Iris at Dusk

Since the evening was set for a formal dinner where the two families would meet, Zhou Han left work early to pick up Lin Li and her parents and take them to the hotel—a venue his mother had already booked the previous morning, so they simply needed to head straight there. He had called Lin Li earlier that afternoon to confirm the time and location, so when he drove back from the office, her parents were already ready to leave. Zhou Han asked them to wait in the living room for a moment; he first took his briefcase to the study, then planned to change his clothes before heading out. He took the outfit he had pre-selected from the walk-in closet and laid it on the bed. He had just removed his suit jacket and was unbuttoning his shirt collar when the bedroom door opened. Lin Li glanced toward the living room to ensure her parents weren't looking her way before slipping inside somewhat furtively and locking the door behind her. When she turned around, she found herself locking eyes wit...

"What's going on?" Lin Li raised her eyebrows in puzzlement; her parents rarely laughed so heartily, even at home. Curious, she walked toward the dining room. Her parents were seated on one side of the table, facing a Western-style breakfast—sandwiches and fried eggs—that they seldom ate and weren't quite used to. Zhou Han sat opposite them, holding a sandwich in his left hand and a glass of milk in his right. He was saying something that had her parents beaming with delight, the atmosphere warm and harmonious. Seeming to sense someone nearby, Zhou Han turned his head and locked eyes with Lin Li; the corners of his mouth curled up into a faint, knowing smile. Seeing that familiar smile—the same one from the night before—Lin Li was instantly reminded of the previous evening's unpleasant memories. Her ears burned, and she glared at him before pointedly looking away. Her mother, sitting opposite Zhou Han, seemed to pick up on the dynamic; she followed his gaze and sp...

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...