Chapter 33 Chapter 33 The soft touch of the palm of my hand seemed to give rise to a subtle...
The next day, Lin Mo got up very early because she had to meet her parents.
Just after I finished washing up, I heard a knock on the door.
She opened the door and saw three people standing outside: two men and one woman. The man and woman standing in the front were wearing the uniform work clothes of the community property management. The girl was the community manager and often sent messages in the property management group. She would occasionally meet her in the community, so she was relatively familiar with her. The other man was someone she didn't know, but he should be an administrator in the property management office.
"Hello, Miss Lin. This is our leader, Manager Chen." The housekeeper introduced with a smile.
Lin Mo didn't know the other party's intentions, so she smiled friendly and said, "Hello, what can I do for you?"
Manager Chen said, "Well, last night, a homeowner reported a cigarette smell in the elevator. We were checking the surveillance cameras to catch anyone smoking in the elevator, but we accidentally saw what happened to you last night. We're truly sorry. Due to our negligence, we allowed an unidentified person to enter the basement, posing a threat to your safety."
"This matter."
Lin Mo became nervous. She wondered if the property management had seen Wang Qian hitting someone when they checked the surveillance footage. "You didn't call the police, did you?"
Manager Chen was stunned for a moment, his tone uncertain: "Not yet, do you want to call the police?"
"No need, it's been resolved, I'm fine, thank you for your concern."
Manager Chen was relieved. "Oh, that's good. From today on, we will increase security in the community to ensure that such incidents will never happen again. In addition, as an apology to you, our head office will give you a set of smart door locks with monitoring and alarm functions."
Manager Chen pushed another man to the front and said, "If it's convenient, we can install it for you now. We have also invited the installation engineer."
Lin Mo felt a bit strange that the property manager, who used to be so indifferent to their work, had suddenly become so attentive and polite. "No, it's really okay. My current lock is fine."
The housekeeper frowned and sighed, "Miss Lin, please don't make things difficult for us. Our leader called a meeting this morning and criticized us all. He said that it was because of our irresponsible work that we almost caused such a disaster. Therefore, we must make amends to you, and it should also be a warning to ourselves."
Manager Chen agreed, "Yes, Ms. Lin, please don't make it difficult for us. If you don't accept it, it means we haven't completed our work."
The housekeeper smiled bitterly: "I might lose my job."
The two of them were talking back and forth, and Lin Mo couldn't resist: "Okay, then, thank your boss for me."
Lin Mo took the confirmation form from the housekeeper and signed it.
While installing the lock, she went into the house and brought out some drinks for the three people. While chatting with them, the property staff praised her in various ways. Manager Chen even took the initiative to add her contact information and told her that if other people in the property were negligent in any way, she could contact him directly.
This enthusiasm, which was completely different from the past, made Lin Mo's strange feeling even stronger.
But she didn't think much about it at first, until the lock was installed and the three of them left, Manager Chen said something.
"By the way, Miss Lin, the light in the front room of the stairwell on your floor has been repaired. We replaced the sensor light with a switch, which is more convenient. The window in the stairwell has also been repaired and sealed. Even if there is a strong wind in the future, the noise should not be too loud."
Hearing this, Lin Mo seemed to be thinking about something.
She discovered that the light in the front room was broken last night when she went to throw something away. Generally speaking, if no one repeatedly urged in the owners' group, the property management would rarely take the initiative to repair it. Not to mention the window in the stairwell, which was closed all year round, and no one in the property management had ever paid special attention to whether it was ventilated.
All this made her think of Lu Yanxiao, whom she had carefully observed in the stairwell last night.
"Okay, thank you."
Lin Mo smiled and thanked them. After a brief pause for a few seconds, she pretended to be casual and said, "I'll tell Yan Xiao."
"That's great! Thank you, Miss Lin!"
Manager Chen's excitement was beyond words. He had thought that Lu Yanxiao was doing these things without telling his girlfriend, so they didn't dare to say too much. Unexpectedly, the girl knew about it, so she stopped hiding it and flattered him with a smile on her face.
"Please say something good for us, Mr. Xiao."
It was indeed Lu Yanxiao's work.
My thoughts seemed to be entangled by something, I was confused and frightened, and an indescribable warmth surged in my chest.
For so many years, she has been used to being alone. No matter what happens, her first reaction is that she can solve it by herself. Even if she can't solve it, she will be able to get through it by enduring. From last night to today, this is the first time that someone has strongly helped her, supported her, and protected her.
It seems like it would be nice to marry someone like this, right?
"Ms. Lin?"
A hand waved before her eyes, and Lin Mo regained her senses. Suddenly, she was shocked by her own thoughts: "Okay, I will."
After making an excuse, she hurried back home, closed the door, and banged her head a few times, cursing herself angrily: "Lin Mo, what on earth are you thinking about? It's just an agreement to get married, an agreement to get married."
Thinking of this, she searched for the brand of smart lock on the Internet, then went back to the chat interface with Lu Yanxiao and transferred 6,000 yuan to him.
Lin Mo: [The property management team came to change the locks. Thank you for your trouble. Here's the money for the door locks. Please check it.]
Lu Yanxiao: [? ]
When it came to money, she didn't want to take advantage of others. Even if Lu Yanxiao didn't admit it, she had to make it clear: "The property management told me that you arranged it. Thank you. I appreciate the kindness, but you must accept the money. We have a long life ahead of us, so it's better to keep our finances separate."
Lu Yanxiao almost gritted his teeth as he clicked the payment button.
Then, a furious message came to Wang Qian on the phone: "Tell that Bai from the property management company to tell her people to mind their mouths."
*
The time I agreed with Lu Yanxiao to meet our parents together is 11 o'clock in the morning.
It was still early, and Lin Mo wanted to read a book while waiting, but as time got closer, she became more and more nervous.
The two planned to visit their grandfather in the nursing home first.
She had said in advance that she was bringing her boyfriend to meet her parents, so the whole family would be there. Not only would Lin Zhijie be there, but to show her importance, even her stepmother Dai Qiuying, who had a bad relationship with her grandfather, would be there.
It was the first time she had to lie so much in front of her family, and she felt extremely stressed.
The hands of the clock ticked away, but she couldn't concentrate. After a while, she went to the balcony to prepare herself mentally for questions from her family.
Before Lu Yanxiao came to pick her up, she had already recited her speech in her mind more than ten times. After getting in the car, she was still nervous and kept reciting the speech in her mind over and over again.
In contrast, Lu Yanxiao, who was sitting in the driver's seat, was calm and composed, with a hint of energy in his eyes.
Lin Mo was curious: "Why do you seem not nervous at all?"
"Why are you nervous?"
"Because it's fake, what if they ask a lot of questions and it's exposed? How about we rehearse it again?"
“It’s true for me.”
"Ah? What do you mean?" Lin Mo stared at him closely, with confusion and a hint of inquiry.
Lu Yanxiao added, "A sense of belief."
Lin Mo thought about it and suddenly realized: "Oh, you're right. Just like an actor acting, you have to have a sense of conviction. You have to believe it first before you can make others believe it. I'll make some adjustments."
Lu Yanxiao was amused by the girl's cute appearance and said, "If there's anything you can't handle, you can push it to me."
"You? So confident?
Lu Yanxiao raised his eyebrows, showing an expression of confidence in victory.
As soon as the car drove into the sanatorium, they saw Lin Peng picked up a wooden stick from somewhere and played with it in his hand. When he heard the noise at the door, he stretched his neck to take a look. After seeing them, he immediately threw away the stick and ran over quickly.
"Sister, Brother Xiao!"
Lin Peng was incredibly hospitable. He gestured to direct the car to stop, helped Lu Yanxiao open the door, and even walked to the back of the car with Lu Yanxiao, rushing to help open the trunk and chatting non-stop.
Lin Mo couldn't bear to watch it and pretended to be angry, "Lin Peng, your sister is here."
Lin Peng chuckled: "Brother Xiao, no, it's brother-in-law. This is not the first time brother-in-law has come here. He is a guest. As the host, we have to take care of the guests. Brother-in-law, do you feel my enthusiasm?"
Lu Yanxiao echoed with a smile: "I feel it."
"Don't be nervous, I'll be there to protect you. I'll make sure everything goes smoothly when you meet your parents today! Trust me!"
Lin Peng patted his chest exaggeratedly with his fist, and then wanted to clash with Lu Yanxiao again. Before Lin Mo could stop him, she witnessed with her own eyes that Lu Yanxiao cooperated very well and clash with him.
“…”
Lin Mo was sweating profusely and was too lazy to watch his brother act funny anymore.
There were a lot of gifts in the trunk, and she wanted to help move them, but Lu Yanxiao took out a folding camping cart from the innermost part. As soon as he opened it, Lin Peng happily rushed forward. The two tall men blocked the trunk tightly and didn't give her any chance to help.
"Sister, you take a rest. Leave the heavy work to me and my brother-in-law. It will also help us two brothers to improve our relationship."
Two brothers?
Lin Mo was surprised at the rapid development of their "brotherhood", as she had no idea about it at all.
After moving all the items out, Lin Peng scrambled to pull the cart and ran forward. He couldn't wait to get into the small courtyard where his grandfather lived and shouted into the house, "Mom and Dad, my sister and the others are here!"
Lin Mo was so curious that she couldn't help asking Lu Yanxiao, "How did you bribe my brother?"
"Charm of personality."
“…”
No, why do I suddenly feel like this person has changed his personality?
Lin Mo stood there in a daze, but Mr. Lu walked into the yard first as if nothing had happened.
The others came out upon hearing the noise. Lin Zhijie pushed Lin Jingwen, and Dai Qiuying, wearing an apron, called out to them, "Come in quickly, the food is ready."
The house arranged by the nursing home for the elderly is an independent one-story courtyard with a small garden. The house has two bedrooms and two living rooms, which is convenient for the elderly's daily activities. If family members come to accompany them, there is also a place to live and cook.
A lot of preparations had been made for the family in the past few days, and they all knew Lu Yanxiao. After entering the house and exchanging a few simple greetings, everyone brought the food to the table and sat around in a lively circle.
Lin Mo was originally very uneasy, fearing that she would be exposed. To her surprise, Lu Yanxiao changed his usual noble demeanor and not only took the initiative to find topics to talk about, but also could catch up on whatever his family said to him, handling it with ease and quickly winning everyone over.
Especially Grandpa Lin Jingwen, the more he looked at his new son-in-law, the more he liked him. He forced him to sit next to him during dinner.
Lin Mo then realized that Lu Yanxiao was deliberately drawing all the family's attention to herself so that she could adapt first.
By the time she was eating, she had indeed gradually gotten into the mood. She looked at Lu Yanxiao with gratitude, hid her phone under the table, and secretly sent him a WeChat message.
Lin Mo: [Thank you, I'm ready.]
Lin Mo: [Can you do it now?]
Lu Yanxiao lowered his eyes and saw the message. He glanced at the girl next to him and carefully peeked at her phone, just like a classmate secretly passing notes during class. He followed her example, put his phone under the table and typed on it.
Lu Yanxiao: [Sure.]
The two people's sneaky behavior had actually been noticed by their families a long time ago, but in everyone's eyes, this was normal behavior of a loving young couple. The parents ate dog food and pretended not to see it.
Only Lin Peng, upon catching a glimpse of their movements, instantly understood that they were texting each other, and came over with a sly look on his face: "Sister, brother-in-law, what are you whispering about?"
"Lin Peng, sit down and eat!" Dai Qiuying's face was full of disgust for her ignorant son, and she couldn't stop him.
Lin Peng sat back angrily.
But Lin Mo was still shocked and hurriedly put away her phone: "Nothing."
Since everyone was looking at her, she inexplicably felt a surge of courage. She simply stood up and said solemnly, "Grandpa, Dad, Aunt Dai, I have something to announce."
In the eyes of the Lin family's parents, Lin Mo has been very worry-free since she was a child. She is smart and independent, and sometimes makes more accurate decisions than adults. Whether it was signing up for competitions and taking the gifted class when she was a child, or joining the research institute when she grew up, she made the decisions and implemented them herself. Parents only need to cooperate with and support her.
Therefore, everyone put down their cutlery at the same time, and just like before, looked at her calmly, waiting for her next words.
"We have decided to get married and want to get the marriage certificate next week."
This sentence seemed to silence the whole scene, and the air froze instantly.
At this time, Lu Yanxiao also stood up, poured tea into the cup, and toasted to the three parents with tea instead of wine: "Uncle, Grandpa, Aunt Dai, I hope you can agree."
The temperature at the scene dropped a few degrees. No one said a word, and no one responded. Lu Yanxiao held up the teacup, but he was not anxious at all and waited patiently.
The first one to lose his composure was Lin Peng, who sighed softly, "This is too sudden!"
He really liked his new brother-in-law, Lu Yanxiao, but as far as he knew, they had only known each other for a short time, so how could they already be discussing marriage? Was his sister suddenly in love? Or...
Lin Peng was shocked by his own thoughts. Without thinking, he asked Lin Mo: "Sister, are you pregnant..."
"Shut up, it's nothing."
Lin Mo glared at him, then said to Lin Zhijie in a slightly coquettish tone, "Dad, I'm offering you tea. I've been holding it out for a long time."
Lin Zhijie never took the cup of tea, nor did he look at Lu Yanxiao. He picked up the bowl and chopsticks and said emotionlessly, "Eat first."
"Uncle, I swear on my life that I will never do anything beyond the pale. Please..."
"I said eat first."
Lin Zhijie raised his head and repeated it to him with a gloomy face.
Lu Yanxiao wanted to say something, but Lin Mo tugged at his sleeve and shook her head slightly at him, so he had no choice but to sit down.
Lin Jingwen, on the other hand, was so overwhelmed by the immense joy that his brain seemed to short-circuit. It took him a long time to come back to his senses. He was practically crying with joy, patting Lu Yanxiao's arm and repeating over and over again: "Good, good, good, it's great, you are all good children. Old Lu and I can finally rest assured. You will all be fine in the future."
Everyone could see that the old man was truly happy.
Therefore, even if you have some complaints in your heart, you can't say anything in front of the elderly.
The meal was silent and awkward.
Lin Mo's condition has changed greatly from when she first arrived. Seeing her grandfather happy, she is more convinced that her approach is right. She is determined to do her best to convince Lin Zhijie. Even if she fails in the end, she will definitely proceed according to her plan, and no one can stop her.
Afraid that Lu Yanxiao would be upset, she quietly sent him a message: [Don't worry, I'm here.]
Scanning the WeChat content, Lu Yanxiao couldn't help but look sideways at her, and met the girl's sparkling eyes, as if they were immersed in starlight.
After dinner, Lin Zhijie asked Lin Mo to go to the second bedroom to talk. Lu Yanxiao followed subconsciously, looking a little worried.
Lin Mo smiled at him and whispered, "It's okay, just chat with grandpa for me." Then she closed the door of the second bedroom.
Lin Zhijie stood beside the bed with a cold face, and he seemed to be shrouded in a thick haze.
"Dad, don't be so serious. It's scary."
Lin Mo tried to lighten the mood. Smiling, she walked over, pushed Lin Zhijie to sit on the bed, and sat down on a chair beside him. "It's not a big deal."
Lin Zhijie frowned, still unconvinced: "Are you really planning to marry that guy?"
"Is this true?"
"How long have you known each other? Do you know what kind of person he is?"
"It doesn't matter how long it takes."
Lin Mo gave a self-deprecating smile, "Some people, you can understand them well enough after just a few days of knowing them, but some people, you may not be able to see clearly no matter how long you know them."
For example, someone like Xu Tingzhou.
Lin Zhijie also thought about Xu Tingzhou's matter and couldn't bear to dwell on the timing any longer. However, he still couldn't understand how this was possible given his traditional thinking. After much hesitation, he stammered, "Have you already..."
"Already what?"
"It's what Lin Peng mentioned."
"Dad, why do you think so? No, no, I promise I don't."
Lin Mo was angry and speechless, so she simply lied, "Lu Yanxiao, he respects me very much and wouldn't do anything unethical before we're married. Besides, I don't plan to have children before I'm 35, and he supports me."
Lin Zhijie was surprised for a few seconds, not because of Lu Yanxiao's personality, but because of his daughter's plan for her own life.
Lin Mo keenly noticed the slight change in her father's expression, and quickly came up with a point to persuade him.
"Dad, I've thought this through carefully. You know, I have my own ideals at work, and I hope to realize them before I'm thirty-five. I'm usually so busy with work, so I don't have time to be as devoted as others in a relationship. Xu Tingzhou is a lesson for me. They said they were dating for over a year, but in reality, we didn't actually meet for that long, so..."
At this point, Lin Mo lowered her eyes and stared at her toes, pretending to be shy, "So I thought, since I love Lu Yanxiao, why not get the marriage certificate sooner rather than later, so that we can live together legally and see each other often."
Lin Zhijie sighed helplessly.
Ever since they rebuilt their family, there always seemed to be a layer between the father and daughter. It was rare that his daughter could say so much to him today. He knew that once his daughter made a decision, no one could change it. What's more, what she said made sense, so he no longer insisted.
Lin Zhijie stood up and said, "Go out."
"Dad, do you agree?" Lin Mo took small steps to her father's side and took his arm affectionately.
Lin Zhijie didn't answer directly. He opened the door and said to Lu Yanxiao, who was chatting with the old man, "Xiao Lu, come with me out for a cigarette."
"Okay." Lu Yanxiao responded, and his eyes signaled to Lin Mo to rest assured.
Lin Mo was worried. His father couldn't even pretend. He didn't smoke at all, and neither did Lu Yanxiao. He asked Lu Yanxiao to go out so that he could talk to him alone.
"What are you looking at?"
Lin Peng came over with a small bunch of grapes in his mouth and looked out along Lin Mo's line of sight. "Um, sister, are you sure you've made up your mind? If you have, I will definitely stand by you unconditionally and support you in whatever decision you make."
Lin Mo was relieved: "Thank you."
"You're my sister, why are you thanking me? Let's go and have some fruit. My mom has prepared a lot of fruit."
Lin Peng pulled them to the sofa. Dai Qiuying was just coming out of the kitchen carrying freshly washed strawberries. She said to them, "Come on, I don't know what your favorite is, so I bought some of everything."
"Thank you, Aunt Dai. Thank you for your help."
After all, they were not familiar with Dai Qiuying, and the atmosphere fell silent. Several people ate fruit and watched TV in the living room.
About fifteen minutes later, there was a sound outside the door, and Lin Mo immediately stood up and walked over.
Lin Zhijie was the first to come in. Seeing his daughter's concerned look, he looked displeased: "Are you afraid I'll eat him?"
"No way?"
Lin Zhijie: "When will we get the marriage certificate next week?"
ah?
Lin Mo was stunned for a moment, and looked at Lu Yanxiao in surprise. Lu Yanxiao nodded slightly to her, with a smile at the corner of his eyes that showed affirmation.
Does Dad agree?
Lin Mo suppressed her excitement and replied, "Tentatively scheduled for next Friday."
Lin Zhijie: "Have you told your mother?"
Lin Mo: "It's not too late yet."
Lin Zhijie: "Tell me about it."
Lin Mo: "Okay."
*
As the car drove out of the sanatorium gate, Lin Mo couldn't help but ask Lu Yanxiao: "How did you convince my dad?"
She was so curious. Ever since the marriage announcement during dinner, her father hadn't even looked at Lu Yanxiao. But just as she was leaving, her father patted Lu Yanxiao on the shoulder and told him to "come home for dinner more often when you have time," which clearly showed that he had given his approval to this son-in-law.
Lu Yanxiao drove the car with his eyes fixed on the road ahead, keeping the question in suspense: "Want to know?"
"Well, don't talk about 'personal charm'. It's easy to capture Lin Peng. My father is a very rational person."
Lu Yanxiao said calmly, "Promise."
"What promise?" "Are you sure you want to listen?"
The red light came on and the car just stopped. Lu Yanxiao glanced sideways and saw the girl's expectant eyes. He suddenly felt like teasing her and said jokingly, "It's similar to what you said, about living together and having children..."
"Oh, stop it, stop!"
Lin Mo was embarrassed and flustered, and hurriedly reached out to stop him from continuing. By the time she realized her palm was pressed against his lips, it was too late. They were both stunned. The soft touch of his palm seemed to generate a subtle electric current, imprisoning her whole body.
It was not until the man chuckled that she finally woke up from her dream and quickly withdrew her hand.
"I'm sorry, I was so anxious."
"Understood." The traffic light turned green, and Lu Yanxiao continued to look ahead.
Lin Mo sighed inwardly and grumbled softly, "My dad is really something. He tells everyone everything. Don't take it to heart. I just said that to convince him. It's nonsense."
"You're not planning on having kids before you're thirty-five?"
"That's not nonsense. Many people in the aviation industry dream of becoming a chief designer, and I'm no exception. Based on the typical project cycle, if everything goes well, I'd probably only be able to achieve that by the time I'm around 35. However, it's not always the case. One of our senior colleagues became deputy chief designer at the age of 30."
At this point, Lin Mo paused, realizing she had been led astray. So, she returned to the original question, "Just by making a promise, did my father believe it?"
"There's a file bag in the storage box. Take it out and have a look."
Lin Mo was half-believing and half-doubting, so she opened the storage box in front of the co-pilot seat and saw a black file bag with a certain brand logo. She pulled out the paper inside and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the content on the first page.
"You, when did you prepare it?"
She could never have imagined that President Xiao, who was so high and mighty in the eyes of many people, would actually list all the gossip and negative rumors about himself in the past, and explain each one of them, including the time, place, people, reasons, etc., in great detail that no one who read it would doubt its authenticity.
Lu Yanxiao said casually, "Wang Qian sorted it out."
"That also depends on your permission."
The fact that he agreed to show these to others showed his sincerity. Lin Mo was moved. "Thank you," she said, putting the pages back into the bag.
"Don't want to watch?" Lu Yanxiao's deep voice sounded beside him.
Lin Mo carefully closed the bag and said calmly, "I won't read it. It's not important."
Lu Yanxiao: "You need to understand."
Lin Mo exclaimed, not knowing if it was an illusion, but she always felt that his voice was deeper and firmer when he said this.
"Oh, let me see."
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