Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 572: Settling Aunt Pan

Zhou Yuwen left his phone number with Xu Qing. Naturally, Xu Qing was extremely grateful. She specifically escorted Zhou Yuwen and Pan Min downstairs, even helping Pan Min carry a lot of her luggage.Pan Min had originally noticed that Xu Qing wanted to speak with Zhou Yuwen, so she figured she would do her a quick favor. She hadn't expected Xu Qing to react so strongly.

This left Pan Min feeling a bit overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. As they got into the car, she couldn't help but ask Zhou Yuwen if she had done something wrong.

Pan Min carefully pondered the situation afterward. She felt that since Xu Qing ran an educational institution and Zhou Yuwen was only nineteen, he wouldn't have any children around him needing an education. Thus, Xu Qing building connections with Zhou Yuwen amounted to an invalid network. Yet, Xu Qing was so incredibly passionate. If Pan Min failed to provide any feedback or return the favor later, would Xu Qing harbor any resentment?

Pan Min voiced all her inner thoughts to Zhou Yuwen.

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen simply smiled. "Aunt Pan, you're overthinking it."

"This friend of yours is a businesswoman; she knows how to do business. The city of Jinling might seem big, but it's actually quite small. Who knows when connections will come in handy in the future?"

Zhou Yuwen discussed the matter with Pan Min while keeping his eyes on the road.

He asked Pan Min how good her relationship with this friend was.

Pan Min thought for a moment before replying, "I suppose we get along well enough?"

Zhou Yuwen said that if that was the case, he would just contact some people another day and introduce a few business deals to her.

Seeing how lightly Zhou Yuwen spoke of it, Pan Min showed some hesitation. "Would that be too much trouble?"

"Not at all. I'll just treat it as a company benefit."

Zhou Yuwen's company was primarily made up of young people, but that didn't mean there were no middle-aged employees. Plenty of families had eight or nine-year-old children. Simply buying a few courses from Xu Qing and distributing them as company benefits was no big deal at all.

Seeing Zhou Yuwen handle the matter so effortlessly, Pan Min, sitting in the front passenger seat, couldn't help but fall deep into thought. Back in their hometown, Zhou Yuwen had already displayed a maturity far beyond his peers, but living in a small county town hadn't made the feeling as intense as it was here. After just a brief interaction, she could sense that Zhou Yuwen's level was truly far above that of ordinary people. Perhaps here, she really wouldn't be able to flee from being taken care of by Zhou Yuwen.

Zhou Yuwen had many properties in Jinling, but most of them were managed and rented out by Tao Tian and Zheng Yanyan. There were no vacant rooms in those few apartments in Zhonghai Garden, and the big flat was currently occupied by Zheng Yanyan and the others.

Therefore, the only vacant place right now was the villa he had bought earlier in Blue Bay. Furthermore, Blue Bay had a vibrant residential atmosphere. After a brief moment of consideration, Zhou Yuwen decided to settle Pan Min in Blue Bay.

Zhou Yuwen mentioned that Pan Min had arrived so suddenly he hadn't had a chance to tidy up properly.

"The room might be a bit messy, Aunt Pan. Please don't mind it," Zhou Yuwen said before they even reached Blue Bay.

Pan Min could actually guess as much. She noted that young people like them generally didn't like doing chores anyway.

"I'm mentally prepared for that."

Zhou Yuwen chuckled at her words, saying that was for the best.

After giving her that fair warning, their communication became much more relaxed. Pan Min figured it was normal for a child's room to be a bit messy, and since she was here, she would definitely help tidy it up. However, as she watched Zhou Yuwen drive into what looked like a highly upscale residential area, she was immediately greeted by the sight of two- and three-story houses hidden amidst the scenic landscaping. This couldn't help but raise a question in Pan Min's mind: why were there only small houses here?

Were there no high-rise buildings?

"Do you live in a villa?" Pan Min only just realized. Of course, since Zhou Yuwen was so rich, he would definitely be living in a villa.

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen let out an awkward smile and confirmed it.

"So not only is it very messy... it's also quite large. Because I rarely stay here, I haven't called anyone over to clean it. Rest assured, Aunt Pan, I'll have someone clean it up tomorrow," Zhou Yuwen promised.

"..." Pan Min fell slightly silent at that moment.

The car made several turns before finally stopping in front of a detached house. After parking, the two entered the house.

When Zhou Yuwen said the room was messy, he truly meant it. After all, this was the place where he had romantic rendezvous with several women. Various clothes were casually tossed on the sofa, and most glaringly, there were stockings, underwear, high heels, and the like scattered about.

However, this messiness was also relative.

In his eyes, it was a disaster, but the room was incredibly spacious. Coupled with the high-end luxury furniture, to an ordinary person, it honestly didn't look that bad.

The first second the lights flicked on, the very first thing to greet their eyes was several pairs of black stockings and white lace underwear draped over the genuine leather sofa.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Yuwen didn't even think twice. He rushed over, snatched up the most conspicuous items, and found a storage box from who knows where. He quickly swept up all the visible small clothes into it, stating as he worked, "It's been too long since I tidied up. It really is a bit messy."

Although Zhou Yuwen moved fast, Pan Min still caught a glimpse of a couple of items.

Those rather distinctive pieces of underwear made Pan Min sigh inwardly. She hadn't realized her daughter knew how to play the game so well.

However, these were affairs of the youth, so Pan Min didn't comment. She simply glanced around, taking in the grand living room with its double-height ceiling, and couldn't help but marvel, "This doesn't look all that messy. I've never lived in such a large house before. Did Su Qing live here with you previously?"

"Um, yeah. She stayed here for a period of time," Zhou Yuwen replied.

Pan Min nodded, saying it was wonderful.

"No wonder she didn't want to come home."

Late at night, with just a man and a woman alone, whenever the topic became a bit dry and dull, the atmosphere naturally grew exceptionally quiet and awkward. The two chatted back and forth for a little while like this.

Taking the initiative, Pan Min asked Zhou Yuwen, "Which room am I staying in?"

Zhou Yuwen responded, "Oh, I'll take you there right now."

And so, Zhou Yuwen settled Pan Min into a room on the second floor. The front rooms of this villa had already been claimed by Zheng Yanyan and the others. However, there was a room toward the back with an en-suite bathroom that hadn't been assigned yet. The natural lighting was excellent, and it even featured a private terrace—perfect for a quiet woman like Pan Min.

Zhou Yuwen just took her inside for a quick look, and Pan Min immediately fell in love with it.

Zhou Yuwen had originally wanted to give Pan Min a further tour of the room, but helplessly, his phone was ringing non-stop. Glancing down, he saw it was Zheng Yanyan calling and initially thought about rejecting it.

Who would have thought that Zheng Yanyan would tirelessly keep calling back?

It interrupted Zhou Yuwen so much that he barely managed to speak a few sentences.

Fortunately, Pan Min was understanding and told him to go answer his phone call first.

"It might be something urgent regarding work. Besides, it's getting late, and I truly am tired." Pan Min was very grateful for everything Zhou Yuwen had done for her, but it was already quite late, and she didn't want to keep disturbing him.

Zhou Yuwen agreed, "Alright then."

"Aunt Pan, rest well here. If you need anything, just come find me. I'll be in the room next door," Zhou Yuwen said.

"Mm." Pan Min nodded.

Being alone together late at night, even if the other party was essentially her future son-in-law, still made her feel a little uneasy.

Only after stepping out of Pan Min's room did Zhou Yuwen finally get connected to Zheng Yanyan's phone call. He asked her what was going on to make her call so frantically.

Zheng Yanyan sounded quite impatient on the other end. "Big bro, are you still coming over or what?"

"Linlin and I have already changed our clothes. We're just waiting for you!"

Zheng Yanyan was genuinely frustrated. They had clearly agreed to spend some three-person quality time today, so why wasn't he showing up?

It was only then that Zhou Yuwen remembered, and he quickly informed Zheng Yanyan that he couldn't make it today.

"Huh? Why not?" Zheng Yanyan immediately grew unhappy upon hearing this.

Zhou Yuwen explained the situation about Su Qing's mother arriving in Jinling.

The main issue was that Pan Min wasn't aware that while Zhou Yuwen appeared to be Su Qing's boyfriend, he was actually a massive playboy. No normal parent would ever be able to accept that.

Furthermore, Pan Min had been Zhou Yuwen's mother-in-law in his past life. She had treated him so well before, and he couldn't bear to hurt her. So, he explained that he needed to get Aunt Pan settled in tonight.

"Let's do tomorrow. I'll talk to you guys tomorrow."

"I'm speechless. You're ditching your two beautiful wives to live with your mother-in-law? Aren't you afraid something will go wrong?" Zheng Yanyan's words were, as always, utterly unfiltered. Zhou Yuwen snapped back, "Shut up. If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all."

Zheng Yanyan wanted to say more, but Lu Lin pulled her back.

Helplessly, she had to drop the matter.

And just like that, Zhou Yuwen enjoyed a rare, peaceful night.

When he woke up early the next morning, Zhou Yuwen didn't want to disturb Pan Min. He planned to quickly wash up and head straight to the company for work. However, when he went downstairs, he discovered Pan Min already up, wearing a comfortable gray cardigan with her hair pinned up. She had already prepared breakfast. The moment Zhou Yuwen reached the bottom of the stairs, Pan Min asked, "Heading to work? Have some breakfast before you go."

Seeing the fully prepared breakfast, Zhou Yuwen naturally couldn't refuse. Still feeling a bit overwhelmed, he said, "Aunt Pan, why did you wake up so early? You were already exhausted from last night; you should have gotten a good rest."

As Pan Min scooped some porridge into a bowl for Zhou Yuwen, she replied, "I guess I'm getting older. I sleep lightly."

"I figured I had nothing else to do anyway, so I helped you tidy up a bit."

"I just don't know if this suits your appetite."

"This is incredibly lavish. I've never even had a breakfast this rich."

Zhou Yuwen was naturally being flattering, but hearing it still brought a smile to Pan Min's heart. After all, who didn't enjoy being praised? She said she hadn't actually done much, just taking a look at what was in the kitchen and whipping up something simple.

"This is far from simple."

Zhou Yuwen ate the vegetable porridge Pan Min had made, praising it endlessly while also urging her not to just busy herself with serving, but to eat some herself.

Zhou Yuwen mentioned that he needed to head to work soon. "Aunt Pan, since you've just resigned, you should use this time to wander around and familiarize yourself with the local customs of Jinling."

"This is my supplementary bank card. Aunt Pan, if you come across anything you like, just swipe this card," Zhou Yuwen said, placing a black bank card on the table.

"There's no need. I have money," Pan Min declined.

"It's fine, Aunt Pan," Zhou Yuwen insisted.

"Use my card. There are discounts when buying things at the supermarket with this card."

Saying that, Zhou Yuwen firmly pressed the card into Pan Min's hand.

Pan Min had intended to refuse, but upon hearing about discounts, she couldn't help but feel curious.

Zhou Yuwen explained that it was a specially applied-for bank card that offered discounts for local use in Jinling, sometimes up to thirty percent off.

Hearing this, Pan Min was bewildered. "The discount is that big?"

"Of course," Zhou Yuwen affirmed. "Jinling isn't like a small town. It has an agglomeration effect. Basically, because so many people use it, the cost of living naturally decreases. So, it's just more convenient for you to use my card."

Pan Min was half-skeptical, but she also felt Zhou Yuwen's explanation made some sense. She stopped refusing him and merely said, "In that case, I'll keep track of what I spend and transfer the money back to you."

Zhou Yuwen smiled and agreed. "Alright."

"We can talk about it when the time comes."

After wrapping up that topic, Pan Min brought up the matter of finding a job. Xu Qing had previously told her about going to her training center to become a teacher.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuwen laughed. "Aunt Pan, you resigned specifically because you didn't want to be a teacher anymore. You finally managed to quit, so how could you go back to being a teacher?"

"Listen to me. Put the job hunt on hold for now and just enjoy yourself for a couple of days."

Just as he was speaking, Zhou Yuwen's phone rang again.

It was a call from Tao Tian.

Well, today was indeed a bit busy. After all, since Qu Jing and Chen Wan had both left, he had to handle the company's planning department himself.

Zhou Yuwen quickly wolfed down a couple more bites of food and urged Pan Min to just have fun for a few days, explaining that things were just too busy on his end.

"Aunt Pan, I need to get to work now. Just give me a call if you need anything." After saying this, Zhou Yuwen prepared to leave.

Seeing Zhou Yuwen leaving in such a hurry, Pan Min couldn't help but ask, "Are you coming back for lunch?"

"Lunch?"

Zhou Yuwen hadn't expected Pan Min to ask this, so he replied, "Aunt Pan, I won't be back for lunch, and you don't need to wait for me for dinner either."

Only after saying that did Zhou Yuwen hurriedly depart the enormous villa.

In an instant, the place fell entirely quiet.

Pan Min gazed thoughtfully at the spot where Zhou Yuwen had just hurried away.

The news of Pan Min's arrival in Jinling had already spread in just a single day. Not only did Zheng Yanyan and the others know, but even Tao Tian had found out.

Zhou Yuwen had barely arrived at the company before Tao Tian teasingly asked, "I heard you spent the whole night living with Su Qing's mother yesterday?"

Hearing this left Zhou Yuwen utterly speechless. "Watch your phrasing. That's my mother-in-law."

Tao Tian found his response even more amusing. She pointed out, "You and Su Qing haven't even gotten married. Where did you get a mother-in-law from?"

Zhou Yuwen told Tao Tian not to let her imagination run wild, stating that even if her mother came to Jinling, he would host her the exact same way.

Hearing Zhou Yuwen say this, Tao Tian reined in her joking. Thinking about it, Zhou Yuwen truly was quite thoughtful.

Zhou Yuwen asked if everyone from the planning department had arrived.

Tao Tian nodded. "Yanyan and Lu Lin are both waiting in the conference room."

"Alright, let's head over right now."

Zhou Yuwen said, leading Tao Tian over. Just as he was about to enter the door, he suddenly thought of something. He pulled up Xu Qing's phone number from the previous night and dialed it.

Zhou Yuwen stated that he wanted to buy a semester's worth of classes for fifty people from Xu Qing, but he also mentioned that his mother-in-law had just arrived in Jinling and didn't have many friends around her.

Xu Qing's task now was to keep Pan Min good company.

Only after finishing this phone call did Zhou Yuwen finally enter the conference room with Tao Tian.

Having overheard the call, Tao Tian offered a completely genuine compliment. She remarked that Zhou Yuwen was so deeply devoted to his mother-in-law, making him an unprecedentedly excellent son-in-law.

"Just spare me the teasing,"