Chapter 49 Meeting the Parents

As time passed, Gu Cunxi became increasingly uneasy. She hadn't heard from Pei Yin for so long that she almost crushed the phone in her hand...

Gu Cunxi regretted it at this moment!

She really shouldn't have listened to Pei Yin and let her face all this alone. She should have stayed by her side...

What if Chen Feng ignored Pei Yin's parents and verbally humiliated her right then and there? Or would Pei Yin's parents side with Chen Feng and scold her together?

Just thinking about that scene, Gu Cunxi felt like someone was strangling his throat and couldn't breathe.

No! I can't wait any longer! What if Pei Yin is upstairs and she doesn't know what's going on? If she stays downstairs and waits like this, she will get hurt and wronged and no one will help her!

Thinking of this, Gu Cunxi turned off the car and walked quickly towards the entrance of the community. She had to admit that she had lost all her rationality at this moment. Although going up like this would definitely be a bad idea, as long as he could stay with her, it would be fine!

Suddenly, the phone in his hand rang, and Pei Yin's name appeared on the screen. Gu Cunxi answered the phone immediately and said anxiously: "Pei Pei! How are you? Are you okay? I was just about to..."

"Don't worry! I'm fine, I'm already out. Wait for me at the door! As for my parents... I'll find them a hotel to stay in for the night and send them back home early tomorrow morning. I was afraid you'd be too worried, so I called you right away to reassure you!"

Hearing Pei Yin's voice, Gu Cunxi's hanging heart gradually relaxed, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She took a long breath and said, "Of course I worry about you! I'm worried! I'm glad you're okay! I'll wait for you at the door."

"Cunxi!" Xiao Peiyin called her, her tone more gentle than ever before.

"What's wrong, Pei Pei!"

"I...miss you, so much!"

"I'm right here! You can see me when you come out!"

After hanging up the phone, Gu Cunxi felt her body go limp, as if the breath she had been holding in her heart had been released, and she instantly became powerless. She leaned against the car and took a deep breath...

After a while, Xiao Peiyin appeared at the door. The sun was shining brightly on her. Gu Cunxi looked over and raised his lips. His heart... returned to a safe place.

"Cunxi! These are my parents..."

"Hello, uncle and aunt, I'm Pei Yin's...colleague!" Gu Cunxi couldn't help feeling guilty when he said this.

Fang Lan remained silent with a gloomy expression. Xiao Ping nodded.

The four of them got in the car. Gu Cunxi called up the navigation and deliberately drove slowly to keep it steady. She looked ahead and said, "Pei..."

"Pei Yin! I've already booked the restaurant while I was waiting for you. I'll arrange the hotel after dinner!" Gu Cunxi almost blurted out calling her Pei Pei, but luckily he changed his words in time. Otherwise, Pei Yin's parents would definitely feel strange if he addressed her so intimately...

Xiao Peiyin was also nervous. When she heard Gu Cunxi almost call her Pei Pei... her heart skipped a beat.

This feeling made her nervous and shy.

It was clearly cloudy just a second ago, but now it was sunny again when she sat next to Gu Cunxi. This woman always brought her an indescribable sense of happiness. However, this scene was very much like meeting her parents with her partner... Xiao Peiyin thought secretly in her heart

"I'll book the hotel!"

Sitting in the back seat, Fang Lan looked at the two people in front of her and always felt an indescribable intimacy. The tone of her daughter's words just now was completely different from when she was facing Chen Feng. It was a world of difference! Fang Lan shifted her sight to Gu Cunxi. She thought of what Chen Feng said, and a trace of unhappiness flashed through her heart.

"Are you my daughter's colleague?" Fang Lan suddenly asked, with a hint of doubt in her tone.

Gu Cunxi was startled and quickly said, "Yes, Pei Yin and I are in the same company, we are...colleagues!"

"So, my daughter has been with you these past few days?" Fang Lan asked again

"Um... yes, Pei Yin is staying at my place for the next few days!"

The indecent woman Chen Feng was talking about was definitely her! Fang Lan thought to herself, and felt a little disgusted with Gu Cunxi. She paused and said, "My daughter has been bothering you these past few days, but she's a married woman now, and it's really inappropriate for her to stay at your house and not go home!"

Xiao Peiyin could hear the displeasure in Fang Lan's tone. She was afraid her mother would say something unpleasant to Gu Cunxi, so she quickly said, "Mom! Whether I go home or not is my decision. Cunxi was kind enough to take me in. I told you about my relationship with Chen Feng. You and Dad should never interfere again! I have my own choice!"

"You...you've grown wings, haven't you? What choice do you have? I see you just met some colleagues at work and started to act capriciously and misbehave!"

Gu Cunxi heard this clearly and knew that Fang Lan was hinting at her listening nearby. However, she didn't understand why Fang Lan had such a problem with her when they had just met. After thinking about it, she felt that the reason must be inseparable from Chen Feng. He must have said a lot of "good things" about her in front of Pei Yin's mother!

"Mom! What do you mean by that? Cunxi..."

Seeing this, Gu Cunxi quickly reached out and patted Pei Yin's hand on the center console, signaling her not to say anything. Seeing Gu Cunxi's hand reaching out to her, Xiao Peiyin stopped her displeasure and said no more. The car returned to calm.

The car stopped at the restaurant entrance. Gu Cunxi turned around and said to the people behind him, "Uncle and aunt! The food in this restaurant is good. You can try it later!"

The four of them got out of the car and were led into the private room by the waiter. The waiter then handed over the menu. Gu Cunxi wanted to give it to Pei Yin's parents, but after thinking about it, he decided to take it himself and arrange it for them.

Gu Cunxi looked through the menu and asked, "Pei Pei...does uncle and aunt have any dietary restrictions?"

“!!”

As soon as the words came out, Gu Cunxi looked at the two people sitting opposite him in panic...

Fortunately...it seems that no one heard it. Fortunately, the box is big enough, the dining table is big enough, and the distance is far enough. Otherwise...I am afraid that I would hear it clearly.

"Ahem...anything except spicy!" Xiao Peiyin unconsciously clenched her hands under the table, cleared her throat and said

Gu Cunxi looked through the menu and told the waiter beside him the names of the dishes. The dishes he ordered were mostly light. The body of the elderly is not as good as that of the young. Their metabolism is poor, and too much greasy food will increase the burden on the body.

"Add four servings of sea cucumber and abalone. For drinks, add corn juice and a pot of Baihao Yinjian!"

"Cunxi!! Just order some home-cooked meals, no need for this!" Xiao Peiyin held down Gu Cunxi's hand as he was looking through the menu and whispered

Gu Cunxi smiled and added a few more dishes before closing the menu and handing it to the waiter without responding to Pei Yin's words.

After a while, a WeChat notification sound came from the phone. Xiao Peiyin opened it and saw that it was a message from Gu Cunxi.

【This is how it should be when you meet your parents for the first time! 】

It's blushing and heartbeating! Gu Cunxi always teases me with just one sentence

"Uncle and aunt, I don't know what your tastes are, so I ordered some light dishes. I'm afraid that you won't feel comfortable eating too greasy or spicy food. Please eat more later. The food in this restaurant is very good!"

Fang Lan didn't expect that Gu Cunxi, Pei Yin's colleague, would be so generous with a meal. Her tone was much softer than before, and she said, "Let's just have some home-cooked food. This is really expensive for you!"

"No, Auntie, you're too polite. Pei Yin takes good care of me at the company, and I deserve this meal!" Gu Cunxi deliberately glanced at the people around him, and said meaningfully.

As they were talking, the dishes were served one after another. Each dish had exquisite carvings and presentation. However, Xiao Ping seemed to have no appetite. She did not touch the white tea in front of her, but her eyes kept glancing at the wine glass. Gu Cunxi saw this and realized that she had forgotten to order wine, so he raised his hand to signal the waiter beside him.

"Hello, could you give me a wine list please?"

Gu Cunxi looked through the wine list and thought that people of this age tend to prefer white wine.

"Uncle, how about some sauce-flavored liquor?"

Being asked by Gu Cunxi suddenly, Xiao Ping waved his hands hurriedly with embarrassment: "No, girl, I won't drink!"

Gu Cunxi didn't expect Xiao Ping to refuse. Her eyesight should be good. She was clearly in a state of being unable to swallow food without wine, so how could she refuse her suggestion of ordering wine...

She looked at the people present and suddenly realized that she had lost interest in drinking because no one was drinking with her. Gu Cunxi thought for a moment and said, "Can I have a drink with you?"

"Girl, can you drink well?"

"Not bad, not bad. I used to have a lot of social events for work, and although I don't like drinking, with such delicious food, it wouldn't hurt to drink a little with you!"

Hearing Gu Cunxi say that he wanted to accompany her for drinks, Xiao Peiyin couldn't help but worry. She didn't know how much Gu Cunxi could drink. Regardless of whether he could drink or not, he would feel uncomfortable after drinking... She didn't want Gu Cunxi to drink, so she interrupted him and said, "Cunxi! You drove here, don't drink!"

"Don't you still have me? It's okay, don't worry!" Gu Cunxi smiled and whispered, signaling her with his eyes not to worry.

Gu Cunxi handed the wine list to Xiao Ping and said, "I know as much about white wine as your uncle does, so you can order some!"

After ordering the wine, Gu Cunxi raised his glass, looked at the two people opposite him, and said with a smile: "Uncle and aunt, it's our first meeting. I hope you enjoy your meal today!"

A sip of white wine went down her throat, and a spicy, hot feeling instantly hit her. The intense burning sensation in her esophagus and stomach made Gu Cunxi feel a little uncomfortable, but she didn't show it at all. Xiao Peiyin saw it and felt a little distressed. She knew that Gu Cunxi didn't like drinking...

But today, because of me, she took the initiative to speak...

"Uncle, this is a good drink!" Gu Cunxi said with a smile, enduring the discomfort in his stomach.

"Girl, do you know anything about wine?" Xiao Ping asked in surprise

"I don't know much, but I do know a little!"

"Oh? Then tell me, what's so good about this wine?" Speaking of wine, Xiao Ping immediately became interested.

Because it was the first time they met Pei Yin's parents, the four of them had been feeling a little uncomfortable since the meal. Gu Cunxi had been trying to find a topic to break the status quo, and wine was undoubtedly the best topic. Seeing Xiao Ping asking him, Gu Cunxi was not afraid of showing off in front of him. After a moment of silence, he said, "The wine my uncle ordered is soft and mellow. It's a sauce-flavored Kunsha wine. The production process is relatively complicated and requires nine steamings, eight fermentations, and seven extractions. It takes five kilograms of grain to make one kilogram of wine. Because of the complexity of the process, the price will be higher than that of ordinary liquor!"

Xiao Ping nodded in satisfaction and said, "Yes, it seems that you do know a little bit about wine. You can tell it's Kunsha wine at a sip. There aren't many girls like you who know and appreciate wine at your age."

"I don't know any more about liquor than you do, but I've had it before, so I remember it!"

Fang Lan looked at the person in front of her who claimed to be her daughter's colleague, and she couldn't help but feel curious. This woman looked about the same age as her daughter, but she was quite talkative and had an elegant temperament in her every move. On the surface, she didn't look like the bad and unruly person that Chen Feng said she was.

But people can't just look at the surface... Fang Lan thought of Pei, and planned to get to know this woman from the side. If it was really like what Chen Feng said, she would never allow such a person to lead her daughter astray.

"Um...what does that girl do in the company?" Fang Lan asked tentatively.

"Oh! I'm an event planner. I help the company with marketing and planning of company events!" Gu Cunxi responded with a smile.

"Is that so? Then you're also working for someone else?" Fang Lan asked again

"Mom! Cunxi is the marketing director of our company!" Xiao Peiyin didn't like her mother's words, and her tone suddenly became colder. She protected Gu Cunxi and said

"Isn't that still working for someone else?"

“…”

"You can say that!" Gu Cunxi didn't mind the sharpness in Fang Lan's words, and responded with a smile all the time.

"I see Miss Gu's car is not cheap. If you buy a car like that with just your salary, it would be stressful to maintain it, right?"

Gu Cunxi understood the meaning behind Fang Lan's words. The various temptations in her words might make her think that she was the kind of person who relied on some improper means to make a living. This must be Chen Feng's masterpiece...

"Mom...what do you mean? Cunxi..."

Before Xiao Peiyin could finish, Gu Cunxi interrupted, "You're right. Buying and maintaining a car with my current salary is a bit of a stretch, but I've saved quite a bit since I graduated from university, so I should be able to afford one!"

Fang Lan was speechless for a moment. Seeing this, Xiao Ping quickly raised his glass and changed the subject, saying, "Girl, you're not married yet, right?"

"not yet…"

"What about the boyfriend?"

“No…”

Gu Cunxi actually wanted to say at this moment that although she didn't have a boyfriend, she had a girlfriend. However, if she said that, Fang Lan in front of her would probably flip the table in anger...

"Ms. Gu should be about the same age as my daughter. She doesn't even have a boyfriend. At her age, she doesn't have many options for marriage!"

Xiao Peiyin didn't know what was wrong with her mother. Her words were always deliberately targeting Cunxi. She suppressed her displeasure and said coldly, "Mom! Let's eat quickly. It's easy to find someone with Cunxi's conditions!"

Xiao Ping also agreed with this statement and nodded. Perhaps because of the alcohol, he had a good impression of the man who claimed to be his daughter's colleague. He felt that he was not as bad as Chen Feng said.

After the meal, the four of them walked out of the restaurant. Gu Cunxi, holding two bottles of white wine in his hands, said to Xiao Ping, "Uncle, this is our first meeting, so it's a bit rushed. I didn't prepare anything. I just saw that you liked it, so I bought two more bottles. You can take this wine back!"

Xiao Ping was a little surprised. When he ordered the wine just now, he glanced at the price. The wine was not cheap. It was really embarrassing to eat and take it at the same time.

"Girl! I've made you spend too much money today. You can't accept this wine..." Xiao Ping waved his hand and refused.

"It's okay, you're welcome. It's our first meeting, so I should do that. I've already bought the wine, so just accept it."

After that, Gu Cunxi put the wine into the car and said, "Uncle and aunt, I have booked a hotel for you. You have been running around all day for Pei Yin's matter and you must be tired. Have a good rest tonight!"

After sending Xiao Peiyin's parents to the car, Gu Cunxi handed the keys to Peiyin and said gently, "You drive. Take your parents first. The hotel is booked at the Ritz-Carlton!"

“!!”

Xiao Peiyin was shocked. That was a famous five-star hotel in Jianghuai City, and the price was ridiculously expensive...

"Cunxi! No, that place is too expensive. They don't need it. Call and cancel it. Listen to me!"

Gu Cunxi knew Pei Yin would definitely refuse. He turned around and looked at the people in the car, and whispered, "What happened between you and Chen Feng has made them very uncomfortable. Although many things cannot be achieved at the same time, Pei Pei, I hope I can at least do one of them well and make them live more comfortably. This is my wish!"

Without waiting for Xiao Peiyin to refuse, Gu Cunxi turned around and got into the car.

The car keys in her hand felt heavy. Xiao Peiyin held them in her hand and took a deep breath. The more Gu Cunxi treated her well, the more she felt indebted, because now... she couldn't give him anything! Not even a legitimate relationship...