prove it, almost ready to open his mobile banking app to show Zhan Jie his account balance, when Zhan Jie stopped him: “No need, no need, you… just continue cooking, I’ll head out first.”

He returned to the living room feeling dejected. Zhan Xi was playing with the cat on the sofa and called out when she saw him: “Brother, come sit.”

Zhan Jie sat beside her, watching as she used a cat toy to play with the white cat. The small cat pounced here and there, eventually landing on his leg. Its big eyes met his for a moment before running back to Zhan Xi.

“This cat is called Gift. Little Fish and I found and raised it together. It’s not even a year old yet, has had its vaccines, deworming, and been neutered. It’s very clean, isn’t it cute?” Zhan Xi picked up Gift and waved its front paws at Zhan Jie.

Zhan Jie: “…”

The little cat wasn’t too happy about this and jumped down from the sofa after being released, running to its cat tree.

Zhan Xi pointed at the drinks and snacks on the coffee table: “Have something to eat. Little Fish bought them all. He didn’t know what you liked, so he bought what I like. Look, those small packages of tofu are quite good.”

Zhan Jie was actually a bit hungry, so he opened a package of tofu to eat and also opened a bottle of cold juice to drink.

Big brother eating the food was a good sign! Zhan Xi smiled secretly while pursing her lips and popped a preserved plum into her mouth.

Zhan Jie nodded towards the kitchen and started asking questions: “How old is he? Where’s he from?”

Zhan Xi answered: “Twenty-seven, local to Qiantang.”

“How many people in his family?”

“Mom and dad, and an older sister who’s married.”

“What’s his education level?”

“…” This was also one of Luo Jingyu’s weak points. Zhan Xi answered quietly, “High school.”

“What?!” Zhan Jie was dissatisfied, “Only high school?! Can you two even have anything in common? Won’t there be an intellectual gap?”

Zhan Xi explained: “He’s deaf, it’s already very difficult for deaf people to get into university. There are very few majors available, and only a handful of deaf students get accepted each year. Little Fish had already decided in high school that he would study hot-pressing after graduation. Sister-in-law… Fei is also a technical school graduate, did you mind back then?”

Zhan Jie held back and asked another question: “Did he pay for this house in full or is it mortgaged?”

“Mortgaged.”

“How long is the mortgage? How much does he pay monthly?”

Zhan Xi thought for a moment: “I don’t know how long the mortgage is, but I think he pays over 8,000 per month.”

“Over 8,000?!” Zhan Jie’s suppressed anger flared up again, “That’s over 100,000 a year in mortgage payments alone. Even if he earns over 300,000, there won’t be much left, right?”

“Oh? You already know he can earn over 300,000 a year?” Zhan Xi giggled, “Brother, think about it this way – he makes a living with his craftsmanship. In this kind of artisan industry, the older you get and the more experience you have, the higher your income will be. There’s no worry about unemployment. Who knows, Little Fish might become a master craftsman in the future!”

“Can you really become a master making these fake flowers?” Zhan Jie was skeptical.

Zhan Xi proudly raised her chin: “Why not? Little Fish is really amazing. I just know he’ll get better and better in the future. His income is already more than twice yours!”

Zhan Jie decided to stop this depressing topic and continued questioning: “How did you two meet?”

“We met through work, and then discovered by coincidence that we lived in the same building, just different floors.” Zhan Xi briefly explained how she and Little Fish had met.

Zhan Jie pondered for a moment and asked: “You said you broke up once. Was that during Chinese New Year?”

“Yes.” Zhan Xi admitted. Those days during the New Year had been really tough, and she had even argued with her mom at home. She continued, “When I broke up with him, it wasn’t because I minded that he couldn’t hear. I just thought my family wouldn’t approve, and I was afraid Mom would hurt him. Brother, not being able to hear isn’t his fault, it wasn’t something he could choose. He was born with bad hearing, and this can’t be a reason for people to attack him. I’ve never minded that he can’t hear. After getting to know him… I think I liked him from the very beginning.”

“Wait!” Zhan Jie caught a key point in Zhan Xi’s words, “You said he was born unable to hear? What does that mean?”

Zhan Xi hadn’t planned to hide this from her brother and told the truth: “Little Fish’s condition is hereditary, both his parents are deaf.”

Zhan Jie pressed: “What about his sister?”

Zhan Xi answered: “Her too.”

Zhan Jie nearly fainted, almost wanting to flip the coffee table. His brows furrowed deeply into a ‘chuan’ character: “Zhan Xi! You’ve really gone crazy! Won’t this kind of hereditary condition be passed down? Won’t his children also be deaf? With all this, you still dare to date him? Do you not want children, or do you want to have a deaf child?!”

Zhan Xi wasn’t shaken and replied calmly: “First, we haven’t reached the point of marriage and children yet. Second, inheritance has probabilities, it’s not certain. Modern medical technology is very advanced and can help with their family’s situation.”

“Are you playing house? You have to rely on luck? Enough, enough, you don’t need to say more. I definitely won’t agree to this! Just this kind of person…” He pointed towards the kitchen, then realized Luo Jingyu had just come out carrying a pot of soup, watching them from afar with a very calm expression. When Zhan Jie pointed at him, he even smiled.

Zhan Jie awkwardly lowered his hand and deliberately turned his back to Luo Jingyu, saying to Zhan Xi: “Tell me yourself, what makes him worth you compromising like this? Think about what you’ll face being with him. Even if he earns decent money and has a house for marriage, that doesn’t stop people from gossiping! Let’s not even mention Mom, she’d probably kill you both. What about the relatives, neighbors, friends, your classmates – aren’t you afraid they’ll laugh at you?”

Zhan Xi shook her head: “I’m not afraid. Some of my friends and classmates have already met him, and they all think he’s very nice. Brother, I’m not compromising at all. No one is perfect. Right now you only see Little Fish’s flaws and not his strengths, just like how Mom only sees Sister-in-law Fei’s flaws and not her good points. That’s a very one-sided way of looking at people.”

Zhan Jie fell silent.

Zhan Xi leaned comfortably against the sofa backrest, hugging a cushion: “Brother, do you think you’re better than Little Fish? Because you have higher education and can hear? It’s strange, when did being able to hear become an advantage? Is it some kind of superiority? Do you think he’s inferior to others? Let me be honest with you, don’t get angry, but in my eyes, Little Fish isn’t inferior to you in any way.”

“Is that so?” Zhan Jie sneered: “So you think your brother is worthless?”

Zhan Xi looked into her brother’s eyes and started counting on her fingers: “First, Little Fish’s financial situation is better than yours, you can’t deny that. Second, he’s lived alone for many years, cooks for himself, cleans for himself, and keeps his home spotlessly clean – he’s the least messy guy I’ve ever met. Third, he doesn’t smoke, barely drinks, doesn’t play games or gamble, doesn’t flirt with girls, likes painting and photography, and travels alone once a year. What about you? You won’t even take Weiwei to the children’s palace, which I really can’t understand. Fourth, Little Fish has an incredibly good temper, he’s gentle and considerate towards me, and we’ve never fought. He might be a bit insecure because he can’t hear, but he’s not negative. He’s persistent and always working hard towards his goals. Brother, his work isn’t any less demanding than yours – sometimes he even has to pull all-nighters, but he still keeps his life in perfect order, takes care of his cat, tends to his plants, chats with me, and goes on dates, never getting impatient. What about you? You come home from overtime acting like an emperor, practically wanting Fei to feed you. Have you ever thought that Fei is also tired after working all day?”

Zhan Jie couldn’t argue back, his face turning blue.

Zhan Xi continued: “Although Little Fish’s family are all deaf people, and I haven’t visited yet, I’ve heard him talk about them. Their family is very close and harmonious, discussing everything together. It’s because he grew up in such a family that he became a responsible man who knows how to respect others and think of others – something our family can’t compare to at all! I admit there are many excellent guys out there, more capable than him, with higher education, and who can hear, but you know what I love most about him?”

Zhan Jie had been listening and asked: “What is it?”

Zhan Xi said: “It’s that he gives me the utmost respect and trust, never demanding I be this way or that way. I’ve never experienced this feeling from childhood until now. I feel so comfortable with him, so relaxed and happy! Just seeing him makes me smile. Being his girlfriend makes me super happy, can you understand? I don’t even want to go home or see Mom anymore. I’m both annoyed by her and afraid of her. Home feels so oppressive, I want to escape. Only when I’m with Little Fish do I feel at ease. Isn’t this reason enough? Why do you all have to fixate on the fact that he can’t hear?”

After thinking for a long time, Zhan Jie frowned and said: “But Mom won’t agree.”

Zhan Xi smiled: “What can she do if she doesn’t agree? Isn’t it just about saving face? Everyone says Little Fish is good, should I give up just because she doesn’t agree? I’ve figured it out now – I’m not living this life for Mom. If he wasn’t good, I definitely wouldn’t choose him. But he’s so good, why should I care about Mom’s face? Isn’t it more important that I’m happy?”

Zhan Jie didn’t ask any more questions, just looked at Zhan Xi, suddenly feeling that in just a few months, his little sister seemed to have grown up. She was no longer the timid, obedient little girl he remembered.

Luo Jingyu had been watching them talk, not daring to interrupt, until he saw Zhan Xi stand up. Then he came over and signed: [Time to eat.]

Zhan Xi smiled at him, then turned to call Zhan Jie: “Brother, let’s eat. Try Little Fish’s cooking.”

Luo Jingyu was still wearing his apron, so Zhan Xi stood behind him to help untie it and lift it over his head.

Zhan Jie sat at the dining table, watching their interactions, watching the light in their eyes when they looked at each other, watching them exchange simple sign language, and even seeing Luo Jingyu gently touch Zhan Xi’s nose when she was getting bowls and chopsticks, his lips curving in a tender smile.

Dinner was abundant – four dishes and a soup. Luo Jingyu poured fresh watermelon juice for the three of them, put on a disposable glove on his left hand, and used scissors in his right hand to cut the Shaoxing wine chicken into small pieces. Zhan Jie watched his movements, realizing it had been a long time since he’d eaten such home-cooked food, momentarily lost in thought.

When they started eating, Luo Jingyu sat on one side while Zhan Xi and Zhan Jie sat across from him. Seeing Zhan Jie not picking up his chopsticks, he carefully placed a chicken leg in his bowl, then gave another to Zhan Xi.

Zhan Jie looked up at him: “Thank you.”

Luo Jingyu beamed at him, pointed at the dishes, opened his mouth, and gestured for him to eat more.

Zhan Jie took a bite of the chicken leg – the Shaoxing wine chicken was perfectly seasoned. He also tried the deep-fried yellow croaker, which was very fresh and fragrant, and the cauliflower was satisfyingly spicy.

Hmm, Luo Jingyu’s cooking skills were quite impressive.

He wondered if learning to cook was difficult – he really wanted to ask, tired of eating takeout.

He looked up to see Luo Jingyu opening the shell of a crab, then opening another one. Finding the second one was meatier, he unhesitatingly gave both the top shell and body to Zhan Xi.

Zhan Xi craned her neck to look at his crab and said: “Yours is so empty, didn’t you pick well?”

Luo Jingyu smiled and signed something, which Zhan Xi translated for her brother: “Little Fish says the seller picked it for him, he got tricked.”

Zhan Jie responded: “I don’t know much about this either, can only tell male from female, dead from alive.”

Luo Jingyu understood his lip movements and smiled happily, like a child.

Zhan Jie looked at him with a dropped face and asked: “What are you smiling at? Is it that funny?”

Luo Jingyu stopped smiling and gave the last crab to Zhan Jie, taking the empty plates back to the kitchen.

Watching his retreating figure, Zhan Jie muttered: “Such a simpleton.”

Zhan Xi was unhappy: “Why do you say that about him? You’re the simpleton! Little Fish is very smart.” She knocked on the table, “He assembled all this furniture himself, can you do that?”

“Assembling furniture makes him smart? Anyone can do it with instructions,” Zhan Jie retorted.

Zhan Xi rolled her eyes at him: “Yeah right, you couldn’t even assemble a children’s desk. Fei and I had to put it together!”

Zhan Jie said loudly: “I got home late! You two had already started when I got back!”

Zhan Xi shouted even louder: “You just started and didn’t want to take over!”

Luo Jingyu came back to see the siblings seemingly arguing and was dumbfounded. He pulled Zhan Xi’s arm, as if trying to mediate.

Zhan Jie fell silent, his feelings mixed.

His sister had always been obedient and well-behaved, with a gentle and introverted temperament. He used to worry that Zhan Xi would be taken advantage of in relationships because of her simple nature. Now, he somewhat understood why Zhan Xi would like Luo Jingyu.

Between the two of them, Luo Jingyu seemed to be the more obedient, well-behaved, and simple one. If anyone was going to be taken advantage of, it would more likely be him being bullied by Zhan Xi.

His sister was right – not being able to hear wasn’t something Luo Jingyu could choose. Their ability to hear and speak wasn’t something that made them superior.

It was pointless to fixate on this issue. Zhan Xi had said she didn’t mind, so why should he keep using this as a reason to oppose them? What would that achieve? Luo Jingyu’s hearing couldn’t be fixed – wasn’t this just forcing them to break up?

Would Zhan Xi agree to break up?

Zhan Jie thought, at first definitely not, but with time and continued pressure from the family, with their mother crying and making scenes, she would eventually reach her breaking point. Then she and Luo Jingyu would argue, and tired of fighting, they would naturally break up.

Just like him and Qin Fei.

But this wasn’t really what Zhan Jie wanted. If only he had been a bit better to Qin Fei back then, helped her more when his mother targeted her, done more housework, taken care of their son more – just a little bit more of everything, he wouldn’t have lost all his points.

Zhan Jie smiled bitterly. Luo Jingyu and Zhan Xi clearly liked each other – he wasn’t blind, he could see it plainly.

So why should he play the villain? His sister had said she would protect this man, so he would wait and see if this naive couple could withstand their mother’s bombardment and society’s blows.

His own marriage was already in ruins. For his sister, he hoped she could be happy.

This meal, Zhan Jie ate quite a lot, even having two big bowls of rice and a full bowl of winter melon and spare rib soup afterward. Luo Jingyu hadn’t expected “big brother-in-law” to eat so much, and finding he hadn’t cooked enough rice, could only go hungry himself.

After dinner, Zhan Jie didn’t rush to leave – he had eaten too much and was smoking on the balcony to help digestion.

Luo Jingyu hadn’t rested, and this time absolutely wouldn’t let Zhan Xi wash the dishes, determined to show his best! After cleaning up the kitchen, he brought out a plate of grapes for Zhan Jie. Standing in the living room, he smelled something and knew Gift had pooped.

When Zhan Jie walked in from the balcony, he saw Luo Jingyu crouching by the litter box scooping poop, with Gift circling his feet. Luo Jingyu shook his head and smiled wryly at the cat, reaching out to pat its head.

Zhan Jie couldn’t help but think of when his son was little. He had never changed Weiwei’s diapers. Every time his son pooped, he would run far away, letting his mother, mother-in-law, or Qin Fei handle it.

This man was so patient even with a cat, yet he couldn’t be patient with his own son?

In the blink of an eye, Zhan Kaiwei had grown up. He used to cling to him saying “Daddy, play with me,” but now they only met once a month, and his son wasn’t close to him anymore. Thinking about it carefully, he deserved it.

These days, Qin Fei was taking advantage of Weiwei’s summer vacation to travel to Qingdao with him and her parents. Qin Fei had blocked Zhan Jie from her WeChat Moments but kept it open to Zhan Xi, seemingly agreeing that Zhan Xi could show Weiwei’s photos to Zhan Jie.

Zhan Jie recalled the WeChat Moments he had just seen on Zhan Xi’s phone – his ex-wife and son playing in the waves, both smiling brilliantly. But such joyful outings – he had found them troublesome before, and now, he could never be part of them again.

Luo Jingyu had been busy from morning till night, always feeling nervous, not knowing what impression he had made on “big brother-in-law.”

However, when Zhan Jie left, he took the initiative to add him on WeChat and waved goodbye. Luo Jingyu even thought “big brother-in-law” had smiled at him.

He was so delighted! He excitedly signed to Huanhuan to tell her brother to come eat often. Even after Zhan Jie had entered the elevator, Luo Jingyu still stood at the door waving enthusiastically until Zhan Xi dragged him back inside.

That night, around 10 PM, Zhan Xi received a call from her father and hid in Luo Jingyu’s guest bathroom.

Her father told her on the phone that Zhan Jie had told them everything, without hiding anything.

Zhan Xi held the phone to her ear, not knowing what to say. She thought, if Dad didn’t approve, he would just tell Mom, and the storm would come early.

Zhan Qiang sighed on the phone: “Your brother says the young man is not bad, has a house and career, decent financial situation, good temper, can cook, tall, handsome too, just can’t hear. This matter… Huanhuan, what do you think we should do?”

Zhan Xi said: “Dad, I really like him.”

“I know you like him, otherwise you wouldn’t hide it from the family like this, and even fight with your mom before,” Zhan Qiang said slowly. “Let’s do this – you two keep dating, your brother and I won’t tell your mom yet. Remember to protect yourself, you’re a girl, don’t… you know what I mean. We’ll take it one step at a time. You’re young adults now, there are many things we can’t control anymore. But one thing, Huanhuan, listen to Dad – don’t ever date someone just to escape this family, don’t think someone is better than your family just because they’re more lenient and permissive than your mom. These are two different things, understand?”

Hearing her father’s hoarse voice, Zhan Xi’s eyes grew wet: “I understand, I’m not just picking anyone.”

Zhan Qiang continued: “Your mom might be too strict with you kids, but her intentions are good, just her methods are wrong. Dad has been trying to persuade her lately. As for you, if you really like this boy, then Dad and your brother will observe him for two years. Two years should be enough to see someone’s true nature. If he’s really good enough, Dad won’t oppose it, understand?”

“I understand.” Zhan Xi’s tears fell.

“Go to sleep early, Dad needs to sleep too.” Zhan Qiang’s voice carried a smile. “You haven’t been home in a while, count it yourself – over three months, right? Come back sometime, your grandmother misses you too.”

“Mm, I miss grandmother too.” Zhan Xi wiped her eyes. “I’ll come back before the end of the month. Dad, thank you.”

Zhan Qiang sighed: “Eh, what are you thanking me for? Just take care of yourself, ah, be good, don’t cry.”

Zhan Xi hung up the phone and sat on the toilet lid for a long while before getting up to wash her hands and face and leave the bathroom.

Before she went in, Luo Jingyu had been petting the cat on the sofa. Now the living room was very quiet. When Zhan Xi walked to the sofa, she couldn’t help but laugh – Little Fish had fallen asleep on the sofa.

After more than half a month of preparing for the exhibition, three days of exhibiting, and then meeting the “parents,” he had slept too little last night and had been busy all day – how could he not be tired?

Zhan Xi crouched down beside Luo Jingyu, resting her chin in her hand as she watched his tightly closed eyelids and long eyelashes, smiling softly: “Little Fish, I have good news – my dad and my brother… they’ve agreed to us being together.”

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