Chapter 147: Let's talk about it when it comes to marriage
The next morning, the driver went to Liang Ye’s residential complex and picked him up.
In the car, Liang Ye glanced at Li Changxin and said cautiously, “Mom, try to be a little nicer when we get there...”
What if Meili got upset and ruined his brother’s chances of winning her back?
His brother was already a grown man. It wasn’t easy for him to find someone he liked.
Li Changxin had no idea that the brothers had talked things through the day before, much less that her own son had been the one pushing this relationship forward.
So she merely glared at Liang Ye. “I’m just going to take a look. How bad could my attitude possibly be?”
She had a gentle temperament and wasn’t the sort of person who picked fights with others.
Even if she didn’t like the girl after meeting her, at most she would go home and remind her son to think it through carefully.
Liang Ye fell silent. It was true that his mother had a good temper. But, Mom, Meili didn’t!
Meili had a terrible temper!
The car stopped a whole street away from the electric scooter shop. Li Changxin’s heart began pounding, and she hurriedly told the driver, “Stop here. This is fine, this is fine. I’ll get out and walk.”
Liang Ye looked out the window. “It’s still quite a walk.”
Li Changxin shot him a look. “Our car is too conspicuous. What’s wrong with getting out and walking a little with your mother?”
Before Liang Ye could answer, Li Changxin pushed open the door and slipped onto the roadside, hunched over like a cat, every inch of her exuding the air of a paparazzo.
But, Mom, their shop is at the next intersection. Wasn’t it a little early to start sneaking around?
He sighed helplessly and caught up with her. “Mom, could you stand up straight? You look like a thief.”
Li Changxin grabbed him and pulled him down too, turning them into two furtive little burglars. “Keep your head down. They already know you. And you’re not exactly handsome, so they’ll spot you at once.”
...
Liang Ye’s heart shattered. “Mom, didn’t you say I was very handsome?”
Li Changxin nodded perfunctorily. “Handsome, handsome. The more handsome you are, the more careful you have to be.”
...
After crouching and sneaking their way down the entire street, they finally saw the brightly lit electric scooter 4S shop at the corner.
Li Changxin hid behind a tree and cautiously peered toward the shop. Inside, there were lavender-purple, peacock-blue, pearl-pink...
Every girl in the shop had a head of wildly colorful hair. The sight made Li Changxin’s eyes ache and blur.
“Xiao Ye, help Mom figure out which one is blue.”
“Blue.”
Her presbyopic eyes frantically searched through the riot of colors. Blue, blue...
Where was the blue?
Oh. It was right in front of her.
Li Changxin stared in horror at the person standing before her: vivid blue hair, a vivid blue tattoo of a big fat cat on her arm—a very blue girl indeed.
Meili pulled her to her feet. “See, Auntie? I’m right here.”
Li Changxin stammered, unable to get the words out. “Well... I wasn’t here to look at you...”
Getting caught spying was incredibly embarrassing.
But Meili exposed her lie without hesitation. “Liang Ye already told me. Auntie, this is what I look like. I dye my hair, and I have tattoos. My family isn’t well-off either. My parents are divorced, and they’ve both remarried...”
She had nothing. But she didn’t think there was anything wrong with that, so there was no reason to hide it.
She had managed to raise herself into someone lively and cheerful. That was already pretty impressive, wasn’t it?
Li Changxin gave an awkward smile. “You’ve had a hard time, child...”
Meili nodded. “Mm. Auntie, are you done looking? I need to get back to work.”
Li Changxin hurriedly nodded. “Done, done... Go on, get back to work...”
Meili turned to leave, but someone suddenly seized her wrist, gripping it so tightly that she couldn’t break free.
She turned around in surprise—and saw Liang Zheng.
“You—you... why are you here?”
How had he ended up here?
Liang Zheng tightened his grip on her wrist, then stepped in front of her and looked sternly at Li Changxin. “Mom, you shouldn’t have come.”
For some reason, his arrival steadied Li Changxin’s nerves.
She straightened and looked at her son. “I just wanted to take a look. I didn’t mean to—”
Liang Zheng forcefully cut her off. “Why didn’t you ask me beforehand? Because you knew this was rude and intrusive.”
Li Changxin’s expression changed. “Zheng, I was worried about you...”
Liang Zheng lowered his eyes to Meili. “Mom, I’m not a child. At my age, I can make my own decisions about relationships.”
Meili could feel how resolute his gaze was as it rested on her. It was unmistakably firm.
A voice inside her told her: You’re done for. He’s chosen you without hesitation. You’re done for—you’re going to fall for him.
His grip around her wrist was tight, leaving her no room to pull away.
But she knew she didn’t want to.
In all her life, she had only been chosen so firmly twice.
The first time had been when He Huanhuan decided to be her friend. Back then, He Huanhuan had offended the school bullies and was cornered and harassed by them in the bathroom every day.
Meili had never been the type to meekly endure bullying, so she had taken the initiative to choose He Huanhuan.
She hadn’t even asked He Huanhuan’s permission. She had simply followed her with absolute determination. Wherever He Huanhuan went, Meili went too. Before He Huanhuan could even figure out what was happening, Meili had already dealt with the bullies for her.
The second time was now.
The man beside her spoke in a calm voice, as if he felt nothing in particular.
Yet his words made her heart race.
“I like her. I like her seriously—the kind of liking that means I want us to be together properly.”
Meili looked up at his stern, earnest face. For the first time, she wasn’t distracted by his handsome profile.
Did he really want to be with her properly?
Even if his family opposed them, would he still want to be with her?
As if she had heard Meili’s unspoken question, Li Changxin asked, “What if I don’t support you?”
Liang Zheng smiled faintly. “Mom, I’m not a child who relies on the family’s allowance to have fun. Your disapproval has no power to threaten me.”
Li Changxin grew angry. “But without the blessings of your elders, you won’t be happy.”
“Heh.”
Liang Zheng’s smile deepened. “Mom, do you really think that would stop me?”
Of course it wouldn’t. Li Changxin and her husband were not authoritarian parents. If Liang Zheng had decided to be with Qi Meili, then aside from swallowing their frustration and accepting it, what else could they do?
Well, they could pretend Meili didn’t exist.
But that sort of attack was easy to defend against. Liang Zheng could move out and live with Meili. If they didn’t interact, there would be no opportunity to hurt one another.
When elders disapproved of a relationship, everything depended on the couple themselves.
If he firmly chose you and stood by your side, he would never allow you to be treated unfairly.
Li Changxin was furious, but there was nothing she could do about him.
Her personality also made it impossible for her to jump up and berate Meili. So all she could do was glare angrily at Liang Zheng, then turn her even angrier glare on Liang Ye.
“Let’s go home!”
Liang Ye looked innocent. “Mom, why are you glaring at me?”
With nowhere else to vent her anger, Li Changxin gave it all to him for free. “You big mouth! You couldn’t even keep such a tiny matter to yourself! What can I possibly count on you for?”
Liang Ye cautiously asked, “Mom, have you accepted Meili now?”
Li Changxin climbed into the car with an irritated look. “What do I have to accept? Let the two of them date until they’re ready to get married first.”
Feelings are fickle—good today, bad tomorrow. Who knows whether they’ll stay together long enough to get married?