Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 503: Aunt Pan, Come to Jinling With Me!

In his previous life, Zhou Yuwen hadn't met his mother-in-law until after graduating from university. In other words, this lifetime was three years ahead of schedule, and Pan Min hadn't even reached her forties yet.Meanwhile, Zhou Yuwen's actual mental age was also in his thirties. Adding and subtracting it all, it felt like there wasn't much of an age gap between them. Therefore, being alone together in the same room as a single man and a single woman, Zhou Yuwen genuinely felt a bit awkward.

Suddenly recalling something, he said, "Oh right, Aunt Pan, let's open the gifts first, shall we? Inside, aside from some clothes and scented sachets Su Qing bought for you, there are also some health supplements I brought back for you from abroad. Look, like this snow ginseng and whatnot—it nourishes the body and enhances beauty. It's especially good for women."

Zhou Yuwen opened the packages to show Pan Min as he spoke. Pan Min remarked that she was already an old woman of forty, so what use was eating these things?

Zhou Yuwen replied, "How could you say that? Aunt Pan, with your looks, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say your beauty outshines the moon and puts flowers to shame. I often say that Su Qing is so pretty because she inherited your genes, and she didn't even inherit all of them."

Hearing this, Pan Min managed to hold back at first, but eventually, she couldn't help but laugh out loud. Looking at Zhou Yuwen's earnest expression, she said, "I finally understand how you managed to win Little Qing over. You really have a sweet mouth."

Zhou Yuwen immediately pouted and countered, "Aunt Pan, how do you know I was the one who pursued Su Qing? Maybe she pursued me. I'd only ever say these things to you. Besides, if you weren't beautiful, why would all those men line up one after another to pursue you?"

It would have been better if Zhou Yuwen hadn't brought it up. The moment he spoke those words, Pan Min's slightly improved mood immediately soured again.

For other women, having suitors might be a good thing, but for Pan Min, it was a genuine nuisance.

Pan Min was a proud woman with high standards, and her own qualifications were quite good. If she hadn't been tied down by her daughter at the time, she probably would have moved to a big city long ago. Finding another talented and capable husband wouldn't have been impossible for her.

However, having a daughter meant she absolutely needed a stable job, so she became a teacher at a school, remaining in that position for many years. It wasn't that the small county town lacked excellent men, but those men certainly already had their own suitable women. As for the men left over, they were merely looking to fulfill their physiological needs.

Those left over were either middle-aged men with decent conditions but hollowed out by wine and women, who paid no attention to their image, or men who were financially strapped and smelled bad.

Regardless of which type they were, neither met Pan Min's criteria for choosing a spouse.

Yet, ironically, they were all incredibly active, each more active than the last.

Especially after Zhou Yuwen bought Pan Min a car, her image became even more prominent.

Zhou Yuwen noticed Pan Min frowning in distress and curiously asked if she had encountered any difficulties.

Pan Min felt that even if she explained these things to a child, Zhou Yuwen wouldn't necessarily understand. She shook her head and said it was nothing.

But Zhou Yuwen was highly intelligent; he quickly grasped her meaning.

However, it was true that it wasn't convenient for him to say much about this kind of matter, so he could only change the topic and suggest, "Let's look at the gifts?"

Pan Min murmured her agreement.

Living alone as one person was lonely. This was especially true for someone like Pan Min, who, despite her loneliness, understood the importance of boundaries and rarely interacted with strangers. This made her life even more solitary.

It was only with someone like Zhou Yuwen, her daughter's boyfriend, that Pan Min would lower her guard and open her heart to talk freely.

And Zhou Yuwen certainly had a knack for coaxing women. With just a few words, he managed to coax Pan Min until she repeatedly rolled her eyes, playfully scolding him for being a smooth talker.

Zhou Yuwen just smiled along with her.

In the evening, Pan Min invited Zhou Yuwen to stay for dinner. Knowing that his mother-in-law lived a rather solitary life alone, Zhou Yuwen figured he might as well keep her company while he could.

In his previous life, when he was married to Su Qing, he had done his fair share of work in the kitchen. So, when it came to cooking, he could easily help out or even take the lead and stir-fry a few dishes himself.

The two of them, wearing aprons, stood in a small kitchen barely a few square meters in size. They prepped vegetables and cooked while casually chatting.

This suddenly brought a bit of worldly atmosphere to the otherwise cold and quiet small room.

Pan Min hadn't experienced this kind of life in a very long time.

As she helped Zhou Yuwen prep the vegetables, she asked him when he had learned to cook.

Zhou Yuwen explained that his family had been busy when he was young, so he always cooked his own meals.

Pan Min let out an "oh" of realization and asked curiously, "Did your mother never cook?"

"When did she ever have the time to look after me?"

Truth be told, Zhou Yuwen's culinary skills were actually an improved version of Pan Min's own. After all, he used to cook for Su Qing, and in his previous life, he had undoubtedly learned a lot from Pan Min. Thus, their cooking styles shared many similarities. Zhou Yuwen didn't notice anything amiss, but Pan Min grew increasingly satisfied with him, feeling that their tastes aligned perfectly.

When Zhou Yuwen and her daughter got married in the future, her daughter would definitely love the food he cooked.

"Is she doing well studying abroad?"

"She's doing great. She's even made some new friends."

"Mhm, that's good."

The two of them simply stir-fried a few dishes, then carried them to the table together.

Pan Min smiled and said it had been a long time since she had eaten a home-cooked meal.

Zhou Yuwen replied, "If you like it, Aunt Pan, I'll come back home to keep you company more often in the future."

Pan Min asked, "Wouldn't that be a bit too much trouble for you?"

"How could it be? It's only right," Zhou Yuwen laughed, shaking the half-empty bottle of foreign liquor. "Would you like a drink?"

When it came to drinking, Pan Min felt genuinely a little embarrassed.

A woman nearly forty years old, drinking all by herself at home.

Zhou Yuwen assured her it was perfectly normal. Who didn't have their little hobbies?

"How about I join you for a drink today, Aunt Pan?"

Zhou Yuwen poured the foreign liquor into two hexagonal glasses, handing one to Pan Min and motioning for a toast.

Pan Min looked incredibly beautiful when she smiled.

Especially under the soft lighting in her home.

The two drank together and chatted about some things regarding Pan Min.

Later, perhaps because she had drunk a bit too much, Pan Min shared more about herself. She mentioned that she wasn't happy right now. Working the same nine-to-five job day in and day out for ten years... in the past, it had all been for Su Qing.

Now, she didn't even know what she was doing it for. It had simply become a habit.

Sometimes, she also thought about changing her lifestyle.

But on second thought, she realized she was nearly forty and shouldn't be so impulsive.

Zhou Yuwen saw the confused look in Pan Min's eyes.

Recalling what Su Qing had told him in their previous life, Zhou Yuwen couldn't help but ask, "Have you ever thought about moving to Jinling to live?"

Pan Min paused, looking at Zhou Yuwen in confusion. Zhou Yuwen remembered that the reason Su Qing had worked so hard in their previous life was that she hoped to bring her mother to Jinling to live. Unfortunately, in the future, the work pressure on young people was far too immense. No matter how hard they worked, their salaries wouldn't even be enough to buy a house, let alone support their parents moving in.

Zhou Yuwen felt that since he had the means now, why not let his mother-in-law give it a try?

However, Pan Min only froze for a second before smiling and shaking her head.

She said it was meaningless.

"Little Qing has already gone to study abroad. I don't have any connections in Jinling either. What's the point of me going there? It would just be a strange, unfamiliar place," Pan Min said, disappointment showing in her eyes.

Looking at the woman under the dim light, whose eyes were filled with a sense of loss, Zhou Yuwen couldn't hold back. "You still have me."

"?"

Pan Min was puzzled, but then she heard Zhou Yuwen say very seriously, "Aunt Pan, I'm serious about Su Qing. We will definitely get married in the future. So, to me, you are my family, my elder."

"If you don't like your job here, then come to Jinling with me. If you want to work, I'll find a job for you. Of course, you don't have to work if you don't want to. With my abilities, I can fully afford to provide for you."

Zhou Yuwen's outpouring of genuine emotion made Pan Min feel somewhat flattered, but she quickly smiled. She said, "Having you pay for Little Qing's studying abroad expenses already makes me feel like I owe you a lot."

"If I let you provide for me on top of that..."

"Then wouldn't the two of us, mother and daughter, be unable to pay you back for the rest of our lives?"

Zhou Yuwen replied, "We're all one family. What's there to talk about owing or paying back?"

Pan Min thought for a moment but still declined. She stated that she was still young and perfectly capable of working.

Besides, she had been at her job for over a decade.

She didn't mind working for another ten-odd years.

Once she retired, it wouldn't be too late to let him and Little Qing support her.

Pan Min felt that she had truly talked too much with Zhou Yuwen today.

It was strange, really. Zhou Yuwen was just a junior, yet she had unknowingly shared so much with him.

Perhaps she simply hadn't confided in anyone for far too long.

The two drank a few more glasses of wine. It was already quite late.

Zhou Yuwen left.

The room returned to its cold and quiet state.

She didn't know why, but just now, when Zhou Yuwen mentioned taking her to Jinling, she actually felt her heart stir.

Now, looking at the crystal-clear wine glass, Pan Min felt that she was being a bit ridiculous.

Zhou Yuwen was driven home by Liu Shuo.

Back in his room, he started a video call with Su Qing. At the moment, Su Qing was studying at her desk. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she wore rimless glasses, giving her the aura of a sophisticated older sister.

Zhou Yuwen gave her a rough summary of his visit to see Pan Min today, including the part about Pan Min's suitors.

Su Qing felt it was perfectly normal upon hearing this.

She said that, in her memory, her mother had never lacked suitors.

"After all, my mom is so beautiful."

Zhou Yuwen replied, "It's true she doesn't lack them, but the quality is just a bit lacking."

Su Qing agreed with this point; the county town was only so big, after all.

"Hey, wife, I was thinking, why don't we bring Mom to Jinling to live?" Zhou Yuwen pitched his idea.

Su Qing hadn't actually considered this question.

Zhou Yuwen explained to Su Qing, saying he remembered she had this exact thought in her previous life.

"We didn't have much money on hand back then, right? Now that we have the means, and Mom doesn't want to stay in a small town, what if I bring her to Jinling? By then, even if she has suitors, the quality will be higher than here, and she won't be bothered by other annoying men."

"If you hadn't brought it up, I wouldn't have even considered that."

Su Qing pushed up her glasses. She truly hadn't thought about it before, but after Zhou Yuwen mentioned it, she felt it was genuinely feasible. However, what would her mother do in Jinling? She couldn't really just let Zhou Yuwen support her, right?

She knew Zhou Yuwen had the ability, but one had to remember that Pan Min was only in her thirties. She definitely wouldn't be content to just be supported indefinitely.

Zhou Yuwen suggested he could open an educational tutoring center for her.

Jinling had a severe shortage of high-quality teachers. For example, experienced private tutors were in high demand, easily fetching three to four hundred an hour, yet supply still couldn't meet the need.

"Mom has been a gold-medal teacher for over ten years, no matter how you look at it. I can set up a tutoring center for her, and she can hire a few familiar teachers to help."

"Now that you put it that way, it really does seem feasible." Su Qing agreed with Zhou Yuwen's idea.

The problem now was that if Zhou Yuwen brought it up, Pan Min might not agree.

After listening to the plan, Su Qing said without hesitation, "I'll go communicate with Mom."

"Mhm, that works."

And so, Su Qing immediately turned around and gave her mother a phone call, detailing her and Zhou Yuwen's idea. She noted that experienced teachers were indeed highly sought after in Jinling, and Zhou Yuwen was absolutely right.

"Mom, I think you could try resigning and giving it a shot. If it doesn't work out, it's fine. Zhou Yuwen and I will be your safety net," Su Qing said.

Pan Min found this amusing, however. She replied, "You and Yuwen haven't even gotten your marriage certificate yet. Why should he treat us mother and daughter so well?"

Su Qing wanted to say that her relationship with Zhou Yuwen was far from ordinary, but she didn't know how to explain exactly how it was extraordinary. Pan Min, on the other hand, simply said, "Yuwen treats us really well."

"You need to take care of yourself. Finish your studies and come back quickly. Right now, I don't have any grand desires. I just want you to get married and have a child as soon as possible. Then, my mission will be complete."

Hearing this, Su Qing also laughed. "You aren't even forty yet, and you already want to be a grandmother?"

Pan Min stretched lazily. "Is that not allowed?"