Chapter 13: Chapter 13: I Like Arrogance
"Phew..."
"You seem very nervous."
Standing in front of the elevator, Xu Lin glanced at Chu Qingchan, who took a deep breath, surprised that this camera-ready woman could also be nervous.
"You said it's meeting the parents; it'd be strange if I wasn't nervous."
"Oh right, speaking of parents, I have something for you."
"Hmm?"
Xu Lin opened the side pocket of his backpack and took out a jade bracelet. It was simple in style, not the kind with beautiful natural patterns.
"Don't look down upon it. My grandma asked me to give this to you, saying it's a gift for you."
"Speaking of which, I haven't done anything for the old lady all day. I forgot to do the dishes and just lazed on the couch, scrolling through my phone. I feel embarrassed to accept it."
"But since it's from the old lady, you should accept it. It's not something expensive anyway."
"The reason she gave it to you is because you're too beautiful. My grandma has always been obsessed with looks since she was young."
"Alright, if that's the case, I'll accept it."
She reached out her hands, carefully took it, and then put it on her left wrist. "Thank your grandma for me."
"Your suitcase is still over there; you can thank her yourself next time."
"Okay."
At that moment, the elevator opened, and an old man walked out, waving at Xu Lin. "Xu kid, I just came out of your place."
"Uncle Zhang, why don't you stay for a while? My dad's off work today, and he said he wanted to play chess with you."
"Relatives have come to your house, so I shouldn't stay long. You go back quickly."
"Alright!"
Xu Lin responded, leading Chu Qingchan into the elevator, but his mind was racing, wondering which relative had come to visit.
Uncle? Second uncle? They're all working out of town. Aunt? Second aunt? They're not in the local area either. I just came back from my grandparents'.
"Hey, who's this relative? What should I call them?"
Exiting the elevator, the big star grabbed his sleeve, and Xu Lin glanced at her. Although she was wearing a mask, the tension was about to explode.
"It's okay; just say whatever I say, and that's it."
"Oh, okay."
Chu Qingchan didn't know why she was so nervous, feeling like she was back in elementary school when she was still a shy girl with social anxiety.
Xu Lin knocked on the door, and it opened in two seconds. Mother Xu stuck her head out.
"I thought you were coming back in the afternoon."
"I heard from Uncle Zhang that some relatives came. Who is it?"
"It's your Uncle Qin."
"Mom, where did this Uncle Qin come from?"
"He's the son of your god-grandfather, the artist, Qin Lang."
"I see that nibbling. Very filial uncle, right?"
Actually, he wasn't very familiar with his god-grandfather, as he was his father's godfather and they hadn't met many times. But his god-grandfather had a good temperament.
But both of his children were freeloaders; his daughter played in finance but often lost money, while his son simply lived off others and occasionally wrote songs or scripts, making himself seem like a real artist.
"Who's this?" Mother Xu asked, ignoring his strange tone and looking at the young woman beside him, holding several bags.
"She's my friend. I'm going to accompany her for something later. But when we were passing by here, she insisted on visiting you and dad."
"Hello, Auntie. This is a little gift for you."
"Just come in; why bring gifts?"
Mother Xu wasn't making excuses; she genuinely didn't like receiving gifts. She wouldn't even accept things from her siblings during the New Year, let alone from outsiders.
"She bought them, so just accept them."
Xu Lin patted his mom's arm, and Mother Xu glanced at him before taking the gifts. When she had a chance, she'd ask where he met this female friend.
"Come inside and rest for a while."
Mother Xu led the young woman into the house, then hurried to the kitchen. Xu Lin also noticed two figures sitting in the dining room. He changed his shoes and walked over.
One man and one woman. The man was about forty years old, with long, flowing hair and a long beard, which almost hid his eyes if you didn't look closely.
The unfamiliar young woman sitting next to him was quite young, around 20, dressed stylishly and with makeup that almost matched Ji Yun's natural beauty.
If it were in the past, he might have taken a second look, but with Chu Qingchan by his side, he felt nothing.
"Hello, Uncle Qin!"
Xu Lin greeted him warmly, not to please him but to show respect to his own parents.
"The last time I saw you, you were still in primary school, quiet like a little girl. I didn't expect you to grow into a handsome young man."
"Is this your daughter?"
"Yes, Qin Tiantian, a few years older than you, just started university."
"Hello, sister."
Xu Lin greeted her, but she just stared at him without responding, which made Xu Lin a little unhappy.
The man with the long beard nudged his daughter with his elbow, and Xu Lin continued to smile. "Maybe she's tired, Uncle. I'll go put away the stuff. I just got back from outside."
"Alright, later, us guys will have some drinks."
At this moment, Chu Qingchan stood at the corner, feeling a bit cramped. Seeing Xu Lin approaching, she grabbed his sleeve and whispered.
"That girl, I feel like she needs some guidance."
"Don't stir up trouble for me. Even though she's a bit arrogant, I never express my dissatisfaction."
"First, she may not realise she's wrong. Second, I enjoy watching arrogant people fall."
"Mr. Xu, I think you're better suited for acting."
"Of course, I've said it before; I'm better than you. You're just a mediocre female lead."
Upon hearing Xu Lin's sarcasm, Chu Qingchan immediately reacted, reaching for his waist, but Xu Lin quickly grabbed her hand.
"Don't mess around; let's go to my room."
"Oh, don't we need to greet your father first?"
"Later."
With that said, Xu Lin went straight from the living room to the bedroom. However, Xu Feng, who was in the dining room, still noticed his son leading a girl into the room.
His son's girlfriend? That shouldn't be. He knew his son quite well; besides his hobby of playing games and watching anime, he shouldn't have much interest in anything else.
He got up and walked to the kitchen, approaching his busy wife and whispering, "Who's that girl?"
"I don't know; he said she was a friend. But she looks like an adult."
"Could she be his girlfriend?! But if she is, do you think our boy dares to bring her home?"
"That's true."
"She even brought us gifts. Although I haven't looked at it, it seems like it cost quite a bit."
"Yeah, let's wait until the guests leave, then we'll ask."
"Okay."
Entering the room, Chu Qingchan took off her mask and sniffed the air for any strange odours, but found none. So she began to observe closely.
There was nothing Xu Lin had to hide; even his study materials were stored on a USB drive, so she couldn't find anything.
"Have you read all these books on your shelf?"
"Mm, I've loved reading since I was young. Later, after I started reading online novels, whenever they were published in physical form, I would buy them to collect."
"I didn't expect that. Nowadays, many people buy books just to display them. Can I use the computer?"
Chu Qingchan glanced at the dormant computer and immediately sat down.
"Yes, you can."
Chu Qingchan glanced at Xu Lin's calm demeanour, searched through folders, and also tried some keywords but found nothing.
"Huh? Mr. Xu, you're too clean; there's nothing here."
"So, what are you looking for?"
"Don't guys like you hide some study materials?"
"Miss Chu, think about it. You're so beautiful, and I haven't done anything. Let alone those movies."
"That's true, but don't compare me to them."
"They are actors too, with better acting skills than you."
"If you mention this again, be careful; I'll talk to your mother."
"Don't; tonight I'll download a few for us to enjoy together."
But just then, the QQ messenger suddenly rang, and Chu Qingchan's eyes lit up as a profile picture with the alias 'Class Monitor Ji' blinked.
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