Meanwhile, the conversation in the living room continued.
Father Zhou first asked Xiao Wang a few simple questions to break the ice before moving on to the main topics—career plans, whether he intended to settle down in City K, and so on.
If it had just been small talk, Xiao Wang might have felt awkward, but discussing these matters played right into his strengths.
Ever since getting together with Zhou Zhuofei, he had been consciously preparing for these very questions.
Unlike Zhou Zhuofei, who lived in the moment, Xiao Wang needed the stability that came from having a plan.
So he smoothly laid out his thoughts.
"There are some things I haven’t discussed with Zhuofei yet, so these are just my personal views."
Father Zhou could tell from the content that these were well-considered conclusions, not just empty pleasantries, and silently gave him extra points in his mind.
As the conversation in the living room quieted down, Ms. Hu finished stir-frying the last dish and called for Zhou Zhuofei to help set the table.
Zhou Zhuofei carried out a steaming plate of food and announced, "Stop chatting—it’s time to eat!"
The two men headed toward the dining room together. Seeing Zhou Zhuofei carrying dishes, Xiao Wang instinctively quickened his pace, passing Father Zhou to take the plate from her hands.
"Let me."
Zhou Zhuofei was about to refuse, but then she caught sight of her father watching them and figured it wouldn’t hurt to give Xiao Wang a chance to make a good impression. So she let go.
Father Zhou immediately protested politely, "Xiao Wang, you’re our guest—you shouldn’t be lifting a finger! Put that down!"
"It’s no trouble, Uncle."
Zhou Zhuofei ignored their back-and-forth and went back to the kitchen to fetch more dishes.
Every time she brought out a plate, Xiao Wang would take it from her, and soon all the food was on the table.
Ms. Hu emerged from the kitchen and said warmly to Xiao Wang, "Don’t stand on ceremony—eat as much as you like."
"I’ve really caused you too much trouble today, Auntie."
"Not at all. The house is rarely this lively—it’s nice to cook for a change."
Zhou Zhuofei noticed Father Zhou unscrewing the cap of a liquor bottle and widened her eyes. "Baijiu at noon?"
Father Zhou grinned. "Today’s a special occasion—just a little to liven things up."
Zhou Zhuofei clicked her tongue, about to argue. Her father had developed a chronic condition in recent years, and her mother often complained about him ignoring dietary restrictions.
"Let him have some," Ms. Hu unexpectedly sided with her husband. "Today really is an exception."
With that permission, Father Zhou poured himself a full cup, stopping just before it overflowed.
Then he held the bottle toward Xiao Wang. "Can you drink, Xiao Wang?"
"Not much, but I can keep you company for a little."
"Then just a bit."
Zhou Zhuofei, still uneasy, urged her father, "Dad, go easy—he really doesn’t drink much."
"It’s fine. If he gets drunk, he can rest—it’s a holiday, after all."
With that, Father Zhou filled Xiao Wang’s cup to the brim.
Zhou Zhuofei tugged discreetly at Xiao Wang’s sleeve and whispered, "Don’t drink it all!"
Xiao Wang rarely drank, even avoiding alcohol at work events. She was genuinely worried he’d force himself to finish it just to impress her parents, only to suffer a splitting headache the next day.
Xiao Wang patted the back of her hand reassuringly before raising his cup to toast the couple.
His ability to navigate formalities was beyond doubt—after all, he often spoke on Ling Yu’s behalf at business gatherings. His words were articulate, his tone sincere, and he effortlessly earned more goodwill.
After the meal, Father Zhou, having drunk too much, excused himself for a nap, leaving the other three to clear the table.
Zhou Zhuofei chatted with her mother while Xiao Wang quietly helped with the cleanup.
Ms. Hu had been observing him and murmured to Zhou Zhuofei, "Xiao Wang is quite efficient."
"Yeah, he’s very self-sufficient."
"Look at him—a young man who’s so diligent. How did you turn out so lazy?"
"...Different people, different lifestyles."
"Honestly, your father and I are both hardworking. How did we end up with you?"
Zhou Zhuofei grinned. "That’s why they say lazy people have lazy blessings—my parents are hardworking, and so is my boyfriend!"
Ms. Hu shook her head helplessly—she could never win against Zhou Zhuofei’s logic. "Are you leaving tomorrow or the day after?"
"Tomorrow. The roads will be crowded the day after—too much hassle. We’ll visit again another time."
"Xiao Wang seems a bit tipsy. Let him rest in your room later—I just changed the sheets."
Zhou Zhuofei had never seen Xiao Wang drunk before, but he’d grown increasingly quiet, a sure sign he was nearing his limit.
Just as Xiao Wang finished stacking the dishes and was about to follow them into the kitchen, Zhou Zhuofei grabbed him.
Confused, he asked, "What’s wrong?"
"Don’t go breaking our dishes." She pulled him toward the bedroom. "Come on, take a nap."
Zhou Zhuofei’s room was mostly as she’d left it, though it had gradually become a storage space after long disuse.
Despite her parents’ efforts to tidy up, traces of clutter lingered—behind the door, under the bed, beside the wardrobe—things that didn’t belong to her.
"Make do with this."
She guided Xiao Wang to the bed, motioning for him to take off his jacket before hanging it up for him. Noticing his dazed expression, she couldn’t help scolding him.
"You’re too honest. I told you not to drink so much."
She’d warned him, yet he’d still downed the entire cup of baijiu.
Xiao Wang looked like a chastened child, not daring to argue, just accepting the reprimand meekly.
When she finished, he mumbled defensively, "Uncle poured it for me himself—how could I refuse?"
"That’s because Dad didn’t know your limit!" Zhou Zhuofei sighed. "But you didn’t have to finish it!"
"But you know what?" Xiao Wang’s tone turned earnest. "When I went home before, Uncle Su never once offered to drink with me like this. So I... I was really happy."
Zhou Zhuofei couldn’t bring herself to scold him after that. If Xiao Wang felt this way, it was for the best.
Before bringing him home, she’d had doubts.
Xiao Wang wasn’t great with older people, and she’d worried he might get cold feet if he struggled to get along with her parents.
But now it seemed she’d overthought it. Xiao Wang had done well, and her parents seemed to approve.
"Stop overthinking. Get some sleep." She tucked him in and turned to leave, but Xiao Wang suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulling her back.
"Where are you going?"
"To help Mom. You two drank yourselves silly—someone has to wash the dishes."
"Let Auntie leave it, I'll wash them later."
"Come on, your aunt can't stand leaving things undone. If these bowls sit unwashed for even a minute, she’ll be fretting for sixty seconds. Besides, you’re a guest—what kind of guest washes dishes on their first visit?"
Zhou Zhuofei affectionately patted Xiao Wang’s cheek. "If you want to help, wait till next time. Be good now, let go."
Xiao Wang slowly released his grip, and Zhou Zhuofei walked out of the room at a leisurely pace to help in the kitchen.
Ms. Hu glanced at her as she returned and asked with concern, "How is he?"
"Resting."
"He’s drunk, right? I could tell he wasn’t a regular drinker, but your dad kept pushing him to drink." She shook her head as she spoke. "The older he gets, the more trouble he causes."
Just then, a loud snore echoed from the bedroom. The mother and daughter exchanged a look before bursting into laughter.
Zhou Zhuofei sighed. "Thank goodness Xiao Wang doesn’t snore."
"Your father didn’t either when he was young. Who knew he’d end up like this?"
"No way?" Zhou Zhuofei grimaced. "Mom, don’t scare me like that."
She absolutely did not want Xiao Wang to start snoring!
"Why overthink it? Everyone gets old, everyone gains weight. Maybe you’ll snore too someday."
Zhou Zhuofei scrunched up her face. "That’s terrifying!"
"You may be a bit scatterbrained and too blunt for your own good, but you’ve got decent luck—landing a good job and a pretty good boyfriend."
"Luck is a skill too."
"More like a fool’s blessing!"
"Mom, are you even my real mother? I’m starting to think I was adopted."
"If I were going to pick up a child, wouldn’t I choose a better one? Tell me, what’s the use of keeping you?"
Zhou Zhuofei clutched her chest in mock distress. "This hurts. I’m running away from home. You and Dad can live with Xiao Wang instead."
"You should take him with you. Raising you is exhausting enough—why would I want an outsider too?"
"But you just said he was good!"
"Good or not, he’s not my child."
No matter how outstanding Xiao Wang was, it meant nothing to them unless he was connected to Zhou Zhuofei. Only then would they care about him.
Hearing this, Zhou Zhuofei understood Xiao Wang’s situation at home a little better—no wonder he’d said those things earlier.
She sighed. "Let’s be nicer to Xiao Wang from now on. He’s had it rough."
"If he treats you well, of course we’ll treat him well too."
After helping out, Zhou Zhuofei returned to the bedroom, where Xiao Wang was already fast asleep. Seeing him so deeply asleep made her drowsy too.
She took off her outer clothes and carefully climbed into bed, lying beside Xiao Wang.
It was a single bed, slightly cramped for two adults, so Zhou Zhuofei had to press close to him.
The movement roused Xiao Wang, who blinked sleepily before instinctively pulling her into his arms upon recognizing her presence.
"Done helping?"
"Mhm, sleep now."
Zhou Zhuofei fell asleep almost instantly—everything around her was just too conducive to sleep.
Whether it was the room she’d grown up in, the sun-warmed, fluffy blankets, or the person beside her, she drifted off in complete comfort and relaxation.
When she woke up, she found herself alone in bed. Xiao Wang sat at the foot, flipping through her bookshelf with interest.
"What are you looking at?"
"Your high school graduation photo."
"Keep going—there are my middle and elementary school photos too."
"Can I really look?"
"Of course."
Xiao Wang opened the cabinet and took out a few more group photos, studying them intently.
"You were so cute as a kid."
"Right? When I was little, my mom would take me out, and I’d get free snacks just like that—no exaggeration!"
Zhou Zhuofei crawled to the foot of the bed and propped herself up beside Xiao Wang to look. It had been ages since she’d really examined these memories.
As she flipped through, she mused, "How did I go from being this adorable to… well, this?"
Xiao Wang immediately leaned down and kissed her. "You’re still adorable now."
"Gee, thanks." She pushed him away and pointed at a kid in the photo. "This was my old desk mate. The first time I played video games was on her console—it blew my mind. Like, how could anything be more fun than Snake or Sokoban?"
"Her family was well-off, and her parents were really chill. I saved up to buy a secondhand console, but she lent me all the game cartridges. What was her name again…?"
Zhou Zhuofei trailed off, frustrated. She could recall every detail except the name.
Xiao Wang found it in the caption below. "Xia Yanyu."
"Yes! That’s it." She smacked her forehead. "My memory’s getting worse and worse."
"But even your forgetfulness is cute."
Zhou Zhuofei rolled her eyes. "Stop buttering me up!"
"It’s fine. Tell me everything now, and when you forget later, I’ll remind you."
As Xiao Wang watched Zhou Zhuofei curled up beside him, a warm sense of happiness washed over him. It was surreal—sitting in the room where she’d grown up, listening to her reminisce, while knowing they still had a future ahead.
"We have plenty of time."
