Chapter 202: Mom and Dad Arrive
Yun Xiulan stood at the doorway, glaring furiously at Ning Qingyuan. In a fit of anger, she instinctively bent down, took off her shoe, and hurled it at him.
“You little brat! You’ve been lying to your mother for years, always saying it was your sister who wanted to do it, and you even let her take the blame for you all this time. Aren’t you ashamed?”
Relying purely on muscle memory, Ning Qingyuan swiftly dodged the flying shoe and immediately began begging for mercy:
“Mom, Mom, don’t be mad. I apologize to you, and I apologize to my sister. It’s my fault, I was wrong.”
“Xiulan, calm down. This brat deserves a beating.” Ning Hai walked in from outside, supporting Yun Xiulan, who was now standing on one leg like a crane since one of her shoes was missing. Behind his glasses, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. “Brat, go pick up your mother’s shoe.”
“Dad.”
Ning Xiyue and Ning Qingzhi exclaimed in surprise and joy.
Only Ning Qingyuan looked utterly deflated as he muttered “Dad” in a pitiful tone. He hunched his shoulders and quickly went to pick up the shoe from the floor, then lowered his head and respectfully handed it over with both hands.
Ning Hai responded warmly to his beloved daughter’s greeting, but then immediately shot a glare at his troublesome son. Taking the shoe from him, he bent down and helped Yun Xiulan put it back on.
Yun Xiulan, meanwhile, grabbed her son’s ear with one hand while still leaning on Ning Hai with the other. She twisted his ear in a full circle before finally letting go and scolding, “If I ever find out you’re doing bad things under your sister’s name again, I’ll beat you myself.”
Ning Xiyue and Ning Qingzhi watched him sympathetically but didn’t step forward to plead for him.
Watching this scene unfold, Song Jiayin swallowed nervously and glanced at Ning Qingzhi, as if to say, This is what you call “easygoing”?
His words from before still echoed in her ears. Ning Qingzhi rubbed his nose awkwardly and whispered in her ear, This is an accident, don’t mind it.
But really, who told the second brother to expose his own misdeeds at the exact moment their doting parents were within earshot? Of course they wouldn’t let it slide.
Clutching his reddened ear, Ning Qingyuan muttered in protest, “Mom, that was just when I was a kid and too scared to get hit. I wouldn’t do that now. I’d be too busy protecting my sister.”
“You’d better.”
Yun Xiulan waved him away, telling him to stop hovering around her. That was the end of the matter.
Then she turned around with a bright smile and waved toward the door. “Xiao Ji, come on in! You helped us carry all these things—thank you so much.”
“It’s no trouble. My pleasure.”
It was none other than Comrade Ji, who had stepped out a while earlier. He now returned, lugging several large bags of luggage and setting them down.
“Thank you, Xiao Ji,” Ning Hai said, nodding gratefully to Ji Yanming.
“Old Ji, thank you, thank you,” Ning Qingzhi added, quickly walking over to pat Ji on the shoulder in a comrade-like show of appreciation.
After setting the bags down, Ji Yanming glanced at the family, who clearly had a lot to talk about after their reunion. Sensing it was his cue to leave, he said politely, “I’ll let you catch up. I need to speak with the director about something. I’ll come back later.”
With that, he greeted the elders and took his leave.
“What a good young man! Last time, if it hadn’t been for him, your sister might not have been saved,” Yun Xiulan sighed as she watched Ji walk away.
“He’s alright,” Ning Hai said gruffly, glancing at his daughter while pretending to be unimpressed.
Ning Xiyue ran over happily and linked arms with her parents. “Mom, Dad, what are you doing here? I was just about to call you.”
Yun Xiulan tapped her gently on the forehead and shot a glare at the three siblings.
“You ungrateful little brats! You actually helped your eldest brother hide this from us. If I hadn’t accidentally found out when I called him, how much longer were you planning to keep us in the dark?”
“We were wrong.”
The three siblings immediately lined up in front of Yun Xiulan, bowing their heads and admitting their mistake in perfect unison.
If there was one thing the three of them had in common, it was knowing how to read the room when it came to their parents. No matter what, the first thing you do is admit fault — especially in front of Mom. Otherwise, Dad, who always backed her up, would step in.
Sure enough, the moment they admitted fault, Yun Xiulan’s anger dissipated. But she didn’t say anything. Instead, she decided to ignore all three of them — the two “rotten boys” and her beloved daughter. Today, they had to learn a lesson. They’d even learned to hide things from their parents now.
Yun Xiulan thought for a moment, then deliberately ignored the three siblings. Instead, she walked past them with a bright smile and warmly took Song Jiayin’s hand.
“You must be Jiayin. My, you’re beautiful.”
Slightly dazed by the family’s lively dynamic, Song Jiayin quickly snapped back to her senses and greeted them politely, “Hello, Uncle, Auntie. I’m Song Jiayin, Qingzhi’s girlfriend.”
She actually quite liked this light-hearted, cheerful family atmosphere. It was obviously a loving family. After this warm welcome, most of her earlier worries melted away, and she found herself genuinely looking forward to getting along with them in the future.
“Good child, thank you for taking care of Qingzhi during this time,” Yun Xiulan said kindly, gently squeezing her hand.
Song Jiayin shook her head, refusing to take any credit. With poise and sincerity, she replied, “Auntie, it wasn’t hard at all. Taking care of Qingzhi is something I should do. If anyone’s been working hard, it’s Qingyuan and Xiyue — they’ve been looking after him this whole time.”
“Good kids, all of you,” Yun Xiulan said with a satisfied smile. Her first impression of Song Jiayin was very positive — she didn’t boast and she spoke with generosity.
While Yun Xiulan continued chatting with Song Jiayin to learn more about her, Ning Qingzhi and Ning Qingyuan nudged Ning Xiyue, who was standing between them. They exchanged meaningful glances and gestures that clearly said: Sis, only you can fix this now.
Pushed to the front, Ning Xiyue blinked back fake tears and shot a betrayed look at her two “heartless” brothers.
The brothers simply tilted their heads away, refusing to meet her gaze.
Ning Hai, unable to watch this ridiculous pantomime any longer, shot them both a sharp look. He then picked up a cup of tea and handed it to his still “performing” daughter, gesturing for her to offer it to her mother — a peace offering of sorts.
Ning Xiyue looked at her father gratefully. “Thank you, Dad. You’re the best.”
“Mm. Go on, I’ll help you.”
Ning Hai accompanied his daughter over to where Yun Xiulan was still chatting, ready to help smooth things over.
As she walked over, Ning Xiyue held her hands behind her back and secretly flashed a triumphant “V” sign to her two brothers.
