Chapter 21 part 2
"What is it?" Zhou Han’s slightly deep voice came through the phone—brief and to the point, true to his style.
"It’s like this: my parents arrived from home today and are at our place right now. I was just trying to figure out how to explain the situation quickly..." Lin Li began, but Zhou Han cut her off mid-sentence.
"I’ve met your parents." Zhou Han’s voice was steady and calm—so calm, in fact, that he sounded as if he were merely mentioning he’d just finished a meal; his composure was almost surreal.
Lin Li, however, was practically startled out of her skin by his incredibly calm statement. She shrieked into the phone, "What did you say?"
Had she misheard? Did he really say he’d met her parents? But wasn't he supposed to be at the office? How could he have run into them?
"I’ve just arrived home. Come out here," Zhou Han said steadily before hanging up, ignoring Lin Li’s reaction.
Lin Li stared blankly at her phone for a moment before snapping back to reality; she immediately opened the door and rushed out.
----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/
When she reached the living room, she saw Zhou Han standing there holding his briefcase, with Xiao Bin beside him. Her parents, who had previously been seated, were now standing and staring at him in a daze, their faces full of confusion.
Hearing the commotion, Zhou Han turned his head toward her, and her parents and Xiao Bin followed suit, all three of them looking her way.
They stood there exchanging glances, with no one speaking first.
This awkward silence lasted for quite a while before Zhou Han finally composed himself. His expression was as calm and slightly aloof as ever—there wasn't a trace of panic or uncertainty to be seen.
Looking at Lin Li, he spoke slowly: "Lin Li, come here." As he said this, he placed the briefcase he was holding onto the low coffee table in front of him. His voice seemed to snap everyone back to reality. Lin Li’s parents turned to look at the stranger before them, then back at their daughter, their brows furrowed in confusion and bewilderment.
“Xiao Li, what... what is going on here?” Lin Li’s mother asked uncertainly. “Who is this man? And this child...”
Lin Li felt overwhelmed; nothing was going according to plan. She hadn't been prepared for her parents' visit, let alone Zhou Han’s sudden return. With all this chaos piling up at once, she truly didn't know what to do.
She walked toward the living room, stammering, “Dad, Mom, actually... actually...” But despite her hesitation, she couldn't seem to get the words out.
She cast a helpless, pleading glance at Zhou Han, only to see him raise his eyebrows slightly, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on his lips—he looked for all the world like a spectator enjoying the show.
Lin Li gritted her teeth and decided to just go with the explanation she had rehearsed in her room. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again, resolve hardening within her. Looking steadily at her parents, she began, “Dad, Mom, the truth is... actually, I...”
Just as she was about to explain, the doorbell rang at that exact moment.
----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/
As soon as the doorbell rang, everyone in the room turned their gaze toward the entrance.
Zhou Han looked toward the front door, his brows knitting slightly, yet he remained rooted to the spot with no intention of moving to open it.
Lin Li had been living there for nearly a month—over twenty days—yet she had never once encountered a situation where someone rang the doorbell to visit. Even courier deliveries were rare; packages were usually sent directly to the security office, which would verify if the residents were home before considering a delivery run.
In reality, such deliveries almost never happened, as Zhou Han’s mail and packages were typically sent straight to his office. Faced with this unexpected visitor, Lin Li couldn't imagine who it might be. She instinctively turned to look at Zhou Han; since it was his home, any visitor would surely be there to see him.
"Ding-dong... ding-dong..." With no one opening the door, the bell continued to ring.
Lin Li’s parents snapped out of their surprise, glancing quizzically from Lin Li to Zhou Han. Her mother asked in confusion, "Aren't you going to open the door?"
"They aren't looking for me," Lin Li said, turning to look at Zhou Han.
Zhou Han’s brows furrowed even more deeply, yet he still hesitated to move.
The doorbell rang for a while longer before finally falling silent under everyone's watchful gaze. Presumably, the person outside had assumed no one was home and left.
As the room returned to its quiet state, Lin Li thought about picking up the conversation they had left unfinished. She offered her parents an awkward, apologetic smile and said, "That... that might have just been someone trying to sell insurance—they can be really annoying. Let me explain..."
As she spoke, she pulled young Zhou Jiabin—who was standing beside Zhou Han—closer and ruffled his hair. She looked up at her parents with a smile, intending to explain that the little boy was her student; he had just returned from the United States and wasn't fluent in Mandarin, so she spent her time after get off work and on weekends helping him learn the language. Just as she was mentally rehearsing her explanation—before she could even utter a word—there was a sharp *snap* at the entrance as the door was opened from the outside.
A low, muttering voice drifted in: "Why aren't they home? Isn't it the weekend? Did the two of them take Xiao Bin out somewhere?"
At the sound, everyone in the room turned toward the doorway. Upon seeing who it was, Lin Li’s eyes widened in dismay; she lamented inwardly—how on earth was she supposed to explain this clearly now?
----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/
The person who had just walked in was no stranger—and certainly not an insurance salesperson or advertiser as Lin Li had claimed—but rather her mother-in-law: Zhou Han’s mother.
Seeming to sense the many gazes fixed upon her, Zhou’s mother closed the door behind her. She was carrying a pot of old-duck soup—slow-cooked for a full day and night—and a toy car intended for her grandson.
She slowly looked up and, seeing the people standing in the living room, paused in surprise for a moment before smiling and saying, "Oh, you’re all here. I rang the doorbell for ages with no answer, so I thought you’d taken the child out for the weekend." As she spoke, she changed her shoes and walked into the living room, carrying her things.
----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/
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