Prince charming, your persona has collapsed!
Chapter 849 - 351: Zheng Yanyan Comes Knocking

"Don't cry."

Zheng Yanyan's arrival truly disrupted Zhou Yuwen's plans, but her affection for Zhou Yuwen was genuine. On the seventh day of the New Year, a young girl running around like this — no matter what, she needed to be soothed.

So Zhou Yuwen sat there on the bed while Zheng Yanyan, clad in long boots, straddled Zhou Yuwen's lap, tears still streaming down her face.

Zhou Yuwen gently wiped away her tears bit by bit, soothing her as he said, "Baby, don't cry."

The more Zhou Yuwen spoke like this, the more Zheng Yanyan acted coyly and threw a tantrum.

Zhou Yuwen had no choice but to cup Zheng Yanyan's small face and kiss her.

This time, Zheng Yanyan cooperated, after all, it had been so long since they'd last seen each other, and Zheng Yanyan had begun to wonder if Zhou Yuwen no longer loved her.

Girls are peculiar — when they want something, they don't get it; but when they don't want it, they chase after it to hand it over. During their kiss, Zheng Yanyan even tugged at the hem of her sweater, lifting it slightly and prompting Zhou Yuwen's hand to go underneath.

This left Zhou Yuwen both amused and exasperated as he asked, "Do you miss me, or are you missing something else?"

"You're so annoying," Zheng Yanyan blushed but chose not to respond.

Clearly, she wanted both.

With a burst of strength, she pushed Zhou Yuwen down onto the bed, then climbed on top of him, laughing gleefully.

The two of them frolicked on the bed for a while, but Zhou Yuwen didn't take things further, as it was broad daylight and inconvenient.

A moment passed.

Suddenly, a knock was heard at the door.

This startled both Zhou Yuwen and Zheng Yanyan, leaving them frozen in place.

At that moment, Zhou Yuwen was still lying on top of Zheng Yanyan. He called out, "Who is it?"

"Son, open the door. I brought you guys some things," said Zhou Yuwen's mother.

Zhou Yuwen sighed, thinking, "Mom is so annoying, she's not really here to deliver something — she's here to spy on us."

He opened the door.

His mother stood there holding a brand-new quilt, smiling at Zhou Yuwen. She said, "I thought about it — Yanyan might not be used to your sister-in-law's quilt, so I picked out a new one."

"Thank you, Auntie."

Zheng Yanyan tilted her head from behind Zhou Yuwen and thanked Yang Lirong gracefully. Tall and fair-skinned, she looked every bit like a girl from the big city. Most importantly, Yang Lirong found her very polite, quite likable, and waved her hand, saying it was nothing.

"You came such a long way. If you need anything, just let Auntie know."

Yang Lirong was quite enthusiastic, even helping Zheng Yanyan set up the quilt.

Zheng Yanyan was quick to assist, jogging over to help Yang Lirong with the bedding.

The two of them got along harmoniously. Yang Lirong even told Zheng Yanyan to let her know if she needed anything and added Zheng Yanyan's WeChat.

Zhou Yuwen watched silently from the side without speaking a word.

This is just a woman's nature. Yang Lirong already had some dislike for Su Qing. Now that Zheng Yanyan was here, Yang Lirong wasted no time in showing favoritism, mentioning how Yanyan seemed like a city girl.

"This young girl came all this way to see you during the New Year. Isn't she better than that clingy girl who's always asking for a Mercedes?"

How should one put it?

Though Zheng Yanyan likely wouldn't be easier to deal with than Su Qing, neither was better than the other — it was just that Yang Lirong clearly preferred Zheng Yanyan.

After finishing the bedding, she even sat down with Zheng Yanyan for a chat.

The main topic was:

"Child, your parents aren't divorced, are they?"

"Huh?"

Zheng Yanyan was momentarily stunned, but she quickly caught on to the meaning behind the question and confidently smiled at Zhou Yuwen's mother, saying, "Auntie, my parents are not divorced!"

Yang Lirong beamed with joy at this answer, grasping Zheng Yanyan's hand and remarking, "That's good."

"I just hope he finds someone from a happy family."

As she said this, she glanced at Zhou Yuwen.

Zheng Yanyan and Yang Lirong grew increasingly animated in their conversation, but Zhou Yuwen couldn't bear to listen anymore. He interrupted, saying, "Mom, are you done? If you are, hurry up and leave. Yanyan needs to rest."

Yang Lirong shot Zhou Yuwen a glare, scolding him and saying, "What's the rush? It's rare for her to come all this way; I need to show some care."

"Fine, fine. You can take your time later. For now, please leave the room."

Zhou Yuwen, thoroughly exasperated, began ushering Yang Lirong out.

Even after being pushed out of the room, Yang Lirong lingered, repeatedly telling Zheng Yanyan to let her know if she needed anything.

Her demeanor made Zheng Yanyan feel a bit awkward.

Having successfully removed his mother from the situation, Zhou Yuwen followed her outside.

Once outside, Zhou Yuwen complained to Yang Lirong, "Mom, could you stop meddling? You were never this calculating before."

"How am I being calculating?"

She refused to admit to being so, insisting, "I just think the young girl really went out of her way, coming all the way from the Capital to this little place. Don't you know what she must be thinking?"

Of course Zhou Yuwen knew — he just couldn't say it.

He replied, "Nothing, probably just bored at home and decided to come out for a stroll."

Hearing this, Yang Lirong pursed her lips, her gaze fixed on her son, saying nothing.

No one knows someone better than their own mother.

With that maternal stare, Zhou Yuwen felt quite uncomfortable and rubbed his face, asking, "Mom, why are you staring at me like that?"

Yang Lirong snorted and said, "Don't try to fool me."

"You're just like your dad. Let me tell you — no matter what your relationship with that girl inside is, she made the effort to come all this way during the New Year. With that token of affection, you had better take good care of her."

Zhou Yuwen nodded, "That's a given."

Only then was Yang Lirong satisfied, though as she left, she couldn't help but ask, "Nothing's going on between you, right?"

"Nothing's going on."

Zhou Yuwen avoided his mother's gaze, sighing internally that this situation needed to be kept under wraps as much as possible, though the truth might already be an open secret.

After Yang Lirong left, Zhou Yuwen returned to the room.

He found Zheng Yanyan perched on the edge of the bed with her long, boot-clad legs crossed, hands propped behind her, leaning back as she gazed at Zhou Yuwen with playful curiosity.

Seeing him come in, Zheng Yanyan smiled and asked, "Your mom's gone, huh?"

"Yeah."

Zhou Yuwen replied as he began fiddling with the kettle on the table. These items had been left behind by Lu Wanting, and since cleanliness wasn't an issue, he could use them directly to boil water.

Watching Zhou Yuwen bustling around the room, Zheng Yanyan found it amusing. She asked, "Zhou Yuwen, does your mom know about Su Qing?"

Zhou Yuwen responded, "You're pretty sharp."

Zheng Yanyan giggled mischievously and said, "Of course. I'm not dumb. She asked me if my parents were divorced — I'm guessing she's not too fond of Su Qing."

"Right on the money." Zhou Yuwen nodded.

Zheng Yanyan grinned even wider, pleased with herself, though seeing Zhou Yuwen turned away busying himself with boiling water, she pouted and said, "Come sit with me. I'm not thirsty right now."

With a sigh, Zhou Yuwen finally returned to sit by the bed.

Zheng Yanyan immediately clung to him, slipping her slender hands inside his shirt for warmth. Though the air conditioner had been running for a while, her body still felt cold.

The chill stung like ice, surprising Zhou Yuwen as he took her small hands and warmed them with his breath, asking her why she was still so cold despite the air conditioning.

With a blush, Zheng Yanyan explained that she naturally had a cold disposition.

"Rubbish! Being cold-natured doesn't explain it." Zhou Yuwen jabbed back sharply.

Instead of getting annoyed, Zheng Yanyan burst into laughter, genuinely thrilled even as he teased her.

She explained that she'd been outside for too long and would warm up soon enough.

Zhou Yuwen asked her how she got here and why she had to transfer vehicles mid-journey.

Earnestly, Zheng Yanyan narrated her adventure.

She had boarded a high-speed train at 9:00 a.m. and arrived at Xu Huai Station by 2:00 p.m., transferring to another ride without a seat ticket, settling instead for a standing ticket.

"But Zhou Yuwen, it's really cold here. I feel like it's colder than back in the Capital," Zheng Yanyan remarked.

Wrapping Zheng Yanyan in his arms, Zhou Yuwen replied, "Obviously — we just had snow melt, so it's naturally colder."

"Are you still cold now?" Zhou Yuwen asked as he gently rubbed her hands.

Nuzzling against him, Zheng Yanyan replied, "Not anymore. When you hold me, I don't feel cold at all."

"Silly girl."

"Hehe, even if I'm silly, I'm your silly girl."

Zhou Yuwen rolled his eyes.

People are multifaceted. Previously, Zhou Yuwen thought of Zheng Yanyan as vain and a little headstrong. But seeing her silly, playful side now, he found her rather endearing.

The kettle only took five minutes to boil.

Taking a plastic basin from outside, Zhou Yuwen brought it inside to prepare hot water for Zheng Yanyan to soak her feet.

Pouring in steaming water, Zhou Yuwen urged her to remove her boots and soak her feet for comfort.

Watching Zhou Yuwen's considerate actions, Zheng Yanyan beamed as she stretched out her legs, placing her feet in front of Zhou Yuwen, "You help me take them off."

"You're dreaming," Zhou Yuwen retorted.

"Take them off yourself!"

"Oh, come on~ Why?" Zheng Yanyan pouted, trying to act cute.

Still, no matter how much she pouted, Zhou Yuwen refused to help remove her boots, joking, "Who wants to smell your stinky feet?"

"Stinky? They don't stink at all," Zheng Yanyan argued.

She even pulled off her boot and sniffed her foot to prove a point.

Seeing her sitting on the bed with such a goofy demeanor, Zhou Yuwen was speechless.

She wore cotton socks inside her boots. After Zhou Yuwen mixed the water to her liking, he brought the basin over.

Extending her cotton-socked feet toward Zhou Yuwen, she signaled for him to remove her socks.

Since she hadn't walked much while wearing her boots, there was indeed no smell.

Noticing her spoiled demeanor, Zhou Yuwen unexpectedly didn't call her out. He removed her socks, revealing two delicate feet as white as jade beneath her snug, black leggings.

Zheng Yanyan's legs were already long. Coupled with the shark-skin-tight leggings she wore, they looked even more flawless. Her calves, snugly wrapped, appeared plump and shapely.

Her feet at the bottom were even more exquisite — clear and soft, toes neatly trimmed, each tinged with a gentle blush.

Playfully, she wiggled her big toe toward Zhou Yuwen like a little mischievous sprite.

Zhou Yuwen wasn't one to hold back and tickled her sole, causing Zheng Yanyan to giggle uncontrollably.

"You're so restless," Zhou Yuwen commented.

Pouting, Zheng Yanyan replied, "Well, I've come all this way. Is it too much to want to act a bit spoiled?"

Zhou Yuwen placed her feet into the basin, asking, "How does it feel?"

"Hmm... It's pretty good..." Zheng Yanyan responded.

Seeing no issues, Zhou Yuwen ceased helping her with her feet, only letting her know there was still water in the kettle if the basin cooled off and needed refilling.

Blinking, Zheng Yanyan asked, "You're not going to help me wash my feet?"

"You wish."

As they continued chatting, Zhou Yuwen's phone rang again — this time, it was Su Qing.

Still concerned, Su Qing asked what Zhou Yuwen was up to.

Zhou Yuwen replied that Zheng Yanyan had been settled.

"I told my mom that Yanyan is a classmate of yours and mine who came to visit and is temporarily staying at my home."

"Staying at your house?!"

Su Qing's reaction was complicated.

She asked, "Did Auntie say anything?"

"What else could she say?" Zhou Yuwen sighed.

"We'll muddle through for now. In a few days, I'll take her to Jinling."

Making no effort to hide his call from Zheng Yanyan, Zhou Yuwen let her overhear Su Qing's voice aloud. This annoyed Zheng Yanyan.

It wasn't easy getting a chance to have some fun with her boyfriend.

Only for Su Qing to ruin it — anyone would be upset.

Su Qing suggested on the phone that perhaps Zheng Yanyan should stay in a hotel.

"She's a girl; what's with her staying at your place? She could even stay at mine!"

"Don't make things complicated. If your mom finds out, it'll only make things harder. For now, this arrangement will do," Zhou Yuwen responded.