Xie Shu thought that once he refused, it would be over.

But who knew Jian Qing would follow up with another message: “Where are you working part-time? Until when? We can meet after you’re done.”

Xie Shu replied, “It’s a bit far from the city center, might be inconvenient.”

Aunt Jian responded, “No problem, as long as you agree, I have plenty of time.”

Xie Shu: “…”

Now he really didn’t know how to reply.

Aunt Jian had already said this much; would it be impolite to refuse again?

Xie Shu’s fingers hovered over the virtual keyboard, unable to type a single word for a long time.

After thinking for a while, he turned to Ruan Nianxi, “Should I just go?”

No matter what Aunt Jian wanted from him, he felt it wouldn’t hurt to meet. Even if she knew about their relationship, it was something he had to face eventually. He couldn’t hide it forever, right?

That was Xie Shu’s thought, but Ruan Nianxi still shook her head.

She disagreed.

“Meeting your parents is inevitable, isn’t it? We can’t keep hiding forever; the future is long.”

Ruan Nianxi understood this logic herself, but…

Things were far from simple!

Xie Shu always thought her parents might disapprove of their relationship because of their family backgrounds.

But actually… the reason was all about her…

Someone like her, everyone avoided her like the plague. Who would want to spend a lifetime with her…

But she really liked Xie Shu. She didn’t dare to tell him the truth, fearing he would leave, despise, or hate her.

In the past, with the help of medication, she could endure, accept not seeing Xie Shu for long periods, and even pretend not to see him with that Su girl. But now, she couldn’t…

Once you have something, you fear losing it.

If Xie Shu left her now, she wouldn’t be able to bear it!

So no, absolutely not!

She didn’t care! This time, Xie Shu came to her!

They were together, and there was no way they could separate now!

But given the current situation… she really had no choice but to keep hiding.

Ruan Nianxi remained silent, starting to blame herself for not being strong enough.

If she were strong, she wouldn’t have so many concerns now.

She didn’t speak, and Xie Shu wisely stopped talking as well.

He gently patted the back of Ruan Nianxi’s head, soothing her, “Alright, I was just saying. If you don’t want to meet, we won’t. We’ll wait until you feel ready.”

Then he continued to reply to the messages, citing long working hours, remote location, and difficulty in getting a cab as reasons to politely refuse.

But who knew the other side would reply, “No problem, I’ll drive over and give you a ride back.”

Xie Shu: “…”

So, a meeting was inevitable?

Xie Shu tentatively sent another message, “Aunt Jian, can’t we discuss this over the phone? Text, voice, video, they’re all very convenient.”

Aunt Jian replied, “Some things are better discussed in person.”

Xie Shu frowned at the chat box, wanting to ask more, but the other side suddenly inquired about his daily life, so Xie Shu chatted with her for a bit.

After a while, Jian Qing suddenly changed the topic, “Have you been in touch with Little Xi recently?”

Xie Shu: “…”

So, Aunt Jian insisted on meeting because she knew about their relationship and wanted to talk to him?

To give him a lecture?

Oh, that makes sense. It’s hard to give a lecture over a screen.

If she already knew, why ask if they were in contact?

Wasn’t that a rhetorical question?

In the end, Xie Shu honestly answered that they had been in touch recently, but he didn’t mention their hand-holding, hugging, and dating.

He thought Jian Qing would delve deeper into his relationship and daily interactions with Ruan Nianxi, but instead, she asked about Ruan Nianxi’s physical and mental health.

She asked if anything was wrong with her, if she was healthy, if he had seen her taking any medication…

These questions left Xie Shu puzzled, but he still honestly replied that everything was normal when he was with Ruan Nianxi.

After answering, he turned to look at Ruan Nianxi, who was peeking at his chat.

He knew she had been watching, but he didn’t mind at all.

He just looked at her curiously and asked, “Did you have some illness before? Aunt Jian seems very worried about you.”

During their time together, Ruan Nianxi seemed perfectly normal, but Aunt Jian’s questions suggested she had been ill…

But she seemed fine recently, so he thought it must have been before they met, hence the parental concern.

Ruan Nianxi had been watching their chat from the beginning.

She had seen all the messages, and when her mom asked about her, her face darkened.

But she could tell her mom was being very tactful, and Xie Shu didn’t think much of it. Besides, most people wouldn’t guess her illness.

When Xie Shu asked her, she couldn’t completely deny it, so she admitted it.

However, she couldn’t reveal everything. She nodded slightly and frowned, “Maybe, I don’t feel anything, but they always worry unnecessarily.”

“Parents are like that,” Xie Shu said with a smile. “I was the same when I was sick. Even after I got better, they kept asking if I was in pain or uncomfortable.”

He smiled and continued typing on his phone.

After learning from Xie Shu that Ruan Nianxi was fine, Jian Qing returned to the original topic, “Where are you working part-time? I’ll drive over tomorrow.”

Xie Shu: “…”

This topic wasn’t over yet?

He thought she wouldn’t ask again.

Xie Shu sighed, ruffling his hair as he tried to think of another excuse.

He had used several already, and now he was running out of ideas…

As he hesitated over the virtual keyboard, Ruan Nianxi took his phone and typed a message for him, “Let’s meet at the school.”