Chapter 615 She's Very Well-Behaved (Forty-Four)

As Zhou Xiye was about to leave with his car keys, he turned to look at Jiang Zhizhi and saw her looking at him with a cool gaze.

He put down the car keys, went back silently, and sat down next to Jiang Zhizhi.

Jiang Zhizhi glanced at him: "Going? Why aren't you going? Shang Shang is at Yan Lei's club in Haidian."

Zhou Xiye paused for a moment: "No, I'm just worried about Shangshang, she's a girl."

Jiang Zhizhi sighed: "What are you worried about? Are you worried that Shang Shang will be taken advantage of when she's dating? Shang Shang is twenty-seven. It's normal for her to hold hands and kiss when she's dating. Zhou Xiye, I think there's something wrong with your thinking."

"Why can't you accept that the children will grow up and leave us? They will have their own lives, their own people to love, and their own people to spend every day with, instead of always being with you and me."

"What are you planning to do by going there? Tell Pei Yanli not to get too close to Shang Shang, or tell Shang Shang not to date? To stay with her parents for the rest of her life?"

Zhou Xiye frowned: "That's not what I meant. I just can't quite accept that Shangshang is leaving us."

Jiang Zhizhi sighed: "We have to accept it even if we can't. They have their own lives to live in the future. We shouldn't be the kind of parents who spoil the fun. We shouldn't interfere with whatever kind of life they want to live."

"What we can do now is to provide financial assistance when they need it, and to help them take care of their children without hesitation when they need us to. Have you ever thought that it was because our parents helped us take care of our children that we were able to pursue the careers we love?"

How can you be so lacking in consideration for your parents?

Zhou Xiye remained silent, his mood still indescribably somber, a sense of loss washing over him.

Jiang Zhizhi took his arm and leaned on his shoulder: "You know, because Shangshang has never left us except for a few years when she went abroad to study, you're used to seeing her whenever you come home, so you can't accept that she's not home often in the future."

“But our daughter will be happy with the person she loves, isn’t that what we hope for? Zhou Xiye, we haven’t been ourselves for many years.”

Zhou Xiye was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

Jiang Zhizhi smiled and said, "We've sacrificed so much time for work and for our children over the years. Once the children are all married and you've retired, we'll travel all over the country, find a place we like to stay for a few months, and enjoy life."

"Otherwise, we'd be so busy every day that we wouldn't have a life together."

Zhou Xiye put his arm around her shoulder and said, "Okay."

...

Du Mengmeng and Wang Jiani drank with Yan Lei, and unsurprisingly, they drank too much again.

Du Mengmeng isn't a good drinker; after drinking too much, she started singing and dancing, hugging Wang Jianni while dancing, and also putting her arm around Yan Lei's shoulder.

Shang Shang leaned against Pei Yanli, watching them fool around with a smile.

Finally, Du Mengmeng came over again and insisted that Pei Yanli and Shang Shang sing "Intimate Lovers".

Shang Shang can sing, because her family has a lively Su Li who often invites the whole family to dinner and sing. This song is her and Shang Xingzhou's favorite.

It's a must-order at every gathering; Shangshang has heard it so many times he knows how to make it.

Turning to Pei Yanli, she asked, "Can you sing this song?"

Pei Yanli nodded modestly: "I know a little."

Shang Shang led him to the screen to sing, while Du Mengmeng pulled Wang Jiani along, like two demons dancing on the side.

Because of her gentle and sweet nature, Shang Shang can also sing high notes.

To everyone's surprise, Pei Yanli's voice was deep, magnetic, and very affectionate.

During the duet, the two sang while looking at each other, their eyes conveying deep affection.

Du Mengmeng exclaimed, reaching out to hook her arm around Yan Lei's neck: "Look at them, how well they sing! Old Pei's singing is actually so good! I'd believe it if you told me they were the original singers."

Yan Lei grinned and put his arm around Du Mengmeng's shoulder: "How about we sing a duet?"

Du Mengmeng didn't seem to care: "Okay? What should we sing?"

Yan Lei's expression turned serious for a moment, then he became nonchalant again: "A once-in-a-millennium opportunity."

Du Mengmeng burst out laughing and called out to Wang Jiani, "Change the song, change the song, give me a song called 'Waiting for a Thousand Years'."

When they started singing, the two were still arm in arm, but Du Mengmeng had already started singing off-key.

Yan Lei tried his best to control her, but he couldn't pull her back. In the end, he could only run away with her and start singing randomly.

And so, the two of them sang happily.

It wasn't until 10:30 that Pei Yanli realized it was getting late and decided to take Shangshang home first, since he had promised Zhou Xiye that morning that he would take Shangshang home as soon as possible.

If I break my promise on the first day of our date, how can I gain Zhou Xiye's trust?

Yan Lei disagreed, and Du Mengmeng was also unwilling, clinging to Shangshang's arm: "Shangshang, you stay with me today, and I'll stay at your place tonight."

Shang Shang knew how difficult Du Mengmeng could be when she was drunk: "Okay, come stay at my house later."

After thinking for a moment, I sent a message to Jiang Zhizhi, telling her that Du Mengmeng had drunk too much and that they were going to stay in Chaoyang.

Jiang Zhizhi replied quickly, reminding them to be careful.

Xu Suining replied to the message again, smiling as she looked at the still-nagging Du Mengmeng: "Okay, I've already talked to my mom, you can stay at my house tonight."

Du Mengmeng blinked, then suddenly tugged at Shangshang: "Shangshang, I want to see the stars. Shall we go see the stars?"

Shang Shang was both amused and exasperated: "Where are we going to see the stars? Let's go to my house now, and I'll take you back to rest, okay?"

Du Mengmeng refused: "No, I want to see the stars."

Pei Yanli frowned: "Yan Lei, you take Du Mengmeng to see the stars, I'll take Shang Shang and Wang Jiani home."

Du Mengmeng held Shang Shang's hand tightly and wouldn't let go: "I heard that if you go to see the stars with someone you like, you can grow old together."

"Shangshang, go ahead and watch the stars with Professor Pei, wouldn't that be romantic?"

Shang Shang was tempted and turned to look at Pei Yanli.

Finally, Pei Yanli drove the four of them to the mountain to see the stars.

Shang Shang sat in the passenger seat, while Yan Lei, Du Mengmeng, and Wang Jiani sat in the back.

After getting on the bus, Wang Jianni started to sleep, while Du Mengmeng and Yan Lei kept arguing, debating the origins of the Big Dipper and Polaris.

Is it true that the Cowherd was being a pervert when he met the Weaver Girl?

Shang Shang chuckled upon hearing this, then turned to look at Pei Yanli. As the car drove on, the streetlights swept across the window, casting their light on his face, making him appear even more handsome.

Pei Yanli smiled when he saw her staring at him: "If you're sleepy, lean to your side and take a nap."

She had a back injury and didn't dare lean back in her chair when she was sitting.

Shang Shang shook her head: "I'm not sleepy, I'm a night owl. Won't staying up so late affect your work tomorrow?"

Pei Yanli laughed: "What a coincidence, I'm a night owl too. When I was doing experiments abroad, I often didn't sleep for several days at a time."

Du Mengmeng suddenly leaned closer and asked, "What sweet nothings are you two saying?"