Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?
Chapter 247: Meeting the Parents

Chapter 247: Chapter 247: Meeting the Parents

Ruan Hongzhuang made no effort to hide her affection and directly reached up to loop her arm through Shen Siyuan’s, then introduced him to others.

"This is my mother, Ms. Jiang Yingxue."

"And this is Taozi, no need for me to introduce her."

Jiang Yingxue’s gaze lingered for a moment on Ruan Hongzhuang’s hand looped through Shen Siyuan’s arm before quickly looking away.

But that brief moment forced her to reassess the relationship between Ruan Hongzhuang and Shen Siyuan.

She knew her daughter well. Her daughter was a woman with an independent character and great pride. Coupled with her own strong abilities, she had the capital to be proud.

With such a personality, even if she truly encountered a young man she was fond of, she wouldn’t be overly dependent on him.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have chosen to venture to Bin Hai to start a business on her own, rather than relying on her family, after graduating from college. This was just who she was by nature.

But now, what she saw was her daughter becoming incredibly obedient in the blink of an eye at the sight of this young man.

Yes, obedient. She could clearly sense that her daughter, who usually had a strong presence and a bold demeanor, toned down her personality the moment she saw him.

Like a little wild cat that bared its claws out in the wider world but turned docile and gentle in the presence of its owner.

However, she didn’t have time to think about it now, as the young man was already greeting her.

"Hello, Auntie, my name is Shen Siyuan."

Shen Siyuan said with a smile, extending his hand to Jiang Yingxue.

Jiang Yingxue, almost reflexively, stretched out her hand to briefly shake his.

Feeling the strength in his palm, Jiang Yingxue suddenly snapped back to reality.

"Something’s not right, very not right..."

She had been in business with her husband since she was in her twenties and had met all sorts of people over the years.

Honest farmers, the desperately toiling workers, passionate youths, sly competitors, and even high-ranking leaders...

And now, she seemed to distinguish a demeanor in him that was usually possessed by those high-ranking leaders: his actions were seemingly gentle, yet carried a tone of unquestionable authority.

Such a presence was somewhat mystical, but it certainly existed. For instance, in a handshake, when a person of high status reaches out to you, your body would react before your mind does, instinctively shaking their hand.

That’s approximately the feeling Shen Siyuan gave to Jiang Yingxue just then.

At this point, Shen Siyuan had already let go of Jiang Yingxue’s hand and was greeting Jiang Taoshi.

"Miss Jiang, we meet again."

"Hmph~"

Jiang Taoshi was quite displeased, feeling like he had snatched away her best friend.

Seeing her attitude, Ruan Hongzhuang didn’t take it to heart and instead said to Shen Siyuan with a smile, "Just call her Taozi, she’s got a little kid’s temperament, don’t mind her."

"Who’s a little kid, who’s a little kid?"

Jiang Taoshi did not take kindly to Ruan Hongzhuang’s comment about her.

"See... there it is..."

Jiang Taoshi was so frustrated by her she couldn’t speak, and finally, she just glared at them angrily.

Jiang Yingxue, watching this, took Jiang Taoshi’s hand and said with a chuckle, "You two, stop picking on Taozi."

"Hmph, Auntie is the best."

Jiang Taoshi clung to Jiang Yingxue’s arm and acted coquettishly, making it unclear who exactly was Jiang Yingxue’s daughter.

"Take a seat and we’ll chat," Shen Siyuan invited everyone to sit down.

Ruan Hongzhuang naturally seated herself next to Shen Siyuan.

Jiang Yingxue didn’t comment on this arrangement; after all, there were only four seats, and with Jiang Taoshi there, it’s not like she could sit with Shen Siyuan, could she?

After everyone was seated and had casually ordered some food, Jiang Yingxue, now composed, began to inquire about Shen Siyuan.

"How old is Xiao Shen this year?"

"What’s his job?"

"Where is his family from, and what do his parents do?"

...

Shen Siyuan was forthright with his responses, not holding anything back.

However, after learning about him, Jiang Yingxue felt even more puzzled.

These two people seemed to live on two completely different parallel lines with no possibility of intersecting each other. How did they come to know one another?

"It’s all thanks to Taozi," Ruan Hongzhuang said with a smile, answering this question.

"Thanks to Taozi?"

Jiang Yingxue turned to look at Jiang Taoshi, who had been quietly sitting by her side.

Jiang Taoshi picked up her cup, gulped down the drink in big swigs, and glared displeasingly at the two people opposite her.

"Because that day, Si Yuan was going on a blind date with Taozi, I was a little worried, so I followed along to check..."

"Let me explain," Shen Siyuan cut in.

"I and Taozi’s cousin worked for the same company, and we got along well. She said she wanted to introduce me to someone, and that was Taozi. When I went to the appointment that day, I mistook Ruan Ruan for Taozi..."

Shen Siyuan recounted the events of that day in detail, making Jiang Yingxue feel that there was quite a fateful connection between them.

"But, as a sister, you’re not being very righteous. You did steal Taozi’s boyfriend," said Jiang Yingxue.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Taoshi looked at Shen Siyuan, and with a pursed lip said, "I’m not interested in him."

In fact, if it weren’t for Ruan Hongzhuang, it really wasn’t certain. When Jiang Taoshi first met Shen Siyuan, she had a pretty good impression of him.

"This is Si Yuan’s fate. Taozi was just the matchmaker for us," Ruan Hongzhuang said happily, her arm looped through Shen Siyuan’s.

Jiang Yingxue glanced at her, took a sip from her cup, and then slowly said, "But to make a life together, fate alone is not enough."

"Mom~"

Ruan Hongzhuang immediately knew what Jiang Yingxue wanted to say and just as she was about to speak up to stop her, she was met with an angry glare.

Shen Siyuan gently patted the back of her hand as a comforting gesture, telling her not to worry.

Perhaps due to Ruan Hongzhuang’s firm attitude, Jiang Yingxue didn’t say much more. Instead, she changed the subject and began to talk about Ruan Hongzhuang’s childhood.

At first, it was fine; she talked about how obedient and well-behaved Ruan Hongzhuang was as a child.

She talked about her independence and strong will, which seldom worried them.

She talked about the various honors she received at school.

But gradually, Shen Siyuan began to sense that something was off.

She mentioned that when Ruan Hongzhuang was in the third grade of elementary school, they took her to over forty countries...

She talked about going to a jewelry exhibition where she fancied a crescent diamond tiara, which her father bought for tens of millions to make her happy, but she discarded it after wearing it just one night...

She talked about wanting to pilot a plane, so her father bought her a helicopter, which now sits collecting dust in a warehouse after she learned to fly it...

She talked about how she crashed a Bentley her father gifted her on the day she got her driver’s license, fortunately without injuring herself...

...

This was outright flaunting wealth, a way to show Shen Siyuan the gap between them.

Sure enough, she then changed her tone.

"Xiao Shen, I have some questions I’d like to ask directly. Don’t be upset; after all, I only have this daughter, so I certainly want to understand things better."

Her voice was still gentle, but it carried an authoritative tone.

Ruan Hongzhuang was about to retort when Shen Siyuan pressed her hand under the table, and she immediately calmed down.

Jiang Taoshi, sitting on the side, was suddenly more alert. She grabbed a little piggy bun and ate it while waiting to see Shen Siyuan being disparaged and criticized.

"If auntie has something to say, please go ahead," said Shen Siyuan.

"Do you have any plans for the future, Xiao Shen?"

"I haven’t thought that far ahead."

"Do you have a car?"

"No, and even if I did, I wouldn’t drive."

Jiang Yingxue: ...

Just these two questions alone were enough for Jiang Yingxue not to want to continue the conversation.

A young man with no plan for the future, poor and without ambitions, indeed sounded like he was good for nothing but his looks.

However, she was not angry; rather, she was somewhat pleased.

Such a man was perfectly suited for Ruan Hongzhuang; her daughter’s judgment in people was indeed not bad.

The reason for this was naturally that their family was not short of money, so she was actually a little worried about her daughter finding someone incompetent and prone to squandering, which could drain even a great fortune.

She was also concerned about her daughter finding a man with strong capabilities and a focus on career, which could lead to him taking over, the usurper becoming the master, leaving their family’s vast wealth in someone else’s hands.

A man like Shen Siyuan, who had neither capabilities nor ambitions, was exactly the right match for Ruan Hongzhuang. As for being poor, it wasn’t an issue; their family did not lack money.

This was also the reason why many well-off families in Beijing and Shanghai were willing to have civil servants as their sons-in-law.

Thus, after understanding everything, Jiang Yingxue was not disappointed but, instead, had higher expectations.

However, there were some basic conditions that still needed to be mentioned, otherwise it would seem that their daughter was too cheap.

So she continued to ask: "So, you don’t have a house either?"

"Well... I actually do have one, someone just gave me a suite recently."

"No house... huh? What do you mean, someone gave you a suite?" Jiang Yingxue doubted if she had misheard.

"Yes."

"In the countryside?"

"No, it’s in Bin Hai."

"Is it a relocated suburb house?"

"What relocated house? Sea Breeze District, a large flat with a sea view, worth tens of millions," Ruan Hongzhuang finally couldn’t help but say irritably.

Jiang Yingxue picked up her cup and took a sip, her expression serious, "Are you joking?"

"Do I look like I’m joking?" Ruan Hongzhuang glared back angrily.

Seeing that her daughter didn’t seem to be joking, Jiang Yingxue then showed a shocked expression.

That odd feeling she had before crept up again.

Suddenly, even the piggy bun in Jiang Taoshi’s hand lost its appeal.

PS: There’s another Chapter coming this afternoon.

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