Evil Love Appears chapter 79
The idea of “giving a birthday gift to Fu Jing” made Fu Xiaoyu somewhat anxious.
On the afternoon when Xu Jiale set out for Shuncheng, he was originally in the middle of a video conference with Blue Rain. He took some time in between for this special occasion.
However, when he came out, he didn’t say anything but held his phone, standing in the driveway, watching Xu Jiale.
“What are you looking at?” Xu Jiale asked.
“Maybe I should go with you after all,” Fu Xiaoyu said nervously, taking a few steps to the side of the car.
“Oh?” Xu Jiale sat in his Tesla and fastened his seatbelt. “Aren’t you afraid of losing face? Besides, you have to continue the meeting later, right?”
Fu Xiaoyu fell silent for a moment and then leaned down beside the car window, whispering to Xu Jiale, “I’m sorry, Xu Jiale. Am I being irresponsible?”
He really didn’t want to actively seek out Fu Jing.
But since he agreed to Xu Jiale, he had to admit that maybe deep down, he still secretly hoped for a resolution to his father-son relationship with Fu Jing. He felt that passing this awkward task to Xu Jiale, out of fear and not wanting to face Fu Jing, was not just irresponsible but also a bit cowardly.
“Hey…” Xu Jiale chuckled softly in the car. He turned to look at Fu Xiaoyu and lightly rubbed his cheek with the back of his finger, teasingly saying, “It’s not like we’re formally meeting your parents. Just think of it as me running an errand for you, nothing too extravagant.”
Fu Xiaoyu took a slight breath but didn’t speak. That phrase “not meeting your parents formally” did ease his worries a bit. He ultimately just nodded and stepped back.
Xu Jiale arrived in Shuncheng in the evening.
Before departing, he had already sent a message to Tang Ning to inform her of his visit. Upon arriving, only Tang Ning was waiting at the door to welcome him.
“You really went through a lot of trouble, Xiao Xu. You came all the way here just to deliver these things. You’re too polite,” the Alpha woman said warmly, helping Xu Jiale move several boxes into the living room. She raised her voice slightly as she spoke, “These are too many things. What’s all this? Didn’t you say you were just bringing some meat and fish?”
She deliberately raised her voice a bit.
Xu Jiale looked inside the house as he followed her gaze. He immediately understood that this was because Fu Jing was around but hadn’t appeared yet.
“It’s about the right amount,” Xu Jiale replied. He wasn’t just bringing a little meat and fish.
He had specially sourced several boxes of ingredients from a high-end Japanese restaurant. This included snowflake beef and ribs for Tang Ning. However, the most important items were live seasonal shrimp, premium red sea cucumbers, and three-headed abalone, specifically prepared for Fu Jing.
“It’s nothing; Auntie, please have a seat. I’ll help you open these. There are a lot of fresh items, and some need to be refrigerated,” Xu Jiale said with a smile.
Xu Jiale laughed and got to work, and soon, all the items were arranged in the kitchen and refrigerator.
Tang Ning didn’t insist on helping; she was getting older and didn’t want to bend over. However, she noticed that Xu Jiale had rolled up his sleeves, and her eyes fell on his Audemars Piguet watch.
The company sent this as a cover, and any smart person would understand that.
Xu Jiale’s way of doing things was seemingly casual but quite detailed. When giving gifts to elders, it was important to pay attention to the details, both in terms of appearances and substance.
The beef and shrimp were genuinely favored by the elders. As for the sea cucumbers and abalones, their nutritional value was secondary. What mattered more was the prestige and face they represented. Taking them out, or serving them to friends while mentioning “a gift from Fu Xiaoyu and Xu Jiale” would make the elders quite happy. That’s the reality of social life, and Xu Jiale was willing to cooperate.
As he was busy with this, perhaps because the smell of seafood was heavy, there was a soft “meow,” and a calico cat rushed out of the house, pushing open the half-closed bedroom door.
“Da Pang!” Fu Jing’s voice came from inside the bedroom but quickly stopped. However, he didn’t come out.
The cat was indeed a bit chubby, round and plump from being well-fed, and it wasn’t afraid of people as it pounced towards the shrimp.
“Da Pang, don’t be naughty,” Tang Ning laughed, picking up the chubby cat from the floor.
She prepared a cup of tea for Xu Jiale. When Xu Jiale had finished arranging everything, he sat down. Tang Ning then spoke gently, “Xiao Xu, come and have some tea. You’ve brought so much, don’t do it next time. Where’s Xiaoyu? Why didn’t he come with you?”
“He’s too busy,” Xu Jiale replied.
Xu Jiale very naturally took the chubby cat from Tang Ning and placed it in his lap, rubbing the cat’s head. He then explained, “Auntie, Xiaoyu just left IM Group and joined a friend’s internet company, and he’s the boss now, so he’s even busier than before. He was in a meeting when I left today.”
“Even if he’s busy, he should take care of his health,” Tang Ning said as she turned her gaze towards the master bedroom. Then, she continued, “And… What do you do, Xiao Xu? Are you busy?”
“I’m doing okay; I’m not as busy as Xiaoyu.”
Here it comes —
The classic question when meeting parents: “How much money do you make?”
No matter how casual Tang Ning’s question may sound, no matter how it’s dressed up, Xu Jiale could clearly understand the meaning behind this question.
“In fact, I’m currently pursuing a Ph.D. in anthropology at M University in the United States. It’s just that, due to some personal matters, I returned to China to adjust my life.”
“M University,” Tang Ning said with a hint of delight upon hearing this. She pushed her glasses up and poured more tea for Xu Jiale, asking, “A prestigious school, a prestigious school. Studying in the United States is not easy. It involves leaving your homeland, which is costly. I suppose your family must miss you very much?”
“It’s not too bad, both of my fathers have their own interests, so it’s not like they particularly miss me.”
Xu Jiale looked at Tang Ning, an Alpha woman who appeared gentle and cultured but was actually quite intelligent.
The question was light on the surface, seemingly asking whether “your family misses you,” but in reality, it was a variant of the classic question when meeting parents: “How’s your family’s financial situation?”
In such moments, the person responding must remain calm, see through the question, and recognize the essence behind the question.
“As for expenses, they are indeed considerable, but there is no problem in that regard.”
Xu Jiale gave a slight smile as he scratched the chubby cat’s chin. He continued, “My family’s financial situation is decent, and there’s a family office to take care of things, so I don’t need to worry about that. On the other hand, I have a personal wealth manager to handle my personal asset allocation. Financially, it’s not my primary concern. The most challenging part of pursuing a Ph.D. is obtaining the degree itself. In this regard, Auntie, you’re a university professor and surely understand it the best.”
Xu Jiale did come off as a bit extravagant this time.
Even he had to prepare in advance to say these extravagant words without difficulty.
He spoke a bit louder than usual, which Tang Ning naturally noticed, but there was no sound from the master bedroom. It seemed that today, Fu Jing was determined not to come out.
“Well…” Tang Ning paused for a moment, seemingly pondering the information she had just learned.
“Aunt, it’s getting late, and I need to drive back to City B. I’ll be on my way. By the way—”
Xu Jiale stood up and took out a small envelope from his pocket, handing it over. “I brought a few Carrefour gift cards with me. You can use them for groceries when you and Uncle go shopping.”
Xu Jiale knew that no matter what, the fresh items he brought were technically a gift from Fu Xiaoyu, so he couldn’t be empty-handed. Gift cards were not as grand as other items, and they didn’t put much pressure on the recipient, plus they were very practical.
Of course, he actually brought quite a lot, but since Tang Ning hadn’t opened them and probably didn’t anticipate it, she just thanked him politely, “Xiao Xu, this is your first visit, and you’ve brought so much. It’s quite inappropriate. We’re not prepared either; we didn’t even prepare a red envelope for you — I’m really sorry.”
Tang Ning escorted him to the door and couldn’t help but look back, probably wanting to confirm whether Fu Jing would come out to see him off, but there was still no movement inside.
Xu Jiale waited for a minute, but in the end, he just smiled and said lazily as he left, “Auntie, the shrimp are still alive, so it’s best to steam them today. Please say hello to Uncle for me.”
“Of course, please be careful on your way back.”
Almost as soon as Tang Ning closed the door, there was a sound of creaking, and the bedroom door was pushed open. Da Pang also rushed back, held in the arms of Fu Jing, who had just come out at that moment.
“Sister, why are you talking about a red envelope? Who said we were going to give him a red envelope?”
Fu Jing wore a stern expression as he walked to the kitchen, scanned the area for a moment, then returned to the living room.
He took a sip of Tang Ning’s tea and complained, “And why did you talk to him for so long, as if we recognized him as Xiaoyu’s Alpha.”
Tang Ning laughed and reached over to pat Da Pang’s head. “I only did that because I knew you were eavesdropping behind the door.”
“I wasn’t eavesdropping —” Fu Jing took a deep breath and whispered, “I wasn’t eavesdropping the whole time.”