Xia Yinuo’s heart gave a sudden jolt. It felt as if a kitten’s paws were gently scratching at her internal organs, followed by a surge of warmth like a hot spring flowing through her entire body.
Turning to look at Liang Jueyun, Xia Yinuo’s eyes were brighter than the stars over a vast desert, her gaze filled with sparks. Liang Jueyun calmly tucked a stray hair behind her ear, the corners of her lips lifting into a faint, subtle smile.
Seeing this, Xia Yinuo grabbed Liang Jueyun’s hand and refused to let go. Liang Jueyun gently stroked the ring, then covered her mouth and leaned in to whisper in Xia Yinuo’s ear, “There’s no diamond, so don’t feel pressured.”
Xia Yinuo never doubted Liang Jueyun’s "black-bellied" nature. Here she was, effortlessly coaxing Zhang Jikang’s proposal plans out of Li Mu, quietly buying a ring, and then naturally slipping it onto Xia Yinuo’s hand. This was what a real surprise looked like.
Meeting you was like ten miles of spring breeze, but you, with your faint smiles and subtle charms, are terrifyingly romantic!
Xia Yinuo gritted her teeth and thought to herself, *Fine! Next time, I’ll give you one with a diamond!*
And what did they say about double happiness?
The next day, Zhang Jikang invited a few of their closest friends to a small private dinner. There, he went public with the news Mai Shining had forbidden him from blabbing at the proposal: “Since everyone is here today, I want to share some happy news—Mai Mai is pregnant!”
Xia Yinuo could only describe the group’s reaction to this bombshell with one phrase: *My friends and I were absolutely stunned!*
For once, Mai Shining looked awkward. “Ahem, what’s with those faces? It’s true!”
The group erupted into a chorus of unkind laughter.
Zhang Jikang was clearly beaming with joy, yet he feigned anger. “Hey, tone it down! My wife is shy!”
Mai Shining threw up her hands helplessly. “You have to understand, many children in this world are like car accidents—they’re just an accident...”
Seizing the opportunity, Li Xiuheng teased, “Tsk, you two were really too careless!”
Zhang Jikang laughed heartily. “If you walk by the river often enough, you’re bound to get your shoes wet.”
Mai Shining couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “I suspect someone just wanted to cook the rice before asking! Zhang Jikang, this man is far too calculating!”
Xia Yinuo choked on a mouthful of water. Liang Jueyun chuckled and patted her back.
Zhang Jikang acted like a devoted lackey, serving tea and water. “Hehe, my dear wife, how can you say that?”
“Am I wrong?” Mai Shining glanced at the still-coughing Xia Yinuo. “Right, Little Treasure?”
Xia Yinuo finally caught her breath and hurriedly said, “The pregnant lady is always right. Whatever you say goes, Great Auntie!”
Mai Shining let out a long, melancholy sigh. She grabbed Xia Yinuo’s arm and leaned against it, putting on a tragic air. “The moon shrouds the homes, the incense enters the painting... that youth still has a cinnabar mark between his brows, yet I have retreated to a Buddhist temple, my youthful bloom no more...”
Xia Yinuo, busy putting food into Liang Jueyun’s bowl, said calmly, “Speak human.”
“Dammit!” Mai Shining snapped upright and pointed at Zhang Jikang, accusing him with righteous indignation. “Why do I have to suffer the pain of childbirth while this culprit gets to just sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor!”
Xia Yinuo: “Don’t use profanity.”
Zhang Jikang clutched his stomach laughing. He pulled Mai Shining close and snuggled into her arms, acting spoiled. “I wish I could do it in your stead, but alas... alas!! This little one doesn't have the function to bear children!”
Mai Shining pushed him away, lowered her head, and rubbed her brow with a sigh. “So tired, I don’t think I can love anymore.”
Xia Yinuo stepped forward and tilted the pregnant woman’s chin up. “Speak human.”
Mai Shining covered her face. “I’m exhausted. I feel like I’ve lost the capacity to love...”
As the group carried on like a troupe of actors, Li Xiuheng gloated, “It’s fine. Big brother will introduce you to the best OB-GYN!”
Mai Shining wailed, “Every single one of you... there’s no justice!”
Liang Jueyun comforted her, “The reaction might be strong in the first three months, but it’ll get better after that.”
After dinner, Zhang Jikang went to wash the dishes of his own accord. The two best friends huddled on the sofa to whisper. Xia Yinuo had a playful look on her face. “I never would have imagined it—the fact that you’re going to be a mother at such a young age.”
Mai Shining, however, swiftly caught Xia Yinuo’s hand and stared at the ring. “I saw an identical one hanging around Professor Liang’s neck just now. Did you give it to her?”
“She gave it to me.” Xia Yinuo’s smile was shy and blooming, radiating the aura of a contented submissive.
Mai Shining was rarely serious, but when she was, she was profound. She looked at her own engagement ring and said, “Actually, over the years, I’ve come to understand one thing: love is a responsibility you actively take upon yourself. It’s a form of restraint that makes you feel happy. So, this child came at just the right time, don’t you think?”
Xia Yinuo patted Mai Shining’s shoulder. “Mai Mai, I have high hopes for you.”
Mai Shining breathed a sigh of relief. She looked over at Liang Jueyun, who was sitting two seats away chatting with Li Mu, and gave a smile of closure. “You too.”
On the way home, Xia Yinuo couldn’t stop marveling. Watching the two of them go from a marathon-like romance of so many years to a sudden sprint into marriage was something she wasn't quite used to.
Liang Jueyun smiled and asked, “What, are you envious?”
“Not really,” Xia Yinuo smirked. “But I was thinking, even if the two of us walk by the river often, we don’t have to worry about getting our shoes wet.”
Liang Jueyun threw her head back and laughed.
Upon returning to their complex, Liang Jueyun stayed on the phone even after getting out of the car. Once they entered the house, Xia Yinuo crouched down, letting Liang Jueyun lean on her shoulder as she helped her take off her shoes and put on her slippers.
Hanging up the phone, Liang Jueyun made a solemn announcement: “My father and stepmother are coming to C City next week.”
Xia Yinuo: “Huh?!”
Liang Jueyun: “What? They won’t eat you.”
For the rest of the night, Xia Yinuo peppered her with questions. What gift should she give for the first meeting? Should she take them sightseeing? What did they like to eat? Should she move back to her own place for a bit?
Finally, Liang Jueyun said helplessly, “Don’t be so nervous. They’re visiting several places and will only stay in C City for two days. I’ve already booked a hotel for them. Besides, my father lived in C City for so many years; he knows it better than I do.”
Xia Yinuo stopped insisting. She simply clung to Liang Jueyun, asking what kind of person her father was.
Liang Jueyun thought for a moment. “At first glance, he’s a bit serious. But he’s not actually like that...”
“My dear sister, can you be more specific?” Xia Yinuo’s heart was currently a chaotic mess of anxiety.
“Whenever I had to make a decision growing up and asked for his opinion, he would always call me by my full name and ask, ‘Liang Jueyun, do you know what you’re doing?’ When I was doing my PhD, I had to go home every month to report my research progress to him. Also, he really likes the *Memorial on the Case for Sending out the Troops*. He might even ask you to recite the whole thing!”
Xia Yinuo: “...”
Liang Jueyun’s eyes turned flirtatious. “They say an ugly daughter-in-law eventually has to meet the in-laws. Our Little Treasure is so pretty, what is there to worry about?”
Xia Yinuo: “...”
Liang Jueyun burst out laughing and ruffled Xia Yinuo’s hair. “Silly girl!” With that, she breezed away, leaving Xia Yinuo standing there, bewildered.
Xia Yinuo’s first meeting with Liang Guodong and his wife was at a dinner table. This was because Liang Guodong hadn't told his daughter the specific flight time. After landing, he took his wife—whose eyes were full of fresh curiosity—on a taxi tour before eventually showing up at C University.
This caused Xia Yinuo, who had planned to pick them up at the airport, to miss them. She hurriedly called to book a restaurant, but Liang Jueyun calmly said it was fine—they were family, so they could just be casual.
That evening, at a rectangular table in the restaurant, Xia Yinuo and Liang Jueyun sat on one side, with Liang Guodong and his wife opposite them. Mary was warm and elegant, and she had even brought a small gift for Xia Yinuo. Liang Guodong was dressed casually and behaved with modest courtesy. Judging by looks alone, Xia Yinuo guessed that Liang Jueyun probably took after her late mother more.
During the meal, Xia Yinuo gave a brief self-introduction, and the other side didn't pry into too many personal matters. The topics of conversation ranged from the changes in C City over the years to the restaurant’s dishes, higher education, and recent frontiers in natural science. Because of Mary, everyone spoke in English, though Liang Jueyun would deliberately mix in some Chinese. It was clear that Liang Jueyun respected her father deeply and treated Mary more like a friend.
Xia Yinuo sat up straight, her gaze steady and attentive. She listened carefully, served food, and refilled water at the right moments, avoiding any unnecessary fidgeting. Even when Liang Jueyun whispered in her ear, she only responded with a nod and a smile.
Liang Jueyun stifled a laugh. The person next to her was clearly nervous to death, yet she was putting on such a calm front.
After the meal, as they stepped out of the restaurant, Xia Yinuo was about to go get the car when Liang Guodong spoke to his daughter. “Haven't you already gotten your domestic driver's license? You go get the car. Little Xia can just keep us company.”
Seeing Liang Jueyun hesitate, Liang Guodong smiled. “What, do you think I’m going to eat her?”
Xia Yinuo gave Liang Jueyun a reassuring smile, which actually made Liang Jueyun feel a bit awkward. “That’s not what I meant...”
Watching Liang Jueyun walk away, Mary took Liang Guodong’s arm and smiled warmly at Xia Yinuo. Under the heavy night sky, standing before the restaurant’s neon sign, Liang Guodong asked in a casual, conversational tone in Chinese, “Little Xia, how many years younger are you than Claire?”
Xia Yinuo kept her hands at her sides, answering respectfully, “Three years.”
“Does your family know about your relationship?”
“My brother and my cousin know, and a few close friends know as well.”
“So your parents don’t know yet?”
“No...”
“Then have you thought about what their attitude will be once they find out?”
“I have. They are reasonable people; they will definitely accept it.”
“Don’t overestimate a parent’s level of acceptance.”
“I understand. That’s why I will make the most thorough preparations and give my greatest effort before that happens.”
“You certainly have plenty of confidence. There are some things I didn't want to say in front of Claire. Do you know why?”
“I believe I understand your position.”
“Good. Young lady, keep it up!”
“Thank you, Uncle!”
Liang Guodong and his wife stayed in C City for two days, sightseeing and visiting old friends. Xia Yinuo and Liang Jueyun accompanied them for two more meals, and the four of them got along very harmoniously. Liang’s father wasn't as serious as Liang Jueyun had described; instead, he was humorous at every turn and didn't mention their relationship again, which allowed Xia Yinuo to breathe a huge sigh of relief.
On the day Liang Guodong and his wife were leaving C City, Liang Jueyun happened to have business at the university she couldn't get away from, so Xia Yinuo went to the airport alone to see them off. Mary held Xia Yinuo’s hand the whole time, saying how much she would miss C City, Claire, and her. Xia Yinuo comforted her, saying that if there was a chance in the future, they should come to C City again, or she and Claire would go to San Francisco to visit them.
Just as they were about to go through security, Liang Guodong suddenly asked Xia Yinuo, “Do you know how she described you?”
Xia Yinuo was startled. “Senior?”
“Mhm. She told me that everyone else says you’re a model student.”
Xia Yinuo felt a bit embarrassed, her smile revealing a row of white, even teeth.
Liang Guodong smiled. “But as for her, I remember she described you as a person who is kind and unassuming.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. That is very good.”
“Thank you, Uncle.”
“There is one thing that neither Mary nor Claire knows. But I can tell you.”
“I’m all ears.”
Liang Guodong gave a light laugh. “Not long after Claire was born, a fortune teller passed by our house and said I was destined to have two daughters. I didn't believe it before, but after all these years and seeing you here in C City, I’m willing to believe it.”
Xia Yinuo was a bit at a loss. “Uncle...”
Liang Guodong patted Xia Yinuo’s shoulder. “When it comes to their children’s relationships, parents are always bystanders. You have to bear all the processes and results yourselves. I only feel regret and guilt that she lost her mother at such a young age. If even I didn't understand or support her...”
Xia Yinuo felt a wave of tartness and tenderness in her heart.
Liang Guodong: “Anyway, you’re both grown up now. Seeing you doing well puts my mind at ease. Take it slow, okay?”
Xia Yinuo’s voice was a bit choked as she replied, “Okay...”
Liang Guodong: “Send an email every now and then. Mary likes you very much.”
Xia Yinuo nodded, lost in thought.
Liang Guodong: “Alright, it’s getting late. We’re heading in.”
“Wait a moment!” Xia Yinuo suddenly grabbed Liang Guodong. “Uncle, I have one more question. Um, do you actually like the *Memorial on the Case for Sending out the Troops*?”
***
