Chapter 66 — Meeting the Parents, I Have to Serve Tea
Xu Nian’s face was full of disbelief. “How is that possible? Just a moment ago, I still had the winning advantage!”
Lin Yuejiu smiled sweetly. “I told you, Brother Xu Nian, with just one move, the whole game could turn around.”
Xu Nian fell into gloom.
Xu Nianshen clicked his tongue. “I finally supported you for once, and you still lost.”
Xu Nian rolled his eyes. “Why don’t you try then?”
“Brother Xu Nian, you haven’t played much chess before, have you?”
“How did you know?”
“Because anyone with experience would’ve seen right away who actually had the upper hand. You didn’t notice just now, but Uncle Xu has been playing for years—his experience is much richer than yours.”
“Then how did you know?” Xu Nian looked her up and down curiously, “You’re younger than me, don’t tell me you’re some chess prodigy reincarnated?”
Xu Father / Xu Nianshen: “How can you talk like that?!”
Xu Nian: “I was just joking…”
Lin Yuejiu pressed her lips together in a small laugh. “It’s because I learned before.”
“You learned? You went and studied on your own?” Xu Nian’s expression showed shock, as if he couldn’t believe she’d take the initiative to learn chess.
Lin Yuejiu gave a helpless smile. “No, back when I was living with the Lin family, Uncle Lin taught me. He was really passionate about chess. The first time I saw him play, I asked a question, and after that, every time he played, he would call me over and teach me. After watching so many times, naturally I picked up some of it.”
“I see. Looks like our Yuejiu is quite clever—one lesson and you learned.”
Lin Yuejiu quickly waved her hands. “Uncle Xu, don’t put a feather in my cap, I don’t deserve it.”
Everyone laughed.
Just then, the butler came in and said: “Sir, someone wishes to see you.”
“Who?”
“Mr. Lin.”
Xu Father was stunned, instinctively glancing at Lin Yuejiu.
Lin Yuejiu blinked innocently.
Xu Father turned back. “Did he say why he came to see me?”
The butler replied, “He didn’t. Mr. Lin came together with his wife.”
Xu Nian’s face darkened. “What are they doing here?”
Xu Father glanced at Lin Yuejiu again. She lifted her hand slightly, her expression soft with a gentle smile. “Uncle Xu, it’s alright. I don’t mind. To me, they’re just strangers now.”
Seeing that hearing their names didn’t affect her in the slightest, he turned to the butler and said, “Let them in.”
“Yes, sir.”
A short while later, Lin Father and Lin Mother came in. The moment they saw Lin Yuejiu inside, they froze. What was she doing here?
Lin Father was the first to recover, smiling at Xu Father. “How have you been lately?”
“Very well. And you?”
“I’m doing well too. Mr. Lin, what brings you here today?”
At that moment, Xu Nianshen came forward and handed each of them a cup of tea. The two accepted it with thanks.
Seeing this, Lin Yuejiu raised her brows slightly. When he came back over, she asked softly, “What was that about just now?”
Xu Nianshen kept a calm expression. “Even though they’re not related to you anymore, they did raise you for eleven years. You called them Mom and Dad for eleven years, so I just thought I’d show some respect.”
Lin Yuejiu’s delicate brows arched even higher, as though unsatisfied with that explanation.
Noticing she clearly wanted a proper reason, Xu Nianshen chuckled. “Do you really need me to spell it out?”
Lin Yuejiu: “???”
#ConfusedFace
He leaned close to her, and slowly said the words:
“Meeting the parents—I have to serve tea.”
Lin Yuejiu: “!!!”
The tips of her ears hidden under her hair instantly turned red. She clenched her teeth and said, “I’ve never seen anyone as shameless as you!”
Xu Nianshen spread his hands helplessly. “What else could I do? Since the two of them happened to come today, it’s the perfect opportunity. After all, they were your parents for eleven years, and they weren’t bad to you. You can’t expect us to wait until we get married before serving them tea, right? Besides, you don’t have any ties to them now—I couldn’t think of a better excuse to visit them.”
At the word married, Lin Yuejiu’s delicate little face flushed pink. “Who said I’d marry you?”
Xu Nianshen’s smile was full of meaning. “Out of everything I just said, that’s the only part you heard? That proves you do care about our marriage, doesn’t it?”
Lin Yuejiu lifted her gaze to glare at him—though it wasn’t really a glare. It carried a hint of coquettishness, soft and charming.
Xu Nianshen pressed a hand to his forehead and laughed.
Their voices were low, almost no one else could hear, but someone still noticed.
Clinging to Lin Father’s arm, Lin Mother caught their playful bickering from the corner of her eye. Complex emotions flickered in her gaze—ever since Yuejiu left the Lin family, she seemed to be living much happier.
Xu Nian also noticed. Naturally, he saw whatever his brother had whispered to make Lin Yuejiu blush. Stroking his chin, he reassessed his younger brother. Looks like there’s progress. My brother’s improving. Good, good—one step closer to me becoming an uncle.
Meanwhile, Xu Father and Lin Father were finishing their discussion.
Xu Father said, “I’ll think about what you said.”
Lin Father nodded. “Yes, this is a rare opportunity. If you’re interested, don’t miss it.”
“Alright.”
Then Lin Father glanced at Lin Yuejiu and asked with a smile, “And she’s here at your house because…?”
“My wife is very fond of her. We all like her very much. We often invite her over for meals.”
“I see.”
“Yes. Well then, the two of you, take care.”
Since their host had clearly begun to see them off, Lin Father and Lin Mother naturally had to leave.
As they stepped outside, Lin Mother turned her head back once. Just then, Xu Nian came out carrying a bowl of soup. She vaguely caught snippets of their conversation.
Xu Nian: “Dinner’s ready, Jiujiu!”
Lin Yuejiu: “Coming! Wow, this soup smells amazing!”
Xu Nian: “Of course—it was specially made for you by Auntie. Come taste it.”
Lin Yuejiu: “Thank you, Auntie! Auntie Xu, you’re the best!”
Xu Mother: “Our Jiujiu still has such a sweet tongue…”
Inside, the house was filled with laughter and warmth.
Lin Mother pulled her gaze back.
At the Lin family home, Lin Yimo was sitting on the sofa, reading a magazine. Hearing the door, he looked up. “Dad, Mom, you’re back? Did Uncle Xu agree?”
“He said he’d consider it.”
“Uncle Xu loves chess so much—he’ll definitely participate in the tournament.”
“Mm.”
But Lin Yimo noticed something strange in their expressions. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“We… saw Jiujiu at the Xu house.”
“Jiujiu…?” Lin Yimo froze on the sofa. It felt like he hadn’t heard her name in ages. The last time they met had been in the hospital, and after that, he hadn’t seen her again. Even though he had sometimes waited by her school gate, he never managed to catch her.
“How was she? Why was she at the Xu house?”
“The Xu family seems very fond of her. They often invite her over for meals.”
“I see…” Lin Yimo looked a little dazed.
“Did she show anything? Like… any signs of sadness?”
“No,” Lin Mother said, “on the contrary, she seemed to be laughing and chatting with Nianshen. She looked very happy.”
