Chapter 60: The Meeting
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
The dinner was set at a Cantonese restaurant. Right before they left, Ji Yun deliberately called her son, reminding him to dress neatly and presentably, and to stop by the barber for a quick blow-dry. “Your looks are currently your greatest asset,” she said. “We need to make the most of that.”
Shi Yuan added, “He also has a stable job. The other parents probably value stability, right? Our whole family checks that box.” Say what you will, but at the very least, during the New Year holidays, they always received enough welfare supplies to build a fort—detergent, rice, flour, and oil. They hadn’t had to buy that kind of stuff in years.
Ji Yun set down her phone with a sigh. “I keep thinking… Since they were classmates, high school is bound to come up at the table.” But could her son’s high school years really be brought up so casually?
Fighting, climbing walls, ditching class—his grades had consistently floated in the bottom twenty. With his height and those long legs, he could’ve at least joined a few track meets, right? But no, he skipped those too, like it was a personal challenge to avoid every positive activity. And the college entrance exam? A tragedy. The school he ended up at—let’s not even get into the name. Even the city it was in would probably be unfamiliar to the other parents. She was exhausted just thinking about it. There was no love left to give.
Shi Yuan comforted his wife—and also himself. “It’s fine. We can’t dwell on the past. Gotta focus on the present and look to the future. Our son’s job is great, he’s studying for a professional certification, he’s bought a home, he’s an okay cook, and he’s living a stable, well-arranged life. We don’t have a Rolls-Royce, but we’re solid.”
“Think of it this way,” he went on. “If you had to choose between a delinquent driving a Rolls-Royce and a regular guy on a scooter living an honest life, who would you pick?”
Ji Yun frowned. “Why does the one with the Rolls have to be a delinquent? What if he’s got both the car and the stability—scored 650 on the college exam and can run a 1,000-meter in 2 minutes and 11 seconds?”
Shi Yuan blinked. “Why’s that number so specific?” But if that were the case, well… there wasn’t much they could do about it. Sometimes, you just had to let the river flow and trust it’d straighten out by the time it reached the bridge.
Shi Wenze had returned the Rolls-Royce to Du Siyue and borrowed a Buick minivan to pick up his parents from the hotel. Shi Yuan had initially thought the car was pretty nice—spacious, good airflow, and no worries about repair costs. Casually, he asked, “This from Xiao Xu?”
“No, it’s from Director Zhou,” Shi Wenze said. “He just bought it last month from a friend’s used car dealership. Barely 5,000 kilometers on it—pretty much brand new.” That comment brought on a new wave of parental anxiety.
Even after becoming the head of the Emergency Response Department, their son still had to rely on second-hand deals from friends to buy a car? Didn’t sound like the salary was all that great? Shi Yuan immediately slipped into his “experienced elder” voice and warned his son, “This kind of thing is fine for us to know—but don’t go telling other people.”
He sounded as tense as if Director Zhou had stolen the car instead of buying it. Shi Wenze stifled a laugh. “Got it. I won’t say a word.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Lin was giving his own son a talking-to. “If the other parents ask, just say you’ve been busy painting, that’s why you haven’t been at the gallery. Don’t let them know you’ve been sleeping until noon, eating strawberries for breakfast without touching real food. What kind of bad habit is that? Didn’t Xiao Shi ever say anything when you were together?”
“Nope,” Lin Su replied lazily while buckling his seatbelt. “He couldn’t control me.”
“Exactly,” Lin Lu chimed in from the driver’s seat, fanning the flames. “My brother always bullies Shi-ge. I couldn’t take it anymore. Dad, you really need to do something.”
Mr. Lin let out a long sigh. I’ve failed as a parent. I’ve truly failed.
The private room was massive and luxuriously decorated with New Year-themed displays, a festive backdrop for what looked like a happy ending between two families. Lin Lu dutifully took on the role of cheerful buffer, sweet-talking everyone, topping off tea for the aunties and uncles, and generally keeping the atmosphere bright and lively. She also made her brother seem even colder by comparison.
But Lin Su’s aloofness wasn’t impolite—it was the quiet restraint of someone well-raised. And to Shi Yuan and Ji Yun, that behavior screamed one thing: our son hasn’t won him over yet… how sad. But to Mr. Lin, it meant: we’re screwed—he’s not even pretending to be interested.
Only Madam Si Longqiu remained full of confidence about the match. She laughed and chatted at the table, even reaching out to serve Shi Wenze more food. That gave Shi Yuan a little comfort. Just like his son had said, Little Lin’s mom really does like him. So maybe… just maybe… there was still hope.
To Ji Yun’s relief, no one brought up high school. As dinner wound down, Lin Su found the roast duck a bit greasy, so he pushed it aside with his chopsticks. Shi Wenze noticed, reached over to finish a few pieces, and ladled a bowl of soup for him.
Shi Yuan, glass in hand and hand slightly trembling, watched this scene and came to a conclusion: his son’s whole approach to this relationship relied on pure, persistent pestering with zero finesse. Like enthusiastically eating someone’s leftovers—that was apparently part of his strategy.
Under the table, Lin Su casually kicked his boyfriend—softly, again and again, just for fun. Shi Wenze lowered his head and smiled. Through his fatherly filter, Shi Yuan assessed the moment honestly: He looked even dumber when he smiled. What the hell was he smiling about, anyway?
The meal finally came to an end, and the atmosphere—while not exactly warm—could at least be called passably pleasant. Any lingering tension or awkwardness at the table wasn’t due to a lack of interest in one another. On the contrary, it was precisely because both sides were too interested that they kept trying to hide all their potential shortcomings.
Ji Yun chimed in cheerfully, “Our Xiao Ze is a total early bird—up at seven every morning to jog at the park. He even helps the aunties with their sound equipment for square dancing, then comes home and makes breakfast for himself.”
She was clearly running out of material, but hey—regular sleep habits could pass as a character trait in a pinch.
Mr. Lin’s head buzzed like a hive of bees. What was he supposed to say? Every word from Ji Yun felt like a passive-aggressive jab at his own son. Xiao Su didn’t wake up early. He didn’t sleep early. He wasn’t exactly helpful. Even when making a simple bowl of lotus root starch soup, it looked like he was trying to paint a wall with it.
Lin Di had no choice but to awkwardly change the subject. “That’s wonderful. Xiao Su’s been busy painting lately, hasn’t even had time to work out. Next month he’s heading to Luyun Manor to participate in a charity auction.”
Shi Yuan quietly helped himself to another bite, then another. Charity, auctions, manors — sounded so high-end. Meanwhile, their own offerings were shopping cards and pantry staples. Hardly competitive.
Luckily, someone remained sane in the crowd—Si Longqiu. With a warm smile, she offered, “Xiao Su’s gallery opens tomorrow. You must come by. His own paintings will be on display too, so if you see anything you like, just say the word. I’ll have it framed and sent to Yang City.”
Ji Yun was quick to respond, “Of course, of course.”
Si Longqiu added, “I think the boys are catching a movie later, right? I’ll have Lulu drive you two back to the hotel. Lin and I have some errands to run nearby anyway.”
Shi Yuan was growing more convinced by the second—Xiao Lin’s mother clearly liked his son. She was actively creating opportunities for them!
By the time Shi Wenze returned from paying the bill, the two families were already walking together toward the parking lot, leaving Lin Su alone in the private dining room. Without the pressure of parental supervision, both he and Shi Wenze visibly relaxed. Shi Wenze reached out and pulled him to his feet with a smile. “Why so quiet?”
“I just needed a breather,” Lin Su replied. So Shi Wenze pulled him into a hug, and they stood there for a quiet moment. Lin Su tucked his hands under the hem of his boyfriend’s sweater, arms wrapping around his slim waist—even with long underwear on, he was still skinny—and honestly, he didn’t feel like going home. He wanted to head back to the tattoo parlor and mooch more snacks from Xu You. But tomorrow was the gallery opening, and there was still so much to get done tonight.
“Want me to help?” Shi Wenze asked, gently rubbing the back of Lin Su’s neck. Lin Su shook his head. Nope. Not with you around. I can’t focus on anything when you’re nearby.
Maybe it was love goggles, but lately Lin Su found Shi Wenze ridiculously attractive—especially post-shower, wandering around the house in that discounted plush dinosaur onesie. So sexy it made Lin Su want to abandon art and take up paleontology just to study this specific species of ferocious dino… preferably in bed. Sure, the “research” was fun, but too much of it gave him back pain. The price of science was steep.
Shi Wenze picked up Lin Su’s scarf and carefully wrapped it around his neck. “Then let me walk you to the gallery.”
The subway station on Egret Street has finally been finished. To celebrate the New Year, the city had strung colorful lights in the trees—butterflies, rabbits, and other blinking oddities that didn’t quite match the gallery’s austere gray-and-white exterior. Still, Lin Su found the tacky display oddly charming.
He slid his hand into Shi Wenze’s warm coat pocket as they strolled along the sidewalk. After a while, he tilted his head and asked, “What do you think our parents are talking about in the car?”
“No clue. But definitely not a wedding date,” Shi Wenze replied, lacing their fingers together. “Because I still haven’t officially won you over.”
Lin Su rolled his eyes at the fake deep voice Shi Wenze was using. “But your day-pass already switched to auto-renewal.”
“Not the same,” Shi Wenze whined. “Day-passes come with no sense of security.”
Lin Su ignored him, turning to look at the twinkling lights overhead. Then Shi Wenze stepped in front of him, bent slightly at the waist, and said, “How about an upgrade to a lifetime membership?”
Lin Su tried to step back, but Shi Wenze caught him around the waist. Highway robbery in broad daylight. If this were one of those investigative reality shows, the whole thing would’ve been split into a three-part series. But Lin Su didn’t want to say no. The day-pass experience had been pretty amazing, after all. So maybe a little upgrade wasn’t such a bad idea.
“Does that mean I successfully upsold you?” Shi Wenze asked hopefully. Instead of answering, Lin Su leaned in to kiss him. Even mid-kiss, Shi Wenze kept pushing, “So? Did I succeed or not?”
Lin Su stomped on his foot. “One more word and I’m canceling my membership!”
Laughing, Shi Wenze swept him up in his arms. “No refunds, sir. Once a handsome man is sold, he’s the final sale.”
They ran down the sidewalk hand in hand, slipping slightly on the wet pavement as a soft winter rain—typical of Chengdu—drizzled around them. By the time they reached the gallery, both their hair and shoulders were damp.
The workers had just left, but the room still held the lingering warmth of the heating. Shi Wenze used his back to close the door, unzipping his puffer coat as he leaned in for another breathless kiss. Lin Su laughed and tried to squirm away. “Stop, I still need to check upstairs.”
Shi Wenze pressed him onto the office desk. “First day of the lifetime membership comes with a bonus—new location included.”
And then, suddenly, a little white dragon coiled itself around the crystal chandelier. Today, it was wearing a blue sweater—thick, fluffy, and padded at the belly—looking like a round little dumpling. Shi Wenze stared. “…” Well. Incomplete bloodline. Definitely a downside.
He couldn’t exactly climb up there and fetch the tiny dragon himself, so he stayed put and took on the role of the Big Bad Grandma Wolf instead, tail wagging as he extended a hand and said gently, “Come on down, sweetie.”
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