"Grandpa Zhao." In the sight of Xu Ke and Lin Mengyao quickly appeared an elderly man dressed in a medieval tailcoat with slicked-back hair. Just as Lin Mengyao was guessing his identity, Xu Ke took the lead, carrying the luggage and holding Lin Mengyao’s hand, and walked towards the elderly man.
The two stopped one step away from each other. Housekeeper Zhao looked at them with a kindly expression and, catching Lin Mengyao off guard, bent down and gave them a standard courtly bow.
"Welcome back, Family Head and Lady. Please get in the car." Housekeeper Zhao took the luggage from Xu Ke’s hand and gestured for them to follow him.
Lin Mengyao was startled by the sudden formality of Housekeeper Zhao, and she subtly scratched Xu Ke’s palm, giving him a questioning look.
Xu Ke smiled and whispered in Lin Mengyao’s ear, "I forgot to tell you, Grandpa Zhao has been my grandfather’s butler for decades. He actually graduated from a butler school, so he’s particularly attentive to etiquette. Don’t mind it." Xu Ke shook Lin Mengyao’s hand and added softly, "He’s easy to get along with. If you have any requests, just tell Grandpa Zhao. Being too respectful might make him uncomfortable."
Upon hearing this, Lin Mengyao nodded and, led by Housekeeper Zhao, got into the extended Lincoln.
Before stepping into the car, Lin Mengyao never imagined someone would carpet the interior with fluffy white rugs. The opulent decor inside, in black and gold, struck the eye, immediately evoking a sense of the owner’s wealth and power. It was like stepping into a scene from a movie, leaving Lin Mengyao momentarily gaping in astonishment.
"What’s with the car’s decor?" Lin Mengyao closed her gaping mouth and looked at Xu Ke incredulously, hoping for an explanation.
Xu Ke touched his nose embarrassedly, revealing a guilty expression. "Probably something I did foolishly as a child, copying what I saw on TV. Grandpa wouldn’t let me remodel the rooms, so I only had the car to tinker with." As Xu Ke finished speaking, he gradually shed his guilty look, with a hint of rightfulness in his demeanor.
Lin Mengyao was amused by Xu Ke’s attitude. "I can’t believe you had such juvenile moments as a kid." As she spoke, she found a place to sit down.
"Who doesn’t have an embarrassing history from their childhood?" Xu Ke raised an eyebrow and naturally sat down next to Lin Mengyao.
"The Family Head and Lady are truly affectionate. It seems the Xu Family will soon welcome a little master." Housekeeper Zhao observed the loving couple with a face full of satisfaction, nearly overflowing, gazing at Xu Ke and Lin Mengyao with affection, as if even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes had smoothed out significantly.
Hearing about children made Lin Mengyao a little shy, and she quietly lowered her head, her hand subtly brushing over her stomach.
"There’s no rush about children. Yaoyao and I are still young. We don’t plan to have children so soon to disrupt our world of two." Xu Ke dismissed it lightly, eyes with a hidden glint. As long as the culprit remains at large, he couldn’t rest easy enough to risk bringing a child into the world.
Lin Mengyao felt a fleeting disappointment upon hearing that Xu Ke wasn’t ready for children yet. She was of an age where having a child seemed appropriate, and she quite wanted one, but since Xu Ke wasn’t ready, she respected his decision to enjoy a few more years of just the two of them.
"The Family Head is almost thirty, how is that considered early? In Shangjing, people your age have already become fathers." Housekeeper Zhao advised with some disapproval.
"They are them, and I am me. How can we be the same? Well, I don’t care; I don’t want children so early. Having children is not only troublesome, but by then, Yaoyao will be focused entirely on the child and won’t have time for me as a father. I want to enjoy my time with Yaoyao and build a solid foundation for our relationship before we have kids, so I won’t feel neglected later." Xu Ke wrapped an arm around Lin Mengyao’s shoulder, looking quite pleased with himself, which made the two in the car laugh involuntarily.
"How old are you, and you’re already getting jealous of a child? That’s ridiculous." Lin Mengyao pinched Xu Ke’s hand and complained softly, but her eyes were filled with a happy smile, satisfied with Xu Ke’s reasoning.
The driver drove smoothly yet quickly, and after a short chat in the car, the vehicle came to a stop. The driver, sitting in the passenger seat, got out to open the door and said to Xu Ke and the others, "Family Head, we’re here."
Xu Ke excitedly pulled Lin Mengyao out of the car by the arm and headed towards another part of the estate, speaking with the excitement of a teenager just hitting puberty, "I built a huge greenhouse behind the manor, filled with all kinds of flowers, and you will absolutely love it. The layout is a bit like a maze though, so I’ll give you a map tonight for you to memorize. Then, you can freely come and go. Today, I’ll take you around to get familiar with it." Xu Ke said excitedly.
"Okay." Lin Mengyao nodded, wearing the same joyful smile as Xu Ke, but if a familiar person were to look closely, they’d see the hidden gravity in Lin Mengyao’s expression.
Once the two entered the greenhouse and were alone, Lin Mengyao’s cheerful expression faded, replaced by a solemn and worried look directed at Xu Ke.
"Xu Ke, ever since we left the airport today, you’ve been acting strange. Did something happen to make you ?" Lin Mengyao asked, puzzled.
While the couple was always affectionate, Xu Ke had never shown such a goofy expression or done anything so childish and laughable.
Xu Ke, too, replaced his playful expression with a serious one Lin Mengyao had never seen from him before, making the atmosphere instantly tense and heavy.
"You’ve always wanted to know my identity, haven’t you? I told you before to give me time, and I’d tell you when the time was right. The time is now." Xu Ke said, gripping Lin Mengyao’s hand more tightly.
Lin Mengyao’s hand hurt from Xu Ke’s grip, but she didn’t cry out or change her expression.
"Did something happen suddenly? Is that why you’ve decided to tell me now?" Lin Mengyao asked.