Chapter 15 – Am I About to Have a Sister-in-Law?

“Brother Xie, wanna go out and have some fun?” After her emotional outburst, Shi Zhen still wanted to find a way to repay Xie Qian. “I know a place that serves super delicious buffet lunchboxes. Want to try it?”

“Sure. But lunchboxes come in buffet style now?” Xie Qian asked.

“Brother Xie, are you really from the Northeast? You’ve never heard of buffet lunchboxes?” Shi Zhen teased.

Xie Qian chuckled and replied truthfully, “I guess I’m half Northeasterner. I haven’t gone back since I became an adult. Not knowing is normal, right?”

So that was the case—Shi Zhen had always thought Xie Qian was born and raised in the Northeast, especially since his accent was so fluent.

“Let me guess, Brother Xie… could you be a Southeast hybrid?”

“Southeast hybrid?” Xie Qian looked puzzled. “Little sis, I’m 100% Huaguo-native, guaranteed.”

Shi Zhen couldn’t help but laugh. “I meant a hybrid between Northeast and South!”

It took Xie Qian a moment to realize what she meant. He almost couldn’t stop himself from laughing. Was this the so-called generation gap?

He really hadn’t expected that a seven-year age difference could already create such a gap. So the old saying was true: “Three years, a small gap; five years, a big one.”

After deciding where to go, Shi Zhen went back to her room to change clothes.

Xie Qian sat in the living room, waiting. During the lull, he suddenly remembered Li An—who he had completely shoved out of his mind—and the suitcase full of personal items still in the hotel.

The hotel keycard was still in the coat pocket. Because he had left in such a rush, his black coat had gotten really dirty.

Right now, that same coat was carefully hung on the entryway rack by Shi Zhen.

After thinking it over for a bit, Xie Qian sent Li An a WeChat message telling him he wouldn’t be returning to Jinhe. He asked Li An to have someone mail the luggage directly to Shulin and said he’d send the hotel keycard back soon as well.

Originally, he’d planned to send the luggage to Xiaoshan. But on second thought, he wouldn’t be staying here for long anyway.

Securing that piece of land didn’t mean he could just kick back and relax—there were still plenty of things waiting for him to handle.

Besides, the Xie family had so many industries, and Xie Longhui had essentially taken a completely hands-off approach now. If he actually took a two-week vacation, that would be way too irresponsible.

Li An replied quickly:

[Got it, senior. Mission guaranteed to be completed.]

[Senior, this might be a bit bold, but… I heard from Old Li that you went all “hero saving the beauty” the other day? Heard it was huge—crowds everywhere, flags flying… Let me ask quietly: am I about to have a sister-in-law?]

[Excited.jpg]

Xie Qian didn’t even think before replying:

[Stop spouting nonsense. She’s only just past twenty, and she already has a boyfriend.]

Li An replied almost instantly:

[No way, senior! Judging from your tone, you sound a little regretful. If—just if—that little girl didn’t have a boyfriend, would I really be getting a sister-in-law?]

[Senior, you gotta go for it. With your charm, winning her over is just a matter of time.]

Xie Qian felt the vein on his temple throb. His right eyelid twitched as well.

[Don’t talk nonsense. I don’t do immoral things.]

On the other end, the “Typing…” status flickered a few times before Li An replied:

[Alright, senior. I’ll stop. My girlfriend’s calling me. At the latest, I’ll be in Shulin by the month after next. Let’s catch up then.]

Xie Qian: [See you then.]

After replying, Xie Qian put his phone away. His twitching eyelid finally calmed down.

Just then, Shi Zhen came out of the bedroom. She was wearing an off-white puffer jacket and a pink bunny-ear headband.

On her lower half, she wore a pair of tight bell-bottom pants and coral fleece socks.

Shi Zhen was holding a fluffy scarf and a pair of earmuffs in her hands. She walked up to Xie Qian and handed the items to him.

“Brother Xie, put these on.”

Xie Qian took the items, gave them a quick glance, and immediately frowned in disdain.

The scarf was light pink with a vintage floral pattern—definitely warm-looking.

The earmuffs were blue but shaped like Mickey Mouse, complete with two little ears.

Seeing Xie Qian’s reluctance, Shi Zhen quickly explained, “Brother Xie, your frostbite still hasn’t healed. You have to wear something outside. What if your face gets disfigured?”

“This is the only pink one I have. Just use it for now—we can buy a new one later. And these earmuffs are blue! Nothing wrong with them, right?”

Xie Qian had practically never worn pink in his life, let alone anything with ears on it.

He tried to refuse. “I can handle the cold. Don’t need these.”

Shi Zhen said firmly, “No way! You must wear them. Otherwise, your frostbite might come back.”

She was determined to protect every handsome face in the world!

Xie Qian couldn’t get over the mental hurdle and tried to refuse a few more times, but Shi Zhen blocked every attempt.

In the end, Xie Qian, dressed in a puffer jacket from Shi Daguo, wearing Mickey Mouse earmuffs and a pink scarf, appeared at the doorway like a dumpling.

After putting on his shoes, he looked at his bare hands and felt extremely relieved that Shi Zhen hadn’t pulled out a pair of gloves for him too.

But no sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Shi Zhen suddenly slapped her thigh like she just remembered something.

“Brother Xie! Your hands need protection too!”

With that, she ran off to the bedroom and started rummaging through drawers.

Xie Qian: …

A moment later, Shi Zhen came back with a pair of thick brown gloves.

This time she didn’t even ask—she just walked up and personally helped him put them on.

The gloves were extra large, with a bear pattern on them. Both sides were lined with light brown faux fur and fastened with little leather straps.

Shi Zhen looked at his fully covered hands with satisfaction. She was determined to protect every beautiful pair of hands in the world too!

Xie Qian was now fully wrapped up like a zongzi dumpling, and the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

It suddenly hit him—was he being completely controlled by a young girl?

Why was he listening to her so obediently?

It had to be elder tolerance for the younger generation. That’s what it was!

The buffet lunchbox place Shi Zhen mentioned was far from the old street area, so the two of them took a cab.

On the way, they passed by the milk tea shop where Shi Zhen worked. Although it was just a quick glance, she noticed that the store had already been shut down.

The shop hadn’t been very popular to begin with, and now it looked completely deserted.

Shizhen felt a warm sensation in her heart. On the path to becoming an adult, there are many things that can slowly wear away the sharp edges of our ideals.

After being deceived once, perhaps we become unwilling to lend a helping hand again.

After hitting rock bottom, we may start to learn how to look out only for ourselves.

But ultimately, there are some things that cannot be erased. For Shizhen, that is her overwhelming sense of justice and kindness.

She didn’t notice that the man beside her paused slightly when he saw the milk tea shop.

Xie Qian turned his head away, pretending to admire the scenery, but in reality, his thoughts had long drifted elsewhere.

He had always believed in doing things thoroughly—just like the saying, “If you’re going to be a good person, see it through to the end; if you’re going to send a Buddha, send them all the way to the West.”

Just because Shizhen didn’t say anything didn’t mean he didn’t care. He could offer help, but what he cared more about was the truth behind things.

With just a few small tricks, Xie Qian figured out the full story.

He wanted to protect Shizhen’s untainted sense of justice, so he quietly gave her a helping hand.

That shop being shut down was the correct outcome. If it were still operating, that would be the real problem.

If all went as expected, the disciplinary committee would come in a few days to properly investigate Xiaoshan’s leadership.

Xie Qian had experienced the dull ache of growing up—it was like a young eagle just learning to spread its wings having them brutally broken.

That sense of loss, that deep emotional pain—he didn’t want Shizhen to go through it too.

Although Xiaoshan was a small city, its natural landscape was well planned. Both sides of the road were lined with neat frost-covered trees.

As the car drove through the middle, it felt like passing through a misty forest.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the food street. The self-serve lunchbox restaurant was packed with people.

The heat inside turned to white vapor that drifted out of the doorway, and the bustling crowd gave the entire city a cozy, lively atmosphere.

Xie Qian hadn’t seen such a vibrant scene in a long time. To him, it wasn’t just the number of people that made it lively—real liveliness was exactly like this.

Even in the depths of winter, you could feel the warmth of human connection.

Shizhen pulled Xie Qian into the shop. A long row of tables was filled with steaming hot dishes.

The owner, a slightly chubby middle-aged man, quickly greeted them when he saw customers walk in. “Fifteen per person. Pay first, then eat as much as you like.”

Shizhen quickly paid for both of them and shoved a tray into Xie Qian’s hands. “Brother Xie, this meal’s on me. Take whatever you want—everything’s super delicious.”

Xie Qian didn’t refuse. He took off his gloves and accepted the tray, saying, “Then I won’t hold back.”

There were many dishes in the shop—all authentic Northeastern Chinese cuisine.

There was sweet and sour pork, sautéed pork slices, braised potato, eggplant and peppers, stewed pork with vermicelli, chicken stew with mushrooms… Over twenty different dishes, enough to dazzle the eyes.

There weren’t any empty tables left. After getting their food, they found two open seats. Across from them sat a young man.

Shizhen placed her tray down and asked, “Bro, mind if we share the table?”

The young man looked like he had just started eating. He looked up at them and replied cheerfully, “No need to ask, just sit. It’s not that formal.”

“Thanks, bro.”

With that, Shizhen pulled Xie Qian down to sit across from the young man.

The small shop didn’t have much space; all the tables were crammed together. Xie Qian, being tall and broad, looked like a grizzly bear wedged between narrow cracks.

Shizhen nearly burst out laughing at the sight but held it in. She turned to the young man across the table and said, “Bro, could you move back a little? My brother’s kind of squeezed in.”

Xie Qian was so tightly packed he could barely breathe, and even though it was winter, he was sweating all over from the heat.

He had thought that after all these years, the Northeast might have changed, but to his surprise, it was still the same—tough on the outside, warm on the inside.

The young man was munching on a piece of sweet and sour pork. Hearing her request, he immediately pulled the table back a good distance—without even stopping his chewing.

Xie Qian could finally breathe freely again, though he still felt a little dizzy. After thanking the young man, he began taking off his scarf and earmuffs.

The young man looked up and saw Xie Qian dismantling his winter gear.

His eyes flicked back and forth between Shizhen and Xie Qian, and then he grinned. “Sis, this your boyfriend? He’s decked out pretty nice. You really don’t want him catching cold, huh?”

“No, bro, you’ve misunderstood,” Shizhen immediately explained. “Brother Xie is my…”

But what was he, exactly? Shizhen suddenly didn’t know how to define Xie Qian’s role.

Seeing her flustered expression, the young man laughed even harder. “Oh come on, sis, no need to lie to your bro here. I’ve been in relationships too, you know. My wife used to be just like you—loved dressing me up in all kinds of colorful stuff. That’s love! Nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Shizhen didn’t know how to explain anymore, and she glanced at Xie Qian for help.

Brother Xie, say something already!

Xie Qian looked at Shizhen’s flushed face. His Adam’s apple bobbed heavily. He had half a mind to play along with the young man just for fun.

But then he remembered—Shizhen had a boyfriend. His heart sank, and he said, “We’re just friends. We only met a few days ago.”

For some reason, Shizhen heard a hint of disappointment in his voice. Or… was she imagining it?

The young man clearly didn’t believe him. “Sure, sure, just friends. At least make up something more believable—just met a few days ago, really?”

Xie Qian: …

Shizhen: …

The two of them exchanged a glance, then silently focused on eating their boxed meals.