Zhang Shaozhong barely slept all night, his mind replaying the two completely different kisses from the previous night, both of which made his heart race uncontrollably.
I finally drifted off to sleep just as dawn was breaking.
I felt like I hadn't slept long when I was woken up by the slight noises coming from the kitchen and the aroma of porridge wafting over.
He sat up, rubbing his sleepy eyes, and saw his mother peeking out from the kitchen, giving him a wink and signaling him to come over.
Zhang Shaozhong's heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling.
He glanced cautiously at the closed guest room door and tiptoed into the kitchen.
"Mom, what's wrong? So early?"
Zhang Shaozhong asked in a low voice.
While stirring the porridge in the pot, Zhang's mother leaned closer mysteriously and asked in a low voice, "Son, tell me the truth! What happened last night?"
Zhang Shaozhong's heart tightened, but he pretended to be stupid: "What? What's going on? I was sleeping."
"Stop pretending!"
Mrs. Zhang gently patted him, her eyes sparkling with gossip and confusion. "Your father and I got up in the middle of the night and saw it all! First, that girl Mei'er sneaked out to kiss you, then Qingxue went out too, and you were quite bold, you even kissed Qingxue too... We just heard the door close!"
Zhang Shaozhong: "!!!" We're doomed!
They got caught red-handed!
He felt a rush of heat to his head, and his face instantly turned bright red!
"Mom! You...you're still peeking!"
Zhang Shaozhong wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.
"Who peeked! What a coincidence! What a coincidence!"
Mrs. Zhang glared at him, then her face fell. "Son, tell me honestly, which of these two girls do you like? Mei'er is lively and enthusiastic, and she's also very beautiful, but she seems a bit... too outgoing? Qingxue is beautiful and elegant, like a fairy, but she seems too cold and unapproachable... How am I supposed to choose?"
Although Zhang's mother's voice was very low, in the quiet morning in this old house with poor soundproofing, it was as clear as if she were speaking right next to the ears of the two big shots in the guest room whose perception was far beyond that of ordinary people!
Inside the guest room, Ling Qingxue, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, trying to calm her chaotic state of mind from the previous night through meditation, suddenly clenched her fingers into a Daoist incantation. Her aura became disordered, and her cheeks flushed uncontrollably again, even her ears turned bright red.
She kept her eyes tightly shut, but Zhang's mother's words, "Too cold, hard to approach" and "How to choose," were like demonic whispers in her ears, making her Dao heart waver once again.
Meanwhile, Ye Meier, who was also awake, listened with great interest.
When Zhang's mother praised her as "lively and enthusiastic" and "beautiful", she raised her eyebrows proudly.
But when she heard "too outgoing" and "how to choose," she pouted unhappily and muttered, "What's wrong with being outgoing? Being outgoing is charming! What's so good about that aloof, ice-cold face!"
Zhang Shaozhong felt like every second in the kitchen was an eternity!
He could clearly feel two strong emotional fluctuations coming from the direction of the guest room—one was the shame and indignation like ice shattering and a trace of imperceptible loss (Ling Qingxue), and the other was the burning resentment and fighting spirit (Ye Meier)!
"Mom! Please keep your voice down!"
Zhang Shaozhong was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. "What do you mean by 'choose'? We're just friends! Good friends! Don't make wild guesses! And don't say these things in front of them!"
"friend?"
Zhang's mother gave him a "you're kidding me" look. "Your friend stole a kiss from you in the middle of the night? And the way your friend looked at you? Son, you can't be two-timing like that! It's immoral! You need to make things clear with him as soon as possible!"
Zhang Shaozhong: "..." He felt like he was suffocating!
Just then, Mr. Zhang strolled into the kitchen, seemingly drawn by the commotion.
He pushed up his glasses, coughed, and gave his opinion: "I think Qingxue is a good girl. She is calm, cultured, and like a lady from a well-to-do family."
Mrs. Zhang immediately retorted, "It's nice to be a well-bred young lady, but life can be so dull! I think Mei'er is just perfect—lively and energetic! Our family is missing someone like that!"
The elderly couple actually started arguing in the kitchen, right in front of Zhang Shaozhong, who was on the verge of social death, and two big shots with exceptional hearing, about "which girl is more suitable to be their daughter-in-law"!
Zhang Shaozhong covered his face in despair.
It's all over, completely over! Now there's no way to clear my name!
The atmosphere at breakfast was even more eerie than at dinner the night before.
Zhang's parents looked at Ling Qingxue and Ye Meier sitting side by side with complicated expressions, hesitant to speak.
Ling Qingxue kept her head down, sipping her white porridge, not daring to look at anyone the whole time. The blush on her ears hadn't completely faded since last night.
She could feel Zhang's mother's probing gaze, as well as Ye Meier's provocative and scrutinizing look beside her.
Ye Meier tried hard to appear natural, but her smile looked stiff no matter how she tried. She put a steamed bun on Zhang Shaozhong's plate and said in a sickeningly sweet voice, "Hu... Shaozhong, eat more!"
As a result, his hand trembled, and the steamed bun fell into Zhang Shaozhong's porridge bowl, splashing porridge all over him.
Zhang Shaozhong: "..." Thank you so much!
Seeing the awkward situation, Mr. Zhang cleared his throat, trying to ease the tension: "Well... the weather is nice today, Shao Chong, why don't you take Qingxue and Mei'er out for a stroll? Although our old town is dilapidated, it still has some old streets and alleys that are quite charming."
The suggestion was immediately met with strong support from Zhang's mother: "Yes, yes, yes! Let's go out for a stroll! Young people shouldn't always stay cooped up at home! Let's go to... the City God Temple Old Street! It's lively there!"
Zhang Shaozhong understood that his parents wanted to send them away so that he would have a chance to "spend time alone" with them, "cultivate feelings," or... make a clean break.
He looked at the two big shots.
Ling Qingxue remained silent, which could be considered tacit agreement.
Ye Meier immediately nodded: "Okay, okay! Let's go out for a stroll!"
She couldn't wait to leave this "interrogation scene" that made her feel so uncomfortable.
So, after a tasteless breakfast, Zhang Shaozhong, accompanied by two powerful figures with subtly different auras, left his house.
As soon as Zhang Shaozhong stepped out of the house, he let out a long sigh of relief. Ling Qingxue and Ye Meier also visibly relaxed a bit!
Walking on the familiar bluestone path, the three of them fell silent.
Zhang Shaozhong walked in the middle, feeling the low pressure coming from both sides, which made it almost impossible for him to breathe.
On the left is the fairy's icy aura that says "keep away," while on the right is the witch's scorching gaze that says "try showing favoritism."
This job of being a master of balancing things is probably coming to an end... Zhang Shaozhong lamented inwardly, feeling that he was afraid he would have to get through this ordeal today!
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