The parents on the other end of the call got the answer they wanted and were delighted. "As long as you’re making progress, that’s what matters. We’re not in any hurry for you to come back."

"You just stay put over there. Take your time. You can come back whenever you want!"

"Oh, and one more thing—you need to watch more movies lately, you hear? Romance movies. Watch lots of them. It’s not that we don’t have faith in you, it’s just that there are so many new moves these days. You should learn a few just in case."

Grandma had the most to say, but Grandpa chimed in too. "You really have to study up. And you better watch that mouth of yours, you hear? You need to compliment her more."

His grandparents were both the plotting type.

Mo Si: ...

’Am I really that clueless in their eyes?’

Uncle Mo was even more direct. "Well, what do you know? Our Little Mo General is finally growing up. You’d better learn from the rest of the family and seal the deal on the first try."

Beside him, Auntie Mo made a heart shape with her hands.

The view shifted to Father Mo. He had only one thing to say to his son: "Don’t break the young lady’s heart. If it works out, bring her home for us to meet."

’Can’t any of them say something nice?’

He thought about how Qiuqiu was when she was with him—happy, Meimei, and even her smile was more radiant than usual.

’And here I thought I was a bona fide dating genius.’

"Alright, I get it."

"Well then, Happy New Year, everyone. I’m going to get some rest."

Fine, fine. He clearly didn’t want to hear any more, so they ended the call.

The screen on the other end went dark. Mo Si ambled toward the bedroom. He had just stepped inside when his terminal chimed again. This time, it was a private message from Mo Chengyu.

He accepted the call.

"Brother! Hey, brother! Is it true? Have you really made progress with Qiuqiu?"

"When did this happen? Just in the last couple of days? Did you confess your feelings or something?" She sounded even more excited than Mo Si himself.

"Before you ask that, why don’t you tell me why the entire family knows about this?" Mo Si’s tone was icy. "Didn’t I tell you to keep silent?"

"I did keep silent! But Uncle was about to call the Military Department, so I had to say something—"

she whined, sounding wronged.

Fine. Mo Si didn’t want to press the issue. What was done, was done.

"Don’t just go silent, bro! C’mon, tell me what happened! What’s your status now?!"

"Oh, it’s nothing," he said with an air of nonchalance, though a smile was playing at the corners of his lips. "We just made it official. We’re together now."

"..."

"!"

A string of disbelieving noises came from the other end.

Then came his sister’s heartfelt blessing. "You guys actually got together! That’s amazing! Brother, I sincerely, truly wish you two an eternity of happiness!"

It was rare for her to say something so pleasant. Mo Si just hummed in acknowledgment.

"I just knew you two would get together."

"Oh, really?" Mo Si’s curiosity was piqued. "And how did you know that?"

How did she know?

Of course, it was because she had a keen eye for spotting romance. "Because I could tell from the very beginning that you two were special to each other!"

"Special in what way?" he pressed.

Mo Chengyu said, "In so many ways! Like, remember that time Qiuqiu was sick? You xxx..."

"And you always watched Qiuqiu’s livestreams. You claimed it was for recruitment, but your attitude toward her was completely different from how you treat potential soldiers."

"Brother, you almost never give anyone gifts. You know you don’t. But you still thought to send a gift to Qiuqiu."

’And it wasn’t just some casual gift, either. He had to ask for advice from everyone, so scared he’d get it wrong. If that isn’t love—’

"I don’t want to hear about that. I know how I felt." ’Who wants to listen to a recap of their own past actions?’ Mo Si said, "What I want to know is, how could you tell... that Qiuqiu liked me?"

Mo Chengyu: ...

’So predictable.’