But Ye Yuning was asking an honest question. Although it was a bit sensitive, the matter was indeed quite significant.
Xiao Linye said, "Don’t worry, someone is with him."
"Oh, so that’s how it is!"
Since he had said so, Ye Yuning didn’t feel it was her place to say anything more.
She quickly went to her room to take a shower and changed into some loungewear, which made her feel slightly more comfortable.
Hearing that Xiao Linye had already gone to the kitchen, she didn’t go out immediately.
Instead, she picked up the phone and called Tang Xi.
Tang Xi was in her van at that moment, and when she answered the call, her voice was filled with fatigue. "Sweetie."
"Did you just finish shooting?"
"Yeah, I’m dying of heat!" Tang Xi said, sipping an icy drink.
Hearing Tang Xi say "dying of heat," Ye Yuning recalled the few minutes she had spent on the utility balcony, where she had almost melted.
With the temperature so high, and that old man so angry he’d stormed off to walk the streets alone, was he really going to be okay?
"What’s wrong?" Tang Xi asked, puzzled by Ye Yuning’s silence.
Ye Yuning hesitated, unsure how to put it. "Well, I just met his father."
"You’ve met his parents already? So quickly? Tell me what happened!" The voice on the other end instantly perked up.
Ye Yuning said, "It was quite sudden, and I think I might have offended him!"
She said ’might have,’ but deep down, Ye Yuning was certain she had, and not just slightly.
"What? You offended him?" Tang Xi’s voice rose in pitch. No way! Offending him on their first meeting? Her life was definitely going to be difficult.
Ye Yuning protested, "I didn’t do anything!"
"You didn’t do anything and still managed to offend someone?" Tang Xi didn’t believe it.
Ye Yuning was equally bewildered.
She had thought about meeting Xiao Linye’s parents eventually. After all, her nearly month-long interaction with him had been quite pleasant. But she never anticipated that the meeting with his father would happen under such circumstances, nor did she expect such a scene.
She recounted the entire incident to Tang Xi.
Tang Xi knew Ye Yuning could be stubborn and quick-tempered at times. She initially thought Yuning might have lost her temper inappropriately.
But after hearing the cause of the incident, Tang Xi couldn’t help but chuckle. "Well, he certainly had a reason to be angry. Bringing up grandfathers and great-grandfathers—you’ve really got some nerve! Are you nearsighted, or just blind?"
So, she hadn’t lost her temper, but this was far more serious, wasn’t it? What daughter-in-law calls her father-in-law ’Grandpa’ the first time they meet? That would make any conversation incredibly awkward.
Ye Yuning was speechless. So, was it really her fault?
Tang Xi asked, "Wait, he didn’t call you guys before he came over?"
"No, it was quite sudden!"
"And he hadn’t shown you any photos of his family before?"
They were married; they should have some basic understanding, right? Then again, Tang Xi remembered Ye Yuning’s prosopagnosia. She often couldn’t recognize people unless she’d met them several times. If Xiao Linye had only shown her photos, she probably wouldn’t remember them anyway.
Seeing that Ye Yuning was at a loss for words, Tang Xi consoled her, "Alright, alright, but from what you’ve said, he still seems to be standing up for you."
"If he were a typical ’phoenix man,’ he’d have blamed you immediately for upsetting his dad!"
"So, you’re saying he’s not bad?"
"Of course, he’s not bad!" Tang Xi said without hesitation.
Tang Xi recalled her first meeting with Jiang Bo’s parents. Jiang Bo had criticized her on the spot because the restaurant arrangements weren’t to their liking. Compared to that, Ye Yuning’s seemingly random choice of husband was actually pretty good!
And Ye Yuning, whose mood had been low, felt a little better after hearing Tang Xi say this.
After hanging up with Tang Xi, she came out of the room and saw that Xiao Linye was already plating the food.
Ye Yuning hurried forward to help, her gaze occasionally flickering towards him. It seemed the incident at the door hadn’t affected him at all. The corners of his mouth curved into a smile as he asked, "What are you looking at?"
"To see if you’re angry!"
Tang Xi had said that if he wasn’t mad at her because of his father, it meant he wasn’t the type of man who blindly sided with his family.
Xiao Linye paused at her words. "Why would I be angry?"
Ye Yuning said, "Because I made your father angry." He even left in a huff without having a single sip of water.
As she spoke, there was an unmistakable guilt in her tone.
Xiao Linye gently pinched her cheek. "Forget about it."
Forget the embarrassment of calling her father-in-law ’Grandpa’ the first time they met? She wished she could, but it was unlikely he would!
Xiao Linye took a bottle of fruit wine from the fridge for her. "It tastes better chilled."
"Alright, thank you." Ye Yuning quickly reached out to take it.
The moment her fingers touched the back of his hand, she snatched the bottle away like lightning.
Her reaction made Xiao Linye pause. For a moment, even he, who was always composed, looked a bit unnatural.
"Let’s eat," he said.
"Yes, okay!" Ye Yuning nodded.
I’ll have to be more careful next time, she thought. Otherwise, he might think I’m showing my true colors and trying to take advantage of him!