My girlfriend isn't as cute as me.

"When I get paid, I'll find a chance to buy a cheap tea set..." Lin Jiu thought to herself. She couldn't let Wang Yuting drink barley juice every day; it wasn't good for her health. If she absolutely had to drink a beverage, then tea would be a good alternative.

"Oh?"

Mo Xiao smiled, her full red lips curving upwards, radiating an intellectual glow.

She laughed and said, "You've already made this place your home? Not bad, not bad."

"Well--"

Lin Jiu was unable to refute for a moment.

He couldn't just nod and answer, "Yes, that's right."

Lin Jiu tried to look at Wang Yuting sitting next to her and ask for help.

Wang Yuting noticed Lin Jiu's gaze, and she gave him a knowing thumbs up, as if to say, "I understand."

Lin Jiu felt relieved; he knew that only Wang Yuting truly understood him.

Wang Yuting put her hands on her hips with a self-righteous air.

"Yes, that's right, that's exactly it!"

In a sense, Wang Yuting did understand Lin Jiu.

However, what Lin Jiu wanted to say was, you can't just say what's on my mind. You have to be more subtle... Never mind, this girl has never been subtle. She always goes straight to the point and never beats around the bush.

Expecting Wang Yuting to become a riddle teller is less effective than stopping riddle tellers altogether.

Mo Xiao glanced at the row of clothes hanging on the balcony, then at Lin Jiu, who sat upright and ramrod straight. From any angle, she was a stunningly beautiful young woman. Youthful and radiant, fresh and refined, she possessed a natural beauty, unlike the affected, overly cute poses of a girl trying too hard to look adorable. Just her presence alone was enough to bring a sense of peace.

In contrast, his own daughter looked silly and sat next to Lin Jiu, always grinning foolishly, seemingly with an IQ no higher than eight years old.

The problem is not big.

Even the best cabbage was eaten by my daughter, wasn't it?

So what if it's a boy? A boy is perfect! He'll be just right to be my child!

"You're really something, keeping such an adorable child at home." Mo Xiao asked, staring at his daughter.

"That's a long story..."

"Then tell me slowly."

As a parent, Mo Xiao still needs to understand the situation.

After all, she saw the school uniform on the balcony. If this wasn't role-playing, then Lin Jiu was probably a high school student. Her own daughter was older than her; she wondered if Lin Jiu would mind that…

"So it is—"

Because the matter was rather complicated, Wang Yuting spoke very slowly this time so that her mother could hear her clearly.

"—It's like this, like this," Lin Jiu added, filling in the gaps in her explanation.

"Oh! I almost forgot about that!"

Wang Yuting gave Lin Jiu a thumbs up, "GOODJOB."

Mo Xiao frowned, placed her right hand on the table, and lightly tapped the surface with her fingertips.

"There was a part of the second half that I didn't hear clearly. Could you please repeat it?"

"No problem." Lin Jiu nodded, then raised his hand and gestured in the air, "Like this."

"So that's how it is..."

Mo Xiaoxin's heart tightened slightly.

That's terrifying.

Big cities aren't very safe either.

How can there still be murderers running around like this?

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the two of them were safe and sound.

"Yuting, you did the right thing. I didn't teach you for nothing."

"……Um."

Wang Yuting lowered her head slightly, looking unusually embarrassed.

She wasn't used to being praised, or rather, she had always been resistant to her parents' praise.

It feels like a newbie from a beginner village finally defeating a goblin, and then a veteran player in full mythic and epic gear praises them for doing a great job. You don't know whether to be happy or log off.

Just then, Lin Jiu secretly reached out and grasped Wang Yuting's hand under the table.

Wang Yuting looked at him in surprise.

She looked at Lin Jiu's profile and realized that Lin Jiu was cheering her on, so she couldn't help but smile.

Only Lin Jiu's praise would make Wang Yuting truly accept it and feel joy for it.

"Hey……"

Mo Xiao has excellent eyesight.

How could she not see their subtle actions?

However, according to Wang Yuting's explanation, Lin Jiu was staying with her largely because he was homeless. They didn't hide their employment relationship; Wang Yuting told her mother everything except what happened at school.

Lin Jiu also felt there was no need to hide it from her; telling her frankly might put her at ease.

After all, Lin Jiu didn't want to be a gigolo; he was a serious worker.

This house is a home precisely because he came.

"I'm so glad I came today."

Mo Xiao slowly leaned back in her chair, letting out a sigh of relief, feeling as if she had finally let go of a heavy burden.

She had already mentally prepared herself for her daughter to be deceived by a bad man, and for the child to already be conceived.

After all, Wang Yuting is rather naive and has zero dating experience. It's not impossible for her to encounter a bad man in a strange city. Why was Mo Xiao so certain he was a bad man? The reason is simple: if she met someone who truly cared for her, why would she have been dating him for a year and kept it a secret from her parents?

Mo Xiao never expected that the bad guy would be my daughter!

Taking advantage of a moment when no one is paying attention, they lured the other person directly into their home!

What audacity!

Absolutely—well done!

What a brilliant idea!

If I can't win your heart, I'll win your body first, and then I'll win your heart.

Once you sign this contract, there's no escaping it.

She truly is my daughter.

This is probably what is meant by "passing down the same lineage".

People who aren't family shouldn't enter the same door.

“I can rest assured if you’re here, Xiao Jiu.” Mo Xiao leaned forward slightly and said solemnly, “My child can’t do any housework at all, yet she insisted on moving out on her own. She must have suffered a lot this past year. When her father and I video chatted with her during the New Year, we saw that she looked haggard and was about to collapse. I was thinking that if she couldn’t make it here, I would bring her home no matter what, even if it meant using force.”

As Mo Xiao spoke, he extended his right hand and clenched it into a fist, making a popping sound like popping beans.

Lin Jiu looked at her fist; if he had a combat power detector, he probably would have blown it up.

What kind of Super Saiyan is this?

Wang Yuting lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly, as she was well aware of her personal habits.

If Lin Jiu hadn't come, it would definitely be a hellish scene right now, wouldn't it?

If Mom saw what this room was like before...

Wang Yuting trembled and dared not think any further.

"Please, you must support her," Mo Xiao pleaded.

This left Lin Jiu somewhat bewildered. They had only met once, so why was she so at ease with him?

Lin Jiu glanced at Wang Yuting and, seeing her guilty expression, figured out the reason.

If Wang Yuting continues to live alone, she'll eventually get moldy, right? The house was initially far dirtier than Lin Jiu could comprehend, not to mention her practically zero cooking skills. Despite being wealthy, she ate convenience store food for a whole year. Lin Jiu only ate expired lunches out of desperation; Wang Yuting couldn't cook and could only eat lunches.

"I understand."

Lin Jiu held Wang Yuting's hand tightly and promised Mo Xiao, "Please entrust your outstanding daughter, whom you have raised for many years, to me."

Wang Yuting felt the warmth of Lin Jiu's palm and the weight of his promise.

Lin Jiu is a person who values ​​promises.

If you say you'll do it, then do it; otherwise, don't say it at all.

He had to admit that he was already infatuated with her.

Mo Xiao looked directly at Lin Jiu. Having navigated the complexities of society for many years, she had long since learned how to judge a person.

Lin Jiu is more than just cute.

"Yuting, you've met a wonderful person."

Mo Xiao looked at her daughter, sighed softly, and said gently, "I'm actually a very irresponsible mother. When you were little, I was too busy with many things to take good care of you. Only after you grew up did I realize how much you were troubled. But we were also one of the reasons you were troubled, so your father and I never knew how to talk to you properly... Although you might think it's too late for me to say this now, I hope you understand that we are a family. You weren't adopted; you are the apple of my eye, the child I carried for ten months. You are my daughter."

"Mother……"

Wang Yuting made a muffled sound.

She felt somewhat lost, as childhood memories flooded back, making her feel helpless.

Lin Jiu stood up at some point, took her hand, and rested his shoulder on hers.

Lin Jiu didn't know about Wang Yuting's past, and Wang Yuting didn't know about Lin Jiu's family situation. But that didn't matter. As long as they stayed together, they could bear each other's past and face the unknown future together.

"It's fine."

Lin Jiu said softly, "Just say what you think."

Wang Yuting clung tightly to Lin Jiu, as if drawing courage from her, and looked up at her mother.

Although she had said it was difficult to guess her mother's age from her face, she had to admit that... her mother had indeed aged. Mo Xiao was no longer as sharp and assertive as before; time had smoothed out her indomitable spirit and taught her to stop and take a look.