In the past, Xiao Linye had always made excuses whenever he was asked to bring Ye Yuning home for a visit.
And his arrival today was sudden; Xiao Linye hadn’t received any prior notice.
At this moment, Xiao Linye didn’t want to say much to him, simply stating coldly, "I’ll have someone send you back!"
"What’s the matter? He found a girl as skinny as a bean sprout, without an ounce of flesh on her, and I’m not even allowed to comment?"
The old man’s voice rose, his dissatisfaction completely obvious.
Xiao Linye instantly lost any desire to speak further. He couldn’t even wait for the driver and stood up abruptly. "I’ll take you back myself!"
"I’m not going!" Old Master Xiao turned his head away, refusing to listen.
Clearly, if Xiao Linye didn’t give him a reasonable explanation today, he wasn’t going to leave.
Xiao Linye’s breathing grew heavier. "You won’t leave? Fine, I’ll take her and go!"
"Hey, you little rascal!"
So, he’s really not going to explain?
Old Master Xiao, looking displeased at Xiao Linye, knew this brat of his was incredibly stubborn!
He had originally come today to meet his new daughter-in-law, but who would have expected the two of them to get off work together.
Wait, isn’t this kid usually a workaholic?
He’d thought that girl would surely leave work before him, right? Had getting married changed things?
Or had that girl, as skinny as a bean sprout, influenced him?
Seeing Xiao Linye’s sullen expression, Old Master Xiao grew even more irritated.
Just as the two of them were at a stalemate, the door to the utility balcony suddenly opened, and Ye Yuning walked out.
Ignoring the tense atmosphere in the living room, she smiled at Xiao Linye. "Shall I get you both something to drink? What would you like?"
As she spoke the last part, Ye Yuning’s gaze turned directly to Old Master Xiao.
Old Master Xiao was momentarily taken aback by her gentle inquiry.
Undoubtedly, her sudden appearance also subtly eased the tension between him and Xiao Linye.
Old Master Xiao’s initially cold expression softened slightly.
Seeing him not respond, Ye Yuning politely asked again, "How about some yogurt? Or orange juice?"
Old Master Xiao fell silent.
His irritation flared up again!
What kind of childish drinks are these? Is this how they live?
Seeing Old Master Xiao’s expression, which had just softened, darken again, Ye Yuning’s mouth twitched involuntarily.
It seems his family isn’t very easy to get along with, huh.
Seeing this, Xiao Linye stepped in front of her. "He doesn’t want anything. Go back to your room for now."
"Oh, okay!" Ye Yuning nodded.
The heat on the utility balcony just a few minutes ago had been almost unbearable.
She wanted to escape to somewhere cooler, for one thing. For another, she felt that since the visitor was Xiao Linye’s father, she couldn’t be impolite, no matter the circumstances.
But in the current situation, it seemed he genuinely disliked her, so there was no need for her to court a rebuff.
She promptly returned to her room.
Seeing Xiao Linye actually defending her, Old Master Xiao became even angrier.
He stood up and tossed out a parting shot, "You come home tomorrow!" With that, he left.
Xiao Linye glanced towards Ye Yuning’s room, feeling a headache coming on.
He waited for about five minutes before going over to knock on Ye Yuning’s door.
The moment he knocked, the door was pulled open from the inside.
Ye Yuning poked her head out from behind the door, glanced around the living room to see it was empty, then looked up at Xiao Linye. "He’s gone?"
Xiao Linye nodded. "Yes, he’s gone."
"You didn’t even ask him to stay for a meal?" Ye Yuning was shocked.
Xiao Linye was rendered speechless. He didn’t know what to say.
Ye Yuning opened the door fully and came out, her gaze towards Xiao Linye filled with internal conflict.
"Um, I’m sorry about just now..." She trailed off, completely unsure how to continue.
She truly hadn’t expected Xiao Linye’s father to be that old!
The old man looked to be at least eighty, while Xiao Linye was only twenty-eight, so her immediate assumption had been that he was Xiao Linye’s grandfather.
She knew people didn’t like others saying they looked older than they were, but shouldn’t that depend on the actual situation?
He looked so old, what else could she have said?
Now she’d offended him over this, it was truly vexing!
Seeing Xiao Linye remain silent, Ye Yuning pouted at him. "I really didn’t mean it!"
Her pouting and muttering caused Xiao Linye’s expression to soften.
He indulgently pinched her cheek. "It’s not your fault, so why are you apologizing?"
"But your father looked really angry."
He left without even eating; he was clearly furious.
Xiao Linye said, "It’s fine. If he wants to be angry, let him be angry."
Ye Yuning was speechless. Is that really how it is?
She’d never lived with her biological parents, so she didn’t know if this was considered normal.
If the old man was angry, then Xiao Linye was actually the one who was truly furious!
He had always disliked uninvited guests, and Old Master Xiao had come today without even calling ahead.
This was clearly an attempt to corner Ye Yuning...
Seeing Ye Yuning’s bewildered expression, Xiao Linye touched her forehead. "You’re covered in sweat. Go take a shower quickly."
"Oh, okay!" Ye Yuning really did want to take a shower; she felt sticky and uncomfortable all over.
However, just as she turned to leave, she suddenly remembered something and looked back at Xiao Linye. "He left on his own?"
"Is there a problem?" Xiao Linye looked at her, puzzled.
Ye Yuning’s mouth twitched. "He came all the way from Lingcheng, and he’s so old. Won’t it be dangerous for him to go out by himself like that?"
The moment she uttered the word ’age,’ the atmosphere became strangely tense.