Chapter 45
Feeling guilty about making the potentially inedible cake behind Qin Ai’s back, Zuo Bian and Qin Tian were unusually quiet in the car, as if they had done something wrong.
Qin Ai, driving, had a slight smile on her lips. She occasionally glanced at Zuo Bian and Qin Tian through the rearview mirror.
Every time they caught her looking, they would make a surprised expression, Σ(⊙▽⊙”a, making Qin Ai chuckle.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Zuo Bian was surprised to see that her parents and brother were also there.
Her mother, Du Yundong, was chatting animatedly with Qin Ai’s mother, Tian Yumeng. Seeing Zuo Bian, Qin Ai, and Qin Tian, she immediately greeted them warmly. “Come sit down quickly. Yumeng, your two children are really good-looking, they’re so adorable. I heard that Xiao Qin is developing the real estate project in the west of the city. She’s truly young and promising, and most importantly, she’s humble and level-headed. I wish our Zuo Yuan could be as mature and sensible as your Xiao Qin.”
Zuo Yuan, sitting beside them, rolled his eyes dramatically, making Zuo Bian worriedly ask if something had gotten into his eye.
As soon as he met Zuo Bian’s gaze, Zuo Yuan’s expression softened. “No, my eyes are just a bit uncomfortable.”
“Have a seat, everyone. Don’t be so formal.” Tian Yumeng said.
Everyone sat down. Qin Ai greeted everyone one by one, her attitude humble and polite, the image of a well-mannered young lady.
Qin Tian, with his sweet-talking, made Du Yundong laugh non-stop.
After the dishes were served, they started chatting while eating. The atmosphere was harmonious, except for Zuo Yuan.
He stubbornly refused to be nice to Qin Ai, focusing on his food with a sullen expression. Zuo Bian, noticing that Zuo Yuan was being “neglected,” opened a can of Wanglaoji herbal tea for him.
“Brother, have some herbal tea.”
“Thank you, Xiao Bian.” Zuo Yuan took the drink, his heart feeling as cold as the tea.
The meaning of this dinner with both families present was crystal clear. It probably wouldn’t be long before his sister got married to Qin Ai.
Zuo Yuan wished his sister could stay home for a few more years. Xiao Bian had finally made some friends and become more outgoing, but now she was about to become someone else’s wife after just a few months. It made Zuo Yuan’s heart ache.
He drank his herbal tea, swallowing his bitter tears. By the time he finished the can, only the sauce remained of his favorite steamed lion’s head meatballs. His heart felt even heavier.
The parents of both families chatted happily, but they didn’t mention marriage, it was more like a casual get-together to get to know each other.
After dinner, the two families parted ways, promising to have dinner together again next time.
In the car on their way home, Du Yundong held Zuo Bian’s hand and asked, “Xiao Bian, what do you think of the Qin family? I think they’re quite good. Qin Ai’s mother is gentle and seems easy to get along with.”
Zuo Yan glared at Zuo Yuan just as he was about to speak, silencing him.
Zuo Bian said, “I also think Qin Mama is very nice.”
Du Yundong smiled and continued chatting with Zuo Bian. As her mother, she naturally wanted her daughter to be happy in the future.
One reason was that Zuo Bian liked Qin Ai. Another was that the Qin family didn’t have any stubborn elders, only a kind and gentle mother-in-law. Thirdly, although Qin Ai had a younger brother, Qin Tian seemed to be a simple and innocent young man.
If Zuo Bian married Qin Ai, she would definitely be happy and wouldn’t have to worry about any messy family drama.
Moreover, with Qin Ai’s personality, she would definitely take good care of her daughter.
The more Du Yundong thought about it, the more satisfied she felt. But she wasn’t in a hurry; she still wanted her daughter to stay with her for a few more years.
Zuo Yuan, watching his mother and sister smile through the rearview mirror, understood his mother’s thoughts.
He sighed, thinking that it was best to let things take their natural course.
====================
After returning home, the first thing Zuo Bian did was take out her phone to message Qin Ai.
Just as she was about to send the message, 555 stopped her.
【Host, have you forgotten that you’re supposed to surprise Qin Ai? You can’t contact her first.】
Zuo Bian looked at her phone, her expression conflicted. “But I need to tell her that I can’t go to the amusement park with her tomorrow.”
【Alright, alright, go ahead and send it.】
“Mm-hmm!” Now that she had a reason, Zuo Bian felt justified and confidently sent the message to Qin Ai.
Qin Ai immediately sent a video call request, and Zuo Bian accepted without hesitation, even explaining to 555, “I was too quick. If I accepted and then hung up, she would be suspicious.”
555 didn’t want to say anything. If she wanted to chat with Qin Ai, she could just say it directly!
“Qin Ai, I’m sorry, I might not be able to go to the amusement park with you tomorrow.” Although her words expressed apology, there was no regret on Zuo Bian’s face. Instead, her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Qin Ai, who was easily “deceived,” said with slight disappointment, “That’s a pity. Then I guess I’ll just go to work tomorrow.”
Zuo Bian was surprised. “You’re working on Saturday?”
Qin Ai chuckled. “It’s boring to be alone. I can always find something to do at the company.”
“Qin Ai, have you always been like this…?” Zuo Bian initially wanted to say “on your birthday,” but she was afraid of giving it away, so she swallowed those words.
“Mm, if I keep myself busy, I won’t have time to think about other things.”
Ever since her father and grandfather passed away, Qin Ai had been like this. Endlessly busy, and even when she wasn’t, she would always find something to do.
Only by keeping her body busy could she forget the things she didn’t want to dwell on and ignore her loneliness.
Even her birthday, Qin Ai often forgot. She hadn’t celebrated it in four years. To her, it was unnecessary. That day was no different from any other day. It was better to spend her time expanding Qin Group.
Zuo Bian frowned, her eyes filled with heartache as she looked at Qin Ai.
“Qin Ai, don’t work too hard tomorrow, okay?”
Qin Ai asked, “What’s wrong? Do you suddenly have time to spend with me?”
Zuo Bian pursed her lips. She wanted to tell Qin Ai that they would be celebrating her birthday tomorrow, but she didn’t want to spoil the surprise. So she said, “You’ll find out tomorrow.”
Qin Ai actually already knew that Zuo Bian and Qin Tian were preparing for her birthday, but she pretended not to know and even teased Zuo Bian.
“Let me think, is tomorrow a special day?”
Zuo Bian’s eyes widened nervously, staring at Qin Ai on the phone screen.
Qin Ai’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Tomorrow is July 7th, but it’s not a holiday.”
Hearing this, Zuo Bian sighed in relief. She smiled and said, “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
Qin Ai chuckled softly. “So mysterious, you’ve got me intrigued.”
“Actually, I’m a bit nervous, I don’t know if you’ll like it.”
“I’ll like any gift you give me,” Qin Ai said.
Zuo Bian asked, “How do you know I’m going to give you a gift?”
Qin Ai tilted her head. “So there really is a gift.”
Zuo Bian realized she had been tricked. No matter how Qin Ai tried to pry information out of her, she refused to reveal anything about tomorrow’s plans.
555, watching from the sidelines, knew that the demon king Qin Ai had already seen through everything and was just teasing Zuo Bian.
Of course, it wouldn’t tell Zuo Bian that. Qin Ai wanted to be surprised, and it wouldn’t spoil it for her.
Not wanting to disturb their video chat, 555 moved to the pig plushie leaning against Zuo Bian’s back. It struggled to wiggle its butt and emerged from behind Zuo Bian.
Qin Ai was already used to this, so she pretended not to see it.
555, having escaped, woke up Little Frog, who was snoring in Zuo Bian’s bag. “Let’s go, we can’t disturb their alone time.”
Little Frog smacked its lips and mumbled, “But we’re not human, ribbit.”
“We can’t be third wheels.” 555 carried Little Frog and the tablet into a separate room in Zuo Bian’s room. The room was filled with plush toys that Zuo Bian had bought with Qin Ai and drinks produced by AB Beverage Factory, including Little Frog’s favorite Vitasoy.
One drooled at the sight of milk, while the other laughed and said, “So many bodies waiting for my royal presence.”
Zuo Bian didn’t know how long she chatted with Qin Ai. Finally, she said good night and hung up the video call.
Even after ending the call, Zuo Bian was still smiling. She grabbed a pillow and rolled around on the bed.
She really wanted to see Qin Ai now, not through a phone screen, but in person, someone she could touch and kiss.
After calming down, Zuo Bian finally realized that 555 and Little Frog were missing. She searched her room but couldn’t find them. Finally, she found them in the separate room.
Little Frog’s chubby face was flushed red, its eyes glazed over as it lay among a pile of empty Vitasoy cartons. It looked less like it had drunk milk and more like it was drunk.
“Ribbit, I’m milk drunk, ribbit…”
555 was sprawled among the plushies, watching TV dramas, happily playing with itself. Its face screamed “Living the dream.”
“It’s time for bed.” Zuo Bian picked up the two little cuties and returned to her room.
Little Frog was already drunk and very obedient. 555, on the other hand, was acting up.
“Let me go, let me go! I haven’t had enough time with my concubines! I still want to watch TV!”
“If you don’t behave, you won’t be allowed to play with the tablet for a month.” Zuo Bian said with a gentle smile.
555 hiccuped in fear. “Hic, I’m sorry, hic, I’ll go to sleep right now, hic.” Systems also needed to rest. Prolonged activity would lead to data corruption, and 555 knew Zuo Bian was doing this for its own good.
But why had Zuo Bian become as cunning as Qin Ai after spending so much time with her? It was scary! All women were scary!
Zuo Bian lay down on the bed, placing Little Frog on the bedside table and covering it with a small embroidered blanket.
She looked at the sleeping Little Frog with a gentle gaze, as if thinking about something pleasant. “555, what do you think we should name our children in the future?”
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