At six in the morning, with the faint light of dawn, the hallway remained dimly lit, yet the disbelief on Pei Yue’s face was crystal clear.
Initially still groggy, Lu Xingyan, after three seconds of locking eyes with his mother, felt as if he’d been doused with a bucket of cold water, suddenly alert as if he could sit for an exam again with just a pen.
Pei Yue gripped the stair railing tightly, alternating her gaze between Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo’s door, her throat feeling as if it were blocked, unable to articulate a word.
She had come downstairs for a drink of water, only to find traces of a dragged suitcase on the floor, prompting her to check if Lu Xingyan, the little rascal, had returned.
She never expected to stumble upon such a surreal scene.
Was this not real?
About seven or eight seconds later, she unexpectedly slapped herself across the face.
—Not too hard, but enough to sting. It wasn’t a dream.
Since when did the womenfolk get so ruthless as to abuse themselves?
Lu Xingyan almost thought he was dreaming, his face filled with astonishment as he whispered, “Mom, are you okay? Why did you hit yourself?”
“…”
“It’s nothing, just felt like there was a mosquito.”
Pei Yue finally spoke, though her expression was dazed, her voice somewhat elusive.
Where would mosquitoes come from in the dead of winter?
Lu Xingyan rubbed the back of his head, looking her up and down. “Mom, what are you doing up here so early in the morning, and why are you wearing this padded coat? Isn’t it a bit too festive for this?”
Pei Yue “…”
She didn’t know what she was thinking. Ignoring the serious matters, she followed Lu Xingyan’s lead and replied, “What do you know? This is a collaboration between a luxury brand and a traditional Chinese painter, limited edition.”
…?
Middle-aged women were really easy to deceive, believing this to be a limited edition of the same style from the 1990s.
Lu Xingyan glanced at the ceiling, feeling a bit speechless.
But he quickly remembered that the current focus seemed not to be on the padded coat.
Taking advantage of Pei Yue being led astray by him and not coming back to her senses, he casually said, “Ah, so sleepy. I’ll go back to my room and sleep a bit longer. Mom, you should go back to bed too. It’s only six o’clock.”
Pei Yue watched him walk to the top of the stairs, open his room door, and walk-in…
Just one more action of locking the door, and Lu Xingyan could temporarily evade Pei Yue’s interrogation, enjoy a good nap, and deal with things later.
But fate had other plans. Just as he was about to close the door, Pei Yue suddenly snapped out of it, taking a swift step forward, and kicked the door open!
Lu Xingyan was utterly bewildered.
Was this damn limited edition sleep-padded coat equipped with Popeye’s strength buff?
He nearly toppled over from the sudden kick to the door!
As Pei Yue snapped back to reality, she rushed forward without a hint of breathlessness, grabbed Lu Xingyan’s ear, and swiftly delivered another lesson—a door-closing lecture.
“For heaven’s sake, what the hell were you doing in Ruoru’s room? Sneaking around like this early in the morning, are you trying to get yourself killed?! Speak up, did you do anything to Ruoru? Since when? Did she notice? Or did you coerce her? Lu Xingyan, are you trying to drive me to an early grave or make me lose my mind?! Speak up already!!!”
With the blood from the door-kicking incident still choking him, Lu Xingyan found himself subjected to a barrage of scolding as Pei Yue continued relentlessly. By now, he was seeing stars.
And Pei Yue wouldn’t let up, her incessant nagging implying she was about to stamp him as a rapist and drag him to the police station!
Coughing a few times, enduring pains from all over his body, Lu Xingyan managed to croak out, “No, it’s not… Mom, you need to give me a chance to catch my breath and explain. How can you think so low of me!”
Pei Yue, still gripping his ear, twisted it another 135 degrees.
“Ouch—ouch—ouch!!!”
“Mom! Stop twisting! Ruoru and I are dating! It’s a legitimate relationship, we just slept together, I didn’t do anything wrong, let go!!”
Initially, Lu Xingyan hadn’t planned to confess, but Pei Yue’s protective stance over her daughter nearly scared him to death, denying him a chance to explain. She nearly beat him to a pulp in just a few moves!
Dating. Legitimate relationship. Just sleeping together?
Pei Yue froze for a moment, her eyes widening slowly as she processed the information. “What did you say? Say that again!”
“I’m dating Shen Xingruo. She’s my girlfriend now!” Lu Xingyan exclaimed loudly.
Pei Yue stood still, stunned. After several seconds, she tightened her grip, twisting his ear another 135 degrees.
Lu Xingyan screamed in agony, almost ready to depart this world.
—Not a dream.
Pei Yue slowly released her grip.
A mixture of shock, confusion, and various other emotions swirled together, but in the end, the feeling of joy emerged victorious.
Her heart brimming with happiness, Pei Yue broke into a smile, her gaze towards Lu Xingyan turning gentle and kind.
Lu Xingyan was still closing his eyes and rubbing his ear.
Pei Yue, being particularly considerate, helped him sit on the edge of the bed, gently patting his back with care and tenderness as she asked, “Son, you mean… you’re dating Xingruo now, right?”
Raising the index fingers of both hands and bringing them together, she nodded, “So when did you two start dating?”
“…We started right after the college entrance exam.”