Awkward, the Yin family searched for a restaurant and booked in a private dining room for afternoon tea.
Yin Yan was calm while Yu Zhen sat on edge.
“Um… Yu Zhen, right? I’m Yin Yan’s mother, Qiu Feiqian. Beside me is Yin Yan’s father, Yin Hexiang. Don’t be nervous. Let’s relax, chat a little, and get to know each other.”
Qiu Feiqian made sure to speak gently in an attempt to wash away that “evil mother-in-law” image from before.
Yu Zhen quickly stood, bowed to the two parents, and said, “Hello, Uncle, Aunty.”
“Alright, alright. Quick, have a seat. There’s no need to be too cautious.”
Qiu Feiqian was very satisfied with his respectful gesture, and after reassuring him, shot a meaningful glance at Yin Yan.
This son brought his partner to meet his parents, but he’s only sitting to the side, leaving us to talk alone. How lacking in etiquette! Couldn’t he at least introduce the two sides? Or even better, he could speak a little, improve the mood, and bridge the gap between them.
Yin Yan noticed and immediately shifted closer to Yu Zhen. He wrapped an arm around Yu Zhen’s shoulder and gestured toward Qiu Feiqian, “My mother, Qiu Feiqian. You can call her Mom.”
Yu Zhen was hunched down from sitting, but Yin Yan’s firm grip made him sit straight again. Yu Zhen turned to stare at Yin Yan, nervous and unsure of his train of thought.
You’ve snatched up their son’s body. Aren’t you too brazen to speak like this to the ‘victim’s’ parents? You don’t need to get into character so quickly!
“Go on.”
Yin Yan calmly returned his gaze and patted him on the shoulder.
“…”
If I continue to be this tense, things will only get even more awkward.
F-fine, I’ll just say it.
Looking toward Qiu Feiqian, Yu Zhen sucked in a breath nervously.
Qiu Feiqian straightened her back subconsciously and kept an unperturbed expression on her face, but her palms were sweaty.
I’ve rushed about the business world for so many years, but have never felt this nervous before! R-really… after kids are born, they’ll eventually turn around and make demands from their parents! But why is he nervous?! Is this the way to make connections?!
Everyone watched Yu Zhen with bated breath. Yu Zhen pursed his lips and clenched his fingers together. With difficulty, he said, “M-mom*.”
*Lost in translation: Yin Yan told him to call her “妈 (Ma),” the equivalent of “mom,” but Yu Zhen stuttered and said “妈妈 (mama)” which is closer to “mother.”
Because he had never spoken this word before, he shook uncontrollably and the word ‘mom’ became a stutter.
A weight lifted from everyone’s shoulders. Yin Le sat paralyzed in his seat with one thought on his mind. This is the longest and most challenging day of my life.
“Xiao Zhen is well-mannered.”
Qiu Feiqian released her held breath and rummaged in her handbag for a greeting gift.
Though the process of their marriage was astonishing, nothing bad had happened to Yin Yan. Since he had finally given up on Han Ya and moved onto a brighter path with a new partner, Qiu Feiqian decided against demanding too much.
“Here, take this. We came in a hurry this time, so Mother hasn’t prepared much. Mother will give you a formal welcoming gift and change the way of addressing you when we get to B City.”
Fortunately, she came from the mall and had bought items for Yin Yan. She managed to buy a pair of brooches, saving her the embarrassment from meeting empty-handed.
The velvet box containing the brooches was sapphire blue. At a glance, it was easy to tell the item within was luxurious. The poor Yu Zhen hesitated a little. In his stead, Yin Yan retrieved the box with ease and patted his shoulder. “Quickly, thank Mother.”
“…”
“You’ve received the elder’s gift, you should express your thanks,” Yin Yan explained.
This statement was very reasonable, and he couldn’t refute it.
“Th-thank you, Mom.”
Yu Zhen was sure, although he expressed his thanks, his expression was rigid.
Qiu Feiqian was quick to say he didn’t need to be so polite.
Satisfied, Yin Yan nodded and stuffed the box into his pocket. Gesturing toward Yin Hexiang, who sat beside his wife with a serious expression, he introduced, “My father, Yin Hexiang. Call him Dad.”
“En.”
Yin Hexiang nodded coolly and extended a hand in front of Qiu Feiqian.
Qiu Feiqian maintained a smile but ruthlessly stepped on his foot as she searched her bag. Rummaging around for a long while, she could not find anything suitable as a gift. Indignation swelled in her heart. She ground her teeth and wrote out a check, placed it in a men’s silk scarf box, and wrapped it in a silk scarf to make the gift look better. Then, she stuffed it into Yin Hexiang’s hand.
“We came in a rush, so nothing was prepared. Don’t be disappointed.” Yin Hexiang accepted it and passed it on with a profound look.
Yin Yan once again accepted the gift and patted Yu Zhen’s shoulder.
Yu Zhen replied, “Thank you, Dad.”
Finally, Yin Yan turned to Yin Le. This time, he didn’t pat Yu Zhen. Instead, he gestured to Yu Zhen and said, “Call him Brother.”
Yin Le obediently stood and called him Brother.
Yu Zhen acknowledged him with a single sound and patted his own body, looking for a suitable gift. At the moment, he realized he only had his household register, a wallet, and the marriage certificate on him. His neck flushed in embarrassment.
Yin Yan squeezed his shoulders. From his own wallet, he fished out a card and handed it to Yin Le. “Don’t spend frivolously, and don’t buy miniature models.”
From the original’s memory, he knew Yin Le was a gaming enthusiast and had a habit of buying “miniature people.” Because of this, the original had scolded Yin Le many times.
Fuck! He actually gave away his card! I’m rich!
Yin Le’s eyes lit up. He quickly snatched the card and rejoiced, “Thank you, Yu Ge, thank you, Brother! I promise I won’t spend frivolously!” If I don’t spend frivolously, I’m not a real human!
Yin Yan nodded and introduced the butler, Weng Xiping. Not giving the atmosphere a chance to cool, he moved onto the next topic. “Although Yu Zhen and I have obtained our certificates, my property still needs to be dealt with. After some consideration, I’ve decided Yu Zhen will not have the right to my previous assets, including what I earned or the assets given by Mother and Father. If an accident befalls me, he will also have no right to inherit those.”
Once these words were spoken, Yin Le almost sunk to the ground. Qiu Feiqian and Yin Hexiang looked over in alarm, almost losing their composure.
Yin Yan’s words were straightforwardly telling everyone Yu Zhen couldn’t covet his previous assets, and he couldn’t dream of freely using his money, even if they were married.
When they heard the marriage certificate had already been obtained, Qiu Feiqian and Yin Hexiang both had a bad feeling in their chest – the little gardener willingly married a person he’d only met twice because he was eyeing the Yin family’s money.
It wasn’t that they wanted to view Yu Zhen in a bad light, but human nature couldn’t face such tests. As parents, they could not help but worry about their children’s romantic issues.
Yin Yan’s words jabbed at their thoughts but steadied their hearts.
Although their son’s temperament had changed drastically since the accident – he’d even married impulsively – he wasn’t completely ignorant.
They didn’t care much about money. If they lost some, they could make more. They simply wanted an appropriate attitude. They wanted their son to clearly discern if his partner was reliable.
Qiu Feqian was the first to regain her senses. She didn’t reply to Yin Yan. Instead, she turned to Yu Zhen and said, “For the matter of property notarization, we’ll need to see if Xiao Zhen agrees…”
“Agree – I agree. Assets should be notarized. If possible, p-please have it done quickly.”
Yu Zhen came back to himself quickly at her words, and he hurriedly agreed to the issue. The guilt weighing on his conscience lifted significantly, letting him feel much more at ease.
It was already bad enough to take possession of their son’s body and fated marriage, how could he take their family’s money too? Nevermind the notarization, if they wanted him to pay up instead, he would!
Yin Yan turned his head to look at Yu Zhen. He felt the faint emotion relaxing in his heart, he held his hands together, briefly stroking his ring.
On hearing his tacit agreement, both Qiu Feiqian and Yin Hexiang felt a sense of relief, and they didn’t hide it. With over ten years in the business world, was there any kind of person they hadn’t seen before? Any pretense they hadn’t come across? Yu Zhen was sincere, and it wasn’t an act or attempt to curry favor.
Yin Le aptly whispered, “Mom, Dad, Brother Yu is especially… especially simple and honest.”
Yin Yan loosened his grip and looked over.
Yin Le sat up straight and picked up a teacup, pretending to drink.
“Apologies, we’ll be leaving first.”
Yin Yan abruptly stood and stooped over to take Yu Zhen’s hand, urging him to get up.
Uncertain, but unable to resist, Yu Zhen smiled apologetically and left with Yin Yan.
Yin Le immediately set down his cup and went over to his mother. He checked the door and whispered, “Mom, Yu Ge isn’t like anyone we’ve met before. He-he… ai ya. Anyone, as for things between him and Brother, it was all decided by Brother. Brother coerced him! Snatching as he pleases!”
“How can you say that about your brother!”
Qiu Feiqian smacked him. But, she recalled Yu Zhen’s reactions. There was something a little off. “So what exactly happened? Tell me clearly.”
Yin Le held his head. He launched into his narration and added details with delight, describing how his brother compelled Yu Zhen into signing the marriage certificate, and how he insanely asked Yu Zhen to buy the wedding rings. He included Yin Yan breaking the door as soon as they arrived, and how he scared Yu Zhen into escaping into the temple. He concluded, “Yu Ge definitely didn’t want to get married. He’s terrified of Brother! Terrified!”
Qiu Feiqian frowned. She turned to Weng Xiping, who sat quietly in the corner like he was part of the background. “Xiping, is it like Yin Le says?”
Weng Xiping nodded. “On the way to the Civil Affairs Bureau, Mr. Yu’s mood was quite low. It was the Elder Young Master who was eager. He even said ‘Today’s a good day. Suitable for marriage.'”
“Right, right, right. Big Brother said something like, ‘I won’t neglect you,’ but it’s obvious Yu Ge himself is avoiding him…” Yin Le parroted, unaware his voice was getting higher.
Qiu Feiqian quickly signaled for him to quiet down. She looked at her husband, who was also frowning.
Unlike Yin Le’s simple considerations, they thought of more possibilities.
Yin Yan was behaving abnormally. Could it be, his accident overstimulated him, and he’d gone crazy?
Yin Yan: My lover can only spend my money.
Public: [whispers:] But you have no money.
Yin Yan: …
PS:^(⊙v⊙)^