Chapter 149: Do Your Parents Dislike Me?

Page (1/3)

Cheng Li and Guo Mengyun sat across from them, witnessing the scene with their own eyes. They were both astonished and taken aback.

They knew their son fairly well. Having grown up in such a family, his path smooth and effortless from childhood onward, he had long since developed a proud and arrogant temperament.

Not to mention that, over all these years, he had never been so obedient to anyone.

Thus, while still faintly surprised, Cheng Li and Guo Mengyun discreetly sized up Lu Qingyue once more.

The young girl, however, was docile and well-behaved, with clear, bright eyes. Under their scrutiny, she blushed shyly.

Guo Mengyun’s heart softened at the sight. She wanted to exchange a few more words with the girl, but Cheng Xingye interrupted her first. He pulled Lu Qingyue to her feet and, restraining the forbearance in his voice, said calmly,

“I’ll take you home first.”

He did not want the strained relationship in his family to be exposed before her without warning.

Even less did he want her dragged directly into that quagmire.

Lu Qingyue was clever. She immediately guessed that Cheng Xingye probably did not want her to have much contact with his parents. Naturally, she obediently gave a quiet “Oh” and let him lead her to her feet.

Seeing that they were about to leave, Guo Mengyun hurriedly moved ahead of them and pulled the motionless Old Cheng to his feet.

Caught off guard, Cheng Li was poked in the small of the back by his wife. Then he heard her say with admirable tact,

“No, no, we were just about to leave.”

It was not that they could not tell their son did not welcome them there at that moment.

It simply was not a good opportunity to explain anything. If they frightened the young girl away, they would only lose more than they gained.

Guo Mengyun had made up her mind not to let her relationship with her son grow any more strained. Since Cheng Xingye did not welcome them, she could speak with him privately another day.

In any case, she had met the young girl now, and she was quite pleased with her. Once Cheng Xingye’s anger subsided, he would bring her home to meet the family sooner or later.

Thus, Guo Mengyun cleverly pretended that she still had matters to attend to. After bidding Lu Qingyue farewell in a gentle voice, she hurriedly pulled Cheng Li out of the apartment.

.....

The door slowly closed before them, and silence returned to the room.

The sudden turn of events had left Lu Qingyue dazed. It was only after quite some time that she turned around in bewilderment.

Behind her, the tall man stood with a grave expression, saying nothing.

It was as though a heavy gloom were gathering around him.

Lu Qingyue rarely saw him look so serious. Uneasiness stirred in her heart, and she could not help calling softly,

“Cheng Xingye?”

He did not answer.

He seemed to still be lost in thought, his brows faintly drawn together and his lips pressed into a tight line.

He did not come back to himself until she gently tugged at his sleeve.

Seeing the innocence and confusion on her face, he curved his lips faintly and, as usual, reached out to stroke her head.

“It’s all right now.”

He pretended to be composed and silently exhaled a deep breath.

Page (1/3)

Page (2/3)

Then he took her hand and returned with her to the sofa. Sitting down, he lifted her onto his lap and asked, seemingly offhandedly,

“What did they talk to you about just now?”

Lu Qingyue sat curled up on his lap. When he embraced her, her small hands instinctively slipped around his neck and shoulders. Only then did she tilt up her little face and recall the conversation.

“They asked what my name was, what my family did, and how we met. That was about it, I think.”

In truth, they had not talked for very long before he returned.

The questions sounded fairly ordinary to Cheng Xingye. He gave a faint hum and asked another,

“Where’s your phone? Why didn’t you answer when I called you so many times?”

Her phone...?

Lu Qingyue immediately patted her pockets and discovered that they were empty.

Just as she was wondering where she had put it, hOShinO came running in from the balcony, her phone clamped between its teeth.

Lu Qingyue: “...”

Only then did she remember that she had crouched down to feed the dog earlier. Her trousers had been so tight and uncomfortable that she had taken the phone from her pocket and set it aside.

Afterward, she had been so preoccupied with opening the door for Cheng’s parents that she had completely forgotten to retrieve it.

Embarrassed, she took the phone from hOShinO and apologized awkwardly.

“Sorry... I didn’t hear it ringing.”

Cheng Xingye had never been angry with her in the first place. He was merely displeased by his parents’ unexpected appearance.

Seeing that she seemed to have been frightened by him, his expression softened somewhat. He raised a hand and pinched her cheek.

“And what’s with the suitcase?”

The pink suitcase, packed to the brim, still lay there innocently and forlornly on the floor beside the entrance.

Following his reminder, Lu Qingyue looked over. She blinked in confusion, then suddenly understood.

“You thought I was leaving?”

Cheng Xingye said nothing. His brows and eyes remained deep and silent.

He had not said a word, but from his expression alone, Lu Qingyue knew she had guessed correctly.

She curved her eyes and hooked her arms around his neck. Suppressing her laughter, she explained triumphantly,

“No! There aren’t any clothes at my dorm, so I came back to pack some and take them with me.”

Cheng Xingye glanced at her smug little face.

He showed nothing on the surface, but inwardly, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

This little menace...

He had suddenly realized that this seemingly harmless young girl had somehow managed to bring him completely under her thumb with astonishing ease.

It was a little irritating. And yet, being so utterly captivated by her, he seemed perfectly willing.

Sensing his cool gaze fixed upon her, Lu Qingyue immediately reined herself in and sat quietly in his arms, holding her breath.

Page (2/3)

Page (3/3)

Fortunately, Cheng Xingye said nothing in the end. He merely adjusted his position and tightened his arms, making her more comfortable in his embrace.

Seeing that he had no intention of continuing to blame her, Lu Qingyue relaxed slightly.

As she studied his expression, her thoughts began turning rapidly. Then, rather unexpectedly, she came to understand why he had been so solemn and cold when he saw his parents.

Lu Qingyue was a little surprised. Thinking it over, she decided that it was not impossible. Her heart, which had just settled, rose anxiously once more, and she asked with care,

“Do your parents dislike me?”

The person holding her paused.

Cheng Xingye lowered his head to look at her.

She had been born with an extraordinarily beautiful pair of eyes. Whenever she looked at someone, they were always so clear and luminous that no one could bear to deceive her.

But Cheng Xingye thought, How could anyone dislike a girl like her?

Pure and clean, clever and quick-witted. Surely anyone who met her would want to treasure her like a precious jewel.

He gazed quietly into her eyes, then raised a hand and lightly touched the corner of one.

“No.”

No one could dislike you.

For the first time, the fingertips that were usually warm carried a faint chill.

The coldness passed between their touching skin, and for an instant, Lu Qingyue’s heart tightened.

After a few seconds of silence, she pretended to be at ease, swinging her legs lightly as she sat on him.

“If they don’t, then why are you so nervous?”

From the hurried way he had rushed back, to the seven or eight consecutive calls, to the coldness and hostility he had shown toward his parents—everything revealed the turmoil and unease in his heart.

Cheng Xingye knew how clever she was. He could not hide it from her deliberately.

So he said nothing. He only drew a deep breath, allowing the dry, icy air to fill his lungs and letting it stab his chest with pain.

When he remained silent, Lu Qingyue knew she had guessed correctly. She cupped Cheng Xingye’s face and asked softly,

“Did you think they came here today to force me to leave?”

Cheng Xingye did not want her to know what baseless assumptions his parents had made about her before coming to see her.

Today’s meeting might have been a coincidence, or it might have been carefully arranged.

But until he understood their attitude toward her, Cheng Xingye had no intention of letting them have any further contact with her. He did not want her to suffer even the slightest grievance in front of his family.

Thus, he pressed his lips together before lowering his voice.

“You only need to remember what I told you. If they come looking for you again, make sure you call me.”