Chapter 65

When Chu Ying went to call Mother Chu, Su Yi sat cross-legged beside him anxiously, raising her head and staring at him. Not going home because of a girlfriend – no matter how one thought about it, it sounded like someone being unreasonable.

But when Chu Ying was talking about this to his mother, he still had time to kiss her a few times.

The phone was on speaker. After hearing it, Mother Chu went ‘oh’ for a long while, causing Su Yi’s heart to rise and keeping her in suspense.

“Ah…” Mother Chu thought about it. “I bought a lot of the snacks you like, then I’ll have Yang-bo send them over.”

Not expecting it to be so easy, Su Yi widened her eyes, blinking a few times.

Finding it funny, Chu Ying pinched her face. “No need, we can buy ourselves.”

“It’s alright, I’ve already bought them. They’re for you anyways, Chu Xi doesn’t like them.” Mother Chu said, “Then you treat her well, when something like this happens, no one would be in a good mood, you’ve got to be more accommodating. Don’t treat her like you’d your soldiers.”

Chu Ying answered, “Yeah, I’m worshipping her.”

Su Yi bit him on the back of his hand.

Mother Chu said, “… There’s no need for that. You’d be back to celebrate your father’s birthday on the fifth, at least?”

Without waiting for Chu Ying to finish speaking Su Yi grabbed his shirt corner and nodded as hard as she could, indicating that he should agree.

Ch Ying said, “Got it, I’ll go back.”

Mother Chu said, “Alright, if Su Yi doesn’t want to come, don’t force her.”

“She’s going too.”

Su Yi couldn’t believe it. This was setting the time she’s formally going to meet the parents?

He had just hung up when Su Yi leapt onto him. “What rubbish are you saying, I only just calmed your mom down!”

Afraid she’d fall, Chu Ying kept his hand under her butt. There was a heater turned on in their house so she was only wearing shorts that had really little material to speak of – it felt really good. “Who needed you to calm her?”

Su Yi stopped talking. Supporting herself on his chest to get up, she pushed her hair aside and went to the fridge to retrieve some minced meat and tomatoes, getting started on her own spaghetti.

The second day, Su Yi was wrapped up tightly and the two went out to buy things they needed for the New Years’ Eve feast.

Today, the supermarket was exceptionally empty. Even the employees were fewer in number.

Su Yi wore only a black face mask as she browsed through the food section for almost half an hour. In the middle of that, she was recognised by an employee and was asked for a photo.

After taking the photo, she realised that the guy beside her had disappeared some time when she wasn’t paying attention. She browsed around for a little more and still didn’t see the other. She was about to call when she noticed that not far away, Chu Ying was coming over with a small basket.

She walked closer and in it was all… feminine care products.

“There’s only half a packet left in the bedside cabinet and these few days the shops around would be closed, what if something happens then?” Captain Chu very calmly put all sorts of female products into their shopping cart.

Su Yi saw the shopping attendant at the ‘daily necessities’ area smile knowingly and only felt embarrassed. “– Got it, got it, didn’t you help me get all of them anyways?”

Before getting their bill, Su Yi snuck in a few packets of condoms but when paying, she realised that Captain Ying had already put some in.

Su Yi had picked a few safe ones. Captain Ying picked some with packets that were covered in all sorts of images and words; she didn’t even want to look at them.

On the way back, most of the shops had closed – there was somehow a feeling of cold and emptiness. After reaching home, she saw an unknown Bentley parked in Chu Ying’s garage.

Chu Ying took a look and explained, “My parents are here.”

Su Yi startled and turned, ready to go, but was dragged back by the other. His tone was filled with teasing. “Where’re you going?”

She softly said, “I’m going to stay out of the way.”

“What’s there to stay out of the way for?”

“What’s in these bags – how could I bring them to see an elder!” Su Yi said justly.

“They wouldn’t go through my bag.”

“I… I didn’t put on makeup.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“No problem, you’re as pretty as ever, let’s go.”

In the end she was still dragged home.

Father Chu was just like she’d imagined. He sat casually, but had an aura of seriousness about him. In his hand was a newspaper. When seeing them, the newspaper was lowered slightly while he glanced up. “You’re back.”

Chu Ying put the things on the floor. “Yeah.”

“What did you buy? Let Yang-bo help you take them.” Mother Chu was also sitting on the sofa and smiling.

“No need no need, we can do it ourselves.” Su Yi tightened her grip on the plastic bags and obediently greeted, “Hello Uncle, hello Auntie.”

Chu Ying asked, “Why are you here? And you didn’t tell us earlier.”

“I sent these goods over, it’s the first time you’re celebrating the New Years’ together so there’d be a lot of places where you’re not doing it right. These are the raw food stuffs, these are the snacks – tomorrow night when watching the CCTV New Year’s Gala you could eat while watching…”

“You could have just had Yang-bo help send them over, why did you make the trip?”

Mother Chu glared. “What, I cannot come with your father to see you?”

Chu Ying raised a brow and said nothing.

Su Yi said, “Auntie, please sit, I’ll take these upstairs and then make some tea.”

After Su Yi left, Mother Chu leant against her husband. “How’s she, isn’t she quite pretty? She’s tall and she speaks well.”

Father Chu said, “Didn’t you not like her before, calling her bad?”

Mother Chu whacked him. “Can’t I watch television and grumble a little?”

“Yeah, you can do anything you want.” Father Chu didn’t argue with his wife and changed the topic. “Chu Ying, sit down.”

Chu Ying obeyed and sat across from him, back straight.

“How’s the progress with arrangements with the place?”

The fifth day of the new year was Father Chu’s birthday, but this year his birthday held a more special meaning.

During his birthday party this year, he’s going to officially hand the Chu Corporation to Chu Ying to manage. Then he could finally go back and enjoy his life, going around with his wife.

Chu Ying nodded. “It’s settled, tomorrow I can take you for a look.”

“It’s the thirtieth of the new year, I don’t have the energy.”

When Su Yi came downstairs, the two elders already had tea cups prepared in front of them.

“Come sit,” Chu Ying said.

Su Yi anxiously sat down beside him.

Father Chu asked, “How old are you?”

Su Yi said, “Twenty-four, I’m an actress.”

“I know this, Chu Ying’s mother watches your shows every day.”

After that, Father Chu didn’t ask anything else about her family background or education level, instead asking her about when they started dating and what they both think, ending the conversation in a few sentences.

Before leaving, the parents gave Su Yi a big red packet each. Chu Ying had them too, though their packets had different colours and patterns.

Su Yi had originally wanted to reject them but couldn’t stop them – to be more precise, she couldn’t reject Mother Chu and eventually kept them.

After the parents left, Su Yi carefully opened it to take a look.

The red packet was already very… amazing, purely speaking from the thickness of it, and when she opened it it was filled with red cash. She hurriedly gave Chu Ying the red packet.

Chu Ying asked, “Why’re you giving it to me, keep it for yourself.”

“It’s too much, I’m embarrassed to take it.”

“You’re already the Chu family’s daughter-in-law, what’s there to be embarrassed about?”

Su Yi said, “I’m not, not yet. Don’t take verbal advantage of me.”

Chu Ying smiled. “Sooner or later.”

Su Yi smiled too and went to pack up what Mother Chu had brought, red-faced still.

It must be said that Mother Chu was a very considerate person. Not only did she bring food and drinks, she brought all sorts of firecrackers. She even wrote down the time on a paper for each firecracker and stuck it on the packaging.

[Midnight on the night of the thirtieth]

[Five in the morning on the first day of the year]

Su Yi could feel her heart swelling as she stored the firecrackers away and carefully set the alarms in her phone.

While not far away, Captain Ying opened the red packet his parents had just given him. Father Chu had given him five hundred. Mother Chu had kept a smaller red packet inside the red packet and upon opening it, he saw two ten cent notes lying there quietly.

Chu Ying: “…”

On the thirtieth, the two had their reunion dinner and exercised to their hearts content on the bed. After showering, Su Yi went back to lie on the man, half of her still exposed.

She asked, “Do we have to watch the CCTV New Year’s Gala?”

The guy rubbed her ear. “You want to?”

“Sort of, it’s bustling.”

“Alright.” Chu Ying found a remote control and turned on the tv in front of the bed. In it they were at one of the little shows.

Outside, the firecrackers were really loud, and the air was thick with the festivity; inside, there were the joyous sounds coming from the television and the man’s warm chest.

Su Yi couldn’t help muttering, “It’s so good.”

She said it very unintelligibly, but Chu Ying still understood immediately.

He hmmed. “It’ll be this good always, in the future.”

“I hope so.” She smiled, then recalled something. “I told Wu Xue that after this show I’m going to take three months off.”

“I’m here, you can take as long as you want.”

“That makes it sound like I’m a canary who quit her job because she has you.”

Chu Ying smiled lightly and said, “You’re taking such a long while off, is there anywhere you want to go?”

“No,” Su Yi said truthfully, “I just want to relax. These few years I’ve been running around the set every day and really am a little tired.”

“Alright.”

Su Yi only slept for a little while. The alarm rang for 11:40. She opened her eyes almost immediately and met the guy’s eyes. “You haven’t slept?”

Chu Ying kissed her brow. “Not yet.”

“Then hurry up and get up.” Su Yi got up quickly, hurriedly putting on a down jacket and pulling up the zipper before jogging to the storage place and taking out the firecracker marked for twelve.

“I’m a little scared.” She said pitifully, “Can you light it?”

The two went downstairs together. It was three minutes to the new year.

Su Yi stood beside Chu Ying and held her breath, waiting for the clock to chime twelve. She didn’t expect that before the clock could ring, her phone did.

She picked it up and said, “Hello.”

“This is the police station, are you Su Qin’s little sister? Something’s happened to her and we need you to come over, our address is…”

“I’m sorry,” Su Yi cut him off. “I don’t know that person.”

“Ah?” The policeman paused. “You aren’t Su Yi?”

“I am.”

“It’s like this, because your older sister had been robbed twice in a row and was stabbed a few times by the robber, it’s not very optimistic at the moment. We hope you can come.”

“Policeman, you found the wrong person, I don’t know her.” Su Yi didn’t even blink. “Happy Lunar New Year.” Saying so politely, she quickly hung up. At the moment she really believed the words – The wicked would be harassed by the wicked.

“Who called?”

“Someone sending blessings.”

She had just finished speaking when she heard the sound of fireworks as they coloured the sky.

Chu Ying hurriedly lit the firecracker.

Amidst the disturbing sound of explosions, Su Yi lightly leant against the man, her mood calm and steady.