Ding Yixin watched Rong Xingyu running over from not far away, remaining silent.
After a long while, he finally raised his hand and gently brushed through Rong Xingyu’s hair, which had been slightly tousled by the wind.
A soft smile immediately filled his eyes.
Ding Yixin said in a low voice, "No, I just got here."
As his fingers moved, they inadvertently grazed the skin near Rong Xingyu’s ear and Rong Xingyu’s body almost jolted.
He felt his ears heat up immediately. "Th-then let’s go."
Today, Rong Xingyu was going home with Ding Yixin to visit his family.
In other words, the legendary "meeting the parents."
At first, Rong Xingyu felt fine, but once he sat down in the front passenger seat, the nervousness hit him belatedly.
He hadn’t expected that he would just go like this to meet Ding Yixin’s family.
Would Dr. Ding’s family dislike him?
Once that thought surfaced, Rong Xingyu pressed his lips together and his emotions inevitably becoming complicated.
They were only pretending to be a couple anyway.
It really didn’t seem necessary to think about such things.
Even if they didn’t like him, so what? And even if they did, so what then?
But he had only known Dr. Ding for a few days. What if he slipped up on the spot later?
Rong Xingyu’s thoughts ran wild as his hands unconsciously tightened around the seat belt beside him.
Ding Yixin noticed that Rong Xingyu was just absentmindedly clutching the seat belt, not making any real movement for quite some time, clearly lost in thought.
Ding Yixin let out a low chuckle and leaned closer to Rong Xingyu.
"Yuyu, come back to yourself."
Ding Yixin’s voice instantly pulled Rong Xingyu’s attention back. He looked at Ding Yixin’s face, which had grown closer due to the proximity.
Rong Xingyu subconsciously held his breath. "..."
Then he heard Ding Yixin ask, "The seat belt, do you need my help again?"
Rong Xingyu blinked his eyes failing to react immediately.
It wasn’t until Ding Yixin reached out and about to take the seat belt from Rong Xingyu’s hand, that Rong Xingyu seemed to be jolted awake.
He pulled his hand back slightly. "N-no need, I’ll do it myself."
With a "click," Rong Xingyu properly fastened his seat belt.
But then he heard Ding Yixin let out a sigh beside him as if he were quite regretful.
Rong Xingyu: "???"
Wait, didn’t he just hear Dr. Ding say "again"?
What exactly was that "again" referring to?
Rong Xingyu bit his lip and thought about it for a while, but still couldn’t figure out the reason.
The car soon started moving.
Rong Xingyu placed his hands on his knees and straightened his back, sitting as upright and earnest as an elementary school student waiting for class to begin.
Ding Yixin drove while the corner of his eye never left Rong Xingyu.
Seeing Rong Xingyu like this, Ding Yixin’s voice was filled with laughter. "Yuyu, relax a bit. Today is just a simple meal."
Rong Xingyu pressed his lips together and nodded seriously.
Yet the tension in his nerves did not ease much.
He turned his head to look at Ding Yixin’s profile, instead hoping that Ding Yixin would say more, especially about his family.
It was as if Ding Yixin could hear Rong Xingyu’s thoughts. He actually continued introducing things to him, "My family is relatively ordinary. My father is also a doctor, and my mother was a teacher. She’s been retired for many years now."
Ding Yixin held the steering wheel with one hand, while the other reached over to grasp Rong Xingyu’s hand.
His hand was very large, just big enough to envelop both of Rong Xingyu’s hands at once, which had been twisted together because of his nervousness.
Ding Yixin gave Rong Xingyu’s hand a reassuring squeeze and said in a gentle voice, "Today we’re just going home to have a meal with the two elders and letting them meet you. There’s no need to be too nervous."
Rong Xingyu responded softly and did not pull his hand out of Ding Yixin’s. He simply let him hold it like that.
Perhaps because of Ding Yixin’s words, Rong Xingyu truly did not feel as nervous as before.
He lowered his head and looked at their hands clasped together. "Is it just the four of us for lunch?"
After receiving Ding Yixin’s affirmative answer, Rong Xingyu’s brows instead knitted together slightly.
Why did he always have the feeling that there would be a lot of people at Dr. Ding’s home?
"I’m an only child. I don’t have any other siblings," Ding Yixin explained.
An only child?
Rong Xingyu suddenly felt as if something flashed rapidly through his mind, but he couldn’t grasp it at all, only catching the faintest fragment.
No, that’s not right, didn’t Dr. Ding have a nephew?
Hearing Rong Xingyu muttering softly to himself, Ding Yixin tapped his fingers against the steering wheel twice in a steady rhythm, a surge of meaning rolling through his eyes.
But he did not say anything more.
Soon, they arrived.
After getting out of the car, Rong Xingyu placed his hand into the one Ding Yixin extended, and the two of them interlaced their fingers.
It wasn’t until they were standing inside the elevator that Rong Xingyu suddenly realized he hadn’t prepared any gift at all, he had come empty handed!
His body stiffened unconsciously.
He had never had any similar experience before.
What should he do?
Wouldn’t it be too rude to come empty handed like this?
Rong Xingyu’s face turned a little pale as he quietly told Ding Yixin that he hadn’t prepared a gift.
Ding Yixin only smiled. He leaning close to Rong Xingyu’s ear and said in a volume only the two of them could hear, "There’s no need. You are the best gift."
Rong Xingyu: "..."
Rong Xingyu’s eyelashes fluttered rapidly twice and his face gradually reddened.
"And Yuyu is so adorable. They’ll definitely like you very much."