Wife, please behave yourself.

Chapter 197 Rumors Confirmed
A casual remark, yet it made Shen Ruzhi feel as if she had a piece of honey in her mouth.

Coupled with Liu Songyan's expressionless face at this moment, he was neither jokingly irreverent nor overly serious and imposing.

All that remains is a plain and simple account, along with the concern he expresses.

He... has really changed.

He started to care about her, or even be concerned about her.

And this kind of care is exactly what Shen Ruzhi needs.

Shen Ruzhi has always been a lively and energetic person at school, especially known for her forthright and chivalrous personality, which has earned her a high reputation among the girls in the school.

Most female classmates would unconsciously look at her with admiration when they saw her. As long as she appeared, she could solve any problem with ease.

However, Shen Ruzhi, who seems strong and brave, also harbors a girlish heart.

Whenever the girls she was with talked about topics that girls usually talk about, she always felt that she couldn't join in, and because of the image she usually projected, she didn't want to rashly join in.

However, this situation improved greatly after meeting Chi Jinhe.

Chi Jinhe did not have that kind of stereotype about Shen Ruzhi, and even discussed topics between girls with her without hesitation.

It was precisely because of this that the two were able to develop a close friendship in private.

The two, who met through Liu Songyan, became friends without realizing it. They would chat during breaks at school and occasionally go shopping together on weekends.

Shen Ruzhi has come to regard Chi Jinhe as her friend.

However, when she faced Liu Songyan, it was a different story.

She...didn't want to be friends with him.

Because the definition of friendship is very narrow, it can only continue and develop along the path of friendship. However, when facing Liu Songyan, with whom she had spent a long time, Shen Ruzhi was not satisfied with just such a relationship.

That's why she was so happy when she noticed the boy's concern for her.

If Chi Jinhe's treating Shen Ruzhi as a friend made her happy.

If Liu Songyan treats her as a girl, he'll be more likely to win her heart.

Looking at the young man who was escorting her upstairs, Shen Ruzhi's face turned redder without her noticing. Her hands were placed awkwardly in front of her, and she kept fiddling with her fingers.

As if she were shy, she frequently looked up at the other person.

"Are you worried about me...?"

The girl's voice was so soft that it echoed in the stairwell leading to her home.

The ethereal voice left the boy in front of him slightly wistful, and he only spoke again after a few seconds.

"After all, you're a girl."

Seemingly realizing that his statement was stereotypical, Liu Songyan then added.

“My dad often says that no matter if you’re willing or not, even if you’re just pretending, you have to make sure that nothing is left unsaid.”

"..."

"So if I drop you off at your doorstep and something happens, it won't be my fault."

The pink bubble that had been forming was instantly punctured by the harsh addition, and the somewhat shy girl's expression turned cold after hearing these words.

Her time with Liu Songyan had already given her a good understanding of him.

Even though the two have become quite familiar with each other, Liu Songyan's occasional remarks still make her a little nervous.

However, Shen Ruzhi, who was already used to it, did not express much opinion on it.

After a moment of silence, as if he had grasped the key point in the other person's words, he urgently asked again.

So... when you took me home, were you willing or unwilling?

"Willingly."

One answer brought a smile back to the girl's face.

Shen Ruzhi felt that she had already grasped the method of using Liu Songyan.

Her gaze was fixed on the boy who answered truthfully, and she could no longer suppress the joy in her heart.

During the day, when the three of them were together, she suppressed herself somewhat because Chi Jinhe was also present.

However, now only she and Liu Songyan are left at the elevator entrance.

Meaningless repression is no longer needed.

Having received the answer she wanted, the girl lunged forward to get closer to the other person.

The sudden hug made the unprepared boy take two steps back, but fortunately his footing was stable enough that he didn't make a fool of himself because of the impact.

He steadied himself and glanced sideways at Shen Ruzhi, who had already embraced him.

Inhaling the fresh scent of shampoo emanating from the other person's hair, and the lingering aroma of shower gel on their skin.

Liu Songyan no longer resists such behavior.

The moment Shen Ruzhi embraced him, his body did not resist. Instead, he seemed to enjoy it, his initial slight tension turning into complete relaxation.

The hands that were hovering on both sides slowly moved inward under the gradually tightening force at the waist.

Just as they were about to touch each other, the sudden sound of the door opening interrupted them.

"Then we won't bother you any longer. Remember to come over for dinner after you move to your new place, senior."

"I understand, I will definitely go."

Wen Yunwei escorted Liu Changcun and the other two to the door.

The polite conversation had just ended when, in the next second, the four of them noticed the scene in front of the elevator door not far away.

The girl wrapped her arms around the boy's waist, and the boy's hands reached out to pull her along.

The effect presented by such a scene is quite ambiguous.

It's no longer just a matter of being good friends.

An open security door.

Liu Changcun stared calmly ahead, but upon seeing the scene before him, he immediately turned to look at the senior student beside him.

Wen Yunwei also saw this scene. When she saw her daughter holding her junior's son tightly and refusing to let go, the gentle smile on her face vanished instantly.

Instead, a melancholy mood emerged.

An Zhaoran also looked surprised, blinking frequently as she stared at the two whose behavior was definitely not normal.

Only Liu Wanqiu, the youngest among them, remained the most composed.

After all, she had long suspected that her brother's relationship with Shen Ruzhi, the short-haired older sister, was not normal.

The four people were immediately speechless.

This startled Liu Songyan, whose hands hadn't even touched the girl yet. He stared blankly at the location of the four people in front of him, through the girl in front of him.

He, who is usually calm, rarely showed a panicked expression.

Her hands seemed to freeze in mid-air until she came to her senses, and then she hurriedly moved from dragging them to climbing them onto Shen Ruzhi's shoulders.

Pushing outwards, hoping the other person would quickly let go.

However, Shen Ruzhi, who had her back turned, did not notice anything amiss. Completely absorbed in the moment, she greedily embraced the boy and was completely oblivious to the two sentences that had just been exchanged after the door opened.

At this moment, all she wanted to do was quietly hold him in her arms.

Shen Ruzhi... How she wished time could stop at this moment.

"Let go!"

The boy's slightly anxious voice reached her ears, but Shen Ruzhi, nestled among them, could only make a reluctant sound from her throat and mutter a response.

"No...stay a little longer."

"hurry up!"

"Why are you suddenly being so fierce..."

Or perhaps Liu Songyan's pushing force suddenly increased, causing Shen Ruzhi, who had been acting coquettishly, to immediately turn her face away in displeasure.

Looking up slightly, I noticed Liu Songyan's unusually tense expression.

Following the direction the other person was looking, they continued to hold each other, but turned their bodies to look back.

"..."

With just one glance, Shen Ruzhi spotted her mother.

Before she could even take a closer look, she noticed that there were other people present.

My gaze followed my mother, passed Uncle Liu, looked at Aunt An, and finally settled on my little sister Wanqiu.

Upon seeing all the familiar faces present, Shen Ruzhi, who witnessed the scene firsthand, was instantly stunned. She, who had been immersed in happiness, suddenly felt as if she had fallen into an endless abyss.

All I have is a heart that is utterly cold.

"mom……"

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Ruzhi finally came to her senses and called out. Noticing that her mother's expression was not quite right, she hurriedly let go of her hands, which she was reluctant to let go of. Liu Songyan, who had been a favorite, suddenly became a hot potato.

He quickly retreated, keeping a distance of three steps from the boy beside him.

The dress she was wearing was a little wrinkled. Shen Ruzhi hurriedly raised her hand to smooth the clothes. The makeup she had carefully prepared before going out was washed away after a whole day of playing around.

At this moment, her face, without makeup, was as red as a red-hot iron, and the redness even extended downwards from her eyes.

Liu Songyan wasn't much better off.

Although she tried to maintain her usual composure, she couldn't help but look away when her eyes met her father's.

He glanced to the side and met An Zhaoran's gaze again, but feeling guilty, he looked away once more.

Only when he made eye contact with his sister did he feel at ease and stop.

Observing the two people in front of him who were behaving rather improperly, Liu Changcun, as the father, did not say much, but looked at Wen Yunwei again.

Seeing the disappointed look on her senior's face, she spoke as if sighing.

"The children are growing up... Our two families know each other well, so let things develop as they will."

"dad!"

Wen Yunwei did not answer, but Liu Songyan, upon hearing this, called out anxiously.

However, his shout did not draw his father's attention; instead, it earned him a look from the dejected Wen Yunwei.

When Liu Songyan saw Shen Ruzhi's mother looking at him, his imposing manner immediately weakened.

She silently turned her face away and stopped saying anything.

Wen Yunwei kept her gaze fixed on Liu Songyan, as if she wanted to carefully observe the son of her junior. After a long while, she slowly shifted her gaze and fixed it on her own daughter.

Shen Ruzhi's flushed face came into her view. From this reaction, it was not hard to see that no matter how fluent her daughter's explanation was, it could not completely dispel her concerns.

Lowering her eyes again, Wen Yunwei did not immediately respond to her junior.

As if deep in thought, after what seemed like an eternity, he slowly raised his face once more.

Compared to her earlier disappointment, she now appears to be her usual self, showing no sign of emotional distress whatsoever.

With a smile on her face, she looked at the young man and woman in front of her, her gaze sweeping over them, and then over Liu Wanqiu and An Zhaoran beside her.

The image then focused on Liu Changcun, a junior student.

"Remember to let me know when you move to your new house."

Instead of responding to Liu Changcun's statement, they steered the conversation back to the very issue they had initially discussed.

After leaving the theater, the four of them had a quick bite to eat and then returned home. Just like when they often visit each other's neighborhoods, the two families sat down for a rare chat.

Wen Yunwei talked about some things related to her work, while Liu Changcun also talked about his current plans for life.

Seeing that it was almost time, they prepared to go home and rest.

What they hadn't expected was that they would see this scene after opening the door and leaving.

Liu Changcun heard the senior's response.

Although Wen Yunwei appeared normal at the moment, it was not hard to tell from the other person's words that she was in a state of turmoil.

Liu Changcun had no intention of staying any longer. After smiling and saying "definitely," he called to An Zhaoran and his daughter behind him to leave.

Walking towards the elevator, Liu Changcun pressed the elevator button first.

Watching the elevator go up, what should have been a short moment felt exceptionally long in this awkward atmosphere.

Liu Changcun tried his best to act as if nothing had happened, and only after the elevator arrived did he turn around and say goodbye to his senior.

After receiving a response from the other party, they re-entered the elevator.

An Zhaoran and Liu Wanqiu entered one after the other.

Liu Songyan, who had been standing by the elevator since just now, stayed by its side without leaving for a moment.

He continued to gaze in the direction of Shen Ruzhi, and when he looked at Wen Yunwei again, he hesitated before speaking.

Before he could even finish speaking, he felt a large hand grab his arm and drag him roughly into the elevator.

As the elevator doors closed, only the mother and daughter remained at the doorway.

Neither Wen Yunwei nor Shen Ruzhi spoke.

One of them gazed at his daughter with a complex expression.

One of them hung his head dejectedly, not daring to raise his head.

This situation continued for a long time until Wen Yunwei took the initiative to break the oppressive atmosphere and called out softly as usual.

"Go back inside, don't stand outside."

"Um……"

Nodding in agreement, Shen Ruzhi, who had been motionless, finally took action.

She walked slowly toward the door until she entered the room, accompanied by the closing of the security door.

The motion-activated light went out again after a long silence.

downstairs.

Liu Changcun's family remained completely silent throughout the entire process.

It was as if what had just happened had never occurred.

The four people left the elevator and walked out of the building.

Liu Songyan was at the very back. Seeing his father and the other two walking towards the parking lot, he turned a corner and silently walked towards the bike shed.

However, before he had taken more than a few steps, his father's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Liu Songyan".

The path to the bike shed came to a halt; whenever a parent called out their child's full name, it meant things had become serious.

Hearing his father's voice, the boy who had stopped turned around.

Seeing the look in her father's eyes, and noticing his hesitant expression, she realized that he wanted to say something but couldn't.

"Have you talked to a few? Now?"

"..."

A strange sentence came from his father's mouth, which made Liu Songyan feel puzzled.

Before he could figure out what those words meant, Liu Changcun spoke again.

"Chi Jinhe, Shen Ruzhi... Do you have any other girls you're interested in at school?"

"dad!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Songyan immediately noticed An Zhaoran's shocked expression as she covered her mouth in surprise.

Even his younger sister looked at him with disdain.

Liu Songyan, whose image had been damaged, was clearly anxious.

"I don't have any! Not a single one!"

Having witnessed it firsthand, Liu Changcun clearly did not believe this answer and simply remained silent, watching his son anxiously explaining in front of him.

After a moment, he casually raised his hand and waved.

"You can ride your bike home first; we came by car."

"I really didn't!"

"I know, I know, women are troublesome. I still remember what your father said."

"..."

Standing there alone, Liu Songyan felt as if his face was being slapped repeatedly. Looking at his father who turned and left after saying those words, he knew that even if he had a thousand explanations to give, no one would believe him now.

The father turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

Liu Wanqiu hurriedly followed, continuing to stare at her brother with disdain before leaving.

An Zhaoran, however, was still in shock. She finally lowered her hand from her mouth and, seeing Liu Songyan looking at her, hurriedly nodded awkwardly and followed the departing father and daughter.

He hurriedly moved closer to Liu Changcun and whispered his questions.

The voices were so soft that Liu Songyan couldn't hear their conversation, but judging from An Zhaoran's frequent glances back...

His reputation as a scumbag is now completely cemented.

Liu Songyan stood alone, watching his father and the other two get into the car.

After a long while, he slowly looked up at the building next to him.

It seems that through the bright light, one can imagine the predicament Shen Ruzhi is currently facing.

(End of this chapter)