Chapter 99: Chapter 96: Gaining Means Nothing, Keeping Is What Matters
Yin Shixiu helped Su Xiaomeng place the gift boxes aside.
"With so many dishes, how can we finish them all?"
Su’s mother looked at the dozen or so dishes on the dining table and was dumbfounded.
"This isn’t much at all. You don’t know, when dining at Ren Yixuan’s grandfather’s place, the old man practically wants to serve a full Manchu-Han banquet!"
"Haha! The old man of the Ren Family is quite traditional, isn’t he? Oh? Speaking of which, where is that kid, Yixuan?"
Just as Su’s mother asked, Ren Yixuan came out of the kitchen carrying a dish.
"Su’s mother, Su’s father, Happy New Year."
"Oh, thank you, Happy New Year! Yixuan is getting more and more handsome, isn’t he? Lots of girls must be chasing you at school, huh? Hahaha!"
Su’s father patted Ren Yixuan’s shoulder, laughing loudly.
Su Xiaomeng really wanted to tape her dad’s mouth shut!
Ren Yixuan just smiled.
Su Xiaomeng looked up at him...
Clearly, she should have felt awkward and avoided his gaze, but she just looked at him directly.
"Xiao Meng, Happy New Year."
She didn’t expect Ren Yixuan to greet her first, and he wore a genuine smile without any hint of pretense.
"H-Happy New Year..."
Ren Yixuan’s gaze then fell on Yin Shixiu, and he smiled a bit, "President Yin, we meet again."
"Yes, we meet again."
"You know each other?"
Su’s mother asked, and Mrs. Ren was also curious.
"Ren Yixuan interned at my company, but I couldn’t keep him there."
"President Yin gives me too much credit, I was truly flattered."
"Haha, haha... Come, come, let’s sit down and eat; the food will get cold."
Mrs. Ren seemed to sense some tension between the two, and quickly suggested.
Seven people sat around a long table, with Mr. Ren at the center, Su’s mother, Mrs. Ren, and Ren Yixuan on one side.
Yin Shixiu sat opposite Ren Yixuan.
"This dish is really good! So numbing and spicy, just right. How was it made?"
The two middle-aged women started discussing the dishes as soon as they sat at the table.
Su’s father, on the other hand, asked right away, "Xiao Yixuan, you just got back this morning, why so late this year?"
"Su’s father, there were some things keeping me busy in Beijing."
Ren Yixuan replied politely and stayed on point.
But Mr. Ren couldn’t hide his pride and added, "He has already signed with a big company and will officially start after the new year."
"Oh? Solved the employment issue so early! How’s the package?"
"The package..."
"It’s this much."
Before Ren Yixuan could speak, Mr. Ren had already made a gesture showing the number to Su’s father with satisfaction.
Su’s father’s eyes lit up, "That much?"
Ren Yixuan sighed and quietly ate his food.
Mrs. Ren, upon hearing the conversation, naturally couldn’t miss the chance to brag about her son, "You know the Rong Group, right?"
"Rong Group?"
Su’s mother was momentarily stunned, then laughed, "Got into that company?"
Mrs. Ren nodded with pride, "The Prince of the Rong Group personally invited Yixuan and offered him a great package!"
Yin Shixiu heard this and couldn’t help but glance at Ren Yixuan.
As expected, he met Ren Yixuan’s seemingly calm yet somewhat sharp eyes.
"Don’t be fooled by Prince Rong always being in the tabloids, but at such a young age, he’s already holding up the huge Rong Group — that’s a skill too!"
Mrs. Ren said.
"Oh, it’s him..."
"You know him?"
Mrs. Ren was taken aback.
Su’s mother quickly said, "Any female celebrity linked to him in a scandal makes it to the headlines, right?"
"Hahahaha! Why are rich people always so quirky?"
Mrs. Ren laughed, "Rich second generation they may be, but still call themselves a prince!"
Su’s mother chuckled, "Regardless, if it helps Yixuan with his career prospects, he could be a prince or an emperor, whatever!"
"Haha, Su’s sister, you surely have no limits..."
The two women were chatting merrily.
At this side, Su Xiaomeng tugged at Yin Shixiu’s sleeve and softly asked, "What Prince Rong? Who’s that?"
Yin Shixiu leaned close to Su Xiaomeng’s ear, his lips almost touching her earlobe, and whispered, "The monster in the pink coat you’ve met..."
"Oh! It’s him!"
Su Xiaomeng exclaimed in surprise!
Then she realized everyone’s eyes were on her, so she quickly smiled and said, "Yes, yes, he’s definitely a prince, definitely a prince..."
So it was that big, big, big, big uncle!
Su Xiaomeng pouted and focused on her meal.
"Speaking of... Xiao Meng, your sudden grand move really shattered my expectations!"
Mr. Ren laughed, "I’ve always thought of you as my daughter-in-law, I even started preparing the betrothal gifts, and what do you do? You bring back a fiancé and plan to marry with a baby on the way, you really shocked me!"
Su Xiaomeng looked down, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Not to mention shocking you, even I was scared to death back then!
"Otherwise... this one in my tummy can be your daughter-in-law?"
Su Xiaomeng pointed to her belly.
Yin Shixiu’s face darkened instantly, and he placed food in her bowl, "Eat!"
"Haha!" Mr. Ren laughed and said, "Xiao Meng always surprises people with her words. Mr. Yin, I’m just joking with Xiao Meng, don’t take it seriously!"
"It’s fine, the person is mine now, say whatever you want."
Ren Yixuan took a shallow breath and looked at Yin Shixiu, "President Yin, getting something is nothing, it’s keeping it that counts."
The atmosphere at the table changed instantly because of that sentence.
A chill seeped into the air.
Their eyes met in the air, burning with a hidden rivalry.
At this moment, Su Xiaomeng really began to panic, she had a hunch something would happen before coming, and now it has indeed happened!
She pursed her lips, just finding the words and wanting to speak
"Well..."
"That’s right, getting something really means nothing."
Yin Shixiu suddenly interrupted, he turned to look at Su Xiaomeng, and said meaningfully, "It’s keeping it that counts."
Su Xiaomeng, who originally wanted to say something to ease the embarrassment, felt her heart skip a beat because of Yin Shixiu’s remark directed at her.
Although she didn’t feel anything hearing it from Ren Yixuan.
But hearing it from Mr. Yin, she couldn’t help but feel moved.
"Yi Xuan, are you jealous? Hahaha! Too late! Too late, it seems my Meng Meng is still very popular..."
Su’s father, though joking,
still sounded particularly harsh to someone like Ren Yixuan.
And Su’s mother, who is more emotionally sensitive, also felt the undercurrents flowing among these three young people.
She glared at Su’s father.
"Eat, eat! When is the baby due?"
Mrs. Ren diverted the topic and asked.
"Summer, normally it should be July."
Su Xiaomeng hurriedly replied.
"I heard it’s going to be twins!"
"...Yes."
"It’ll be lively in the future!"
"Exactly!"
The dinner at the Ren Family’s home didn’t last long, at seven o’clock, Su Xiaomeng and Yin Shixiu left the Ren Family, while Su’s father and Su’s mother stayed behind to chat.
Yin Shixiu didn’t go home immediately with Su Xiaomeng, but instead strolled in the community after leaving the apartment building.
It was quite cold outside, and Yin Shixiu held Su Xiaomeng’s hand and put it into his coat pocket.
"If I hadn’t intervened, you and Ren Yixuan would have smoothly ended up together, right?"
Yin Shixiu suddenly spoke.
Su Xiaomeng turned to look at him, thought for a moment...
"Um... actually, not necessarily."
"Didn’t you like him a lot before? From the looks of it, he should like you too, and your parents seem to be very fond of him, his parents have always treated you as their daughter-in-law..."
"Uncle..."
"Hm?"
Su Xiaomeng stopped, she circled around to face Yin Shixiu, wrapped her arms around his waist, and slightly raised her head, her eyes curving into slits with a smiling face!
"Are you... jealous?"
Yin Shixiu raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Jealous, right?"
Seeing him not speaking, Su Xiaomeng became more certain, her mood improved greatly, and her smile blossomed!
Yin Shixiu suddenly lowered his head, biting her slightly cold nose, "It’s too cold, let’s go back."
"Don’t change the subject!" Su Xiaomeng saw his intention to avoid it, although she already had an answer in her heart, she still wanted to hear it directly from the mouth of this mature man.
Perhaps, this is the delicate nature of women.
Relentlessly asking again and again, "Come on! Admit you’re jealous, I won’t laugh at you! Didn’t I already openly admit I was jealous before!"
"Uncle... are you... not jealous?"
Su Xiaomeng raised an eyebrow, her words turned cold.
"Yeah... how could I expect you to be jealous for me... I was wrong to— ah!"
Su Xiaomeng hadn’t finished her act when she was already pulled over by a strong force, pressed between a solid broad chest and a tree.
The dangerous aura formed an oppressive feeling that made her breathing erratic, her heart beat faster.
"What are you... what are you doing? You scared me!"
"Alright, I admit it, I’m jealous."
Yin Shixiu’s eyes were calm; his pupils seemed especially black at night, merging with the dark night sky behind him.
He looked at her.
The high bridge of his nose was right in front of her; she only needed to move her head slightly to touch it easily.
He... admitted it.
"You wanted me to admit it, I admitted it, and then?"
"Then what?"
"You made me admit it, there must be a reason, little girl, tell me, what is your pu..."
Yin Shixiu was taken aback when Su Xiaomeng suddenly threw her arms around his neck, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him.
A complete blank in his mind...
Little girl...
Since entering the Ren Family’s door, the uncomfortable stuffy feeling in his chest had been pressing, until she kissed him of her own accord at this moment, it dissipated.
Su Xiaomeng was still a bit shy, she pulled over Yin Shixiu’s hand, looked up at him...
"Don’t be jealous."
"I used to think the same, if it weren’t for that night’s accident, if it weren’t for you appearing, I probably would be with him, after all..."
Su Xiaomeng took a shallow breath, "We’ve grown up together over the years, he’s been so good to me, my parents and his parents have a great relationship..."