Shen Yi set down his cup and walked to the entrance hall.
At this hour, Fu Nanzhi shouldn’t have been back yet. She had work today, and if she didn’t leave soon, she’d be late.
Just then, the door opened, and a middle-aged woman wheeled in a suitcase.
She looked to be in her forties, her hair elegantly pinned up, her features delicate. Though her skin had begun to loosen with fine wrinkles, traces of her youthful beauty were still evident.
The two of them locked eyes, both momentarily stunned.
Shen Yi was the first to recover, greeting her,
“Hello, you must be Auntie Ji. I’m Shen Yi.”
As he spoke, he stepped forward to take the suitcase from her.
Ji Shulan, startled to find someone home at this time, instinctively pulled back and asked,
“How do you know who I am?”
Seeing her hesitation, Shen Yi didn’t push it. He withdrew his hand and explained calmly,
“You’re Nanzhi’s mother. She’s shown me your photo, so of course I recognized you.”
In truth, he’d called her “Mom” for two to three decades in his previous life—how could he not recognize her?
Ji Shulan’s sudden arrival wasn’t something Shen Yi had anticipated, but he wasn’t particularly flustered either.
Fu’s mother had a good personality—tough on the outside but soft-hearted. In his past life, they’d gotten along quite well.
Ji Shulan sized Shen Yi up, her expression softening slightly. At the very least, the young man in front of her wasn’t bad-looking and had a decent height.
Her daughter had face blindness, but her taste was passable—she hadn’t picked some oddball.
Appearance was the first impression, and it always added a few points.
“So you’re Shen Yi? How did you meet my Nanzhi?”
At this point, she was still suspicious that Shen Yi had used some underhanded method to deceive Fu Nanzhi, and her tone was far from friendly.
Hearing this, Shen Yi sensed that his future mother-in-law had come with ill intentions.
They’d never met before, so there was no personal dislike. The issue must lie with Fu Nanzhi.
Shen Yi guessed that the mother and daughter hadn’t had a pleasant interaction yesterday.
Thinking this, Shen Yi acted as if he hadn’t noticed Ji Shulan’s hostility and smiled,
“Auntie, please come in and sit. It’s not appropriate for you, as the elder, to keep standing like this.”
He then bent down, pulled out Fu Nanzhi’s slippers from the shoe rack, and placed them at her feet.
“Please use Nanzhi’s slippers for now. She didn’t tell me you were coming, or I would’ve prepared something in advance.”
Ji Shulan glanced at the slippers, reluctant to comply, but what he said made sense. Was she just going to stand here forever?
As she bent down to change her shoes, Shen Yi smoothly took the suitcase and wheeled it inside.
By the time Ji Shulan had finished changing, Shen Yi was already in the living room, so she swallowed her refusal.
“Auntie, please have a seat. I’ll put the suitcase away and be right back.”
Shen Yi moved quickly. By the time Ji Shulan had settled onto the couch, he was already returning, asking as he walked,
“What would you like to drink? Is tea okay?”
“Don’t trouble yourself. Plain water is fine.”
“Got it.”
Shen Yi fetched the water and placed the cup by her side.
Ji Shulan found herself thoroughly managed by Shen Yi’s series of polite gestures. By the time she realized it, she was already seated, feeling more like a guest than the lady of the house.
Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself why she was here and pointed to the seat across from her.
“Shen Yi, right? Sit down first.”
“Yes, Auntie. You can call me Xiao Shen.”
Ji Shulan didn’t respond to that. Once Shen Yi was seated, she repeated her question.
“How did you meet my Nanzhi?”
Shen Yi wasn’t sure how Fu Nanzhi had explained things to her parents last night, but judging from the accusatory tone, he needed to tread carefully.
After a moment’s thought, he added some details to his answer.
“We met at Tiancheng Corporation. She’s in the legal department, and I was in advertising. We crossed paths due to work, and over time, we developed feelings for each other…”
This answer didn’t surprise Ji Shulan, but she couldn’t help pressing further.
“I know you young people are progressive, but to get together after just a few days… is that appropriate? She might not even recognize you if you changed your clothes!”
Ji Shulan stumbled over her words, too embarrassed to say certain things in front of Shen Yi.
Shen Yi felt a headache coming on. He’d anticipated Ji Shulan’s visit, but he hadn’t expected Fu Nanzhi to be so impulsive. No wonder her mother had rushed over in concern.
She could’ve hinted at it gently, expressed some interest, and then slowly laid the groundwork before introducing Shen Yi.
Fu Nanzhi’s approach was a blunt attempt to force the issue, which naturally led to a strong backlash.
The key was that she hadn’t even warned him. Now Shen Yi had to clean up the mess himself.
Headache aside, he had to cover for Fu Nanzhi.
Sitting up straight, Shen Yi braced himself and spun a story:
“It’s possible. Although Nanzhi and I haven’t known each other long, it was love at first sight. She can recognize me perfectly now, and I believe love isn’t about duration. I’m confident I can take good care of her.”
Ji Shulan, already biased, found his words cloying.
In her eyes, Fu Nanzhi had been clueless for over twenty years. Now that she’d finally opened up, it was likely just a case of being swept off her feet by a few sweet words.
She didn’t want to argue with Shen Yi about this and instead shifted the topic.
“How old are you? Where are you from? How many people are in your family?”
The inquisition was inevitable. Shen Yi remained calm and answered truthfully.
“I’m 25 this year. I’m from a small town in Gusu Province. I’m an only child, so there are three of us in the family.”
Ji Shulan did some mental calculations, getting a rough idea of Shen Yi’s family background.
“And how’s your career at Tiancheng Corporation? What’s your position?”
“I’ve actually resigned. I’m planning to strike out on my own.”
Shen Yi answered directly, without hesitation.
At this, Ji Shulan’s frown deepened. A suspicion she’d harbored seemed confirmed, and a knowing smile spread across her face.
“Oh, so you’re unemployed?”
“Yes.”
There was no point lying—it would be easy to verify.
Ji Shulan noted his honesty and said meaningfully,
“Xiao Shen, our family isn’t old-fashioned. We don’t believe in strict class matching. But material things are the foundation of life. You can’t live on love alone, can you?”
“You two might not think about this now, but if you want to move forward, it’s something you’ll inevitably face.”
“Nanzhi is my precious daughter. She’s never lacked for anything growing up—clothes, food, or comforts.”
“If she ends up with you, I can’t have her suffering, can I?”
“Frankly, one of her dresses or bags could cost several months of your salary.”
Her words were straightforward, not aimed at Shen Yi personally, but simply stating the facts.
“I certainly don’t want her to end up supporting you instead, do I?”
“I’m speaking bluntly, and I hope you don’t mind.”
Shen Yi nodded in agreement. While Fu Nanzhi wasn’t materialistic, her lack of concern for material things stemmed from never having lacked them.
“It’s fine. You’re right. I don’t mind.”
Ji Shulan was impressed that her blunt words hadn’t rattled Shen Yi.
At the very least, he remained composed—not some obvious fool.
Her goal was clear: to make Shen Yi back off and cool this hasty romance.
Though she didn’t explicitly mention class, her every word revolved around it. Most people would’ve been offended by now.
But the conversation had to continue, and she had to play the bad guy.