The sun was shining brightly, and the sky was a clear blue without a single cloud.
A girl dressed in a pure and neat school uniform stood quietly by the roadside with a boy, holding hands and waiting, until a luxury car slowly pulled up next to them. The window rolled down, revealing an elegant woman in sunglasses who greeted the girl warmly and patted the leather handbag on the passenger seat.
“Chanchan, get in, let’s go shopping.”
Then she glared fiercely at the boy beside the girl who hadn’t moved yet, “Achi, what are you standing there for, still in a daze? Hurry up and open the door for Chanchan, then get in the back seat yourself.”
Jiang Chi: …..
Mom, I am your biological son, you know.
As the girl closed the car door and, right in front of the blue-eyed boy, snuggled up affectionately to the elegant woman’s arm, rubbing her head and sweetly saying, “Auntie~ you smell so nice,” she threw the boy a sly and provocative look.
Jiang Chi couldn’t help but feel that Ji Yuennian had a certain “debt” in her bones.
Owed a beating, owed a scolding, owed a lesson, owed some discipline.
*****
What’s it like to go shopping with your future mother-in-law?
Ji Yuennian didn’t really think that Chen Mengrou would ever become her mother-in-law, since after all, her own preferences were for soft and cute girls. Yet, Chen Mengrou was absolutely treating her—no, treating “Ji Qingchan”—as her daughter-in-law.
All the way, they did hair, got manicures, went shopping for bags and women’s clothes. Ji Yuennian had little interest in hair or nails, and wasn’t much into handbags either. Only women’s fashion could catch her eye, but she had already saved nearly every style out there before; seeing something she already owned hardly sparked any excitement.
Still, when she turned around and saw a certain “dog man” behind them, hunched over and acting as a human bag carrier, Ji Yuennian couldn’t help but laugh mercilessly—and even laughed out loud.
Chen Mengrou followed the girl’s amused gaze and, seeing her eldest son trudging along as their porter, threw him an encouraging look.
Keep it up, Achi! Hard work will be rewarded!
A wife as good as Chanchan—she’s harder to find than a lantern in the dark.
*****
“Huff~ huff~”
On a public bench, a young couple gulped down mineral water, fanning their faces occasionally with their hands.
If there was any difference between them and the other couples in the park, it was only that their looks and figures were far superior—and, judging from the pile of luxury shopping bags at their feet, their spending power too.
The boy took another swig of water, glanced at the girl beside him whose face was flushed from the strenuous activity and wore a look of clear dissatisfaction, and said, “My mom’s pretty satisfied with you.”
The girl curled her lips, “But I’m not satisfied with your mom. Not at all.”
Their bickering drew the attention of several park-goers nearby. The girl’s discontent with the boy’s mother—ooh, mother-in-law vs. daughter-in-law drama! Such juicy gossip!!
Some people pricked up their ears, while others pretended to scroll through Douyin on their phones, but kept sneaking glances in their direction.
“She pulled my hair the moment we met, then dragged me to take couple photos at the mall, ugh~ and making me do that heart pose with you, eat couple’s spaghetti, and even help me pick and change underwear—just thinking about it makes me feel sick.”
She rudely crossed her legs, kicked off her high heels in frustration, revealing fair feet with faint red marks. The girl muttered her complaints in a low voice.
“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have worn high heels. After walking all morning, my feet are swollen. Clearly, I can’t handle eight-centimeter heels yet.”
“Tsk! It hurts!”
“Jiang Chi, you have to make it up to me. If you don’t get me at least a 998-yuan foot massage, I won’t forgive you.”
“How about I give you a massage myself?” The boy, eyes drawn helplessly to her rosy feet, blurted out.
“Get lost~”
The girl snapped at him, “My feet hurt from walking, it’s not like I twisted my ankle. What do I need your massage for?”
“And who do you think you are, some domineering CEO? You think giving a foot rub like in a novel will win my favor?”
“I don’t care if you’re trying to take advantage of me or what—stay away from me.”
“I’m a real man, I don’t like the same sex!”
Real man? Same sex?
Gossiping onlookers: ???
Eavesdropping crowd: ???
The crowd, eager for some spicy mother-in-law/daughter-in-law drama, could no longer contain their curiosity. Sneakily, they sized up the brash girl with her legs crossed.
Watching her chest rise and fall with each breath, her smooth throat, and the eight-centimeter silver high heels—wait, those were Valentino Speed Shoes—on the ground, they realized: wow, she’s something else.
Ji Yuennian, quick to sense being stared at, turned around with an annoyed look and a slight frown, “What are you looking at? What are you eavesdropping on? Have you paid off your car loan yet? Your mortgage? Got a girlfriend? All you people do is gossip all day, you really…”
A large hand suddenly clamped down over the girl’s chattering mouth, forcibly cutting her off. Lowering his voice beside her ear, the boy whispered, “Quit it, you think you’re still the campus tyrant, able to take on everyone 1V-many?”
At the same time, Jiang Chi offered a polite smile to the onlookers in the park, “Sorry, my girlfriend’s a bit childish, please don’t mind her.”
There’s a saying: don’t hit someone’s sore spot, don’t curse someone’s mother. This time, Ji Yuennian had managed to offend everyone. But then again, as a former campus tyrant, she always led the charge in a fight, and her mouth was just as sharp as ever.
Luckily, the park-goers, knowing they were in the wrong, just waved it off, not taking offense. With one hand full of shopping bags and the other over the girl’s mouth, Jiang Chi dragged her away.
He didn’t let go until they reached a deserted alleyway. Freed at last, Ji Yuennian kicked at the boy’s foot, grumbling, “Why did you run, you coward? You’re not manly at all.”
Facing her disdain, Jiang Chi just ruffled her hair, smiling, “Alright, stop fussing. Didn’t you want a foot massage? I’ll get you the deluxe version—the 1,998-yuan package.”
At the mention of her favorite thing, Ji Yuennian’s beautiful eyes lit up, her anger instantly gone. She slung her arm over Jiang Chi’s shoulder and said boldly, “Now that’s more like it! Good eyes, kid. For pretending to be your girlfriend, you’ve finally shown some sense.”
“Come on, let’s go right now.”
“Let me tell you, the best foot spa is over at Hong’er International. All the staff are beautiful girls in cheongsams—I’ve been drooling over that place for ages.”
Afraid he’d change his mind, Ji Yuennian took the initiative to help him carry some of the bags, then grabbed his arm and dragged him away.
*****
As the sun set in the west, the afterglow of dusk stretched the couple’s shadows long, very long along the riverbank.
“So refreshing!”
After a comfortable foot massage, Ji Yuennian stretched lazily and hooked her arm around the man’s shoulder, teasing, “Chibao, this was your first time at a foot spa, right?”
“Mm.” The blue-eyed boy nodded, still carrying their things, but his eyes never once left her.
“No wonder.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, “You were so sensitive when they touched your feet, almost kicked the bucket over. Tsk tsk tsk, the girl doing the massage nearly popped her eyes out in shock. Hahaha!”
She laughed softly, the fading light of dusk spilling over her fair and delicate face. Her features were sculpted, her eyes big and round, her eyelashes long and curled, her lips full and rosy, as enticing as cherries.
The boy’s Adam’s apple bobbed, a strange glimmer flickering in his eyes. He called her name in a low voice, “Ji Yuennian.”
“Mm?” Ji Yuennian tilted her head, her watery eyes looking up at him.
“You’re so cute.”
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