On the street, they waved goodbye to Lin Xiaoli and Lin Yingjun.

Lin Zhengran drove the four girls back to university.

As they left the city, all the girls in the car let out a collective sigh of relief.

Lin Zhengran was puzzled. “What’s wrong with you all? Didn’t we have a good time these past two days? What are you sighing about?”

From the back seat, Jiang Xueli clutched her chest and answered, “It’s not a sigh, really. It’s just... this was our first time talking to the elders about something like this. At first, I totally thought they wouldn’t agree, so I was super nervous the whole time. My heart’s been pounding nonstop.”

The others all chimed in in agreement.

Lin Zhengran thought to himself—did your heart even stop before?

Little He Qing nodded. “Same here. If it weren’t for how calm Lin Zhengran was yesterday, I would’ve thought Auntie Lin would never allow us to be with him.”

Lin Zhengran kept driving, sounding helpless. “So you all waited until today to finally relax, even though she agreed last night?”

Han Wenwen replied, “Well, your parents were with us the whole time. Even though they agreed yesterday, we couldn’t exactly chat freely about everything like we are now. We’ve been tense the whole time.”

Hearing that, Lin Zhengran finally understood what they were feeling. It was probably similar to how he’d feel going to propose in the future.

“Fair enough. But anyway, at least we passed the parent test. Now we can start living together.”

Everyone was happy. But then Jiang Jingshi suddenly asked, “Wait, Zhengzheng—did you get Uncle and Auntie to sign the off-campus housing request?”

Lin Zhengran glanced at her. “You didn’t give me the form, Jingshi.”

“I didn’t?”

“Nope. That day I called my mom and she said no, so we just dropped it. I never came to your office to get it.”

Jiang Jingshi blinked her peach-blossom eyes and finally remembered. “Oh, right. Then when we get back to school tonight, I’ll grab it from the office. Just hope Uncle and Auntie don’t change their minds.”

“They won’t. Once my mom says yes, she won’t go back on it.”

They drove for quite a while and got to school pretty late. The Three Little Ones went back to their dorm with all their bags from the past two days and began sorting everything out.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhengran followed Jiang Jingshi to the office and finally got the off-campus housing application.

Most of the other teachers had already left work by then.

There was no one else in Jiang Jingshi’s office either, so Lin Zhengran just called his mom right there.

He dialed her number.

The phone buzzed for a bit before it was picked up. “Hello, Mom?”

“Hey, Ranran?” His mom’s voice turned gentle. At first there was background noise, like a movie playing, then it went quiet.

Lin Zhengran blindly guessed... They were probably in one of those couple cinemas.

He got straight to the point: “I’m mailing you my off-campus housing application tomorrow. Make sure you sign it for me. My teacher will call to confirm with you.”

There was a sudden silence on the other end.

Lin Zhengran asked, “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Lin Xiaoli covered her mouth and whispered, “Ranran, there’s no one else around you right now, right?”

Lin Zhengran glanced at Jiang Jingshi, who was pouring him water. “Just Jingshi. Why?”

Her voice got quieter and more hesitant. “Go find somewhere private. Mom needs to talk to you about this.”

For some reason, Lin Zhengran remembered what Jingshi had said in the car earlier.

Could Mom be having second thoughts?

…No way.

He said, “Alright.” Then turned to Jiang Jingshi. “Jingshi, cover your ears.”

“Huh?” She looked confused. Lin Zhengran pointed to his phone.

She seemed to get it, and this proud young lady obediently covered her ears with her hands.

She sat right next to him.

Then Lin Zhengran said into the phone, “Okay Mom, now Jingshi can’t hear.”

Lin Xiaoli said, “…Ranran, I heard you just now. That ‘cover your ears’ thing is kinda half-hearted, don’t you think?”

“How’s that half-hearted? Jingshi’s not the type to eavesdrop.” He turned to her. “Right, Jingshi?”

Jiang Jingshi nodded with her hands still over her ears.

Lin Zhengran: “See, Mom? She can’t hear a thing.”

Lin Xiaoli sighed. “How can I tell over the phone… Fine, whatever. What I really wanted to say is, your dad and I agreed to let you be with them, but I still need to remind you about something regarding living together.”

She cleared her throat and spoke seriously:

“Ranran, you’re smart enough to know what Mom means, right? Boys your age are full of energy. And with those four all liking you so much—if you want to be responsible for them, you have to be careful, got it? At least until you graduate, you’d better not get too wild. That’s the bottom line.”

“I got it, Mom. Don’t you trust me? I’ve known them for years. I’ve got self-control—I know what I should and shouldn’t do.”

Lin Xiaoli thought that made sense. Though she didn’t really know how far things had gone between her son and the girls...

Still, every young adult does certain things. Compared to other boys, Ranran had always been more mature.

“Alright. Honestly, I know even if you weren’t living together, a careless boy could still get into trouble. So I’ll trust you to take care of all four of them. Just send the application tomorrow—we’ll sign it.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’ll stop bothering you and Dad’s date now. Bye-bye.”

After hanging up, Lin Zhengran and Jiang Jingshi exchanged a knowing smile.

Back in the couple’s room, Lin Xiaoli blushed under the covers in her husband’s arms.

Lin Yingjun, face red after being caught by their son, asked, “He hung up?”

Lin Xiaoli put the phone down and leaned against her husband. “Seriously, how did Ranran end up like this? So much of a playboy, and yet dating so many girls so openly.” She squinted at Lin Yingjun.

Lin Yingjun broke into a cold sweat and immediately drew a line: “That definitely didn’t come from me.”

Lin Xiaoli puffed up. “So what, it came from me? Is that what you’re saying?” She poked his chest with her finger. “Come on, say it! Hm? Dear husband?”

Lin Yingjun sighed and held her hand.

“Sweetheart, we can’t compare our son to regular people. He’s just... not ordinary. Honestly, even though I was surprised at first, I think it makes sense. From the moment he was born, he had the makings of a future emperor. You can’t judge him by normal standards.”

“Hmph, always acting like a poet. But let me warn you—” She pointed at him. “Ranran might be a playboy, but that’s because the girls all agreed to it. If you try to act like him, I’ll carve a knife out of a carrot from the fridge and send you packing to a temple tonight!”

Poor Yingjun was terrified. He hugged his wife tightly. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. You were my first love. How could I possibly like anyone else? I’ve got zero interest in any other woman but you!”

Lin Xiaoli smiled proudly. “That’s more like it.” Then she sighed again. “I hope Ranran’s future proposals go smoothly. That won’t be an easy thing.”

“He’ll figure it out. I’ve got faith in our son.”

The next day at work, Lin Xiaoli got a call from a teacher at the school. “Hello? Yes, hello, I’m Lin Zhengran’s mother.”

Jiang Jingshi tried to keep her voice serious, since there were other colleagues nearby. “I’m calling about Lin Zhengran’s application to live off-campus.”

Lin Xiaoli suddenly felt a twinge of confusion—this teacher’s voice... sounded really familiar.