“Oh, isn’t this Xie Wazi? You’ve changed so much since you left; I almost didn’t recognize you. But didn’t your mom say you weren’t coming back for the Lunar New Year?”
The old man spoke while fumbling with his phone. Clearly, he was calling Mother Xie.
“And you came back in a group? Who are these three people with you?” The old man’s eyes shifted between the three strangers, squinting as he looked them over.
Xie Zhuran immediately introduced the old man to his three companions. The man’s surname was Wang, and everyone in the village called him Old Wang, Grandpa Wang, or Old Man Wang.
Before he could say anything more, Jiang Li gave a polite smile and proactively took Xie Zhuran’s arm.
“Hello, Grandpa Wang. I’m Brother Zhuran’s girlfriend, Jiang Li. You can call me Little Li.”
As soon as those words left her mouth, Song Qiuyu and Jiang Xiao played dead, while Xie Zhuran’s heart suddenly accelerated. Grandpa Wang’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock.
Immediately afterward, he pulled a brass gong and a mallet out of nowhere and began striking it forcefully.
“Xie Wazi is back! And he brought a beautiful girl with him!!” he shouted at the top of his lungs.
At his cry, the villagers who had been busy with their chores stopped what they were doing and looked over curiously.
The four of them instinctively stood up straight.
The expressions on the faces of the onlookers shifted several times, moving from disbelief to shock, and finally to sheer joy. Under the weight of so many stares, Song Qiuyu’s scalp felt numb. Her restless hand was soon caught in a warm grip.
Jiang Xiao held his girlfriend’s hand tightly, looking toward his younger sister with concern. He saw that she didn’t look nervous at all; she was perfectly composed.
Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but feel relieved. Jiang Li was, after all, a top student and the Student Council President. She was likely used to being the center of attention.
In fact, that was exactly the case. Jiang Li remained very calm. Of the four of them, only Xie Zhuran was truly panicking.
A young woman had already started running toward the Xie family home, shouting as she went, “Mother Xie, your son is back! And he brought his girlfriend!”
“…”
“I’m sorry, I hope they didn’t scare you. Our villagers are just like this; they’re very passionate and hospitable!” Xie Zhuran rubbed his head, laughing awkwardly. “Alright, Grandpa Wang, please stop hitting the gong. If you keep going, my girlfriend and my classmates will be scared away!”
“Oh, right.”
Grandpa Wang nodded and put away the gong and mallet.
After chatting with Grandpa Wang and the villagers for a few more minutes at the entrance, the four of them quickly broke away from the crowd and headed for their destination.
Before Xie Zhuran even reached his front door, he saw a middle-aged couple with joyful faces running out of the house, following the young woman from before.
“Look, your son is back!” The young woman’s eyes were sharp, and she spoke loudly as soon as she spotted them.
At those words, all six people stopped in their tracks.
Mother Xie and Father Xie locked eyes with Xie Zhuran. With just one glance, the couple’s expressions turned to disappointment. They were speechless regarding their son’s hairstyle.
Their gaze shifted to the girl standing beside their son. She had clean, straight black hair and an elegant, cool aura. She looked like a top-tier student from every angle. Their eyes narrowed.
‘This girl… her eyesight must be poor. How did she end up falling for our son?’
Even though his parents hadn’t said a word, Xie Zhuran could more or less sense what they were thinking, and he pouted.
‘I’m imagining it again. I’m wishing my mom and dad wouldn’t bring up other people’s children and wouldn’t be so disappointed in their own…’
Then, Jiang Li took Xie Zhuran’s hand again and said with a light smile, “Why are you just standing there? Let’s go, Brother Zhuran!”
“Right… right!” Xie Zhuran stammered, nodding.
“Jiang Xiao, your sister is really playing the part, huh?” Seeing Xie Zhuran being led away by Jiang Li, Song Qiuyu couldn’t help but poke the person beside her and tease him.
“Truly.” Jiang Xiao nodded gently.
Song Qiuyu was moved. ‘Any young male virgin who encounters a situation like this would likely fall for the girl. He’ll end up liking the girl who helped him uncontrollably. But Old Xie, you’d better weigh the consequences. The person holding your arm isn’t just a girl—she’s Jiang Xiao’s sister, and she’s a minor…’
After a round of meaningless pleasantries and getting to know one another, the four of them followed Mother Xie and Father Xie into the house to sit and chat.
Since it was lunchtime, they all began preparing the meal together amidst laughter and conversation. However, halfway through the preparations, the Xie family relatives who had been out for walks all returned.
The number of people in the house suddenly exploded.
Song Qiuyu felt a bit intimidated. No wonder Old Xie didn’t want to come back; this family was massive—even larger than Jiang Xiao’s. If every single person nagged him to find a girlfriend, it would be enough to drive someone insane.
Among them were the daughters of the relatives who had previously looked down on Old Xie. As soon as they arrived, they were full of hostility toward Jiang Li and Song Qiuyu.
But after they saw Jiang Xiao, they practically forgot how to walk. Each of them acted refined, gentle, and sensible, pretending to be delicate “white lotuses.”
Song Qiuyu puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, while Jiang Li’s gaze turned cold and displeased. Xie Zhuran’s mouth twitched, feeling completely speechless. They hadn’t acted like this when facing him!
“Little Li, can you tell me how you fell for my Zhuran?” Mother Xie looked at Jiang Li and couldn’t help but ask.
“Mom, do you have so little confidence in your own son?” Xie Zhuran started to panic.
“Keep your mouth shut. Your mother is talking to Jiang Li!” Father Xie frowned and scolded him.
Xie Zhuran wanted to say more, but after being glared at simultaneously by both parents with perfect synchronization, he was forced to shut up.
He started imagining things again. ‘How is it that in the Jiang family, everyone protects Old Jiang, but in my house, everyone protects Jiang Li? Sigh, other people’s parents are always better.’
“It’s because Brother Zhuran is very sincere. Although he can be excessively strange at times, that’s also his unique charm,” Jiang Li said with a serious look in her eyes.
Hearing this, not only did the Xie family freeze, but even Xie Zhuran himself was stunned.
“I think Brother Zhuran is quite cute like that, so I like him,” Jiang Li continued.
‘Cute…?’ Xie Zhuran opened his mouth but hesitated.
The Xie family members instinctively looked at Xie Zhuran’s orange afro, and their expressions became complicated.
“But the things I just said were actually just an explanation to answer your question, Auntie.” Jiang Li lowered her eyes and continued solemnly, “After all, liking someone often happens in an instant, and many times there is no reason for it. If you insist on asking, I can only cooperate and continue looking for specific traits in Brother Zhuran.”
Xie Zhuran’s heart skipped a beat, and he didn’t know what to say.
‘What’s going on? I’m getting that illusion that Jiang Li actually likes me again… Does this girl have to be so serious even when playing the role of a girlfriend? It’s going to cause endless misunderstandings.’
“I see. Well then, Jiang Li, how did you and Zhuran meet? Looking at you, you don’t look like a student from Nanxi.” Mother Xie observed Jiang Li’s appearance and said.
“Yes. I am an Economics student at Qingbei.”