Christmas Eve, the temperature plummeted.
Girls on the street who had been wearing light clothing changed out of their skirts and into thick coats and fleece-lined hoodies, as if leaping from summer straight into winter.
Su He was no exception.
In the morning, she almost froze into a popsicle when she went downstairs to take out the trash, so she immediately got out her thermal underwear.
Today was the day she was bringing Lu Yanbei to meet her adoptive parents.
At first, she had only mentioned it casually, thinking Lu Yanbei would surely be too busy to accompany her. To her surprise, he readily agreed. Not only that, but the previous evening, he had his assistant, Cheng Jue, buy a pile of gifts, which were far more thoughtful than those for the relatives on his own family's side.
This was Su He's first time bringing a boyfriend to see her adoptive parents, and she was feeling quite nervous.
Although they were a contractual couple, all the formalities were proceeding as if they were a normal marriage. It made her unsure of when she was acting and when it was reality, and she felt uneasy.
"Are you ready?" Lu Yanbei, having waited for her for a while, came to knock on the door.
Su He snapped back to attention, grabbed her coat, and walked out.
She had tidied herself up a bit today. A black turtleneck sweater dress, paired with a khaki wool coat, her long straight hair neatly draped over her shoulders. To prevent it from flying around, she added a dark coffee-colored beret. In an instant, she transformed from a sloppy, unkempt girl into an elegant and gentle lady.
This was the first time Lu Yanbei had seen her dressed like this, and he found it novel.
After changing into black high-heeled ankle boots at the entrance, Su He instantly grew taller. Standing beside Lu Yanbei, she was just past his shoulders.
This height difference, they said, was the most romantic.
A man could kiss a woman's lips just by lowering his head.
For some reason, this thought flashed through Su He's mind, and she then walked away, feeling incredibly shy, pretending nothing was amiss as she pressed the elevator button.
Lu Yanbei followed her leisurely, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curving upwards.
On the Su family's side, preparations had begun days ago.
"Old Su, our daughter is bringing her son-in-law back tomorrow. We need a decent place to host them," Tang Jiaojiao said suddenly, pausing as she painted her nails.
Su Dazhi blinked and replied, "They already know our situation. Do we need to put on a show?"
Tang Jiaojiao glared at him. "If it were before, a simple arrangement would have been fine. But our Su Su is marrying into a real wealthy family this time! It's Lu Yanbei! What were you thinking, having a big boss like that come to a place like this?"
"Besides, if we make things look presentable, people won't look down on us, don't you think?"
"Then what do you suggest? I'll listen to you." Su Dazhi didn't understand social etiquette well; Tang Jiaojiao handled most of the family affairs.
The more Tang Jiaojiao thought about it, the more she felt it was the right approach.
So, putting aside what she was doing, she went back to the bedroom and spread several property deeds from the safe across the table.
"This 300-square-meter luxury apartment won't do. It's too ostentatious."
"The apartment building was just rented out; we can't get it back anytime soon."
"The one on Jiangbei Road is the right size, but it's not renovated yet..."
Tang Jiaojiao sifted through them, finally setting her sights on a house across the road. The complex had been built not long ago, and the facilities were quite new. Moreover, it was fully furnished, requiring only the purchase of some appliances and furniture to move in.
That was it!
"Old Su, come, accompany me shopping."
Su Dazhi asked, puzzled, "Didn't you just buy new clothes a couple of days ago? Why go shopping again?"
"Oh, just follow me, it'll be fine." Tang Jiaojiao didn't have time to explain the details and pulled him straight to the home furnishing store.
"Prepare a set of furniture in this style for me. I want it in stock."
"Size? Wait, I'll send you a picture."
"Let's choose plain curtains. Gray with light blue."
"A TV? 75 inches should be about right?"
Su Dazhi followed behind her, with no chance to speak.
His only use was to carry her bags and pay the bills.
After half a day of shopping, the balance in their bank card dropped by a hundred thousand yuan. This didn't include the miscellaneous small items. Things like decorative paintings, vases, tableware, and tea sets added up to another tens of thousands.
"Wife, what are you buying all these things for? The house won't fit them," Su Dazhi asked with a perpetually confused look, completely clueless about her intentions.
Seeing that she had bought enough, Tang Jiaojiao finally gave the service desk a delivery address.
"Jinlanwan?" Su Dazhi's eyes widened involuntarily when he saw these words. "You're planning to rent out this place too?"
"Do you need such good things for renting?" Tang Jiaojiao retorted with a pout.
"Then what is this for?"
"Your son-in-law is visiting tomorrow, so we'll stay there for a few days first," Tang Jiaojiao said, tilting her chin proudly.
She was determined to support Su He.
Su Dazhi opened his mouth, and after a long pause, asked, "If Su Su asks, what excuse are you going to give?"
"Just say we're renting," Tang Jiaojiao said without batting an eye. "The Fengxi Village area is undergoing renovation, and there are frequent water and power outages. We had no choice but to move out and rent a place."
Su Dazhi: ...
That actually works?
The next day, Su He received the location from Tang Jiaojiao and was utterly bewildered.
Tang Jiaojiao briefly explained and sent a selfie. "Does my makeup look okay today? Is it too mature?"
Su He rubbed her forehead and praised, "Very beautiful."
Upon seeing her answer, Tang Jiaojiao's face bloomed into a smile.
When Su He and Lu Yanbei arrived downstairs at the complex, Su Dazhi and Tang Jiaojiao were already waiting at the entrance.
Lu Yanbei looked around the unfamiliar surroundings with some surprise.
According to his investigation, Su He's adoptive parents should live in Fengxi Village.
"It rained a few days ago, and the outer walls leaked, so we moved here," Tang Jiaojiao said with a smile, stepping forward to offer a simple explanation. Then, she began to scrutinize Lu Yanbei with a demanding gaze.
His 185 cm height, upright posture, excessively handsome face, and mature charm exuded from his every move were perfect, impeccable.
No wonder the media reports about him were all praise; there were indeed no flaws to be found.
"Uncle, Auntie," Lu Yanbei, unfazed, spoke first.
Tang Jiaojiao's lips curved upwards, and her satisfaction grew.
Oh my heavens, even his voice was so charming, it was deadly!
"Hello, Lu Shao. I've heard so much about you." Tang Jiaojiao was practically beaming.
"Auntie, you can just call me by my name." Lu Yanbei bowed slightly, then turned to receive the gifts his driver had prepared.
Tang Jiaojiao chuckled heartily, not daring to call him by his first name. "It's so kind of you to come, but you didn't need to buy anything. We're family, no need to be so formal."
Then, Tang Jiaojiao, with great familiarity, began chatting with Lu Yanbei, inviting him into the building, and completely forgetting her precious daughter, Su He, who was hanging on her lips.
Su He sighed softly.
An old saying proved true: the more a mother-in-law looked at her son-in-law, the more satisfied she became!