Chapter 857: Chapter 850: Visiting the Family

On the morning of Chinese New Year’s Eve, Lin Wanwan woke up naturally, which was quite unusual for her.

As she moved Lu Shouyue’s arm off her waist, he woke up too and pulled her close again: "Still early."

Lin Wanwan checked her phone on the bedside table; it was five in the morning — early indeed, but she couldn’t fall back asleep.

"You keep sleeping, I have to get up."

"Sleep a bit more," Lu Shouyue insisted, pressing his leg over her, burying his head in the crook of her neck.

"No, I’ve got to get up." Lin Wanwan pulled Lu Shouyue’s arm away, freed her foot, got out of bed, and ran into the bathroom barefoot, turning on the tap to fill the big bathtub.

Then she went back to the vanity, took facial cleanser from the mirror cabinet and washed her face, before grabbing a sheet mask and applying it.

After that, she took a cute White Fox hair-drying cap from the drawer under the sink and put it on.

Since she washed her hair last night, she was only having a bath now, hiding her hair in the drying cap to keep it from getting wet.

With the cap on, she found the High Mountain and Flowing Water inverted incense piece she’d seen in the tea room last night and put it in the bathroom drawer.

She lit a grain of Agarwood inverted incense and placed it on top.

With everything ready, the bathtub was nearly full.

Lu Shouyue then came in, hugging her from behind with a kiss, asking, "Wanwan, what are you busy with so early?"

"Just go back to sleep, don’t mind me," Lin Wanwan dodged his kiss, pushing him away.

Then she locked the door, took off her pajamas, stepped into the bathtub, reclining with her head up, enjoying both the face mask and the gentle scent of the Agarwood while feeling the soothing water jets.

Today was the official day to visit her boyfriend’s parents, and she was really nervous, so a refreshing bath was in order. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

In the Great Tang, scholars would burn incense and cleanse themselves before reading or writing, Lin Wanwan was doing the same before visiting her boyfriend’s family.

Not long after, there was movement at the bathroom door again.

"Wanwan, how long are you going to be in there?"

Lin Wanwan called out, "For a while, I’m having a bath!"

"Oh."

Lu Shouyue felt a little puzzled — Lin Wanwan had already bathed for nearly two hours last night, and now she was soaking again early in the morning; was her cleanliness compulsion acting up?

On the flight back to Yongcheng, Lin Wanwan wasn’t in the mood for reading and kept checking various reports about the Lu Family on her phone.

Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never lose a battle.

Even though it was just a meeting with her boyfriend’s parents, Lin Wanwan was acting as if facing a formidable challenge.

Lu Shouyue later realized Lin Wanwan’s unusual behavior today was all due to nerves.

Could this mean she considered him very important?

Lu Shouyue couldn’t help but feel a little pleased with himself; it seemed she’d unknowingly fallen deeply in love with him.

Only when you care do you get nervous.

So Lu Shouyue assured Lin Wanwan that she didn’t need to be nervous, that his family were all very fond of her.

But Lin Wanwan didn’t listen and hurried off upon landing, saying she needed to prepare, having booked a styling session.

Lu Shouyue could only watch her drive off in his car.

Lin Wanwan was used to having personal maids attend to everything for important occasions in the Great Tang, and it was only natural she wanted such service now back in modern times.

So she had Niu Kongqing hire a celebrity styling team for her in Hai City, to take care of her look for the day.

As long as you paid them enough, they’d work even from New Year’s Eve to the seventh day.

Though she had decent makeup skills herself, considering today’s importance, she opted for professionals.

Her outfit had been finalized a few days earlier — a soft white cashmere fishtail dress under a coat of the same color.

White is a universal color, relatively safe and unlikely to go wrong.

Lin Wanwan had tried this combo when picking outfits earlier, it made her look quite demure.

Pair it with a delicate and simple makeup, with curled princess-style hair and the bag given by Lu’s mom, and the result was an elegant yet unobtrusive look, perfect for impressing elders anywhere.

This ensemble for meeting her boyfriend’s elders, including styling fees and the gifts she prepared, cost her nearly seven figures, not even including the Centennial Wild Ginseng she got for free from her pharmacy in the Great Tang!

For her to spend so much money to impress others, you could see how seriously she took this visit.

In the afternoon, Lu Shouyue came to pick her up, and upon seeing her, couldn’t help but smile knowingly, leaning closer to whisper in her ear, "Wanwan, you look especially lovely today."

Lin Wanwan was still nervous, not managing a smile at Lu Shouyue’s compliment, her face with exquisite makeup remaining tense.

"Lu Shouyue, you have to stick by me later, don’t just chat away with your friends and leave me."

Lu Shouyue laughed: "Okay, I’ll stay by your side the whole time, alright?"

"Be serious, I’m telling you! If you leave me alone in your relatives’ circle, I won’t forgive you."

"Yes, yes, I’m very serious, I swear I won’t leave you alone," Lu Shouyue promised, holding Lin Wanwan’s hand to soothe her.

"That’s better, remember what you promised!"

Having secured Lu Shouyue’s promise, Lin Wanwan felt slightly relieved.

Honestly, even when she went to the palace to see Li Shimin, she wasn’t this nervous!

Lin Wanwan had met Lu’s grandmother before; she was the star fan of Lu’s grandmother’s farming live stream.

As for Lu’s mother, Ye Yinyin, they knew each other well, having shopped together, had afternoon teas, and occasionally chatted on WeChat.

The ones she wasn’t familiar with were Lu’s father and his aunt’s family.

Lu Shouyue’s little cousin had Lin Wanwan’s WeChat, but they had few mutual friends and share no common circles, so they barely contacted one another; as for the other family members, she was even less familiar.

The Lu family’s annual New Year’s Eve gathering was always held at Lu’s grandmother’s small villa in Drum Tower District.

As Lu Shouyue led Lin Wanwan into the courtyard hand-in-hand, the people chatting casually in the living room quieted down, turning to look at the couple through the floor-to-ceiling window.

Even before entering, Lin Wanwan felt the gazes from inside, slightly tense.

But after stepping inside and greeting everyone with Lu Shouyue, she slowly returned to her normal state.

It was just meeting the parents! It wasn’t that big a deal, merely needed the same attentiveness as if entering the palace.

Ye Yinyin immediately approached warmly, linking her arm with Lin Wanwan’s, first complimenting her appearance today, then leading her inside for afternoon tea.

Lu Shouyue kept his word, constantly staying by Lin Wanwan’s side, helping her deal with the questions from relatives, occasionally peeling a snack for her.

Lu’s grandmother watched with a smile, seeing her grandson happy filled her with contentment.