YABE - 30

The afternoon sunlight was soft, its warm tones seeping through the clouds and pouring into the house through the large floor-to-ceiling windows. In the cool-toned duplex apartment, Wen Siyu stood at the entrance, gripping the handle of her suitcase like a deer caught in headlights. Her round eyes were wide open, and her hair tips were tinged with a soft golden hue.

At her feet, the persistent fish inside the plastic bag finally managed to leap out, slapping against the recessed marble floor by the doorway and splashing water onto Wen Siyu’s shoes.

She didn’t react. Her mouth opened slightly, then closed again. Her gaze remained fixed on the woman sitting on the couch.

Jiang Xu was the first to snap out of it.

He was startled for two seconds, then quickly regained his composure, abruptly standing up and walking toward her.

As he approached her, Wen Siyu instinctively leaned back slightly—a minuscule movement that Jiang Xu, however, picked up on immediately.

Fearing that the next thing she might do was slam the door and run away, he reflexively grabbed her arm.

Wen Siyu stared at him, her expression still frozen as before.

Jiang Xu hesitated for a moment, opening his mouth to say something extremely familiar, clichéd, and melodramatic—lines he had once mocked with Zhou Yi, saying, “An actor who can deliver such lines with deep emotion must have incredible skill. I definitely don’t have that level of talent and probably never will.” Jiang Xu had always thought he would never utter such cheesy lines, even if they appeared in a script.

“It’s not what you think,” he heard himself say.

And he said it with deep emotion.

The moment those words left his lips, Jiang Xu felt like a scumbag.

The kind of male lead from those cheesy youth romance idol dramas that aired endlessly on certain channels.

Sure enough, the air froze for three seconds.

Jiang Xu took a deep breath, ignored everything else, and decided to explain outright: “This is the director of my new project, Xu Sheng.” He heard himself add.

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly remembered that Wen Siyu was a directing student.

Xu Sheng—one of the few renowned female directors in the country, known for her ability to capture delicate emotions in artistic films. She was also the only daughter of internationally acclaimed director Xu Qiubai.

In other words, she was a highly talented second-generation director with an impeccable reputation across the industry.

As a directing student, Wen Siyu undoubtedly knew about her.

Realizing this, Jiang Xu pursed his lips. Half of his anxiety eased, but the other half remained stubbornly lodged in his chest.

He silently watched her, saying nothing, but his large hand still clutched her arm tightly, unwilling to let go. Deep within his dark brown eyes flickered traces of unease.

Wen Siyu looked at him with an incredibly complex expression, layered with emotions so subtle they were hard to decipher.

Then, he heard her exhale deeply.

Before Jiang Xu could process it, he saw the girl squeeze her eyes shut tightly. With an expression of solemn determination and a tone of resignation, she called out—

“Mom.”

Jiang Xu: “….”

Jiang Xu: “????”

Jiang Xu: “?!?!”

Jiang Xu internally: …What the heck??

Xu Sheng sat cross-legged on the couch, watching the man’s stiff back and the girl’s face that screamed, “Just kill me already.” A lazy smile played on her lips as she knowingly asked, “Do you two know each other?”

Wen Siyu, having given up all pretense: “…Yeah.”

“Friends?”

Wen Siyu: “….”

Wen Siyu bit her lip, hesitating for a moment.

At that exact moment, Jiang Xu snapped back to reality.

He took an almost imperceptible deep breath, straightened his rigid body, and released her arm to instead take her hand. His fingers intertwined with hers, and he turned around to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her.

Wen Siyu was momentarily stunned and looked up at him.

He happened to glance down at her, his eyes filled with gentle reassurance.

It was as if he were telling her, Don’t be afraid.

After being met with such a tender gaze from the male lead, Wen Siyu suddenly felt that her earlier panic was completely unwarranted.

Although being caught off guard was a bit unsettling, she and Jiang Xu were both single adults, mutually attracted and in love. What was there to fear?

But meeting the parents so soon—and under such unprepared circumstances—was still nerve-wracking!

The girl’s face shifted through a kaleidoscope of expressions, clearly overwhelmed by her internal monologue.

Seeing this, Jiang Xu gently pulled her behind him, steadying his nerves as he faced Xu Sheng on the couch.

The second patriarch remained seated in the same posture and expression as ten minutes ago, but her identity now felt completely different.

The socially awkward teacher Jiang grappled with the issue of how to address her.

Calling her “Director Xu” no longer seemed appropriate. Should he call her “Auntie”? That felt even more inappropriate.

How was he supposed to address her? He had absolutely no experience.

Teacher Jiang found himself in an unprecedented dilemma.

Just as he was about to blurt out “Auntie Xu,” Wen Siyu, clinging to Jiang Xu’s arm, peeked her head out from behind him: “Mom, this is my boyfriend.”

Xu Sheng raised an eyebrow and emitted a long nasal hum.

“You’ve been pining for him all these years, and in the end, you actually won him over?”

Being so bluntly exposed in front of the person in question—even though it wasn’t the first time—still caused Wen Siyu’s face to flush bright red in an instant.

Meanwhile, the fish on the floor continued slapping around, desperately trying to make its presence known.

Xu Sheng glanced at the fish on the ground, then at the bag of groceries beside it, and chuckled: “You brought all these ingredients—are you planning to cook?”

Wen Siyu slumped her shoulders: “What if I have a hidden talent for cooking…?”

Xu Sheng snorted, standing up: “If you were anything like me, maybe. Unfortunately, you’re just like your dad—only capable of boiling instant noodles.” Arms crossed, she walked over to stand in front of them, smiling brightly. “Little Jiang, mind if I borrow your kitchen?”

Little Jiang was momentarily stunned, then panicked: “You’re our guest. How could we let you do it yourself?”

Xu Sheng: “Then are you going to do it?”

Little Jiang: “….”

Ten minutes later, Jiang Xu stood in his kitchen wearing a floral apron. Aside from baking bread and heating milk, he had never done anything else in this kitchen. Now, he held the fish firmly on the cutting board with his left hand while gripping a knife in his right, furrowing his brow as he pondered where to begin.

Wen Siyu stood beside him, scrolling through her phone for guidance. “Teacher Jiang, it says here to knock it unconscious with the flat side of the knife first.”

Jiang Xu had an epiphany and raised the knife. After pausing for a moment, he turned to ask her: “Should I hit the head?”

Wen Siyu nodded: “Yes.”

Jiang Xu brought the flat side of the knife down a few times, and the fish stopped moving.

A flicker of satisfaction passed through Jiang Xu, though he didn’t show it.

Wen Siyu, however, enthusiastically exclaimed: “Yes, yes, yes! Teacher Jiang, your technique is quite skilled!”

Xu Sheng, leaning against the counter and observing the scene: “….”

Watching the two clueless children butcher the fish, Xu Sheng couldn’t bear it anymore. Rolling up her sleeves, she impatiently walked over, gave a sidelong glance, raised an eyebrow, and extended her hand: “Give me the knife.”

Jiang Xu had only managed to scrape off two scales when he heard her request. He wanted to refuse, but Xu Sheng’s piercing gaze silenced him. Wordlessly, he handed over the knife.

Xu Sheng took the knife and deftly used the flat side to scrape off the scales at an angle, sliced open the belly near the tail fin, removed the innards, split the gills, extracted the teeth, and removed the sinew—all in one fluid motion. The entire process was seamless, leaving Jiang Xu utterly impressed.

With the faucet running over the fish, Xu Sheng didn’t look up as she dismissed them: “Go wash your hands and leave. Don’t crowd the kitchen.”

Wen Siyu obediently responded with an “Oh,” tugging Jiang Xu’s arm to pull him out. The man, his hands covered in fish scales, looked down and whispered softly: “Director Xu has such a strong presence. Why do you seem so... clueless?”

Wen Siyu’s expression stiffened, and she looked up at him with a plaintive gaze: “Teacher Jiang, you don’t love me anymore.”

The man chuckled, raising his hand to pat her head, but halfway there, Wen Siyu slapped his hand away.

“Wash your hands!”

Jiang Xu raised an eyebrow: “Children sure talk differently when their parents are around. Who was it that was too scared to speak earlier?”

Wen Siyu pushed him toward the bathroom, muttering complaints as she went: “Exactly, why am I panicking? What’s worrying me? Shouldn’t you be the nervous one? After all, that’s my mom.”

Inside the bathroom, the girl turned on the faucet with one clean hand, dispensed two pumps of soap foam into her palm, and before she could do anything, Jiang Xu grabbed her hand. He transferred the soap from her hands to his, rubbed their hands together thoroughly, and rinsed them clean under the running water.

Wen Siyu shook the water off her hands, tilting her head up with a mischievous grin: “Teacher Jiang, seriously, aren’t you even a little scared?”

Droplets of water still clung to his fingertips. Raising his arm, he pinched her nose lightly: “Of course I am.”

Wen Siyu wiped the droplets from her nose and gasped dramatically: “So even Teacher Jiang gets scared sometimes!”

Jiang Xu laughed, looking at her fondly: “Why wouldn’t Teacher Jiang get scared?”

Wen Siyu spoke earnestly: “In my mind, Teacher Jiang’s image is towering—someone who fears nothing.”

Jiang Xu paused for a moment, then the corners of his lips curved upward.

He took two steps back, pressed the bathroom door shut, and then returned to her. Leaning down close to her ear, his low voice carried a hint of mischief.

“My image can grow even taller. Curious? Want to see?”

Warm breath tickled her earlobe, and Wen Siyu’s face flushed slightly. Instinctively, she took two steps back: “My mom’s still outside.”

Jiang Xu straightened up, chuckling softly: “Oh.”

“Then we’ll wait until she leaves.”

Wen Siyu: “….”