LRAB Chapter 243
Chapter 243
chapter 243
when shi quan went to the feng family villa for new year's greetings, he was followed by only three people, one of whom he would soon be able to shake off.
however, by the time he left the shi family villa, he had gained another burden.
just earlier, he had sent a message to his girlfriend saying that he had family matters today and didn't need to follow the elders for new year's visits, so he could meet her later.
shi quan wanted to recall that message, but it had been over three minutes since sending it, making it impossible to retract.
he could only add that plans had changed and he couldn't meet her, followed by a couple of intimate messages typical of couples.
after sending the messages, shi quan resignedly said to his burdensome followers, "let's go make new year's visits."
without elders pressuring her, shi ruan had no desire to follow her big brother for new year's visits.
she entertained thoughts of meeting her boyfriend instead.
"brother, i want to..."
being his biological sister, shi quan knew her too well. before shi ruan could finish expressing her intention, he immediately cut in, "no, you don't."
if he couldn't see his partner, neither could anyone else.
shi ruan could only close her mouth sullenly and obediently follow behind shi quan.
their first visits would naturally be to nearby neighbors.
though feng yunhe wasn't particularly talkative, he considered himself to have a revolutionary friendship with shi li, so he asked, "why didn't uncle and aunt come out? did something happen at home?"
feng yunhe initially wondered if something had happened to shi quan's grandmother, but quickly dismissed this thought – if that were the case, the three shi siblings wouldn't be out making new year's visits.
shi quan smiled faintly, "no, it's just that relatives came to visit, and our parents and aunt and uncle are entertaining them at home. since they couldn't come out for visits, they asked us three younger ones to go instead."
feng yunhe nodded. the reason feng's mother had asked him to take her along for new year's visits was that feng's father was unwell, and she needed to stay home to care for him. since neither parent could go out, they had to let a "high school student" make visits alone.
while feng yunhe could handle projects independently at work and deal appropriately with company executives and competitors, his mother still worried about him going out alone for new year's visits.
feng's father's situation was truly unfortunate. before his fall injuries from last autumn had fully healed, he had slipped in the bathroom and injured his hip.
this injury was more serious than the previous one. last time he had merely been unwell but could still walk normally; this time he would need to rely on a wheelchair for an extended period.
with his limited mobility, naturally, he couldn't go around making new year's visits.
when the grandmother heard that shi quan had a girlfriend, she asked, "quan has a partner now? do you have photos? let grandmother see."
"yes, i do." shi quan took out his phone and opened his photo gallery, a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.
the grandfather, who had been sitting aside pretending to read while actually listening intently, finally came over when he heard his wife wanted to see photos.
"let me see too."
the sisters shi li and shi ruan, taking advantage of the grandmother's request, got their first look at shi quan's girlfriend's true appearance.
shi li couldn't help but curse, "this guy's a pervert, surely she's not underage?"
the girl in the photo looked very young, appearing even younger than shi li.
she had an especially sweet face, with two small dimples when she smiled, and just looking at her photo made one's lips curl up involuntarily.
the grandfather was more direct, "we can't break the law, can't date minors."
seeing similar looks from everyone around him, shi quan's mouth twitched, "what are you all thinking? she's actually half a year older than me."
shi li's gaze moved back and forth between shi quan's face and the girl in the photo, finally concluding, "brother, when you two go out together, you don't look like siblings – you look like father and daughter."
chinese people have a saying that you can't be trusted without facial hair, meaning that no matter how capable you are, people will doubt your abilities if you look young.
shi quan didn't look old, but to appear reliable at work, command respect from his subordinates, and gain trust from business partners, he deliberately dressed more maturely.
this resulted in shi quan, despite his youth, dressing like an old man.
his aunt particularly disliked running into her eldest son at the company, feeling like it polluted her eyes.
shi quan's face darkened – what was this girl saying?
the grandmother praised, "this girl is really beautiful, quan has good taste."
after symbolically showing concern for shi quan, the grandmother turned her attention to her favorite, shi ruan, "are there any suitable boys at your workplace? do you have a boyfriend? my grandsons are all very handsome, see if you like any of them?"
before shi ruan could speak, shi quan interjected, "grandmother, she has a boyfriend."
hearing this, the grandmother seemed disappointed, "what a waste of my grandsons' six-pack abs then."
the grandmother knew shi ruan very well – she had been boy-crazy since childhood and hadn't changed as she grew up.
shi ruan held the grandmother's hand, "you're mistaken – since they're your grandsons, they're my brothers. how could i, as a sister, not know my brothers? although i have a boyfriend now, our shi li is still single."