Chapter 70  : Meeting Parents (1)

After dinner, Xi Xiaye offered to do the dishes, so Mu Yuchen went upstairs in a relaxed manner.

Upon finishing the dishes, she went upstairs and saw a vase that had suddenly appeared. It was full of the blue roses, and they were actually arranged pretty delicately.

She was surprised as she did not expect him to know about flower arrangement.

She stared at the flowers for quite a while before entering the bedroom, holding the big bag of things she had gotten back from her apartment in her hands.

Only a dim lamp on the dressing table was switched on. Within the dark bedroom, the light from the bathroom seemed very bright and the sound of water flowing was heard.

She gently closed the door and turned on the bedroom light. Walking towards the wardrobe with her luggage, she then opened it and started to put her things into the wardrobe.

When she had just hung her first piece of garment up, she heard a ringtone. Looking around, she saw the phone on the bedside table ringing.

She ignored it and continued arranging her stuff. About ten seconds after the ringtone stopped, the phone rang again. It seemed urgent.

After a brief moment of silence, she raised her head and glanced over at the bathroom. The sound of the water stopped and she spoke loudly, “Mu Yuchen, your phone keeps on ringing!”

A brief reply came. “You answer it.”

Xi Xiaye frowned. She got up and started walking towards it as she was fiddling around with the golden rose Mu Yuchen had won the last time. Without seeing who the caller was she picked up the call.

The calm and quiet voice of a lady came through as soon as the call was connected. “Hello? Chen, my flight’s been delayed. I’ll probably reach the airport by 8.30 a.m. tomorrow. Please come and pick me up. It’s more convenient from your place to the airport since it’s connected through the highway.”

Xi Xiaye could not react quickly. Instead, she replied quietly, “Hello...”

There was a short pause on the other hand when Xi Xiaye spoke. “Hello, are you Xi Xiaye?”

There was a tad bit more warmth in her voice.

“Mmm, I’m Xi Xiaye. And you are...?”

Xi Xiaye somewhat guessed who she was when the lady was able to address her name accurately. “I’m Zhuang Shurong, Chen’s mother. His grandmother told me about you. Please tell Chen to pick me up at the airport at 8.30 a.m. tomorrow. Alright, it’s pretty late now. Rest earlier and don’t forget to tell him.”

The call ended before Xi Xiaye could even reply,

Xi Xiaye’s heart sank a little and her eyes darkened as the phone screen dimmed. Her expression seemed odd. When she heard the sound of the bathroom door opening, she turned around.

“What’s wrong? Who called?” Mu Yuchen was drying his wet hair as he walked towards the bedside. He glanced at his phone in her hand when he noticed her odd expression.

Xi Xiaye handed his phone back to him and looked at him with a troubled expression. With a hand on her forehead, she informed him, “Your mother called. She said her flight’s been delayed and that she’ll only arrive at 8.30 a.m. She asked you to go and pick her up from the airport.”

“I see.” Mu Yuchen put his phone on the bedside table then went and sat down before the dressing table.

“Hey... From your mother’s tone, she sounded... Would she not like me?” Xi Xiaye was looking at Mu Yuchen helplessly. Zhuang Shurong’s tone seemed especially cold just now and it freaked her out. She felt oddly nervous.

Mu Yuchen glanced at her. He smiled as she gave him a very troubled look. “She’s just like that. Her tone always sounds cold and distant. Father said it comes with her occupation, so don’t worry about it. It’s fine even if you don’t get along well with her since we don’t stay together anyway.”

“But that’s your mother!” Xi Xiaye was shocked to hear his indifferent tone.

“She and Father are in a sort of special position. Communicating can be difficult at times. Sometimes, she doesn’t have anyone to communicate to. Just get used to it and don’t worry so much. If you really can’t deal with it, you can just nod or shake your head to whatever she says.”

Mu Yuchen looked downwards as he spoke as if he was reminded of something. Xi Xiaye noticed he was still and became quiet. However, she did not ask about it as he looked rather sad, so she just handed the golden rose to him and said gently, “Mmm, got it... How about we put this in the study room? There’s an empty spot on the bookshelf beside the window. I think it’s just right to put this.”

Mu Yuchen averted his gaze back up and saw the golden rose in her hand. He raised his eyebrows and asked, “You went back to your apartment?”

Xi Xiaye nodded. “I had something to take, but I don’t really have much anyway. They didn’t even fill up one luggage case and most of them are documents.”

“Do as you wish then. Unpack your stuff later. Go and take a bath first. I’ve filled the tub for you.”

“Mmm, you take over then. I’m almost done.”

Xi Xiaye gave him the rose and went back to arrange her stuff. “Right, the flowers in the living room look amazing! Have you learned how to arrange flowers before?”

“A person with good sense of aesthetics doesn’t need to learn. Just being exposed to it is enough.”

Mu Yuchen walked over to her and took the clothes from her before putting them into the upper shelf of the wardrobe. The wardrobe lined the entire wall, so it was pretty tall. Given that she was not that tall, it was pretty difficult for her to reach the upper shelf.

“I realize you have no idea what being humble means.” Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him.

“That’s meant for hypocrites. I don’t need it. Go and take a bath now.” Mu Yuchen casually handed her a sleeping gown.

Xi Xiaye was speechless as she took the gown and went into the bathroom after arranging her stuff.