Chapter 1837: Qingya Knows When to Retreat

It had to be this way; Zihan had already promised, so it wouldn't be right for him to object now.

When Shen Qingya arrived at Litian's home, she was indeed welcomed with warm enthusiasm by everyone!

Zirui was left standing to the side, with no sense of presence.

Everyone surrounded Qingya, entertaining only her.

Lu Feifei was already showing, and it was inconvenient for her to do chores with her big belly, so Su Qiangying volunteered to take on everything in the kitchen; this had been the case for the past few gatherings, and she was used to it.

She had assumed it would be the same this time, but Shen Qingya took the initiative to go to the kitchen to help.

"You don't need to; you're a guest, and it would be so embarrassing to have you work on your first visit. Wait until next time to help; for now, go out and chat with everyone," Su Qiangying said, having a very good first impression of Shen Qingya.

"It's fine, Sister-in-law, just let me help. There are too many people outside and I can't recognize them all at once. It's perfect if you introduce them to me while we work, so I don't make a fool of myself when I go out."

Shen Qingya was poised and very well-spoken; even though she was the one helping, she made it sound as if Su Qiangying were doing her a favor.

"Alright then, put these few items on the plates..."

Two people working together was simply faster than one!

Chatting while they worked, the two had a delightful conversation, and Su Qiangying's first impression of her was incredibly good.

The food was ready and fragrant, and everyone sat around the table, naturally arranging for Zirui and Qingya to sit together.

Qingya could chat with almost everyone.

Even the triplets, with their wild personalities, couldn't stop praising Shen Qingya, thinking she was great.

After this gathering, Shen Qingya's name reached the Sheng Family within two days, arriving at the ears of Shi Youxuan and her husband.

Shi Youxuan called Zirui and asked straight to the point: "I heard you recently met a girl named Shen Qingya. When are you going to bring her home for us to see?"

"It's not that we want to see her, it's your grandmother who wants to." Fearing her own influence wasn't enough, the mother simply brought up the grandmother.

Zirui was helpless, but he still told the truth: "She isn't my girlfriend; we just have a normal friendship. What are you all doing? Don't scare her off."

"Yes, we didn't say she was your girlfriend, but we just want to meet her. Don't be so nervous."

Zirui still refused: "It's not appropriate. Why would I bring a normal friend home for no reason? It makes people feel awkward."

The reason Shi Youxuan gave next made it impossible for him to refuse.

His mother said: "It's all Zihan's fault for having a loose tongue. He said Shen Qingya was your girlfriend, and your grandmother took it seriously. The old lady isn't in good health right now and shouldn't be agitated. How about this?"

"You invite Miss Qingya to pretend to be your girlfriend and come home once. Your grandmother's birthday is coming up; let the old lady be happy."

Zirui:...

If it were an ordinary person, they would think the mother was using moral blackmail!

But he didn't; he knew his mother wanted to turn a fake act into reality, and to make it real, one had to act first.

No, this precedent could not be set.

It wasn't that he wasn't filial enough, but that he knew clearly this was just an excuse.

"Mom, if we're talking about regrets, Big Brother isn't married yet, and Zihan doesn't have a girlfriend either. Will Sister Gu come for Grandmother's birthday? Does Zihan also have to invite a girl to pretend to be his girlfriend on that day?"

Shi Youxuan:...

"Never mind them; we are talking about you now. Don't change the subject."

"Fine, I won't change the subject. Let's talk about Qingya. If I invite Qingya to pretend to be my girlfriend this time, it's not impossible, but you must promise me that this is the only time and there won't be a next time. If Grandmother has other requests in the future, I won't be able to do it."

Shi Youxuan saw that her son was too cunning; he wouldn't take the bait.

She was very angry, so she hung up the phone. The brat actually didn't fall for it!

Did you think that was the end of it?

No, it had only just begun.

Once there was a first time, there would be a second. Soon, the second week's small gathering of the brothers arrived.

This time, without needing his consent, Shen Qingya had already been invited to attend.

Zirui didn't go.

He made an excuse about working overtime and being busy with work.

What he didn't expect was that while he didn't go, his mother did, and his mother had a very good impression of Shen Qingya!

She seemed to have a kind of magic about her that made everyone who got close to her like her.

Shen Qingya liked him; Sheng Zirui could feel it. He wasn't a fool; he couldn't be completely oblivious.

He began to deliberately avoid Shen Qingya. At noon, he would either order takeout or arrive late to the Cafeteria. Every time Qingya asked him out, he would use various excuses to decline.

Shen Qingya was a smart girl; being rejected a few times was enough for her to understand.

At the next gathering, Qingya declined everyone's good intentions.

"I'm sorry, Ying, I can't attend your gathering anymore. Next time I'll treat you to a meal, and we can meet up separately."

Meeting separately wasn't impossible, but Su Qiangying had to ask clearly why.

"Why? Did one of us offend you?"

"Of course not. You are all very kind; how could anyone offend me?"

"Even if you don't say it, I know. It's Zirui who offended you. His personality is just like that; he's always been cold. Don't mind it; it'll be better after more time..."

She liked Shen Qingya too much as a person.

She was smart, knew when to advance or retreat, and had high intelligence and even higher emotional intelligence. She never put on airs, and it was very comfortable to talk and get along with her. If she really ended up with Zirui in the future, it would be great; they would surely get along well as sisters-in-law.

Everyone else felt much the same; they all liked Shen Qingya and hoped she and Zirui would become a couple.

Everyone could see that Shen Qingya liked Zirui.

But Zirui treated her no differently than he treated others; it felt like friendship, not love!

Everyone thought they should just spend more time together; feelings can be cultivated slowly, after all. Where would there be so much love at first sight?

But Shen Qingya had rejected Su Qiangying's invitation. She wasn't just skipping this time; she wouldn't attend any more of their gatherings in the future.

"Ying, I know your good intentions, but I can't listen to you. Zirui doesn't like me. No matter what I do, he doesn't have that kind of affection for me."

"I also have my own little pride; I won't run after him. I can tell he has someone else in his heart... Of course, I'm very happy to have met everyone during this time, and I am still very willing to be friends with you all."

Su Qiangying did not manage to invite Shen Qingya, so Zirui attended this gathering instead.

As a result, unsurprisingly, the siblings' gathering turned into a criticism session targeting Sheng Zirui!

"Tell me, are you stupid? You don't like such a good girl, so what kind do you like? I'm telling you, once this village is passed, there won't be another shop like it; don't regret it later."

"Exactly, you usually seem so smart, why are you so dense when it comes to this kind of thing?" The one who said this was Zihan.

Zihan transformed into a love mentor, catching Zirui and lecturing him: "It's just that you've seen too few women; this won't do. You need to date more people to know where your heart truly lies..."

Madam Always Wants to Anger Me