Zhong Tingyue paced back and forth in the room a few times, then threw herself onto the bed, covered herself with the blanket, curled up, and tucked her head under the covers, curling her whole body into a shrimp-like shape.
At this moment, the blanket became her 'mouse hole,' only big enough for herself to enter. Nothing in the outside world mattered to her; she had no connection with the outside world whatsoever.
It's a school of its own!
Snuggled in bed, Zhong Tingyue fiddled with her phone, scrolling through her chat messages with Chu's mother.
She addressed him as "elder sister" and he responded as "younger sister," the two of them acting like close sisters.
The chat revolved around Chu Fang. Chu's mother shared embarrassing stories about her son when he was young, mentioned that she had been single for over twenty years, and instructed Zhong Tingyue to keep a close eye on Chu Fang. She patted her chest and promised that she would take good care of her 'nephew' and fulfill her duties as an 'aunt,' ensuring that no disreputable women would get close to him.
Chu's mother simply responded with a funny emoji.
At the time, Zhong Tingyue didn't take it to heart, thinking that the other party had just sent it to the wrong number. But now, she was trembling all over, clearly indicating that her relationship with Chu Fang was being observed by Chu's mother.
Everything is understood without words.
"Hiss..." Despite being covered by the blanket, Zhong Tingyue still felt cold, so she shrank back and pulled the blanket tighter.
At this moment, the blanket became her only means of defense.
Zhong Tingyue also added Chu's father on WeChat. She usually referred to herself as "little sister" when chatting with him. However, Chu's father had an unspeakable hesitation and helplessness about having a younger sister. It was as if he had a thousand words to say but could not express them.
"Oh dear, Zhong Tingyue, you idiot! How could you not have noticed?" Looking at the chat history, Zhong Tingyue slapped her forehead hard, her words filled with regret. The more she read, the more the embarrassment emanated from her, seemingly filling the entire room. She tossed her phone aside and muttered to herself:
"I'm not watching anymore... ..."
Immediately, Zhong Tingyue closed her eyes to rest, hoping to fall asleep and wake up to find all the embarrassment gone, and that today was just a dream.
But... things didn't go as planned.
The more Zhong Tingyue tried to sleep, the less she could. When she closed her eyes, the image of Chu Ma appeared in the dark space. She smiled and looked at her with a kind expression. It wasn't the kind of smile a 'sister' would give, but rather the kind of smile a 'daughter-in-law' would give.
Kind-faced, with a gentle smile, and a pleasant demeanor... ...and with a touch of absurdity, playfulness, and mischief.
It's like a mother watching her child being cute and playful, still greeting them with a smile, and playing along with the child without ever exposing their tricks.
Zhong Tingyue sat up abruptly, her eyes wide as saucers: "How can I possibly sleep like this!"
Her embarrassment had reached its peak.
I have never had such an experience before.
A lyric involuntarily popped into my head: I feel like running away, but I can't escape...
Awkwardness was ever-present.
She had vowed to never let any disreputable woman get close to Chu Fang, yet she herself was Chu Fang's girlfriend and also Chu's mother's sister.
What should we call each other when we meet?
Call her 'elder sister'?
wrong!
Should I call her 'Auntie'?
That's not right either!
Originally, according to Zhong Tingyue's idea, it would be understandable to keep the relationship secret until she met the parents later and say that feelings developed over time. There would be some awkwardness, but it wouldn't be a deep-seated issue.
But upon meeting her, her true identity was immediately revealed, and she even smugly took pride in her 'little sister' persona, as if she thought her plan was brilliant and perfect.
Little did I know that in the other person's eyes, all my actions were so—childish!
The resulting awkwardness was beyond measure.
At that moment, she finally understood one word: 'social death'.
She was already in a state of social death in front of Chu Fang's parents.
Just then, a knock sounded on the door, followed by Chu Fang's voice: "Ms. Zhong, dinner is ready."
"I won't eat it!"
"Eat more, eat less, eat a little," Chu Fang continued, "so that you'll have the strength when you 'die'."
“... ..."
Zhong Tingyue gritted her teeth in anger; even at this moment, this man was still trying to provoke her.
Get up, get dressed, open the door, and head outside. Chu Fang asks, "What are you doing? Are you trying to escape? This isn't like you, Zhong Tingyue."
"Hmph!" Zhong Tingyue snorted coldly as she put on her shoes. "It's none of your business."
This room had given her too many nightmares. She wanted to escape. She put on her shoes, ignored Chu Fang, tossed her hair, and slammed the door shut, leaving Chu Fang with a beautiful silhouette.
"Sigh! My mental resilience is too weak."
Chu Fang sighed and prepared to eat by himself when suddenly a sharp and piercing scream rang in his ears.
Meow! ! ! ... ...
Damn it!
You stupid cat, I'll stew you sooner or later!
... ...
Chengdu Town.
As night fell, heavy clouds obscured the bright moon in the sky, making it appear somewhat gloomy.
Father Chu was burning firewood, while Mother Chu was cooking dinner at the stove, chattering away: "Do you think I should call my daughter-in-law? To comfort her, in case anything unexpected happens."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "How about we don't fight yet, and pretend I didn't realize she'd figured out the truth, that I was kept in the dark, thus avoiding embarrassment for my daughter-in-law? We can continue to call each other sisters, wouldn't that be better?"
"..." Mr. Chu remained silent, but noticing his wife's gaze, he asked softly, "So, when the child brings his wife home, what will you two call her?"
"Yueyue and I will continue to call each other sisters, and Yueyue and Chufang will call each other husband and wife. What era are we living in? The Qing Dynasty has been gone for hundreds of years. How can your thinking be so feudal!"
Your thinking is indeed very progressive... ...While burning firewood, Father Chu said slowly, "I think you still need to have a talk with your daughter-in-law."
"Yes, that's right." Hearing this, Chu's mother nodded.
They liked their daughter-in-law, Zhong Tingyue, very much. Her appearance, personality, and values were similar to Chu Fang's and their own.
This is an extremely difficult task.
Zhong Tingyue often chatted with them and bought them a lot of things, including Chu's father's fishing rod and tea, as well as cosmetics and clothes for Chu's mother. Sometimes, when the weather in the town changed, she would remind them to avoid catching a cold or getting sick.
"Then I need to think about what to do." Chu's mother stroked her chin, lost in thought.
Chu's father said, "The water in the pot has been boiled several times."
"Oh, I forgot."
“... ..."
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