The progression of events was completely beyond Yang Haoran’s control. All he could do was try his best to ensure this first meeting between his mother and Ji Youxi remained harmonious.
He had said similar things to his mother just yesterday.
“So, do you think your mother sees me as an outsider?”
Ji Youxi said leisurely.
Yang Haoran immediately felt a headache coming on. Why did her words always seem to put him in a difficult position? Of course, he wouldn’t take the bait directly.
“Not exactly. It’s just that, after all, this is your first time meeting, so there might be some unfamiliarity between you. Youxi, you know about the special relationship between my mother and me. She doesn’t know about you and me; she just thinks you’re a girlfriend I met at school.”
“That might not necessarily be true!”
Ji Youxi glanced at Yang Haoran. Seeing her boyfriend’s puzzled look, she offered no explanation and changed the subject: “There’s a shopping mall up ahead. Let’s go take a look.”
“Uhβ¦ there’s no need to buy anything. My mother won’t mind that sort of thing. Just buying some fruit would be fine.”
“When you met my mother before, I also said these things weren’t necessary. Did you listen?”
Meeting Ji Youxi’s steady gaze, Yang Haoran scratched his head. The boomerang had come right back and hit him. He laughed awkwardly: “Alright then, let’s go take a look. We can just buy a few simple things.”
Yang Haoran held Ji Youxi’s soft, pale hand and led her into the mall. As they browsed the dazzling array of goods, it was now Ji Youxi’s turn to ask for Yang Haoran’s opinion.
Yang Haoran didn’tζ·θ‘ (perfunctorily respond); he offered quite a few suggestions. Afterwards, they wandered to the fruit section. Yang Haoran helped Ji Youxi pick out some fruit, all of which were his mother’s favorites.
Yang Haoran carried the large and small bags to the mall’s front counter for the cashier to scan. After the total was calculated, Yang Haoran took out his phone, intending to scan the code and pay.
Unexpectedly, a hand suddenly reached out from beside him, placing a phone on the scanner with a “beep.” The machine announced the payment amount received.
Yang Haoran turned his head and stared at Ji Youxi in astonishment: “Didn’t we agree that I would pay?”
“Let’s go!”
Ji Youxi picked up the bag of fruit and gestured for Yang Haoran to take the rest.
“Who pays is the same, isn’t it? Do you need to draw such a clear line?”
Once outside, just as Yang Haoran was about to ask again, Ji Youxi’s single sentence instantly shut him down, leaving him speechless.
When they were buying the gifts earlier, Yang Haoran had suggested he pay, and Ji Youxi hadn’t refused. That’s why Yang Haoran had picked some more expensive brand items. The result was that his girlfriend, Ji Youxi, suddenly paid the bill, catching him completely off guard.
It wasn’t that expensive necessarily meant good, but there was a reason things were expensive. When circumstances allowed, people from their country weren’t stingy about these things.
Since it had already happened, Yang Haoran didn’t say anything more. Anyway, judging from Ji Youxi’s home, her financial situation wasn’t poor either.
This time, they didn’t take the bus. Yang Haoran hailed a taxi, and it drove all the way towards his home.
Arriving at the entrance of the residential compound, Yang Haoran showed his face, and the security guard raised the barrier.
Yang Haoran asked the taxi driver to drive right in. The driver naturally understood the implied wealth of this neighborhood, and his attitude instantly became much more enthusiastic.
The driver mused to himself; he thought rich second-generation heirs all drove their own sports cars and went around picking up girls. He hadn’t expected to meet such a low-key one who needed to take a taxi.
However, the taxi driver also understood. Judging by the young man’s age, he was probably still of student age. It was normal for his family to keep him on a tight leash. But the female companion by this young master’s sideβher looks, her auraβone could only say, as expected of a young master!
Back when he was in school, there weren’t any girls of this caliber, not even the so-called white moonlight school belle he remembered; they couldn’t compare to this girl. She was too exquisitely beautiful.
Yang Haoran didn’t know the taxi driver was reminiscing about his youth. Arriving in front of the villa, he took Ji Youxi’s hand and got out of the car. Yang Haoran then sent the taxi driver a tip through his phone,ζ―η« (after all) the driver’s enthusiastic attitude and flattering words were genuinely pleasant to hear.
Because he was bringing Ji Youxi back, Yang Haoran didn’t use his key card to open the door directly. Instead, he specifically knocked.
He had already sent a message to his mother from the car, knowing she was waiting at home.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Liu Ruoxi opened the door. What met her eyes was her son’s ingratiating smile and the radiant, flower-like girl in a white dress standing beside him.
Ji Youxi stood quietly beside Yang Haoran, her flawless face calm, her beautiful eyes fixed intently on Liu Ruoxi.
Seeing Ji Youxi’s appearance, Liu Ruoxi felt a slight surprise inwardly. Even though her close friend Shen Qing had said this girl was very pretty, she hadn’t expected her to be so stunningly beautiful and poised!
Yang Haoran looked bewildered at his mother and Ji Youxi staring at each other. No way, you two already have such intense sparks flying at your first meeting?
His mother and Ji Youxi seemed to ignore his existence, their eyes only for each other. Even though it was just a mutual gaze without words, it immediately gave Yang Haoran a headache. Sure enough, his premonition hadn’t been wrong.
“Mom, this is Ji Youxi, my girlfriend!”
Yang Haoran had no choice but to put on a bright smile, playing the peacemaker. After speaking, he turned his head and introduced with a cheerful laugh to Ji Youxi: “Youxi, this is my mother. You can call her⦔
Here, Yang Haoran deliberately paused, looking back and forth between his mother and Ji Youxi with an expression of amazement and admiration: “Youxi, Mom, standing together like this, you two look just like a breathtaking painting, the atmosphere is incredible. No, noβ¦ I have to take a photo of you two together to commemorate this!”
Saying this, Yang Haoran took out his phone and aimed the camera at his mother and Ji Youxi.
Yang Haoran’s absurd antics made Liu Ruoxi break into a smile. Ji Youxi’s smile bloomed like a flower. Yang Haoran held his breath instantly, capturing that supremely beautiful moment, freezing it in the photograph.
He was a genius with a talent for photography, after all!
“Mom, Youxi, it’s fantastic! Do you want to see?”
Yang Haoran took a look himself, extremely satisfied, and presented it to them like a treasure.
Liu Ruoxi and Ji Youxi glanced at each other. The atmosphere immediately eased considerably. In the photo on the phone, Liu Ruoxi and Ji Youxi looked both like mother and daughter, and like sisters. Their mutually stunning beauty leaped from the photo, giving a sense of awe.
“Youxi, is it? Come on in.”
Liu Ruoxi’s tone was gentle, a smile on her cheeks. Even if it weren’t for her son’s sake, she wouldn’t give a cold shoulder to someone visiting for the first time.
However, if she had only been ninety percent suspicious before, Liu Ruoxi was now one hundred percent certain: Ji Youxi was also one of the players of the Fallen Angel game. The other girl wasn’t hiding it at all. Their first meeting, their mutual gaze, had silently conveyed a wealth of information.
This wasn’t a normal reaction to meeting one’s boyfriend’s mother. She was too calm, as if she had anticipated this all along.
“Mhmm, Auntie.”
Thanks to her boyfriend’s silly interruption, Ji Youxi’s cheeks now wore a serene smile.
Seeing that the tense, confrontational atmosphere between his mother and Ji Youxi had dissipated, Yang Haoran breathed a sigh of relief inwardly and hurriedly ushered them both inside.