Oh no, my deskmate is a yandere!

The bedroom door was half open.

If you listen carefully, you can faintly hear the clinking sounds of a woman chopping vegetables.

"..."

I felt a little more at ease.

That's really strange...

He shook his head inwardly and slapped his head twice, trying to erase that vague feeling.

I must be crazy.

As usual, countless times, I got dressed, washed up...

However, when he walked out of the bedroom still a little sleepy, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and was startled.

I almost dropped the towel I was holding on the ground.

On the living room sofa, a middle-aged woman with a haggard expression was resting with her eyes closed.

Upon hearing footsteps, the other person quickly opened their eyes.

The young man's slightly flustered appearance came into view.

"You are... Xixi's boyfriend, Yang An, right?"

The middle-aged woman frowned, her tired eyes revealing a sharp scrutiny.

He looked the young man up and down, then moved his gaze from his feet to his face.

"..."

Yang An was at a loss for words. Helpless, he could only bow and say, "Hello, Auntie..."

What on earth is this stupid woman doing?

Give the person who comes the best service.

They didn't say a word, and didn't even bother to wake me up beforehand.

His lips twitched slightly.

What is he supposed to do?

Well known.

As someone with social anxiety, the invisible pressure I feel when facing elders in their thirties or forties is something no one else can ever match.

Moreover, the person had just woken up and was not yet fully conscious.

What mother-daughter conflict? What escape plan?

At this moment, Yang An had only one thought in his mind.

What to do?

Sitting is not an option, and standing here is not an option either.

"Please sit down." Fortunately, the middle-aged woman glanced at her and then calmly looked away.

Yang An sat somewhat awkwardly in a relatively distant position.

It's my own home, yet I feel like an outsider.

The next ten minutes or so.

The middle-aged woman still looked exhausted, and Yang An remained silent.

Aside from the initial greeting, the two didn't exchange a single word from beginning to end.

The kitchen door was pushed open, and Jiang Nianxi came out carrying steaming hot food.

She first placed the rice plate in a corner, and then personally took out two bowls of rice.

A bowl was handed to Yang An first: "Good boy."

"..."

Yang An chuckled awkwardly.

The other bowl was handed to the middle-aged woman: "Mom."

"..."

The middle-aged woman remained silent and quietly accepted the rice.

Jiang Nianxi finally sat down after all the dishes were served.

It was still right next to Yang An.

This made Yang An himself sweat profusely, and his hands were shaking as he held the chopsticks.

This was the first time he had ever seen such a scene.

The atmosphere was unusually eerie.

He didn't touch his chopsticks, and Jiang Nianxi, following her usual habit, didn't touch them either.

For some reason, the middle-aged woman also didn't pick up her chopsticks.

The mother and daughter stared at each other for a long time without saying a word.

Silence and stillness seemed to be the theme of this meal.

Jiang Nianxi was waiting for Yang An to eat first, but according to etiquette, Yang An should let the older person eat first.

However, the middle-aged woman didn't seem very willing.

And so, the three of them were inexplicably at an impasse.

"Xi Xi".

A few minutes later, the middle-aged woman finally sighed and uttered her first words at the dinner table.

"Hmm..." Jiang Nianxi raised her head, neither humble nor arrogant.

"You promised me."

"Um……"

"Aren't you going to give me an explanation?"

Jiang Nianxi lowered her eyes, picked up some food, and put it into Yang An's bowl: "What do I need to explain to you?"

"..."

Another eerie silence followed.

After a long while, the middle-aged woman slowly turned her head and squinted at the young man beside her daughter.

It was at this moment that Yang An was able to truly see the woman's appearance.

My first impression of him was that he looked haggard.

Time has left its mark on the woman's face with wrinkles, but it cannot conceal her former radiance.

No beauty in history could surpass her.

only……

Yang An couldn't help but shiver.

He could always sense a gloomy aura emanating from this woman.

"I am Xixi's mother, Qin Heyue."

The middle-aged woman's voice was completely devoid of personal emotion, and remarkably calm.

Her smile was polite, but it seemed somewhat forced.

"My daughter Xixi has caused you a lot of trouble, please forgive her."

Contrary to his impression, this kind of temperament... was something Yang An could hardly have experienced from ordinary single working parents.

His clothes weren't very nice, and his demeanor and behavior were completely different from what Jiang Nianxi had described.

Qin Heyue didn't notice the change in his expression. She lowered her head and straightened her cuffs. "Xixi's father passed away early. He left when I was three months pregnant with her..."

"I only have this one daughter, and I've always treated her like the apple of my eye."

"Mom," Jiang Nianxi suddenly interrupted.

Qin Heyue paused for a moment, then stopped speaking abruptly.

Jiang Nianxi continued to add food to Yang An's bowl, her expression indifferent: "Some things are better left unsaid."

"..."

"..."

"Fine... Yang An, as Xi Xi's mother, let's be frank now."

"I've always been an open-minded person. I don't object to young people dating freely. Whoever Xixi likes is fine, as long as they're suitable and respectable."

Qin Heyue sighed, but her gaze toward Yang An became exceptionally sharp.

She paused for a moment, then continued.

"So, it's Xixi's freedom to be with whomever she wants, and I have no right to interfere, but..."

"On the condition that you don't hinder her future!"

"Mom!" Jiang Nianxi's hand trembled slightly as she sternly stopped her.

She didn't want to make a scene in front of the person she loved.

However, Qin Heyue merely glanced at her coldly and turned her attention to her instead.

"Xixi, when you changed your college application without my permission, did you ever think about how I felt...?"

"I've worked all sorts of dirty and tiring jobs outside, and I hope you can live up to my expectations... You changed your college application behind my back, and your dad in heaven will be disappointed in you."

Jiang Nianxi lowered her head, and although her expression was not visible, one could clearly feel her breathing rate increasing.

She tried hard to control her emotions: "Mom, I've tried my best. I haven't let you down... I don't want the first thing you say to me after a whole year is to blame me."

"I said I would pay for my own university tuition. I'm independent now, just like you said. I haven't wronged you."

"I hope we can have a good talk, and I especially hope that neither of us will have any unpleasantness..."

"You haven't wronged me?"

Qin Heyue rubbed her sore eyes and scoffed, "Then why did you give up a perfectly good university in Beijing to follow some kid to Xuancheng to study? Is that what you call doing right by me?"

"...I've been trying my best to repay you...After I went to university, none of my living expenses, tuition fees, or rental fees were paid by you."

"So all the hard work I put into sending you to middle school, and getting you such high scores, is it just because you're ungrateful?"

"..."

"Think about it carefully. I haven't mistreated you in any way, have I? I've given you materials, books, and always provided for your needs, all so that you could succeed, become independent, and not follow in my footsteps..."

"..."