Chapter 200

After the car entered the Yongzhou Expressway from the Hangzhou Bay Ring Expressway, Qin Yun noticed that Su Huan's expression in the passenger seat had become visibly tense.

That nervous, uncertain look made him unable to suppress a smile.

Qin Yun couldn't help but grin—he'd known Senior Su since the beginning, and she'd always been confident, perpetually upbeat, never once this anxious.

"Hmph, what are you grinning at?" Su Huan shot him a sideways glance, irritable. "You look awfully pleased with yourself."

"No, I'm not." Qin Yun immediately dropped his smile and shook his head. "You're mistaken—I'm focused on driving."

Su Huan twisted her fingers together, bit her lip, and hesitated before saying, "Last time I met your mom, I came as your friend to your wedding. This time, I'm coming as your girlfriend. I just feel… weird about it."

"What girlfriend?" Qin Yun feigned confusion. "Aren't we just meeting your best friend offline? When did you become my girlfriend to meet my mom?"

"…."

If Qin Yun weren't driving, she'd have lunged at him and bitten him.

Qin Yun smiled to reassure her: "How much your mom loves you—you haven't noticed from your chats?"

She certainly had noticed—moreover, their original goals had always aligned: one took the initiative, the other plotted behind the scenes.

But matters were matters—when it came to actually meeting the person, Su Huan still felt uneasy. After all, her identity now wasn't ordinary—she was Qin Yun's girlfriend.

Yet no matter how nervous she was, the distance kept shrinking.

As the car exited the toll booth and entered the East-West Expressway, less than half an hour later, they reached Donghai West Road and spotted the Zhouyu Dormitory.

Just as the car turned left into the residential compound, Qin Yun's system suddenly flashed before his eyes and ears.

【Publish Check-in Task: Within three days, launch a live stream, hold a vote, and let your fans decide the location and content of your next live stream. Total number of voters must not be less than five million to complete the check-in.】

Qin Yun glanced at the panel once and dismissed it.

He knew his original plan was ruined—the system had given him ten possible live stream locations and themes, scattered across the globe, each with a different content.

The car slowed to a stop in the parking spot. Qin Yun turned to look at Su Huan and saw she had already regained her gentle composure. Though her eyes still betrayed tension, her control over outward emotion impressed him deeply.

"Is my makeup okay?"

They got out of the car, and Su Huan tugged at his arm.

Qin Yun carefully scanned her from head to toe and replied: "No girl could ever be more beautiful than you. Whoever marries you has earned it over eight lifetimes."

"Stop flattery!" She lightly punched his arm, then took a deep breath. "Go get the gifts…"

Before she finished speaking, Su Huan's expression tightened—across the distance, a familiar figure appeared at the stairwell entrance.

"Little Su!"

Hu Fen waved, her smile radiant.

"Auntie!"

The dread of a daughter-in-law meeting her in-laws is strongest just before the meeting—but once it happens, it's never as bad as imagined.

Qin Yun carried the bags, watching the two women embrace openly in public, and fell silent. Yet on another level, he felt his mother's genuine joy.

Thinking back to his first marriage, Song Ya and his mother were never a normal mother-in-law and daughter-in-law—and now these two weren't normal either.

One was too distant, the other too close.

"Quick, tell me—how did this idiot suddenly wake up? Was it ancestral spirits finally blessing that stubborn log?"

Qin Yun had barely approached with the bags when he heard this line that made him want to groan.

"Mom, enough. Do you really embarrass your son like this to his face?"

Hu Fen held Su Huan's hand, glanced at him, and sneered: "Calling you a stubborn log is too kind. Thank goodness Su Huan didn't give up—if you'd let her walk away, I'd break your legs."

Su Huan's eyes sparkled with amusement, her face relaxed in a smile—there wasn't a trace of nervousness left.

"Auntie, let's go inside and talk."

"Yes, yes, let's go home and talk."

Back home, the two women huddled together, whispering, leaving Qin Yun feeling like an outsider—like he didn't belong.

"…."

He shook his head, glanced at the kitchen—all the dishes were prepped, ready to be cooked.

"Mom, should I start cooking?"

Hu Fen didn't turn around, just waved her hand. "Mm, go ahead. Keep it light."

"Ah… got a daughter-in-law, forgot your son."

Qin Yun sighed loudly, drawing two different glares from the women.

Su Huan looked slightly embarrassed; Hu Fen looked utterly exasperated.

But neither paid him any mind—they kept talking. Qin Yun could only retreat to the kitchen and get to work.

"Really? That shameless? What did you do?"

Hu Fen's expression turned angry.

"I always knew she wasn't cut out for family life. Thank goodness Xiao Yun woke up and made the right choice."

Su Huan then recounted how she'd confronted Song Ya—every word struck a chord with Hu Fen.

"You did right," Hu Fen gently patted Su Huan's hand. "Never be polite to people like that—the more you treat them kindly, the more they take it for granted."

"Exactly," Su Huan nodded. "Last time Xiao Yun went to Beijing, they blocked his door—did you know about that, Auntie?"

Hu Fen froze. "Xiao Yun never mentioned this. Tell me more."

"It went like this…"

Su Huan repeated everything Qin Yun had told her, word for word, sending Hu Fen into a rage.

"I'm furious! That shameless woman—I knew why she suddenly started calling me, turning circles around. She only came crawling back now that Xiao Yun's doing well. The world doesn't work like that."

Having vented together about the ex, the matter was truly closed.

They shifted to talking about Su Huan's family.

"It's only a week until New Year's—why not have Xiao Yun come with you to Hebei for New Year's Eve?"

Qin Yun had just finished cooking and opened the sliding door when he heard those words, and he was startled.

"Mom, what are you talking about?"

Hu Fen stood up when she saw him bringing out the dishes.

"Xiao Su has come to your home—you've got to go visit her parents, let them see you properly. Dating is mutual; you can't just let Xiao Su come while you stay put?"

Qin Yun looked at Su Huan, who was watching him with a half-smile, as if to say, "Now it's your turn to be nervous."

He was momentarily speechless: "Mom, isn't it a bit inappropriate to go during the New Year?"

Hu Fen thought about it—it did seem a bit off. But Su Huan didn't agree. She said, "It's fine. I've already mentioned you to my parents, and they really want to meet you. Of course, if you don't want to go, that's okay too."

She added, encouraging Hu Fen: "Auntie, it's fine. Qin Yun's busy with work—let him rest at home. No need to accompany me back to Hebei."

Hu Fen immediately snapped: "Since your parents already know, what are we waiting for? Go. This New Year, go. Qin Yun, you hear me?"

Good grief—he wasn't even called "son" or "Xiaoyun" anymore; calling him by his full name meant there was no room for negotiation.

"Alright, alright, I'll do as you say."

While Hu Fen went to wash her hands, Qin Yun leaned close to Su Huan's ear: "So when I meet your parents, should I start calling you 'wife'?"

Su Huan's face flushed crimson, and she slapped him.

Seeing her like this, Qin Yun couldn't stop laughing, letting her hit him—he felt nothing anyway.

Watching the two of them so affectionate, Hu Fen was deeply satisfied, growing fonder of Su Huan with every glance.

People are like that—they always compare.

Compare that one, then look at this one—Su Huan's every aspect left Hu Fen with nothing but approval.

Good temperament, great figure, top-tier looks, high emotional intelligence—inside and out, everything was perfect.

The meal erased Su Huan's remaining sense of unfamiliarity; the two future mother-in-law and daughter-in-law could laugh and chat about women's topics while washing dishes together in the kitchen.

Though she knew Su Huan often talked to her mother, seeing them get along so harmoniously still filled him with genuine joy—the scene he had longed for when married to Song Ya had finally arrived.

"Mom, Su Huan, I'm going out for a walk—I plan to go live-streaming for a bit."

"Live-streaming?" Hu Fen blinked. "What are you live-streaming now?"

Su Huan also looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Just regular streaming—go live and chat with fans. It's been over a month since I've properly interacted in the livestream room."

"I don't get it, but come back early."

"Yeah, got it."

Watching Qin Yun leave with his phone, Hu Fen suddenly said: "Xiao Su, what do you think of Qin Yun's job?"

Su Huan thought for a moment: "If he were just a friend, I wouldn't care. But now that I'm his girlfriend, I'm actually afraid—his live-streaming content is too dangerous."

Hu Fen sighed: "Ah… yes. Ever since I watched that rock-climbing stream, I stopped watching altogether. My heart couldn't take it. But it's his job—I can't tell him to quit. So I just avoid watching."

Su Huan understood Hu Fen's conflicted feelings—she felt the same way now.

Logically, Qin Yun already earned enough money; even without those streams, with his fanbase, he could succeed at anything.

But she had been observing, learning.

She was certain: Qin Yun genuinely enjoyed these live-streaming challenges—not because of his job, but because he loved them.

So although she didn't want her future husband constantly risking his life, to stop him would mean robbing him of his joy—depriving someone of what they love is cruel.

Yet on the other hand, the old saying—"If you walk by the river often, you'll eventually get your shoes wet"—constantly warned her: what if one day, just one day, something truly happened? Could she bear it?

Su Huan said: "Auntie, since it's Qin Yun's job, we should support him. Even if we can't help, we won't be the ones holding him back."

Hearing this, Hu Fen suddenly felt a pang of emotion. She gently hugged Su Huan, voice trembling: "Every time Qin Yun goes live, I don't watch—but I can't work. I'm terrified of receiving a call. If something really happens to him, I wouldn't want to live anymore."

"But as you said, if we stop him, he may never be truly happy. At least he's brave, kind, and lucky enough to have met you—a girl who never leaves his side."

Su Huan hugged Hu Fen. Though the words were few, the fear behind them was unmistakable.

"Auntie, don't worry—I'll always be by his side. He absolutely won't get hurt."

Hu Fen pulled away, eyes wet: "Mm. Then get married soon. Give me a big grandson or granddaughter—it doesn't matter which."

"Ah…!"

While the two women chatted, Qin Yun walked along the road outside and arrived at Puxi Park.

Without any announcement, he started streaming immediately—viewers who received the notification were stunned.

"Holy shit, what's going on with Brother Qin? He's live again? No rest?"

"666, Brother Qin is truly dedicated."

"Where is Brother Qin? This doesn't look like some hellhole."

"What the hell is a hellhole?"

"2333, haven't interacted with Brother Qin in ages. Hey, why are the gifts gone? Did he disable them?"

Qin Yun watched his viewership quickly surpass 100,000 and smiled: "I just got to Zhoushan, came home to see Mom, finished dinner, and was bored—so I came online to chat casually with you guys. Since it's just casual talk, no need for gifts—I earn my living honestly."

"Oh? The iron tree blooms—first time ever."

"Haha, Brother Qin should stream more often like this. Don't wait until you're surviving in the wilderness to go live."

"666, Brother Qin's attitude is extraordinary."

Comments scrolled rapidly—he sometimes couldn't keep up.

He edited the real-time poll plugin while casually chatting.

"Today's just casual talk—ask anything. Oh, I'll put up a poll on screen—click if you're interested."