“No way, you’ve already broken through to the Qi Sea Realm?” Su Mo looked utterly disbelieving.
“Of course! Don’t look at my body’s F-grade aptitude—my soul is a solid A-grade. If it weren’t for you holding me back, I would’ve broken through way sooner.”
Su Mo lowered his head and silently slurped his noodles.
Ye Qingyi couldn’t help but laugh. “What, are you sulking now?”
“Shh!” Su Mo frantically shot her a warning look.
Catching on, Ye Qingyi—though clueless as to why—pretended nothing had happened and quietly continued eating.
Only after a middle-aged woman outside the shop walked away with a knowing, auntie-style grin did Su Mo finally speak, his expression complicated. “We might be in trouble.”
“You?” Ye Qingyi found him ridiculous.
“No, you.”
“Huh? Why me?”
Su Mo wiped his mouth with a napkin. “That woman who just walked by saw us eating together.”
Ye Qingyi still didn’t get it. “And…?”
“She’s my mom’s friend. Also one of the top operatives in the Village Gossip Network.”
Ye Qingyi was completely lost, her mind a jumbled mess. “So… what exactly are you trying to say?”
Su Mo gave her a sidelong glance, his expression a mix of amusement and resignation. “Ah, the privilege of being a rich girl—utterly unaware of the terror that is the Village Gossip Network.”
He then proceeded to explain in detail the origins, development, member selection, and intelligence dissemination methods of this mysterious organization.
At first, Ye Qingyi listened with an air of indifference, but as he went on, her face gradually stiffened. “That’s… insane?”
“Of course. If you want history, read Records of the Grand Historian. But if you want gossip, our Village Gossip Network is the ultimate source.”
“What does this have to do with me?”
“You’ll find out soon enough…” Su Mo suddenly started counting down. “Ten, nine, eight…”
“You—” Ye Qingyi hesitated, a vague suspicion forming in her mind, though it seemed too absurd to voice.
“Three, two, one!”
The air hung silent for three seconds—then Ye Qingyi’s phone dinged.
Su Mo smirked, triumphant. “Check your phone.”
Ye Qingyi pulled it out and saw a message from Su Mo’s mom on WeChat—except now, it was her mom…
In the few seconds it took her to open the app, her phone buzzed repeatedly as more messages poured in, all from Su Mo’s mom.
“Xiao Mo!”
“[Smug emoji]”
“Hehehehe…”
……
Over a dozen messages in a row—emojis, weird symbols, and fragmented words—before finally, a coherent sentence appeared, chastising her “son” for only taking the “girl” out for beef noodles, calling it “not sincere at all.”
Then came a hefty red envelope.
But that wasn’t all. At the end, she urged her “son” to bring his “girlfriend” home soon so she could cook for them.
“Oh no, your mom misunderstood! What do we do?” Panicked, Ye Qingyi had no idea how to respond.
Su Mo gave her a reassuring look. “Just agree for now. I’ll explain to her in person later—she won’t believe you if you try.”
Ye Qingyi followed his advice and replied, immediately receiving an overjoyed sticker in response.
“I feel like you’re setting me up…” She couldn’t shake the nagging sense that something was off.
“You’re overthinking it. It’s just meeting my mom—how is that a setup?”
Ye Qingyi didn’t answer, but the idea of “meeting the parents” in this context felt undeniably strange—like a boyfriend-girlfriend introduction…
Especially given their current complicated relationship.
They eventually settled on the next morning.
That night, Su Mo took Ye Qingyi on a leisurely tour of the small city he’d lived in for eighteen years.
No tourist spots—just wandering through streets, soaking in the urban life, and experiencing the warmth of this fifth-tier town’s close-knit community.
It wasn’t until past 10 p.m. that they finally parted ways, each returning to their own lodgings.
If not for fear of further misunderstandings, Ye Qingyi wouldn’t have even wanted to go “home”—because, as Su Mo had warned, she was about to face an interrogation of unprecedented intensity.
Her dad wasn’t home.
No problem.
In this digitally connected era, the interrogation could just as easily happen online…
……
The next morning, Su Mo made an excuse to shake off Xia Qingqing and the others, then went shopping for gifts alone.
It might’ve been unnecessary, but given his current identity, he couldn’t help but feel the need to make a good impression—to avoid leaving any negative perceptions in his mom’s mind.
When Su Mo arrived at his own home with Ye Qingyi, his mom was already waiting at the door.
The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepened with her smile, and for the first time, Su Mo truly noticed how much older she looked—how youth had slipped away.
“You must be Qingyi! Hello, I’m Xiao Mo’s mom.” Yu Xiaowen took Su Mo’s hand, her gaze tender.
Maybe she’d forgotten—she’d actually met this “girl” once, over a month ago.
“Hello, Auntie.” Having done this before, the greeting came more naturally now, though it still felt undeniably weird.
This was the first time his mom had ever brought him into the house like this. Su Mo couldn’t resist shooting a teasing glance at the neglected Ye Qingyi.
Inside, his mom personally peeled an apple for him. “Here, try one from our own tree.”
“Thank you.” Su Mo accepted it politely, eating with uncharacteristic elegance.
As the guest of honor, he was treated to his mom’s finest hospitality. And because he instinctively let his guard down around her, within minutes, the two were chatting like old friends.
“Qingyi, if Xiao Mo ever does anything wrong, just tell him to fix it. If he gives you trouble, let me know—his dad and I will straighten him out.” Beaming, Yu Xiaowen held “her son’s” hand in one hand and “her future daughter-in-law’s” in the other.
To her, this pretty girl who looked somewhat familiar was absolutely her son’s future wife.
“Mom, we’re not actually—” Ye Qingyi started to interject, but Yu Xiaowen cut her off.
“No one asked you.” She shot “her son” a stern look before turning back to Su Mo, eyes sparkling. “Tell me, how did you two meet? Did he chase after you?”
Ye Qingyi opened her mouth but said nothing.
Su Mo, amused by her helpless expression, feigned shyness. “Well…”
A faint blush crept onto his cheeks.
Watching this, Ye Qingyi’s eyes widened. Is this guy about to stir up trouble again?
Yu Xiaowen, however, lit up with delight.
Hahaha, nothing beats juicy gossip about my own son…
Then, cheeks flushed, Su Mo stole a glance at Ye Qingyi’s handsome face and said in a bashful tone, “Su Mo is so outstanding at school… and the girls who like him are all amazing too. I’m just one of his many admirers, and…”
He lowered his head, fingers nervously clutching his clothes, his voice tinged with sadness. “…he hasn’t even said yes to me yet.”
Ye Qingyi: !!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ
Yu Xiaowen: (ﾟ⊿ﾟ)ﾂ
Both were utterly stunned.