If it had been before they got together, He Fang might still have worried that someone would kidnap Qin Guanglin.
But now, she had no concerns whatsoever.
The two of them were simply meant for each other, and once they started talking, no one else would have a chance.
Anyone who fantasized about getting involved would just be wasting their effort.
She was confident in that.
If Qin Guanglin could be snatched away so easily by a coworker who came out of nowhere, that would have been the real joke.
"Go on, get back. Your mom has probably finished cooking by now," He Fang urged him again.
"Come with me, I’m sure you haven’t eaten either."
"No, I’m not going."
"Come on, it’s such a hassle to cook for yourself," Qin Guanglin persuaded.
"I’ll go once that mark on you is gone," He Fang said with a suppressed smile as she rocked back and forth in her chair, "Otherwise, I’m definitely not going."
Although she had said that it wouldn’t matter if Qin’s Mom saw it, the idea of receiving peculiar looks from her if they both went over made her a bit uncomfortable, so it was best to avoid it.
But after this incident, she reckoned Qin’s Mom would probably be even more enthusiastic the next time she visited...
Family status +1.
Fool Qin status -1 again.
"..."
Qin Guanglin turned to leave, then feeling unsatisfied, he spun around, pinched her to test her conscience, and departed contentedly amidst He Fang’s shriek of surprise.
"Hey, by the way," he came back again, leaning on the doorframe to look at her.
"What now?" He Fang shrunk back in her chair, somewhat wary. Since granting access once, the guy had become increasingly shameless.
"That name..." Qin Guanglin pointed at the drawer of the desk, smiling happily, "I really like it. Did you change it afterward?"
"It was a random choice."
"Oh~ The name is great; it’s definitely going to be popular. I’m off then."
He didn’t delay any longer, turning to go downstairs to head back home.
Qin He... Qin He.
Tsk tsk... The more Qin Guanglin thought about it, the more comfortable he felt, smiling foolishly to himself as he walked.
He didn’t believe for a second that such a coincidental name was chosen at random; this girl was saying one thing but meaning another—just like when she secretly crawled into his bed that one time.
Hmph, women.
When he got home and opened the door, Qin’s Mom had already finished cooking half of the dishes and was still busy in the kitchen. Hearing the door, she popped her head out to see, "You’re back half an hour late today, did you stop by He Fang’s again?"
"Yeah." Qin Guanglin tilted his head away, trying to hide the mark on his neck, "Are you almost done?"
"Almost. What’s with your head?"
Finding his behavior odd, Qin’s Mom curiously asked, "Did you not come home to sleep last night and ended up with a stiff neck?"
"It’s nothing, nothing."
Qin Guanglin deflected and hurried into his room, rummaging for a band-aid. It was best not to carry this embarrassing burden if he could help it.
But after much effort, he found none.
"Dinner’s ready, hurry up and wash your hands. What are you fumbling for in your room?" Qin’s Mom leaned on the doorway, scrutinizing him carefully.
He hadn’t come home last night, and today he was acting oddly, something was fishy.
"Alright, I’m coming." Qin Guanglin washed his hands uncomfortably, stared at himself in the mirror for a long time, and then decided to act as if nothing had happened and went to serve himself some rice.
A misunderstanding is just a misunderstanding. After all, he and He Fang were going to get married sooner or later.
What was there to fuss about?
It wasn’t a big deal.
Qin’s Mom held her bowl and kept staring at him. When she caught sight of that "strawberry," her gaze sharpened, and she immediately confirmed her suspicions.
Last time, she had seen him sneak into He Fang’s room in the middle of the night to sleep with her and was half-believing, half-doubtful, wondering if it was nothing. But now she was entirely certain.
Drunk?
What a load of crap!
Last night, he just went to He Fang’s place to hang out...ugh, to stay over.
The young people these days...sigh.
"Must be mosquito bites." Qin Guanglin, seeing Qin’s Mom’s peculiar expression, uncomfortably shrugged his shoulders as the excuse He Fang taught him slipped out.
No sooner had he said it than he instantly regreted it, berating himself for such a hasty explanation. It would’ve been better to wait for her to ask. Now it felt like there was an elephant in the room.
"Oh," Qin’s Mom responded nonchalantly, "let’s eat."
She was a bit conflicted inside, wanting to remind them to be safe but feeling it wasn’t quite appropriate. She internally cursed Qin Dad.
The damn old man had to go so early; he should have been the one to deal with this mess.
She was afraid that the young ones were clueless; what if they got someone pregnant before knowing what they were doing? Losing face was the least of the worries. If such a thing happened, how would the girl’s family view them?
Such a headache... Kids raised in single-parent families miss out on so many lessons; He Fang only had her dad too. Probably the same situation, so many things left unsaid. Those two together...
Qin’s Mom unconsciously furrowed her brows. She couldn’t help being anxious. It wasn’t just the frequent news reports—these things happened in her neighborhood and among her relatives too, becoming the subject of jokes.
It was fun to gossip about others, but it wasn’t so amusing when it was about her own family.
Qin Guanglin ate his rice in sulky silence, feeling out of place while Qin’s Mom kept quiet, idly picking at her food, seemingly lost in thought.
"When will He Fang come over again?"
As Qin Guanglin finished his bowl of rice and went for a second, Qin’s Mom suddenly asked.
"She, ah..." Qin Guanglin paused, "should be... the weekend, I guess?"
"Oh," Qin’s Mom nodded.
She thought for a while and decided she needed to talk to He Fang directly; she just couldn’t relax otherwise.
After eating quietly for a while, Qin’s Mom asked, "Did she mention when she is taking you home to meet her parents?"
"Um... probably in the next couple of months," Qin Guanglin said uncertainly.
He Fang had mentioned she needed to go home during the summer holidays and talked about bringing him along, but with the holidays lasting two full months, he wasn’t sure of the precise timing.
"Why are you asking?" he queried, puzzled. Was his mom getting anxious?
Qin’s Mom shook her head, "Have you two settled everything?"
"Settled what?"
"Yesterday I heard you calling her ’wife’." Qin’s Mom scoffed, "You haven’t even met her parents yet; have you no shame?"
"How did you hear that?" Qin Guanglin was stunned, "When did I call her that? I don’t remember."
His memory from yesterday only lasted up to leaving the hotel. He had no recollection of anything after that, like a blackout from drinking too much.
How could he have called He Fang ’wife’ and let Qin’s Mom hear it?
"When He Fang called me yesterday to say you weren’t coming home." Qin’s Mom snorted, "Pretending, are you?"
"..."
Qin Guanglin fell silent, his head bowed, the doubts that had been fading were resurfacing as he tried to recall the events of the previous night.
What on earth happened last night?
"I’m full now."
After scraping the rest of his rice into the bowl, he quickly cleared it away in the kitchen, eager to step out again.
He needed to get to the bottom of things with He Fang.
"Off to He Fang’s again?"
"Yeah, going out for a stroll, and I have to accompany her for a run."
"Doesn’t hanging around her all the time get tiresome?" Qin’s Mom sat upright in her chair, cradling her bowl with an air of authority, "Remember to come back tonight; don’t sleep over at her place."
"Ah?" Qin Guanglin was baffled, "I wasn’t saying I was going to sleep there."
"Either way..." Qin’s Mom paused, thinking, "bring her over later; I need to talk to her. After that, you can sleep wherever you want—even on the street—and I won’t care."
It was better to clear the air than to leave it bottled up. She really needed to speak with He Fang directly.