"Baby, wake up, Mommy and Daddy are coming down soon."
Jiang Xia gently woke his wife, raised his hand to tidy her slightly disheveled hair and clothes, so that his father-in-law wouldn't be suspicious if he saw his daughter drunk and disheveled.
"Um……"
Lin Yanwan let out a barely audible sound. She slowly opened her eyes, and Jiang Xia's image before her gradually solidified after a couple of seconds of confusion.
"Do you want to... go back first?" She swayed unsteadily, grabbing Jiang Xia's arm to steady herself, and exhaled a breath of alcohol. "I'm worried about Dad..."
"As long as you stay sober when Dad comes down, he probably won't beat me up," he chuckled.
"Mmm." Lin Yanwan nodded slightly with her eyes half-open.
The four elevators were either on the second basement level of the underground parking lot or on the twentieth floor. Lin Gaoyuan and Ji Wanqiu didn't have time to think and ran downstairs. Jiang Xia heard the commotion at the entrance of the building and helped his wife walk over.
Seeing her father jogging down the street, with her mother close behind, both looking anxious, Lin Yanwan closed her eyes, trying to stay awake.
"Dad, Mom, I'm sorry, I made you worry."
"Hello Uncle Lin, hello Aunt Ji." Jiang Xia immediately followed up politely.
The two maintained a very appropriate distance, neither making the father-in-law feel that he was taking advantage of his daughter, nor making it obvious at a glance that their relationship was indeed very close.
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
Lin Gaoyuan breathed a sigh of relief. He could tell that his daughter had drunk a lot of alcohol, and her tone was intoxicated, but fortunately she wasn't completely unconscious. She was still able to think clearly, so he shouldn't be able to take advantage of her.
The problem is, how come that guy didn't seem to have touched a drop of alcohol? Wasn't this supposed to be a class reunion? So, as Yanwan's boyfriend, he didn't even help her avoid drinking?
Thinking about this, Lin Gaoyuan felt angry again.
I still don't like the kid.
The mother-in-law noticed the injury on her son-in-law's face at a glance. She stepped forward, handed the water glass to her daughter, and then asked with concern, "Xia, does it still hurt? Have you applied any medicine?"
"I'm much better now, Auntie. The Yunnan Baiyao that Uncle secretly gave me is very effective." Jiang Xia forced a smile. Ji Wanqiu could clearly see his muscles twitching slightly, so she turned and glared at her man. He had hit her so hard!
Lin Gaoyuan coughed awkwardly and stood aside, not daring to speak. He had lived half his life and was not oblivious to the fact that Jiang Xia was giving him a way out.
"Why don't you come upstairs and sit for a while? I'll apply some more medicine for you, it'll help you heal faster," the mother-in-law said.
"No need, Auntie. My mom will be just as worried as you if we get back late," Jiang Xia said with a smile. "You should take Yanwan home and get some rest."
"That's true."
As she spoke, Ji Wanqiu subtly tugged at his sleeve, pulling him aside and whispering, "Xia, today was a misunderstanding. I've already given Yanwan's father a good talking-to, so please don't take it to heart, okay?"
"Don't worry, Auntie. I can understand what Uncle did. It's a father's responsibility, and I have no complaints," Jiang Xia said earnestly.
“Good girl. It’s so good that you think that way.” She clenched her fingers and said hesitantly, “If your parents ask, don’t hide it from them. Just tell them the truth. I’ll come to apologize to them another day.”
"Aunt Ji, please don't say that. Uncle meant me no harm, and I also bear a lot of responsibility." Jiang Xia sighed softly, "Actually...actually..."
He hesitated and couldn't finish his sentence.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Ji Wanqiu asked.
"Actually, I'm more worried about my uncle's opinion of me. What if he thinks I'm immoral? What if Yanwan and I..." As he spoke, his voice gradually weakened.
"What could he possibly think?" Ji Wanqiu glared. "Yanwan has always listened to me since she was little, so you can rest assured and date Yanwan. As long as there are no problems in your relationship, I'll help you overcome any other obstacles!"
Jiang Xia blinked. Sure enough, the self-inflicted injury strategy was the winning formula. By winning over the mother-in-law, he instantly went from being Lin Yanwan's girlfriend to the Lin family's prospective son-in-law.
The more he shifted the blame onto himself, the more his mother-in-law felt that he had been wronged. So, after a series of struggles, he successfully manipulated his mother-in-law.
As the saying goes, "a loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise," who says that being beaten is always a bad thing?
"Thank you, Mom!" Jiang Xia chuckled. "From the first moment I saw you, I felt a special connection with you; you were sure to be my mom."
Upon hearing this, Ji Wanqiu blushed and immediately recalled a few months ago when he took Yan Wan home at night. The first thing he said to her was, "Mom," which left her stunned.
But to be honest, she was quite happy to hear that "Mom" call her that.
"Hey, if you keep yelling like that, I'll beat you up too. Call me Auntie!" she said, feigning anger.
"Aunt Ji," Jiang Xia said tentatively, pursing her lips, "Can I call you Mom when we're not around?"
"no!"
Ji Wanqiu refused without much thought. The two children weren't even married yet, and she was expected to give her a red envelope now? No way.
She didn't give Jiang Xia a chance to bargain anymore. She coughed lightly, looked at the father and daughter a few meters away, and her voice returned to normal: "Alright, then you should go back early. It's getting dark, be careful on the road. Come visit another day."
"Okay, Auntie."
Jiang Xia turned his gaze back to his father-in-law. The two had tacitly avoided eye contact since they met. The two punches that afternoon were, in essence, a matter of pride between the two men.
"Uncle Lin, I'm going back now. You should get some rest," he said.
"Okay, sure." Lin Gaoyuan nodded lightly, his hands behind his back, fidgeting with his fingers.
Jiang Xia slowly turned and left. Ji Wanqiu coughed twice and looked at Lin Gaoyuan, who was trying to wink at Jiang Xia.
He struggled with his feelings for a long time, wiped his face with his hand, and finally succumbed to his wife's tyranny.
“Jiang…Jiang Xia…” he called out.
Upon hearing the voice, Jiang Xia froze, turned to look at his father-in-law, and asked in confusion, "Uncle, is there anything else?"
"that……"
Lin Gaoyuan pursed his lips, put one hand in his pocket, and looked away at the streetlights outside: "Today, thank you for bringing Yanwan back."
Ji Wanqiu shook her head, her face full of helplessness. She's such a grown-up, yet she's still so thin-skinned. It's not that hard to apologize properly.
"Of course, I won't let Yanwan drink alcohol again in the future."
Jiang Xia smiled and waved, "Goodbye, Uncle and Aunt."
...
(More tonight)
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