After calling out twice, Xia Youqing finally emerged from her bedroom.
The moment she saw Lu Yunze, her expression soured. If Jiang Sui hadn’t been standing right there, she likely would have grabbed a broom to chase him out.
Without waiting for a hint from Jiang Sui, Lu Yunze took the initiative to bring out the cleaned dishes. He served rice for Mrs. Xia and handed it to her with a smile.
Mrs. Xia only gave him a cold look before sitting down.
However, when she saw the table full of food, a smile instantly returned to her face.
“It smells so good. It’s wonderful to have a sensible daughter. I can’t believe how I survived these past six months without my Sui’er.”
“Yeah, I don’t know how you survived either, Mom,” Jiang Sui teased.
“Two… No, three people eating this much. This is basically two Grand Banquets.”
“If we had more plates, I could have made a few more dishes.”
“Cough, cough!”
Xia Youqing coughed loudly. Lu Yunze looked on in confusion, not understanding the secret code between the mother and daughter.
“Enough of that. Let me taste this soup my daughter stewed. What kind of fish is it?”
“Crucian carp.”
“Oh, I haven’t had crucian carp soup in a long time. I remember the broth from this fish is very sweet, though there are too many bones.”
Mrs. Xia took another bowl and ladled some soup. She smelled it first, then took a careful sip, smacking her lips afterward to savor the flavor.
“How is it?”
“It’s good. Very good.”
She picked up a piece of fish and continued to praise it.
“The fish is delicious, too, though the scales weren’t cleaned off perfectly.”
Hearing this, Jiang Sui and Lu Yunze exchanged a glance. The latter swallowed hard, looking a bit nervous.
After finishing the soup, Mrs. Xia began to taste the other dishes, her face filled with satisfaction with every bite.
“I almost forgot Sui’er’s cooking was this good.”
“If you ate less takeout and instant noodles, you wouldn’t have forgotten.”
Jiang Sui’s teasing didn’t arouse suspicion at first, but the more Xia Youqing thought about the sentence, the more it felt off.
“Wait, didn’t you make these dishes?”
“Mom, when did you get the delusion that I cooked this?”
Jiang Sui smiled faintly and pointed to Lu Yunze beside her.
“The one you should be thanking is him, not me.”
The atmosphere grew tense instantly.
Lu Yunze forced a smile and said, “As long as Madam enjoys it, it doesn’t matter who gets the praise.”
“Do you really not care, or are you just pretending?”
Lu Yunze glared at Jiang Sui, but she just tilted her head with an innocent look.
Sure enough, Mrs. Xia’s expression froze. She even put down her chopsticks.
“Do you really want to suck up to me that badly?”
Her tone returned to its previous coldness, now tinged with a hint of hostility.
‘Did I fail?’
The atmosphere at the table turned stiff again. This time, even Jiang Sui became a little uneasy.
Lu Yunze initially pursed his lips, but beneath the table, Jiang Sui reached out and gently covered his palm with her small hand as if to comfort him.
Her own hand was trembling slightly.
‘She’s even more nervous than I am.’
Thinking of this, Lu Yunze actually calmed down and squeezed her hand back.
“Mrs. Xia, I did this simply to prove that I have no hostility toward you or Jiang Sui.”
His expression became firm, no longer avoiding Xia Youqing’s gaze.
“You might hate the Luo Family, but the grudge between you two shouldn’t be blamed entirely on me.”
It wasn’t enough. He needed more.
“Just as you think Jiang Sui is a good daughter, I also think she’s a wonderful person. Since I met her, she has helped me a lot.”
Jiang Sui looked up at his profile.
“To be honest, I’ve been very happy spending time with her, and I’m lucky to know her. I feel sympathy for what both of you have gone through. That’s why I came here today — I wanted to do something for you.”
After listening, Xia Youqing finally spoke. “You say Jiang Sui is a good girl… Do you really believe that?”
‘Is that what she’s worried about?’
Lu Yunze paused for a moment, but he quickly understood. To a mother, her child was always the most important.
“Jiang Sui…”
Lu Yunze began to think seriously.
“She usually has a bit of a sharp tongue, her behavior is a little strange, and she loves playing pranks — “
Before he could finish, he felt a thick wave of resentment coming from beside him.
Someone’s aura was turning so dark it was practically manifesting.
“However, whenever I’m in trouble, she’s always the first to notice and offers me unconditional help. Although her words are annoying, her intentions are usually good; she just has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. As for the pranks, she doesn’t have many friends in Lan City. She doesn’t do it out of malice.”
‘He makes me sound like an immature little brat.’
‘Wait, is this really how I look in Lu Yunze’s eyes?’
She should have been angry, but for some reason, the fire building up inside Jiang Sui didn’t explode. Instead, her cheeks began to feel hot.
‘Did he really have to say all this in front of me and my mom?’
She almost wanted to find an excuse to leave.
“And like you just said, Madam, Jiang Sui is also very good at cooking. I experienced that firsthand back in Lan City.”
By now, Lu Yunze was getting more excited, his voice rising until it seemed like he might jump up from the table.
“Other than her habit of hiding her kindness behind a Mask, she can cook, clean, and knows how to care for others. If she isn’t a world-class girl, then what is she?!”
*Snap!*
The chopsticks in Jiang Sui’s hand actually snapped under her grip.
Xia Youqing glanced at her daughter, who was keeping her head down, then turned back to Lu Yunze.
“Kid, is everything you just said the truth?”
“Not a single lie!” Lu Yunze patted his chest. “My feelings toward Jiang Sui and my opinion of you, Madam, are entirely sincere.”
He had said everything he could. If this didn’t work, Lu Yunze would truly be at his wit’s end. He would just have to minimize contact with Jiang Sui and her family in the future.
‘Sorry, Jiang Sui, I did my best. If this still doesn’t earn her trust…’
However, Xia Youqing didn’t continue to make things difficult. Instead, she let out a soft sigh.
“At least you have the sincerity to tell the truth. I’ll consider your attitude barely a pass.”
“Huh?”
“But if you ever dare to use that Debt or the Luo Family to bully my Sui’er, I’ll drag you down to the grave with me even if it kills me.”
Xia Youqing’s eyes were cold and firm, showing no hint of a joke.
Lu Yunze felt a sudden chill and froze.
“I promise, I never will.”
“That’s good.” Xia Youqing stood up. “I’ve suddenly lost my appetite. I’m going back to my room. You two keep eating.”
“Oh, okay.”
After she left, Jiang Sui, who had been keeping her head down, stood up as well.
“I’ve lost my appetite, too.”
“What?”
In the blink of an eye, Lu Yunze was the only one left at the table. He blinked and muttered to himself, ‘Did I… make her angry just now?’
Thinking carefully, those words really sounded like a boyfriend confessing his feelings to his mother-in-law.
‘Hiss… I said that without even thinking… We’re not even together yet!’
Lu Yunze stood up and walked to the door of Jiang Sui’s bedroom, knocking gently.
“Come in.”
Pushing the door open, he saw Jiang Sui sitting on the edge of the bed with her back to the door, staring out the window.
“Jiang Sui, are you okay?”
Hearing his voice, she quickly turned around.
After a moment of silence, the corners of her mouth curled up. “Sorry, I’m fine.”
“The Young Master always says I have a sharp tongue, but aren’t you quite the silver-tongued one yourself? You certainly have a way with words.”
“Do I? I was just telling the truth.”
As soon as those words left his mouth, the smile on Jiang Sui’s face faded slightly.
“Telling the truth, huh… Come, sit down.”
‘She’s not angry?’
“Okay.”
Lu Yunze breathed a sigh of relief and sat down beside her.
Jiang Sui let out a heavy breath.
“The Young Master performed so well today. Do you want a reward?”
“Huh?”
“I thought there was no hope left, but I didn’t expect you to turn the situation around yourself.”
Jiang Sui squinted at him.
“I always thought the Young Master was a straightforward person who couldn’t handle scenes like this. But today, you really were the star of the show.”
“Heh, don’t underestimate me. I’d say I was the MVP of this round, right?”
“Yes, yes, the Young Master is the MVP, and I just got carried to victory.”
Jiang Sui’s smile deepened, her gaze becoming somewhat meaningful.
“So now, the person who got carried is going to give the MVP a reward. Do you want it?”
Lu Yunze became nervous instantly, panicking even more than when he had faced Xia Youqing.
“Uh… are we still eating lunch?”
“Compared to lunch, doesn’t the Young Master want to taste something even better?”
She narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone thick with double meanings.
Lu Yunze didn’t dare to respond at all.
There was a bed here, and there were exactly two of them…
Hiss!
He sucked in a breath of cold air.
“Don’t—don’t mess around! Your mom is still here! If she finds out, even paying back that 1.8 million won’t save me!”
“Pfft, what are you thinking, Young Master?”
Jiang Sui reached out and poked his cheek.
“Are you shy? You really are a little virgin. You were talking so big just now, but now you can’t handle it?”
She seemed to have regained the upper hand, and her mood clearly improved.
“I was asking if you’d like to have dinner with me.”
“Oh, so it’s dinner. Sure.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Lu Yunze suddenly realized something was wrong.
She said “with me,” not “with us”?
Did she want him to stay?
It felt like he had fallen into her trap again.
*Thud!*
Suddenly, the sound of a heavy object hitting the floor came from outside.
Both of them were startled and looked back.
After a moment, Lu Yunze cleared his throat and said:
“Uh… I’m free tonight. Do you want to go out to eat?”
Jiang Sui’s expression collapsed instantly.
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