After ninety-nine online romances, I finally met my ex in person when school started.

"Xun Chuan," Shen Xinrou stepped forward, her tone now tinged with a motherly probing, "Our Wan Qing is probably a full ten years older than you. She's been spoiled by both the Shen and Meng families since she was little, she has a terrible temper and is incredibly stubborn; once she's made up her mind, nothing can change it. You're so young, what do you see in her?"

This is an extremely pointed question, directly addressing the core conflict between the two.

Meng Wanqing also tensed up, her breathing unconsciously becoming softer, her gaze fixed on Zhu Xunchuan's back.

Zhu Xun Chuan sprinkled some chopped green onions into the pot, turned off the heat, and took it out of the pot.

The movements were completed in one smooth motion.

He carried the plate of bright red braised pork, turned around and placed it on the counter, then looked directly into Shen Xinrou's eyes and smiled.

"Auntie, you're being biased. Wanqing is usually very decisive at school and dignified in front of elders. But with me, she's really gentle."

Zhu Xun Chuan grabbed a piece of kitchen paper to wipe his hands, then looked at Meng Wan Qing with extremely gentle eyes.

"Last month I had acute gastroenteritis and couldn't sleep at night because of the pain. It was this pampered young lady who never lifts a finger to cook for me, who got up at three in the morning to cook millet porridge for me. She didn't control the heat well and the hot soup in the clay pot splashed out, burning a large area of ​​the back of her hand red."

Zhu Xun Chuan paused for a moment, his eyes filled with pity: "She was afraid I would feel sorry for her, so she hid her hands in her sleeves and pretended nothing was wrong as she fed me porridge. I didn't notice the scalded blister until the next morning."

"Auntie, you're asking me what I see in her?"

Zhu Xun Chuan stepped forward and, in front of his mother-in-law, very naturally tucked a stray lock of hair that had fallen across Meng Wan Qing's forehead behind her ear.

"I'm attracted to her cold exterior but warm heart, and to her naivety that only I can see. What's ten years? Even if she's twenty years older than me, Meng Wanqing is the woman I, Zhu Xun Chuan, have decided to cherish for the rest of my life."

The kitchen was deathly silent.

Meng Wanqing's eyes instantly reddened. Although the story about cooking porridge at dawn was fake, Zhu Xunchuan told it as if it were true, and her eyes reddened with anger! Zhu Xunchuan's storytelling ability was just too strong.

Her ability to spout nonsense so easily left her speechless... It's clearly a lie, but she manages to get you completely hooked!

And he was so genuinely emotional that he almost fooled himself...

An extremely strong warm current rushed from the bottom of her heart to her nasal cavity. She could no longer maintain her strong woman mask. She stomped her foot in embarrassment and annoyance and directly covered Zhu Xun Chuan's mouth with her hand.

"Shut up! What a silly thing to say, it's awful!" Meng Wanqing's ears were burning red, and her voice was as coquettish as a girl in her first love.

Shen Xinrou was stunned.

She looked at her daughter, who was stomping her feet and acting spoiled, and could hardly believe her eyes. Was this still the same Meng family's eldest daughter who was ruthless and decisive in the Shanghai business world, and who had put the Ye family's eldest grandson in an awkward position?

After a brief moment of astonishment, Shen Xinrou suddenly burst into a hearty laugh.

"Hahaha! Good! Good!"

Shen Xinrou laughed until tears almost came out. She patted Zhu Xunchuan's shoulder, her eyes full of undisguised admiration and satisfaction.

"Little Zhu, I'm impressed. You managed to crack this tough nut and even get her to obediently cook porridge for you. You're amazing!"

Shen Xinrou took the tissue from Zhu Xunchuan's hand, her tone completely transforming into that of a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law with loving kindness, "Alright, stop getting covered in the fumes in the kitchen. Go wash your hands and get ready to eat. You'll have to have a couple more drinks with your Uncle Meng tonight."

First hurdle: Mother-in-law's defenses - Perfect victory.

Meng Wanqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes practically brimming with longing as she looked at Zhu Xunchuan.

"I'm going to the restroom, I'll be right back." Zhu Xunchuan pinched Meng Wanqing's waist, then turned and walked out of the kitchen.

As soon as he was out of Shen Xinrou's sight, his phone started vibrating wildly in his pocket.

Zhu Xun Chuan strode into the luxurious bathroom at the end of the corridor, locked the door, and took out his phone.

The screen displayed more than a dozen unread WeChat messages, all from Su Mucheng, the wife of a top celebrity.

"Zhu Xunchuan! Where the hell have you been! Why didn't you answer my video call?!"

"Director Xie forced me to take on another gig today, it's exhausting. I'm so tired of thinking about you, my whole body aches."

"I don't care, I need to hear your voice right now. I need to hear your heartbeat, otherwise I won't be able to sleep tonight!"

Below the photo was an extremely provocative private picture. In the photo, Su Mucheng was wearing an extremely thin white silk camisole, with one shoulder exposed and her fair skin faintly visible. She was lying on the hotel bed, biting her lower lip, her eyes extremely seductive.

Zhu Xun Chuan leaned against the sink, looking at the photo, and a surge of anger welled up inside him.

This little vixen is getting better and better at flirting. She just won over her mother-in-law, and now she's starting to set things off remotely.

He tapped the voice message button, brought the phone close to his lips, lowered his voice, and replied in an extremely magnetic and slightly roguish tone.

"Listen to my heartbeat? Sure. When I get back to Beijing, I'll let you lie on my chest and listen all night. I'm just afraid you'll complain about the noise and cry, begging me to stop."

Send extremely explicit raunchy jokes directly.

There was a three-second silence on the other end, followed by a ten-second voice message. Opening it revealed Su Mucheng's extremely shy and coquettish breaths and her playful scolding of him as a "big pervert."

Zhu Xun Chuan smiled and locked the screen.

The daily life of a master of impartiality is both tedious and exciting.

He turned on the tap, splashed cold water on his face, and calmed himself down. He straightened his shirt collar and pushed open the bathroom door.

Meng Wanqing was standing in the corridor waiting for him. She had already regained her dignified and aloof demeanor, but the spring in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"Let's go, my grandpa and dad are waiting in the main hall." Meng Wanqing took his arm very naturally. "You were clever enough to make my mom so happy just now. But the real battle is about to begin."

"Is your grandfather fierce?" Zhu Xun Chuan asked casually.

Meng Wanqing shook her head, her expression extremely solemn: "He's not fierce. But back then, he single-handedly built the Shen family's empire over thirty years on the banks of the Shanghai River with just a woodcutter's knife. He never judges people with his eyes, he judges them with his knife."

The two walked side by side down the corridor to the main reception room at the far end of the banquet hall.

The two carved doors were half open.

Zhu Xun Chuan took a deep breath and stepped across the threshold.

In the center of the reception room sat an elderly man in a black jacket with a front opening, seated in the main armchair. He leaned on a sandalwood cane with a dragon head, his figure thin, yet as imposing as an unshakeable mountain.

Hearing footsteps, the old man slowly raised his head.

Those were eyes as sharp as a hawk's, eyes that had seen much of life.