Chapter 361

Zhu Lin hung up the phone, puzzled: Why did Wei Ming's mother invite him to dinner?

Could it be… could it be that Xiao Wei told his parents?

Zhu Lin's face flushed, her heartbeat quickened; she plopped down on the sofa and spotted two sheets of paper beneath the coffee table.

The first sheet was from Xiao Xue to Xiao Wei: the Shanghai Film Studio had sent her a script—a historical drama set in the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties—with a great role, and she wanted to try it, so she was heading to Shanghai today and would return soon.

Zhu Lin smiled indulgently: "You're doing historical dramas too? Copycat."

The letter beneath read: "Xiao Wei, I met your dad, mom, grandmother, and auntie…"

"What?!" Zhu Lin tensed up—so you beat me to it, you little sneak!

After reading further, she learned it wasn't Gong Shu's initiative—Wei Ming's mother had called her to the Overseas Chinese Apartment to comfort the grandmother, and she'd even stayed overnight and had dinner there.

Still, seeing how harmoniously Gong Shu had interacted with Wei Ming's family, Zhu Lin felt a pang of envy.

She hadn't even visited her own parents since returning to Beijing—her first stop was here, to find Xiao Xue, hoping for a grand north-south reunion—and now this girl nearly stole her home.

The letter was written by Xiao Xue to Xiao Wei; she never expected Zhu Lin to suddenly return from the northeast and intercept such a major piece of intel.

Now she understood why Xu Auntie had called—she'd been calling Xiao Xue, not knowing this was actually Zhu Lin's place.

Doesn't matter—I'll pretend I didn't know anything before, and just show up for dinner with confidence; whatever Xiao Xue got, I'll get too.

But first, she needed to get ready—this was her first formal meeting with the family, and she had to make an impression; Zhu Lin dug out Gong Shu's makeup kit and applied her face mask.

Zhu Lin had figured it all out long ago, but Xu Shufen was just puzzled—why did Xiao Xue's voice sound a little off?

Normally, you couldn't detect Gong Shu's southern accent—her Mandarin was flawless and crisp, which was why she'd hosted several TV programs—but now it sounded oddly Beijing-accented?

Xu Shufen didn't think much of it, assuming the girl had been in Beijing too long and picked up the local lingo.

She started preparing dishes—fish, meat, and a greedy Black Cat Chief waiting for the scraps.

Now Xu Shufen knew how to enjoy life—there was a tape recorder in the kitchen playing the Hong Kong version of "Tomorrow Will Be Better," and she hummed along while cooking.

At around five in the afternoon, Zhu Lin arrived—early, hoping she could help out.

But after knocking for a long time without hearing Yin Xing's barks, she noticed the door was slightly ajar and pushed right in.

"Auntie!" Zhu Lin called out, carrying two large bags.

"Coming, coming!" Xu Shufen wiped her hands. "Why are you here so early? I haven't even…"

Her voice cut off mid-sentence.

She blinked—why did Gong Shu look so much like Zhu Lin today?

Zhu Lin stepped forward: "Auntie, you haven't finished cooking yet? Perfect—I can help. Oh, I brought some local specialties from the northeast—see if anything's useful."

From the northeast?

Xu Shufen confirmed it wasn't her eyes—there must've been a phone line mix-up!

"Xiao Lin, you didn't have to bring gifts," Xu Shufen quickly recovered from her shock—whether it was Gong Shu or Zhu Lin, both were her son's good friends.

Xu Shufen examined Zhu Lin's gifts with slight awkwardness—she simply didn't have Lao Wei's acting skills.

"Oh my, these are all great things—these mushrooms smell so fragrant," Xu Shufen asked, "You said you just came back from the northeast?"

"Yes, from Changchun—I was filming a movie at Changying Studio."

Xu Shufen immediately recalled her son's disappearance—he'd brought back plenty of northeast specialties when he returned; could it be…

"So you've finished filming?" Xu Shufen asked again.

"Not yet—so far we've only done studio shots; next we have outdoor scenes, and we're moving to Suzhou in a couple days."

Xu Shufen: "Oh my, Suzhou—that's far, right? Do you have to fly there?"

Zhu Lin: "I'll have to check—if there's an airport, I'll fly."

"Heaven on earth, Suzhou and Hangzhou—Suzhou's a big city, it must have an airport," Xu Shufen laughed, ushering Zhu Lin inside.

Now Xu Shufen had time to truly look at Zhu Lin—beautiful, truly beautiful, with a serene, peaceful beauty.

Zhu Lin was less than half a year older than Gong Shu, but looked more mature and poised—not aged, her skin was still incredibly smooth; though not as pale as Xiao Xue, she was still far beyond ordinary people, and standing beside her son, she clearly looked like an older sister.

Being scrutinized by the man she loved's mother, Zhu Lin felt a little shy.

So as soon as she sat down, she said: "Auntie, let me help you cook—what should we make?"

"Oh no, you just sit and rest—I'm almost done."

"No way—if Xiao Wei finds out, he'll say I'm lazy," Zhu Lin laughed, following behind her. "My cooking's average, but I'm obedient—you tell me what to do, I'll do it."

Xu Shufen's heart bloomed with joy—while other mothers worried about mother-in-law dynamics, here she had two such well-behaved, lovely girls—both beautiful movie stars—hard to find even with a lantern.

She didn't know which one to pick—oh dear, she was laughing with Xiao Lin—would Xiao Xue know?

Though her son was a scoundrel, Xu Shufen had zero "scoundrel mother-in-law" mentality—her inner turmoil was even greater than her son's.

As dusk fell, the sound of a motorcycle approached.

Zhu Lin instantly recognized Wei Ming's bike—she dropped what she was doing and rushed out.

Then she heard Wei Jiefang say: "Shufen, I saw a bicycle—is it Xiao…"

Luckily, Zhu Lin moved fast; seeing her, Lao Wei smoothly switched: "…Lin here?"

"Uncle Wei, it's you! I thought Xiao Wei was back."

Wei Jiefang unfastened Yin Xing's collar: "Haha, he bought a new one—I'm using this one for work."

"You still work?"

"Yes, I'm at the Beijing Zoo now," Lao Wei chatted naturally, as if he'd invited Zhu Lin all along.

"Oh, Xiao Lin, close the door—don't let Chief run off."

"Got it," Zhu Lin replied cheerfully.

As Zhu Lin closed the door, Li Chengru happened to ride by on his bicycle.

To avoid complications, Zhu Lin pretended not to see him and shut the door quickly—but Li Chengru had seen her.

Wait—was that my classmate from another father, Zhu Lin from the north?

But this is Teacher Wei Ming's house!

And wasn't the girl beside Teacher Wei originally Gong Shu from the south?!

What… what is going on here?

Meanwhile, Lao Wei had already rushed to Xu Shufen's side: "Shufen, what's going on? You can't tell north from south? We invited Gong Shu—why is Zhu Lin here?"

Xu Shufen began plating the food: "I don't understand either, so I stopped trying—whoever comes, we treat them well—isn't Zhu Lin fine?"

"Fine, very fine—this girl is open and easygoing; look, she's even playing with Yin Xing outside."

Xu Shufen glanced out and smiled: "They get along well."

Lao Wei nodded wisely: "That means she's clearly come here often before."

Xu Shufen paused: "That makes sense!"

Since it was cool outside and no mosquitoes or flies this season, Lao Wei turned on the courtyard lights, and the three ate at the stone table outdoors.

It felt nice—this was a novel experience for Zhu Lin, who'd grown up in a communal apartment; she began imagining how beautiful her own three-hall Sihe Academy would look once renovated.

But one thing at a time—Gong Shu's place still isn't finished.

Though Zhu Lin's arrival was unexpected, Lao Wei and his wife carried on as if rehearsed.

In short—it was an interrogation.

They'd seen Gong Shu and Zhu Lin more than once—in movie theaters even often—but they didn't know much about their families.

Zhu Lin had nothing to hide—she told them about her parents' jobs, hometown, and her married older sister.

Hearing this, the couple whispered—father a professor, mother and sister both doctors, native Beijingers—perfect, absolutely perfect!

They vaguely knew Gong Shu's family were all artists, with many siblings, living far away in Shanghai—on this front, Zhu Lin had the upper hand.

Zhu Lin's eyes crinkled with delight as she sipped her soup—she could tell her family background was scoring big with Uncle and Auntie.

Xiao Xue, I'm not letting you win this time.

The meal was joyful—joyful because Zhu Lin didn't ask how they'd gotten her number or why they'd invited her.

Zhu Lin also didn't mention she lived with Gong Shu.

So the couple remained puzzled—still unclear about the true nature of Wei Ming's relationship with these two.

"Xiao Lin, stay here tonight—it's late, and the streets aren't safe."

"Sure," Zhu Lin agreed immediately, without even pretending to refuse like Gong Shu would.

"Shufen, you stay with Xiao Lin—I'm going home to sleep," Lao Wei was mindful of appearances. "I'll pick you up tomorrow—we'll go see Yunyun."

Xu Shufen had already lain down in the side room—today had been a whirlwind, and she couldn't sleep.

Zhu Lin felt the same—she was thrilled, because her relationship with Xiao Wei had finally taken a huge step forward; even if it was simultaneous with Gong Shu's, it didn't matter—as long as she wasn't left behind.

Unable to sleep, Zhu Lin went to the study to find a book—she remembered there was a copy of Playboy here; a lonely night, a little excitement wouldn't hurt.

At the same time, the Frankfurt Book Fair reached its final day—Wei Ming's last promotional session ended successfully.

Vice Director Liu Gao excitedly shook Wei Ming's hand: "Xiao Wei, we broke records—this book fair was a huge success!"

Though trade deficit remained, the entire trip cost only about $300, 00—Wei Ming was instrumental: not only did his own works sell well, he helped major publishers sell multiple rights.

Outstanding achievement!

Wei Ming pointed to the books on the shelves: "I noticed some foreign publishers sell these exhibition books at low prices to save shipping—why don't we do the same?"

"Good idea," Liu Gao said. "Let embassy staff and overseas students take first pick—take as much as they want; whatever's left, we'll sell cheap."

Wei Ming added: "Then let's have a farewell dinner—my treat today."

Vice Director Liu stopped him: "Xiao Wei, this time let me decide—let the organization pay. You've treated us so many times—we haven't even spent all our meal budget."

Other comrades from home chimed in: "Yes, yes, let the organization cover it this time."

They were all too embarrassed to accept more meals.