Chapter 47: Meet the parents

He Yu stood against the light, his handsome features edged with a layer of golden warmth, his entire presence impossibly gentle.  

Xie Xiaobao opened his eyes, his gaze still hazy, not quite recovered from the comfort he had just felt.  

He Yu saw him staring blankly and couldn’t help but reach out to pinch his cheek, smiling, “Why are you looking so dazed?”  

The warm, dry fingers touched his cheek, a heat spreading from the contact point.

Xie Xiaobao belatedly blushed and asked, “Why did you come over?”  

He Yu withdrew his hand and slipped it into his pants pocket and replied, “Grandma asked me to come get you. You promised Grandma Li you’d have lunch together.”  

“Already done so quickly?” Xie Xiaobao gave a small yawn, rubbed his eyes, and smiled as he gestured for He Yu to head out with him to sit.  

He Yu waved him off, “Not going inside. Let’s go for a walk.”  

Xie Xiaobao nodded happily.

“Then let’s walk for a bit. Why are you back so soon? You didn’t say anything yesterday.”  

They walked side by side, two figures—one tall, one short—standing together surprisingly harmoniously.

He Yu lowered his head to look at Xie Xiaobao, his gaze was soft as he said, “It was a last-minute decision.”  

“Oh.” Xie Xiaobao didn’t catch the subtext and started mumbling about recent happenings.  

He Yu listened patiently to the stories from the film crew, though his gaze kept falling on Xie Xiaobao’s round ears.  

Xie Xiaobao’s skin was very fair; his white ears contrasted against his black hair, seemingly glowing in the sunlight.

The earlier blush hadn’t completely faded, and the tips of his translucent ears shone with a faint pink.  

As Xie Xiaobao spoke, he suddenly looked up and met He Yu’s focused gaze.  

“What, what are you looking at?” Xie Xiaobao stammered, his pale pink ears deepening to red.  

He Yu looked away with a slight smile, reaching out to gently tap his ear.

“There’s a leaf on your hair.”  

Xie Xiaobao touched his head but saw nothing and looked at He Yu, puzzled.  

“It’s gone now.” He Yu put his hands in his pockets and walked ahead, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards.  

“Oh.” Xie Xiaobao followed him.

They strolled along the sidewalk, and when He Yu glanced at the time, he suggested going to the He family home together.  

Grandma Li and He Mother were busy in the kitchen.

Grandma Li was getting old, and the family worried about her tiring herself out, so she rarely cooked anymore.

Usually, He Mother did the cooking while Grandma Li watched and gave instructions.  

He Father was reading the newspaper in the living room.

The others weren’t at the old house today, making it unusually quiet.  

He Father caught a glimpse of He Yu leading Xie Xiaobao inside.

His hand tightening around the paper paused for a moment.

After adjusting his expression, he rose to greet them as if nothing had happened.  

“Xiaobao’s here?”  

“Uncle.” Xie Xiaobao smiled politely and greeted He Father.  

He Yu gestured for him to sit while he went to pour juice.  

He Father sat opposite Xie Xiaobao, observing him quietly before glancing at his son in the kitchen.

Something felt off.  

When had He Yu ever been this serious with anyone else?  

He Yu had grown colder and tougher with age.

As He Mother said, who wanted to face a stone that hardly ever smiled every day?

She had worried for a while that He Yu wouldn’t find the right girl.  

Now, of course, it was about finding the right guy.  

Xie Xiaobao hadn’t said much to He Father.

Honestly, he was always a little intimidated by the stern man, so when He Father didn’t speak, he remained quiet and obedient.  

“How old are you this year, Xiaobao?” He Father asked when he saw Xie Xiaobao wasn’t going to answer.  

Xie Xiaobao said he was twenty-three.  

That made him only four years younger than He Yu.

He Father pursed his lips and smiled, then continued, “Are you working?”  

Xie Xiaobao nodded and replied, “I’m a live streamer at He Yu’s company.”  

He Father was pleased to hear that; working at the same company meant they were close and had topics to talk about.  

But the most important thing was whether Xie Xiaobao had a partner or was interested in He Yu.

They looked compatible, but if he already had someone, it wouldn’t be right to interfere.  

“So, have you found someone?” He Father asked again.  

Caught off guard by the triple questioning as soon as he entered, Xie Xiaobao glanced toward the kitchen and whispered that he hadn’t found anyone.  

He Father’s expression turned even more approving, his gaze toward Xie Xiaobao filled with affection.  

“What are you two talking about?” He Yu came over with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.  

He handed the juice to Xie Xiaobao and sat beside him, his gaze on Xie Xiaobao warmer than anything He Father had ever seen.  

He cleared his throat and excused himself from being the third wheel, saying he had something to attend to and returned to the study.  

Passing by the kitchen, he met He Mother, who exchanged a meaningful glance with him before nodding in satisfaction after looking at the two in the living room and then returned to cooking.  

Though there weren’t many people, He Mother still prepared a full table of dishes.  

Housekeeper Aunt Zhang helped bring the dishes out and arranged them, while He Mother changed out of her apron and went over to chat with Xie Xiaobao.  

He Mother’s gentle eyes and soft voice quickly eased Xie Xiaobao’s awkwardness, and soon they were chatting comfortably.  

He Yu and He Father sat on the other side, both with equally stern expressions.  

When the food was all on the table, He Mother invited Xie Xiaobao to join, Grandma Li sat at the head, Xie Xiaobao as the guest, and He Yu right beside him.  

This was a family feast with close relatives, so the seating wasn’t so formal.

They ate and chatted casually.  

Of course, the conversation centered on Xie Xiaobao.

He Father’s triple questions were done; now it was Grandma Li and He Mother’s turn.  

Especially He Mother, who was growing more and more pleased with Xie Xiaobao’s looks and character.

If He Yu really wanted to find a man, Xie Xiaobao would be perfect.  

By comparison, He Yu remained unusually calm.

Fearing Xie Xiaobao might feel embarrassed, he picked out dishes he knew Xie Xiaobao liked and served them into his bowl.  

“Just treat this as your own home. No need to be shy.” He whispered softly to Xie Xiaobao as he sat close.  

Xie Xiaobao looked at the piled bowl and smiled with curved eyes, “Got it.”  

At the dining table, except for Grandma Li, everyone had their own thoughts—especially He Father and He Mother.

They had never seen He Yu show such care and consideration for anyone outside the family.  

The couple exchanged a glance, deciding to have a serious talk with He Yu that evening.  

After lunch, the housekeeper brought out fruit.

Xie Xiaobao had eaten quite a lot and now hesitated when offered the fruit.  

He Yu saw the expression on his face, guessed his thoughts, and held back a smile as he handed him a piece of Hami melon. “Have some fruit.”  

Only then did Xie Xiaobao accept it and slowly eat.  

Time flew by as Xie Xiaobao stayed at the He family home all afternoon, leaving only at sunset.  

He Mother had wanted him to stay for dinner, but Xie Xiaobao was still thinking of the Cat-Shaped Paper Doll and found an excuse to leave early.  

He Yu walked him back, and they parted at the door.  

“When is your audition tomorrow?”  

“Ten in the morning.”  

He Yu said, “I’ll take you there. I’ll pick you up in the morning.”  

Xie Xiaobao thought about it.

If He Yu gave him a ride, he could also bring Xiao Hei and Da Zhuang along.

The Shelter Director would come too.  

“Won’t it delay your schedule?” Xie Xiaobao hesitated.  

“No.” He Yu smiled and ruffled his head.

“It’s settled then. I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”  

“Okay, I’m heading in now.” Xie Xiaobao smiled and went inside.  

He Yu stood where he was until Xie Xiaobao’s figure disappeared behind the door, then turned and left.  

On the second floor, Qu Yanning was watching this scene with a frown, wondering if he was overthinking things.  

“Brother-in-law, I’m back.”  

Xie Xiaobao came inside.

No one was downstairs, so he went upstairs and saw Qu Yanning with a complicated expression.  

“Brother-in-law?” Xie Xiaobao ran over.

When Qu Yanning didn’t respond, he waved his hand in front of his face.  

Qu Yanning snapped out of it and looked at Xie Xiaobao’s innocent expression, clearing his throat.

“You’re back. Did you eat at the He family?”  

Xie Xiaobao nodded, then looked around curiously.

“Where’s Second Brother?”  

Qu Yanning pointed to the bay window in the living room, where colorful pillows were piled up, with only a fluffy tail sticking out.  

The furry tail swung leisurely back and forth.

Xie Xiaobao’s eyes lit up, itching to grab it.  

Qu Yanning smiled, seeing him still acting like a child.

“I’m going to cook. You go play with Second Brother.”  

Xie Xiaobao nodded eagerly, then instantly transformed into his Cat form.

He dashed over and bit at Xie Qi’s tail.  

Startled from his nap, Xie Qi spun around sharply to see his fluffy little brother.  

Eyes narrowed dangerously, Xie Qi meowed softly, asking him to let go.  

But Xie Xiaobao clung to the tail, whining and refusing to release it.  

With a light huff, Xie Qi pounced and pinned his brother beneath him, playfully biting his ear in punishment.  

Xie Xiaobao resisted, scrambling to fight back with his paws, but Xie Qi was much stronger.

His soft, small body couldn’t match Xie Qi’s muscular strength.  

Easily holding him down with one paw, Xie Qi used the other to press and poke at Xie Xiaobao’s soft belly.

His tail flicked leisurely behind him as he meowed, “Are you done playing yet?”