Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 386: Su and Zheng's Second Round

He chatted briefly with Su Qing on a phone call and then hung up.Turning his head, he glanced at Zheng Yanyan, who was soaking her feet in hot water nearby. She blinked her large, expressive eyes at him.

The aloof and fearless older sister figure from the university had transformed into an obedient little puppy in this unfamiliar small town.

"Do you know what I was talking to her about?" Zhou Yuwen asked.

"What?" Zheng Yanyan blinked again.

Zhou Yuwen replied that it was nothing.

He had originally planned to take Zheng Yanyan out for a walk after she finished freshening up, but she looked genuinely exhausted. She did not want to go anywhere and was acting especially clingy, insisting that Zhou Yuwen hold her.

After all, she had come all this way just for him.

Zhou Yuwen pondered the situation. They were in his family home, and it was broad daylight. If something were to happen, it would be difficult to explain.

But he had no choice; Zheng Yanyan was insistent.

At first, after finishing her foot bath, Zheng Yanyan simply crawled under the covers and asked Zhou Yuwen to come over and cuddle her.

Zhou Yuwen figured that just cuddling should be fine.

However, once they were cuddling under the covers, things quickly escalated.

It started with just kissing, but soon, beneath the blankets, they began caressing and pressing against each other.

Zheng Yanyan was wearing a form-fitting round-neck sweater paired with tight pants, a combination that perfectly accentuated her tall and leggy figure. She lay nestled in the blankets as Zhou Yuwen kissed her for quite some time.

Zhou Yuwen slipped his hand under her shirt hem and never took it out.

Underneath the covers, Zhou Yuwen whispered to Zheng Yanyan, "You traveled hundreds of miles to come here just to do this?"

"Oh, stop it,"

Zheng Yanyan's whine was like a kitten's playful purr. Before long, her black sweater was tossed out from the corner of the blankets.

The two of them then completely vanished beneath the covers, the fabric shifting and moving continuously.

A while later, Zhou Yuwen emerged.

Zheng Yanyan poked her head out as well.

She had already been completely undressed by Zhou Yuwen, though one could still vaguely see a white underwear strap resting on her beautiful shoulder.

She asked Zhou Yuwen what he was doing.

Zhou Yuwen's neck was covered in hickeys.

This crazy girl had probably been holding back for far too long recently. In just a short amount of time, she had left a large purple bruise on his neck. Zhou Yuwen told her not to rush.

"I am going to lock the door."

Zhou Yuwen was genuinely terrified of dying of social embarrassment.

Hearing this, Zheng Yanyan pouted and gave Zhou Yuwen a meaningful look, urging, "Hurry up."

Zhou Yuwen went over to lock the door from the inside, then climbed back into the warm bed.

This time, Zheng Yanyan's underwear was also thrown out.

It was only two in the afternoon, which meant that for the rest of the day, Zhou Yuwen could not go anywhere. He could only stay in the room accompanying Zheng Yanyan as the two of them tossed and turned intensely.

Fortunately, no one was disturbing them. By the time he finally managed to satisfy Zheng Yanyan...

Zhou Yuwen emerged from the blankets, panting slightly. He remarked, "I can see it now, you came here to collect a debt."

Zheng Yanyan was delighted. Even though sweat still clung to her neck and her small face was flushed red, it was obvious she was genuinely happy. She poked her head out of the covers and threw herself directly into Zhou Yuwen's embrace. Beneath the sheets, her long leg draped over his in deep dependence, acting like a feather duster pressing tightly against the outside of his thigh.

She giggled, "You are so mean. How could I be here to collect a debt? I traveled hundreds of miles just to deliver myself to you."

Zhou Yuwen replied, "Please, I cannot afford to accept a delivery like this."

After resting in the room for a while, Zheng Yanyan mentioned she wanted to take a shower, complaining that she felt a bit sticky and smelly.

Zhou Yuwen teased, "Why didn't you mind it just a moment ago?"

"It didn't smell bad a moment ago."

In truth, this type of public housing where Zhou Yuwen lived did have shower facilities, but they were communal and incredibly inconvenient to use.

Zhou Yuwen suggested, "How about I take you to the shower in my room?"

"Okay!" Zheng Yanyan was naturally thrilled at the prospect of going to his room.

And so, the two of them quickly tidied up and carefully avoided being seen until they reached the second floor of the main house. They entered the shower cabin together, but men always bathed faster than girls, so Zhou Yuwen finished and stepped out first.

When the house was renovated, Zhou Yuwen's family had used high-quality materials, so the heating system was exceptionally good. About twenty minutes later, Zheng Yanyan happily walked out of the en-suite bathroom. Towel-drying her wet hair, she said blissfully, "Hubby, your house is so big! You even have a private shower in your room. I am so envious of you."

Zhou Yuwen laughed, "What is there to envy about this?"

"Even if I sold my entire house, I still would not be able to afford your courtyard house over there."

"You are so mean. It is not like I own a courtyard house," Zheng Yanyan retorted.

When she came out of the shower, she had changed into a loose white sweater and wore no pants. Her long legs were bare save for a pair of cotton socks featuring a white hollow pattern. The shape of her legs suited those socks perfectly.

Seeing Zhou Yuwen comfortably settled in the corner playing a video game, she walked over and sat directly on his lap, asking him what game he was playing.

Zhou Yuwen simply held her in his arms and continued to play.

What interesting things were there to do during the Lunar New Year? It was nothing more than idling at home and killing time.

The sudden appearance of such a stunning beauty in Zhou Yuwen's home—and one from Jingcheng, no less—was completely impossible to hide. In just a single afternoon, several of Zhou Yuwen's neighbors had begun to gossip enthusiastically about it.

They chattered about how capable Old Zhou's son was, wondering where he had managed to hook up with a girl from Jingcheng.

They whispered that she had chased after him, traveling all the way from Jingcheng right in the middle of the New Year holidays.

When Zhou Guobin returned home after getting off work, he could not help but frown upon hearing these rumors.

He was a man who cherished his reputation. His son was older now, and having a girlfriend was treated as a matter of course, but he could not date one girl in one place and another girl somewhere else.

Word would get out, and they would become a laughingstock.

Yang Lirong, on the other hand, did not think much of it. She pointed out to Zhou Guobin, "Our son isn't married yet, is he?"

"I saw her. That girl is exceptionally pretty and very fashionable. I suppose that is exactly what you would expect from Jingcheng. Your older sister found a foreign daughter-in-law and she has been insufferably smug about it. Now look at how amazing our son is—a girl from Jingcheng chased him all the way to our house!"

As Yang Lirong spoke, a trace of pride was evident on her face.

Zhou Guobin, however, kept his brow furrowed. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?"

"Someone else raised their daughter with painstaking care, and here she is running over to our house right during the New Year. Think about it. If she were your child, imagine how worried you would be."

"This brat, he has only been away from home for a short time, and look at how he has turned out!"

In the few days since Zhou Yuwen had returned, Zhou Guobin had not actually interacted much with his son, but he kept feeling that the boy had changed far too drastically. He needed to find an opportunity to lecture him.

Furthermore, how could a girl just stay in their home under such ambiguous circumstances?

Zhou Guobin told Yang Lirong to go speak to Zhou Yuwen; it would be better to arrange for her to stay at a hotel.

Seeing her husband acting so rigidly, Yang Lirong felt a bit displeased. She argued that the rooms in the house were sitting empty anyway, so why couldn't she stay?

"Besides, if the girl is willing to come here, it proves how capable our son is. Why are you trying to drive her away? The poor child went through so much trouble to get here. If something were to happen to her outside, could we bear the responsibility?"

"I am making the decision on this. The girl is staying at our house!"

Yang Lirong put on a stern face and spoke with absolute seriousness.

"You..."

Zhou Guobin had wanted to argue with her a bit more, but Yang Lirong cut him off. "Enough. If you don't know how to speak properly, then just keep quiet."

"I am going upstairs to call them down for dinner."

Watching his wife walk away, Zhou Guobin felt helpless and could only let out a heavy sigh.

Dinner time at the family house was seven o'clock.

Until then, Zheng Yanyan remained curled up in Zhou Yuwen's room, playing video games.

When Yang Lirong came upstairs to call them down to eat, Zheng Yanyan felt too shy and said she didn't want to go.

Zhou Yuwen teased, "What is the matter? Do you look down on our family's cooking?"

"You are awful, I didn't mean that at all!" Zheng Yanyan glared at him playfully, pouting as she added, "Can't you just bring the food up for me?"

Zhou Yuwen scoffed, "Look at you, acting so spoiled."

"Either go down and eat,"

"Or stay hungry."

"Ah! Hubby~!" Zheng Yanyan clung to Zhou Yuwen's arm, whining coyly.

She whispered to him, explaining that the main issue was that both his parents were down there, and she felt shy.

Zhou Yuwen retorted, "What is there to be shy about?"

"You are already here, yet you're acting shy now? Hurry up and go downstairs."

Zheng Yanyan inevitably had to meet his parents. Otherwise, what kind of situation would it be, secretly hiding a female in the house?

And so, trailing closely behind Zhou Yuwen and clutching the clothing corner of his shirt, Zheng Yanyan followed him downstairs, looking like a picture of cautious timidity.

As she descended, Zhou Yuwen's parents immediately noticed the girl hiding behind their son.

She truly had an excellent temperament and was stunningly beautiful.

Regardless of anything else, Yang Lirong was extremely satisfied.

Zhou Yuwen led her to the dining table and introduced his parents one by one.

Zheng Yanyan then greeted them politely, "Hello, Uncle. Hello, Auntie."

Zhou Guobin glanced at this obedient-looking girl but remained silent. He was busy pondering exactly what kind of relationship this young lady had with his son.

Yang Lirong, however, was exceptionally warm toward Zheng Yanyan. Not only did she respond cheerfully, but she also eagerly urged Zheng Yanyan to sit down and eat.

The current Zheng Yanyan was worlds apart from her usual self. Right now, she was incredibly well-behaved and obedient, even remembering to politely say thank you as she sat down.

Yang Lirong smiled and said, "Knowing you were coming, I specially made a few extra Xuhuai dishes. I just wonder if you will be used to the taste."

"I am, I am! When I was in Jinling, Zhou Yuwen would often take me out to eat Xuhuai cuisine. Mmm, Auntie, your cooking skills are amazing! I feel like you cook even better than my own mom!"

Zheng Yanyan took a few bites and praised her with genuine sincerity.

Hearing this, Yang Lirong could not help but laugh brightly. She replied, "You sweet child, you are so good with words."

"I just threw together a simple stir-fry. How could I possibly be better than your mother?"

"It is true!"

Zheng Yanyan spoke with absolute earnestness. She declared, "Auntie, with your culinary skills, you could easily open a restaurant!"

"My mom does not know how to cook at all. I feel like if she had even a tenth of your skill, I would die of happiness. I can hardly imagine how incredibly blessed Zhou Yuwen must be, getting to eat your cooking his entire life!"

Meanwhile, the only two men at the table silently shoveled rice into their mouths. Zhou Guobin shot his son a sidelong glance.

Zhou Yuwen coughed twice in embarrassment. 'Ahem, isn't she overacting a bit?'

Whether she was acting or not didn't matter.

Yang Lirong ate up every word. Not only did she laugh with sheer delight, but she also did not forget to tell Zhou Yuwen and Zhou Guobin to listen carefully—these two rascals acted reluctant to eat her food every single day.

"Listen to what she is saying! It is a massive blessing for the two of you to be able to eat the meals I cook!" Yang Lirong scolded playfully.

Zhou Yuwen chuckled lightly and placed more food into Zheng Yanyan's bowl, saying, "Since you love it so much, you should eat a lot more."

It was Zheng Yanyan's first time eating Zhou Yuwen's mother's cooking, and it truly was delicious. Combined with the fact that she was actually quite hungry, she was naturally overjoyed.

But Zhou Yuwen had piled entirely too much food into her bowl.

Observing his son's actions, Zhou Guobin chimed in, "Do not just focus on serving her. You should eat more yourself."

With that, he took the initiative to place some food into his son's bowl.

Zhou Yuwen hastily replied, "Okay, okay, Dad, I got it. I can do it myself."

"Dad, don't just focus on giving me food, have some yourself."

"Just worry about yourself."

The father and son pushed the food back and forth like this.

Yang Lirong, who had been coaxed into a wonderful mood by Zheng Yanyan, watched her husband and son bickering. She cleared her throat and stated flatly, "Eat if you want to eat. If you don't want to eat, then go wherever you please."

Zhou Guobin thought to himself, 'Forget it, I cannot be bothered to argue with her.'

'I had better just quietly finish my rice.'

He hastily swallowed the rest of his meal, then stood up and announced, "I am going to the study room."

Watching the family dynamics in Zhou Yuwen's household, Zheng Yanyan couldn't help but let out a soft giggle.

Zhou Yuwen asked her what she was laughing about.

Zheng Yanyan replied that she felt the atmosphere in his family was truly wonderful.

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen was rendered speechless. "You call this wonderful?"

After the meal was finished, Zheng Yanyan proactively offered to help clear the dishes and chopsticks.

Yang Lirong insisted it was fine and told her to just leave them there for her to handle later, but Zheng Yanyan was adamant about helping.

In the past, she genuinely did not know how to do these chores.

However, during the period when she and Zhou Yuwen had broken up for a while, Zheng Yanyan had genuinely put effort into studying how to do them. Therefore, putting on a decent show with the basics was no problem at all.

Zheng Yanyan wasn't like Su Qing, who was essentially playing on New Game Plus. Su Qing felt that she already had all these matters completely under control, which ironically led her to underestimate the situation. Zheng Yanyan, on the other hand, was different.

Zheng Yanyan was feeling her way across the river, acting with extreme caution in everything she did, which conversely earned her Yang Lirong's immense fondness.

Not long after dinner.

It was around eight o'clock in the evening.

The sound of Su Qing knocking on the door drifted in from outside, accompanied by her voice calling out Zhou Yuwen's name.

Well, she ultimately couldn't hold back. The enemy had literally arrived at the gates; if Su Qing could still endure that in silence, she would not be Su Qing.

Hearing her voice, Zheng Yanyan, who was helping out in the kitchen, visibly grew alert.

Zhou Yuwen thought to himself, 'What must come, will come.'

So he walked over and opened the door.

The second Su Qing saw Zhou Yuwen, she immediately asked, "How did it go?"

Zhou Yuwen didn't even bother wasting breath on small talk. He simply said, "Come inside and see for yourself."

Su Qing stepped into the house and immediately spotted Zheng Yanyan and Yang Lirong over there washing dishes together.

Zheng Yanyan's sweet mouth was practically dripping with honey as she cooed, "Auntie, your hands are as soft and tender as a baby's!"

Her words made Yang Lirong blush with embarrassment, and she giggled cheerfully, "I am already an old woman, you are just trying to coax me and make me happy."

"Not at all! Everything I'm saying is the absolute truth!" Zheng Yanyan insisted.

The two of them were laughing and chatting merrily, looking just like a pair of close sisters.

Seeing this scene unfold, Su Qing felt as if the sky were crashing down on her.

She thought in panic, 'It's over!'

Completely ignoring Zhou Yuwen, she hurriedly rushed over and offered, "Auntie, why don't you go rest over there? Let me handle this, alright?"

Yang Lirong already harbored a grudge against Su Qing. At this moment, hearing Su Qing's offer, she simply kept her head down and remained utterly silent, continuously focusing all her attention on washing the dishes.

Standing there washing dishes beside Yang Lirong, Zheng Yanyan couldn't have been more ecstatic upon witnessing this attitude. Ever since Zhou's mother had suddenly asked her that bizarre question about whether she was divorced or not, she had guessed that Yang Lirong strongly disliked Su Qing. Now, seeing it confirmed with her own eyes, she was absolutely thrilled!

Su Qing stood there, utterly dumbfounded.

She thought to herself indignantly, 'Wait, what is the meaning of this?'

'I am supposed to be your daughter-in-law!'

And so, Su Qing repeated her offer to Yang Lirong. Before she could even finish her sentence, she was sharply cut off by Yang Lirong, who stated, "There is no need. Little Zheng is helping me, and we are almost finished washing up."

Hearing this, Zheng Yanyan felt even more delighted.

Su Qing, on the other hand, felt a surge of despair upon hearing those words. Feeling wronged, she looked over at Zhou Yuwen, on the verge of tears.

Zhou Yuwen intervened, "Then just let Yan Yan help with the washing. You, come upstairs with me."

The previously overjoyed Zheng Yanyan instantly felt her beautiful mood sour upon hearing this command.

However, there wasn't much of a smile on Su Qing's face either. While she was naturally happy to be protected by Zhou Yuwen, watching Yang Lirong's behavior made Su Qing brutally aware of one thing: her mother-in-law apparently despised her.

How could she not panic over such a realization?

Thus, as she was pulled upstairs by Zhou Yuwen, Su Qing didn't even stop to think before blurting out her question.

"Zhou Yuwen, what exactly is going on here?"

Zhou Yuwen replied calmly, "Calm down a bit first. Isn't this perfectly normal?"

"How is this normal? Am I not your girlfriend?" By this point, Su Qing was entirely flustered, throwing her own plans into disarray.

Zheng Yanyan's arrival alone had been enough to throw Su Qing into a panic, but Yang Lirong's blatant rejection made her feel truly miserable. She demanded of Zhou Yuwen, "What on earth is wrong with your mother?"

"She seems to somewhat dislike me."

Zhou Yuwen was speechless. He retorted, "Did you really only just notice?"

"I...!"

Su Qing abruptly stood up. She couldn't understand it—what had she done wrong?

Why did her mother-in-law dislike her so much?

She had even brought gifts for her!

Zhou Yuwen sighed heavily and admitted, "Sigh, this whole mess... It is actually my fault."

"?"

Consequently, Zhou Yuwen recounted the incident regarding buying a car for Su Qing the other day. Buying the car certainly wasn't a mistake in itself, but the critical error occurred when Peng Xiaoyong tattled about the entire affair to Yang Lirong.

"That older cousin of yours?" Su Qing immediately knitted her brows in disdain.

Zhou Yuwen nodded his head.

Su Qing lightly ground her silver teeth together in immediate frustration. She seethed, "Why is your cousin so utterly annoying!"

Originally, earning Yang Lirong's affection was supposed to be a major victory that allowed Zheng Yanyan to pull ahead of Su Qing. However, now that Zhou Yuwen had unexpectedly taken Su Qing upstairs, Zheng Yanyan couldn't help but feel terribly absent-minded.

Fortunately, Yang Lirong was very considerate towards her and suggested warmly, "Alright now, why don't you head upstairs and hang out with them? It is enough for Auntie to finish up here alone."

"This..." Zheng Yanyan still felt somewhat sheepish. "Will that really be okay?"

"What could possibly not be okay about it? Hurry up and go," Yang Lirong insisted cheerfully, her face radiating kindness as she gently nudged Zheng Yanyan with her arm.

Overjoyed, Zheng Yanyan hastily chirped a "Thank you, Auntie," quickly wiped her hands dry, and dashed upstairs.

Yang Lirong watched Zheng Yanyan's retreating figure with profound satisfaction.

At that moment, the door to the study room opened. Zhou Guobin stepped out, observed his wife's smug demeanor, and finally let out a long, heavy sigh. "Just keep stirring up trouble, see where it gets you."

"How am I stirring up trouble? Am I not just hoping our son finds a good partner?" Yang Lirong retorted defensively.