Chapter 340 - 337: Mom’s Blessing

Chapter 340: Chapter 337: Mom’s Blessing

After dinner, Jiang Xia chatted with his father-in-law for a long time about the company’s development plans. Before they knew it, it was already nine in the evening.

A light rain was pattering down outside. Ji Wanqiu closed the window, turned to Jiang Xia, and said with a gentle smile, "Xiaxia, why don’t you stay the night?"

Lin Yanwan stiffened. ’Is Mom actually serious? Or is she already okay with us sharing a room?’

She braced herself and asked, "Mom, if he doesn’t go home, where will he sleep? It’s so cold, you can’t have him sleep on the couch, can you?"

Lin Gaoyuan was about to say there was nothing wrong with sleeping on the couch when he heard Ji Wanqiu casually remark, "You go sleep with Xiao Man, and Xiaxia can have your bed. There, problem solved."

Jiang Xia was stunned. ’This is an option, too? As expected of my mother-in-law, she has it all figured out for me.’

’She gets me to stay the night, yet she also keeps us apart. I have to admit, she’s older and wiser.’

’But the problem is, if I can’t sleep while holding my wife, what’s the point of sleeping in her bed?’

So, Jiang Xia refused with an air of righteousness. He stood up and said, "Mom, there’s no need to go to all that trouble. I’ll just go home. It’s not far, anyway."

"Hmm... that works, too. It’s raining right now, so walking isn’t convenient. Old Lin, you drive Xiaxia," Ji Wanqiu said.

"Okay," Lin Gaoyuan nodded.

Lin Yanwan blinked, her eyes filled with mirth as she looked at Jiang Xia. "Well, take care. I won’t see you out. The road’s slippery since it’s raining. Be safe."

Seeing her gloating, the corner of his eye twitched. ’I should just pick her up and spank her.’ But considering his mother-in-law and father-in-law were right there, he decided against it.

’There’ll be plenty of chances to punish her with a whip later. I’ll make it go SMACK, SMACK.’

"We’re all family, no need to see me out," Jiang Xia said with a dry chuckle.

What he meant was, ’Just you wait until we’re back in the Imperial Capital!’

"Bye-bye~" Lin Yanwan waved, the smile on her face deepening.

Afterward, Jiang Xia and Lin Gaoyuan left, took the elevator, and went directly to the parking garage on the B1 level.

The room fell quiet. Ji Wanqiu silently took a sip of hot water, then sat down next to her daughter and asked, as if it were an afterthought, "Yanwan, are you and Xiaxia living together?"

Startled by the sudden question, Lin Yanwan subconsciously denied it in a hushed voice, "We’re not."

Seeing her daughter’s expression, Ji Wanqiu knew her guess was right. She sighed softly. "Yanwan, you rarely lie, so when you do, your expression is different. Talk to Mom. What’s really going on?"

Her unprepared lie instantly seen through by her mom, Lin Yanwan’s tone weakened. "Mom," she said in a tiny voice, "how did you know?"

"I guessed. The way you and Xiaxia were acting earlier just wasn’t right," Ji Wanqiu said calmly.

Lin Yanwan swallowed, her face flushing as she said, "Because I often have to work overtime, and a lot of the time, the dorms are already closed by the time I can get back. So... I rented a place near the company."

Worried her mom would get the wrong idea, she hastily added, "Mom, we’re not technically living together. It’s a two-bedroom place, so we each have our own room. I usually still stay at the dorm and only go to the apartment when I have to work late."

Ji Wanqiu looked at her daughter’s blushing cheeks, trying to gauge how truthful she was being. ’I don’t want to assume the worst, but they’re both into each other, an unmarried man and woman sharing a home... who would believe that nothing has happened?’

"Have you...?"

Before she could finish, Lin Yanwan shook her head forcefully. "We haven’t!"

Seeing her daughter’s instinctive reaction, it finally looked like she was telling the truth.

Ji Wanqiu let out a small sigh of relief. ’It’s good they haven’t shared a bed yet.’ She was genuinely worried that after moving in together, the young couple would get so caught up in their bliss they’d neglect everything else, sleeping in until noon. Even though it was extremely common for young people nowadays to get hotel rooms while dating, it still wasn’t a good look.

’But the problem now is that they started living together not even a semester into university. They still have three and a half years of school left. As their feelings deepen, can they really maintain this... formal respect for each other?’

’She didn’t dare think about it too deeply. There were too many ways it could lead to them tasting the Forbidden Fruit. If they weren’t careful and an accident happened, it would be a huge mess. It would affect her studies and her reputation.’

’And when it came to things like this, the woman was always at a disadvantage.’

"Mom believes that Xiaxia is a good kid, and I trust that he’ll marry you honorably one day. But Yanwan, love can easily go to your head. As a young woman, you have to learn to respect yourself."

Ji Wanqiu said with heartfelt gravity, "If it becomes unavoidable, I hope you two will... take precautions."

Lin Yanwan blinked. She hadn’t expected her mom to say something like this. "Mom, what are you talking about..."

Ji Wanqiu shot her a look. "I’m not giving you permission to sleep together. I’m just saying, on the off chance—if you and Xiaxia get so caught up in the moment that tasting the Forbidden Fruit becomes inevitable..."

She coughed lightly. "Those ’little umbrellas’ Mom put in your bag... are they still there?"

"Mhm..." Lin Yanwan’s face was bright red. "His mom gave him a box, too."

Ji Wanqiu paused, then couldn’t help but chuckle. ’So the two of us old mothers, worried our kids would get up to no good, ended up thinking the exact same thing.’

"Yanwan, you’ve always been so sensible and well-behaved. That’s all Mom will say on the matter for today. You’re grown up now and can make your own decisions. I just hope you think things through before you act," Ji Wanqiu sighed softly.

"Okay, I will."

Lin Yanwan pressed her lips together and said quietly, "Mom, can you please not tell Dad about this? I’m worried he’ll get angry and take it out on Jiang Xia again."

Ji Wanqiu smiled slightly. "Don’t worry, I won’t tell him."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Xiaxia really is an outstanding young man. I’m actually very at ease with you being with him." Ji Wanqiu couldn’t help but recall how, when she was working on those merchandise designs, Jiang Xia had found all sorts of reasons to have Yanwan pass the drafts to her.

She smiled and asked, "You two haven’t fought while in the Imperial Capital, have you?"

"No, never. He’s so good to me; he goes along with whatever I want," Lin Yanwan said, shaking her head.

"Has he said anything about wanting to marry you?"

Lin Yanwan blushed and nodded. "Mhm."

"When?"

"He said that after we graduate from university, we’ll go get our marriage certificate."

"That little rascal is certainly in a hurry."

Ji Wanqiu said with a playful scolding. The year they graduated, they would both have just turned 22, meeting the legal age requirement for marriage.

She gently patted the back of her daughter’s hand, her voice soft. "Yanwan, Mom won’t oppose you living together. Just live well with Xiaxia. Talk things over, don’t argue, respect each other, and understand each other. Mom will spend her whole life wishing you both happiness."