Chapter 38

In an instant, Wen Jiunian, a tall and handsome man over 1.8 meters, was being chased around the store by his own mother, who was wielding a spoon. He held his head and ran frantically, making Lin Nanzhi stare in shock. The restaurant’s customers, owner, and staff all stopped what they were doing, watching this dramatic scene unfold.

What on earth just happened?

Did I wake up too early? Am I hallucinating?

Lin Nanzhi, not knowing what got into her, instinctively pulled out her phone and started recording. Wen Jiunian, upon noticing this, gritted his teeth in frustration. When he glanced around and saw all eyes on him, he immediately dashed toward the exit.

After the family of three left, Yu Ze arrived late and looked at Lin Nanzhi in confusion. “What’s going on?”

“I have no idea.” Lin Nanzhi put away her phone and shrugged.

The moment she finished speaking, she suddenly felt the weight of multiple gazes around her. Feeling a little awkward, she hurried to the counter and said, “Boss, cancel our hot pot base, sorry for the trouble. Also, cancel the dishes we ordered. As an apology, please send a plate of beef tripe to each table on us.”

She rummaged through her bag and found that she still had 2,200 yuan in cash, which should be enough. She slapped the money on the counter, then grabbed the still-clueless Yu Ze and quickly left.

On the other side, Wen Jiunian dodged his mother’s attacks while listening to her shouting, “How could you do that!” He was completely bewildered. He didn’t want to be beaten up for no reason.

“Mom, what are you doing?! Even criminals get a chance to defend themselves! At least tell me what I did wrong!”

Wen’s father pulled his wife aside, trying to calm her down. “Let’s hear what this brat has to say first. Maybe he has an explanation. Let’s see if he can talk his way out of this.”

“Fine! Speak!” Wen’s mother stood with one hand on her hip, the other still holding the spoon, pointing at Wen Jiunian as she demanded an answer.

Wen Jiunian: “…”

“What exactly do you want me to say?!”

This response only made his mother angrier. She raised her spoon again, ready to strike, but Wen’s father quickly held her back. In frustration, she threw the spoon, but Wen Jiunian dodged just in time, avoiding a direct hit to the face.

Finally, Wen’s father spoke up. “Lately, you haven’t been home much. Someone saw you hanging around with a girl all the time. Is it Lin Nanzhi?”

During previous summer vacations, their son was either at home or busy with his studio. But this year, he had barely been home. They had been curious about what he was up to, so they asked around and found out from Yu Ze’s mother that Wen Jiunian had been spending time with a girl. She even showed them a photo.

They thought, well, their son isn’t young anymore—having a girlfriend is normal, as long as he treats her well.

But today, when they saw their son with that girl, they decided to confront him, only to discover something shocking…

Their son had truly crossed a line!

“Yeah, but what does that have to do with her?”

“What does that have to do with her? My god, do you even hear yourself? Do you know how old she is? And how old you are?! Do you have any shame?”

Wen Jiunian finally understood their misunderstanding and rolled his eyes.

“Mom, you’re overthinking things. She’s just a kid! How could I even think about that?”

“Really?” Both parents looked doubtful.

Had they jumped to the wrong conclusion?

Their son might be mischievous, but he wasn’t a liar.

“Of course not! She’s just a little girl. I only took her around because I thought it wasn’t safe for her to be alone. That’s all! You two didn’t even ask properly before reacting like this. You scared the poor girl half to death!”

Wen’s mother pursed her lips, suddenly realizing she might have been too aggressive. She shot a glare at her husband. “And you! Why didn’t you stop me?”

Wen’s father: “…”

As if I even had the chance!

He exchanged a glance with Wen Jiunian, both silently sympathizing with each other—truly, they were brothers in suffering.

Just then, Lin Nanzhi and Yu Ze emerged from the restaurant. Wen’s mother quickly composed herself, transforming into a kind and gentle lady. She smiled warmly at Lin Nanzhi. “Nanzhi, did I scare you?”

“No, no.”

Actually, yes. But she didn’t dare say it!

Wen’s mother suddenly grabbed Lin Nanzhi’s hand, making her jump in surprise. However, she didn’t seem to notice and continued, “Oh dear, have you been staying in a hotel all this time?”

“Yes.”

“Tsk, hotels are so expensive! Even the cheap ones cost at least a couple hundred a night. Since you’re friends with Jiunian, how could we let you stay in a hotel? Come stay at our house and try some of my home cooking!”

“Oh, no need, no need. The hotel is just fine. I don’t want to trouble you, Auntie.”

“Nonsense! No trouble at all.” She instinctively slipped into her dialect before remembering Lin Nanzhi might not understand, so she quickly switched back to Mandarin—though her pronunciation was still heavily accented. Combined with her eager gestures, the whole thing was unexpectedly amusing.

“Auntie, I understand. It’s fine.”

“Then it’s settled! Come stay with us. We have plenty of space. You’re here to enjoy your summer vacation, right? There’s still a whole month left. Jiunian can show you around and take you to eat delicious food!”

As she spoke, she pulled Lin Nanzhi along, and Lin Nanzhi, unable to resist her enthusiasm, had no choice but to go back to the hotel, check out, grab her belongings, and get into the Wen family’s car.

Meanwhile, Wen Jiunian and Yu Ze watched everything unfold, completely unable to get a word in.

“Tsk tsk tsk, good luck, brother,” Yu Ze commented.

Since they lived in the same neighborhood, Yu Ze watched as the three of them walked away like a happy little family, heading upstairs. He patted Wen Jiunian on the shoulder.

Wen Jiunian immediately kicked him in the leg before striding off.

—-

The Wen family lived on the seventh floor of a building with five apartments per floor. Their unit was at the very end and was quite spacious, featuring a small two-story design. The living room alone was 40 square meters and had a balcony with potted green onions, garlic sprouts, and two flowering plants.

The house was decorated in warm tones, creating a cozy atmosphere.

“Nanzhi, are you hungry? Let Auntie cook something for you. Feel free to look around!” Wen’s mother cheerfully went into the kitchen, with Wen’s father following to help. When Lin Nanzhi tried to join them, they gently pushed her out.

As she stepped out, she noticed a black-and-white cat sitting on the staircase, staring at her with big round eyes as if wondering, Who is this intruder in my house?

Finding it quite adorable, she reached out to pet its head. When it didn’t resist, she simply picked it up and carried it to the couch, cuddling it.

The cat purred contentedly, but the moment the door opened, it perked up and meowed excitedly.

“Does it have a name?”

“Yeah, it’s called Nut.”

“Nut? So cute! I should get one when I go back.”

Wen Jiunian chuckled but said nothing. He sat down next to her, and Nut immediately climbed onto his lap. Lin Nanzhi reached out to pet it again, and it happily accepted.

Watching this, Wen’s mother suddenly felt a little disappointed.

She had thought she might finally have a daughter-in-law, but the girl was just too young! If she were even seventeen or eighteen, waiting a couple of years would be fine. But twelve?

Sigh, another potential daughter-in-law, gone!

She sighed and went back to cooking. About an hour later, four dishes and a soup were served.