Chapter 58
About ten days after arriving in Seattle, Jiawei called the hotel early in the morning. Guan Ying had already left with her schoolbag, and Guan Xiong answered the phone for her.
Jiawei's voice was sweet: "Dad Guan, how are you? I'm Jiawei."
Guan Xiong smiled sweetly across the microphone: "I'm fine! I can tell as soon as you speak."
Jiawei also giggled on the other side: "How is Guan's mother doing recently? Did I disturb your sleep?"
Guan Xiong: "Hey, we got up at daybreak and arrived in Seattle. Your mother has adapted faster than I have! She was still talking about you yesterday. I don't know when you'll be coming. We've already found a house and want to move in soon. I'm afraid we'll have already moved by the time you call!"
Jiawei was surprised and said, "Oh, so soon! Then I'll go over earlier and help you guys clean up your new place. Guanguan hasn't been paying much attention to me lately, so I thought you guys just moved and must be busy with a lot of things, so I didn't want to bother you."
Guan Ying was practically raised by the Zheng family until she was five years old. Her personality somewhat inherited Aunt Zheng's sharp edge, while Uncle Zheng treated her with leniency and care, even more than his own son. Guan Xiong, often absent from his daughter's side, always obliged her. Mrs. Guan, feeling somewhat indebted, was reluctant to let go. As for the veteran employees at the steel mill and foreign trade company, they also treated Guan Ying with great courtesy and protection. In this environment of being surrounded by so many stars, Guan Ying gradually developed the temper of a "little bully."
Their daughter's unruly temper was unbearable for any of her peers. She couldn't make long-term friends, and her independence meant she didn't care about cultivating or maintaining relationships, a fact that often caused headaches for Guan and his wife. So when Guan Ying unexpectedly brought home a gentle young woman during the summer vacation of her first year of college, the Guans were immediately struck! Jiawei, a sweet and gentle girl, always smiled sweetly before she even spoke. Even when their daughter was always impatient with her, Jiawei didn't resent her. Instead, she smiled and comforted them. These two girls, each with a completely different personality, seemed to have a perfect match.
Seeing their daughter finally have such an angelic friend, Guan Xiong and his wife began to treat Jiawei well that summer, hoping that they would remain close friends forever. Jiawei had grown up without a father, and her mother, deeply devoted to the arts, often traveled abroad with her troupe, leaving her alone. She had longed for family warmth, and as their relationship grew closer, she gradually began calling them "Dad" and "Mom."
Guan Xiong had long considered her his half-daughter: "Jiawei, when did you start being so polite to us? Even if it's a bother to us, we're happy to do so! Daddy Guan won't be polite to you. He wants you to come early to help us clean up our new home! Your mommy Guan heard that it's very convenient for you to come here, and she even specially prepared a big room for you. Shouldn't you come earlier?"
Jiawei seemed to sniffle a little on the other side, but quickly replied in a serious tone: "Yes! Dad Guan, I'll be there tomorrow~"
Guan Xiong laughed and said, "Hahahaha, come quickly, we've found a young man we'd like to introduce to you!"
......
In the evening, after Guan Ying came back from the library, Guan Xiong talked about moving.
Guan Ying was puzzled: "So soon, shouldn't it take a while?"
Guan Xiong: "The original owner is also a retired employee of Seattle University, and he originally refused to give us the keys early. But Judy introduced us, and you are Professor Wilson's student, and we were quick to pay... Mainly because of Mike, that guy is as eloquent as his mother, and he coaxed the owner into agreeing to let us move in early. Besides, you start school in about ten days, so even if we move in tomorrow, we're very tight on time!"
Guan Ying didn't take it seriously after hearing this: "There are still more than ten days left...Okay, then I won't go to the library tomorrow and will stay here to move."
Guan Xiong suddenly remembered: "Tsk, Jiawei is coming to help tomorrow! You too, with such a good friend, it's okay if you don't read other messages, but how can you not even read Jiawei's? That child is very thoughtful and sensitive. She thought you were too busy to reply to her messages, so she endured and put it off for several days before contacting her. Now she knows that a room has been prepared for her here. If she is not allowed to do something, how can she live comfortably? Your mother and I thought, don't be polite now, just let her come over to help early, and you just focus on your studies!"
Since arriving in Seattle, some apps on her phone haven't opened. She figured she wouldn't have much business or socializing to do in a foreign country, and she needed to hurry up to prepare for her lessons so she could keep up with the difficult law courses. She also didn't need her phone for daily payments, so she stuffed it into her schoolbag and left it there. Sometimes the battery died and she turned it off without even realizing it. She wondered if she'd missed Jiawei's messages. "Ah? Jiawei's coming tomorrow? I left her the hotel number because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hear the phone while I was reading. She could just call. Why would she need to send a message in advance..."
Guan Xiong shook his head. "Ah, you really are my daughter... You're just as carefree as me, but Jiawei is so thoughtful. She even called this morning and was worried about disturbing our sleep. Friendships take effort to cultivate. It's only been a short while, and Jiawei is already polite to us again!"
Guan Ying pondered for a moment and then instructed Guan Xiong, "Old Guan, don't let her work! Don't you have Mike? He's been with his mother this holiday, and he's probably earned a lot of money from us. Let him help you clean up!"
Guan Xiong slapped his thigh and said, "Look, we two want to be together again, don't we? I can't even bear to use you, so how can I really use Jiawei for any work? I've already made an appointment with that guy to do the hard labor, and your mother and I, hehe, just want to take this opportunity to introduce Mike to Jiawei! You'd better not be here tomorrow, go do whatever you need to do!"
Guan Ying had been suspecting her parents were trying to match her up with Mike for the past few days, and she'd already thought of a countermeasure. But she never expected that Old Guan was actually trying to match Jiawei with Mike, even going so far as to send his own daughter, a major emotional irritant, away for Jiawei's sake. She couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Ahahahahaha... Old Guan, do you have any idea? Jiawei is two years younger than me. People in the south start school earlier, after all, but she's 31 this year, and Mike's only 20... And you've only known Mike for a few days?"
Guan Xiong waved his hands cheerfully, disagreeing with her words: "Hey~ You only date men older than you, but you don't know the benefits of dating your younger brother? Your parents are not conservative, otherwise, we wouldn't give you and Ju Yong... Oh, let's not talk about that bastard. Just look at Mike's mother, Judy, she's ten years older than his father, Professor Wilson. Didn't you notice? Hey, these Western men can't tell the age of Eastern women, and boys like Mike, who come from middle-class families, have never known since childhood. You have to respect the ladies. I asked that guy, and he likes Chinese women. I'm sure your dad is a good prospect, and he'll be a saxophone musician in the future. Jiawei grew up in the theater with her mother, and she's also got artistic talent. A perfect match for them? Alas, Jiawei doesn't have a father, and she's not like you, playing around with everyone. I have to think about her... Even if it's just a relationship, it doesn't necessarily mean marriage. At such a prime time, a girl as beautiful as a flower, she deserves a good guy by her side."
Old Guan was also deeply moved. It was just that Guan Ying hadn't told her parents about Jiawei and Xiao Weiyan's affairs...
"You and my mom should stop trying to match people up..." Guan Ying scratched her head and said anxiously, "Jiawei, she already has a boyfriend..."
Guan Xiong was hearing about this for the first time and asked curiously, "Oh, when did this happen? Who is she? What's her family like? Do you know her? Why didn't you tell me or your mom? Her mother can't take care of her, so we have to keep an eye on her. As a good friend, you have to be considerate of her, too."
"I'm taking care of him! I know him..." Guan Ying looked up at her parents, both of whom were filled with concern, as if they were determined to get to the bottom of things. She didn't dare to tell the truth, and quickly changed the subject, "...? Haha, I don't know him, haha..."
Guan Xiong glared at her and said, "Kid, why are you panting so hard when you talk? Are you teasing your parents?"
"Oh, anyway, don't worry about Jiawei. If you really think Mike is so good, why don't you introduce him to me? I, your daughter, am already 33 years old and still single. Why aren't you anxious?" Guan Ying became reckless. In order to prevent Jiawei from being embarrassed after meeting her parents, she simply gave it her all.
The mother had been packing her luggage nearby, and hadn't spoken a word, just listening to the lively conversation between the father and daughter. Then she looked up at her daughter and asked with a smile, "Don't you dislike people younger than you? Mike is even younger than Ju Yong. Don't let yourself be wronged."
Guan Ying pretended to be sincere: "My dad is right. Mike... Western men are different. They have a short blooming period and age quickly! Besides, I haven't even dated anyone who's into music!"
Mom doubled over with laughter. "Hey, hey, look, Lao Guan, isn't your daughter bossy? She's got her eye on Mike and won't let you introduce him to Jiawei! Juyong's dating the musician Qiao Qi, she can't stand being left out! Oh, hey, I'm laughing so hard my stomach hurts... Lao Guan, two daughters and one Mike, let's see how you're going to divide it up now?"
Guan Xiong saw his wife laughing happily and smiled too, not worried at all. "If your daughter wants to date, then go ahead. How can we control her? But, my daughter, I have to warn you, this time is different. Mike is your professor's son. If you really like him, you can't break up with him before graduation. At least a year. Have you ever been in a relationship for more than a year?"
Guan Ying was so preoccupied with Jiawei that she forgot about this. She thought her parents were just teasing her again, so she stood up and left, unwilling to continue. As she fled, she muttered, "Oh no! Talk about it later! Anyway, tomorrow, I'm going to meet Mike. You two, don't bring Jiawei into this, and don't let her work!"
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