When Chen Ziming came to pick her up that evening, he was met with a stern little face.
"You can't come with me to your grandmother's house tomorrow," she stated directly after getting into the car.
A smile spread across his face as he spoke leisurely, "My darling promised last night to take me."
Su Yue looked at him in confusion. She only remembered their conversation after getting into the car and making a phone call.
Noticing that she truly didn't remember, Chen Ziming didn't press her. He asked, "If I agree, what's the benefit?"
Benefit, benefit, she couldn't understand why he was so calculative.
"There's no benefit, but if you go, the disadvantage is I won't come home with you."
She was very clear-headed now, absolutely not to be led astray by him.
The man let out a laugh, reached out a large hand to tousle her hair, and his smiling voice followed,
"Alright, I won't go."
This time, he truly kept his word.
On Saturday morning, he took her to buy some gifts. In the afternoon, Su Yue had an appointment with Uncle Zhang at three o'clock.
Chen Ziming drove her there on time. After dropping her off nearby, he watched her walk towards the entrance to meet the person picking her up, then drove away.
As it happened, some friends had invited him to play billiards, so he went to meet them.
As Su Yue approached the main gate, she suddenly felt a bit apprehensive.
She had originally thought that someone would pick her up because the neighborhood environment was complex, but it wasn't until she saw the security guards stationed at the entrance that she suddenly understood.
Uncle Zhang greeted her warmly and led her into the neighborhood.
These were all bungalows with courtyards, but the architectural craftsmanship was evident. Most of the people they passed along the way were elderly.
There were no markings at the entrance, and she only knew that living in such a house in the capital must be no simple matter.
They stopped in front of a house. The door was open, and Wang Mengning was tending to the plants in the courtyard. Hearing someone arrive, she quickly got up to greet them.
"Yueyue is here!" Her voice was deliberately a little loud.
Su Yue immediately greeted her politely. Just as Wang Mengning smiled and took her hand, an old man came out from inside the house.
"This is Grandpa," Wang Mengning introduced.
The old man had white hair and a youthful complexion, with rosy cheeks. Although he was advanced in age, he exuded vitality and spirit.
A kind smile adorned his face, yet his demeanor still suggested the presence of a stern leader.
"Hello, Grandpa," she said, instinctively feeling a little nervous.
"Good, good," Grandpa Chen couldn't stop smiling. This granddaughter-in-law was truly excellent, beautiful and well-behaved.
Wang Mengning led Su Yue into the house.
It was a very clean and tidy house, with a natural wood interior design, giving it a fresh and pleasant appearance.
It didn't quite resemble the style of a house she would expect elderly people to live in.
An auntie was making tea, and upon closer inspection, Su Yue realized it was one of the aunties who came to clean daily.
"Sit, Yueyue," Wang Mengning led her to sit beside her. Grandpa sat on a sofa to the side.
"Where is Chen Ziming?" Grandpa asked first.
Just as Su Yue was about to speak, Grandma interrupted,
"Yueyue came without him knowing. He doesn't know we met."
Then she turned to look at Su Yue and asked kindly, "Right?"
Su Yue gave an awkward smile but instinctively nodded.
"This rascal, what's wrong with us meeting our granddaughter-in-law? He always complains we're meddling."
Grandpa Chen's tone carried a hint of displeasure as he privately chided his beloved grandson.
Granddaughter-in-law...
As she took a sip of the tea offered by Grandma, she almost choked upon hearing the term.
"Drink slowly," Grandma smiled and cautioned her, then turned to Grandpa, frowning as she said, "Don't use titles so casually. You'll scare the child."
"It's nothing, nothing," Su Yue quickly defended herself, setting down her teacup.
She didn't mind; as long as the elderly people weren't displeased.
Seeing this, Grandpa also showed a friendly smile. He looked at her, his heart filled with satisfaction, and said,
"Let's not talk about him. Your grandma mentioned you'll be participating in a debate competition soon. We both love to debate topics, why don't you chat with us about it?"
"Yes, let's talk about something fun," Grandma agreed.
Su Yue secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
This was a topic she was most interested in lately, so she quickly became engrossed, happily conversing with the two elders.