Tong An'an had never been this physically close to a man before, and it was with Jiang Jingyu.
He was so tall, so warm, his strong arms encircling her, his breath and warmth merging intimately with hers.
Tong An'an felt a tingling sensation from head to toe, as if she were floating.
Truth be told, she quite liked the feeling.
Her heart was beating so fast, she felt an urge to embrace him back. She finally understood what it meant to be moved.
But this was the kitchen, and her parents might see. She could only say shyly and in a small voice,
"What's wrong? Don't do this. I'm washing dishes."
Jiang Jingyu replied in a deep voice, "I know you're washing dishes, but I'm not afraid of them seeing. I'm pursuing you openly, with marriage as the premise, and I'm not afraid of anyone seeing."
It seemed he wouldn't let go unless she agreed. Tong An'an was truly afraid of her parents seeing.
Although dating at this age was perfectly normal, she had no experience, and it would be too embarrassing if her parents saw.
She could only agree, "Okay, okay, I promise. Let me go first, and wait outside. We can talk after I finish washing the dishes, alright?"
Jiang Jingyu was overjoyed because he knew Tong An'an wasn't someone who spoke carelessly. Since she had agreed, it meant he had succeeded.
Tong An'an was his.
Jiang Jingyu reluctantly released her and rolled up his sleeves.
"Then let's wash together. Let's finish quickly, and then you can talk to me properly."
Seeing him roll up his sleeves to help, Tong An'an quickly stopped him.
"No need, don't get in the way. The stove is oily, don't get your clothes dirty."
"If you're not afraid, why should I be afraid of getting dirty?"
"My clothes aren't valuable."
"Mine aren't either. Compared to you, what's a piece of clothing?"
Jiang Jingyu helped regardless. The two stood close together like a pair of young lovers, nudging each other, their backs a perfect match.
Mother Tong came downstairs and saw this scene, her heart filled with sweetness.
Father Tong finished taking out the trash and chatted with someone outside. As he re-entered, he saw Mother Tong peeking suspiciously into the kitchen. He walked over to ask her what she was doing, but Mother Tong quickly covered his mouth.
She pulled him outside before speaking.
"Old Tong, I have good news for you. Your daughter's lifelong matter is settled. Haha!"
Father Tong exclaimed, "An'an's lifelong matter is settled? How come I don't know? With whom? When? You're getting bolder! Such a big thing, and you dare to hide it from me?"
Mother Tong hit him a few times.
"Keep your voice down! Your son-in-law is standing inside, aren't you afraid he'll hear and feel awkward?"
"Son-in-law? You mean the one who came for dinner today... He and An'an are already together? Their family is so wealthy, you really dare to dream."
Mother Tong said proudly, "What do you mean I dare to dream? You're too uninspired. Isn't your daughter beautiful? Isn't she outstanding? Don't they look good together?"
"He came to our house and told me himself, it's not like we're begging him, so why shouldn't I dare to dream?"
"In short, we need to show the attitude of the bride's parents. No matter how much money their family has, our daughter grew up pure and upright. She's more than a match for him. Don't boost others' morale and dampen your own. Don't act inferior. Understand?"
Working together, they quickly finished washing the dishes.
Jiang Jingyu wanted to hold Tong An'an's hand, but she dodged.
As they walked towards the living room, she called out to her mother.
Hearing the call, Father and Mother Tong hurried in.
"Finished? It's getting late, do you two want to stay a bit longer or...?"
Jiang Jingyu quickly said, "No more staying. It's over an hour's drive back. We have to work tomorrow."
"Alright then, we won't keep you. Drive slowly, be careful, and call us when you arrive."
Tong An'an was truly impressed by her mother.
She was completely on Jiang Jingyu's side, eager to push her out the door, actually cooperating with him so readily.
The two got into the car. Jiang Jingyu sat in the passenger seat, explaining how to operate it. After saying goodbye to her parents, they drove off.
Although Tong An'an hadn't driven in years, luxury cars were easy to handle.
She put it in D gear, stepped on the accelerator, and with a slight turn of the steering wheel, she was off.
Seeing that she had a bit of driving talent, Jiang Jingyu relaxed and chatted idly, asking if what she said earlier was true, and if she wouldn't go back on her word tomorrow morning.
Fortunately, night had fallen, so her expression wasn't clearly visible. Tong An'an said with some complaint,
"Why didn't I realize you were so thick-skinned before? You just went for it in front of my parents."
"It's because I like you so much. The more I look at you, the more I can't put you down. I miss you terribly if I don't see you for a few minutes."
"Mr. Jiang, your words are so sweet, it's really hard for me to believe you haven't dated anyone for years."
"Then go ask around. No exes on the entire internet. Feel free to check."
Tong An'an said, "You rich people are so good at manipulating things. Who knows if you deliberately hid them?"
Jiang Jingyu chuckled at her words.
"What? Jealous? Are you hoping I have exes or not?"
"Who's jealous of you? I..."
Accidentally, there was a large pothole on the road, jolting them both.
Tong An'an broke out in a cold sweat, "What if I really scratch your car?"
"If you scratch it, I'll give it to you. You can drive it if you damage it."
"I'm serious with you."
Jiang Jingyu said, "I'm serious with you too. Tong An'an, I've realized I'm a hopeless romantic. Once I fall for someone, I want to give them the best things in the world and even my heart. Are you sure you don't want to try dating me?"
Tong An'an liked hearing this.
However, "Didn't I already agree to you?"
"Oh. So now we're officially together."
Jiang Jingyu very consciously began to exercise his boyfriend's rights, stretching out his arm to touch her hand.
"Then can I request that starting tomorrow, we commute together and have lunch together?"
When he touched her, Tong An'an felt a tingling sensation. "Don't touch me, I'm driving."
"You drive, I won't interfere. Answer me, can I?"
"Aren't you afraid of being seen by people at the company?"
Jiang Jingyu said he wasn't.
"The reason I avoided everyone before was because we didn't have any relationship yet. I was afraid you'd be gossiped about. But now that we're officially together, what's there to be afraid of?"
An'an was truly impressed by him.
"I've only been at the company for a few days, and we're already officially together. What if others..."
"Believe it or not, even if you were already married to me, people would still question you? Don't worry so much, just be happy. Who cares what those irrelevant people think."
Tong An'an felt he had a point.
Since they were officially together, what was there to hide?
"Okay, then I promise."