Chapter 68 Meeting the Parents: It's Because They Look Like You. (Second Update)...
This position is so convenient for kissing, and also so convenient for doing other things.
The streetlights made it impossible to tell whether she was kissing him proactively or passively accepting his kiss.
At first, it was probably her initiative, but then things changed. His kisses went down her neck, meandering deeper, leaving teeth marks on her lower abdomen.
"Shen Zhou, you're a biting dog."
As soon as she finished speaking, it was as if something else had been spilled. A warm current seeped through her fingers. Even though it wasn't hot, she still quickly withdrew her hand.
She was hot and her clothes were wet. She complained, "You've gotten my clothes dirty again."
Shen Zhou pulled a robe from the side and covered her with it, saying, "I'll buy you a new one."
His outer robe was too large, and when draped over her, it easily covered her completely.
Hua Deng changed out of his dirty clothes and poked his head out from under his outer robe: "I'm not very confident in your taste."
But clearly, Shen Zhou never doubted his aesthetic sense, and instead asked directly, "What color do you want?"
"Hmm... purple, I guess." Hua Deng tugged at the corner of her robe. "You're wearing purple today, and I want matching outfits."
Shen Zhou hadn't heard the last word before, but he quickly understood it and agreed, "Okay."
He held out his hand again: "Where's your gift?"
The lanterns seemed mysterious: "Close your eyes first."
Shen Zhou: "Can't you send it with your eyes open?"
Hua Deng gave him a push: "Close your eyes."
Shen Zhou clicked his tongue and closed his eyes.
To make sure he wasn't peeking, Hua Deng changed his clothes first, then took out a box from his storage ring and opened it with a click.
She went around behind Shen Zhou, grabbed the end of his hair ribbon, and gave it a gentle tug.
Her long, black hair cascaded down, falling obediently into her hands.
His hair wasn't naturally straight and smooth like hers; instead, it had a slight curl, with the ends swaying gently.
Hua Deng tied his hair back up, then took out a mirror and said to him, "All done."
Shen Zhou opened his eyes.
The person in the mirror looked the same as before, but he immediately noticed the difference.
His familiar headband was gone, replaced by a new one. It was still red, but no longer the deep color of blood. Instead, it was as red as fire, like the clothes that Hua Deng usually wore.
Above the red background, silver threads lightly meander, outlining the pattern of camellias.
The old hairband was wrapped around his wrist by the streetlights, the other end connected to her hand. Their fingers were intertwined, and she said, "Now you have two hairbands."
She couldn't help him forget the past; those things that had been done to him had indeed happened. She figured he probably didn't intend to forget anyway, otherwise he wouldn't carry these relics with him every day to remind himself of them.
But she still wanted him to know that there are many other things in this world, not just things that exist in the past, but things that exist in longing.
Shen Zhou raised his eyelids, and in the mirror, the hairband seemed to sense her breath and gently swayed forward, as if to kiss his face.
...
The carriage traveled all the way to Washington, D.C.
At the entrance of the Hua family's house, a middle-aged couple, holding the hand of a little girl of about six or seven years old, were waiting anxiously.
The little girl chewed on candy and asked every now and then, "Mommy, when will my older sister arrive? I'm so hot."
The woman said, "Almost there, almost there. Your sister said there's still a quarter of an hour left."
Girl: "But we came out to wait a long time ago."
The man laughed and said, "Because your brother-in-law is coming back too. We need to make him understand that your sister has plenty of people who love her."
The girl asked, "Is he my sister's husband? Will he bring me delicious food?"
The woman said, "Don't even think about it. I specifically told your older sister not to bring you any more candy, and definitely no more pastries."
The girl stomped her feet and wailed.
Just then, she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye, and the woman quickly covered her mouth: "Stop fooling around, your sister is back, don't let people laugh at you."
The girl stopped pretending to cry and quickly stood at attention.
The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the Hua Mansion.
The carriage door opened, and Yueya and Yueman stepped out first. After greeting Hua's parents, they carried the gifts that Huadeng had brought back into the mansion.
Then a tall man came down, turned around, took their daughter's hand, and walked towards them.
The expressions of Hua's parents subtly changed as they sized up the man before them without making a sound.
Hua Deng wasn't worried at all. Her whole family were obsessed with looks, and now that Shen Zhou had removed his disguise, they were perfectly capable of handling it.
Sure enough, her father was the first to send a friendly signal: "This must be Xiao Shen! He is indeed handsome and talented!"
Shen Zhou raised an eyebrow, finding the new form of address amusing.
He said, "Mr. Cui is younger than Hua Deng said."
Hua Deng was stunned for a moment, then looked at him with horror, almost suspecting that he had been possessed.
When did she ever talk to him about her father?
Her father's surname was Cui. He used to be a schoolteacher. Although he later went into business, he still preferred to be called "Teacher." But she definitely hadn't said that, and she couldn't have said it in her sleep. Her father nodded repeatedly, stroking his beard, and said, "Little Shen is a good boy. No wonder my daughter is so proud and has such a high opinion of you."
Hua Deng twitched the corner of his mouth.
Fortunately, her mother didn't say anything, and said indifferently, "Since you're here, let's go in and eat first."
Hua Deng released Chen Zhou's hand and walked towards her mother.
Her father, completely oblivious, chuckled from the side, "Don't let your mother's appearance fool you. She's been hoping for this ever since she received the letter. She's been waiting day and night, sending people out every day to see if a carriage is flying in from the sky..."
Hua's mother glared at him, disappointed in him.
Hua Deng's nose tingled with emotion, and she hugged her mother: "Mom, I'm back."
When Hua's mother was hugged, her eyes reddened slightly, and she sighed softly.
Although she had intended to give her future son-in-law a hard time, she forgot about that at the moment, softened her voice, and patted her back, saying, "You're so old, yet you still act like a child. You've only been gone a few months, but people who didn't know better would think it had been years."
Hua Deng nestled against her and rubbed against her, acting like a child, and whispered, "Mom, he's very good to me, please don't make things difficult for him."
"...You child!" Hua's mother poked her head hard. "I'm only doing this for your own good."
Hua Deng chuckled and dodged aside: "The food's getting cold, come in and eat."
Hua's mother shook her head and had no choice but to go along with her.
Perhaps those who cultivate immortality are different after all. She understood this from the moment this child's spiritual root was detected at the age of five.
Hua Deng greeted her younger sister, gave her the kaleidoscope she had prepared, and then, with her father on her left and her mother on her right, she ran inside.
Shen Zhou, naturally indifferent, followed behind.
He had only taken two steps when he heard footsteps behind him. He didn't flinch, but suddenly felt a weight on his calf as he was grabbed and pulled into a hug.
He lowered his head and met a pair of eyes that resembled those of a street lamp, only rounder and like black grapes.
He remembered that the girl's name was Hua Yuan, a name given to her by Hua Deng.
Hua Yuan said, "Brother, you are so handsome."
Normally, anyone who dared to touch him like that would have been kicked away long ago, but to Hua Yuan, he was just a handsome older brother who didn't like to smile.
Shen Zhou said in a good mood, "You have excellent taste, just like your sister."
Hua Yuan let go of his hand, letting him lead her forward, asking as they walked, "Are you my elder sister's husband?"
Shen Zhou walked very slowly and answered her, "Yes, I am."
Hua Yuan said loudly, "She must have liked you because you're good-looking."
She was young, but her voice was loud enough that even the streetlights heard her and she turned around curiously.
Shen Zhou, seemingly oblivious to her gaze, asked Hua Yuan, "Has she ever been interested in other people before?"
Hua Deng: "..."
She felt no guilt whatsoever, but she was still slightly nervous as she stared at Hua Yuan.
Hua Yuan shook his head and said, "No, my older sister has very high standards."
Hua Deng breathed a sigh of relief, pretending nothing had happened and that she hadn't received Shen Zhou's teasing gaze.
Shen Zhou squatted down, flipped his palm, and produced a gift.
Upon closer inspection, Hua Deng realized it was an armlet, the perfect size.
Crafted from pure gold and adorned with shimmering gemstones of various colors, this bracelet is clearly very expensive. The bracelet is engraved with exquisite patterns, but instead of ordinary flowers, plants, and auspicious clouds, it features lively and playful cats, dogs, and birds—perfect for children's tastes.
Hua Yuan was immediately delighted with it, thanked him repeatedly, and happily took it and ran off.
Chen Zhou walked over to Hua Deng and said, "Don't you miss home-cooked meals? Come in and eat."
Hua Deng grew increasingly suspicious: "You're acting strangely today."
Didn't she dislike children? And she didn't even know when the gift was prepared!
With her parents waiting for her, she didn't want to ask too many questions and decided to eat in peace as soon as she stepped across the threshold.
Shen Zhou also sat down, and he ate whatever she picked up, showing no sign of having no sense of taste.
Hua Yuan accepted the gift and felt a strong connection with this older brother. She took the initiative to approach him and said, "Brother, you must be very rich, right? My older sister gets happy whenever she sees a rich person. My parents say she's 'money-grubbing'!"
"Ahem!" A cough from Hua Deng interrupted the conversation that was damaging to her image. "Eat, eat. What are you talking about? Haven't seen me for days and you're itching for a beating, huh?"
"Hmph." Hua Yuan turned her face away. "My parents said that the Medicine Purification Sect is thousands of miles away from our home, so you can't beat me up anymore!"
Hua Deng chuckled and said, "I will come back every year. Don't worry, I will make sure my sister has a complete childhood."
Hua Yuan stuck out her tongue, finally not daring to say anything more, and obediently lowered her head to eat her rice.
Hua Deng let out a victorious laugh and casually placed another piece of spare rib on Chen Zhou's plate.
After finishing their meal and chatting with their parents, Hua Deng and Shen Zhou returned to their room.
As soon as the door closed, she asked impatiently, "When did you prepare this gift for my sister? I had no idea!"
Shen Zhou's gaze swept over her former room, and he replied, "Before I left."
After saying that, he handed her something that was exactly the same as Hua Yuan's armlet, only a size larger.
"Um?"
Hua Deng looked at the armlet, then at him, and suddenly realized what was happening.
"You're giving her one, and you're also preparing one especially for me?"
Shen Zhou smiled and put it on her: "How do you know it's not a buy-one-get-one-free deal?"
"There's no boss in the world who enjoys losing money that much," Hua Deng said with a smirk. "Except for a certain guy surnamed Chen."
The armlet fit perfectly. She admired herself in the mirror for a moment, then turned to Shen Zhou and said, "Isn't my little sister cute?"
Shen Zhou looked at her from behind and said, "Cute."
Hua Deng then asked, "Are you thinking about your sister?"
Shen Zhou paused for a moment: "Why do you ask that?"
Hua Deng rested her chin on his shoulder and said, "Isn't that right? I thought you cared about her because she resembled your sister."
Shen Zhou said, "No. It's because I look like you."
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