No? Can I read the mind of my mortal enemy?

Lin Ya-hui is very panicked right now.

To be honest, she didn't put much effort into Pei Jingnian's education; in fact, Pei Jingnian didn't need her to worry about him at all.

There wasn't much of a rebellious phase, since I've always had an arrogant and unlovable attitude since I was little.

Starting from a low point means that even if your personality is bad later on, you won't feel it's a big deal.

Could this be... a midlife crisis?!

The two stood on the balcony, silence filling the Cambridge tonight.

After a long while, Pei Jingnian finally organized his thoughts and began to speak:

"Mom, I have someone I like."

I disagree.

The two voices came out almost simultaneously.

Lin Ya-hui leaned against the washing machine, supporting her forehead with one hand to relieve the headache from her hangover.

Pei Jingnian swallowed the rest of his words, his fists clenched tightly. "You already knew?"

"Yeah, I really didn't expect that... No wonder you haven't dated anyone all these years."

No wonder, that day when her son and Shi Qiao were alone in a room, there wasn't a spark between them at all.

So it turns out the pot and lid are mismatched!

"This road won't be easy. Everyone knows your relationship; you grew up together, you're practically family!"

Pei Jingnian frowned, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with a hint of ruthlessness. "So what? She and I aren't related by blood."

Lin Ya Hui wanted nothing more than to go up and hit her son a couple of times.

If they're related by blood, that's terrible! Their family would become the Wan Chai Pier!

"Pei Jingnian! If this gets out... how much pressure will you be under?" Lin Ya Hui raised her voice considerably. "Relationships aren't child's play!"

"You're not a child anymore. I hope you'll think this over carefully."

She made a move to walk outside, but Pei Jingnian walked around to stand in front of her.

"I didn't take it lightly; I've loved it since I was a child..."

"I want to respect you, and I know that you can't force someone to like something," Lin Ya Hui interrupted Pei Jing Nian.

"...I reckon it will take your dad some time to process this too."

She wore a solemn expression I'd never seen before, her thumb lightly twirling a jade bracelet. "No matter what, there's only one daughter-in-law in my heart."

She swallowed the name "Shi Qiao," preserving her last shred of dignity.

She didn't want Pei Jingnian to get angry and make things difficult for her lovely Shi Qiao just because she wanted Shi Qiao to be her daughter-in-law.

Lin Ya Hui walked out onto the balcony, leaving Pei Jing Nian alone.

His clenched fists dug his nails deep into his palms, leaving irregular crescent-shaped marks. He truly hadn't expected that what Shi Qiao was worried about would actually happen.

Who is that daughter-in-law in his heart?

How many years has it been? Are they still going to stick to arranged marriages?

When did his mother find out about his relationship with Shi Qiao?

Pei Jingnian's mind was in complete confusion.

*

On the other side, Lin Ya Hui sat back on the sofa with a tearful face, burying her face in Bai Shu Wen's arms and sobbing loudly.

She sobbed softly, "How could he be gay? Waaaaah, and he's liked Lu Zhou since we were kids!"

"While I respect that, I still find it hard to accept when it happens to my own child."

"Ah Wen, I'm not a good mother, waaaaah, Jing Nian must hate me now."

Bai Shuwen gently patted Lin Yahui's shoulder, "Aya, calm down. Maybe we've misunderstood something?"

"What misunderstanding could there be! Our little one is so cute, and they shared a room with us for the whole night! Nothing happened!"

Lin Ya Hui's eyes were brimming with tears. "And you saw it yesterday, didn't you? Right there in public, with that Lu family brat, right in the driver's seat..."

"Besides, what son would dress up so extravagantly to meet someone else's son?"

"Ah Wen, no matter what, Xiao Qiao will always be my daughter in my heart, and I will always treat her like my own daughter!"

Seeing her best friend crying like this, Bai Shuwen couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat.

After a while, Lin Ya Hui finally calmed down, and the door was opened again.

The two looked up and were stunned when they saw that it was Shi Qiaoren.

It's one thing for the son to stay out overnight, but why is it the daughter too?

They thought Shi Qiao was resting in Pei Jingnian's room!

Bai Shuwen immediately stepped forward, her gaze fixed unabashedly on the fresh hickeys on her neck.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that there was more than one such instance.

However, most of them were cleverly concealed by concealer.

Something definitely happened that night!

With whom?!

Her pupils contracted slightly. "Qiaoqiao, where did you go last night?"

Shi Qiao covered her neck somewhat guiltily, her face as red as a rotten tomato. "Mom, can I tell you something?"

"It won't take you too long, just the two of us."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ya Hui, who had been straining to calm herself down, broke down in tears and nearly fainted.

Shi Qiao choked back tears, "Mom, what's wrong with Aunt Lin?"

Bai Shuwen's face also turned quite pale. "No...it's nothing. Your Aunt Lin just saw a melodramatic TV series and her favorite couple has fallen for her. She can't quite accept it."

But it seems she's about to follow in her best friend's footsteps.

My perfectly good Chinese cabbage got eaten by wild boars outside!

"Didn't you say you had something to tell me? Let's go to your room."

Shi Qiao nodded blankly and returned to her room.

As soon as the door closed, Bai Shuwen grabbed Shi Qiao's shoulders, somewhat agitated, "Xiao Qiao, where did you go last night! How did you end up like this?"

"Are you injured? Please wear..."

Shi Qiao quickly stopped her, "Mom! Nothing like what you're thinking happened!"

Bai Shuwen's heart sank slightly, and she clutched her chest, saying, "That's good, that's good."

"Qiaoqiao, let me make this clear first: although sex isn't shameful, you're still young. If you're unsure whether the other person will take responsibility, no matter what sweet words they use, you can't just have sex with them!"

Of course, Pei Jingnian is an exception.

That was the son-in-law she had observed for twenty years and personally selected!

...Although there's no other way now.

"Because once you get pregnant, whether you give birth or not, it will harm your body, understand, baby?"

Shi Qiao nodded and took Bai Shuwen's hand. "Mom, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"Then tell me, what do you want to tell Mom?"

Getting back to the topic, Shi Qiao suddenly became shy, her fingertips nervously rubbing together.

"Well... I've recently become quite interested in a guy."

"He looks... well, I mean, if he's similar to Pei Jingnian's type, and his personality might be similar too. What do you think of this kind of guy?"

Bai Shuwen gritted her teeth, recalling the WeChat Moments post she had seen that day.

There are indeed a few photos that look a bit like a student, and they do resemble Jingnian's temperament a little bit when she was in high school.

But that's still way off! way too far off!

"I don't think so," Bai Shuwen replied decisively. "I think you deserve better, Qiaoqiao."

Shi Qiao quickly added, "What if it really is like Pei Jingnian! A 1:1 replica!"

She was so anxious that she almost blurted out what she and Pei Jingnian were talking about.

Bai Shuwen was disappointed in him.

This guy's love-struck! He's probably so infatuated with love that he mistook a glycerin suppository for Dior perfume!

"That won't do either!"

"How good can a man be if he touches you inappropriately and lets you stay out overnight right after starting a relationship?"

Shi Qiao lost her voice.

Hmm, that makes some sense, doesn't it?

No, no, the question we should be considering now is why her mother reacted so strongly?

With the situation at a stalemate, Bai Shuwen's phone vibrated twice; it was a call from Jiang Ruochu.

"Let's leave this topic here."

She got up and answered the phone; Jiang Ruochu's voice came through.

"Sister Bai, are you and Sister Lin free tonight? I haven't seen you in a long time, let's have dinner together."

"By the way, bring Xiaoqiao and Jingnian along too. Luzhou is here too, so the three of them together won't be too bored."