Wen Moci glanced at his phone.
“She should be here soon.”
None of the three said anything, but they all sped up their eating.
“Son, Mommy’s back!” Mrs. Zhou ran in without even changing her shoes, still wearing a pair of sunglasses. Behind her, Father Wen came in alone, carrying a large suitcase.
The three heard the door and exchanged glances before standing up. “Dad, Mom.”
“Hello, Uncle and Auntie.” Song Jianshen and Jiang Huaian stood straight as rods.
Father Wen gave a slight nod, acknowledging the greeting.
Mrs. Zhou reached up and slid her sunglasses down, letting them perch precariously on the bridge of her nose. She looked up. “Oh, all my sons are here.” She swept her gaze across the living room. “Where’s my precious daughter-in-law?”
The three of them looked in unison toward the upstairs.
Mrs. Zhou immediately dashed up the stairs. Precious daughter-in-law, Mommy’s coming!
“Dad, I’m going to find Zhou Yi. The food’s on the table—just eat whenever.”
“Uncle, I still have things at the company, so I’ll head out first.”
“Uncle, I have surgery today. I’ll play chess with you another day.”
With that, the three slipped away without a moment’s hesitation, running out the door without even properly putting on their shoes. Father Wen watched them, a look of bewilderment in his eyes.
Mrs. Zhou gently pushed the door open and lingered in the doorway for a moment, listening. Only when she heard no sound did she step inside.
Wen Yu was holding Ning Weiying as she slept. Sensing someone enter, he cracked his eyes open and saw his long-absent mother crouched by the bedside, poking his wife’s cheek in amusement.
Mrs. Zhou: Wow, my daughter-in-law’s face is so soft, and she’s so pretty. She just looks a bit young.
Mrs. Zhou was so absorbed in her observation that she didn’t notice her son was already awake.
Wen Yu pulled Ning Weiying closer, afraid his mother would poke his wife awake.
“Mom, why didn’t you tell us you were coming back?” Wen Yu’s voice was soft, careful not to wake the person in his arms.
Just then, Ning Weiying’s head shifted slightly. Mrs. Zhou glanced at her neck, and her smile froze on her face. “Come out with me.” The words were practically squeezed through her teeth.
Wen Yu settled Ning Weiying properly before following his mother out. The moment the door closed, his mother’s voice came through.
“How old is she?”
“Huh?” He hadn’t expected his mother to lead with that.
“Twenty,” Wen Yu answered.
“How old?” Mrs. Zhou was so furious she threw her sunglasses to the floor and started rolling up her sleeves.
Wen Yu’s heart sank. He turned to run, but it was too late—Mrs. Zhou had already grabbed his ear and was dragging him downstairs.
“Wen Yu, oh Wen Yu. I told you to find a wife, and you bring me one this young? Have you no shame?”
“Mom, easy, easy—that hurts!” Wen Yu bent over, being dragged downstairs by his ear.
Mrs. Zhou let go of him to grab the feather duster.
“She hasn’t even graduated yet, and you’ve already lured her home. Tell me—did you force her?” She chased him, swinging the duster. Father Wen sat quietly eating his breakfast. Mm, these shrimp dumplings are good. I’ll save some for the wife.
“Mom, I really didn’t!”
“Didn’t! Look at what you did to her neck, and you say you didn’t!”
Wen Yu fell silent. It was indeed his doing—he hadn’t been able to hold back last night, and he’d gone a bit too far.
Seeing him go quiet, Mrs. Zhou’s anger flared even hotter.
“You… I don’t even know what to say to you. You’re just like your father!” Mrs. Zhou was so incensed she cursed her son and her husband in the same breath. Father Wen rubbed the tip of his nose and kept eating.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Auntie still hits just as hard. Good thing we got out of there.”
By the floor-to-ceiling window of the villa, three figures lurked furtively in a corner. Yes, they hadn’t left—they were watching Wen Yu get scolded, having only run out to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
“You’ve known him for how long now?” Jiang Huaian said, looking at Song Jianshen.
“I was just making an observation,” Song Jianshen replied, then turned to Wen Moci. “It wasn’t you who ratted him out, was it?” Judging by how Brother Yu looked, he clearly hadn’t told their parents himself.
“Hmph, he used to bully me all the time,” Wen Moci said with a carefree air, showing not a trace of guilt.
“Aren’t you afraid your brother will come after you for this?”
“Nope. My brother’s too busy taking care of my sister-in-law to bother with me,” Wen Moci said confidently, as if he’d gotten his revenge.
“Let’s go, before we get spotted,” Jiang Huaian said quietly.
“Let’s move, let’s move.” Song Jianshen pocketed his phone, and the three of them snuck out.
“His parents know, right?” Mrs. Zhou held a feather duster, staring at him.
Wen Yu: …Damn. Back then I was only thinking about marrying her, didn’t think that far ahead.
“Wen Yu! Are you trying to kill me? Do you want to drive me to an early grave?” Mrs. Zhou raised the duster to hit him again, then spotted her husband eating off to the side.
“And you’re still eating?! Can’t you do something about your son? Look at the mess he’s made!” Mrs. Zhou felt her chest tighten just looking at the father and son.
“Dear, he’s twenty-six,” Father Wen said. Too old to discipline anymore.
“Go to hell with your twenty-six—” She didn’t finish her sentence before a soft, delicate voice reached her ears—hoarse, with a faint tremor of tears.
“Husband~” She’d called him “husband” all night long, and it had rolled off her tongue.
Ning Weiying had just woken up to find the bed empty, so she’d gone looking for him. After searching the entire bedroom and finding no one, a wave of grievance filled her heart. Without a second thought, she ran out—only to hear the sound of scolding.
Wen Yu turned around and saw her wearing only a slip dress, hair tousled with a stubborn cowlick sticking up, her small face pale. He immediately strode toward the stairs.
The moment Mrs. Zhou turned around, she tossed the feather duster to Father Wen.
“Why are you awake?” Wen Yu carried her into the bedroom and began changing her clothes. He’d dressed her in the slip dress—just above the knee—so she’d sleep more comfortably.
“I couldn’t find you.” Ning Weiying went limp in his arms, letting him change her clothes obediently.
Wen Yu’s heart melted at her words. He lowered his head and kissed her soft little lips, though he pulled away after just a moment.
“How about I take you with me everywhere from now on?” Wen Yu held her and swayed gently.
“Okay~”
“Does your body still hurt?” Wen Yu looked at her with concern. After what she’d been through last night, plus the high fever, she had to be uncomfortable.
“A little.” She still felt slightly dizzy.
“Then how about you sleep a bit more? Or maybe eat something first—let’s get some food in you.” If she went back to sleep now, who knew when she’d wake up again. She couldn’t skip breakfast.
“I don’t want to eat,” Ning Weiying said in a muffled voice. She never liked breakfast—she’d always just nibble on some bread if she was hungry, or wait until lunch if she wasn’t.
“Who’s downstairs?” Ning Weiying suddenly remembered there were people downstairs she didn’t recognize.
“My parents. They must have come back after hearing we got married.”
“Then we should go down.” She’d just married into the family; she couldn’t be rude.
“It’s fine. Mom already saw you earlier. You’re not feeling well, so no need to go down,” Wen Yu reassured her. He didn’t want her to feel like she’d married into a family where she had to walk on eggshells around his relatives.
“Let’s go downstairs and eat,” Ning Weiying said. They couldn’t just stay up here forever—they’d have to meet eventually.
“Alright, can you walk?” Wen Yu helped her up.
“I can.” She could walk, just not with too much movement.
Wen Yu supported her as they went downstairs, his large hand wrapped around her waist, letting her take her time.
As soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw a woman. Ning Weiying froze in place—she was so beautiful.
Mrs. Zhou wore an apricot-colored dress, with a pair of white strappy heels on her feet. Her ink-black hair fell to her waist, the ends slightly curled, and her face bore light makeup as she smiled at Ning Weiying.
“This is Mother,” Wen Yu reminded her when he saw she had stopped moving.