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Psst! We're moving!
The next day was a bright, sunny one.
Xiao Zhi had purchased tickets for the 11 o’clock train and arranged to pick her up at 9:30. However, Yin Mengxi woke up before seven, hesitating over whether she should call her parents ahead of time to inform them that she’d be coming home that afternoon.
Logically, she should. But explaining the situation would be complicated—how could she phrase it? “Mom, Dad, actually, I secretly dated someone in college, broke up seven years ago, and now we’re back together. We might get married, so I’m bringing him home to meet you”?
…It didn’t feel like a great idea.
After some deliberation, she decided to call anyway—but without mentioning the boyfriend. She simply told them she’d be coming home in the afternoon, saying there was something to discuss and then leaving. Her parents were startled, initially fearing their daughter was in some kind of trouble. For a few seconds, they even jumped to the worst conclusion—that she had a terminal illness and wanted to see them one last time. Only after Yin Mengxi repeatedly reassured them that it wasn’t bad news did they calm down a little.
To prepare for this challenging afternoon, Yin Mengxi decided to eat well and conserve her energy. After hanging up, she went to the kitchen to make breakfast. The sound of the blender woke Min Rui, who stumbled out of her room, still half-asleep, removing her eye mask as she walked. Seeing Yin Mengxi bustling about, she asked, “What’s going on, Xixi? Why are you up so early on a weekend?”
Upon further questioning, Min learned that Yin Mengxi was going home today—and bringing Xiao Zhi to meet her parents.
“Oh my god…” Min exclaimed, now wide awake, clapping her hands loudly. “You two really take the cake. Back in college, you kept your relationship under wraps, and now you’ve reunited as quietly as if you were spies. After only dating for a short while, you’re already introducing him to your parents—what’s the deal? Were you just playing around when you broke up?”
Yin Mengxi found it surreal too. Honestly, she was still feeling dizzy about everything. Every day with him seemed to exceed her expectations. Perhaps because she loved him so much, she had lost control over many things.
—But what could she do about it?
…Besides, it didn’t seem all that bad.
The pungent scent of love was thick in the air. Min couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose, shaking her head as she teased, “Such a useless little girl, not learning a thing from me. Sigh, but marrying Senior Xiao isn’t a bad deal. Forget everything else—just look at that body,啧啧…”
At exactly 9:30, Xiao Zhi arrived on time, parking downstairs to wait. As soon as she got into the car, she noticed several beautifully wrapped bags sitting in the back seat. Unable to resist, she asked what they were.
“Gifts for your parents,” he replied, his expression tinged with a hint of apology. “I didn’t have much time to prepare properly. I hope they’ll like them.”
This…
They had only decided to go yesterday evening. By 11 o’clock, the stores would surely be closed. So he must have gone shopping early that morning?
“You didn’t have to go through all this trouble…” Yin Mengxi touched her nose awkwardly.
Of course, he wouldn’t listen to such advice. Instead, he asked her to check if there was anything inappropriate. Yin Mengxi moved the items from the back seat to the front to inspect them—a set of exquisite and expensive-looking tea ware, skincare products she, as a media professional, hadn’t even seen in advertisements, a familiar massage device, and some premium imported liquor.
…How much did all this cost?
“I’m not sure if your father drinks alcohol, so I prepared it just in case,” he explained as he drove. “If he doesn’t, we can leave it in the car. Also, for your mother…”
He went through each item, but she wasn’t really listening. Her eyes were fixed on his wrist resting on the steering wheel—the white sleeves of his shirt slightly rolled up, fully exposing the watch she had given him the night before. In the sunlight, the ceramic bracelet looked even more elegant and beautiful. Her emotions were complex and delicate.
He glanced at her and noticed her looking at the watch. He smiled faintly and asked, “Does it suit me?”
Caught red-handed, she felt her cheeks heat up. Pouting a little, she said, “…The design is a bit outdated.”
“Is it?” He raised an eyebrow. “I really like it.”
Even those few words sounded like a confession. While she grumbled about his skillful charm, she couldn’t help but smile, her eyes shining brightly like they did during her school days—pure and adorable. He noticed, his own smile growing warmer, and the watch on his wrist sparkled.
They boarded the train right on time—it was their first trip together to her hometown.
Yin Mengxi had taken this train countless times before, so she was very familiar with the scenery along the way. Previously, she had only returned during summer or winter vacations, and after starting work, only during the Spring Festival. Thus, she had only ever seen the landscapes of winter and summer.
But now it was spring. Lush green fields stretched endlessly, unlike the wild plains of summer or the barren wastelands of winter. It brimmed with the promise of continuation, telling everyone who saw it that its vitality was boundless, making it even more exciting than the fervor of midsummer.
He didn’t know how she had cried and laughed on this journey in the past, and she had no intention of recounting those trivial details. Somehow, the past didn’t seem as important anymore. The radiant future was what truly excited her.
They arrived at the station after four in the afternoon. She led him confidently to hail a taxi home. Although eight years of working hadn’t allowed her to buy property in the exorbitantly priced City A, it had been enough for her to help her parents purchase a better house in her hometown. About two years ago, she had taken out over 500,000 yuan from her savings to help them upgrade to a new home in the most convenient and lively part of the city center—around 170 square meters. The neighborhood environment was excellent, with top-notch property services. Her parents lived comfortably there.
As they entered the residential complex, she sensed that he was a bit nervous. He was quieter than usual and didn’t look around as he normally would, seemingly lost in thought. Watching him like this, she felt oddly relieved, her eyes crinkling as she smiled at him. He sighed, and once they were in the elevator, he asked, “Do you even want me to pass this test? Is this not your problem?”
She felt even happier and more smug, sensing a home-field advantage upon returning. She could tease him freely—but she didn’t want to appear too overbearing. So, just before the elevator doors opened, she hugged his arm and gave it a gentle shake, more relaxed and natural than she’d been since their reunion.
“You’re the best,” she half-jokingly, half-seriously cooed. “They’re definitely going to like you.”
At the doorstep, although Yin Mengxi had her keys, she chose to ring the doorbell instead. Her mother’s voice came from inside, walking toward the door while playfully scolding, “Oh, you silly child, why ring the bell when you have keys…”
As the door opened, her mother’s smile froze halfway, having spotted the handsome, distinguished man standing behind her daughter before she could properly examine her months-unseen child. She paused, asking, “And this is…?”
Yin Mengxi pursed her lips, finally deciding not to evade the question. For the first time in over a decade, she clearly introduced him to her family—
“Mom… This is my boyfriend, Xiao Zhi.”
Meeting the parents is always fraught with challenges.
The father-in-law, naturally, would scrutinize this young man preparing to whisk away his precious daughter with critical—even hostile—eyes. Even the relatively easygoing mother-in-law would initially be filled with suspicion, refusing to relent until every detail was thoroughly interrogated.
“Xixi, honestly…” Yin’s mother sat with her father on the living room sofa, pretending to scold her daughter while covertly sizing up Xiao Zhi, who sat with them on the other side. “You bring someone home without telling us in advance, and we don’t even have any fruit prepared…”
Yin Mengxi knew this was just an opener; her mother wasn’t genuinely upset. So, she played along, replying, “We’re leaving tonight, so I figured there was no need to bother.”
Sure enough, her mother’s gaze remained locked on Xiao Zhi, barely glancing at her. And Xiao Zhi’s appearance, of course, left nothing to complain about. Her mother nodded subtly as she observed him.
“What does Xiao Zhi do for work?” she asked directly, bypassing her daughter entirely. “Is he an actor?”
Perhaps she associated his profession with Yin Mengxi’s work at the TV station, assuming Xiao Zhi was some celebrity she’d met there.
“No, Auntie,” Xiao Zhi politely replied, his demeanor reflecting impeccable refinement. “I’m a teacher.”
“Oh, a teacher?” Her mother’s tone wavered slightly, her satisfaction seemingly diminishing. “What kind of teacher? Where does he teach?”
“At A University,” Xiao Zhi replied. “In the Faculty of Arts.”
“Oh, a university professor!” Her mother’s eyes lit up again. “What a coincidence! Our Xixi also graduated from A University—did you meet during your studies?”
This was a crucial question.
On the train ride home, Yin Mengxi and Xiao Zhi had agreed not to tell her parents about their past relationship and subsequent breakup. Explaining it would be troublesome and might worry the elders. They decided to say they were just friends in college and had reconnected recently through work, gradually developing feelings for each other.
Xiao Zhi hadn’t agreed with this plan, believing they shouldn’t hide things from her parents. Yin Mengxi also felt uneasy about lying to her parents, so she decided to handle this part herself. Just as she was about to jump in and explain, he beat her to it, answering seriously, “Yes, we were each other’s first loves.”
Ah.
This…
Yin Mengxi was completely caught off guard. Her parents, who had always assumed their daughter had never dated, were utterly stunned. Even her usually silent father blurted out loudly, “What?”
Yin Mengxi panicked, turning to look at Xiao Zhi. But his expression was resolute. A mature man could take responsibility for his words and actions. Avoiding conflict was never his style.
“We were together for two years, then separated for seven,” he continued honestly, without embellishment or concealment. “Recently, we reconnected through work and realized we still love each other. So, we hope to start dating again with the intention of marriage.”
Yin Mengxi: “…”
Yin’s mother: “…”
Yin’s father: “…”
The living room fell deathly silent. Those few sentences carried an overwhelming amount of information. Yin Mengxi was numb, genuinely worried that her parents might not be able to handle it and lose emotional control.
“So why did you break up back then?”
After a long silence, Yin’s father asked, his tone extremely serious.
________________________________________
Author’s Note:
We’ve reached 250k words, and I estimate I’ll need about four more chapters to finish. Another day of misjudging the word count TT
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