Chapter 176 Prelude to Relationship Exposure

"I'm back."

After finishing the exam, Jiang Duan changed into slippers at the entrance.

The final exam was not stressful for him, so he didn't carry any extra things with him, and just went to the exam room with a pen in his hand.

Now that he was back, he casually put his pen on the built-in table at the corner of the entrance.

When Nianzhu heard the noise in the bedroom, she came out and saw Jiang Duan. She first said, "The exam is over," as if following the procedure, and then pushed out two suitcases to take credit.

One of them was the suitcase he brought with him when he flew to Beijing, and the other one, needless to say, was the one he packed for Jiang Duan.

"Look!" Shi Nianzhu opened his arms and showed the two suitcases in front of him. "I've packed all the luggage. I'll lighten your burden a little bit, hehe."

Jiang Duan glanced at the suitcase on the ground, then without hesitation walked around it, hugged Shi Nianzhu, and took advantage of the moment when he looked up to kiss him: "Thank you, baby."

Shi Nianzhu's eyes were filled with pride and happiness at Jiang Duan's serious response. She raised her head slightly at the end of her voice, "You're welcome. I'll just consider it my understanding of your hard work during the exam."

Although this final exam was not difficult for Jiang Duan.

"Thank you even more, baby, you're so good to me." Jiang Duan placed another kiss on Shi Nianzhu's face. "Shall we go out for lunch? After lunch, we can rest for a while and then go to the airport."

"Okay. I also want to eat at the barbecue restaurant that Chu Qingyu invited us to before."

Shi Nianzhu pulled him to change his shoes.

"Hey, hey, hey," Jiang Duan was amused by his greedy look, "Let me drink some water first. I just got home from the exam and haven't even had a sip of water yet, and you're going to drag me out again."

Shi Nianzhu let go of his hand, embarrassed for a second, then ran to get a glass of water and stuffed it into his hand, "Drink it quickly."

Jiang Duan drank most of the drink with a smile on his face and his chin slightly raised.

He raised the cup in his hand and showed it to Shi Nianzhu. "Okay," Jiang Duan placed the cup on the table nearby. "Change your shoes, we're going out."

Shi Nianzhu was afraid of the sun, so he took a baseball cap from the coat rack in the living room and put it on his head. The two of them got dressed and changed into lighter shoes before going out.

By the time they finished their meal and returned home to rest for a while, it was already two o'clock in the afternoon.

The plane took off at 3:30. The two of them booked a car in advance, packed their suitcases, and said goodbye to Beijing, the small nest where they had lived for half a month.

On the plane, Shi Nianzhu took out two disposable eye masks from her carry-on bag and gave one to Jiang Duan.

Jiang Duan didn't rush to open it and put it aside.

"Brother Duan, aren't you sleepy? I am sleepy too."

"Not sleepy." Jiang Duan said, and as he approached, Nianzhu tilted her shoulder towards him. "If you're sleepy, put on your eye mask and go to bed."

In order to spend the six-hour flight comfortably in the afternoon, they bought first-class tickets, which provided beds.

Shi Nianzhu didn't comment and huddled up on the bed. "Dad is coming to pick us up at the airport today. We have to get along like brothers. We can't just start a big fight right away."

"Okay, wait for two days." Jiang Duan agreed with his suggestion.

"We should choose a time when Dad is in a good mood to tell him that we are in a relationship. I think this will increase the chances of him agreeing to our relationship." Shi Nianzhu argued confidently while putting on the blindfold.

"Don't think about it." Jiang Duan couldn't help laughing. He pressed his shoulders and pushed him down to the bed. "Sleep. We'll figure it out after we land."

"Okay." Shi Nianzhu closed his eyes, pulled the quilt over him and fell asleep quietly.

When I woke up and opened my eyes again, there were still two hours before the plane landed.

Shi Nianzhu, who was awake, took off his blindfold and sat up from the bed, feeling very nervous, fearing that they would be exposed in front of Shi Guilin after they landed.

He muttered worriedly, "Brother Duan, please don't hold my hand or put your arm around my shoulders in front of Dad... But, but brothers can put their arms around each other, right?"

Jiang Duan couldn't bear to see him anxious, so he said, "Just like usual, just get along as usual, it's okay."

"How can it be okay?" Jiang Duan's words only made Shi Nianzhu angry. "Our relationship has deteriorated. Once it deteriorates, it can't be exactly the same as before. Everyone can sense that something is wrong."

He told himself he was angry, as angry as a bloated pufferfish.

Jiang Duan poked his bulging cheek and coaxed him, "If they sense something's wrong, we'll just confess with a smile. As the saying goes, 'Don't hit someone who smiles.'"

"Go away." Shi Nianzhu was amused by his ridiculous laughter, and the tense nerves relaxed. "Never mind, sometimes being discovered is also a kind of fate."

"Well, let it be." Jiang Duan took his hand and pinched the soft flesh on the palm and fingertips.

When I got off the plane, my phone showed the time was 8:30 pm. It was already dark.

Because they were familiar with the airport in Hai City and had communicated on the phone in advance, they found the car that Shi Guilin usually drove parked on the side of the road as soon as they left the airport.

After all, they hadn't seen each other for more than half a month, so Shi Nianzhu was less worried about the exposure of her secret relationship. She flew to the car like a bird in a family forest.

"Knock, knock." Shi Nianzhu knocked on the car window with his knuckles. Jiang Duan stopped beside him.

The car window rolled down, revealing Shi Guilin's sharp profile. "Put your luggage in the trunk yourself."

"Okay." Shi Nianzhu responded hurriedly, walked around to the back of the car, lifted the hood, and together with Jiang Duan, loaded the two suitcases into the trunk.

After putting down their luggage and getting ready to get on the bus, Shi Nianzhu and Jiang Duan looked at each other, as if to see where the other was going.

Jiang Duan opened the back door and winked at Shi Nianzhu: "You sit in the passenger seat so you can talk to Uncle Shi. I'll sit in the back."

"...Okay." Shi Nianzhu saw that half of his body was already in the back seat, so he opened the door, sat in the passenger seat, and fastened his seat belt.

After the two were seated, Shi Guilin started the car and drove into traffic.

"Did you have fun in Beijing during this time?" Shi Guilin asked a question that all parents in the world must ask their children when they come home from traveling.

"I had a lot of fun. I visited a lot of attractions and walked so much that my legs were almost broken." Shi Nianzhu answered, still acting coquettishly and with a little complaining tone.

"Hahahahahahaha, several scenic spots in Beijing cover a large area, and it's a bit tiring to walk around. Have you visited the university that Duan attends? That's also your uncle and aunt's alma mater, do you feel longing for it?" Shi Guilin asked.

"Of course there is, Dad," Shi Nianzhu said without pretense, "Wait until my scores and the cutoff score come out. If they are high enough, I will definitely apply to Peking University and continue our family's tradition of going to Peking University."

"Dad fully supports you in going to Peking University. After all, you have your brother Duan as your senior to look after you, so dad can rest assured." Shi Guilin imagined happily.

"Yes, if Nian Nian goes to Peking University, she can live with me and I will take care of her." Jiang Duan's words were not sensational and really made people feel at ease.

The few words of assurance reminded Shi Guilin of Jiang Duan's personal care for Shi Nianzhu since childhood, and he felt relieved.

"Oh, right," Shi Guilin said, "it's getting late. Duan and Nian Nian should have dinner at home and stay overnight tonight. The driver will take you to the Jiang family tomorrow."