Besides, she hadn't intended to keep this from them in the first place.
If she hadn't been afraid they would object to her moving out because of it, she would have confessed long ago.
Thinking this, the little anxiety in her heart vanished instantly, and she even felt a sense of righteous indignation.
So, she directly opened the door.
The moment she opened it, her mother's voice immediately came in.
"What's wrong with this girl, why isn't she opening the door?"
Her father said, "Alright, isn't it open now?"
Both of them looked into the room with bright smiles, but their smiles quickly froze.
Because behind Wen Xuanyuan stood a man who was a head taller than her.
Wen Xuanyuan remained composed, feeling a sense of relief and acceptance in the face of the situation.
"Dad, Mom, why are you here?"
"Uncle, Aunt, hello," Li Bowen greeted them politely.
Her father's smile gradually disappeared, and he looked at Li Bowen with a hint of hostility.
Her mother was less obvious, but her smile was still a little stiff. She asked politely, "Hello, who are you?"
After asking, she wondered if this was her daughter's classmate.
She didn't look like it based on age.
If it was a friend, why hadn't she ever mentioned him?
The most likely possibility was that he was her daughter's boyfriend!
Before Li Bowen could reply, Wen Xuanyuan impatiently said, "Let's come in first. Are you going to talk at the doorway?"
Her mother and father exchanged a look, seeing the gravity in each other's eyes.
Still, they entered, changed their shoes, and sat on the sofa in the living room.
Wen Xuanyuan sat directly next to Li Bowen and, before they could ask, took his hand.
Then she said to them, "This is my boyfriend, Li Bowen."
Her father's face instantly darkened, especially when he saw their intertwined hands, making him wish he could chop off Li Bowen's hand with a knife.
Her mother, however, smiled slightly and asked, "Xuanyuan, when did you get a boyfriend?"
Wen Xuanyuan said without thinking, "Not long ago."
"But last time Mom asked you, you said you weren't dating."
"You asked when I wasn't, I started dating after that," Wen Xuanyuan said matter-of-factly.
Since she had lied, she might as well maintain the lie. Besides, she didn't want to bring up the past again.
So she said, "Alright, I'm dating now. I'm twenty-one, it's normal to be in a relationship, right!"
This statement was irrefutable and indeed made sense.
Her mother didn't say anything more.
Her father, however, found fault with everything about Li Bowen, feeling as though his daughter would be snatched away at any moment.
He asked with a cold face, "How long have you two been together that you've progressed to the point of shamelessly coming home together?"
He was secretly relieved that if they had arrived any later, something significant might have happened.
When an unmarried man and woman were alone, and both were young, anyone knew what could happen.
But before, he could be sure they wouldn't have had the chance to be alone together.
This was because the nanny reported every day, and Wen Xuanyuan had always returned home on time.
They came this time because the nanny had taken leave, and they were worried about Wen Xuanyuan being home alone. Who knew they would receive such a surprise!
Wen Xuanyuan knew exactly what her father meant by his words and immediately retorted.
"I don't have classes this afternoon. If something had really happened, we wouldn't be sitting here like this."
She paused, then added, "Besides, is it not alright for me to bring my boyfriend upstairs for a cup of tea and a meal?"
Her father was rendered speechless, thinking it was almost five o'clock, and if anything were to happen, it would have already happened this afternoon.
But looking at their forthright and unashamed demeanor, he suddenly felt like he was nitpicking.
Li Bowen wisely intervened to ease the tense atmosphere.
He said, "Uncle, don't worry, I won't do anything reckless. Xuanyuan is still in college, and this is a crucial time for her."
His voice was gentle and magnetic, and coupled with his refined and gentlemanly appearance, it added to his appeal.
Her mother sized him up, inexplicably feeling a bit favorable, and asked, "Your name is Li Bowen, right? How old are you?"
Li Bowen replied, "Twenty-seven."
"He's six or seven years older than Xuanyuan," her father said with a stern frown, finding Li Bowen more and more displeasing.
Wen Xuanyuan pursed her lips unhappily, "Aren't you also four years older than Mom?"
"It's okay if he's a bit older, he'll know how to take care of you," her mother had no objections to this.
With no one paying attention to him, her father could only swallow his words.
Her mother then asked, "What do you do for work?
What does your family do? How many siblings do you have?"
"Mom, are you checking his household registration?" Wen Xuanyuan asked helplessly.
Her mother replied reasonably, "He's your boyfriend, don't you need to understand the basics?"
"It's only right," Li Bowen maintained a faint smile and answered all of her mother's questions.
"I currently manage several small companies within the family group. My major was in business administration."
"My family is in business."
"I am the second child at home, with an elder brother."
Her mother nodded, observing Li Bowen's attire and demeanor, thinking that what he said was likely true.
Moreover, their family background should be decent.
The key was that he was the second child, so he wouldn't have to inherit the family business.
This way, the pressure wouldn't be as great, and there wouldn't be as many enemies and conflicts.
Her daughter could live a peaceful life.
Money was always inexhaustible; the position of heir was useless and troublesome.
As long as they had enough to eat and wear and were safe and happy, nothing else mattered.
Her father casually asked, "What's your family's group called?"
Li Bowen replied, "Wanhua Group."
"Wanhua..." Her father paused slightly, thinking he was surnamed Li. His gaze suddenly changed, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Is your father Li Jialing of Wanhua Group?"
In this capital, there was only one Wanhua Group.
"Yes, Uncle," Li Bowen replied.
The Li family, one of the four great families.
Her father suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe.
How could someone of that caliber be someone his daughter could associate with, considering the Wen family was only considered a middle-class family in the capital.
Suddenly, he thought of Ling Yucheng and Xia Wantang.
In that case, it would make sense.
If it were Li's eldest son, Li Boqian, who appeared here today, he would have recognized him at a glance.
Relatively speaking, Li Bowen, as the second son, rarely appeared in public.
Her father's expression shifted back and forth, and his emotions were extremely complex.
Compared to the Li family, the Wen family was like a mouse and a cat.
If his daughter was dating the second young master of the Li family, could he still protect her in the future?
Her mother also looked serious. More than power, status, and money, they only wished for their daughter's well-being.
Could someone from such a prominent family be anything but trouble?
But looking at the current situation, they were powerless to do anything.