Chapter 352: No Need for You to Be a High-Ranking Official!

Tang Ye and Du Xi returned to Shi Ren Yi Jia Shu Yuan; after finishing lunch, guests arrived one after another to pay visits.

In previous years during the Spring Festival, the Tang Family was always quiet and deserted, but ever since Tang Yu was promoted to Vice President of Operations, the threshold of their home had almost been trampled flat.

The visitors included not only hospital colleagues but also many patients' family members—they had pulled strings to find Tang Yu, and Tang Yu had always been responsive to every request, never accepting a single cent in red envelopes.

During holidays and festivals, these people would bring their own free-range eggs and freshly slaughtered chickens, ducks, and geese to express their gratitude, and the small courtyard was filled with the atmosphere of daily life.

At three in the afternoon, Tang Ye's mobile phone suddenly vibrated. Ding Xiang's name danced on the screen; he answered the call and heard her cheerful voice: "Brother! Quickly send me your address; I'm coming over right away to pay a New Year's visit!"

"Are you serious?" Tang Ye held the phone, his eyebrows raised high.

"Of course!" Ding Xiang's tone was very serious. "Who was it that said they would let me be their goddaughter? Don't tell me you want to go back on your word?"

Tang Ye laughed helplessly: "Alright, I'll send it to you now." After hanging up, he walked quickly to the kitchen and said to Qin Lan, who was picking vegetables: "Mom, a guest is coming to pay a New Year's visit later; could you prepare for it?"

The vegetables in Qin Lan's hands shook, and she looked up in confusion: "What important guest?"

"You'll know in a moment." Tang Ye blinked mysteriously.

An hour later, the doorbell rang with a "ding-dong."

Tang Ye opened the door to see Ding Xiang wrapped up tightly—sunglasses, a scarf, and a mask covered her so that only a pair of eyes remained, looking just like a "masked hero."

"Welcome, big star!" Tang Ye teased with a smile.

Ding Xiang pulled off her sunglasses and feigned anger: "How can you be so mean!"

She turned to look at Du Xi and greeted her gracefully: "Hello, sister-in-law."

Du Xi stared at Ding Xiang, stunned for a long while before she reacted: "So it's Ding Xiang!"

At this moment, Qin Lan walked out of the kitchen wiping her hands; her gaze fell on Ding Xiang, and she froze instantly, her lips trembling slightly: "Is... is this a dream?"

"Mom, let me introduce you." Tang Ye put his arm around his mother's shoulders. "This is Ding Xiang, a host from Hanzhou Television, the goddaughter I recognized for you before the New Year; she came specially today to pay you a New Year's visit."

Qin Lan stood rooted to the spot, her mind buzzing; it took a long time for her to come to her senses, and she chided him with a mix of surprise and joy: "You child, you didn't even say a word beforehand; you almost gave me a fright!"

She looked Ding Xiang up and down; the female star from the television had stepped off the screen, losing a bit of her ethereal, otherworldly aura, but appearing even more gentle and approachable, with a well-bred temperament in every gesture.

"Sit, sit!" Qin Lan pulled Ding Xiang to sit on the sofa, then turned and trotted to the kitchen to brew tea: "Try our new tea at home; the fruit is all washed too!"

Ding Xiang had originally been a bit nervous, but once she stepped into the Tang Family home, the overwhelming warmth instantly dispelled her unease.

Looking at Du Xi again, her smile was warm and natural, without the slightest sign of anything amiss, and the heart she had been holding in her throat finally settled.

Ding Xiang did not stay long; she set down the gifts she had brought and politely took her leave.

Watching her figure disappear around the corner of the stairwell, Qin Lan grabbed Tang Ye, slapped his shoulder heavily with her palm, and lowered her voice to warn him: "You better keep a clear head and don't do anything foolish that would let Du Xi down! It's true that I like Ding Xiang, but in my heart, no one compares to my daughter-in-law!"

Tang Ye rubbed his shoulder and gave a wry smile: "I just saw that you liked her and thought I'd give you a surprise. My relationship with her is completely innocent, otherwise, how could I bring her home?"

"Don't use me as an excuse!" Qin Lan glared at him. "Just because Du Xi has a good temper doesn't mean you can be without boundaries. Think more about her in everything!"

Tang Ye sighed dramatically: "They say the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship is hard to manage, so how come in our house, you two have become allies? And you only pick on me, the soft persimmon?"

"Who told you to be so easy to bully!" Qin Lan was amused into a laugh and turned to busy herself with housework.

Tang Ye pushed open the bedroom door to see Du Xi leaning against the headboard reading a book, the warm yellow light spilling onto her hair, casting a gentle outline.

"Just got lectured by Mom; she said I shouldn't have let Ding Xiang come over." He sat down by the edge of the bed, his tone carrying a bit of helplessness.

Du Xi closed the book, a knowing smile curling her lips: "She must have been afraid I'd overthink it? Should I go explain it to Mom?"

Tang Ye pulled her into his arms with a long arm, resting his chin on the top of her head: "No need. My conscience is clear, and I trust you and I trust myself. There are many days ahead, and there's no telling how many trials we'll have to face; as long as we trust and support each other, we can weather any storm."

Du Xi looked at him, her eyes filled with smiles: "Honestly, Ding Xiang is even prettier in person than on TV. But you chose me in the end—this partiality makes me feel more at ease than anything else."

She reached out to wrap her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his chest.

Tang Ye's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. "Should I go take a shower?"

Du Xi's cheeks instantly flushed crimson, her voice as thin as a mosquito's: "It shouldn't matter if you don't wash just this once! I've been suffering so much lately; I want to talk to you... but I'm afraid of distracting you. Why don't you stop taking the exam, okay? I don't need you to be a high-ranking official; as long as you can stay with me, I'll be satisfied."

Tang Ye froze for a moment, his arms tightening suddenly, pulling her firmly into his embrace.

Outside the door, Qin Lan had been standing on tiptoe, her ear pressed against the door panel.

Ever since Ding Xiang left, she had been worried that the young couple would have a falling out over this.

But the sounds coming from the room were not quite right—the faint, cat-like panting made her face turn red instantly.

She tiptoed downstairs.

Only when she reached the floor below did she let out a soft sigh of relief.

The young couple was so loving; perhaps there would be good news soon.

Thinking of how Xiao Qin had said before that she wanted to hold a grandson, Qin Lan disagreed.

In her view, as long as it was their own bloodline, boys and girls were both treasures of the heart.

Inside the room, Du Xi suddenly tensed her body: "Keep it down! Mom is still at home!"

"I heard the door close just now; she must have gone out on purpose."

"Ah?" Du Xi looked up abruptly, her eyes full of embarrassment. "This is too shameful!"

"Silly girl. If you don't feel awkward, then it's others who will be..."

"The floor seems to be shaking; is it an earthquake?"

"Is it? You're just too excited, to the point of having hallucinations!"

In the unit downstairs.

Li Guozheng's face was flushed red, his veins bulging as he gripped a clothes drying rack and thrust it forcefully toward the ceiling.

The wooden drying pole hit the floorboards, emitting a dull "thud-thud" sound, startling the wall dust into falling in flurries.

Zhang Ayi, standing to the side, grabbed his arm and pulled him back: "Old Li! Stop it! What does this look like!"

"It's too bullying!" Li Guozheng shook off her hand, and the drying rack smashed down again, shaking the living room chandelier: "In broad daylight... if I had known, I should have chosen that unit upstairs! I thought I'd save climbing one flight of stairs, but now it's better—every day I'm being stepped on by the Tang Family, living in total misery!"