Chapter 35

With the little darling joining the dinner, the atmosphere was hardly stagnant. Chen Liuchi and Lu Xiaoming were both lively and relaxed, especially in the presence of their loved ones. The two of them exchanged witty banter over their teacups, creating a cheerful atmosphere.

After the meal, Chen Liuchi had finally figured out how his elder brother and his little darling interacted. He couldn't help but marvel at the gentle voice and gentle features before him. It was Shen Maoyuan? The last time Shen Maoyuan spoke to him so kindly must have been ten years ago, right?

He didn't hide his gaze, Shen Maoyuan didn't care, but Lu Xiaoming felt a little embarrassed, raising his teacup and clinking it with him: "I was the one who insisted on joining in the fun today, sorry, little Brother Shen."

Chen Liuchi waved his hand and raised his eyebrows in a suggestive manner: "He looks at my partner, so I look at you too."

Lu Xiaoming's face turned red from the hot tea, and he glanced at Shen Maoyuan unconsciously. After being caught, he couldn't help laughing, his eyes curved, which made Shen Maoyuan's Adam's apple roll several times.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Chen Liuchi watched from the opposite side, shaking his head, whispering to Cen Zhao, "Tell me, are we meeting the parents or are we just here to eat dog food?"

Cen Zhao grabbed his playful hand on his thigh and smiled softly, "That's good, it's better than looking serious."

That's true. Chen Liuchi nodded. He had originally thought that this meeting would be neither unfamiliar nor awkward, but with Lu Xiaoming's arrival, it was hard not to relax the atmosphere.

Thinking of this, Chen Liuchi raised his glass to Lu Xiaoming.

Lu Xiaoming blinked, as if he understood. He blushed and clinked glasses with him, whispering, "I'll meet you guys for dinner sooner or later."

Chen Liuchi was not surprised to hear this. Since Shen Maoyuan agreed to let Lu Xiaoming appear on this occasion, it naturally meant that he had arranged the child into his own future. However, as the eldest son and grandson, Shen Maoyuan's path was no easier than his.

But that was all later. Chen Liuchi held his chin and watched Shen Maoyuan peeling shrimp for Lu Xiaoming, and at the same time, he opened his mouth to eat the meat roll handed to him by Cen Zhao.

At this moment, their happiness is in their palms, held tightly.

After the meal, Cen Zhao went to pay the bill, Shen Maoyuan went to the bathroom, and Chen Liuchi and Lu Xiaoming waited in the hall chewing gum.

"Are you going to meet your parents to set a date soon?" Lu Xiaoming asked.

Chen Liuchi thought about it. He didn't know if they had a set date, but seeing that the parents were so close, he started to get nervous again. "It's almost time. The week after next, I'm going to have dinner with Cen Zhao's parents."

Lu Xiaoming hummed in agreement, looking a bit envious and melancholy. "I want to have dinner with Uncle Shen and the others, too."

Chen Liuchi glanced at him and knocked his head: "Don't be so eager to get married. You have only been with Shen Maoyuan for a short time. Observe it more."

Lu Xiaoming covered his head and yelled, "Is he your real brother? Brother Shen, you are so mean!"

Chen Liuchi pulled the man back, put his arm around his shoulder like a good brother, and sighed, "It's because you're my brother that I'm afraid you'll have a hard time in the future!"

He knew Shen Maoyuan too well. Ten Lu Xiaomings' cleverness could not match half of Shen Maoyuan's. It was obvious that he would be taken advantage of in the future.

Lu Xiao patted his chest and said: "Don't worry, Brother Shen, I am the one who bullies him at home!" He said it and made a strongman pose, which meant, I am very powerful!

Chenliuchi looked at him as if he were a fool.

"Going home?"

From a distance, Cen Zhao and Shen Maoyuan came over one after another. Both men were tall, long-legged and very imposing, which attracted special attention.

Lu Xiaoming could no longer sit still, so he stood up and took two steps forward. Chen Liuchi followed slowly, and the four of them rushed into the hall, looking like they were in a movie.

"go home?"

Noticing the sound of photos being taken in the hall, Shen Maoyuan frowned and grabbed Lu Xiaoming by the scruff of the neck, pushing him in front of him, blocking most of his face. "Don't you have another set of drawings to finish?"

Lu Xiaoming hummed, poked his head out, and waved to Shen Liuchi and the others: "See you next time, Brother Shen and Brother Cen."

Chen Liuchi said goodbye to the two with a smile, then turned around and grabbed Sir Cen to interrogate him: "What were you secretly talking about with my brother?"

Cen Zhao just laughed: "What are you talking about?"

"Don't pretend."

Chen Liuchi narrowed his eyes and said, "You two left and came back one after the other. How dare you say you didn't have any secret conversations?"

Cen Zhao was quite frank: "Your brother must have some instructions for me since we're about to meet your parents. It's nothing special, just asking me to take good care of you."

Shen Maoyuan is a strong person, but to be fair, he is still very reasonable. He is polite when speaking to Cen Zhao. Anyway, their goal is to make Chen Liuchi happy, and it is not too difficult for people with common goals to communicate.

Chen Liuchi had no doubts about what Cen Zhao said, but he also knew that Shen Maoyuan's words were definitely not so flattering. However, family was there to provide support, so he naturally wouldn't refuse Shen Maoyuan's kindness. So he just snorted lightly, took Cen Zhao's sleeve, and walked out together: "I don't think you dare to say bad things about me behind my back."

Cen Zhao smiled and shook his head, took his hand, put it in his pocket, and walked home in the autumn wind.

Monday started with gloomy weather and it rained for a week straight.

Chen Liuchi stared at the autumn rain outside every day, fretting over it. He swiped his tablet screen and muttered, "Shouldn't we eat something soupy on a rainy day? But shouldn't we have a nice meal on a first date?"

“Shen Xiaochi! Wash your hands and eat!”

Cen Zhao poked his head out of the kitchen and saw that the man was still staring at the tablet. He chuckled, "You've been staring at it all afternoon. Don't your eyes hurt?"

Chen Liuchi stared intently: "What do you know? The first impression of a son-in-law is very important when he enters the house - Hey!"

Before he could finish his words, the tablet was taken away. The next second, Chen Liuchi was picked up by Cen Zhao and carried to the bathroom. "Wash your hands and eat. If your mother-in-law knew you were so obsessed with choosing a restaurant that you lost your appetite, I'd have to eat standing up that day."

Chen Liuchi didn't believe it and hummed on Cen Zhao's shoulder: "My mother-in-law is so gentle..."

"Yes, you also know that your mother-in-law is gentle."

Cen Zhao carried the man into the bathroom and spread a towel on the sink before putting him down. He leaned his arms on Shen Liuchi's side and asked seriously, "So why are you so nervous?"

"No one isn't nervous about a parents-only meeting." Chen Liuchi held Cen Zhao's face and rubbed it. "Ask yourself, if I told you that my parents are going to see you next week, how would you feel?"

Cen Zhao tilted his head to feel it for a few seconds, then silently took Chen Liuchi down from the sink: "Let's eat first, and then I'll go see the restaurant with you."

…

Finally, the two decided on a Cantonese restaurant. The food was not too large in portion but was exquisite and beautiful. The restaurant was also very famous for its Cantonese soup, which was perfect for a cool autumn rainy day.

Just as Chen Liuchi said, Cen Zhao's parents were both good-tempered, gentle, well-educated and easy to get along with. What's more, Chen Liuchi was good-looking, spoke in a witty and polite manner, so the two old people were nothing but satisfied with him.

After the meal, Chenliuchi had almost become half-son of Zeng Qingya, and was even pulled aside to have a few words with her before parting.

Cen Zhao and his father stood at the back and watched the mother and daughter chattering in front of them, with smiles in their eyes.

"When will you come to visit?" Father Cen glanced at his son. "Xiao Shen behaved so well today. Don't embarrass us when you come."

Cen Zhao hummed, calmly focusing on the second half of the sentence: "You really look down on your son. From childhood to adulthood, when have I ever made a mistake in an important occasion?"

Father Cen didn't know if he'd noticed Cen Zhao's evasion of the first half of the question, but he just smiled and continued, "That's true... but after all, you're a family man now. From now on, you have to discuss everything with Xiao Shen. We have a long way to go, so let's take our time."

Cen Zhao glanced at his father, feeling that there was something else behind his words. After thinking for half a second, he smiled and said, "I know."

"There's a lot of time to go, let's go slowly."

After the father and son finished their conversation, Chenliuchi also finished his private conversation with his mother-in-law, and both of them said goodbye with smiles.

"Do you want to know what I talked about with my mother-in-law?"

It didn't rain today, and the sun was a rare sight. It was warm and damp, like walking through a giant dryer. Chen Liuchi and Cen Zhao strolled toward the parking lot. She deliberately turned to look the man in the eye, her smile a bit sinister. "I have the Imperial Sword bestowed by my mother-in-law in my hand now. You'd better not mess with me in the future."

Cen Zhao looked at him amused and raised an eyebrow: "What if I provoke you? Kill me with a sword?"

Chen Liuchi smiled wickedly, shook his phone, and spewed out a long string of words: "Provoke me and I will print out the photo of you as a child with pink blush and a green dress and stick it on the headboard of your bed to admire it every day!"

Cen Zhao was stunned for two seconds before he could process the long string of information that had just come to his mind. He immediately laughed out loud: "My mom sent you my kindergarten photos?!"

Or those photos where she was forced to wear a little skirt during the art performance. Can't his mother let her son save some face in front of his sweetheart!

Chen Liuchi couldn't help it and laughed so hard that he couldn't stop.

Cen Zhao's face was burning with laughter. Just as he was grabbing Chen Liuchi's neck to give him a gentle scolding, his cell phone vibrated.

"I was wrong, I was wrong. Let me answer the phone first."

Chen Liuchi glanced at the caller, cleared his throat quickly, and picked up the phone: "Mom..."

"Where are you, second brother? If you are not busy, come to the Central Hospital." Zhang Ning's voice sounded, but he did not seem very nervous.

Chen Liuchi was stunned for a moment. He couldn't hear the other party's tone through the phone, and suddenly felt anxious: "I'm not busy. What's wrong? What happened?"

Zhang Ning told him not to worry, her voice helpless, "It's nothing. Your dad twisted his waist while hanging out clothes this morning, and the doctor told him to stay in the hospital for two days for acupuncture. I thought you'd go home and pack him some clothes."

Chen Liuchi heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but he was also worried: "Are you really okay?"

Zhang Ning smiled and said, "It's okay. You'll know when you come over and take a look. He's full of energy."

Chen Liuchi finally breathed a sigh of relief and waved to Cen Zhao, who looked concerned: "Okay, I'll go home now. Have you two had lunch?"

Zhang Ning said she had eaten, and then told me what to get before hanging up the phone.

"My dad twisted his waist and is in the hospital."

Without waiting for Cen Zhao to ask, Chen Liuchi took the initiative to speak: "I have to go home first to pack some things for him."

Cen Zhao nodded: "Together, my dad has a friend in the rehabilitation massage department, if necessary, you can ask him to go see uncle."

The two drove to Shen's house. While Chen Liuchi was packing his things, Cen Zhao called his father and asked for the contact information of his uncle in the rehabilitation department.

Father Cen also asked, "Is it serious? If not, I'll call the dean over for you."

Cen Zhao didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Please don't do that. It's better not to scare his parents. They'll think the situation is bleak."

Father Cen advised him: "Then you should be more discerning. There are uncles and aunts in the courtyard that you know. If you need anything, you can always find someone."

Cen Zhao responded, and after the sedimentation pool was cleaned up, he took everyone to the central hospital.

Chen Liuchi went upstairs first, and Cen Zhao went to the parking lot behind him. When he found the inpatient department on the seventh floor according to the ward number given by Chen Liuchi, he found that only Shen's father was lying in the single ward. Chen Liuchi and Zhang Ning had no idea where they had gone to work.

The ward door was ajar, and Cen Zhao felt a little awkward standing at the door. He didn't know if it was appropriate to rush in at this time. After all, he didn't know what Shen Xiaochi had said to his parents. For a moment, he felt like he had stepped on a mousetrap, and he was in a dilemma.

Chen Mushan had long noticed the man standing at the door. Zhang Ning had been whispering in his ear these days, and he was just a conservative old man, not a brainless fool. It was not as if he hadn't figured out something was fishy by now. But the man didn't come in, and he was so proud of his father's status that he didn't even say anything. Finally, the nurse who came to deliver the medicine broke the deadlock:

"Are you a family member of the patient? Please remember how to use these medicines."

Finally having a legitimate reason, Cen Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and followed the nurse into the ward. He bowed slightly to Chen Mushan on the bed and said, "Hello, uncle. I'm a friend of Chen Liuchi."

Chen Mushan's expression relaxed and he nodded: "The second one went downstairs to print the report."

Cen Zhao responded. After the nurse finished talking about three or five medications for external and internal use, he carefully asked, "Didn't the patient have acupuncture? Will this ointment conflict with the others?"

The nurse shook her head: "It's okay, as long as you're not allergic."

Cen Zhao then nodded and looked at Chen Mushan: "Uncle, do you want to try it on your wrist first?"

This kind of ointment for bruises and injuries is actually a common medicine at home. Chen Mushan can even recite the name of the medicine backwards, but at this moment, he still squeezed out a "hmm" from his nose: "It's okay to try it."

Upon hearing this, Cen Zhao stood by the bed, half bent over, and prepared the ointment. Chen Mushan glanced at him and said, "There's a chair over there. Pull it over and sit down."

Cen Zhao smiled and said, "Okay."

When Chen Liuchi and Zhang Ning came back one after another, they saw Cen Zhao and Shen Mushan chatting enthusiastically with a medicine box, from the efficacy to the ingredients, from the instructions to the national standards. The atmosphere was so harmonious that Chen Liuchi opened the door twice but failed to insert it.

"I'm really impressed."

Chen Liuchi was speechless with laughter. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Zhang Ning at the door, watching the father-in-law and son-in-law chatting animatedly. "No, has my dad been possessed? He can talk so freely over a medicine box?"

Zhang Ning patted him, telling him not to act so naive. "After listening to me nag for so long, and finally seeing the real person, your dad must have a lot to say."

Chen Liuchi turned serious when he heard that. He took his mother a few steps away and said nervously, "My dad...just accepted it like that?" He was so calm that it made me panic!

Zhang Ning sighed, "Your father isn't stupid. He should have guessed it ten years ago, but back then... he couldn't say. He couldn't say whether it was good or bad, whether he accepted it or not."

"But now ten years have passed, and what was bad has become good, and what was not accepted has become accepted."

Zhang Ning straightened Chen Liuchi's collar and spoke in a gentle tone, gently smoothing out the anxiety in her heart: "I've said it before, your father and I have always been afraid of you being alone. It's good now."

Chen Liuchi looked into his mother's gentle eyes and smiled: "Yeah, I know, it's good."

Chen Liuchi had originally planned to stay with his father until the acupuncture treatment was finished before leaving, but Chen Mushan disagreed no matter what. Zhang Ning secretly pinched Chen Liuchi, gestured to Cen Zhao next to him, and whispered, "Xiao Cen is here, how can your father have the nerve to expose his breasts?"

That's indeed the case. Chen Liuchi patted his head and said, "Then let him go first—"

"What do you mean first? You two are leaving. You won't be working tomorrow?" Chen Mushan waved his hand at him. "I'm fine. Don't treat me like a rare animal."

"Okay."

Chen Liuchi recorded a short video of Chen Mushan's energetic look and sent it to Shen Maoyuan. Unfortunately, the boss was on a business trip in another province this week, so he had to send a message to reassure people.

"Call me anytime if you need anything." Chen Liuchi confirmed with Zhang Ning, "I really don't need to hire a nurse?"

Zhang Ning smiled and chased them away: "Why invite? Your father is not unable to move. He would not feel comfortable if he had a nurse."

Cen Zhao gave Zhang Ning the phone number of a rehabilitation doctor he knew well. "I've already called him. Unfortunately, he's off duty today. He'll come over early tomorrow morning to check on Uncle."

Zhang Ning responded with a smile, "Thank you for your kindness, Xiao Cen. Wait until your uncle is well and come to our house for dinner. I see that your uncle is having a great time chatting with you today. It's rare for a young person to catch his eye."

Cen Zhao was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously looked for Chen Liuchi's eyes. After seeing his lover's eyes full of joy, he could no longer hold back his smile: "Okay, I will definitely come."

…

The autumn rain outside the house finally stopped, the clouds dispersed, and the sky was filled with crimson clouds. Wet light floated up and down the tiles, dim and gentle.

Chen Liuchi and Cen Zhao walked leisurely hand in hand, with the sun behind them.

From now on, every day will be good weather.