CHAPTER 189: CHAPTER 189 HANDLING MESSAGES

By the time he returned home, it was already eleven o’clock. After freshening up, Xia Liang was about to go to his room to sleep when he was stopped by Luu Juan, who was sitting on the sofa.

"Wait. Come here."

"Mom? Is something wrong?" Xia Liang forced a smile.

"You too, Luu Qi! Get over here," Luu Juan spoke again, stopping Luu Qi, who was trying to sneak back to her room.

Helpless, Luu Qi could only walk over reluctantly with mincing steps, an innocent look on her face. "Aunt, what’s up?"

Obviously, Luu Juan wasn’t buying it. She folded her arms, a knowing look on her face. "Out with it. What’s really going on?"

Hearing this, Luu Qi clearly intended to bluff her way through. "What’s going on? Brother, do you know?"

"Me?" Xia Liang feigned surprise. "I have no idea! Mom, what are you talking about?"

Watching the sibling duo’s performance, Luu Juan frowned. "Still putting on a show for me? Spit it out! Are you two hiding something from me? I knew something was off last time. I asked you why you didn’t bring her over, and you said she was too shy to say a single word."

Then, Luu Juan turned to Luu Qi. "And you said she speaks softly, blushes at the drop of a hat, and can’t even talk in front of me. But from what I saw of that Qingxue girl, she’s not at all like you two described! So, what’s the real story?"

Faced with Luu Juan’s stern gaze, Luu Qi was at a loss for words. "This... this..." She couldn’t form a complete sentence.

With no other choice, Xia Liang suddenly puffed out his chest and raised his head. "Mom, since you asked, I’ll just tell you the truth."

At these words, Luu Qi’s eyes widened.

No way! Is he actually going to confess? Damn! This is... Should I try to stop him...?

While Luu Qi was still pondering, Xia Liang spoke gravely. "Actually, I’ve already met Qingxue’s parents."

Luu Qi was utterly baffled. She shot Xia Liang a questioning look. What is he talking about? This isn’t what Aunt was asking, is it?

Xia Liang shot her a look that said, Don’t blab, I’m changing the subject!

As expected, upon hearing Xia Liang’s words, Luu Juan immediately forgot her line of questioning. She looked anxious. "Why did you go meet her parents without saying anything? You didn’t give us a heads-up at all!"

Luu Juan wasn’t blaming Xia Liang for not telling them; she was just worried he might not know proper etiquette. "Was it your first visit? Did you bring a gift? You didn’t go empty-handed, did you?"

"Of course not!" Xia Liang said hurriedly. "I’m not that dumb. I definitely brought something!"

"That’s good, that’s good." Luu Juan finally breathed a sigh of relief before asking anxiously, "So, what kind of impression did Qingxue’s parents have of you?"

"Excellent, of course. Top-notch," Xia Liang declared with a wave of his hand. "They were just short of marrying Qingxue off to me on the spot."

Seeing his cocky expression, Luu Juan couldn’t help but glare at him. "Smart mouth!"

Xia Liang took the opportunity to recount what happened at Qingxue’s house, especially the part about the car. Even Luu Juan couldn’t help but laugh.

"Qingxue’s father really went to great lengths to vet you."

Luu Juan didn’t mind the other parent’s probing. After all, her son was about to whisk away their precious daughter. How could they rest easy without checking him out thoroughly? Hearing Xia Liang’s description, she was reassured. The way Qingxue’s parents had behaved made it clear that their impression of him was quite good.

Xia Liang seized the moment. "Well, Mom, I’m going to bed now."

"Go on, go on!" Distracted by Xia Liang’s diversion, Luu Juan completely forgot the question she was about to ask. She waved her hand, signaling for the two of them to go to sleep.

Watching how easily Xia Liang had defused the interrogation, Luu Qi gave him a thumbs-up.

Xia Liang returned an expression that said, "Of course."

Once the two had returned to their rooms and locked their doors, Luu Juan was still smiling on the living room sofa.

That boy... he managed to win over his future father-in-law and mother-in-law without a peep. He really is...

Before she could finish her thought, Luu Juan suddenly realized something was wrong.

That kid! He changed the subject again! That’s not what I was asking at all!

But looking at the locked doors and the darkened rooms, Luu Juan could only shake her head in resignation.

Never mind, I’ll ask again when I have the time. Even if Xia Liang is hiding something, it’s probably not a big deal. As for the difference in personality she’d noticed compared to what Luu Qi described, Luu Juan was more inclined to believe Qingxue had social anxiety or something similar. Maybe she could only be so enthusiastic and outgoing on video calls, but was shy in person. Perhaps Xia Liang and Luu Qi were afraid I’d look down on Qingxue if I knew, so they changed the topic. In any case, even if Qingxue really did have such an issue, Luu Juan would accept her as long as her son was happy. She didn’t consider any other possibilities. Surely Xia Liang wouldn’t hide something like finding another daughter-in-law for her, would he?

However, she dismissed that thought in a second. She knew her own son. With his infuriating personality, having one girlfriend was a blessing from the heavens.

Shaking her head, Luu Juan went back to her room.

Meanwhile, lying in his bed with the lights off, Xia Liang breathed a sigh of relief. He had managed to muddle through the day.

He took out his phone and opened WeChat. Xia Liang found that Su Yi, Qingxue, Tong Dongnuan, and even Xi Yiqian had all sent him messages.

Xi Yiqian’s were quite simple, just updates about her day.

Xia Liang replied, "Okay, got it. Remember to double-lock your door. Be safe," and sent the message.

「In Qingyun City.」

Xi Yiqian was lying in bed, clutching her phone. Her eyelids felt incredibly heavy, but she stubbornly fought off sleep. Just then, her phone screen lit up.

Xi Yiqian hurriedly opened WeChat. This was a new account she had registered. In her entire contact list, there was only one person: Twelfth Yi.

That person was, of course, Xia Liang.

Ordinarily, Xi Yiqian rarely downloaded such apps. To her, a phone only had two functions: making calls and sending texts. If Shi Yan hadn’t told her that this app was better than a phone call and that she could even see Xia Liang on it, she never would have registered.

A small red dot appeared on Xia Liang’s profile picture. She quickly tapped on it.

She had gotten sleepy very early, but she had a feeling Xia Liang would reply. Only then would she feel at ease. Even if it wasn’t a voice message, just a line of text, she could conjure up an image of Xia Liang in her mind. That domineering tone of his... She wanted to reply to him the very second she received his message, so she had forced herself to stay awake.

"Okay, got it. Remember to double-lock the security door. It’s getting cold, so cover yourself well at night. Be safe."

Seeing the words from Xia Liang, Xi Yiqian hurriedly replied.