Chapter 289: Sooner or Later, the Awkward Son-in-Law Has to Show His Face, Right?
His girlfriend had already gone home for the holidays.
Xia Changyu's image… yeah, that could wait for now.
But once the video call came through, he seriously felt like dying. He had completely lost his good image in front of his girlfriend’s parents.
Would they now think badly of him? What to do? Brothers, is there any way to fix this?
Right now, the only thing he could do was play dumb.
Xia Changyu gave an awkward smile and greeted them, “Haha… Hello, Uncle, Auntie.”
Lin Yibai had a big sweat mark on her forehead. She grabbed the phone and ordered, “What are you doing looking like that? Hurry up and clean yourself up before showing your face again!”
Xia Changyu swore, he moved faster than he ever had in his life. He rushed to fix his clothes and appearance.
Even though he heard voices from the other end of the call saying, “It’s okay, no need to worry about that,” he still couldn’t let himself appear messy in front of his future in-laws.
Lin Shuyan asked, “Xiao Bai, is this the boyfriend you picked? He does look kind of handsome… but what kind of person is he? Can he be trusted for life?”
Her husband added, “Hey hey, don’t just judge by looks… I’m more worried about how thin he is. He doesn’t look strong at all. Is he really healthy?”
“What do you know,” Lin Shuyan replied, “Being skinny is fine, you can gain weight. But if someone has a bad personality, that’s much harder to fix.”
“Still, how come someone so tall looks so tired and weak?”
“Probably from staying up too late all the time, young people these days!”
Meanwhile, Lin Yibai was sweating even more. In this whole world, no one, seriously no one, knew better than her why Xia Changyu looked so tired, so pale, so drained.
Don’t ask.
Seriously, don’t ask.
If you do… the answer is... he got drained by your daughter, me.
Right now, she wished she could fly back to Fucheng and drag Xia Changyu out to explain himself properly.
But Xia Changyu wasn’t doing much better, he was sweating all over too.
When he reappeared in the video, he gave another awkward smile and said, “Hello again, Uncle, Auntie. I’m not really as skinny as I look. My body’s actually fine. It’s just… well, it’s the end of the year, and I’ve been really busy. That’s why I look kind of worn out.”
So… was it really that obvious?
Back when his own mom warned him not to overdo it, he just brushed it off. But now, even strangers could tell.
It was pretty clear, he’d been “drained” too much. Or maybe he just couldn’t handle it?
No, no, no, impossible. He and Baiyi were a perfect match!
Ah… but now’s not the time to think about those things. If he keeps it up, nights without his wife are going to feel extra long and lonely again.
Back to the point.
Lin Yibai’s parents knew looks weren’t the most important thing. What really mattered was what kind of person he was.
Lin Shuyan asked, “Changyu, right? You and Xiao Bai are both about to graduate. Have you thought about what kind of job you want in the future?”
Lin Shangwen followed up, “Where do you plan to live? Have you thought about where you want to settle down?”
These were all real-life questions, and they would affect how her parents saw Xia Changyu overall.
After all, what parent wants to see their daughter move far away?
Xia Changyu sat up straight and answered seriously, “Uncle, Auntie, please don’t worry. I do have plans for the future. Right now, I’m running a small foreign trade business that I started myself. I’m not making huge money or anything, but I can cover my living expenses just fine.”
Lin Shuyan seemed a little worried, “...Starting your own business, huh? Well, it's not impossible.”
These days, it’s hard to have confidence in society. As soon as Xia Changyu said he was running his own business, Lin Shuyan mentally prepared for the worst.
She figured if his business fails, as long as he doesn’t end up deep in debt, that’s already good enough.
They still had their retirement savings. If their daughter truly wanted to be with him, they could always help a little when needed.
As for the second question, Lin Yibai answered instead, “Of course we’ll both be working in Fucheng! What, go back to a small town where we’d work our butts off for just two or three thousand yuan a month? What kind of future is that?”
They talked about many things. Overall, her parents had a pretty good impression of Xia Changyu. Just not 100% perfect.
Later on, Xia Changyu couldn’t hold back, he called privately to ask, “So, how was it? What do Uncle and Auntie think of me? Was there anything they didn’t like?”
Lin Yibai replied, “My mom might have a few doubts. She’d prefer it if you got a stable job somewhere.”
Xia Changyu was confused, “Huh? Why’s that?”
Lin Yibai explained, “She thinks that starting a business isn’t really reliable these days. She even said if your business fails and you end up owing a lot of money, and I still insist on staying with you, then she and my dad would help pay some of it off.”
Xia Changyu was stunned for a moment. Then his heart felt warm, “Uncle and Auntie… they’re really kind people.”
Lin Yibai corrected him, “No, they’re only being nice because I chose you.”
Xia Changyu asked, “How’s it going for you back home?”
Lin Yibai let out a long sigh, “Not great. My second uncle works in a government job. When I visited his place, he even tried to set me up on a blind date, with a man who’s in his thirties!”
Xia Changyu was furious when he heard that.
“What?! Has your second uncle lost his mind or something?!”
Wait! Was this what they meant by ‘a couple that thinks alike’? When they both heard something ridiculous, their first thought was exactly the same. Has the second uncle gone crazy?
But Xia Changyu was seriously mad. Some people reach their forties or fifties and still don’t have a clue.
Look at Lin Yibai. Her looks and her character.
Why would anyone think a girl like her, beautiful, outstanding, and not even graduated from college yet, would need to settle for some over-thirty-year-old guy through a family arrangement?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. If he stayed quiet, he’d just feel more and more wronged.
Xia Changyu jumped to his feet, full of righteous anger, “Baiyi, wait for me! I’m coming to your place right now!”
Lin Yibai was surprised, “Huh?”
Xia Changyu said through gritted teeth, “I just want to see for myself, what kind of amazing 30-year-old guy has your second uncle so impressed?”
Lin Yibai quickly tried to stop him, “Hahaha, please don’t come! I just got into a fight with my second uncle. You showing up now will only make things worse.”
Xia Changyu argued, “Wrong! What do you mean 'make things worse'? I just want to drop by and wish Uncle and Auntie a happy New Year early. Is that so wrong?”
Lin Yibai said urgently, “It’s not wrong, but it’s almost the New Year now, just a couple days away! Can’t you go home properly? Your own parents must miss you too!”
But Xia Changyu had made up his mind, “That doesn’t stop me from dropping by your place on the way. While I was still sleeping in Fucheng, my wife was almost being set up on a blind date with a thirty-year-old man! Who do I even complain to about that?!”
Sigh... What’s with this guy?
His so-called “on the way” trip would mean driving an extra 700–800 kilometers round trip just to see her.
Is that really worth it?
And wouldn’t it be super awkward too?