As the car came to a stop in front of that familiar residential building, Zhang Shaozhong took a deep breath, feeling even more nervous than when he first faced millions of viewers during a live broadcast.
He glanced back at the back seat, where Ye Meier was giving her final check of her lipstick in a small mirror, while Ling Qingxue quietly straightened out non-existent wrinkles in her collar.
"Are you two ready?"
Zhang Shaozhong tried to keep his tone light.
Ye Meier took a deep breath, with a heroic expression that said, "What haven't I seen before?", and was the first to push open the door and get out of the car.
Ling Qingxue nodded slightly, her posture still elegant, but her movements as she got out of the car seemed a beat slower than usual.
As soon as they reached the entrance of the building, Zhang Shaozhong's parents warmly greeted them and accepted the gifts brought by the two girls!
"Oh! My son's back!"
Zhang's mother's voice was loud and clear, and her gaze instantly locked onto the two stunningly beautiful women behind Zhang Shaozhong, her eyes lighting up instantly!
Although Mr. Zhang didn't say anything, he pushed up his reading glasses, his eyes filled with curiosity and scrutiny.
"Dad, Mom."
Zhang Shaozhong quickly introduced, "These are the roommates and business partners I mentioned to you, Ling Qingxue and Ye Meier. Qingxue, Meier, these are my parents."
"Hello, Uncle. Hello, Aunt."
Ling Qingxue stepped forward and, following the etiquette she had just crammed, bowed slightly, performing an extremely standard bow that seemed to have stepped out of an ancient painting. Her clear, cold voice carried a hint of tension: "Uncle, Aunt, may you be blessed with good health and peace."
Zhang's parents & Zhang's mother: ???
The two elderly people were stunned. They stared at the girl in front of them, who had a cool temperament, stunning beauty, and was performing an ancient ritual. They were momentarily speechless.
This...this way of greeting is so retro!
When Ye Meier saw this, her heart skipped a beat. She thought that Ling Qingxue's trick had worked, so she quickly followed suit and stepped forward, intending to clasp her hands in a salute (she saw this in martial arts movies).
In her haste, her clasped hands turned into a haphazard cupping of her hands in front of her chest, which looked out of place with her somewhat ladylike dress. She also mumbled, "Uh... well... Uncle and Aunt... have you eaten?"
Zhang Shaozhong: "..." He wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground!
Mr. and Mrs. Zhang exchanged a glance, both seeing immense confusion and... a barely suppressed smile in each other's eyes.
Mrs. Zhang quickly tried to smooth things over: "Oh, it's good that you're here! Come in, come in! It's hot outside!"
Once inside and seated, the real "interrogation" began.
Holding Ling Qingxue's hand, Zhang's mother asked with a smile, "Qingxue, I heard from Shaozhong that you two are doing live streaming together? What did you study? What does your family do?"
Ling Qingxue stiffened slightly, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the enthusiastic physical contact, but she maintained her composure and answered according to the pre-rehearsed "script": "This junior... has been learning traditional culture from my elders since childhood and has not entered this world... uh, has not gone to university. There are no other relatives in my family."
Her words were half true and half false, which made Zhang Shaozhong's heart pound with apprehension.
Upon hearing this, Zhang's mother was immediately overcome with maternal instincts and patted her hand tenderly, saying, "Oh dear, poor child! It's alright, from now on, treat this place as your own home!"
On the other hand, Mr. Zhang was more interested in Ye Meier, probably because he felt she had a more lively personality: "Miss Meier, you seem to have a very cheerful personality. How did you meet our Shao Chong?"
Ye Meier sat up straight, her mind racing. Recalling a melodramatic TV series she had watched before, she blurted out, "Oh! We became friends after a fight! He... he saved the damsel in distress! That's how we met!"
She thought to herself, "Wasn't it a kind of rescue when I came out of the spatial rift?"
Zhang Shaozhong almost spat out his tea!
A hero saving a damsel in distress?! What on earth is this?!
Mr. Zhang was taken aback when he heard this, and his eyes showed more surprise when he looked at Zhang Shaozhong, as if to say: You have this ability, kid.
Zhang's mother immediately shifted her focus, pressing Zhang Shaozhong for answers: "What happened? You played the hero and saved the damsel in distress? Are you alright? When did this happen? Why didn't you tell the family?"
Zhang Shaozhong stammered, sweating profusely, "Mom! It's not that serious! It was just... just a small misunderstanding! It's been resolved already!"
The scene during the meal was even more fascinating.
To demonstrate her "virtuousness," Ye Meier offered to help serve the dishes.
When she saw the plate of glistening braised pork on the table, she remembered Zhang Shaozhong's words about "being reserved." So, she used only two fingers to carefully hold the edge of the plate, as if carrying some kind of poison, and tiptoed to place it on the table, her posture extremely awkward.
Mrs. Zhang laughed and said, "Mei'er, it's alright. If the plate is hot, just use a cloth to cover it!"
Ling Qingxue was at a loss as to where to start with the table full of home-style dishes.
Especially the large chicken leg that Zhang's mother specially placed on her plate. She looked at the oily chicken leg and her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, but under Zhang's mother's earnest gaze, she could only take small bites and eat it very politely, at a pace that was so slow it was frustrating.
Watching the fairy struggle to maintain her manners while eating a chicken leg, Zhang Shaozhong almost suffered internal injuries from holding back his laughter.
Mr. Zhang took out his treasured Shaoxing wine and was about to pour some for Ye Meier.
Ye Meier thought to herself, what kind of potency can mortal wine have?
This is a perfect opportunity to show off my incredible drinking capacity! So I accepted all the drinks offered and downed three in a row!
The alcohol had a strong aftereffect; her cheeks quickly flushed, her eyes became glazed, and she started talking incoherently. She almost put her arm around Zhang's father's shoulder and started calling him brother, but Zhang Shaozhong held her down firmly.
Mrs. Zhang kept serving food to the two girls and showing them concern.
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