Aren't we friends? Why are you rushing at me?

As evening fell, Lin Shi drove, following Su Ningshuang's navigation, to another top-tier affluent area in the west of the city.

Lin Shi parked the car neatly in the temporary parking space marked on the side of the road. Although the Su family villa also has an underground garage, the only way to enter the underground garage is through the elevator.

This was neither appropriate nor reasonable for him as a guest.

After getting off the car, I stood in front of the window and quickly checked my makeup.

He wore a dark gray casual suit, which was well-tailored and made him look tall and straight.

I walked to the glove compartment in front of the car and took out the gifts I bought at the mall.

At first, Su Ningshuang asked Lin Shi to pay for the gifts, but Lin Shi forcibly refused.

Lin Shi was already very satisfied that Su Ningshuang bought the clothes. If she also bought the gifts, even though Su's parents wouldn't know, it would still be unfair. Someone kindly invited him to dinner, but in the end, the clothes and gifts were all bought by her. Lin Shi felt bad about it.

The two stood before the heavy solid wood door. Lin Shi carried gift boxes in both hands, while Su Ning Shuang insisted on carrying a smaller paper bag containing delicate pastries.

Lin Shi originally wanted to take them all at once, but Su Ningshuang insisted on helping him out.

Seeing Su Ningshuang's cold aura, Lin Shi weakly gave in and handed her the smallest and lightest one, but insisted that he could take the rest himself.

Seeing Lin Shi's firm demeanor, Su Ningshuang ultimately decided not to continue arguing.

Ring the doorbell.

Soon the door was opened from the inside.

The first person to appear was a kind-faced middle-aged woman wearing a neat apron and a polite smile; she was the Su family's live-in nanny.

Then, a lady who looked elegant and dignified walked over, dressed in simple home clothes and without any luxurious jewelry.

She wore only a simple earring and a bracelet that looked like glass. Her face had few wrinkles, and she had a gentle smile, exuding an elegance and composure that needed no adornment.

Lin Shi didn't quite understand the price classifications of bracelets, but he had heard people say:

"The more it resembles glass, the more valuable it is; real glass is worthless."

The bracelet on Su's mother's wrist looked extremely clear, much like a large glass bottle filled with snowflakes. But Lin Shi had a hunch, and even dared to swear on the fact that he would never need seasoning when eating instant noodles again, that it was definitely a priceless genuine item.

If I could get it, I'd be set for life. If I saved a little, I'd be set for life in the next.

"Is that Lin Shi? Come in quickly!"

With a beaming smile, Su's mother warmly welcomed Lin Shi inside, then pouted at Su Ningshuang, who was standing to the side holding only a small paper bag.

You didn't even try to help Xiaolin carry more things. Carrying a paper bag is worse than not carrying anything at all. Honestly.

Lin Shi felt rather uncomfortable with such direct enthusiasm, after all, this was the right-hand man of the president of his superior company.

Don't underestimate Su's mother just because she looks gentle; rumors of her ruthless methods circulate in private.

He said repeatedly:

"Hey, just call me Kobayashi, thank you, Auntie."

I changed into the slippers provided at the door and stepped into the living room.

The entire living room is in a completely opposite style to the villa that Shen Zhixiao gifted it to him. If it were Shen Zhixiao's villa, it would be a highly modern smart home product. But what we are facing now is an old-fashioned style that is understated but constantly speaks of social status.

The furniture is mostly exquisitely crafted solid wood, and several traditional Chinese paintings with profound artistic conception hang on the wall, along with a few unsigned calligraphy works. They were probably gifts from a private individual.

Mr. Su was sitting on the sofa, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, looking down at the newspaper.

Upon hearing the voice, he looked up and glanced at Lin Shi, his gaze far from friendly; rather, it held a scrutinizing quality. He looked Lin Shi up and down before lowering his head again to continue reading his newspaper. He didn't even offer a greeting.

Lin Shi's smile froze for a moment.

First, I have to thank Su Ningshuang for buying me a new outfit; otherwise, I would definitely have left a bad impression on Su's father.

But things look really bad now. Will Su's father think I'm dating President Su? This pressure is really intimidating.

Moreover, it looks like the prospective son-in-law's first visit to the bride's family, which resulted in the bride's parents disliking him.

I didn't perform well today, so I guess I'll go cosplay as a mermaid tonight, the kind with the cement lower half.

Looking up at Su's ever-smiling mother, he instantly recognized who his savior was today, and said with a smile:

"Auntie, I've been too busy with work before and haven't had the chance to visit you. Today I finally found the opportunity, so I asked Mr. Su to bring me to see you. I brought you some gifts."

His extremely polite words indicated that his relationship with President Su was just that of an ordinary superior and subordinate, and that his visit today was simply out of concern for an elder.

Although Su Ningshuang knew she was bored to death every day, she couldn't expose her now.

Lin Shih-cheng was marveling at his own cleverness.

A cold snort came from behind.

Lin Shi turned to look at the source of the voice. Su's father pretended to be nonchalant, shook his newspaper, and continued to observe, but his ears twitched slightly, indicating that he was listening to the conversation between the two.

"Aaaaaah!" Lin Shi maintained a smile on the surface, but inwardly screamed like a groundhog.

Did you realize it was a lie? And you're so blunt about exposing it directly? It feels like the Mermaid cosplay event is going to be canceled. Will they just split up and go their separate ways?

Lin Shi was so frightened that his face turned pale. He felt that this dinner party was a trap, and he was afraid that Su's father would pick up a glass and say, "Ah~ the King of Guanzhong has arrived~"

Seeing Lin Shi's pale face, Su's mother turned and glared at Su's father before taking Lin Shi's hand and comforting him:

"Let him come, why bring a gift? Never mind him, he's going through menopause. Come on, kid, let's go talk over at the table, ignore that old man."

The nanny next to him was very perceptive and immediately stepped forward to respectfully and carefully accept all the gifts from Lin Shi's hands.

Lin Shi turned to look at Su's mother, whose gentle expression almost melted his heart.

She radiates maternal glow, making you want to call her "Mom".

The three of them had just sat down at the dining table and hadn't even spoken when Su's father suddenly stood up, took a newspaper, walked over, sat down, and continued reading the news.

Su's mother watched Su's father's actions with amusement, her eyes seeming to say:

"Hey, weren't you just dissatisfied with someone? What brings you here now?"

The look in his eyes made Su's father a little embarrassed, and he coughed lightly:

"It's almost lunchtime. It's convenient to sit here, so we won't have to call you later."

The lame excuse made Su's mother burst out laughing.

Lin Shi could only try to maintain an awkward but polite smile, though the smile looked somewhat forced.

Despite the rumors circulating about the harmonious relationship within the Su family, especially the love story between Su's parents, there was still a degree of fear in the heart of Lin Shi, the group's tycoon known for his iron-fisted approach to business.

Suddenly, I seemed to understand how Su Ningshuang cultivated her unique temperament.

Lin Shi kept glancing at Su Ning Shuang, hoping she could speak up and salvage the awkward situation.

Just as Su Ningshuang was about to speak, seeing Lin Shi's provocative gaze, her mother gestured for her to step aside.

Only Lin Shi and Su's father remained at the dining table.

The mother and daughter walked to the sofa on one side of the living room.

Su's mother said with a somewhat cold expression:

"When you and Xiaolin were shopping at the mall today, was someone causing trouble?"

Su Ningshuang was taken aback at first, then remembered the man who had tried to strike up a conversation with her and nodded.

Su's mother nodded and continued:

"Okay, I understand."

After saying that, he looked at Lin Shi, who was awkwardly talking to Su's father.

She didn't believe in any accidents. The two of them were clearly shopping together, and yet, by sheer coincidence, a man came up and started chatting them up.

"When my men found him, he had already been beaten up. You sent him?"

Su Ningshuang hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. She hadn't brought anyone with her when she went out today.

Then, his tone grew even colder as he said:

"Mother, have you sent someone to spy on me?"

Looking at Su Ningshuang, Su's mother could easily see Su Ningshuang's anger, even though others might only see coldness.

He shook his head and said softly:

"No, the Su family never actively monitors people who are important to us. Even though I'm incredibly curious about him, I've never sent anyone to investigate him."

"Li Wei reported that you and Lin Shi went out without bodyguards. The mall manager also informed me about the incident where you were approached by strangers."