Chapter 271 - 269: I’ll Definitely Close the Door Next Time

Chapter 271: Chapter 269: I’ll Definitely Close the Door Next Time

"Do you have any other questions, miss?"

Zhang Zhe asked again, and the girl who had posed the question finally snapped out of her daze.

She glanced down at the other girls around her. Seeing that none of them could think of a rebuttal either, she said reluctantly,

"I have no more questions. Thank you, sir."

"You’re welcome." After smiling in response, Zhang Zhe quickly pointed to a boy in the back row who wanted to ask a question. "Please, sit down. This lecture was organized by the Women’s Association. I’m sure you guys weren’t invited—you’re here for the esports tournament, don’t think I don’t know."

"Alright, if any of the other young ladies have questions, you’re welcome to speak with me privately after the event."

"That concludes my speech for today. Thank you, everyone!"

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP... The students in the audience spontaneously broke into applause, sending Zhang Zhe off.

When Zhang Zhe returned backstage, he had barely come to a stop before Xia Yi came up and gave him a warm hug.

It was a clear sign of her approval of his speech.

The female university student in charge of reception had actually wanted to ask a question too, but seeing Zhang Zhe and Xia Yi being all lovey-dovey made her feel a little uncomfortable, so she stepped aside to wait.

By the time she came to her senses, Zhang Zhe and Xia Yi were already gone.

「Outside the venue.」

Hand in hand and wearing masks, Zhang Zhe and Xia Yi walked among the students leaving the lecture, looking just like any other young couple.

It felt like they were making up for the parts of college life they had missed out on.

It was still early and the mood was just right. As the two walked to the campus gate, ready to hail cabs to go their separate ways, Zhang Zhe had a sudden idea.

"Yiyi, how about coming over to my place for dinner tonight?"

"Okay!" Hearing this, a smile bloomed on Xia Yi’s face like a sunflower in the sun, absolutely radiant in the light of the setting sun.

"I’ll let my mom know, then. I’ll ask her to make a couple of her specialty dishes." Zhang Zhe smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Though I have a feeling she’s going to prepare a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast."

...

「The Zhang Family’s living room.」

After hanging up with Zhang Zhe, Mrs. Zhang excitedly pinched her husband. When she saw Father Zhang wince in pain but still unable to hold back a smile, she knew she wasn’t dreaming.

"Our Zhang Zhe has really made it."

"He’s really bringing Xiaoxia home?"

"This won’t do. I need to see what we have in the fridge. Lao Zhang, what are you still sitting there for? Get up and go to the supermarket to buy groceries!"

"Right, I’m going right now." Father Zhang hurriedly put on his shoes and stumbled his way to the door.

He was so excited that he nearly knocked over the entryway cabinet just looking for his car keys.

Mrs. Zhang wasn’t doing much better. One moment she wanted to cook rice, the next she wanted to mop the floor. After so many years of doing housework, she was now flustered like a complete beginner.

The two of them had been looking forward to this day ever since Zhang Zhe went to college.

Now that they could finally see the light of Dawn, how could they not be thrilled?

Not long after Father Zhang returned home with the groceries, Zhang Zhe and Xia Yi arrived.

"Hello, Uncle Zhang."

"Good evening, Auntie."

"Ah, Xia Yi, you’re here." Mrs. Zhang wiped her hands on her apron several times before reaching out to gently take Xia Yi’s hand.

Father Zhang went even further, washing his hands with soap before coming over.

The rice was already cooking, but the other dishes hadn’t been started yet. Zhang Zhe sat with Xia Yi in the living room for a while before Mrs. Zhang urged him to take her to see the small room where he usually streamed.

Once they were in the room, out of his parents’ sight, Zhang Zhe gave a slightly mischievous grin.

Xia Yi laughed too. "Your uncle and auntie are so welcoming. I was so nervous just now, I was afraid I’d say the wrong thing."

"Of course they’re welcoming! You have no idea, they’ve been wishing on every star just waiting for you to finally show up."

"They’re the ones who should be nervous. When you go back out there, you could pretend you’re an emperor..."

"What? Zhang Zhe, you’re making fun of me!"

"No, no." Zhang Zhe waved his hands with a smile. "How would I dare?"

"Hmph, I don’t care. The next time you come to my place, I’ll have my parents treat you the same way. We’ll see if you get embarrassed then."

"I definitely won’t be embarrassed. Because... I’m pretty thick-skinned, hehe."

As he spoke, Zhang Zhe cleared off a chair and had Xia Yi sit down.

This was his workstation, where he used to stream at night before he opened his matchmaking agency.

Now, he only streams here at night after their guests have left.

"You’ve read so many books about marriage?"

Xia Yi was clearly interested in the things on Zhang Zhe’s desk. She murmured the titles aloud:

"The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, The Five Abilities of Love, Intimate Relationships..."

"This Thing Called a Husband... that’s an interesting title."

"There are these, too." Zhang Zhe pointed to This Thing Called a Man and This Thing Called a Woman on the bookshelf. "They’re by the same Japanese author, Yasushi Watanabe. They’re not that great, though. I felt like I wasted my time reading them."

"I didn’t expect this." Xia Yi looked at Zhang Zhe, her eyes twinkling like little stars. "You’re actually studying all this relationship stuff."

"I had time on my hands." Zhang Zhe smiled. "Honestly, it was mainly when I first started in this business. I wasn’t confident, so I frantically tried to expand my knowledge base. It helped me feel a bit more grounded."

"Are you still studying it now?"

"I do when I have time, but as you know, I can barely keep up with my streaming schedule."

"You work so hard..." Xia Yi stood up and hugged Zhang Zhe, her heart aching for him.

She felt that she was part of the reason he was working so hard on his career.

He, of course, returned the embrace.

The two of them just stood there in the room, holding each other quietly for a while.

No words were spoken, but they could clearly feel each other’s emotions.

Outside the door, Mrs. Zhang had been about to call them for dinner. Hearing no sound from the room, she tiptoed to the doorway.

She quietly peeked her head in.

Instantly, her eyes crinkled into slits as she smiled.

Mrs. Zhang quickly turned and beckoned to her husband behind her. A moment later, the old couple were both wearing the exact same smile.

It was at this exact moment that a "DING~" suddenly sounded in Zhang Zhe’s mind.

’That’s the system’s notification sound.’

He subconsciously turned his head and happened to see his parents eavesdropping outside the door.

Xia Yi sensed it too and quickly pulled away from Zhang Zhe’s embrace. "Uncle, Auntie, you..."

"We just got here." Mrs. Zhang’s acting was a bit terrible, but she committed to the performance. "Zhang Zhe, dinner’s ready."

"You two should hurry and come out."

...

"Lao Zhang, come out and help me serve the dishes."

Mrs. Zhang gave her husband a hard tug. He finally grunted in acknowledgment and followed her, leaving the two of them a little space.

Seeing them leave, Xia Yi couldn’t help but touch her face, which felt a little hot. She lightly tapped Zhang Zhe on the chest.

"It’s all your fault. Your uncle and auntie were here, and you didn’t even give me a heads-up."

"Mhm, my bad." Zhang Zhe nodded obediently. "Next time, I’ll definitely close the door."

"Close the door? Wouldn’t that be even more embarrassing? Don’t close the door."

"Okay, then we won’t close the door. We’ll be open and aboveboard." Zhang Zhe nodded, trying to hold back his laughter.

He hadn’t expected to complete the system’s mission just by stumbling into it.

The requirement this time was to introduce Xia Yi to his parents and have them give her their heartfelt approval.

He never would have thought that just by hugging in the room for a bit and getting caught by his parents, the old couple would give their immediate consent.

’My parents really do practice what they preach,’ Zhang Zhe thought to himself.

Before Xia Yi arrived, they had said, "You’re at that age now. As long as you like the girl you’ve found, we won’t object."

And it turned out they really didn’t object. In fact, they gave their unconditional approval.