Chapter 96: Meeting the Parents?

“Oh honey, Auntie is inviting you for dinner. How can you be the one cooking?”

Wang Xiaoxia held Liang Zhirou’s hand, her voice filled with affection.

If asked when Wang Xiaoxia truly fell for this girl, it was the moment she saw the calluses on Liang Zhirou’s hands.

Combined with her words and actions, Wang Xiaoxia could already guess what kind of girl Liang Zhirou was.

Liang Zhirou was at a loss for words. After a long pause, she honestly said, “I want Uncle and Auntie to like me…”

Wang Xiaoxia and Chen Guanglin were clearly taken aback by Liang Zhirou’s words. They were momentarily stunned, but Wang Xiaoxia’s expression revealed her happiness.

This girl was so genuine, it was endearing.

“It’s great that you have this thought.” Wang Xiaoxia smiled and touched Liang Zhirou’s head, liking her more and more.

Chen Lu was also amused by this silly girl’s answer. He couldn’t help but turn to look at Chen Mo beside him.

This little sister didn’t seem jealous at all. She just stood there in shock.

“Sincerity is always a killer move, kiddo.”

He leaned close to Chen Mo’s ear and whispered.

Ignoring the bickering siblings, Wang Xiaoxia continued looking at Liang Zhirou, “Don’t be nervous, Auntie just missed you. And since Xiao Lu mentioned you two are dating, I thought I’d have him bring you over for dinner.”

Liang Zhirou nodded vigorously, feeling a little happy.

It seemed like Uncle and Auntie were quite satisfied with her…

She guessed uncertainly in her heart.

“You don’t object?”

Liang Zhirou asked timidly, her voice barely a whisper, but it took a lot of effort.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it.

At that moment, she desperately wished she was chatting online so she could retract her message.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case, and there were no regrets to be had. She could only face reality. So, she mustered her courage, raised her head, and looked at Wang Xiaoxia sitting beside her.

Wang Xiaoxia was also staring at her blankly. After a while, she finally reacted and asked with a smile, “Why would I object?”

She thought to herself, this little girl’s thinking was really strange, but that was one of the things that made Liang Zhirou so adorable.

Liang Zhirou didn’t know what to say anymore. She didn’t have Chen Lu’s ability to spin a yarn. She could only continue to speak her mind.

“Because I’m actually quite useless.”

That’s what she truly thought, so she simply said it, then continued in a small voice, “And my family isn’t well-off…”

Liang Zhirou spoke whatever came to mind, like she was being interrogated about her background. She was so straightforward and innocent, revealing everything about her family.

Every detail.

Even in this situation, she was still so honest and willing to be so.

No one interrupted her. They just listened quietly. Chen Guanglin and Wang Xiaoxia had only heard a general outline from Chen Lu. Now, after learning the details, they couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.

As for Chen Mo, who had been kept in the dark, she was completely engrossed in the story, like a tragic romance novel.

After Liang Zhirou finished, Wang Xiaoxia sniffed and said seriously, “First of all, you’ve been the pillar of your family since you were so young. Auntie has never met a girl stronger than you.”

In Wang Xiaoxia’s eyes, this was the first point to refute.

“Secondly, Auntie likes you already. And material conditions can be changed through your hard work as a couple. It’s really not that important. The most difficult thing is to maintain your love for each other. As long as you and Xiao Lu love each other, Auntie wouldn’t object at all.”

“I really like him.”

Liang Zhirou immediately replied, then realized that the previous question wasn’t directed at her. She quickly bowed her head deeply.

Wang Xiaoxia didn’t say anything, just smiled at her.

This is so embarrassing, so embarrassing…

Liang Zhirou, you’re such a fool!

The girl was incredibly nervous. She really didn’t want to stay on Earth anymore.

Perhaps out of an instinctive need for dependence, she turned her gaze towards Chen Lu.

And she saw Chen Lu making a funny face at her.

But strangely enough, even though she had been so nervous just now, she felt a lot better immediately.

Under Chen Lu’s gaze, Liang Zhirou regained her courage, raised her head, and said softly, “Auntie, I want to finish cooking.”

The girl could tell that Chen Lu’s gaze just now was telling her, “I’m here.”

As long as Chen Lu was by her side, she wasn’t afraid of anything.

Chen Lu picked up on her words, “Your future daughter-in-law is a great cook.”

Wang Xiaoxia couldn’t bear to reject the girl’s good intentions, so she agreed.

“Auntie will help you.”

Just as she was about to stand up, Liang Zhirou gently pushed her back down on the sofa.

“I can do it myself.”

After speaking, Liang Zhirou walked slowly towards the kitchen.

Watching the girl’s back, Wang Xiaoxia’s emotions became increasingly complex.

She only felt sympathy.

For a moment, she imagined how she would feel if Chen Mo had gone through something similar. Tears welled up in her eyes.

She didn’t even dare to think about it. Her heart felt like it was being torn apart, cold and trembling.

“Xiao Lu.”

Hearing his mother’s command, Chen Lu quickly shifted his gaze away from the kitchen and looked at his mother curiously.

“Go get Zhirou’s mother to come over for dinner.”

“I asked, but Auntie Xiao refused to come.” Chen Lu said helplessly.

Liang Zhirou’s occasional stubbornness was definitely inherited from her mother. Most of the time, she was very easygoing, but when she was stubborn, she was very determined.

“You’re quite understanding.” Wang Xiaoxia could only give up. As a mother herself, she understood Xiao Xunfang’s feelings all too well.

It must have been because of her heartache for her daughter and her intense sense of helplessness that she had cried countless times behind closed doors.

For a mother, this was true agony.

She couldn’t even find relief because she was her daughter’s only support.

Chen Guanglin was very quiet throughout the whole thing. At one point, he considered asking Chen Lu if he was serious, but after seeing his son’s gaze fixed on the kitchen, he felt that his question was unnecessary.

In his eyes, the rest was no longer something he needed to worry about.

After all, as a father, he had given Chen Lu the confidence to only consider whether he liked the girl or not.

Although it seemed like Chen Lu had decided to work hard and do everything himself.

That was fine too.

Thinking about this, he lazily lay down on the sofa and waited for dinner.

“I’ll go help.”

Chen Lu, of course, couldn’t guess what his parents were thinking. He took the initiative to walk into the kitchen and accompany Liang Zhirou to finish preparing dinner.

Before long, the two of them brought four dishes and a soup to the table.

Liang Zhirou didn’t buy fish to make her specialty dish because Chen Lu didn’t like fish.

She had a feeling that boiled fish would soon no longer be her specialty.

The dining table at Chen Lu’s house was rectangular. The family had never been particular about seating arrangements. Chen Mo had always sat at the head of the table, Chen Guanglin and Wang Xiaoxia sat on one side, and Chen Lu and Liang Zhirou sat on the other.

Except for Chen Lu, everyone was surprised by how delicious Liang Zhirou’s cooking was. They couldn’t stop praising her.

Especially Chen Mo, her words became more exaggerated with each passing sentence.

While everyone’s attention was on Chen Mo, Liang Zhirou secretly served Chen Lu some food.

Chen Lu was helpless. He remembered when they first met, he was the one who was constantly stuffing this silly girl with food. Now, she was the one stuffing him.

As if she was afraid he wouldn’t eat enough.

“Since Sister Zhirou is dating my brother, I don’t need to pay for English lessons anymore, right?” Chen Mo suddenly said happily.

After all, they were in a relationship now, so it wouldn’t be right to charge her.

“I can give her free lessons.” Liang Zhirou said softly, clearly thinking along the same lines.

“No way.” The two elders almost spoke in unison.

“As usual.”