Chapter 88: Meeting Parents

Chapter 88: Meeting the Parents

"Help me pull up some surveillance footage."

When Yu Jiao found Yu Sijing, she wasted no time on pleasantries, cutting straight to the chase: "The footage near the public umbrella stand from the past ten minutes. Send it to me."

"Got it." Without a moment's hesitation, Yu Sijing immediately instructed his subordinates to handle it, then asked, "Did something happen?"

"Something rather strange happened," Yu Jiao replied, her voice tinged with puzzlement.

Perhaps it was just a kind soul who, seeing her upset, had left the umbrella for her—nothing particularly unusual or noteworthy.

But Yu Jiao’s intuition had always been sharp.

Her gut told her she had to review the surveillance footage; otherwise, she would surely regret it.

Unfortunately, the footage showed nothing out of the ordinary.

Just as Yu Jiao had suspected, it was a thoughtful couple who, seeing her apparent distress, quietly discussed and decided to leave the umbrella behind.

The kind-hearted pair were bundled up from head to toe, not even revealing their eyes or brows.

As Yu Jiao focused intently on the screen, Yu Sijing’s gaze sharpened beside her, zeroing in on a tiny detail most people would miss in the footage.

A faint strand of pink hair peeked out from under the cap of the slimmer figure, a small section curling upward while the rest lay flat against their neck.

"Are you looking for this person?" Yu Sijing asked with a hint of curiosity. "Did they... do something?"

Watching that segment, Yu Sijing detected nothing unusual. Surely it wasn’t because of her adoptive mother that she wanted to personally thank them for their act of kindness?

It was strange, though; nothing stood out in the footage, and the smaller of the two was thoroughly wrapped up, yet Yu Jiao’s eyes seemed glued to that figure, unable to look away.

"Nothing, I just want to..." Yu Jiao paused, not even sure what she was doing. After a moment of silence, she spoke with an inexplicable determination, "I just want to know who they are."

"If that’s all you wish to know," Yu Sijing nodded slightly, lowering his head respectfully, "I might know the answer."

***

The rain only lasted a little while.

As the car was about to enter the neighborhood, Jiang Hang suddenly stopped the driver: "Excuse me, sir, could you pull over here?"

Yuan Shiyuan turned to him, puzzled: "You gotta use the bathroom?"

"No." Jiang Hang hesitated, clearly nervous and awkward, then whispered, "It’s my first time visiting your home. Shouldn’t I bring a gift? Showing up empty-handed—what does that say about me?"

When he learned that Yuan Shiyuan had invited him over, Jiang Hang’s first reaction was excitement, followed by an eagerness to see Yuan Shiyuan as soon as possible.

Only after the initial thrill subsided did his brain kick back into gear, leaving him filled with nerves and regret.

How could he be so thoughtless? Going to Yuan Shiyuan’s home empty-handed.

Yuan Shiyuan couldn't help but laugh: "You’re just coming for a meal, what do you need to bring? It’s not like you’re asking for my hand. Besides, my parents want to thank you in person. If you spend money, they’ll only feel even worse about it."

"Don’t worry, relax. It’s just a casual dinner." Noticing the Alpha’s nervousness, he patted Jiang Hang’s shoulder reassuringly. "My parents are easygoing and very friendly. Plus, my dad is an amazing cook. When I was in school, my classmates loved coming over after school, fighting to be the first one..."

"Just waiting for my dad to feed them."

"Was this during your school days?" Jiang Hang pressed, his eyes fixed on Yuan Shiyuan’s smiling profile.

"Yeah, in middle school and high school." Yuan Shiyuan thought for a moment and added, "Not so much in college, but my parents have met my roommates..."

When money was tight for Yuan Shiyuan, it was his roommates who found ways to help him out.

Respecting his pride and knowing he wouldn’t accept anything too extravagant, they bought plenty of nutritional supplements for him to pass on to Yuan Xing, who was hospitalized at the time.

As Jiang Hang gazed at Yuan Shiyuan’s face, he felt a pang of sadness. *What was Yuan Shiyuan like on campus?*

In those youthful years of Yuan Shiyuan’s life that Jiang Hang hadn’t been part of, Yuan Shiyuan must have been the center of attention—radiant, the most talked-about and popular Alpha in his grade.

But these memories were something Jiang Hang could only imagine, never truly experience.

The car fell silent. After repeated objections from Yuan Shiyuan, Jiang Hang seemed to abandon the idea of bringing a gift.

However, the driver cut in disapprovingly: "Young man, I have to disagree with you!"

The driver’s eyes met theirs in the rearview mirror as he spoke with the wisdom of experience: "Even if it’s just a simple meal with the parents, showing up empty-handed on your first visit isn’t right. You don’t need anything extravagant like fancy alcohol, but you shouldn’t go empty-handed either."

"It’s basic manners."

"Besides, just because your Mom and Dad are easygoing and raised you well doesn’t mean the Alpha can take you lightly. Bringing something on the first visit is the least he can do to show respect."

Yuan Shiyuan was stunned; the driver had clearly mistaken them for a couple meeting the parents. He hurriedly interrupted, "Hey, sir, it’s not—"

"I know you young folks don't care about this stuff, but it’s a matter of attitude!" the driver insisted sternly. "I’ve been through this, so I know. Young man, don’t listen to him—you must bring something. Within your budget, the more the better..."

"That’s how I got my wife to say yes back in the day," he added, sounding rather proud.

Yuan Shiyuan didn't know whether to laugh or facepalm: "Uncle, we’re not meeting parents, just friends—"

"The uncle is right."

The car had already pulled over. Brushing off Yuan Shiyuan's objections, Jiang Hang firmly grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the car.

The driver, trying to be helpful, had parked them right beside an upscale supermarket.

Yuan Shiyuan watched as Jiang Hang started grabbing Moutai, tea, edible bird’s nest, American ginseng, a massage pillow, and more.

The sales assistant, seeing how good they looked together and the items Jiang Hang was choosing, immediately assumed they were a young couple preparing to meet the parents.

Taking the hint, she recommended: "First time meeting the parents, young man? How about a scarf? It’s perfect for autumn and winter—this one has an elegant color..."

Before long, the shopping cart was overflowing with Jiang Hang’s picks.

When Jiang Hang reached for cigarettes, Yuan Shiyuan finally had to stop him: "No, no one in my family smokes."

Yuan Shiyuan occasionally smoked, but only when he's super stressed. His brother and parents didn’t touch cigarettes at all.

Jiang Hang obediently pulled his hand back, his dark eyes filled with uncertainty: "...Is it too little?"

With no prior experience, Jiang Hang was terrified of messing up or not doing enough, leaving a bad impression on the elders.

Yuan Shiyuan arched an eyebrow at the Alpha’s anxiety: "Too little? If people didn’t know better, they’d think you were here to pay a dowry."

"This is pretty much like a couple meeting the parents..."

Who goes to a supermarket for engagement gifts? Jiang Hang objected, saying, "If it were engagement gifts, these definitely wouldn’t be enough."

"Is it not enough? Should I buy more?"

"That’s enough, that’s enough." Yuan Shiyuan noticed Jiang Hang seemed a bit disappointed and thought for a moment before adding, "How about buying a fishing rod? My dad loves fishing—he’d definitely like it."

Jiang Hang immediately searched online for fishing rod brands and chose the most popular and expensive model favored by anglers.

At checkout, just as Jiang Hang was about to scan the code to pay, Yuan Shiyuan beat him to it.

"You…" Jiang Hang looked at Yuan Shiyuan, who was paying the bill, his eyes showing a mix of defeat and hurt, as if more than just the payment had been rejected.

"I’m really sorry to let you pay."

Since they were close to Yuan Shiyuan’s home, he borrowed a cart from the supermarket and just pushed it home.

He didn’t compete with Jiang Hang for pushing the cart.

"You’re helping me, and if I let you pay too, that would be too rude, right?"

"Good friends don’t distinguish between yours and mine. Whether you pay or I pay, it’s all the same."

Jiang Hang silently pushed the cart and only let out an "Mm" after Yuan Shiyuan finished speaking: "Got it."

True.

They hadn’t seen each other for so many years, and Yuan Shiyuan was very polite—of course he’d feel bad about spending Jiang Hang’s money.

After all, there was so much time between them. No matter how close they were as kids, how they never distinguished between each other, now they’d inevitably grown distant.

Yuan Shiyuan’s home was in an old neighborhood, shaded by lush trees, with the aroma of home-cooked food drifting through the air.

Jiang Hang followed him along the tree-lined path, eventually entering the building and stepping into the small elevator.

The ascending floor numbers matched the Alpha’s quickening heartbeat.

As Yuan Shiyuan took out his keys and prepared to unlock the door, Jiang Hang was so nervous he held his breath, not daring to make a sound.

Before Yuan Shiyuan could insert the key, the door swung open from the inside.

An Alpha wearing an apron, holding a spatula, grinned triumphantly.

"I heard your footsteps. Your dad’s got good hearing, right?"

Yuan’s father looked at the tense Alpha behind Yuan Shiyuan and greeted him warmly, "This must be Xiao Hang, right? Xiao Yuan’s good friend. I’ve heard Xiao Yuan talk about you for years... You’re so tall and handsome, very impressive!"

"Hello, Uncle." Jiang Hang straightened his back, forcing a stiff and awkward smile like a statue.

Seeing the rigid smile, Yuan’s father burst into laughter. Yuan Shiyuan was also holding back a laugh: "Dad, what are you doing? Don’t make fun of my friend. By the way, where’s Mom?"

"He’s reading. Hold on, I’ll go call him—"

Hearing the noise at the door, Yuan Xing also came out. He had a gentle personality and a soft voice.

"So you’re Xiao Hang?" He smiled and said, "All these years, Xiao Yuan has always talked about you... Why did you bring gifts?"

"No need to be so formal."

Yuan Shiyuan changed his shoes and shot Jiang Hang a teasing look: "He insisted on buying these for you, saying since it’s his first time meeting you, he didn’t want to be impolite."

"I couldn’t stop him!"

"If I hadn’t held him back, he would’ve bought out the entire supermarket..."

Jiang Hang looked at Yuan Shiyuan surprised.

But Yuan Shiyuan was the one who had paid for all of it... Noticing the growing warmth in their eyes from the two elders, he seemed to suddenly understand something.

"You really didn’t need to spend so much."

"Xiao Hang, you’re too polite."

"Is the AC not cool enough?"

"..."

From the entryway to the sofa, Jiang Hang was surrounded by the elders’ warmth.

He was polite yet reserved, trying his best to appear proper, afraid of leaving a bad impression.

The couple before him had a doting look in their eyes when they glanced at Yuan Shiyuan.

But whether it was their facial features or their manner, they were completely different from the couple he remembered—the ones who had adopted Yuan Shiyuan from the orphanage back then.

While maintaining a polite smile, Jiang Hang’s eyes uncontrollably scanned their faces, trying to find a trace of familiarity, but all he felt was an growing feeling of unfamiliarity...

Had he remembered wrong?

Or... after Yuan Shiyuan was adopted, had something happened that he didn’t know about?