Chapter 40

Chapter 40

...Unfortunately, this was not a dream.

The sweet Omega froze instantly, dumbfounded, his mouth opening and closing in shock.

Right after, he instinctively turned his head in a panic to look at Xie Yilin behind him.

Xie Yilin was also stunned.

He didn’t recognize the person in front of him, but judging from Bai Chen’s reaction, it must be someone very important.

And considering the familiarity between the other person and Bai Chen, the approximate age, and the facial features that vaguely resembled Bai Chen...

His Highness the Crown Prince felt an inexplicable tension, as if he were stepping onto a battlefield for the first time.

He froze in place.

Could this be... Bai Chen’s mother?

He had just taken Bai Chen to meet his own father, and now he was about to meet Bai Chen’s mother.

His original plan was to first settle things with Bai Chen before...

At that moment, Xie Yilin couldn’t help but feel as though fate was playing tricks on him.

Bai Yinyi naturally noticed Xie Yilin standing behind Bai Chen.

The production team had invited her, explaining that this episode’s theme was about parents, and they wanted her to come to give Bai Chen a surprise.

Bai Yinyi’s health wasn’t great. Although she had stabilized after years of recuperation, the doctor had advised her to stay in the sanatorium on Cangxu Star for the long term.

When the production team found her, she was cooped up in her room, reluctant to go out.

Because... Ever since Bai Chen and Xie Yilin’s relationship became known in the sanatorium, she found it hard to go out.

Wherever she went, she became the center of attention.

There were those who tried to flatter her, which annoyed her endlessly, those who teased her for not mentioning such a big thing... and then there were the leaks, with reporters actually showing up at her door, eager to interview her.

The sanatorium helped block them, but she was still quite distressed.

What kind of situation was this?

Her son got married, and his mother had to find out from others? She had to read the news to find out who her son-in-law was?

And that son-in-law—what a shock!

Why did it have to be him? How did they get involved with the royal family?

So, when the production team came to invite her, Bai Yinyi was still a bit annoyed. She decided to take matters into her own hands and come over herself.

Hmph, she wanted to see for herself and ask her son what was going on.

...Bai Chen was indeed caught off guard by her.

The Omega’s steps were heavy, his smile a bit wilted, and even the strands of hair on his head seemed to droop, not as lively as before. Xie Yilin keenly sensed his unusual behavior, and his heart sank slightly.

Bai Chen's smile wasn't as wide as usual, but he still tried his best to walk over with a smile and suddenly rushed over, "Mom!"

"Why are you here?"

The mother and son shared a hug.

A heartfelt mother-son hug.

Bai Yinyi considered the situation. Hmm, her son seemed to have lost some weight since they last met. She couldn't help but glance subtly at Xie Yilin. What's going on? Why is he losing weight?

Xie Yilin: ...

Was Bai Yinyi... sizing him up?

Bai Chen said in a playful tone, "Why didn't you let me know beforehand? How is your health?"

So I could have been prepared.

Bai Yinyi smiled, "The show's producers asked me to come."

Probably because Xie Yilin couldn't arrange for the Emperor to appear on the show. So they had to settle for inviting her.

"My health is fine, I've been feeling cooped up in the sanatorium lately, so I thought I'd come out for a change of scenery."

If she didn't get out, she might have gone stir-crazy.

There was an underlying meaning in her words, which sounded quite meaningful. Bai Chen felt a twinge of guilt and said playfully, "You could have at least given me a heads-up..."

Oh no, mom knows him too well; it's hard to put on an act in front of her.

...But since she's already here, what can he do about it?

Bai Chen quickly made the introductions, "Mom, this is His Highness Xie Yilin."

"Your Highness," he said seriously to Xie Yilin, "This is my mother."

Xie Yilin's usual chill was barely contained, his body was still tense, but he managed to control it well, showing only polite responses, "Hello."

...He wasn't sure how to address her.

By convention, it seems... he should also call her mom?

Bai Yinyi didn't give him a chance to hesitate.

She still had her elegance, her eyebrows and eyes were strikingly similar to Bai Chen's, both very delicate.

Though she had an air of lingering illness, there was a kind of firm strength in her eyes, which diluted the sense of weakness brought by her frail body. Xie Yilin responded politely, and she, without any timidity in the face of the Crown Prince of the Empire, nodded calmly, accepting it as an elder.

At the same time, she said indifferently, "You are Chen Chen's friend, no need to be formal with me."

Friend.

As soon as these two words came out, Bai Chen's heart skipped a beat.

The camera happened to come over, he didn't dare to speak out of turn, so he quickly winked at Xie Yilin—don't worry, don't worry, let's figure out a plan later?

Xie Yilin... understood.

He felt a sudden surge of anxiety for no apparent reason, his fingertips tightened slightly.

The female director walked over at this moment and said with a smile, "Everyone's here. If there's anything you need, Bai Yinyi, please let us know."

"The theme of this episode is parents... Oh, by the way, it's recorded separately."

That is to say, Han Yunyun and Xin Yu's pair went to face their parents this episode and are not here.

...Thus, the audience eagerly tuning into the fourth episode witnessed the subtle situation of the three sitting awkwardly at the table, their eyes darting around.

"Huh? Who's that? A new guest?"

"Ohhh, check the hint! It's Bai Chen's mom!"

"Really? Bai Chen's mom looks so young... Ah, now that you mention it, she really does look a lot like Bai Chen."

"So this episode is meeting the parents? [dog head] So which ugly daughter-in-law is meeting the in-laws?"

"I have a very bold guess. Wasn't the barbecue restaurant Bai Chen went to last time near the square? Near the square is the palace, you catch my drift, right?"

"So both sides have met the parents? Ugh, why am I even stressing, they are a legitimate couple."

The "legitimate couple" sat on their chairs, sitting stiffly like schoolkids, not daring to breathe heavily.

Bai Chen: ...This isn't working.

The crew was nudging them to act fast.

Bai Chen stood up, "Mom, want some water? Did you eat breakfast?"

Bai Yinyi smiled and said, "I'm not thirsty or hungry, I already ate."

The smile, the tone—impeccable, flawless.

...It was just particularly distant, especially polite.

"Hahaha, why do I feel like Bai Yinyi is the real boss here? Hahaha..."

"Really, His Highness seems less imposing. Is it because he's feeling guilty for taking someone else's precious son? Hahaha, even the strongest Alpha in the Empire can't avoid it?"

Xie Yilin was indeed controlling his presence.

This was a course from his special military training aimed at making him less noticeable and less dominant. However, in reality, he didn't often undertake undercover or covert missions, so these skills had been of little use.

At this moment, Xie Yilin felt a bit of relief.

Relieved that he had aced all his coursework.

However, there is no course in the world that teaches you how to meet the parents.

After Bai Yinyi finished speaking, she continued to smile, watching the two of them. Bai Chen, being more familiar with his mother, was the first to feel the pressure. He steeled himself and feigned calm, saying, "Mom, we're really doing well, honestly."

"Oh..."

Bai Yinyi drew out her tone, saying softly, "I never said you two weren't doing well."

Bai Chen: ...This... this conversation is going nowhere!

"Hahaha, looks like even Little Sweet Orange can't keep his sweetness in front of mom! Hahaha, old ginger is still the spiciest!"

"I'm dying of laughter, is Bai Yinyi the ultimate evolution? Suddenly, I'm a fan of Bai Yinyi!"

"I’m curious, why did Bai’s mom come?"

"The person earlier, are you really unaware or just pretending? Bai Chen only has his mom now; it seems his father passed away years ago."

"Aw, I feel bad for Little Sweet Orange..."

Little Sweet Orange racked his brain, trying to come up with something to say, "Mom, are you tired? How did the show team get you to come here?"

"Just an invitation," Bai Yinyi said casually. "Luckily, I wasn’t too shocked."

She already knew. Otherwise, she might’ve thought it was a prank or a scam.

Hearing this, Bai Chen was speechless again.

He chuckled awkwardly, "Oh right, we’re staying at a temple. Want me to show you around?"

"Huh? It’s been days, and the show team hasn’t filmed the temple yet?"

"If I were Bai’s mom, I wouldn’t care about the temple..."

But, to everyone’s surprise, Bai’s mom raised an eyebrow with interest when she heard it was a temple. "The temple on Endo Star? I’m actually pretty interested."

She stood up, motioned for her son to follow, and the two walked side by side into the temple. Watching their backs, Xie Yilin’s eyes flickered with a thoughtful expression.

He followed behind at a relaxed pace.

As they walked, Bai’s mom genuinely explored the temple, carefully observing its unique decorations and soaking in the local culture.

They followed the usual tourist route, entering through the main gate. First, they visited the square, then the main hall and the statues. After that, they circled around from left to right to see other unique artifacts in the side halls.

As they walked, they chatted here and there with Bai Chen.

It felt like a mother and son on a casual sightseeing trip.

"This must be the culture passed down from the Clido tribe..."

Bai Yinyi stood in the side hall, carefully studying a small statue. "This style is very similar to what I’ve seen on nearby planets," she said confidently.

"Wow, Bai’s mom actually knows about this stuff? I wonder what she does for work."

A few steps behind them, Xie Yilin frowned slightly.

"Where are you staying?"

"Oh, in the back."

Following the long corridor, Bai Chen and Bai Yinyi walked to the bedrooms at the back of the temple.

Bai’s mom went in and looked around. Her gaze lingered on the only large bed in the corner, paused, then shifted to their suitcases.

"Ugh, I totally get that feeling of renting a place and then your mom shows up unannounced."

"Same here! Last time my mom visited, she called my place a dog’s nest, pig’s sty, and a big grass pile. I didn’t even clean up—so embarrassing!"

After roughly finishing the tour, Bai Yinyi came out.

The camera was still following them.

Bai Yinyi's mother said to Bai Chen, "The production team said they want me to come and spend a couple of days with you guys."

Everything was actually already set up, but they needed to shoot some meeting footage first.

They walked back along the corridor, with Xie Yilin silently following behind.

He looked a bit...

"Suddenly feeling a bit sorry for the prince? Silently trying to find a chance to gain parental approval or something..."

"I think it's kind of funny, my boyfriend was like this the first time he went to my house. Didn't know what to do, didn't know what to say, wanted to make a good impression but couldn't find the right moment..."

The moment finally came.

The production team knew Bai Yinyi's mother wasn't in good health, so they didn't dare to arrange too many activities. It was more of a laid-back trip to relax.

So today's schedule for this group was just some regular activities like shopping and eating out.

When they needed to go to the town, they had to cross a river. There was a bridge over the river, and it had just rained recently, making the road slippery. As Bai Yinyi's mother stepped up, her foot slipped, and she suddenly lost her balance, almost falling.

Xie Yilin quickly stepped forward and caught her.

Bai Yinyi's mother gave him a surprised look.

She remembered there was some distance between them. That meant he had to be constantly paying attention, reacting promptly, and have extremely agile physical abilities to complete the series of actions needed to step forward and catch her in an instant.

"Mom, are you okay?"

She steadied herself, and Bai Chen finally reacted, hurriedly asking with concern, "Should we take a car?"

"I'm fine."

Bai Yinyi's mother waved her hand, "I've been in good health these past few years from recuperation, not that fragile. Walking a few steps isn't a problem."

The three of them made it across the bridge safely, and ahead was the bustling street of the town. Perhaps because the production team was filming, there had been a lot of foot traffic recently.

As Bai Yinyi's mother walked and shopped, she suddenly saw the roadside market.

...It's worth mentioning that Cangxu Star does have these, but Bai Yinyi's mother had been living in a high-end recuperation center, eating directly at restaurants and not going out for daily entertainment, so she hadn't experienced these everyday activities in a long time.

At this moment, Bai Yinyi's mother's eyes lit up a bit.

"Haha, it's like seeing Bai Chen in twenty years."

She was excited, heading into the market and browsing the stalls.

"How much is this?"

"Too expensive, make it cheaper."

"No way, then I'll take an extra bunch of scallions."

"How about this? Forget the small change, who needs it when selling veggies!"

Everywhere she went, the stall owners looked worried.

"It's hilarious, they really are mother and son, haha..."

"The stall owners are scared, haha..."

Bai Chen was both amused and a bit at a loss.

He never imagined that after such a long stay in the sanatorium, his mother would end up like this.

However, seizing the opportunity, he quickly approached Xie Yilin and whispered, "Your Highness, I had no idea the show would invite my mother..."

"It's alright."

In a corner away from the cameras, Xie Yilin casually remarked, "I didn't know about this either."

But it didn't matter; since she was here, they might as well make her feel welcome.

Bai Chen blinked, "Then... should we..."

He wanted to suggest being more careful, so his mother wouldn't catch on.

Xie Yilin whispered, "It's okay."

His cool gray gaze held emotions Bai Chen couldn't quite read. He looked intently at Bai Chen, his words hinting at something more, "I'll be careful."

Careful... of what?

Bai Chen was momentarily thrown off, feeling suddenly out of step with Xie Yilin.

After a moment of thought, he still said, "My mother knows me pretty well. So, Your Highness, you might need to play along a little."

Like, making sure his mother feels comfortable and reassured... Ugh, he really hadn't expected things to go this way.

Bai Chen had originally planned to find the right time to gently broach the subject with his mother and explain things properly.

But the show had blindsided them.

Meanwhile, Bai's mother had already made her way from the vegetable market to the nearby clothing market.

"How much for this dress? One eighty? Hmm, I don't think it's worth that much. How about fifty?"

"Whoa, can you really haggle like that?"

"The shop owner must be thinking, 'Are you trying to mess with me?'"

"No deal? Fine, I'm out."

Bai Yinyi turned to leave, but before she could step out, the shopkeeper pounced on her like a tiger, all smiles, "Hey, don't go! It's yours for fifty bucks, final offer!"

"...I, I feel totally owned."

"This is next-level. Is haggling a Bai family thing? Too funny."

Bai Chen rushed over to take the bags from his mother. But before he could hold onto them for long, Xie Yilin smoothly reached out and took them.

Bai Chen: ...This feels off.

"Getting real down-to-earth, His Highness is really blending in..."

"I'm kinda floored, haha. So even the Crown Prince has to win over his partner's mom, huh?"

Then, Xie Yilin seemed to flip a switch.

With his right hand holding Bai's mother's purchases, his left hand reached out and took Bai Chen's hand.

Bai Chen: ...Got it, Your Highness is cooperating with him.

Their fingers intertwined, holding tightly together. The scene shifted, and the camera zoomed in, showing Bai Yinyi walking ahead, with Bai Chen and Xie Yilin holding hands and walking behind.

It really seemed like newlyweds accompanying their mother on a shopping trip, even helping to carry things.

They wandered through the vegetable market, visited clothing stores, and finally arrived at the food street.

The three found a table and ordered a few local specialty snacks. The server quickly brought them, and the table was soon filled with a variety of dishes.

Bai Yinyi sat on the left, Xie Yilin on the right, and Bai Chen ended up sitting in the middle.

He glanced left and right, suddenly feeling a headache coming on.

He knew his mother well; Bai Yinyi was still upset about his sudden marriage.

And his spouse happened to be Xie Yilin.

He was slightly distracted, thinking about how to handle the current situation. Suddenly, Xie Yilin peeled a shrimp and placed it into his small bowl.

"...Thank you."

Bai Chen was a bit absent-minded, taking a distracted bite, and then watched as Xie Yilin peeled another shrimp and placed it in his bowl.

One after another, and soon the bowl was full.

Bai Yinyi glanced over but said nothing.

Bai Chen suddenly snapped back to reality—Wait, isn't this the opportunity?

The Omega suddenly perked up, quickly starting to peel shrimp... no, the shrimp were all peeled by Xie Yilin, so he could only serve other dishes.

He picked up the serving chopsticks and spoon, and soon, Xie Yilin's plate was piled high.

Bai Chen's dimples appeared sweetly, full of energy, "Your Highness, would you like to try this? It's really delicious!"

Bai Yinyi glanced at them again but still said nothing, focused on her own meal.

Bai Chen: ...

He braced himself and continued, handing over a spoonful of incredibly tasty small meatballs. Just as he picked it up, Xie Yilin suddenly lowered his voice and whispered, barely audible, "Is the shrimp good?"

The camera must have missed this sentence.

Bai Chen's eyes widened slightly, and without hesitation, he quickly picked up a peeled shrimp.

...Then he held it to the Alpha's lips.

The man's cool gray gaze stared at him without blinking, accepting the entire piece of shrimp meat.

The corner of his lips brushed against Bai Chen's finger.

Oh no...

Bai Chen's face turned slightly red.

Although they had shared similar gestures many times before, this time, Bai Yinyi was right beside them, able to see everything at any moment. Bai Chen quickly withdrew his hand, pretending nothing happened, wiping it on the napkin, and said, deflecting, "Is it a bit spicy?"

Xie Yilin replied casually, "Very sweet."

"Oh my god, I'm blown away! Is this what they mean by daily dog food?"

"So sweet! Sweet shrimp? That's sacrilege! Absolute sacrilege!"

"Wuwuwu, I want to try sweet shrimp too..."

At this point, the show crew finally stepped in to lighten the mood.

They brought up the prepared props and set them on the table. It was a mini projector, which, when turned on, displayed some questions.

Bai Chen glanced at it and immediately felt a headache brewing.

The first question was directed at Bai Yinyi, asking if she was satisfied with her son's partner.

Bai Chen: ... He had a feeling he'd lose ten years off his life today.

He pinched his thigh hard: Stay calm, stay composed!

Bai Yinyi's lips curled into a slight smile.

Under her son's nervous gaze, Bai Yinyi spoke softly, "Actually, at first, I wasn't entirely satisfied."

"Those close to me know I don't have many expectations for my child's choice of partner, nor do I interfere with his personal emotional life."

"But I do have two conditions."

Bai Yinyi said calmly, "First, I didn't want him to marry someone in the armed forces."

"Second, I didn't want the other person to be too influential."

Her eyes seemed to glimmer with a hint of sadness, as if recalling something.

The comments started pouring in.

"Military, influential... is there a reason behind this?"

"But the prince hit both sore spots... Bai Yinyi must truly love her son. In another family eager to climb the social ladder, they might have eagerly pushed their son into such a match, not saying such things."

"I think it's all for show. They're already married, so they can say whatever to spice things up."

"Fake, fake, you're the fake one. Bai Chen's mom is just a regular person, not some celebrity..."

"Right, some people are just quick to judge, projecting their own thoughts onto others."

"Exactly, just because you're eager to climb the social ladder doesn't mean other mothers are willing to push their sons into it."

"Don't forget, public opinion once deemed them an unsuitable match."

The room fell silent.

At that moment, Xie Yilin suddenly remembered something.

One of the reasons Bai Chen turned down Bie Jiaze was also because of his influential background.

Under the table, Xie Yilin gently squeezed Bai Chen's hand.

Author's note: Xie Yilin: Is it too late to reincarnate and switch my identity and career now?

Author: No, this is a Jinjiang romance, not a Qidian space opera!

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Thank you to the little angels who sent landmines or nutrient solutions from 2021-09-04 13:51:23 to 2021-09-05 16:31:00~

Thank you to the little angel who sent a landmine: Sunny89 1;

Thank you to the little angels who sent nutrient solutions: Ayuan 15 bottles; Hua Jintang 11 bottles; Luo Xin 9 bottles; Zuo You, Yun Xi 3 bottles; Hua Wan. 2 bottles; Dai Dai 1 bottle; Thank you so much for your support, I'll keep striving!