"Zhen Bao also wanted to come, but Grandpa made her stay at home," Fu Ming Shi explained first for his fiancée who was not there to meet her future parents-in-law.
Sensing his son's thoughtfulness towards his future daughter-in-law, Fu Zheng was very pleased. Initially, Grandpa had proposed that the two children fulfill the marriage arrangement, and Fu Zheng could not disobey Grandpa but was also worried that his son would be forced to marry a woman he did not like due to the grievances of the previous generation. Now that the two children had genuinely fallen in love, his son was not wronged, and Zhen Bao did not have to reluctantly marry into the Fu family - this was a win-win situation.
Fu Ming Shi was not worried about his father and kept his eyes on his mother as he spoke.
Behind the large sunglasses, one corner of Feng Ke's red lips turned up in a mocking smile. It was unclear if she was mocking her future daughter-in-law for not coming to pick her up, or mocking her son's eagerness to explain on behalf of his girlfriend.
Fu Ming Shi stared at his mother's lips as she pursed them again and said nothing more as he led the way ahead. Once in the car, Feng Ke crossed her arms, tilted her head to look out the window, and didn't utter a word. After Fu Zheng asked about Grandpa's health, he also closed his mouth.
The family of three were all taciturn, and their normal interactions were like this too.
As they neared the villa, Fu Ming Shi looked at his parents through the rearview mirror, his gaze falling on his mother's face again, "Mom, Zhen Bao grew up in the countryside, she doesn't care much about clothes, don't say anything about her, she's sensitive."
Feng Ke laughed. With one hand pinching her sunglasses, she moved them down a little, tilted her head slightly and looked up at her son, "I won't say a word to someone unrelated to me."
Fu Ming Shi's eyes shifted to his father.
Fu Zheng turned his head to look out the other window, but a hint of a smile could be seen at the corner of his mouth.
Fu Ming Shi was exasperated. His mother meant that as long as he wanted to marry Zhen Bao and make her the Fu family's daughter-in-law, Zhen Bao would be subjected to his mother's sharp tongue. Unfortunately, he could intimidate everyone, including Zhen Bao, except for his unconventional mother.
In the living room of the villa, looking out through the floor-to-ceiling windows, Zhen Bao saw Fu Ming Shi's family of three, all still dressed in black. She suddenly felt an immense sense of pressure. But she still stood up quietly and said to Grandpa Fu, "Uncle and Auntie are here, I'll go out to receive them."
"Don't be afraid, Grandpa's here to support you," Grandpa Fu said solemnly with a loving smile.
Zhen Bao felt slightly more at ease. But when she walked out of the villa and came face-to-face with the approaching Fu family of three, the tension in Zhen Bao's body tightened again as she tried to greet Fu Zheng and his wife naturally, "Uncle, Auntie, I'm Zhen Bao. I wanted to pick you up from the airport but Grandpa Fu had some things for me to help with at home, so I couldn't make it."
The lower her voice became, the more pressure she felt from Fu Zheng's deep eyes that resembled a pool and Feng Ke's aloof demeanor accentuated by her sunglasses. At that moment, Zhen Bao felt like an ugly duckling who had clumsily stumbled in front of two elegant swans.
Just as Zhen Bao was about to lose the ability to keep her head up, Fu Zheng smiled lightly, "We're going to be family from now on, no need to be so courteous."
The man in his fifties, usually stern and solemn when not smiling, had a certain charm when he did that was hard to describe - like the first hint of spring after a harsh winter, warming one's heart before the body felt the warmth of the breeze, moistening things silently.
Half of the restless pounding in Zhen Bao's heart settled down, and she cautiously looked towards Feng Ke.
Feng Ke walked right past her.
Zhen Bao was extremely embarrassed.
In order not to give her more pressure, Fu Ming Shi did not frown. He signaled his father to go in first, and put his arm around Zhen Bao's shoulders to lead her aside. Zhen Bao quickly dodged his hand and whispered with a pale face, "They can see from inside."
Fu Ming Shi could only withdraw his hand and look her in the eyes, "My mom's like that with everyone, don't think too much."
Given what just happened, it was hard for Zhen Bao not to overthink. If Feng Ke was unrelated to her, she wouldn't care whether Feng Ke acknowledged her or not. But she and Fu Ming Shi were in love, and at their first meeting, Feng Ke didn't say a word to her - wouldn't anyone feel the other party disliked them?
However, she was so ordinary without any sense of style, it was normal for Feng Ke to dislike her, there was no reason for groundless affection.
"I'm fine," Zhen Bao comforted herself and looked up with a smile at Fu Ming Shi, "I've seen your mother's videos, I know."
Fu Ming Shi was still worried. Everyone in the family knew his mother's temperament and was used to it, but for those unfamiliar with his mother, how many could remain indifferent in the face of his mother's haughty coldness? He didn't care if his mother slighted others, but he couldn't stand to see Zhen Bao upset.
"If my mom keeps treating you like this, I won't arrange for you to meet in the future," Fu Ming Shi moved closer to her and said softly.
Far from being grateful, Zhen Bao thought he was being silly, "Your mother hasn't done anything, why not let me see her? Let's go in." She had just met Feng Ke and there was no time for them to understand each other yet. If she hid like a frightened cat just because Feng Ke ignored her, her endurance would be too weak.
Stopping Fu Ming Shi from saying more foolish things, Zhen Bao gently pushed him to let him walk ahead while she followed beside him.
In the living room, Feng Ke finally took off her sunglasses, revealing an icy beautiful face that looked no more than thirty-something thanks to meticulous maintenance. Looking closely, there were still some fine lines at the corners of her eyes, but that did not detract at all from the impact Feng Ke gave - rather, it made her seem more like a fashion queen who had been through hundreds of battles.
Their eyes met, and Zhen Bao guiltily looked away. Fu Zheng and Fu Ming Shi's deep gazes made her nervous, but Feng Ke's gaze was even more piercing, striking straight at her heart.
"Feng Bao, come sit by Grandpa," Grandpa Fu called affectionately.
Zhen Bao awkwardly sat next to the old man, right across from Fu Zheng and his wife. Before she could sneak a peek, Fu Ming Shi sat close beside her with an air of protecting and escorting her.
As the family chatted, two out of every three sentences from Grandpa Fu were praising Zhen Bao, "Our Feng Bao is so smart. She self-studied for two years of high school and got into college by herself. Her grades for last semester came out a few days ago and were almost perfect scores. She'll definitely get a scholarship next year, unlike Ming Shi who never got any scholarships."
Zhen Bao felt embarrassed from the praise while looking questioningly at Fu Ming Shi - everything about him seemed like an elite student, surely the old man was just teasing her?
Fu Ming Shi smiled and leaned in close to whisper in her ear, "Because I didn't apply for any."
His unabashed intimacy made Zhen Bao blush, and she couldn't help smiling. Of course there would be no scholarships if he didn't apply.
"What made Feng Bao decide to study veterinary medicine?" Fu Zheng joined in the topic of his future daughter-in-law's studies.
Zhen Bao shyly replied, "When I was choosing my major, I brought my cat Hei Dan to a pet hospital and really liked the atmosphere, so I wanted to become a veterinarian."
Fu Zheng nodded, "Studying medicine is good, I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Feng Ke suddenly smiled strangely and stared at Zhen Bao, "Zhen Bao, take a look at where your uncle is feeling discomfort?"
This was the first time Feng Ke had taken the initiative to speak to her since they met, and Zhen Bao was overjoyed. Without thinking, she immediately asked Fu Zheng, "Uncle, where are you feeling discomfort?"
Fu Zheng gave his wife a complicated sideways glance.
Feng Ke looked extremely delighted.
Next to them, Grandpa Fu even laughed out loud. Zhen Bao looked back and forth at the three of them and belatedly realized - she was studying to be a veterinarian...
Zhen Bao was embarrassed and apologized to Fu Zheng, "I'm sorry Uncle, I didn't mean it."
Fu Zheng smiled helplessly, "It's fine, it's fine. We're all family making jokes, don't take it to heart Feng Bao. Your aunt is often like this, you'll get used to it."
Zhen Bao pursed her lips and secretly glanced at Feng Ke.
Feng Ke leaned back languidly against the sofa drinking tea, beautiful and elegant, not just her clothes but every movement was very tasteful. Looking again at Fu Zheng, still refined and graceful after fifty, it was no wonder the couple had raised such an outstanding son like Fu Ming Shi.
Zhen Bao felt somewhat ashamed of herself. She had always believed that being fashionable or not was a personal choice, and dressing ordinarily was not wrong. But when everyone around her was a tasteful fashionista, although she did not feel she was in the wrong, the sense of unbridgeable distance...
After dinner, Fu Zheng and his wife went to rest. With three elders in the villa, Zhen Bao did not dare get too close to Fu Ming Shi. She sat alone in the bedroom playing on her laptop. After watching a few fashion shows, Zhen Bao gradually felt at ease - too big of a gap also had its benefits. With her current financial situation, she could not afford clothes to match the Fu family anyway, so she might as well continue dressing according to her own wishes.
Having resolved a little knot that had just formed a few hours ago, Zhen Bao watched movies contentedly.
Around 5pm, there was a knock on the door.
Zhen Bao thought it was Fu Ming Shi. She put the laptop down, tidied her hair, and went to open the door in her slippers, not expecting that when she pulled the door open, the person standing outside turned out to be Feng Ke. Her curly hair from noon was now up in a bun, making her look even younger, still wearing high heels.
"Auntie?" Zhen Bao asked in surprise.
Thanks to her high heels, Feng Ke easily caught a glimpse of the girly pink decor in Zhen Bao's bedroom, which made her teeth hurt. As her gaze slowly moved back to Zhen Bao, from the cat slippers to the slightly bobbled black leggings to the oversized sweater, Feng Ke once again became like she was at noon - not wanting to look at Zhen Bao's clothes... at all.
However, Zhen Bao's petite face was so exquisite and refined, the only thing about her that could attract Feng Ke's eyes.
Looking at the only part of Zhen Bao that could catch her attention right now - her face, Feng Ke said lightly, "I can tell Ming Shi really likes you. His father and I are very open-minded parents. As long as Ming Shi likes someone, we won't interfere with who he dates or marries. But if you want us to get along harmoniously, you'll need to change your dress style."
Her son seemed to genuinely like this girl, as his mother she was willing to care for her son's feelings and extend an olive branch to Zhen Bao, this guileless college student who clearly wouldn't take the initiative to curry favor with her.
Of course Zhen Bao hoped to get along harmoniously with Feng Ke, and said in pleasant surprise, "How should I change? Oh yes, Auntie please come in and sit."
Feng Ke took a step back, tilting her chin towards Zhen Bao's bedroom, "All this needs changing. Come out with me tomorrow and I'll pick some out for you."
Zhen Bao looked back and suddenly understood. She asked uncertainly, "Auntie wants to help me buy clothes?"
Feng Ke raised her brows, "What else?"
Zhen Bao gave a wry smile, "Let's forget about the clothes, I don't want Auntie to spend money. Do you have any tips on how I can match my outfits better?"
A person's economic status determines the quality of their clothes. Even if she accepted Feng Ke's gifts, a few sets of clothes were not enough for her to wear for a year, let alone half a semester. She could not always rely on Feng Ke or Fu Ming Shi to spend large sums of money on her just to cater to Feng Ke.
Feng Ke built a major brand on her own, and with one glance, she saw Zhen Bao's crux of the problem. She was surprised and said, "You don't want to spend our money?"
Zhen Bao lowered her head in acquiescence.
Feng Ke looked at her for a few moments, and suddenly lost interest in continuing the conversation. "Then forget it," she said.
After speaking, she turned and walked towards the stairs. When she reached the stairwell, she saw her son standing at the corner of the stairs between the third and fourth floors, not knowing how long he had been eavesdropping. Feng Ke let out a cold snort and walked to the living room before saying to her son behind her, "You treasure, you are too petty."
In her opinion, one destined to marry into a wealthy family yet still acting aloof was also a kind of pettiness.
Fu Ming Shi looked up at the fourth floor, his gaze gentle and doting, "She was originally from a small family, suddenly able to freely use my money, and then you say she is money grubbing."
With her son flaunting his affection in front of her, Feng Ke sarcastically reminded him, "If she doesn't change, there will be plenty of trouble in the future."
How easy was it to become the mistress of a wealthy family? The more she tried to prove her independence, the more gossip weighed down on her, and the more upset she would feel.
It was as if Fu Ming Shi was long prepared. His expression was calm, "I will help her resolve it."
