"Why are you here?" Sang Ning looked surprised when she saw Li Juezhou.
She had told him not to follow her during this period, and when the police came, she hadn’t seen him around.
Sang Ning thought Li Juezhou had listened, but unexpectedly, he was here waiting for her.
Li Juezhou waved at Sang Ning with a faint smile, and then the rear car window rolled down, and a head suddenly popped out.
Sang Youming was back, and Sang Ning was surprised.
Before she could fully process her shock, Hu Zhi squeezed past Sang Youming and leaned out of the car window too: "Xiao Ning, Dad and Mom came back to keep you company."
Hu Zhi and Sang Youming were dressed simply, but they looked tidy and spirited.
Sang Youming’s short hair and beard had been meticulously groomed, no longer the scruffy look he once had. His sharp and defined features made him look instantly ten years younger, with a charming vibe of a handsome uncle.
Hu Zhi, on the other hand, had cut her long hair to ear-length—a clean and striking style. Her delicate and gentle features softened the sternness of the haircut. Sang Ning found her attractive.
Both Sang Youming and Hu Zhi had gotten slightly darker skin tones, but it didn’t diminish their overall appearance. They looked entirely transformed—so much so that those who weren’t close to them probably wouldn’t even recognize them.
"Li Juezhou, you actually ratted me out to my parents!" Thinking back to Sang Chuan’s comment calling him brother-in-law, Sang Ning immediately pinpointed the informant as Li Juezhou.
"Xiao Ning, don’t blame Xiao Li. It was Dad who proactively contacted him. He’s just a young boy; how could his tricks compare to the depth of someone like me? A few casual words and he spilled everything." Sang Youming quickly defended Li Juezhou.
Sang Ning’s lips twitched in surprise and frustration. Since when had Sang Youming gotten hold of Li Juezhou’s private number?
She then silently gave Li Juezhou a death glare. If he hadn’t deliberately leaked the information, how could Sang Youming have gotten everything out of him in just a few sentences?
Li Juezhou, however, appeared innocent and subtly shook his head slightly.
"Sis, you can be stern to us, but at least give some face to your boyfriend." Sang Chuan, carrying a backpack, walked over, opened the car door, and climbed in. As he did, he turned to Sang Ning and spoke.
Sang Ning was speechless: "Whose side are you even on? And why is your face so thick? You’re acting car belongs to you."
"Sis, if you want to be stern to my brother-in-law, fine—but first trick him into marrying you. You can always take your time being stern later." Sang Chuan cupped his mouth with one hand to lower his voice, then sat upright and deliberately raised his volume: "What’s his is yours, since you’re family with him. Which of course means I’m family with him too. Family doesn’t keep things from each other, otherwise it’s being distant!"
"I’ll show you distant!" Before Sang Ning could make a move, Hu Zhi turned around and gave Sang Chuan a light punch.
"Such behavior! Your sister and Xiao Li haven’t even formally confirmed their relationship, and here you are coveting his car? Even if they’re officially together, it still has nothing to do with you!" Hu Zhi lectured Sang Chuan sternly. Sang Chuan, unsatisfied, did not retort but instead pouted and looked out the window with a resentful expression.
After dealing with Sang Chuan, Hu Zhi turned back to face Li Juezhou and promptly clarified, "Xiao Li, Sang Chuan’s a bit of an idiot. Don’t take his words to heart. The fact that you came to pick us up tonight really troubles me—Auntie truly doesn’t want to add extra psychological burdens to you."
Hu Zhi wasn’t naive; she could vaguely sense that Li Juezhou appeared to be a wealthy young man.
Since Sang Ning was in a relationship with him, Hu Zhi didn’t want to give off the impression that the Sang Family was a bunch of freeloaders. She didn’t want Li Juezhou to look down on her daughter.
When Sang Youming proposed contacting Li Juezhou, she actually disapproved.
After Sang Ning’s incident online, they should have contacted their daughter first, but Sang Youming felt Sang Ning was the type to hide bad news and only share good news. He worried they wouldn’t get any useful or truthful information from her, which led him to contact Li Juezhou.
Sang Youming’s reasoning was that since Li Juezhou had feelings for Sang Ning and the two lived in the same city, he must have been closely following Sang Ning’s situation during this period. Therefore, it made sense to ask an outsider to get to the bottom of things.
Who knew that this investigation would uncover something even bigger— their daughter had been secretly dating him!
It was a failure on their part as parents. Because their communication with Sang Ning wasn’t frequent enough, Sang Ning didn’t feel comfortable sharing this news with them firsthand.
As long as the other person was of good character, they would certainly support Sang Ning’s romantic relationship.
The only surprise was that Li Juezhou’s character turned out to be overwhelmingly good.
Not only had he taken care of all their travel arrangements, but he also sent a car to pick them up right from the start.
When they got off the plane, he even personally drove to the airport to meet them.
Previously, Hu Zhi had only briefly met Li Juezhou a few times and hadn’t had a particularly deep impression of him.
But now, observing his attire, demeanor, and aura—it all subtly exuded an air of sophistication.
Hu Zhi dared not inquire too deeply into his family background. Her principle was simple: don’t drag her daughter down.
In short, she and Sang Youming were turning over a new leaf, determined to be better people. Their past bouts of drinking and gambling could finally be put behind them.
"Auntie, there’s no need for you to be polite with me. Being polite is what gives me a mental burden. This is all something I should do." Li Juezhou kept his demeanor humble when speaking to Hu Zhi, without a trace of arrogance.
After saying this, he moved from the driver’s seat to Sang Ning’s side, opened the passenger door for her, and gestured for her to enter.
"Sangsang, you don’t let me get involved in big things, but at least allow me to handle the logistical support?"
"If there’s a competition in being considerate, you’d come in second—no one would dare claim first." Sang Ning glanced at Li Juezhou before climbing into the passenger seat.
Li Juezhou had a knack for knowing where to draw the line—he was indeed a very obedient boyfriend, but with just a dash of rebelliousness.
Such as secretly working on her parents’ mindset." He performed so well that if she ever dumped him in the future, her family would definitely lecture her about it. He was staging a subtle moral coercion.
Whenever it was just Sang Ning and Li Juezhou alone in the car, the atmosphere tended to be quiet.
But today, with the three lively Sang Family members present, the car was buzzing with chatter—it was all about not letting the conversation drop.
Sang Ning hadn’t expected Sang Youming and Hu Zhi to suddenly return. Her old house had some issues lately; the water and electricity weren’t functioning properly. She wasn’t planning to take them back there.
Li Juezhou took the initiative to suggest having already arranged accommodations for them, but Hu Zhi and Sang Youming turned him down—they couldn’t always be exploiting someone else’s kindness.