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Chapter 1032 - 1029: Concealment

Chapter 1032: Chapter 1029: Concealment

Tong Xiaohua thought carefully all the way until it was time to eat, when she tentatively asked Yan Bo.

"How have you been with your family recently?"

Yan Bo added some of her favorite beef brisket to her bowl, "Not much different, still the same."

Clearly, he had no intention of bringing up his fallout with the family.

Tong Xiaohua fell silent for a moment, then slowly chewed the beef brisket she had picked up.

Along the way, she had considered this possibility, but when he actually kept his lips sealed about anything to do with his parents, her mood became heavy.

She never wanted to be a burden to him.

But whether she wanted to or not, reality was cruel; she eventually became his heaviest burden due to problems with her family background.

Yan Bo was unaware that Yan Yuan had phoned Tong Xiaohua. Seeing her quiet, he simply thought she had performed poorly in her exams.

"What’s wrong? Did the exam not go well?"

Tong Xiaohua shook her head instinctively, but soon, she nodded slightly.

"Yes, I got the knowledge points wrong; the exam was all on the parts I hadn’t reviewed."

It was better to let him think she was upset about the exam than to worry him.

"It’s fine; I’ve heard from Di Xu. Professors at L University grade with compassion. As long as you have a decent attendance, and the exam isn’t a complete disaster, they generally give passing marks," he reassured her as he peeled several crab legs and put them all into her bowl.

Tong Xiaohua looked at the meat piling up in her bowl, feeling worse. She picked up her chopsticks and moved two crab legs back into Yan Bo’s bowl.

"You should eat too. Don’t just fatten me up; I won’t look good if I get fat."

Yan Bo paused with his chopsticks, tilted his head, and gave her a serious look.

"You look good with a bit more weight too. Don’t deliberately diet. Eat what you want!"

Tong Xiaohua couldn’t help but laugh and cry. What kind of boyfriend indulges his girlfriend’s urge to eat like this?

However, she actually had the type of body that couldn’t gain weight no matter how much she ate, so her assumption wasn’t really valid.

And in order not to arouse Yan Bo’s suspicion, Tong Xiaohua ate an extraordinary amount that night, leaving almost clutching her stomach.

Yan Bo dropped her off at the Tong Family home, went in to greet her mom and dad, but declined the family’s invitation for him to stay the night, sitting for a while before getting up to leave.

Tong Xiaohua didn’t persist in asking him to stay. As the end of the year approached, everyone was busy.

Including herself, she actually had a pile of tasks to deal with. However, with exams clustered together these past few days, she had to entrust her work temporarily to Qin Ming, focusing entirely on her first semester exams at university.

After Yan Bo left, the smile that Tong Xiaohua had maintained fell away.

Her father was busy with his collection and hadn’t noticed the change in his daughter’s mood.

But her mother saw it at a glance, patted her on the shoulder, "Xiao Hua, today your dad and I bought some flower tea. Come and try it with me."

Tong Xiaohua glanced at her father immersed in his hobby on the sofa, nodding her head.

"Oh, wait for me a moment then. I’ll put away my backpack and change my clothes."

"Sure, I’ll start drinking. Come over after you take a bath; it’s cold outside, a bath will warm you up a bit."

Tong Xiaohua obediently went back to her room for a bath, donned a thick bathrobe, and took a few books and a notebook to the tearoom.

Although she was frustrated, she wouldn’t neglect what she needed to do.

As for Yan Bo’s situation, there was always a way to resolve it.

Although she had absolutely no clue how to solve her problems, she could only comfort herself for the time being.

Otherwise, if she insisted on thinking negatively, her future with Yan Bo would seem bleak and utterly hopeless.

"Come, drink this tea and see if it’s especially fragrant."

Tong’s mother saw her come in, shifted on the tatami, and placed a soft cushion beside her before setting the fragrant tea in front of her.

"Thank you, Mom!"

Tong Xiaohua picked up the cup and took a sip.

The rich aroma of the tea, mixed with the subtle scent of flowers, instantly overtook her taste buds.

"Mmm... it’s really good!"

Tong’s mother nodded with satisfaction, "Right? Your father accompanied me down an entire street just to find tea leaves of such fine taste. Originally, we thought Xiao Yan would stay over and wanted him to have a taste, too."

At the mention of Yan Bo, a shade of sadness swept across Tong Xiaohua’s eyes.

Her mother caught the subtle change in her expression.

"But it’s okay; I bought quite a lot. Tomorrow, I can have the driver send some over to him."

Tong Xiaohua composed herself and nodded, "Yeah, he’s been busy with work lately and probably won’t have much time to come over."

Tong’s mother patted the back of her hand, "Silly girl, you don’t have to explain things like that to us. Your father and I know that Xiao Yan is a man with strong career ambitions. It’s normal for him to be busy at this time of the year. However, you must always remind him to take good care of himself no matter how busy he is. Tomorrow, I’ll ask Uncle Guan to make some soup for him to nourish his health."

Tong Xiaohua hugged her mother, "Mmm, thanks, Mom. You always put in so much effort."

Tong’s mother glared at her, "What are you being polite for with me? If he’s good to you, of course, I’ll treat him well. In the future, I’m counting on him to look after you."

Tong Xiaohua smiled at her mother and drained her cup of tea.

Tong’s mother could tell her daughter was preoccupied, but she didn’t rush to ask.

The daughter had grown up, and it was time for her to independently think through problems and try to solve them herself.

Tong Xiaohua sat beside her attentive mother, silently sipping tea.

The mother and daughter, in subtle understanding, continued their leisurely tea-drinking until Tong the elder pushed the door open.

"Yo, are you mother and daughter cultivating immortality? Why is it so quiet?"

Tong’s mother gave him a look, "Tasting tea, not talking is normal. Since when did silence equate to cultivation?"

Tong the elder sat down with a plop, picked up a cup, and guzzled down the tea.

"Tasting what? Isn’t it just for quenching thirst?"

Tong’s mother hit him playfully, "That’s like a cow chewing peonies, wasting my good tea leaves. Go outside and get yourself a bottle of beer."

Tong the elder looked at the mother and daughter, "You have something to talk about? Can’t I listen?"

Before Tong Xiaohua could speak, her mother was already pushing him, signaling for him to get out.

"Yes, Xiao Hua and I are discussing how to make you quit smoking and drinking."

Tong the elder eyed the two women warily, Tong Xiaohua also smiled and played along with her mother’s words, "Dad, if you don’t leave now, Mom’s going to sleep with me tonight!"

Tong the elder stood up abruptly, "You are both so heartless. Xiao Yan is so much better!"

Tong’s mother teased him, "Yes, with a son-in-law, your wife and daughter are not up to par anymore—is that it? You’re disenchanted!"

Tong the elder did not argue, but simply bent down and, in front of Tong Xiaohua, planted a kiss on Tong’s mother’s face before strutting out.

Tong Xiaohua, caught off guard by an unexpected mouthful of "dog food," clutched her heart and remained speechless for a long time.