After so many years, Jiang Xiaobai was used to it. Therefore, she failed to notice that the reason Liang Yahe and Xiao Mingzhi had not dared to sit down was due to the color of the cushions. Under her enthusiastic welcome, Liang Yahe took a seat and was surprised to find that the cushions were very soft. Then, she hastily waved Xiao Mingzhi over to take a seat. At the same time, she gave him a sideways glare; her gaze looked like she was about to murder him. Therefore, he had no choice but to sit, touching his nose awkwardly as he did so.
“Xiaobai, did you decorate this place?”
“Yes, I did.” Jiang Xiaobai nodded. “I like having a vibrant style. It doesn’t look dull and helps to lift my spirits.” Then, she suddenly seemed to realize something. “Oh, does it seem a little childish? I’ve been used to it since I was young, so I didn’t think too much about it.”
“No, it’s not childish. It’s very cute. Girls like you should use these. It’s vibrant and energetic.” When Liang Yahe saw that Jiang Xiaobai liked the style very much, she took the opportunity to praise her again. Then, she nudged at Xiao Mingzhi. Following her lead, he smiled honestly. “Yes, young people like you should use these.”
Afterward, they chatted for a bit. Then, Jiang Xiaobai found an excuse to slip to the bathroom and send a message to Xiao Su saying that his parents were here. By the time Xiao Su received the message, nearly 20 minutes had passed. When he saw that the message was from Jiang Xiaobai, he thought she was merely making small talk or had a question for him. However, his gaze wavered slightly after reading the contents carefully. Why didn’t they tell me in advance that they were coming?
Well, it wasn’t as if this was the first time his parents had done something like this. Unfortunately, these occurrences were so rare that he had completely forgotten about them. Thus, he failed to think about the possibility of both parties meeting each other after Jiang Xiaobai moved into his place. With the sudden appearance of a girl in his house, there was no doubt that his parents would misunderstand the situation.
After all, he and Jiang Xiaobai were simply pretending to be a couple—there were no feelings between them to speak of. It would take him a long time to explain the situation if his parents were to misunderstand. Just thinking about it was enough to give him a headache. Thus, Xiao Su mulled over it for a bit, then decided that it was best to return home.
On the other side, the Xiao couple had decided to stay for lunch. Upon hearing that, Jiang Xiaobai claimed that she would prepare a sumptuous meal for them. While she was cooking, Liang Yahe followed her into the kitchen. When she saw Jiang Xiaobai’s skillful cooking ability, her favorability and adoration toward the girl increased exponentially. What a treasure this daughter-in-law is! The more she got to know about Jiang Xiaobai, the more she liked the girl. Seeming to realize something, she then asked, “By the way, Xiaobai, you can cook so well. It can’t be that you are always the one doing the cooking when you and Xiao Su eat together, right?”
Responding to the question, Jiang Xiaobai nodded without hesitation. However, Liang Yahe’s expression immediately changed upon hearing her reply. “How can this be? You may be his girlfriend, but you don’t have to cook for him all the time! Xiao Su, that brat, is too much! Why doesn’t he cherish his girlfriend more? How can he let you do all the cooking? What a foolish child. Don’t worry, Xiaobai. When he comes back this afternoon, I will give him an earful about this!”
For a moment, Jiang Xiaobai was stunned speechless. She had answered casually, but it was unexpected to see Xiao Su’s mother reacting so strongly to it. Isn’t Xiao Su her son? Shouldn’t she be more protective toward her son? Why is she turning around and taking my side instead? Moreover, she and Xiao Su were not a real couple. She had agreed to do all the cooking. In exchange, he would pretend to be her boyfriend and act as her shield against troublesome blind dates. In short, they were providing what the other needed. Thus, she did not think that it was a big deal. Even so, Xiao Su’s mother had reacted so strongly to it.
After pondering over it, she sighed lightly and explained, “Mrs. Xiao, it’s okay. I stay at home doing nothing all day anyway. Besides, I only cook once in a while. It’s not like I’m always cooking. We also go out to eat sometimes.”
Instead, Liang Yahe came up with another question. “When you cook, does Xiao Su do the washing up?”
Thus, Jiang Xiaobai nodded again. When it came to doing the dishes, Xiao Su had always taken the chore upon himself. Not only did he not say a word in protest, but he also did it carefully. No matter how big of a mess she turned the kitchen into, he would clean it up nicely.
When Jiang Xiaobai nodded, Liang Yahe finally let out a breath of relief. “That’s good then. At least he is not beyond hope. If he doesn’t even bother to help with the cleaning, I would chop his legs off.”
When she heard those words, Jiang Xiaobai thought that Xiao Su was a little pitiful. Hahaha, his mother doesn’t seem to pull her punches against him.
Xiao Su came home very quickly. Even so, by the time he entered the house, Jiang Xiaobai and Liang Yahe had finished cooking, and Xiao Mingzhi was helping to set up the table. Then, Xiao Mingzhi broke into a smile at the sight of him. “Xiao Su, Xiaobai mentioned that you’d be back later. Why are you back so early today?”
Sweeping a glance across the room, he quietly changed his shoes and walked in. When he saw that the cutlery had been set out on the table, he asked, “It’s still early; are you eating already?”
Xiao Mingzhi nodded. “Yes, we are. Xiaobai told us to stay for lunch. Right now, your mother is cooking with her in the kitchen.”
Xiao Su felt his head throbbing after hearing those words. Removing all traces of emotion from his eyes, he asked in a low voice, “Why didn’t you give me a call before coming over? I could’ve gone to pick you up.” If they did that, he could have made prior arrangements on his end too. He and Jiang Xiaobai were not in a real relationship. However, if his parents saw them living together, they would definitely assume that the two of them were in a relationship. That would only serve to create unnecessary troubles for her when the time comes.
“Isn’t it because you are usually swamped with work? I wanted to give you a call, but your mother wouldn’t let me. She said that making you rush over to pick us up when you were already busy with work would only tire you out even more. Besides, we have a key, and we know the way. So, we came over by ourselves. There was no need to trouble you.”
Afterward, Xiao Su did not say another word. At that moment, Liang Yahe came out carrying a dish. Then, she widened her eyes at the sight of him. Placing the dish on the table, she dragged him into a room by his sleeve. “What’s wrong with you?”
Under his mother’s interrogative questioning, he pursed his lips. Then, he started to explain, “Mom, it’s not like what you think—”
“Xiaobai is your girlfriend. How can you allow her to do all the cooking for you? Don’t you know that a girlfriend exists for you to spoil her? Are you taking her to be a nanny by making her do all the cooking for you?”
Xiao Su choked suddenly; he was at a loss of what to do as he stared at his mother blankly.
“Are you listening to what I say? Besides, when did you get a girlfriend? Why didn’t you tell your family about it? Do you know how much your father and I have been worried about your marriage? Your father and I even came here with the plan to introduce some blind date candidates to you. Yet, here you are, quietly getting yourself a girlfriend without even letting your parents know about it!”
“Mom, it’s not like that. Please let me explain.”
“Whatever; don’t bother explaining. You want to talk about why you let her cook for you, right? Thank goodness Xiaobai is such a kind person for not making it an issue. If it were me, I would have dumped you a long time ago!”
