Returning to the apartment complex, Wan Yunting went upstairs to his home.
Seeing the bento box from Niu Qiuling's breakfast still on the living room coffee table, he felt helpless, "This girl is so messy with her life, no wonder she doesn't even have a boyfriend..."
He tidied up the living room and, noticing the floor was also dirty, decided to mop it. Just then, there were two knocks on the door, startling Wan Yunting.
Outside the door stood a woman in a floral dress, carrying a small suitcase. She was about forty to fifty years old, but well-maintained, making her look very young and beautiful. Especially her proud, full breasts, her shapely figure, and slender waist gave her an air of enduring charm.
"Didn't this girl say she'd get off work at seven?"
Luo Meihui knocked on the door again. Seeing no one opening it, she took out her phone to call her daughter, Niu Qiuling. But the next second, the door opened. Luo Meihui looked up and saw a tall, handsome young man with a short buzz cut, which surprised her.
"Sister, who are you looking for?"
Wan Yunting didn't call her Auntie or Madam because Luo Meihui looked so young.
Moreover, women nowadays didn't like being called old, so he changed his address to "sister."
As expected, upon hearing him call her sister, Luo Meihui broke into a spring-like smile. She looked at the door number, which read 1260, confirming it was her daughter's rental apartment. But how could there be a handsome young man here?
"Does Niu Qiuling live here?" Luo Meihui asked tentatively.
"Yes, she lives here. Who are you to her?" Wan Yunting nodded, looking at her suspiciously.
"Oh, then it's correct."
Confirming it was her daughter's rental apartment, Luo Meihui smiled, "I'm her mother. I just arrived from Yunnan."
"Oh, you're Auntie."
Upon hearing she was Niu Qiuling's mother, Wan Yunting changed his address to Auntie, "She's not back yet. Auntie, please come in."
"Okay, okay."
Luo Meihui didn't mind him calling her Auntie anymore. Wan Yunting went to help her bring in the suitcase. Luo Meihui was overjoyed, feeling like a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law, finding him more likable the more she looked. "What should I call you?"
"Oh, my name is Wan Yunting. Auntie, you can just call me Xiao Wan." Wan Yunting closed the door and placed the suitcase aside.
"Xiao Wan, is it? Good, good, good."
Luo Meihui was beaming. Seeing the mop leaning against the sofa and the wet floor, she exclaimed, "Oh, you're mopping the floor."
"Yes. Auntie, you don't need to wear slippers. Just sit down."
Wan Yunting invited her to sit and thoughtfully poured her a cup of water. Then he quickly finished mopping the remaining floor with the mop. Luo Meihui watched this scene and secretly approved.
This young man is so capable.
"Auntie, have you had dinner?" Wan Yunting asked after putting the mop away.
"Not yet. I took a taxi here right after getting off the high-speed train," Luo Meihui said with a smile.
"Okay, then I'll order takeout. We don't have any ingredients at home to cook."
Wan Yunting knew that Niu Qiuling lived alone and couldn't cook, so besides snacks and drinks, there were practically no leafy greens in the refrigerator.
"Okay, anything is fine," Luo Meihui replied with a smile. So Wan Yunting ordered takeout on his phone, while she also took out her phone and sent Niu Qiuling a WeChat message: "Girl, when are you coming back?"
Niu Qiuling, who was at the police station preparing to get off work, felt a jolt in her heart upon receiving her mother's message. Sure enough, Luo Meihui sent her another message: "You girl, you don't even tell me when you have a boyfriend!"
"Boyfriend..."
Niu Qiuling trembled all over, her pretty face contorted with fear. She remembered Wan Yunting calling her earlier saying he was already home.
Could it be that her mother had already come to Huadu City, gone to her apartment, and met Wan Yunting?
Otherwise, why would she mention her having a boyfriend?
"Ah, it's over..."
Niu Qiuling cried out and immediately rushed out, causing the other police officers in the hall to look at each other in confusion, not knowing what had happened to her.
"Auntie, try this."
Meanwhile, at home, the dining table was already filled with takeout dishes. Wan Yunting faced Luo Meihui without any awkwardness. Instead, he was calm and composed, even politely serving her some white cut duck. "This white cut Fan duck is quite good, and it tastes great with this dipping sauce."
"Okay, okay, thank you."
Luo Meihui took the bowl and the duck meat, finding Wan Yunting more likable the more she looked at him. "Xiao Wan, are you from Huadu?"
"Yes."
Wan Yunting replied with a smile as he ate.
"Then what do you do? Are your parents still working? Do you have any siblings?"
Luo Meihui's barrage of questions stumped Wan Yunting. It seemed she had mistakenly thought he was her daughter's boyfriend.
Just then, the door opened, and Niu Qiuling walked in anxiously. But upon seeing Wan Yunting and her mother, Luo Meihui, eating at the dining table, she froze.
"Qiuling, why are you back so late? Have you eaten? If not, quickly wash your hands and come eat."
Luo Meihui turned her head and glanced at her daughter with a hint of dissatisfaction. But when she turned back, she was full of enthusiasm for Wan Yunting, "Come, Xiao Wan, eat your vegetables, eat your vegetables..."
"Thank you, Auntie. You too..."
Wan Yunting smiled and politely served her some dishes too. The two interacted very harmoniously and naturally.
Niu Qiuling, standing to the side, felt like an outsider, her face stunned, her mind filled with question marks.
What is going on here??
"Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and come eat."
Seeing her daughter still standing there, Luo Meihui called out impatiently.
"Oh."
Niu Qiuling finally moved, quickly sitting beside Luo Meihui. Looking at Wan Yunting sitting opposite her, she really wanted to ask what was going on.
"Xiao Wan, please continue," Luo Meihui said enthusiastically to Wan Yunting, ignoring her daughter.
This made him smile and say, "My parents passed away in an accident seven years ago. Now, it's just my older sister and second brother left at home."
"Is that so? I'm so sorry. Auntie shouldn't have asked." Luo Meihui apologized to Wan Yunting and served him more food.
He shook his head and smiled, "It's okay, Auntie. It's all in the past."
"Well, what do you do now?"
"I'm currently working as a physician in the Traditional Chinese Medicine department in the south."
"Oh, you're a physician! No wonder I felt you had an unusual aura the first time I saw you. Being a physician is great."
Upon hearing that Wan Yunting was a TCM physician, Luo Meihui became even more animated, bombarding him with questions, just like a mother-in-law interrogating her prospective son-in-law. Niu Qiuling, standing beside them, was completely bewildered.
The more she listened, the more she felt something was wrong. She tried to interrupt them several times but found herself unable to get a word in.
"Auntie, I'm full. You two eat slowly. You can leave the cleanup for me after you're done."
Wan Yunting, having eaten his fill, said to Luo Meihui. He then gave Niu Qiuling a meaningful smile before getting up and returning to his room.
"This scoundrel, he did it on purpose!"
Understanding Wan Yunting's mischievous smile, Niu Qiuling knew he had done it intentionally, which made her glare and grit her teeth in anger.
However, her mother, Luo Meihui, was quite satisfied. "Qiuling, Xiao Wan is a good person. He's amiable, neither servile nor overbearing, and he even diligently does housework. For him to take a liking to you is a blessing from your past lives."
Hearing her mother praise him so highly, Niu Qiuling was speechless. "Mom, he's not my boyfriend!"
"What, not your boyfriend?"
Luo Meihui's eyes widened. Niu Qiuling said helplessly, "He's my roommate. He just moved in yesterday, and we aren't even friends!"
This made Luo Meihui stand up in anger. "What exactly is going on? Tell me clearly!"
Niu Qiuling reluctantly explained Wan Yunting's identity and how he had assisted the police in cracking cases, but she did not reveal their undercover operation, as it was classified.
"So, Mom, you misunderstood," Niu Qiuling said.
"So that's how it is."
Upon hearing that Wan Yunting was not her daughter's boyfriend, Luo Meihui looked deeply disappointed. She also blamed herself for not asking clearly before, leading to her being happy for nothing.