Yang Shuli’s meaning was very clear—she wanted to take this call, meaning she would chat with Xu Nian’s parents.
“Are you serious?”
Xu Nian looked at Yang Shuli.
Yang Shuli didn’t seem like someone who would mess around in a situation like this.
It was like how even the most arrogant and domineering friends who would normally issue a kill order to their buddy’s mother would restrain themselves a little when facing the arrival of that buddy’s parents.
Because the consequences wouldn’t be visited upon the family.
Even if someone’s behavior around their buddies was abominable to the extreme, they would still hold back in front of their buddies’ parents and strive to be a model student.
There was no way Yang Shuli would do anything outrageous at a time like this either.
But Xu Nian happened to have already said everything he needed to say, and he didn’t know how to get along amicably with his own parents.
“Go ahead.”
He handed the phone to Yang Shuli.
Yang Shuli grinned, took the phone, and cleared her throat.
“Ahem.”
The tiny dorm leader didn’t know what mischief she was plotting, but a hint of a sly smirk appeared on her face.
“Hello, Uncle and Auntie, Xu Nian went to help me finish off my roasted sweet potato.”
On the other end, hearing Yang Shuli’s extremely childish voice, they were a little stunned.
“Um, is your parent around?”
“?”
Yang Shuli looked up sharply and saw Xu Nian holding back his laughter.
So she used her head to nudge his back, like a stubborn little cow.
“I’m an adult. I’m a female classmate from the class next to Xu Nian’s.”
Yang Shuli tried to make her voice sound serious, but her extremely childish tone didn’t lend much credibility.
“Then Xu Nian, he is…”
“He’s eating the leftover roasted sweet potato I didn’t finish.”
Yang Shuli thought that statement was normal, but in the ears of parents who cared about their child, it sounded different.
Especially for Xu Nian’s parents, who didn’t know much about their own child.
To them, Xu Nian should still be at the age of crying and fussing, but suddenly he had booted up.
Not only did he possess strong self-sufficiency, but he was also far more well-behaved than other kids his age.
It didn’t seem like he had been raised well; it seemed like his account had been hacked.
So Xu Nian’s parents even found a witch doctor to perform a ritual to exorcise evil spirits.
But the one who came wasn’t a witch doctor, but a young man with white hair. He immediately offered his son a cigarette and said their son was fine.
Anyone could tell there was a problem.
But strangely, Xu Nian was polite to them, treated them well, and completely remembered everything from before.
He even started sending money home from high school, and quite a bit at that.
They didn’t dare spend a single cent.
So Xu Nian, who had started living independently and making his way in the world since high school, ended up sending back house keys and car keys instead.
“Did Xu Nian owe you money? We’ll pay you back right away!”
That was Xu Nian’s parents’ reaction.
Neither Yang Shuli nor Xu Nian expected such a response.
“No, how could he owe me money…”
Yang Shuli suddenly felt she couldn’t handle it, but it wasn’t easy to hand the phone back.
If she did, Xu Nian would definitely brush it off with a few words and then hang up.
“Then you two…”
Yang Shuli glanced at Xu Nian again, looking determined.
“Uncle and Auntie, actually, um, Xu Nian is pursuing me.”
“Really?”
Yang Shuli felt like the other side’s tone carried a kind of joy like they had narrowly escaped disaster.
But that wasn’t quite the right word for it.
The tiny Yang Shuli didn’t care about that anymore.
“Of course it’s true. The reason he’s not free this winter break is because he’s going back to my hometown, so he can’t go home. Sorry about that.”
“No, no, it’s fine.”
Xu Nian’s parents’ joy was almost overflowing.
“So are you two already…”
Xu Nian’s parents were actually looking forward to their son’s love life.
First, it’s common for parents of boys to have an inexplicable expectation of their son’s romantic relationships.
Second, hearing news like this at least made them feel that their son Xu Nian was somewhat human.
At least Xu Nian wanted to fall in love and was interested in girls.
They were really afraid that one day they’d be sitting at home and hear that their son had caused some huge catastrophe, gotten caught, and they’d have to suffer the grief of losing a child before their time.
Like joining a gang or something.
But thankfully, their child hadn’t gone that far. He was still normal.
Thinking of this, they couldn’t help but cry tears of joy.
They still remembered when Xu Nian’s father found out he was smoking, and it was during winter break from high school.
So he went into Xu Nian’s room, closed the door, and planned to have a patient talk with his son about smoking.
Then Xu Nian generously told him to just ask if he didn’t understand anything.
Just thinking that their child was still human made them overjoyed.
“Ah, we’re classmates. He’s openly in love with me and pursuing me, and I have a secret crush on him.”
Yang Shuli answered quite bluntly.
Xu Nian’s parents were left confused.
“No, you two…”
Xu Nian’s mother seemed not to understand, but his father took over the conversation.
“We can give you anything, as long as you don’t toy with our son’s feelings. It’s not easy for him to pursue a relationship like this.”
Yang Shuli was completely stunned.
“No, what are you talking about? Toy with his feelings? It’s him who won’t let me agree. He might be enjoying the process of pursuit. Ask him if you don’t believe me.”
The tiny dorm leader handed the phone back to Xu Nian.
Xu Nian had been listening nearby the whole time, and had already finished the roasted sweet potato and thrown the wrapper in the trash. He took back his phone.
“Hello, it’s me. I’ve been right here the whole time.”
To accommodate Yang Shuli, who had moved closer, Xu Nian held the phone between them so both could hear the conversation.
“Son, if you need anything, just tell Mom and Dad. We only want you to be happy.”
Hearing this, Yang Shuli twitched the corner of her mouth.
It felt a bit like words left behind in case something happened to Xu Nian.
“I’m happy right now. Don’t worry. The current relationship between her and me is something I’ve considered carefully. If you’re really concerned, I can bring her home to meet you next New Year. By then, the relationship should be confirmed.”
Xu Nian’s words were noticeably longer than before.
And Xu Nian’s parents, who had been reassured by such words for nearly a decade, could only choose to believe.
“Then send us a photo of the girl who just spoke, so Mom and Dad can at least see what she looks like.”
Looking down, Yang Shuli had already opened her camera, leaned against him, and taken a selfie together.
“I sent it to you.”
Yang Shuli grinned.
“This is our first picture together.”