SM Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Moon Book Red Cord “It seems that no matter what, the ones who remain in the end…”

This is truly a second blossoming.

Last time, Wei Wang saw them kissing, this time, Xu Ting saw the monitoring of them holding hands. Both times, the evidence was irrefutable, caught red-handed.

Although they hadn’t considered denying it.

Zhu Shihao was speechless. Tan Zhi Xu reached out to her, took her hand, and pulled her down to sit beside him.

Obviously, this was an admission.

Zhu Suiyi leaned closer, commenting in a serious tone, “Indeed, very busy, both hands are occupied. Such driving behavior is very dangerous, not recommended.”

Coming back to her senses, Liu Ruoyin glared at her fiercely, “Go aside, don’t make trouble.”

“Alright,” Zhu Suiyi said, plopping down. She had already realized she had been “deceived,” and was now leisurely watching her sister’s predicament, practically crossing her arms and tapping her foot.

What “not worse than Zhi Xu to you,” “almost the same,” “on par,” it was all just dodging the question with her. It’s the same person, of course they’re almost the same!

Dinner was no longer a priority. Both sets of parents sat neatly on either side. Zhu Suiyi and Yu Jianmin were enthusiastically watching the excitement, so much so that they didn’t want to take over cooking dinner from their daughter, feeling it didn’t matter if they ate later.

The four parents stared at the two of them, and ignoring Xu Ting’s occasional barely concealed smile, the atmosphere was generally serious.

Tan Meng glanced at Zhu’s parents out of the corner of his eye, then noticed his wife smirking. He felt that as the male side’s parent, he needed to show some attitude, so he immediately became more serious.

This required some skill, after all, as parents, they couldn’t be more satisfied with their son’s choice, but it was still necessary to put on an act for this scene.

Clearing his throat, Tan Meng spoke first, “What you two did wasn’t right. We’re not unreasonable parents. You must give us a reason for hiding this from us. Also, how long have you two been together?”

Hearing the words “unreasonable,” Zhu Yingqing paused, glaring at him, fully understanding the ulterior motives in his words.

Tan Meng pretended not to notice, pointing out, “Tan Zhi Xu, you speak first.”

Tan Zhi Xu nodded readily, maintaining his concise style, “Yes, we’re together. Three months. I pursued her.”

Tan Meng and Xu Ting nodded unconsciously, considering him responsible.

Receiving a deadly glare from her friend, Xu Ting quickly composed herself, her expression deliberate, “Why hide it from us?”

“I like Shihao, I love her very much, and it’s been a while. But as friends, it wasn’t that simple to say it. It wasn’t until I ran into Aunt Liu arranging a blind date for Shihao that I couldn’t help but say it. I asked Shihao to try changing our relationship, and planned to tell you after confirming it was stable.”

This explanation was very smooth. Zhu Shihao didn’t know if he had thought it all out in advance, or if it was just an impromptu response.

But, that’s not how it happened.

She unconsciously pouted, wanting to speak, but the hand holding hers tightened slightly, shaking gently.

What he said, they could understand the concerns to some extent. Xu Ting then became truly serious, “Then when were you planning to tell us?”

Tan Zhi Xu didn’t hesitate, “During the New Year.”

“Really?” she said, looking at Zhu Shihao.

Zhu Shihao nodded gently, “Really.”

Xu Ting nodded, “Okay, we’ll believe you since you say so. So, you’re both sure it’s each other?”

The two of them looked at each other subconsciously, and at the moment their eyes met, they both turned up the corners of their lips.

Xu Ting had almost never seen such bright light in her son’s eyes, filled with determination, and an overflowing sense of certainty.

But that made sense. Tan Zhi Xu had always been a person who knew very well what he wanted.

Despite constantly nitpicking, she knew her son very well. If Tan Zhi Xu had truly harbored feelings for Shihao early on, then he would never have allowed Shihao to go on a blind date, to be with someone else, so she believed his reasons.

“Mom, Dad, Aunt Liu, Uncle Zhu, I only love Shihao, and Shihao can only be mine. No one will love her more than I do, or treat her better.”

Devoid of his usual casualness, Tan Zhi Xu was overly solemn. Even though these words were actually too cheesy, he spoke them as if he were taking a vow, unwavering.

Liu Ruoyin then spoke her first sentence, not responding to Tan Zhi Xu, but turning her eyes to her daughter, “Is that what you think too?”

Zhu Shihao’s heart trembled. She forced herself to look directly into her mother’s eyes, putting on a calm and natural face, and gently “mm”ed.

“Mom and Dad, wouldn’t it be strange if we didn’t fall in love with each other?”

Everyone fell silent.

It wasn’t strange, in fact, many years ago, asking themselves honestly, they couldn’t deny that they had such thoughts too.

Liu Ruoyin still wanted to ask other things, but they were at Tan’s house after all. No matter how good the relationship was between the two families, it wasn’t good to ask in front of the Tan family. Besides, she believed her daughter wouldn’t make such a big joke.

Zhu Yingqing hadn’t said anything all along. Xu Ting and Tan Meng, seeing the expression of the two, didn’t dare to say anything more.

Receiving her sister’s eyes for help for the umpteenth time, Zhu Suiyi shook her head inwardly and tutted. Looking at the couple over here, and the four silent parents over there, she decided to come to rescue her.

She raised her hand and patted Jia Jia’s head, “Tell your grandfather to cook, don’t let yourself starve to death.”

Of course it was an exaggeration, Jia Jia couldn’t understand the need for an atmosphere regulator to ease the mood at the moment, and has been afraid to interrupt. At this moment, she looked back at her mother, took short steps and ran to Zhu Yingqing.

“Grandpa, aren’t you cooking yet? I’m hungry.”

It took a good few seconds before Zhu Yingqing answered, raising his hand to stroke her head, “Okay, Grandpa will cook.”

The two fathers went back to the kitchen, Zhu Suiyi leaned on the sofa and looked at the two mothers, “Congratulations, you solved two big problems you were worried about at once, it can be considered internal digestion.”

Liu Ruoyin was speechless, endured and failed, glared at her and scolded, “Go, go, go, you’re the only one who can describe it, right.”

Zhu Suiyi didn’t care at all, but instead opened up to face, “Isn’t it good, you hurry and urge them, maybe this time next year the child will be crying loudly, retired mothers are re-employed as grandmothers, congratulations to the two on re-employment.”

Saying that, she shook her head, and clapped like a seal.

Yu Jianmin couldn’t help but chuckle, and tried hard to restrain himself from laughing out loud, his wife was very cute, and very good at persuading people.

The two mothers looked at each other, their eyes full of horror, seeing the same thing, then they turned their eyes sharply to the little couple.

Xu Ting attacked first, she threw a pillow at Tan Zhi Xu, “You didn’t mess around, did you?”

Seeing something flying towards her, Zhu Shihao reflexively dodged backwards, Tan Zhi Xu raised his hand to grab it in the middle of the two, his expression not very happy.

“If your accuracy is so bad, please don’t throw things, okay? No, I’m not that unreliable, but we’re planning to get married next year.”

Now that it’s Minor New Year, then next year of course refers to the Lunar calendar.

Zhu Shihao’s face was slightly hot, following with a continuous head shake.

Xu Ting and Liu Ruoyin exchanged glances, and sighed in relief in unison.

They knew their children very well, none of them are very disciplined or honest people. I have to say, Zhu Suiyi pointed out the key issue, Liu Ruoyin’s thought of rebutting faded away a little.

Her gaze fell on Tan Zhi Xu holding her hand which he had never released from beginning to end, Liu Ruoyin restored a peaceful state: “Okay, we will talk about this matter later.”

Hearing these words, three people present breathed a sigh of relief silently, understanding that she meant to tentatively agree.

Because of this accident, Zhu Yingqing cut a third of the dishes for dinner, even if it was still more abundant than the Laba porridge for lunch, this meal was eaten with unusual “focus”.

The most free were only two people, one was Zhu Suiyi, who was responsible for picking vegetables for Jia Jia, occasionally picking two chopsticks for Liu Ruoyin and Zhu Yingqing. The other was Tan Zhi Xu, he was much more focused, only responsible for Zhu Shihao, what to eat, peeling shells, wanting tissues, not a word less, not a movement less.

Zhu Suiyi commented: “It doesn’t seem to be any different.”

The others: “…”

Best Audience: Zhu Suiyi.

Best Protagonist: Tan Zhi Xu.

They have a kind of unconstrained and free feeling of disregarding the eyes and lives of others.

When they left, they first sent Zhu’s parents into the car, Zhu Yingqing driving.

Liu Ruoyin was sitting in the passenger seat, looking at Zhu Shihao and Tan Zhi Xu beside her, not asking how she was going back, or whether she was going back, but just said faintly, “Protect yourself.”

There was a warning in her words, expressing the meaning very clearly in a subtle way.

Protect yourself=take measures.

She didn’t really want to discuss this topic with her parents, Zhu Shihao pursed her lips, embarrassed to not answer.

“Did you hear me?” Liu Ruoyin repeated, her tone a bit stricter.

Tan Zhi Xu held Zhu Shihao’s hand: “Aunt Liu, don’t worry, I will protect Shihao.”

Her eyes falling on his face, lightly sweeping over, Liu Ruoyin “mm”ed: “Let’s go, let your mother quickly shrink her head back.”

With a glance, in the rearview mirror, she saw Xu Ting poking her head out like a thief to scout the situation.

As for Tan Zhi Xu’s words, even if she was somewhat unhappy now with this child who she watched grow up and had always liked very much, she had to admit that he had always done very well in protecting Zhu Shihao and treating her well.

Zhu Yingqing started the car without saying a word.

They didn’t speak all the way, Liu Ruoyin glanced at him: “I wasn’t happy either that you hid that so well from me, but there’s something Zhi Xu said that was very right, no one loves Shihao more or treats Shihao better than him.”

“Actually, you’re also clear, right? Upon discovering that the person was Zhi Xu, your heart immediately fell down.”

The reaction in the heart will not deceive people, they believed that Tan Zhi Xu would love their daughter for a lifetime, and would treat her well for a lifetime.

“If you have two candies in your hand, what would you do?” Without needing his answer, Liu Ruoyin knew the standard answer, “You’d give Suiyi and Shihao one each, and so would I.”

“But if Zhi Xu has two candies in his hand, he’d give both to Shihao.”

The reason is so simple, as parents, they must strive to be fair.

But as lovers, all that is needed is favoritism, the one and only that is difficult to come by.

On the other side, after seeing off both sets of parents, Zhu Shihao took Zhu Suiyi’s hand and shook it gently, not speaking, but a pair of eyes shining, as if she had said everything.

Zhu Suiyi stared at her, poked her forehead hard, the poke caused her head to fall backwards.

“Hmph, I still haven’t forgiven you.” Receiving Tan Zhi Xu’s eyes, she unceremoniously flung it back, “And you, stop looking, what’s wrong with poking her?”

Zhu Shihao touched the spot she poked: “I didn’t intentionally deceive you.”

Zhu Suiyi snorted, recalling the little actions between the two that she had noticed before, not exposing her here, and hummed.

“Yes, yes, yes, you were just playing with language art with me. Alright, I’m not going to talk to you now, tomorrow, you better answer my phone in three seconds!”

Zhu Shihao, who didn’t know that she had revealed a clue today, just assumed she was being prideful, and tugged at her hand: “Mmm, mmm, super fast.”

“I’m leaving her to you.” Zhu Suiyi grabbed her sleeve and swung her hand around in mid-air.

Tan Zhi Xu raised his hand and held it, “Yes, Sister Yi, drive safely.”

Even if this person was Tan Zhi Xu, at this moment in Zhu Suiyi’s eyes he was still a pig who had stolen her family’s fresh and tender cabbage!

It’s not to the point of being unhappy, but it’s still somewhat displeased.

She hummed, and the cicada-like sound didn’t escape anyone’s ears present.

“What half a son, whose son is abducting a daughter ah, heaven strike by thunder, okay?”

It’s hard to not see that she was doing it on purpose.

Zhu Shihao said helplessly: “Suiyi.”

She got in the car, and raised her head to stick her tongue out at Zhu Shihao, clearly mouthing “nyah nyah nyah,” then slammed the car door shut with a loud “bang.”

This is her own car ah, zero threat to the enemy, but seemed to have dealt damage to one’s own. Yu Jianmin was accustomed to it, just smiling, helpless yet indulgent.

Then he patted Tan Zhi Xu on the shoulder, joking: “Will your identity of half a son be superimposed or changed to another title in the future?”

Tan Zhi Xu smiled faintly: “Then I’ll have to trouble Brother Min to first say good things for me to Aunt Liu, Uncle Zhu, and Sister Yi.”

Yu Jianmin smiled and said, “Easy to say, easy to say.”

In his opinion, the matter of them being together should be settled like this, and it’s unlikely that there will be changes.

Jia Jia was already drowsy. The group bid farewell, the remaining were still just the two of them.

After the car blended into the darkness, they turned to go back.

Zhu Shihao looped her arm through his: “It seems that no matter what, the ones who remain in the end are us.”

Whether it was them as childhood friends being good friends, or childhood friends being lovers, even if the relationship changes, everyone still tacitly handed her over to Tan Zhi Xu.

“Mm, you are mine.”

“Mm? Is that what I meant?”

How was he saying it like a confession?

“That’s what I meant.” Tan Zhi Xu wrapped her hand up and put it in his pocket, “Actually, everyone defaults that taking care of you, accompanying you is my business, there’s no one else, you’re destined to be mine.”

This kind of reassurance and laissez-faire, is their tacit understanding.

It was also Tan Zhi Xu and Zhu Shihao’s obscure confession.