Chapter 71: Chapter 71: The Routine, Eh!
Looking at the delighted look on Qingxue’s face, her parents knew what was happening. They had been through life themselves; how could they not see that their daughter had truly fallen for him?
Initially, upon finding out that Xia Liang was just a hardworking Anchor, they didn’t have much of an opinion and weren’t opposed to the match. Money wasn’t the most important thing. As long as he wasn’t involved in any criminal activities, it was fine if Qingxue liked him. Their intention in asking him to buy a car was simply to test his cleverness. After all, they only had this one precious daughter. Once she got married, they would have to hand over their factory for Xia Liang to manage.
But as it turned out, the experiment revealed something entirely unexpected: Xia Liang was a millionaire.
Qingxue’s parents were instantly dumbfounded. Their own family’s savings felt like pocket change in comparison. If they previously felt, even slightly, that Xia Liang was reaching above his station for their daughter, they now realized the truth. It wasn’t Xia Liang who was reaching; it was their own daughter.
"Okay, Mom... I’m going back to my room..."
Watching their daughter hop and skip back to her room, her parents felt a bit helpless for a moment.
「Elsewhere.」
In Youlan Community, Zhou Ruo already knew Xia Liang was on his way back from a phone call. It was no wonder she was overjoyed. She shooed away the maid and changed into a sultry nightgown.
Hearing a sound from the garage, Zhou Ruo stood up. Xia Liang was back.
The door opened.
A fragrant breeze washed over Xia Liang.
"Darling, you’re back."
"Mhm." Xia Liang embraced Zhou Ruo in one smooth motion.
Zhou Ruo proactively offered her red lips. Five minutes later, she finally let go, panting for air.
"I’ve already run the bath for you. Go take a shower first."
"Okay." A smile touched Xia Liang’s lips as he patted Zhou Ruo’s waist. "Wait for me in the bedroom."
"Mhm." Zhou Ruo’s face flushed as she turned and walked back to the bedroom.
Xia Liang went to the bathroom. The bathwater had indeed been prepared. Not only that, but he also found a little rubber duck floating on top.
Everyone has their own peculiar tastes, he supposed. Xia Liang shook his head.
Lying in the bathtub, Xia Liang picked up his phone. Qingxue had sent messages a while ago.
On the other end of the line, Qingxue was lying on her bed, staring intently at her phone and muttering to herself.
Why hasn’t he replied? Is his internet down? Or is his phone dead? Or... did he get into a car accident?
It was fine before the thought occurred to her, but once it took root, her mind began to spiral uncontrollably.
What if he ran into a female kidnapper who, coveting his good looks, decided to abduct him? What if there was an earthquake and he and his car fell into a deep crevasse? What if aliens came and took him away?
The more Qingxue thought about it, the more frightened she became. Just as she was about to call him, Xia Liang finally replied.
"Yeah, I’m home," his message read.
He replied to me! Qingxue was so happy she felt like she could fly. And he used five words this time!
She quickly typed a response.
"Good to hear you’re home safe. Thank you so much for today."
Qingxue thought she would have to wait a long time, but a reply came in less than five seconds.
"No big deal. No need to be so formal."
He told me not to be so formal! Does this mean Xia Liang already sees me as his girlfriend?! Oh! Xia Liang really does care about me. This is great!
She replied with a "cute.jpg" sticker, then hugged her phone and giggled foolishly.
However, not long after replying, she began to worry again.
I just replied with a ’cute.jpg’. Will Xia Liang think I’m being too dismissive?
If anyone else had seen this, they would have been astounded. The dignified Frost School Beauty of Qingying University was actually acting like such a bootlicker. It was as if their gender roles had been completely reversed.
Xia Liang, knowing a beautiful woman was waiting for him in the bedroom, still had unread messages from other people. He wasn’t in the mood to chat at length with Qingxue.
"I’m a bit tired today. I’m going to take a shower and go to bed," he typed.
After clicking send, Xia Liang paid her no more attention. He glanced at the remaining chat windows. Besides the "One Big Happy Family" group chat, there were also messages from Su Yi. Burning with anticipation, Xia Liang had no time to deal with her. He outright ignored them.
As for the red dot indicating a new friend request, Xia Liang clicked it and found a girl named "Lemon Degree" had added him with a note attached.
"Brother, add me. I’m your little sister."
Xia Liang couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He casually tapped "Reject" and sent a reply.
"I don’t like little sisters. I like MILFs."
Only then did he dry himself off and return to the bedroom.
Zhou Ruo was watching him, her eyes blinking expectantly. Seeing this, a smile spread across Xia Liang’s face. The look they shared spoke volumes.
Tonight was destined to be sleepless.
And he wasn’t the only one destined for a sleepless night. There were two others tossing and turning, unable to find sleep.
One of them was naturally Qingxue. After Xia Liang said he was going to sleep, she had sent a "goodnight" message. He still hadn’t replied. Although he said he was going to bed, his lack of a "goodnight" in return left her feeling empty inside, as if something was missing.
The other person was Su Yi, whom he had only met once. As the beloved, baby-faced, and busty Lolitta Su from Qingyun Music University, when had she ever been so thoroughly ignored! She had been sending him messages all day, and Xia Liang hadn’t replied to a single one. The frustration made Su Yi grind her teeth.
Unfortunately, she realized she had no way to contact him. Aside from a WeChat ID, she didn’t have his phone number or know his address. Although Su Yi wanted to make a video call to ask Xia Liang what he was doing, she held back. She knew their relationship wasn’t at that stage yet.
The next day, a ringing phone finally woke Xia Liang around noon. Zhou Ruo, however, seemed oblivious to the sound, turning over and cuddling up to Xia Liang’s chest like a kitten.
Picking up his phone, Xia Liang saw it was a call from his mom and hurriedly answered.
"Hello? Mom, what’s up?"
No sooner had he spoken than a roar erupted from the other end of the line.
"Xia Liang! What on earth are you thinking about all day? Your cousin, Tiantian, is a freshman at Qingyun Music University. Since you’re also in Qingyun City, she just wanted to ask if you could introduce her to some part-time jobs. What kind of nonsense did you, you silly fool, reply with?"
"Ah..." Xia Liang was startled, instantly remembering the "new friend" from last night.
He quickly said, "Mom... listen to my explanation... Mom..."
Clearly, Mother Xia had no intention of letting him explain. She cut him off brutally.
"I don’t want to hear it!" she snapped, then added fiercely, "Wait until you come back and see how I deal with you. At five o’clock this afternoon, go to Qingyun Music Academy to pick up your cousin and find her an easy part-time job."
With that, she hung up.
"Hey..."
Xia Liang stared at the disconnected call, a headache already forming. It looked like this incident would be brought up the next time he went home. A long lecture was inevitable.
Seeing the look on his face, Zhou Ruo quickly asked, "Is everything okay?"