"Okay."
They completely disregarded the feelings of others, holding hands as they walked up the stairs to Tang Xiaomin's room.
Bang!
As the door was shut, the living room could no longer contain itself and erupted into a commotion.
Zhang Meiyu stood up anxiously, pacing back and forth.
"It's over, it's over, she's not even married yet and she's bringing a man home, and into her room!"
"For a young lady, this is truly improper."
"With a man, dating, proposal, marriage, and only then intimacy. This order absolutely cannot be messed up!"
Tang Ye wailed with a mournful face, despairing, "It's over, our family's cabbage has been eaten... it's been eaten... Ah... what do we do?"
Tang Yu stood up with a grim expression.
"This won't do, I'm going up to call her!"
"Quick, quickly, quickly..."
Carrying the hopes of Zhang Meiyu and Tang Ye, Tang Yu dared not delay. He ran upstairs and pounded on the door.
Knock, knock, knock!!!
"Xiaomin, come out, I have something urgent to tell you."
Knock, knock, knock!!!
"Xiaomin, hurry and come out!"
Knock, knock, knock!!!
"Xiaomin!"
The entire villa shook as if from an earthquake due to Tang Yu's pounding.
Finally, the door slowly opened. Tang Xiaomin was still wearing the clothes she had on earlier.
"What is it?"
Tang Yu breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"Come down, Mom has something to tell you."
"Alright."
Tang Xiaomin followed Tang Yu downstairs.
In the living room, she sat on a sofa.
Zhang Meiyu and the other two sat opposite her, looking at her as if she were a criminal.
Zhang Meiyu hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Xiaomin, Mom is going to ask you a few questions. You must answer truthfully."
"Oh."
While some questions might be awkward to discuss openly, the consequences of not clarifying certain matters would be even worse.
"Mom asks, what stage have you and Yan Jue reached?"
Tang Xiaomin thought for a moment.
"This? We're in the dating stage."
"I'm not asking about dating, I'm asking you, you and him... you two, have you... have you crossed the boundary between a man and a woman?"
As this question was posed, Tang Xiaomin's cheeks involuntarily flushed.
Tang Ye and Tang Yu beside her listened intently, awaiting her answer.
"Ahem... this is my privacy. Why are you asking this?"
Tang Xiaomin looked around evasively, and Zhang Meiyu had a bad feeling.
"Xiaomin, you're still too young. You're so immersed in the world of love that you haven't considered future rationality."
Tang Ye chimed in, "A woman in love has an IQ of basically zero. In my circle, I've personally seen several wealthy women over forty being scammed out of everything by men in their twenties."
Tang Yu also said, "Although you are dating, some things can be done, and some things must only be done after marriage. I hope you can remain rational and maintain self-respect. What is easily obtained is very likely not to be cherished. You should understand this principle."
"Exactly, your older brother is right." This time, it was Zhang Meiyu's turn to speak.
"Feelings are certainly important, but worldly matters are unavoidable. Just like me and Tang Zhongcheng. If I hadn't held tightly onto the assets back then, I would have ended up losing both my person and my wealth."
Tang Ye: "Xiaomin, you are our family's only daughter. The 'three letters and six rituals,' and a formal engagement are essential. Missing even one step means he cannot marry you. Poverty and perfunctory are two different things, and besides, he's not short of money. Given his status, the highest etiquette must be observed to prove his sincerity."
Tang Yu: "According to Shanghai customs, before marriage, he cannot live in our house, let alone spend the night here."
These words carried a hint of personal vendetta, stemming from the fact that he had previously kicked their family out of their suburban villa.
...
Tang Xiaomin endured a "political lecture" from her entire family. Everything they said made sense, and she couldn't find a single counter-argument.
Her family was so supportive of her, she couldn't possibly lower her own standards or behave despicably.
...
In the room.
Yan Jue wasn't asleep. Instead, he was admiring Tang Xiaomin's room.
The pink decor created a warm atmosphere.
On the pink bed, however, lay two incongruous items.
One was a skull-shaped cushion, looking rather ferocious.
The fabric appeared somewhat old, suggesting it had been used for some time. Sū Dān Novel Network.
The other was a pink plush bear, estimated to be about 1.7 meters tall. The bear's head had also been painted to resemble a skull.
The lifelike painting technique made the modified bear's head not strange, but vivid and perfectly integrated.
He never imagined that someone as sweet-looking as her would like such things.
Her preferences were indeed unique.
Yan Jue stepped forward and picked up the smaller skull cushion, then unconsciously brought it closer to sniff.
It exuded a faint, pleasant scent, the same as the shower gel she frequently used, a scent he had inhaled all night yesterday.
He figured it must be because she often hugged it to sleep.
For some reason, he felt a strange pang of jealousy.
The one she hugged to sleep should have been him, and only him, and must have been him.
Why should this cushion compete with him?
However, disposing of it would be difficult to explain to her.
Thus, Yan Jue began to hatch a wicked plan.
He took out a cigarette, lit it, and took two deep drags.
As he exhaled puffs of blue smoke, he carelessly used the cigarette butt to burn the skull cushion, a sly smile curling his lips.
"Now, you can't compete with me anymore."
The skull cushion was made of flammable material. A single spark caused it to ignite uncontrollably and spread.
Soon, a large hole was burned through it, and the area continued to expand.
He casually tossed it onto the floor, letting it burn.
Then, he turned his attention to the pink plush bear on the bed. It was its turn.
He didn't know who had given it to her; perhaps it was even him.
But since it was on her bed, it was something he could not tolerate.
He picked up the pink plush bear, about to do the same as he had with the skull cushion, when a sound came from the doorway.
He quickly dropped the plush bear and feigned panic.
Tang Xiaomin had just entered, and he immediately began to explain.
"It's ruined, I accidentally dropped ash on the cushion while smoking, and it caught fire. I'm going to the bathroom to get water."
Tang Xiaomin rushed forward, and without thinking, began to pat out the flames with her bare hands.
Seeing this, Yan Jue's jealousy surged.
He snatched the skull plush back and put out the fire with his own hands.
"You're risking your own safety to put out the fire with your hands. Does this hold such significant meaning for you? Is it worth doing?"
"Yes, it holds great meaning for me," Tang Xiaomin replied.
Yan Jue looked at Tang Xiaomin intently, his gaze sharp.
"In your heart, compared to this cushion, who is more important to you?"