Everyone startled slightly as she grabbed tissues in panic, her eyes widened in horror.
No, absolutely not.
She carefully set the glass back onto the table before forcing another stiff smile. "Auntie… Uncle… Xiang and I aren't...".
"Mom." The deep voice cut through the room suddenly.
Ruoxi's eyes snapped toward the entrance.
Xiang stood there, still in his dark suit from work, one hand in his pocket, a small smile on his face as usual.
Ruoxi stared at him like he had grown a second head. Finally.
Meanwhile, Xiang's gaze slowly swept across the room before landing on Ruoxi.
One look at her expression, and he understood that she had completely lost control of the situation, his lips twitched slightly which annoyed her more.
"Mom," he repeated calmly as he walked further inside. "Dad."
Then his eyes moved lazily toward Ruoxi. "…What exactly is going on here?"
Ruoxi nearly exploded. "What's going on?!" she raised a brow at him in annoyance. "Your parents are trying to recruit me into your family!".
Xiang sat down beside Ruoxi. Almost immediately, she scooted farther away from him on the couch.
He noticed, but instead of reacting, he simply leaned back lazily, one arm resting over the sofa as though nothing had happened.
"Mom. Dad." His voice was calm. "You want me to marry her, don't you?"
The two elders nodded almost instantly, eyes practically sparkling.
"…Okay," Xiang said casually. "We'll get married."
Silence. Then... "What the hell?!" Ruoxi shot to her feet so fast the cushion shifted. "What the HELL, Xiang?!"
Before anyone could react further, Xiang suddenly stood up too and in one smooth motion he hoisted her over his shoulder.
"WU XIANG!!!". Ruoxi nearly lost her mind. Her legs kicked violently while she smacked his back repeatedly. "Put me DOWN!"
But Xiang ignored her completely and calmly walked upstairs while their parents watched with delighted expressions.
"They're so energetic," Qin Fen said emotionally. Wang Mingze and his wife just chuckled.
After enduring several bites, hits, and nonstop yelling, Xiang finally reached the upstairs balcony and set her down carefully.
The second her feet touched the ground, she grabbed his collar violently. "Explain yourself," she hissed.
Xiang raised both hands slightly in surrender. "Calm down, tigress." His tone softened noticeably, probably because he knew one wrong word could earn him another slap.
Ruoxi's grip tightened. "We are NOT getting married."
"I know," he replied calmly. That made her pause. Her grip loosened slightly. "…Explain."
Xiang adjusted his collar casually before leaning against the balcony railing. "We're both being pressured into marriage," he said. "And neither of us wants it."
Ruoxi folded her arms but listened.
"So," he continued, "we act like we do."
Her brows furrowed. "We date publicly. Get engaged if necessary." A pause. "Then a few weeks before the wedding…" He looked at her directly. "We break up."
"At that point," Xiang continued smoothly, "our parents will stop forcing blind dates on us for months. Maybe years."
Ruoxi stared at him. Actually thinking about it. "…I really don't want to admit this," she muttered eventually, "but you sound annoyingly smart right now."
A smug look immediately appeared on his face. "Of course I do."
"There," she pointed at him immediately. "That attitude is exactly why no woman can tolerate you."
Xiang slipped both hands into his pockets lazily. "You can."
Ruoxi stared at him in disbelief. "No, I won't," she shot back. "I'd be smacking your ass every time you piss me off."
A laugh escaped him before he could stop it. "Noted, my lady."
He straightened slightly and offered her his arm dramatically. "Shall we head back downstairs?"
Ruoxi rolled her eyes so hard it almost hurt. "…Yeah." She sighed and started walking first.
Xiang followed beside her. Halfway down the staircase, just as the living room came back into view, his arm suddenly slipped around her waist naturally.
Ruoxi instantly turned her head and glared at him and he only smiled in response.
That irritatingly handsome smile.
Her eyes twitched, but when she noticed all four parents watching them from below she decided to endure it for now.
"Oh, they're back!" Yun Ai said excitedly the moment they came into sight.
Qin Fen's smile widened immediately after seeing Xiang's arm around Ruoxi. "Look at them," she whispered emotionally to her husband. "They already match so well."
Ruoxi almost lost balance hearing that while Xiang looked perfectly calm which made her even angrier.
The two of them walked down the remaining stairs together, one looking smug while the other looked seconds away from killing someone.
Wu Zhiyu laughed heartily. "Good! Very good! Young people should spend more time together."
"Exactly," Qin Fen agreed quickly. "You two should go on dates more often."
Ruoxi forced a smile so painful it nearly cracked her face. "Yes, Auntie."
Xiang glanced sideways at her expression and had to look away to hide his amusement and her smile faltered instantly.
Her nails discreetly dug into his arm which made him hiss. "…Crazy woman," he muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" she asked sweetly.
"Nothing, darling." Xiang smiled and Ruoxi almost gagged at the sound of it.
They both sat down on the couch together.
More like Xiang sat comfortably while Ruoxi sat stiffly beside him.
Wang Mingze looked at the two of them thoughtfully before speaking. "Son," he began calmly, "the moment you decided to stay beside Ruoxi, you already sealed your fate."
Ruoxi immediately frowned. "Dad."
Ignoring her completely, Wang Mingze continued. "My daughter is a good girl." He nodded proudly. "Stubborn… but kind hearted." Ruoxi lifted her chin smugly.
Then her father added, "And she doesn't know how to cook."
Her expression froze instantly. "Dad!"
The living room burst into laughter. Even her mother covered her mouth while trying not to laugh too loudly.
Wang Mingze remained serious though as he looked at Xiang. "If that doesn't sit right with you," he said honestly, "end things now before you become bound forever."
Ruoxi crossed her arms immediately. "Hey, excuse me, why should I be the one cooking for both of us?".
But Xiang answered. "No, father-in-law." The title rolled off his tongue smoothly, naturally.
Ruoxi turned to him sharply.
Xiang looked at her with such gentle affection that even she almost got fooled for a second. "When that time comes," he said softly, "I'll cook for us." His gaze lingered on her. "I love Ruoxi very much. Her cooking skills don't matter to me."
Ruoxi almost rolled her eyes, but with all the parents watching emotionally... she forced out a smile. "... Awww, darling."
Yun Ai suddenly stood up, excitement written all over her face. "Let's all have dinner together tonight!"
Before anyone could respond, she was already heading toward the kitchen, assigning tasks to the maids along the way with efficiency. "Bring out the jade porcelain set. And prepare the dining hall, I'll serve the dishes".
"We'd be happy to stay," Qin Fen replied warmly, immediately following after her.
Soon the elders disappeared toward the dining area together, chatting enthusiastically.
A little while later, Ruoxi returned after stepping outside to answer a phone call.
She looked drained, without saying much, she sat back down at the dining table and reached for a plate.
"Ruoxi!" Yun Ai's voice rang out from the kitchen again. "Come help me with this!"
"…Mom," she muttered under her breath, already exhausted, she just wanted to be in bed at this point.
Still, she pushed herself up from the chair.
The moment she turned, her heel slipped against the polished floor and a sharp gasp escaped her as her body tilted dangerously backward, fully expecting to hit the ground.
But an arm wrapped firmly around her waist, her body collided against a solid chest instead of landing on the floor.
Ruoxi blinked once in shock before slowly lifting her head.
Xiang was holding her.
One arm around her waist, the other gripping her wrist to steady her completely.