"Mm... it's like this."
A hint of doubt flickered across his face, but he still stepped forward.
As soon as he entered the gate, he was stopped by an old woman.
"Grandma," he exclaimed, startled, then frowned, his voice tinged with dissatisfaction.
"Mm," the old woman, despite being nearly seventy, was robust and sharp of hearing and sight. Hearing his greeting, she gave a shallow reply and then looked towards the door.
Seeming to guess what she was expecting, Chen Ziming replied with a hint of amusement, "Don't look anymore, I came alone."
"What? You came alone?" Disappointment showed on his grandmother's face.
"Why did you come alone?" A woman's voice drifted from inside the house as Ms. Meng Hualan, forty-eight years old, appeared.
Tall and possessing the aura of a capable career woman, she stood up from the sofa, tilted her chin as she looked at the doorway, her voice laced with displeasure.
Speechless, Chen Ziming simply helped his grandmother inside.
"Didn't he say he was bringing his future granddaughter-in-law?" Grandpa Chen, in his seventies, sitting on the sofa, looked at Meng Hualan with a hint of confusion.
"I told him to come home for some discussion, who knew he didn't understand what I meant."
"Director Meng, your original words were for me to come home to discuss matters. Ask Grandpa, can he understand what you mean?" Chen Ziming had already reached the sofa and looked at Meng Hualan.
It was only then that he finally understood why he was asked to come home.
He had initially thought Zheng Yan's father had found her, wanting to discuss any room for reconciliation.
It turned out that no one in the room was here for any serious business.
Without waiting for his mother's reply, he turned to the middle-aged man who had been sitting on the sofa facing away from the door.
His expression became more respectful as he spoke,
"Dad."
Chen Kang'an sat steadily, looked up at him, and nodded, "Sit."
Chen Ziming prepared to sit beside his grandmother.
However, his grandmother directly refused,
"Stay away from me. I specifically took a car to come here today, and it's for you? Do you think I came to see you?"
She looked quite annoyed.
"Yes, your grandmother said you had a girlfriend, so we came. Why didn't you bring her for us to see?"
Grandpa Chen's voice was also filled with indignation.
Their precious grandson had never dated.
His son and daughter-in-law didn't care about him, but he worried about him and had asked old comrades to introduce him to dates several times. Chen Ziming, however, never even went.
He had almost given up hope.
But then he suddenly heard from the servant who always stayed at home that a beautiful and well-behaved girl had moved into their grandson's house.
He became happy, and the old woman even prepared a pile of good food for them to deliver.
If she weren't afraid of scaring the girl, she probably would have gone herself.
Chen Ziming was utterly speechless.
The four people in front of him occupied the sofa. Helplessly, he grabbed a small stool and sat in front of them.
The four of them stared at him, their eyes filled with reproach.
"It's too early," he explained after sitting down.
"Haven't you been together for over a month?" Meng Hualan chimed in.
When Zheng Yan's father came to intercede, she learned about Chen Ziming dating. Thinking that Chen Cheng was somewhat close to him, she had directly asked.
As she spoke, she picked up her phone, found the software Su Yue used, and clicked on the only account she followed.
She held the phone screen out to him, "It's her, right?"
"..."
"It's been over a month, you can meet the parents now. You're definitely doing this on purpose, thinking we're a bother," his grandmother accused.
"..."
"Since you didn't bring your granddaughter-in-law, let's leave for now. But make sure to bring her to see us soon," Grandpa said, getting up with his cane.
Chen Ziming covered his face with both hands and took a deep breath.
Then he lowered them and said faintly,
"Not yet."
"Why?" Meng Hualan and his grandmother wore the same puzzled expressions.
"Don't you see what kind of people you all are? If I bring her here so early, what if she gets scared away?"
Silence...
"If that happens, don't blame me for not dating anymore."
Still silence...
"If she gets scared away by you, I won't get married for the rest of my life."
With that, his gaze turned firm as he looked at everyone before him.