Mediation

Ji Shulan pushed the door open and chased after Fu Nanzhi for dozens of meters, but Fu Nanzhi had already disappeared without a trace.

Unable to do anything else, Ji Shulan went back inside and found her phone, dialing Fu Nanzhi's number over and over again.

At that moment, Fu Nanzhi was sitting in her car, tears streaming down her face.

She kept hanging up on her mother’s calls, but Ji Shulan persisted. Eventually, Fu Nanzhi simply blocked the number.

With tear-filled eyes, Fu Nanzhi pulled up Shen Yi’s number and called him. He answered immediately.

As soon as she heard Shen Yi’s voice, Fu Nanzhi couldn’t hold back her emotions.

"Wuwuwu, where did you go, honey?"

"Don’t cry, don’t cry. What’s wrong? Where else would I go? I went home," Shen Yi reassured her over the phone.

"Did she kick you out?" Fu Nanzhi asked.

"Who’s 'she'? That’s your mom. It’s not like she kicked me out. She’s coming to stay with you, so it’s not convenient for me to be there anymore," Shen Yi corrected her, having no issue with his mother-in-law’s decision.

“But that’s still forcing you to leave. Why didn’t you call and tell me earlier?” Fu Nanzhi pouted, her voice filled with grievance.

Shen Yi quickly tried to calm her down.

"If I had told you, what would you have done? Would you have rushed back and caused a scene, or argued with her? That wouldn’t solve anything."

"She’s your mom, and I’m your husband. You’d be stuck in the middle, and that wouldn’t be fair to you."

Shen Yi’s calm voice had a soothing effect, and Fu Nanzhi’s tears stopped almost immediately.

"Well, it’s too late now. I already argued with her," Fu Nanzhi said, wiping her eyes with a tissue.

"You argued? Did you lose your temper?"

"I did."

"Then you need to go back and apologize to your mom."

"Why should I? She’s the one who was wrong by making you leave. Why should I apologize?" Fu Nanzhi protested.

"First of all, she’s your mom. She doesn’t have any reason to harm you. Second, you need to put yourself in her shoes. If you were in her position, would you be comfortable with your daughter getting close to someone you’ve only known for three days?"

"You’d probably react even more strongly."

"I..."

Fu Nanzhi wanted to argue, but after calming down, she couldn’t find a good reason to.

"Lastly, you always argue when I call you silly. I sent you home to smooth things over, but you almost made things worse."

"Let me ask you, what was the purpose of introducing me to your parents?"

"To get married..." Fu Nanzhi replied weakly after some thought.

"Right, and do you need your parents’ approval to get married?"

"Yes..." Fu Nanzhi’s voice grew even softer.

"Exactly. Will arguing with your mom get her to agree?"

"No..." Fu Nanzhi’s lips were now pouting so much they could almost hold a soy sauce bottle.

"See? Now do you understand why you need to apologize?"

"I understand..." Fu Nanzhi said, sounding defeated.

"That’s the point. We need to solve the problem, not fight against it, okay?"

"If your mom doesn’t approve of me, then we’ll work on getting her approval. What’s wrong with your husband, right?"

"By arguing with her, you’re essentially forcing her to accept me, and that’s only going to backfire."

Shen Yi’s thorough explanation gradually cleared Fu Nanzhi’s mind.

Even though she had already admitted her mistake internally, Fu Nanzhi still rested her head on the steering wheel, mumbling unhappily.

"But I feel embarrassed."

She had just had a fight, and now she had to go back and apologize. It was hard for her to swallow her pride.

Shen Yi immediately offered a solution over the phone.

"There’s nothing embarrassing about a daughter apologizing to her mom. It’s not like she’s apologizing to you."

"Don’t worry, your mom’s tough on the outside but soft on the inside. At most, she’ll just tease you a bit."

"Here’s what you do: go back and say you’re hungry and want to eat. Don’t say anything else. If she scolds you, just listen and don’t argue. Everything will be fine by tomorrow."

This had happened before, and Shen Yi was confident in his approach.

"Okay, I get it..." Fu Nanzhi agreed. This seemed more acceptable than directly admitting her mistake.

Then, she started to whine coquettishly.

"But I miss you. How am I supposed to sleep without you?"

She had just started enjoying their time together, and the thought of Shen Yi not being there made her want to fly to his side immediately.

"How about I come to you now? I can apologize tomorrow."

Shen Yi immediately rejected the idea and continued to instruct her.

"No, if you wait until tomorrow, it’ll lose its meaning."

"Be good and bear with it for now. You need to understand the difference between a one-time meal and a lifetime of meals."

"Besides, your mom will go back eventually. She’s not going to stay with you forever. And she didn’t ban me from Peaceful Lake Residence; I just can’t stay overnight there."

Then, Shen Yi dangled a carrot.

"If you behave well, your husband will reward you later."

"Really? What reward?"

As expected, Fu Nanzhi’s attention was immediately captured, and she asked in a sweet voice.

"It’s a secret."

He knew Fu Nanzhi inside and out.

With just a few words, he had her calmed down.

After hanging up the phone, Fu Nanzhi got out of the car and wiped the tear stains from her cheeks with her sleeve.

When she got home, she followed Shen Yi’s advice and sat down at the dining table, saying softly,

"I’m hungry..."

Meanwhile, Ji Shulan, who had been unable to reach Fu Nanzhi, was filled with regret. Just as she was about to call Fu Yuanyu for help, she saw Fu Nanzhi return.

Relieved, Ji Shulan didn’t dare provoke her further.

"Well, at least you’re hungry," Ji Shulan muttered before going back to the kitchen to bring out the food.

At the dinner table, the clinking of bowls and chopsticks filled the air as mother and daughter sat across from each other, eating in silence.

Ji Shulan picked up some vegetables and put them in Fu Nanzhi’s bowl, frowning.

"Eat some vegetables. Don’t just keep scooping rice."

Throughout the meal, Fu Nanzhi didn’t argue with anything Ji Shulan said, nor did she refuse the food her mother put in her bowl.

She just kept her head down and ate.

After finishing her meal, Fu Nanzhi went upstairs to rest.

Even though they hadn’t exchanged a single word, Ji Shulan knew her daughter had softened.

About an hour later, Ji Shulan knocked on the bedroom door and walked in.

She had just taken a shower and changed into her pajamas. Her hair, which had been tied up, now fell loosely over her shoulders. Standing at the door, she hesitated for a moment before saying,

"Ahem... It’s been a while since we’ve slept together. What do you think...?"

Fu Nanzhi, who was holding her phone and looking at something, didn’t respond but subtly shifted to the side, making room.

Ji Shulan immediately understood the signal and felt comforted.

She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking Fu Nanzhi’s head. Her eyes gradually softened.

...

After hanging up the phone, Shen Yi put his phone aside.

Shaking his head, he sighed,

"This family would fall apart without me."

The truth was simple, but people wrapped up in love often couldn’t see it clearly.

No one will tolerate your willfulness endlessly, except for your parents.

If you’re wrong, apologize. Don’t avoid it or delay it.

What could be resolved with a few words shouldn’t turn into misunderstandings and eventually become emotional barriers.

Shen Yi had to help Fu Nanzhi sort out the things she couldn’t see clearly, ensuring that small issues didn’t create distance between them.

Fu Yuanyu and Ji Shulan were actually good people, which was why they had raised such an outstanding daughter like Fu Nanzhi.

Love isn’t a machine that never stops; it also needs constant care and maintenance.