She hesitated. "Is this appropriate?"
Yan Xixi replied nonchalantly, "What’s inappropriate about it? We’re all friends; it’s just a al."
The dining spot was a mid-range restaurant with a pleasant ambiance.
At noon, it wasn’t crowded. As soon as the two entered, they saw Li Zhen waving. "Hey, over here."
Li Zhen wasn’t alone. A middle-aged woman was with him.
When Yan Xixi saw the woman clearly, she was quite surprised. Her mind quickly flashed back. She recalled the woman from the boutique, the one she’d seen cooling off by the air conditioner. Back then, her clothes had been very ordinary, even shabby, but today, she was dressed elegantly and appropriately, a stark contrast to their previous encounter.
The woman also observed the two young won, noting their fresh, neat, and composed appearances—the very picture of diligent, up-and-coming young professional won.
Before Li Zhen could speak, the woman nodded slightly at Xu Xiaoya, then turned to Yan Xixi with a very friendly smile. "You must be Xixi, right? May I call you that? I’m Li Zhen’s mother."
Yan Xixi replied politely, "Of course. Hello, Auntie."
Li Zhen looked surprised. "You two have t before?"
Li Zhen’s mother chuckled. "You often ntioned this college classmate of yours," she said. "So, once when I was passing by, I made a point to go in and see her. Xixi left a very deep impression on . I’ve worked on a university campus for nearly thirty years, and I believe I’ve t countless excellent girls, but Xixi, she certainly tops the list."
Such high praise left Li Zhen overjoyed. "Mom, in that case, you really must treat Xixi and her friend to a good al! Oh, right, this is Xu Xiaoya, Xixi’s good friend."
Hearing Li Zhen’s mother praise Xixi so highly, Xu Xiaoya imdiately felt a surge of goodwill towards her and greeted her respectfully.
Yan Xixi said generously, "It’s settled. This al is on . Li Zhen, Auntie, you can treat next ti."
Li Zhen’s mother readily agreed, replying cheerfully, "I hear you’re going to Harvard to study soon. If you have ti before you leave, please give a chance to treat you."
"Thank you, Auntie."
The al was surprisingly relaxed. This wasn’t because Li Zhen was particularly talkative. On the contrary, he rarely spoke, mostly just smiling and attending to everyone. His mother, the university teacher, however, was eloquent and exuded the strong aura of an intellectual.
There was no awkwardness or pressure. Everyone politely said their goodbyes after the al.
After seeing the two won off, Li Zhen rubbed his hands, slightly nervous, and asked, "Mom, what do you think of Yan Xixi?"
Throughout the al, Li Zhen’s mother had been observing her son. He thought he was being discreet, but he was visibly on edge, his words sotis incoherent. His gaze would linger on Xixi’s face for a mont before he’d hastily look away. He was the absolute image of a green, inexperienced youth in the throes of first love.
What an unfortunate infatuation. Of all the people he could have chosen, why did he have to develop a crush on the Huang family’s cousin’s ex-girlfriend? Isn’t he just asking for trouble?
Li Zhen’s mother said faintly, "Silly boy, haven’t you realized yet? She has no interest in you. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have brought a friend along."
Li Zhen was unconvinced. "I know that. She just broke up with her ex-boyfriend, so she’s definitely not in the mood to start dating so soon. But I’m willing to wait."
His mother remained silent.
"Mom, won’t you at least tell what you really think of her?" Li Zhen pressed. "I bet Aunt Huang and cousin’s mother-in-law must have said a lot of bad things about her to you, right?"
Yan Xixi’s fight with Mother Huang was known to all their relatives, near and far. She was, one might say, "infamous" for it. Li Zhen was afraid that this was a hurdle his mother wouldn’t be able to get over.
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