Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
“Ah...” Upon hearing her grandfather’s instructions, Yan Zheke was a little stunned. Unknowingly, she looked towards Lou Cheng, who was standing in front of her. She did not respond immediately.
What is this all about!?
Why did Grandpa suddenly ask me to bring Cheng to Jiangnan?
He should have said it earlier!
Lou Cheng had become someone with a strong grasp of the senses and emotions around him. He had already heard and expected the conversation. With a small smile, he gave his girlfriend a small nod to indicate to her that he did not have any issue.
Even though he could not travel solo with Ke, which was disappointing, to be able to gain the approval of her elders meant that he could enter her home with his head held high. This would give her a great sense of security.
Anyway, there would be more opportunities to travel together!
After she had asked for her boyfriend’s view, Yan Zheke somewhat recovered. She puffed her cheeks and said,
“Grandpa, why didn’t you say so earlier? Cheng and I have other plans. Alright, alright, we’ll go over. We’ll go and change our tickets now. ”
Ji Jianzhang gave a small smile and said, “I thought you would take the initiative to bring him to me. I just kept on waiting day after day. There was still no word from you, so I had to be be this thick-skinned and ask him myself. ”
After hearing all these words, Yan Zheke turned pink with embarrassment. She smiled forcefully and said, “I was waiting for the summer vacation... ”
She was worried that her silly Cheng would be bullied. So she intended to bring him to the Ji family after he had entered the Inhuman stage.
“There’s no better day than today! Send Lou’s details over, I’ll get someone to make arrangements.” Ji Jianzhang chuckled.
After the call, Yan Zheke peeked at Lou Cheng. She said in a cute but embarrassed manner,
“This grandpa! We’ve already booked our tickets and accommodations! ”
“It’s alright. A vacation to anywhere is still a vacation, right?” Lou Cheng laughed good-naturedly. “But then my strategy won’t be of any use anymore. I can only rely on Coach Yan to lead the rest of the way! ”
“Don’t worry, I won’t lose you! ” Yan Zheke’s eyes transformed into a happy upwards arch. Then, to intentionally liven up the atmosphere, she said, “So upsetting! We can’t get a full refund. This is all Grandpa’s fault. We need to get him to give you a huge red packet! ”
“Red packet?” Lou Cheng asked, not understanding her words.
“Jiangnan’s customary practice. Those official couples, cough, cough...” Yan Zheke’s face flushed bright red again. She looked away and twisted her head towards the sidewalk. “The first time the partner visits, the elders of the family will give a red packet.”
“Grandson-in-law’s red packet!” Lou Cheng concluded with a bright smile.
To be honest, he was not nervous about meeting Yan Zheke’s grandparents. In his generation and teachings, the parent-in-laws were the ones directly related to his girlfriend. Hence, he would naturally pay more attention to them or feel more nervous about them. Grandparents were one generation away, so their “influence” would not be too great.
As for the point about Mighty Ones with Physical Vulnerability, he had met them before, and it was not that he did not have them to support him!
In the midst of their happy conversation, Yan Zheke sent Lou Cheng’s details to her grandfather and waited to hear from him again. The details were already stored in her phone. Around them, the eyes of the Songcheng University’s students followed their moves, as though greeting them as they walked past. Some even gathered the courage to ask for an autograph.
Since he won the nationals, Lou Cheng had become someone known throughout the university. He was now an idol and someone that many juniors and even seniors admired. No matter where he went, he would attract attention. And people had been very kind to him.
He was thinking about the strong sunlight and bright smiles from the people around and wanted to pull Ke along to look for a cafe to take some shelter from the sun and the crowd stares. Yan Zheke received a call about a couple of options regarding first class seats. The person even said that if she was not satisfied with any of the options, they could use the Shushan Study’s private jet or airline.
“The noon flight is good.” Yan Zheke did not trouble the person too much and made a quick decision.
After this, they would go by their original plan – to take the school bus out of Songcheng University and travel towards the airport. The only difference was that their flight had changed, and the destination on the air ticket had switched from the neighboring province to Jiangnan province.
There was no delay, no postponement. The flight departed on time. As Lou Cheng drank the mineral water that he chilled, he asked his girlfriend casually, “Ke, I’m thinking of a question.”
“What?” Yan Zheke turned to look at him. Her eyes clear and looking at her boyfriend prettily.
“Are you going on a trip with your girlfriend?” Lou Cheng asked with a gentle smile.
Because he knew that he had passed the Empress Dowager stage, and that his father-in-law had no objections, he was asking this question for fun. Just a way to have some couple’s interaction.
Yan Zheke looked upwards. While biting her lower lip and her dimples appearing, she said, “Of course, I’ll have to listen to them...”
“Oh...” Lou Cheng was a little surprised.
Ke, our dear Ke, this answer is not right!
Seeing his reaction, Yan Zheke covered her laugh as she giggled. With great joy, she said, “You’re so easy to trick! ”
After teasing him, she pursed her lips. As she considered the question carefully, she said, “I’m the one who’s getting married. Not them. So my opinion matters the most. Of course, I’m happy that they have no objections. But even if they do, I’ll still go for what I want. As long as I’ve the ability to feed myself, and have a good time, the opinions and views of others are just decorations. I never thought that the blessings of parents from both sides were important. Back then, Empress Dowager didn’t give her blessings, but they’re still living happily, right? ”
“I just realized that you’re greatly influenced by Empress Dowager...” Lou Cheng broke out in a smile after hearing her.
“What matters most is what is in front of me right...” Yan Zheke ended her sentence with a slightly higher pitch. She asked him, “How about you? If your parents don’t like me, what will you do? ”
Damn, karma does bite back with such questions... Lou Cheng chided himself. He tried to squirm his way out with a compliment. “Our dear Ke, you’re so cute, so kind, so beautiful, so lovable, my parents will definitely like you... ”
Then he stopped for a bit and with a more serious tone, he said, “My thinking is about the same as yours. Yup, brainwashed by Coach Yan. Also, maybe my wings have hardened. I now have some ability and the foundation not to rely on my parents. I could live well by myself, so their opinions would only be references. I’ll be filial, but that doesn’t mean that I have to listen to them all the time. Actually, at home right now, I make my own decisions. ”
His current position in the family was a natural progression. As long as he did not have a weak character and was not blinded by filial piety, he could make his own decisions. So since he had some career achievements, it was almost always him who was making the decisions on behalf of his parents, and not the other way round.
Yan Zheke listened to Lou Cheng’s words quietly. Her eyes sparkled, but right at the end, she burst out in giggles.
“Cheng, haha, I just thought of a sentence. Haha, forgetting one’s mother after marrying a wife! ”
“Hey! Be serious!” Lou Cheng helplessly raised his hands.
For couples, as long as they were serious about their relationship, as long as they thought about spending their lives together and wanted to get married, they would have fantasies about the future together and discuss details of marriage life.
Before they knew it, the plane started its descent and then landed steadily. After the plane had slid for a while, Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke got off the plane and walked towards the arrival hall.
While making their way there, the girl received a call. She turned towards Lou Cheng and said,
“Cheng, let’s head to the carpark directly. Brother Lingqian is here to pick us up.”
The previous generation of the Ji family had “Ming” in their names. This generation it was “Ling”. Ji Lingqian was not from Ji Jianzhang’s bloodline, but from his brother’s. He was a 28-year-old fighter. He had entered the Inhuman stage two years ago, a Fifth Pin. He was the Deputy CEO of the Ji family’s security business and had good relations with Yan Zheke’s side of the family.
Yan Zheke’s uncle’s daughter, Ji Lingxi, was the closest cousin of Yan Zheke. Her second uncle had two children. Her older cousin, Ji Lingfang, and younger cousin, Ji Lingyun.
“Brother Lingqian will come personally? Haha, every time you say his name, I think of pocket change (“Lingqian” is a similar-sounding word referring to pocket change in Chinese.” )...” Lou Cheng joked. His left hand pulled the suitcase along, and his right hand held the girl’s hand.
Yan Zheke pressed her lips and laughed softly. “Actually, me too. Sometimes I burst out laughing when I call him. Uh, later, you can just call him Brother Lingqian with me. For my grandparents, you can call them Grandpa Ji or Grandma Dou. You could also call them Senior Ji or Senior Dou... ”
She talked about how he could greet them seriously.
Before long, the pair had found the spot where Ji Lingqian had mentioned earlier. There was a navy blue sedan there.
Ji Lingqian was tall and lean with good-looking eyes. He was calm and was dressed casually in dark colors. After seeing Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke walk over hand in hand, he shook his head and smiled.
“Lou Cheng, didn’t you hurt your arm? Don’t spoil my sister. ”
“Brother Lingqian, what are you talking about? He’s the one who is holding on to my hand and didn’t allow me take my own luggage! ” Yan Zheke whined a little.
“Brother Lingqian.” Lou Cheng copied how Yan Zheke called her cousin. He smiled and moved his right arm a little. “It got a little better already. ”
Ji Lingqian sighed. “Seeing you guys like that reminds me of my first love. Ay, get in. We can continue in the car. ”
The car door opened, revealing a spacious carriage. There was a curtain that separated the back seats and the driver’s seat, blocking the driver’s view of what was happening behind. The seats were facing each other. There was a small fridge and a bar. There was plenty in the car.
After they had loaded their luggage, Lou Cheng did not explore the car further. He followed Yan Zheke and sat into the car. Ji Lingqian swiftly sat opposite them.
“Anything to drink?” He smiled and pointed to the bar.
“I’m good. I drank a lot on the plane.” Yan Zheke looked at Lou Cheng. “How about you? ”
“I’m good too.” He shook his head in response.
In the midst of their chatter, the door closed and the car started to move steadily and quickly in front.
Ji Lingqian crossed his arms in front of him and leaned backwards. He chuckled and said, “Lou Cheng, hmm, I’ll just call you Lou. If I don’t, we’ll seem too distant. I’ve watched a couple of your key matches in the university tournament. Not bad! Ke has a keen eye for talent. So much better than me during the old days. No wonder Granduncle invited you over. ”
He turned towards Yan Zheke. “Granduncle has been a little hasty with this matter. Not everyone is around because it’s the holidays. I’m around because I just came back from an exhausting work trip in the south. So I got called to add to the numbers. ”
“I thought Grandpa had it all planned out... This is also good...” Yan Zheke was slightly suspicious at first, then she let out a sigh of relief.
In this case, Cheng only needs to meet the grandpa and the grandma. This would be less awkward, much more manageable.
He was her boyfriend, so of course she would be worried and feel pity for him!
“What’s so good? Lingxi and Lingfang said they’ll rush home to meet the favored fighter of the age.” Ji Lingqian added mischievously.
Regardless of whether Ji Lingqian was honest or sincere, after hearing this sentence, Lou Cheng felt somewhat proud.
During the journey, it was mostly Yan Zheke and Ji Lingqian talking. Lou Cheng would just speak a couple of times. However, it was not awkward or too formal. When the car arrived at the Ji family’s old mansion, it entered the premises. After the engine was turned off, Lou Cheng looked outside the window. Through the tinted glass, he saw a man with slightly white sideburns standing.
“Grandpa...” Yan Zheke leaped off the car and greeted her grandfather joyfully.
Lou Cheng followed behind and greeted the elderly man respectfully.
“Good evening, Senior Ji.”
This was the famous “Heaven Leaning Sword”. As expected, his aura was strong and deep like the seas!
Ji Jianzhang smiled and gave a small nod. He looked at Yan Zheke and said, “Ke, you go in first to see your grandmother.”
Then he turned to Lou Cheng and said,
“Lou, come, take a walk with me. ”