Iris at Dusk

Time seemed to freeze in an instant; the silence around them was deafening—so profound that one could hear the wind blowing against the window behind them. The sensation of warm breath against her forehead made Lin Li feel a sudden flush of heat. Snapping out of her daze, she hurriedly tried to push herself up, but what her hands touched made her freeze. She slowly lowered her gaze, and upon realizing exactly where her hands were resting, she was stunned speechless; the moment the realization fully hit, her face turned a brilliant, burning red! Lin Li screamed internally: *Oh my God! Where did I put my hands?!* Compared to the earlier flush of heat, she now felt as though she were being roasted alive; her body temperature seemed so high that if someone cracked a raw egg onto her, it would instantly fry into a sunny-side-up egg! Lin Li felt completely paralyzed, afraid to move a muscle. In fact, she had even forgotten to breathe; she held her breath, her face flushed a deep crimson. ...

The meal passed in a warm and harmonious atmosphere. Once Lin Li’s parents had made up their minds about the situation, their perspective on Zhou Han shifted; they began to view him with the kind of growing fondness a mother-in-law feels when she takes a liking to her daughter’s partner. In truth, setting aside the circumstances of Lin Li’s previous marriage—which had been a hasty decision made out of spite—and Zhou Han’s own history of divorce and a six-year-old child, there was little to fault in Zhou Han’s personal qualities. Of course, had their daughter truly loved someone and been cherished in return, they would have accepted the relationship regardless of his background. After dinner, realizing how exhausted her parents were after a whirlwind day involving a surprise son-in-law and hospital visits, Lin Li decided against taking them sightseeing. Instead, she drove them straight back to the apartment. Upon returning, Lin Li settled her parents in the living room to watch televisi...

Zhou Han chuckled and reached out to pat Lin Li on the head—a gesture of affection so natural that even he didn't realize he was doing it. He looked at Lin Li’s parents and said, "Uncle, Auntie, there’s a nice Chinese restaurant nearby. Shall we go give it a try?" Lin Li’s mother glanced at the two of them with a smile, then turned to her husband and asked, " Lao Lin, what do you think?" Lin Li’s father gave a faint smile, nodded, and simply said, "Alright." Having made the decision, they all stood up to head downstairs. Since they needed to get the car, Zhou Han and Lin Li walked ahead, while her parents followed behind. Zhou Han was tall, so his stride was naturally long. Although Lin Li was 1.67 meters tall—not short by any means—she was still more than half a head shorter than him; she had to jog slightly to keep up and walk side-by-side with him. She asked in a low voice, "Did you take advantage of me just now?" Hearing this, Zhou Han r...

Father Lin looked at her; seeing her speak with such conviction brought him a measure of comfort. After all, what more could parents ask for? Their greatest wish was simply for their children to live well. It wasn't about finding someone of a specific caliber to be "worthy" of his daughter; in truth, he felt that no man in the world was truly good enough for her.  To a parent, their child is the best, no matter what. As a father, he simply didn't want her to make a wrong decision out of a momentary impulse or spite—a choice that could jeopardize her lifelong happiness. But since she spoke with such certainty, what grounds did he have to object? After a long moment, Father Lin sighed softly and said, "As long as he treats you well and you have no regrets, then your mother and I have nothing more to say. Your future is yours to live; the path you take is your own choice. If you have no regrets and believe this man is the one you can spend your life with, then go ah...

Lin Li deeply appreciated the advantages of having the right "connections." An appointment with a specialist—which normally wouldn't have been available until the following Tuesday—had been secured so quickly that all the test results were ready in less than a day. The best news was that her father’s condition hadn't worsened; his recent cough and other symptoms were merely due to the flu. Once the flu cleared up, the cough would vanish, and there were no other underlying issues. When Dr. Li reviewed the results and explained the situation, Lin Li was overjoyed; she hugged her father tightly for a long moment before finally letting go. Since the tests revealed no serious problems, hospitalization wasn't necessary. After leaving the hospital, Zhou Han drove his "in-laws" and Lin Li straight back home. ----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/ When they arrived, Zhou Han’s mother was still there, sitting on the living room sof...

The wife of the Fifth Hospital’s president—who was also one of Mother Zhou’s mahjong partners—acted with impressive speed; she got back to them within ten minutes of Mother Zhou’s call, telling them to bring the person straight over. She had already contacted Dr. Li, and various examinations could be scheduled for that very afternoon. The situation had taken a dramatic turn. Just an hour ago, Lin Li’s parents had been grilling her and her partner; yet now, they were already at the hospital, sitting in a room that had been hastily arranged for them, waiting for the upcoming tests. Lin Li’s parents sat in the hospital room, while Lin Li and Zhou Han went out to handle the necessary paperwork. Mother Zhou did not come along, as she had to look after Xiao Bin. Lin Li’s parents sat side-by-side on the room’s sofa, their brows furrowed in deep thought. After a long silence, Mother Lin spoke first: " Lao Lin, what do you make of this?" Although they didn't spell it out, they bo...