The second... day.
Early morning.
Su Ze left the warm embrace of Little Dummy.
Whenever Su Ze woke up, Little Dummy would inevitably wake up too. It seemed like an unbreakable rule, with no exceptions so far.
Little Dummy opened her eyes to glance at Su Ze, then turned over and went back to sleep.
"Stop lazing around, go brush your teeth and wash your face," Su Ze said, pinching her cheek.
"Hai."
Uesugi Akizuki struggled to open her sleepy eyes, not lifting her head as she rubbed her eyes and replied in a soft, drowsy, and adorable voice.
She got up, put on her shoes, and with her wine-red hair and red-and-white shrine maiden outfit swaying, she ran to the bathroom.
Su Ze stood there speechless. Recently, Little Dummy had been using Japanese more frequently, and Su Ze had a rough idea why.
It was because he had asked Uesugi Akizuki to adapt to speaking, but she found Chinese somewhat difficult, and her vocabulary was limited. So, she resorted to using Japanese as a shortcut.
Su Ze couldn't do much about it. After all, it was a good thing that Uesugi Akizuki was trying to adapt to speaking. They could deal with the rest later.
"Today, we're going to meet your mom. Shouldn't you change your clothes? You can't keep wearing that shrine maiden outfit all the time... What if your mother-in-law thinks I'm too poor to buy you clothes?" Su Ze joked to himself as he stirred the food in the pan.
After finishing her morning routine, the little shrine maiden came out of the bathroom, thought for a moment, and then ran barefoot back to her room. She left the door open and began changing her clothes.
Su Ze finished preparing breakfast and placed it on the table, then sat on the sofa, lost in thought.
He was pondering how to face Uesugi Akizuki's mother and how to deal with her potential fury upon discovering that he was dating her possibly underage daughter.
His thoughts were tangled like tree roots underground, impossible to cut through or sort out.
He suddenly began reminiscing about how he had ended up in this situation.
He had met Little Dummy while walking at night, faced the Blood Moon together, deepened their bond through separation and reunion, fell in love, and now they were at the stage of meeting the mother-in-law...
And the mother-in-law was a mid-stage Rolling Flame powerhouse. If she found out about his relationship with Little Dummy, she could easily tear him to pieces, chew him up, and swallow him!
It was a plot twist more bizarre than an Ultraman invading Earth and being defeated by Big-Eared Tutu using his Ear Power.
Su Ze sighed and began to console himself.
Although life was full of melodrama, it was never static.
Life was like the fluctuating data on a heart monitor for a critically ill patient. The only time one could experience smooth sailing was after death, when the heart stopped beating.
Life was about experiencing ups and downs, so he had to believe that even though his current life was full of drama, it wasn't unchanging. It could get even more dramatic.
Su Ze lit a cigarette in frustration.
Suddenly, a figure dressed in white and red came running out of the room.
Uesugi Akizuki hopped over happily, took Su Ze's hand, and stood beside him.
She was wearing a beautiful white dress with a slightly puffy skirt and lace trim.
Her fair skin was accentuated by the pristine dress, and her wine-red hair created a striking contrast with the white fabric. Her amber eyes were clear and serene, radiating pure beauty...
Su Ze was momentarily stunned. He extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray and patted her head. "Let's eat."
Uesugi Akizuki pursed her lips, seemingly a bit unhappy. After a moment of thought, she asked hesitantly, "Kirei desu?"
"Beautiful," Su Ze replied with a smile.
"Beau...tiful!" Little Dummy grinned and laughed along.
She suddenly cupped Su Ze's face with both hands and kissed him for a while. Su Ze was frozen in shock, stiff on the sofa.
Little Dummy licked her lips and nonchalantly started eating breakfast.
She seemed to have become bolder, and Su Ze was still too stunned to react.
...
The black sports car sped toward Yu Province, with Little Dummy leaning against the passenger window, admiring the scenery along the way.
...
Over the Pacific Ocean, the space shattered like a mirror, creating a rift. A man stepped out of the spatial tear.
Gazing at the endless ocean, the man took a deep breath, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
His body began to shift and morph like liquid, taking on various human forms before finally settling on an East Asian appearance. He stepped through the void, heading toward China.
...
Noon.
The black sports car stopped in front of the Rakshasa Organization's headquarters. It seemed they had already received word, as men in black suits and ties lined up to welcome them.
Su Ze and Uesugi Akizuki got out of the car, carrying bags of fruits and milk. Under the curious gazes of the crowd, they walked toward the massive castle-like structure.
"Miss and our esteemed guest, please follow me," a girl waiting at the entrance said with a slight bow before pushing open the wooden door.
As the door slowly opened, Su Ze's heart was calm. He stepped into the castle with steady steps.
Led by the girl, Su Ze and the obedient Little Dummy, who had stopped holding his hand as requested, walked through the corridors and entered a grand hall.
There, they saw Uesugi Akizuki's mother, Uesugi Akizuki, kneeling at a table, painting with a brush.
The girl quietly left.
When Little Dummy saw her mother, a delighted smile spread across her face. She ran over, and Uesugi Akizuki set down her brush, standing up to gently embrace her daughter...
Watching the mother and daughter reunite, Su Ze stood awkwardly, still holding the bags of gifts.
He had no experience visiting his girlfriend's family.
"Tsk, you're quite handsome, almost as good-looking as me," a thoughtful voice came from behind.
Su Ze turned around and saw a middle-aged man whose face was indeed almost as handsome as his.
Seeing Yuan Qinghe, Su Ze suddenly remembered a joke and couldn't help but smile.
Looking at the white-haired young man in front of him, with his unruly demeanor and rebellious aura, Yuan Qinghe felt somewhat puzzled. "What are you laughing at?"
Su Ze really wanted to ask, "Old man, is my ghost bike safe parked outside?"
"Nothing, I just thought of something funny," Su Ze said, trying to suppress his smile. He reminded himself to stay serious! He had to make a good impression on Little Dummy's family!
"What's so funny?" Yuan Qinghe asked curiously.
Su Ze replied seriously, "If I lost my birth certificate, how would I prove I was born?"
Yuan Qinghe: "????????"
His brain short-circuited, his CPU letting out a cry of overload.
"If the birth certificate is lost, how do you prove you were born..." he muttered, completely lost in thought.
Su Ze was stunned to see the man so bewildered.
He had only meant to make a joke to show he had a sense of humor, but instead, he had completely baffled the man.