Chapter Forty-Eight

The two had just arrived home when the doorbell rang downstairs. Peng Kun answered the intercom, said a few words, unlocked the door, and walked up to Zuo Xutong, saying, "My mom is here."

"Do you need me to leave for a moment?"

“It’s too late, she’s already downstairs and about to get into the elevator.” He spoke quickly, his mother’s sudden appearance catching him off guard. “Ever since my father passed away, she has been emotionally unstable, and I have to be very careful every time I talk to her.”

"Then your parents must have a very good relationship, right?"

“Yes, so the shock of being widowed is quite severe,” he said, his expression turning serious. “Could you do me a favor?”

"What kind of help?"

"No matter what she says or does, don't get angry, don't deny it, and don't argue back."

"Recite the Three Officials and the Three Separations for me!"

"I'm not kidding you, promise me."

“Sure, but I have a condition,” Zuo Xutong said bluntly, not wanting to miss this opportunity to take advantage of the situation. “The PM for HFC-300 cannot be changed!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the doorbell rang. Peng Kun went over and opened the door. A woman in her sixties or seventies appeared at the door, wearing black-rimmed glasses. Although she was old, she had a straight back and an elegant demeanor. Her youthful charm was still faintly visible in her eyes.

"Mom, why did you come here?" Peng Kun helped her in.

"You haven't been home for almost half a month, so I came to see what you've been up to," Qi Shulan complained.

"Why didn't you have Sister Gao bring you here?" Sister Gao is the old lady's nanny, in her forties, and has been working for her for five or six years.

"She walked me to the entrance of my building, and I told her to go home first." Qi Shulan changed her shoes and walked towards the living room as she spoke. She had only taken a few steps when she saw a girl standing in front of her. She paused, then raised her voice and said, "This is..."

"Hello, Auntie," Zuo Xutong quickly greeted her and introduced herself, "My name is Zuo Xutong."

Qi Shulan glanced at her coldly, then turned back to scold her son: "No wonder I haven't seen you for half a month. You've forgotten your mother now that you have a wife."

Zuo Xutong was about to explain when she saw Peng Kun shaking his head at her from behind Qi Shulan, so she had no choice but to shut her mouth, swallow her anger, and accept the label of "wicked daughter-in-law".

Qi Shulan walked to the sofa with a dark expression, sat down slowly, and asked interrogatively, "How long have you two been together?"

“More than half a year,” Peng Kun said quickly.

Qi Shulan looked Zuo Xutong up and down: "What do you do?"

"I work in Peng's... his company, doing research and development." Zuo Xutong almost said "President Peng," but fortunately she corrected herself in time and didn't give herself away.

Upon hearing this, Qi Shulan's face darkened further. This woman was living in her son's house and earning his salary; it seemed she was taking advantage of her son all along.

Actually, she wasn't a petty person before; in fact, she was quite generous compared to most people. But since losing her husband, she gradually became fragile and sensitive, plagued by anxieties. On one hand, she feared someone would take away her only remaining loved one, and on the other hand, she worried that her son's continued celibacy would lead to a lonely old age. So, she frequently urged him to get married while simultaneously being extremely critical of any woman who appeared in her son's life.

"How old are you? What do your parents do?" Qi Shulan continued to interrogate.

Peng Kun couldn't answer for her this time, and could only try to stop his mother: "Mom, are you checking the household registration?"

Qi Shulan ignored her and asked another question: "Who usually cooks at home?"

“We’re quite busy with work, so we usually eat out,” Peng Kun quickly said.

"No matter how busy you are, you can't skimp on meals!" After saying that, Qi Shulan glanced at Zuo Xutong, who immediately understood the underlying meaning, implying that she should take on more of the cooking duties at home. It seems that a strong-willed mother is a "standard feature" of powerful men; thankfully, she was just playing a supporting role.

"Auntie, have you eaten?" She maintained a polite smile, but inwardly she already felt resentful towards Qi Shulan.

"I ate before leaving home. It's hard to digest when you're old. I eat two meals a day..." Qi Shulan was getting old after all, and she started to ramble on and on.

"Then I'll go out and buy you some fruit." After saying that, Zuo Xutong walked towards the door and fled the interrogation scene as quickly as possible.

She deliberately went to a large supermarket that was far from her neighborhood, lingered there for a long time, bought a bag of apples and a bag of oranges, and then slowly walked back carrying one bag in each hand.

As she got off the elevator and was about to open the door, she heard a voice from inside: "...I don't think the two of you are a good match."

Zuo Xutong didn't want to eavesdrop, but Qi Shulan's voice was too loud; even through the door, the sound could be clearly heard. However, she had to admit that she deliberately listened to the latter part.

"Mom, I want to find someone who can help me in my career. She's our company's R&D director and has patented technology..."

Zuo Xutong chuckled softly, didn't open the door, and turned to enter the elevator again.

Of course, she didn't know that over the years, Qi Shulan had witnessed firsthand the hardships her son endured building his business alone, and therefore especially hoped that her future daughter-in-law could help ease his burden rather than become one. No one knows a mother better than her son, and Peng Kun had long seen through her thoughts, so he only said that to comfort his mother.

Fine snowflakes drifted down from the sky. Zuo Xutong wandered aimlessly down the street, the biting wind chilling her limbs and making her heart even colder. Peng Kun's words reminded her of Luan Mingfeng, that relationship that had almost ruined her life.

Perhaps every girl has a Mary Sue side inside her, fantasizing about a domineering CEO falling in love with her. The question is, why would a domineering CEO love you? Because of your low social status? Because you're uneducated? Because you're plain-looking and have a bad temper?

To put it bluntly, love is always utilitarian. If Snow White had a deformed hunchback, the prince would never have fallen in love with her. From a worldly perspective, she could understand his thoughts, but from a spiritual perspective, she could not accept any love with utilitarian motives.

So her current life motto is: you can lie to me about anything, just don't lie to my feelings.

Zuo Xutong wandered around under the streetlights in the snow for another hour before heading back. As soon as she entered the residential area, she saw Peng Kun standing by the walkway.

What are you doing here?

"I'm waiting for you. My mom asked me to come and help you carry your things."

She'd been gone for so long; the mother and son must have assumed she'd bought a lot of things, right? She looked down at the rather meager two bags of fruit in her hands and said awkwardly, "You don't need to trouble yourself with such a small amount. Should I go back and buy some more?"

Peng Kun smiled and shook his head, saying, "She has diabetes and doesn't usually eat fruit. It's just that it's too late, and she's worried about your safety being out alone."

Zuo Xutong felt a warmth in her heart; she hadn't expected Qi Shulan to be so considerate.

The two walked back one after the other. Once inside the building, while waiting for the elevator, Zuo Xutong suddenly asked, "Why didn't you explain things to her?"

"Do you think she'd believe me if I told her I'd rent the house to her for two thousand a month in rent?" Zuo Xutong was speechless.

Peng Kun added, "It's good that she misunderstands; at least she won't have to worry about this anymore."

"Okay, she'll be home in a bit anyway."

“She said she’s not leaving tonight and wants to stay at my place for the night.” Just then, the elevator doors opened, but Zuo Xutong turned and walked in the opposite direction: “Then I’ll go stay at a hotel.”

Peng Kun panicked and grabbed her, saying, "You can't leave! If you leave, we'll be exposed."

"Then what should we do?"

"Let's go home first and talk about it later."

Qi Shulan went to bed in the second bedroom around 9 PM, leaving only the two of them in the living room, sitting side by side on the sofa. The clock gradually approached midnight, and a war movie was playing on TV. They seemed to be watching, but in reality, they were both so sleepy that their eyelids were drooping, yet neither of them suggested going to the bedroom to sleep.

"Otherwise," Zuo Xutong finally couldn't hold on any longer and suggested in a low voice, "I'll sleep on the sofa."

"No, my mom often gets up at night to drink water and go to the bathroom."

"Then what should we do?"

"Let's go to your bedroom to talk, so we don't wake her up."

The two entered the master bedroom. Zuo Xutong was so sleepy that she was swaying. She staggered to the bedside, picked up the bedding, and threw it on the floor: "I'll sleep on the floor."

"The floor is too hard, I'll sleep here instead," Peng Kun said.

"I tend to get up at night, and I'm afraid I'll step on you." Zuo Xutong wasn't exaggerating; when she gets up at night, she's always like she's out of her mind, and she basically does it with her eyes closed.

“I’m tough, I’ll be fine after being stepped on a couple of times,” Peng Kun insisted.

Zuo Xutong refused to compromise: "This is your house, so you should sleep on the bed and I should sleep on the floor."

"No……"

“If you say that again, I’ll tell your mother.” With that, she turned to open the door, but Peng Kun grabbed her and pressed her down: “Fine, you go to sleep, you go to sleep. What’s the point of arguing over a broken floor? It’s not like it’s a dragon throne.”

In the middle of the night, Zuo Xutong got up to use the bathroom in a daze. After coming out of the bathroom, she habitually lay back down on the bed.

The next morning, Peng Kun opened his eyes and saw the familiar face next to him. He was instantly awake, his heart pounding. Perhaps "awakened" by the sound of his heartbeat, the person next to him also slowly opened his eyes.

So the two stared at each other for a few seconds until Zuo Xutong sat up in bed with wide eyes.

She tried to pull the blanket up to cover her chest, even though she was wearing pajamas underneath and there wasn't much to hide. Perhaps it's a conditioned reflex for most women in similar situations, but she did it, only to find she couldn't pull it up at all. Looking up, she saw the other end of the blanket was under Peng Kun's armpit. She was completely stunned. Not only had she gotten into his bed, but she'd also crawled into his blankets. Her face flushed crimson.

“It’s a misunderstanding,” she said.

Peng Kun also sat up and looked at her quietly without saying a word. In order to ease this extremely awkward situation, she forced herself to continue: "You can imagine that we are not lying on a double bed, but... lying on a heated kang in a sauna, where there are men and women."

Upon hearing this, Peng Kun surprisingly nodded in agreement: "I can also imagine us lying on the beach, where there are not only men and women, but also seabirds, crabs and cockroaches."

Then, seeing her stunned expression, he smiled and asked, "Does saying this make you feel better?"

Zuo Xutong completely broke down, jumped out of bed, and rushed into the bathroom. She turned on the tap and frantically washed her hands, as if that would wash away the embarrassment. She lingered in the bathroom for a full half hour, convinced the person outside must have left the bedroom, before quietly opening the door. But she froze as soon as she pushed it open. Peng Kun wasn't gone; he was sitting on the bed, staring intently at her, as if he had remained in that position for the entire half hour, like a cheetah spotting an antelope.

Zuo Xutong walked out close to the wall, afraid that this "beast" would suddenly pounce on her. As expected, the unexpected still happened. Peng Kun got up from the bed, straddled most of the double bed, stepped on the blanket and jumped off the edge of the bed on her side, rushing barefoot to her.

She closed her eyes in despair, knowing that at this moment, the other person would most likely say or do something.

Sure enough, he spoke up: "I..."

"Don't say it!"

"you……"

I don't want to hear it!

"..." The third time, before he could utter a single word, she threatened him fiercely, "If you say that again, I'll tell your mother!"

This trick worked every time. He finally shut up, gave her a resentful look, and went into the bathroom barefoot.

Zuo Xutong breathed a sigh of relief, but when she looked down, she saw the men's slippers on her feet and immediately panicked.

Could it be that what he wanted to say just now... was about slippers? She waited anxiously until Peng Kun came out of the bathroom, then nervously asked, "What did you want to say to me just now?"

"I wanted to say I needed to use the restroom, but you're wearing my slippers." He looked at her, puzzled, and muttered, "It feels like you've slept with me and it's made you stupid."

"What...what did you say? Who...who slept with you?" Zuo Xutong's face flushed red, and her voice trembled.

“It’s okay, I don’t need you to take responsibility for me,” he said with a smile, looking at her expression of shame and indignation. “I can imagine it myself, imagine that we’re not sleeping in the same bed, but on the beach, on the grass, in a sauna… Oh right, there’s a song that goes something like this: We’re like flowers, sleeping in the spring breeze, sleeping in the soil… You see, my imagination is quite rich.”

Zuo Xutong clutched her chest, feeling like she was about to vomit blood from anger. She wanted to disappear from his sight immediately—no, disappear from the face of the earth.

Fortunately, there's always a way out. There was a third person in the house. Just then, Qi Shulan's voice descended like heavenly music: "Are you up? Come and eat."

Zuo Xutong burst out of the door, as if she had been chased by a cheetah.

Qi Shulan was carrying a plate of food out of the kitchen when Zuo Xutong saw her. As if seeing a relative, she rushed over and said excitedly, "Auntie, let me serve you some rice."

"Okay, be careful it's hot." Qi Shulan's attitude towards her was noticeably better than yesterday, perhaps because of Peng Kun's words earlier.

Around nine o'clock in the morning, the nanny came to pick her up. Before leaving, Qi Shulan reminded her, "You two should hurry up and get married, since you're living together now."

As soon as Qi Shulan left, Peng Kun hurriedly explained to Zuo Xutong, "Don't mind her, my mother is getting old and sometimes she doesn't think before she speaks."

"What's there to mind? I'm a fake anyway," Zuo Xutong said nonchalantly.

"So, do you want to become an officially recognized genuine product?" What was bound to happen eventually did happen, but this was the most subtle confession Zuo Xutong had ever heard.

She shook her head, subtly declining as well: "Let the 'officials' leave this precious opportunity to someone else."