Chapter 142 Reunion
　　Inside the hotel lobby, a striking middle-aged woman with shoulder-length short hair and a brisk walk approached with a smile, saying, "Xiao Su, it's been a while."

　　Su Tianyu snapped back to reality and immediately responded, "Hello, Auntie."

　　This middle-aged woman was none other than An Qiqi's mother, Yu Mingyuan's aunt. She and Su Tianyu had met twice before, once at Huadu Hospital and once at the Yu family's home.

　　Su Tianyu was surprised that she had found him here, but he still said politely, "Auntie, are you here to see Qiqi?"

　　"Yes, she's sick and suddenly took leave. I asked Wawa, and she said you were here." An Qiqi's mother had a natural affability, perhaps due to her long years working at the grassroots level. In any case, she gave people a sense of closeness.

　　"Oh, then I'll take you up," Su Tianyu said, stepping aside.

　　Da Xiong also knew what was what, greeted An Qiqi's mother, turned around, and left to buy cigarettes for Su Tianyu.

　　The two stepped into the elevator, and An Qiqi's mother asked proactively, "Xiao Su, are you here in New York on business?"

　　"Well... not exactly on business." Su Tianyu scratched his head. "I don't start my job for another week, so I thought I'd relax before officially starting work."

　　"Oh, I see. Haha, I saw Qiqi's social media posts. You got into the Dragon City Coast Guard, right?" An Qiqi's mother said with a smile, "Congratulations."

　　Su Tianyu feigned a shy smile and pressed the floor button.

　　As the elevator went up, An Qiqi's mother carefully sized up Su Tianyu's back, feeling quite curious about him. Because Yu Jinrong had previously given her Gou Liuzi's (Dog Six) information, asking the An family to help with the stain on his record in District One, she had some understanding of the young man before her.

　　His education, character, and the honors he had received were all outstanding, but An Qiqi's mother couldn't figure out how he had managed to get rid of the stain on his record. Clearly, Yu Mingyuan didn't have the ability to do that, and Su Tianyu's relatives in Dragon City were also quite ordinary.

　　The two exchanged a few simple words in the elevator and arrived at the floor where the rooms were located. But before they could enter the room together, An's mother heard a pig-like laughter coming from inside.

　　"Cough, cough!" Su Tianyu quickly walked into the room and coughed twice.

　　"Come on, come on!" Bai Hongbo, wearing a t-shirt, turned around, waved at Su Tianyu, and shouted, "It's too exciting. They insisted I use beatboxing to imitate pa pa pa (onomatopoeia for the sound of sexual intercourse), I...!"

　　Su Tianyu stepped on Da Bai's foot and winked at him.

　　"Gah!"

　　Bai Hongbo, who had been laughing, saw An's mother and instantly took a sharp breath, almost suffocating. "It's... it's playing cards!"

　　Inside the room, the group of young people froze when they saw An's mother enter. An Qiqi, who had been happily playing Ludo, stood up in surprise. "Mom, what are you doing here?"

　　"You didn't go to work, and you didn't call me when you came back. I thought you were lost," An's mother teased with no particular emotion. "How old are you? Still acting so crazy."

　　"Oh, we're... having a gathering with friends, playing cards," An Qiqi said, glaring at Wawa, clearly unhappy with this snitch.

　　"Auntie!"

　　Zhou Tonghui and the others also came over to greet her.

　　"Haha, it's okay. I was just worried about her health. You guys keep playing," An's mother replied amiably, stepping forward and asking, "Are you feeling better?"

　　"Much better, I'm fine, eating like a horse!" An Qiqi replied with a smile.

　　An's mother glanced at the restrained young people in the room and said with a smile, "Am I making you feel awkward being here? Haha, you guys continue playing. I'll talk to Qiqi for a bit."

　　"Okay, Auntie!" Su Tianyu nodded.

　　"Let's go, I'll talk to you outside," An Qiqi said, picking up a jacket, taking her mother's arm, and walking out, sticking her tongue out at Gou Liuzi.

　　Da Bai looked at the two leaving with lingering fear and whispered to Su Tianyu, "Luckily, your mother-in-law came early, or she would have caught you two in the act."

　　"Get lost, you idiot. What 'pa pa pa'? Are you banging on the wall? Are you trying to die?" Su Tianyu cursed irritably.

　　...

　　In the hallway.

　　An's mother looked at her daughter, still smiling, and said, "Not working properly, taking leave whenever you want, and not calling me when you came back. Aren't you being a bit much?"

　　"I was planning to go home tomorrow," An Qiqi replied, blinking.

　　"As punishment, you go tell Wawa to pack her things and come home to stay tonight."

　　"Mom, we're having a get-together."

　　"Which girl has a get-together late at night with a bunch of young men?" An's mother asked without changing her expression. "What happened to being demure?"

　　"Oh, we're all sharing rooms, Wawa and I are in one room. I'll show you if you don't believe me."

　　"Don't be stubborn. You have to come home tonight." An's mother didn't get angry or lose her temper, but simply said with a smile and turned to leave. "I had three meetings today, and I have another social engagement tonight. I'm very tired. Please be considerate of this middle-aged woman."

　　An Qiqi was used to this way of interacting with her mother and nodded slowly. "Okay, we'll go back with you."

　　"I'll wait for you downstairs."

　　Twenty minutes later, in the business sedan.

　　An's mother, resting her chin in her hand, asked casually, "Qiqi, how did Xiao Su pass the political review for his civil service exam?"

　　An Qiqi was stunned for a moment, then immediately said excitedly, "His godfather is the Dragon City Mayor, Li Mingsheng...!"

　　"Ah?" An's mother, who was usually quite calm, couldn't help but sit up straight when she heard this. "Godfather? How is that possible? Which mayor would casually get involved in such a shady relationship?"

　　"He saved Li Mingsheng's life," An Qiqi said proudly. "What's wrong with adopting a godson? If it weren't for my Gou Liuzi, he wouldn't have been able to get back from outside the district. I heard someone was trying to assassinate him..."

　　"Your Gou Liuzi?!" An's mother raised her eyebrows and asked, "What kind of nickname is that?"

　　"...I... it's just my catchphrase! What's wrong with it!" An Qiqi immediately changed the subject. "Li Mingsheng personally arranged for Xiao Yu's political review after he came back. I heard the mayor's secretary personally greeted him on the day of the interview."

　　"A coast guard who got in through connections?"

　　"How is that possible? My Gou Liuzi... oh, no... Xiao Yu got the highest score in Zhanan on the civil service exam. You can check if you don't believe me." An Qiqi seemed a bit ditzy, but she was very helpful at this moment. "He's quite outstanding."

　　An's mother glanced at her with a smile and didn't say anything more.

　　Inside the hotel.

　　"It's over. Her mom probably knows about your affair," Da Bai whispered to Su Tianyu. "I don't think she'll agree. Otherwise, she wouldn't have taken her away so stiffly."

　　Su Tianyu lay on the bed, unusually not arguing with Da Bai, but feeling a little uneasy.

　　...

　　Early the next morning.

　　Inside the Tongji Association courtyard, the foremen and organizers had gathered.

　　"I told you, the work hasn't been completely finalized yet. Today, we're just going to take a look at the site," Kong ZhengHui said speechlessly. "We don't need so many people!"

　　"Let's go together. There's not much work to do anyway," an old man in his fifties replied with a smile.

　　"...!"

　　As soon as he finished speaking, an SUV drove into the courtyard, and Liu Xiaohai got out of the car, saying with a smile, "You're pretty quick. Everyone's already gathered."