Chapter 407: Chapter 366 Forget About That Woman
After Bai’s mother went into the room and came back out, she held an embroidered box in her hand. The old lady’s eyes lit up immediately, and she patted Zhuo Yuqing’s hand, "Girl, look what your mother-in-law has got. This was what I gave her when she married into the Bai Family."
Bai’s mother brought out a pair of antique bracelets, which looked quite aged. She handed the bracelets over to Zhuo Yuqing, smiling as she said, "Yuqing, these have been passed down from one generation of Bai Family daughters-in-law to the next. Your grandmother also inherited it from her mother-in-law. So, you must take good care of them and save them for my future granddaughter-in-law."
At the mention of a granddaughter-in-law, Zhuo Yuqing’s face instantly turned red. She glanced at Bai Chengxi somewhat awkwardly.
Bai Chengxi, who had been sitting by her side, fearing she might feel constrained, pinched her hand, "It’s a gift from Mom, so just accept it."
"Thank you, Mom." Zhuo Yuqing carefully put away the box, fully aware of its value. She felt its considerable weight in her hands and knew the Bai Family truly accepted her.
"We can eat now." The servants were ready, and the birthday feast officially began.
The old lady took Zhuo Yuqing to sit by her side, adoring her to no end, seemingly unwilling to let go even for a second.
During the meal, before Zhuo Yuqing even touched her chopsticks, her plate was piled high with food given by the old lady, Bai’s mother, and the aunts, each and every one of them urging her to eat more. Although she had been a bit hungry before, their enthusiasm made her somewhat uneasy, and she felt too embarrassed to eat too much, so she took small bites and listened to everyone’s conversation.
Bai Chengxi’s three aunts were all formidable women and the uncles were from prominent families. The Bai Family had only Bai’s father as a son, who in turn only had Bai Chengxi. As a result, the entire family was anxious about Bai Chengxi’s marriage, but most of all, they were eager to see the birth of the fourth generation.
After the meal, Zhuo Yuqing accompanied the old lady for a walk, as the old lady exercised outdoors every day. Her favorite thing was to count steps on her phone; she was part of a walking group where they competed daily to see who took the most steps, which is why she even carried her phone to the bathroom.
With Zhuo Yuqing and the old lady out of sight, Bai’s mother pulled Bai Chengxi aside.
"Chengxi, what exactly does Yuqing’s family do for a living? The gifts they bought us must have cost a pretty penny."
In reality, Bai Chengxi hadn’t looked into Zhuo Yuqing’s family background. To him, marriage was a matter between two people, unrelated to her family’s status, but he could sense from Zhuo Yuqing herself that she must come from a wealthy background.
"I haven’t met her parents." Bai Chengxi answered truthfully.
"You child, you’re married and yet haven’t met your in-laws. With the New Year around the corner, find some time to visit them soon. If convenient, your dad and I can also come along to meet the in-laws; it’s only proper for us to show the Bai Family’s sincerity." Bai’s mother spoke in a lowered voice, "Chengxi, Yuqing is a girl that your dad and I both approve of. Since you’ve married her, you must treat her well and commit wholeheartedly to your life together. As for that other woman, just forget about her."
"Mom, when have I ever said I still think about her? That’s all in the past. In your eyes, am I the kind of person who would be unfaithful in marriage?"
"No, no, that’s not what I meant; I’m just worried you might not be able to move on." Bai’s mother patted her son’s shoulder with affection, "I believe in you, so be good to Yuqing."
"I know, and I’m clearer on this than you are."
While they were talking, Zhuo Yuqing and the old lady had returned from their walk. The old lady, having heard some joke, had her eyes wide open, "Really? Is Li Tianqi truly GAY?"
Despite her age, the old lady was very trendy. She even enjoyed following celebrities and had been a fan of Mr. Zhong for many years. Whenever he had an event, she would surely be there with her cheering signboard. She would constantly nag Bai Chengxi to lure Mr. Zhong to his company.
Zhuo Yuqing shared a few gossips with the old lady, leaving her utterly astonished and constantly remarking on how deep the waters of the entertainment industry were.
"Yuqing, although my grandson runs an entertainment company, he’s not promiscuous at all. You can search it up online; there’s no scandalous news about him. This, as his grandmother, I can vouch for with confidence," the old lady said.
"I know, Grandma." Zhuo Yuqing was well aware that the old lady disliked being treated as an old person, so she didn’t offer her assistance but instead linked her arm, "I know Bai Chengxi isn’t that kind of person."
"Good girl, it’s good that you understand. Seeing how affectionate you two are makes me, the old lady, happy too. Give me a great-grandchild soon."
Zhuo Yuqing laughed and remained silent. She indeed hadn’t thought that far about having children with Bai Chengxi, especially since they were still cultivating their relationship, and getting pregnant with a child suddenly seemed somewhat inappropriate.
The old lady went into the house only to reluctantly take off her red coat. Although she claimed to have gone for a walk, a big reason was to show off the clothes her granddaughter-in-law had bought her. She encountered a few old neighbors and repeated the same story all evening to the point that even Zhuo Yuqing felt embarrassed.
Ah, to what extent did the old lady flaunt her granddaughter-in-law’s gifts?
Upon entering the door, the eldest aunt wanted to play mahjong, and the old lady quickly pushed Zhuo Yuqing forward, "Let Yuqing play."
"Grandma, I don’t know how to play mahjong." Zhuo Yuqing subconsciously looked towards Bai Chengxi, "I really don’t understand it."
"It’s okay, let Chengxi teach you, he’s really good at mahjong." The aunt pulled Zhuo Yuqing to sit down at the mahjong table that was already set up and glanced at Bai Chengxi: "Chengxi, aren’t you going to teach your wife?"
Bai Chengxi smiled and walked over, pulled up a chair, and sat next to Zhuo Yuqing, "Alright, you guys better have your money ready."
"Bai Chengxi, I don’t know how to play." Zhuo Yuqing said softly. She was afraid of ruining everyone else’s fun if she played poorly.
"No worries, I’ll teach you." He was very close to her, and when he spoke, the clean and pleasant scent around him lingered by her face, causing her ears to heat up.
Zhuo Yuqing only recognized the mahjong tiles but had no clue how to play. Seeing her tiles all haphazardly arranged, Bai Chengxi patiently rearranged them for her, teaching her the simplest way to play while doing so.
Zhuo Yuqing was nimble with her hands. After he explained twice, she got the hang of it. She didn’t expect to get hooked so quickly. It’s said that a beginner’s hands draw good tiles, and Zhuo Yuqing’s luck today was outrageously good. Whatever she wished for, she got, and won three or four rounds in no time.
"Look at that, I’ve never seen Chengxi be so patient with anyone else. Even when dealing with me, his aunt, he’s often perfunctory." The aunt shook her head, played a tile, "In the past, whenever we asked him to play mahjong with us, he’d always complain we played poorly, thinking it was a waste of time. But now, he’s teaching from scratch without a single complaint."
Zhuo Yuqing sneakily glanced at Bai Chengxi. He was focusing on her hand, just smiling at the aunt’s words: "Auntie, I was just worried about winning too much and not being able to explain it when I got home, you know?"
"You cheeky boy, always talking nonsense."
It was Zhuo Yuqing’s turn to play a tile. Bai Chengxi was about to play one for her just as she also reached out her hand. Their hands touched, and a faint electric current passed through their fingertips, causing Zhuo Yuqing to purse her lips and shiver silently.
Just as she was getting nervous about this small spark of warmth, the hand under the table was softly clasped by a slender one. Her body almost stiffened but she didn’t move, letting him hold her hand.
From initial resistance to now, she had become accustomed to holding hands with him. Although her heart still raced, she was much more at ease.
It was Yuqing’s first time playing mahjong, and she was lucky, but she didn’t want to win all the time. Plus, it was the grandmother’s birthday, so after winning a few rounds, she began sneakily feeding tiles to the grandmother. The two aunts were also discretely letting the grandmother have her way, and as a result, the grandmother won five times in a row and was so happy she couldn’t keep her mouth closed.
The mahjong game lasted until eleven o’clock, and everyone decided to end the game considering the grandmother’s health.
"Chengxi and Yuqing, it’s so late, you two should not go back. I worry about you driving late at night." Bai’s mother insisted that the young couple stay, "Just stay here for the night."
Bai Chengxi turned his head to look at Zhuo Yuqing, seemingly seeking her opinion. Zhuo Yuqing naturally did not want to go against Bai’s mother’s wishes, and gently nodded: "Okay."
When the grandmother heard that the couple was staying the night, she happily sat down and chatted for a while, and finally went back to her own room when she was too sleepy to stay up.
Bai Chengxi took Zhuo Yuqing back to his bedroom. Although he often came back for meals, he rarely slept at home, but his bedroom was always cleaned by a maid, incredibly neat and tidy.
"Go take a shower first." Bai Chengxi pointed to the door of the washroom, "If you need anything, just call for me."
"Okay." Zhuo Yuqing entered the washroom and looked around. Inside were all men’s products, Bai Chengxi’s private domain, filled with his scent.
She found that he also liked the scent of jasmine very much. Many of his belongings were jasmine-scented.
After taking a shower, Zhuo Yuqing suddenly realized she had no change of clothes. She grabbed a towel from the side and wrapped it around her, which could cover her for the moment, but she obviously couldn’t sleep like that.
She struggled with the idea for a while before slightly opening the bathroom door. Bai Chengxi was standing on the balcony smoking. Hearing the door, he subconsciously asked, "What’s the matter?"
"Bai Chengxi, do you have some clothes? Just lend me a shirt for now," Zhuo Yuqing said, with steam wafting around her.
Soon, Bai Chengxi brought one of his shirts over: "It’s too late, my mom might be already asleep, so you can wear mine in the meantime."
Zhuo Yuqing took it, said thanks, and put it on.
Bai Chengxi’s shirt was very large on her, so she rolled up the sleeves to expose a small bit of her wrist. After drying her hair, she came out.
Bai Chengxi was sitting on the sofa at the edge of the bed looking at his phone. Hearing the soft footsteps, he couldn’t help but look up.