After I got home, I asked my gay bestie for help: [Sis, he seems really eager to get married. What should I do?]
My gay bestie: [If I didn't know your personality, I'd think you were showing off.]
Me: [But I haven't even thought that far. Normally, when a boy and a girl are in a relationship, it should be a gradual process. I don't want to consider marriage for at least three years. There are still so many dreams I haven't fulfilled.]
My gay bestie: [Do you know where you're wrong?]
Me: [?]
My gay bestie: [You've been treating Cheng Yu like an ordinary boy from an ordinary family. You're trying to be on an equal footing with him, and that's a huge mistake.]
Me: [I'm all ears, sis. What should I do then?]
My gay bestie: [Get pregnant as soon as possible. Then you can marry into a wealthy family through your child. Even if you can't marry him, give birth to the baby anyway. Your future father - in - law will reward you with hundreds of millions, a mansion, and a yacht. That's the right way to handle a catch like Cheng Yu, sis.]
Me: […]
My gay bestie: [Even if you're not ready to marry him, don't make excuses or try to avoid him. He'll misunderstand you.]
Me: [What will he misunderstand about me?]
My gay bestie: [He'll think you were just playing around. Now that he's serious, you're backing off. You're bored with him and want to dump him.]
Me: [That's impossible.]
My gay bestie: [Can I swear?]
Me: [No!]
My gay bestie: [Fine. For old times' sake, I'll give you one last piece of advice.]
Me: [What is it?]
My gay bestie: [Always carry a condom. If you're really worried, you can carry a whole box.]
I was so shocked that I dropped my phone.
-
It was the weekend.
I'd worked overtime last night and slept like a log this morning.
I was woken up by a knock on the door.
I saw Cheng Yu standing at my doorstep.
There were two makeup artists and stylists behind him, carrying clothes and makeup cases.
I groaned, "It's not necessary, is it..."
Meeting his parents was such a big deal!
That was exactly why I'd been avoiding it.
After brushing my teeth and having breakfast, I started to get dressed and made up.
I made it clear in advance, "This is a one - time thing. From now on, I'll dress and make up as I like. If the elders don't like it, there's nothing I can do. I have to be myself."
Cheng Yu thought for a moment, then suddenly sent the two stylists away.
He said, "You're right. I like you just the way you are."
Me: "…Then I'll do my own makeup."
Then I picked up my usual eyebrow pencil and started to draw my eyebrows. The harder I tried, the worse they looked. They were so ugly.
Sigh.
I'd stayed up late last night, so my skin was in a bad condition. The foundation didn't blend well and looked so unnatural.
Cheng Yu watched me on the verge of tears and laughed, "You're beautiful even without makeup."
I threw my cosmetics down, "You said it. Then I'll go素颜."
In the end, I still put on a very light makeup.
I wore a decent work - style outfit.
Cheng Yu's parents' house was quite far away.
We drove all the way to the seaside.
It took a long time to wind around the mountain before we saw the well - trimmed gardens.
The car drove in on a small path. There were neatly trimmed bamboo groves on both sides. At the end of the path was an underground garage.
We parked the car and walked up the stairs.
I saw an outdoor swimming pool and a three - story villa with a glass facade.
Wow.
It was beyond just luxurious.
It was like a masterpiece mansion from a 3D model.
I was so stunned that I couldn't move, "It's so tasteful. Your parents have such a young sense of style!"
Cheng Yu pulled me gently to prevent me from tripping on the steps, "This is my house. They've been abroad. They'll stay here when they come back."
Me: "I thought your dad had been working here all the time?"
Cheng Yu: "By 'they', I mean my mom, my grandparents, and my maternal grandparents. They chartered a flight back just for you."
Me: !!!
Holy cow!
Is this just meeting the parents?
You might as well gather all your relatives and hold a wedding today!
I was already nervous, but now my legs were shaking. The last time I was this nervous was when I gave a speech at the college anniversary.
After we entered the house, okay, I felt like I was going to faint.
A room full of rich and noble people who looked very wealthy swarmed towards me. Cheng Yu's dad even had a really creepy change of expression. He greeted me with a big smile, "Miss Zhou, welcome!"
I could feel my face getting stiff when I smiled, "Hello everyone. I'm Cheng Yu's girlfriend. My name is Zhou Yinyin. I'm currently a game designer in a game company. My hobby is writing, and I like making money..."
Cheng Yu couldn't help laughing and whispered in my ear, "You're not here for a job interview, Miss Zhou."
Me: "Oh!"
I sat down amidst everyone's friendly laughter and was stared at intently.
Grandpa: "I heard that Zhou Chongshan is your grandpa?"
Me: "Yes."
Grandma: "He's an amazing old traditional Chinese doctor... It's so hard to make an appointment with him!"
Me: "How about I give you a massage? I learned the skills from my grandpa..."
Maternal Grandpa: "Nonsense. How can we let our guest work hard? Pretty girl, come and have a candy."
Me: "Okay, okay..."
Maternal Grandma: "Miss Zhou, I've been following 'Into the Devil' for years. When are you going to finish it? Will I still be alive to see the ending?"
I wiped the sweat off my forehead, "I'll start writing as soon as I get home. I'll update more! Ten thousand words a day!"
…
A tall and charming woman sat down next to me, "Hello, I'm Cheng Yu's mom."
Me: !!!
With such a tight - skinned face and a curvy figure, you're his mom? I'd believe you were his sister!
I was so shocked, "You're so beautiful, Auntie."
Auntie stuffed a red envelope into my hand, "This is the first time Cheng Yu has brought a girl home. According to our local custom, I have to give you a red envelope."
I waved my hands quickly, "No, no!"
Auntie laughed coquettishly, "My husband and my son don't know how to give gifts to girls. They'd give them sports cars and antiques. They're not afraid of scaring the girls. Look at my red envelope. It's so thin. We women understand women better. Just take it without any burden."
Cheng Yu protested, "Mom."
With so many people watching, I felt too embarrassed to refuse. I said reluctantly, "Thank you, Auntie."
Auntie was amused by my clumsiness again, "Don't be in a hurry. There's a separate red envelope for when you change your address. One step at a time."
Me: …
I'd tried so hard to show my confidence, maturity, wisdom, and competence in front of Cheng Yu's family...
I was so stupid that I could cry.
I felt so embarrassed.
-
Finally, after dinner, we went home.
I was completely exhausted.
I opened the red envelope - holy shit, it was euros! The largest denomination of 500 euros!
That thin envelope was worth at least a really good car!
I'd been tricked!
You rich people are so annoying!
Cheng Yu sat next to me and massaged my legs, "They all like you very much. Don't be so nervous."
Me: "This is a one - time thing. I'm not meeting the parents again! It's too tiring!"
Cheng Yu: "That's not possible. You'll have to see them often after we get married."
I'd been holding it in for a whole day, and I finally exploded, "Cheng Yu, could you please not be so impatient? You're only 26. What are you so anxious about? Am I going to run away? Why are you pushing me to get married so early? It's not the right time to think about marriage yet!"
Cheng Yu slowed down his movements, "I've been meaning to ask you this. Why have you changed so much these days?"
Me: "I haven't changed. You're just too impatient."
Cheng Yu snorted, "I think you're bored with me. Or maybe you're scared now that I'm serious. You were just playing around with me, weren't you?"
Me: "Are you crazy, Cheng Yu!"
How could he say that about me?
Who had I been working so hard for?
Wasn't it to get closer to him?
All he did was get jealous and be suspicious!
He didn't even have basic trust in me!
I tried to reason with him, "Your family is not an ordinary one. How long have we been dating? Do we really know each other well? Have we even gone through the process of getting used to each other? And you've already involved so many elders!"
Cheng Yu said coldly, "You used to like me so much, but now you're blaming me for being too impatient. Zhou Yinyin, are you bored with me and don't want to play anymore?"
I was so angry that I felt like I was going to bleed internally, "If you think so, there's nothing I can do. You're always right. I'm wrong, okay!"
This was the first time we'd argued so fiercely. The mask of our sweet relationship was torn off, and we saw each other's ugly true selves.
It wasn't just him.
I was also wronged.
I'd just wanted to make a friend.
But I'd ended up hooking up with a perfect god - like guy.
I'd been tiptoeing around him every day, dealing with his little temper tantrums.
My simple and peaceful life had been turned upside down. I didn't know what had come over me, and I said out of anger, "Maybe we should just break up."
After I said that.
There was a deathly silence.
I nervously looked up. Holy shit, Cheng Yu's eyes were red!
I immediately panicked and touched his face, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, baby! I was wrong!"
Cheng Yu suddenly pushed me onto the bed and pounced on me like a wild animal. He roughly tore at my clothes. His eyes were bloodshot as he said, "Zhou Yinyin, I'm going to skin you alive today!"
He even ripped open the strap of my bra. Holy shit, he was serious. I was so scared that I blurted out everything, "Okay, okay, I'll tell you everything... Actually, the reason my attitude changed so much is that I used to think you were gay!"
Cheng Yu let go of me, "…What?"
I slumped onto the bed and took out my phone. I showed him the chat record from the first day we added each other, "I was heartbroken and wanted to find a promiscuous girl to talk to. So I asked my brother to introduce a friend to me. He said that person was gay and a playboy, but he was on good terms with him. He told me to be smart and try to make friends with him. Then I accidentally mixed up the numbers in my phone and got your number instead."
Cheng Yu quietly glanced at the chat record on the phone and the phone number my brother had sent me at the end, "So you've always thought I was... gay?"
I looked at him sadly, "…Yes."
Cheng Yu's eyes were trembling, "So you've never really liked me..."
"No!" I said anxiously, "Later, when I realized I'd made a mistake, I wanted to tell you. But then you confessed your love to me, and I was too scared to say anything. You liked me, but I'd always thought you were gay. I was afraid you'd get angry and kill me if I told you... So I slowly tried to get along with you. It started when you gave me that milk tea. I tried hard to like you. And then in the car, I suddenly had feelings for you, so I kissed you. That's when I really started to like you. It's only been a little over a month, and you're talking about marriage... I'm really not ready..."
Cheng Yu suddenly laughed, "So this whole relationship has been my own delusion? How ridiculous!"
He looked like he'd just woken up from a big dream. His smile was so absurd and sarcastic that it sent shivers down my spine.
I was scared by him, "I'm sorry, Cheng Yu. I invaded your life without permission and messed up your life. You could have fallen in love with a better - qualified girl, but now you've been wasted on me... I'm sorry... I don't love you as much as you think... And I haven't liked you for as long as you've liked me... I can't even guarantee how much I'll love you in the future..."
I hung my head even lower. To hide my falling tears, I choked out, "You must be so angry with me. If you can't accept this fact and regret the feelings you've had for me... Then you can break up with me... Mmm!"
My mouth was covered.
Cheng Yu kissed me fiercely. His eyes were red as he growled at me, "Don't you dare say break up. Do you hear me!"