Volume One, Chapter Six: The Exhibition

“Nice to meet you, I’m Yao Mu.”

Adhering to the principle of first impressions, Yao Mu was the first to stand and introduce herself.

She extended her hand in a standard handshake pose.

Nanxiao Gu understood immediately and gave her a light handshake in return.

“Hello, Nanxiao Gu.”

If they could ignore the four parents watching the spectacle, it truly felt as formal as a United Nations meeting at that moment.

Out of habit, Yao Mu’s first rule after adding someone as a friend was to scroll through their social media moments.

Nanxiao Gu’s moments, much like himself, were utterly dull.

She scanned through them all at a glance.

Apart from posts about national holidays and special days, there was nothing else… completely empty.

It wasn’t that promoting the country was bad, but…

Yao Mu seriously suspected he had added her using a work account.

When Nanxiao Gu had arrived, she had already guessed with near certainty the urgency behind his parents calling him back.

She just hadn’t expected the other party to be an ‘acquaintance.’

If Nanqing Gu found out about this, who knew what expression he would make.

The conversation with their parents returned to the main topic, and Yao Mu’s tense heart slightly eased.

Using the table as cover, she began typing.

[“Mian Xian’er”] I’ll make an excuse to step out soon, you come with me.

[“Nanxiao Gu”] .

“Sorry everyone, I need to… use the restroom. Nanxiao Gu, come with me!”

Nanxiao Gu looked up abruptly at her.

An Yan slightly parted her lips, and fruit slipped awkwardly off her fork onto the table.

Yao Mu knew her excuse was clumsy.

But there was no other way—special times required special treatment.

Under the puzzled gazes of the four parents, she stood and pulled Nanxiao Gu away from the table.

By the bedside, the two circled the courtyard several times, avoiding the parents’ line of sight, until they finally found a suitable place to talk.

“What exactly is going on today?”

Yao Mu stopped and turned to look at Nanxiao Gu, questioning him.

“I don’t know.”

Having been trying to comfort herself, Yao Mu nearly ignited on the spot upon hearing those words.

“Listen, don’t get any wild ideas about me!… Why are you smiling?”

Nanxiao Gu watched the girl in front of him, flustered and fuming.

Like an irritable cat.

Amusing.

“No.”

“Good. Today’s situation is exactly what we don’t want to see. Whatever they say, we just go along with it so it finishes sooner, okay?”

Yao Mu said it all in one breath, giving him no chance to respond, and strode past him into the room.

Nanxiao Gu raised an eyebrow behind her.

---

Once seated again, Yao Mu picked up a nearby cup and sipped her juice.

Nanxiao Gu chuckled softly, covering his mouth with a fist.

The juice cup had a pair of big, sparkling eyes printed on it that darted around amusingly, adding a touch of endearing silliness.

Nanxiao Gu swallowed his saliva; he was a bit thirsty too.

He picked up a water cup beside him.

“Well, if you ask me, it’s better to have a daughter. Someone as pretty and lovely as Yao Yao would be adorable.”

Yao Mu noticed that Mengfei Li was holding An Ye’s phone.

Connecting the dots from that sentence…

Her own mother wouldn’t be spreading embarrassing childhood photos of her, would she?

“Come on, Yao Yao was like a mischievous monkey when she was little, nothing like Nanxiao’s well-behaved nature. But with their looks, their kids will definitely be cute.”

“Pfft! Cough, cough, cough!”

An Ye frowned and handed Yao Mu a tissue.

Yao Mu had known her eyelid had been twitching since she left this morning—turns out it was waiting for this moment.

She took the tissue with one hand to cover her mouth, while the other reached out to stop the conversation.

At the very moment she made the blocking gesture, the other person moved too, and their hands instinctively overlapped in front of the parents.

The air fell silent.

“Look, look, the two kids are so in sync!”

Yao Mu recoiled as if electrocuted, desperately wishing she could chop off that irresponsible hand right then.

If only she had a knife.

Nanxiao Gu watched the flustered girl suddenly quiet down, still feeling the smooth softness in his palm.

His fingers rubbed together unconsciously.

Yao Mu used the table as a shield, trying to kill Nanxiao Gu with her gaze.

Nanxiao Gu caught the message perfectly and smiled lightly at her.

Yao Mu’s fist clenched beneath the table.

For the rest of the time, Yao Mu and Nanxiao Gu tacitly remained silent.

They immediately agreed to whatever their parents asked, sounding better than anyone singing.

They looked genuinely pleased with each other.

As to whether these plans would actually be carried out after today…

Ha.

…

During the upcoming winter break, Yao Mu refused to go out with her parents, no matter what.

She even skipped the dinner at Ruì Wang’s house—something she had never done before.

[Emoji] Yao Yao, what’s going on this year? We promised to keep each other company every year! Do you know how much I endured alone today?!!!

The dinner party was still underway, but the messages arrived as expected.

Yao Mu sighed; she didn’t want this either.

[Mian Xian’er] Transferred 5200 yuan.

[Mian Xian’er] I don’t want to either; this year really has special circumstances.

[Emoji] Received transfer of 5200 yuan.

---

[Emoji] What’s going on? Tell me everything.

Yao Mu didn’t want to recall that awkward scene from that day, but the other party was her childhood best friend.

After pondering, she disclosed everything she could.

[Emoji] So, you met that officer again?

[Emoji] It’s strange—your uncle and aunt dote on you so much; why would they want you to marry someone arranged?

[Emoji] I didn’t hear anything about problems at your home during dinner.

[Emoji] No way, I’ll try to find out more for you.

Probably because Yao Mu’s strange ordeal was so full of gossip-worthy points, Ruì Wang sent a flood of messages without waiting for a reply.

After that, no one could reach her.

Yao Mu was helpless but unconcerned; it was just a formality.

Maybe the atmosphere that day just ended like that?

Her fingers unconsciously swiped across the WeChat interface.

After a long time, she saw the quiet chat window again.

Since that day ended, they had no further contact.

Late at night, Yao Mu had long fallen asleep when her phone lit up beside her.

[Emoji] Yao Yao, I tried asking around. Your family’s doing pretty well this year. About your matchmaking…

Yao Mu only saw Ruì Wang’s message around noon the next day.

She pressed her lips together.

[Mian Xian’er] Got it.

…

As winter break drew to a close, Yao Mu began looking for an apartment near school.

Recalling the painful experience last semester, she decided to act preemptively this time.

She didn’t want to wake up at six every morning for that miserable class.

Yao Mu didn’t care about the price, only the location and the décor.

She quickly found a suitable place.

The agent was efficient; Yao Mu could move in the same day.

She had planned to live with Ruì Wang, but that girl, with a boyfriend and no sense, insisted on living with him instead.

Well, good for you all with your significant others~

…

The day before becoming a corporate drone, Yao Mu was woken from her sleep by noises outside her door.

Her beautifully furrowed brows knit together as she pulled the blanket over her head.

Wasn’t the agent supposed to say that the other unit on this floor was unoccupied?

But it had only been a few days…

Oh well.

She prayed they could get along peacefully from now on.