Can We Get Married First?  29

Chapter 29

Lou Mi mentally screamed I’m innocent! five hundred times, the glass in her hand suddenly burning hot.

She wanted to put it in the kitchen, but the lipstick mark on the rim felt like incriminating evidence at a crime scene.

She grabbed a tissue and self-consciously wiped the rim clean, as if that would erase her guilt.

Even though it had been an accident, the embarrassment lingered.

Why didn’t Chi Lin say anything?! This is so humiliating!

But I drank it so fast… how could she have interrupted?

Lou Mi paced, berating herself and Chi Lin, until the blush finally subsided.

She had never dated before. A little embarrassment was normal.

If Xie Buyu and the others were here, they would have teased her mercilessly.

She had to explain to Chi Lin. It had been an accident.

Chi Lin was in the next room with Peng Ziyuan and Grandma, their voices muffled as they discussed school and grades.

Lou Mi eavesdropped from the hallway.

Grandma praised Chi Lin’s improvement on the midterm exam and asked about her study methods.

“Intelligence isn’t everything. All kids are smart these days. It’s about finding the right approach.”

Lou Mi heard Chi Lin say, “Sister has been tutoring me. She taught me some new methods. My improvement is all thanks to her.”

Peng Ziyuan beamed. “Did you thank your sister? She’s so busy. I can’t believe she found the time to tutor you.”

Grandma: “Mimi might seem harsh, but she’s a good girl. Always willing to help others.”

Lou Mi, overhearing their praise, felt a warm glow of pride, but also a twinge of annoyance.

Why is Grandma saying these things?

Chi Lin had only mentioned the tutoring, not the subsequent accusations of cheating.

Lou Mi had expected her to share the whole story, including Lou Mi’s defense of her and the confrontation with Ms. Hu.

But Chi Lin hadn’t mentioned it.

She probably didn’t want to worry her mother.

Peng Ziyuan’s love for her daughter was unconditional, rivaling even Lou Lixing’s doting affection.

If she knew about the accusations, she would be heartbroken.

“You two seem close,” Grandma said, reaching out to Chi Lin with a warm smile.

Chi Lin took her hand and sat beside her.

“She’s grown up. She’s more considerate now,” Grandma said, stroking Chi Lin’s hand. “Mimi was quite mischievous when she was younger.”

Lou Mi’s ears perked up. Why is Grandma telling embarrassing stories about me?

“What kind of mischief did Sister get into?” Chi Lin asked.

Lou Mi groaned internally. Why is she encouraging her? She wanted to rush in and gag her grandmother.

But Chi Lin’s sweet tone softened her heart. She couldn’t bring herself to interrupt their bonding moment.

She stood outside the door, eavesdropping.

“Mimi was a real handful in elementary school,” Grandma said, chuckling. “Always causing trouble, and the kind of trouble you wouldn’t even think of. One time, a girl in her class left half an orange on her desk. Mimi, for some reason, thought she didn’t want it anymore and started rolling it around on the floor with her foot. The girl came back, saw her orange squished, and burst into tears. The teacher scolded Mimi for a long time.”

Peng Ziyuan and Chi Lin laughed.

“She did things like that all the time,” Grandma continued. “The teachers were always scolding her, but she never learned her lesson.”

Grandma has a great memory, Lou Mi thought.

Or was it her own memory that was failing? She had no recollection of this incident.

As the laughter continued, Grandma shared another story. “She used to invite her friends over and play dress-up. Her mother had a lot of clothes, so she would open her closet and let her friends wear her dresses and pretend to be characters from games and cartoons. They would play shopkeepers, and Mimi would be the emperor. The house would be a mess. Expensive dresses draped over their heads, filming themselves with their phones. Her mother saw it all on the home surveillance system and grounded her.”

Peng Ziyuan’s laughter was slightly subdued this time.

The mention of Lou Mi’s deceased mother didn’t affect Lou Mi much.

It had been eight years. She had come to terms with it. But Peng Ziyuan might still be sensitive about it.

Grandma wasn’t one to speak carelessly…

Lou Mi realized her intention.

If they never mentioned Lou Mi’s mother, she would always be a barrier between Peng Ziyuan and Lou Lixing.

They had to talk about it to move on.

No one could take care of Lou Lixing forever, except Peng Ziyuan.

The past was the past. They had to look forward.

That must be what Grandma was thinking.

“And this one time,” Grandma continued, “Mimi and her friends wanted to get a gift for their teacher’s birthday. They decided to make a painting. But Mimi thought a regular painting was too boring. She wanted to use… unconventional colors. Guess what she did?”

“Don’t tell me…” Peng Ziyuan said, a horrified expression on her face.

“She took all of her mother’s lipsticks,” Grandma said, “and bragged to her friends about how many colors her mom had, how beautiful they were. She said her mom told her all women loved these colors, so the teacher would love a painting made with lipstick.”

“Did she actually do it?!” Peng Ziyuan gasped.

“She did. Her mother came home, saw the open closet, and knew something was wrong. All of her lipsticks, including a collection of vintage shades, were… destroyed. Not just used, but gouged and mangled.”

Peng Ziyuan and Chi Lin burst out laughing.

Chi Lin knew how important cosmetics were to women. Lou Mi’s audacity was astounding.

As the laughter filled the room, Grandma, wiping away tears of mirth, said, “Her mother chased her around the house for three years.”

“Three years?!” Peng Ziyuan asked, incredulous.

“Yes, three years. Because Mimi was so fast and agile, like a monkey, her mother could never catch her. And Mimi wouldn’t give her a chance to lecture her. They would chase each other around the house whenever they had a chance.”

Lou Mi, listening from the hallway, could hear the waves of laughter.

Well, at least I’m providing entertainment.

She didn’t notice Lou Lixing, who had been awakened by the noise, standing behind her.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

Lou Mi jumped, startled. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

“I’ve been standing here for a while…”

Peng Ziyuan opened the door. “Oh, you’re awake?”

“What’s so funny?”

Peng Ziyuan turned to Grandma, who put a finger to her lips.

“It’s a secret,” she whispered.

You’re using my childhood embarrassments as bonding material? And it’s a secret? Have you considered my feelings?

Grandpa called everyone to the living room for fruit and tea.

“Stay here tonight,” he said, carrying a platter of fruit. “We have plenty of rooms.”

Lou Lixing hesitated, glancing at Peng Ziyuan and Chi Lin.

Peng Ziyuan remained silent, and Chi Lin didn’t say anything either.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you want to stay?” Grandpa asked.

“Of course, we’ll stay,” Lou Mi said. “I’m exhausted. I’ll pass out as soon as I hit the pillow. No way am I driving home tonight.”

Grandpa smiled. “Good. Have some fruit, and we’ll set up the beds later.”

“Sounds good!”

Grandpa turned on the TV, and they all relaxed in the living room, eating fruit and sipping tea.

Chi Lin, Peng Ziyuan, and Grandma sat on the large sofa. Lou Lixing and Grandpa discussed work at the tea table. Lou Mi lay on the massage chair, the backrest reclined almost flat, the gentle vibrations soothing her aching muscles.

She tried to use her phone, but the screen blurred with the chair’s movements.

She gave up and closed her eyes.

As she put down her phone, her gaze met Chi Lin’s.

Chi Lin, sitting at the edge of the sofa, looked at her intently, her expression unreadable.

Lou Mi narrowed her eyes.

Was that a look of accusation? About the indirect kiss?

So petty. It was indirect! Not even a real kiss…

But teenagers could be sensitive about such things.

And to maintain her image as the mature adult, she sat up, intending to drag Chi Lin to the balcony and explain herself.

As she sat up, she saw Chi Lin holding half an orange.

Lou Mi: “?”

Chi Lin: “Want to roll it on the floor?”

Lou Mi: “…”

Seeing Lou Mi’s dumbfounded expression, Chi Lin smiled triumphantly.

So she’s using my childhood embarrassment as a joke now?

Lou Mi made a mental note to punish her later.

The opportunity presented itself soon enough.

“Mimi, you and Xiao Lin can share a room tonight,” Lou Lixing said. “You can have the bigger room.”

Chi Lin’s face stiffened. She had assumed she would be sharing a room with Peng Ziyuan.

There weren’t enough rooms for everyone to have their own, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for Lou Lixing to share a room with his daughter, so naturally, he and Peng Ziyuan would share a room, leaving the two girls to share another.

In 2043, same-sex marriage had been legal for over a decade, and same-sex roommates were considered perfectly normal and safe.

Chi Lin didn’t want to share a bed with anyone other than the Empress.

But she couldn’t object…

She tried to appear nonchalant, careful not to arouse Lou Mi’s suspicions.

“You go ahead,” Lou Mi said, trying to sound casual. “I’ll be there after I take a shower.”

She immediately regretted her words.

Chi Lin: “…”

Damn it.

Lou Mi cringed internally. That sounded… suggestive.

Her ears burned.

Chi Lin, noticing her blush, sighed.

Young people. Not only do they drink irresponsibly, but they also have impure thoughts.