Cheng Zhirang dropped a bomb on Mu Family’s parents, exploding them to the point where they had no intention of scrutinizing him anymore. Instead, they were very pleased with how attentively he took care of Mu Qiu.

So much so that after the meal, they even proactively suggested the two go upstairs to have a chat and instructed Mu Qiu to entertain him well.

Mu Qiu couldn’t think of anything special to entertain him with. It’s not like he hasn’t been here before; he’s been here many times. There’s even his shirt hanging in her bedroom closet.

Speaking of shirts.

Mu Qiu led Cheng Zhirang into the bedroom and asked him, "My parents will be staying here for two or three days. What if my mom comes into the room and sees traces of your presence...tsk tsk."

Cheng Zhirang was still standing at the door and didn’t close it. Instead, he left it wide open before walking over to sit beside her at the foot of the bed.

"Isn’t this kind of thing normal for adult men and women in love?"

"Being normal is one thing, but how they perceive you is another," she said, frowning and pretending to sigh,

"I’m sure my mom will think you’re just a delinquent uncle abducting a young girl."

She emphasized the words ’young girl’.

"Yes," he gently agreed, "You are a young girl."

Mu Qiu’s lips curled up, she glanced at the door, and asked him, "Why don’t you close the door?"

"It’s not good, it’s impolite."

He stood up, pulled over the chair she usually sat on, and sat facing her.

"Is there anything you want to tell me about what just happened over the meal?"

Mu Qiu expected him to ask, and she fiddled with her fingers, casually saying, "You’re so curious?"

"Don’t want to tell?" He lifted a hand and touched his lip corner, "How about a kiss?"

"..." Mu Qiu widened her eyes, "You’re getting better and better at using beauty to scheme lately!"

Cheng Zhirang chuckled, "As long as it works on you."

She immediately leaned over to give him a kiss, then pretended to say, "Alright then, since you’ve resorted to such measures, I’ll reluctantly tell you."

"I’m listening."

"This thing, well, you could say it’s normal. It’s just that there’s a bit of a communication issue between our generation and the older generation."

She was well aware of her problem, just hadn’t found a better way to resolve it.

"My parents have been professors for a long time, so their approach to my education is a bit dogmatic. But I’m more on the emotional side of things, and I really don’t like this. I fear that if I were to lay it out and make it clear, it would make our relationship more awkward. So..." she shrugged, "there it is."

"And how did your digestive issues start? Is it like your uncle and aunt said, that you forget to eat when you’re writing?"

"That’s called making the most of my time. Inspiration can come and go in a flash, so when it strikes, of course, I write as much as I can."

Cheng Zhirang frowned and asked, "Does it happen even at home?"

"Not really, they don’t like it when I do that, so before going home, I’ll write as much as I can. At home, I’ll sneak a bit of writing. But really, I can’t write much at home, so after moving out, I only go back occasionally."

Sometimes, when she’s drafting, inspiration strikes just around mealtime. If she were at home, she’d have to abandon the inspiration for a tasteless meal. But living alone, she can write whenever and wherever, and eat after she’s done, leaving her in a better mood.

At home, unexpected disturbances often arise, interrupting her train of thought. Fragmented writing makes it impossible to maintain the quality and speed of updates.

He nodded, not commenting, just saying, "Not eating regularly is bad for your health. When your parents leave, how about I move in?"

"Huh?"

She hadn’t expected all his questioning to lead to this focus on the matter.

She was more surprised than resistant. Cheng Zhirang smiled and said softly again, "I won’t disturb you. The second floor’s yours, I’ll take the first floor, how about that?"

She wanted to say this contradicts their previous agreement, but when she looked up, she saw his beautiful gleaming eyes, softly smiling, like staring into an amber lake, where a breeze could ripple its shimmering surface.

The words left her mouth as, "It’s not about disturbing or not, you’re busy too..."

"You know I’m busy. After the show, I’ll probably join a crew for filming. Whether I stay here or not wouldn’t make a difference then. I’ll go to the set and wait for filming during the day, only coming back at night... Wouldn’t you give me even that little time?"

Talking is one thing, why use beauty schemes again?

She lowered her head to avoid looking into his eyes, but as her gaze dropped, Cheng Zhirang gently pinched her chin, lifting her head back up, "Give me a clear answer."

Mu Qiu, going along with his gesture, rested her chin on his hand as he supported it, and complained bitterly, "A young woman buys a new villa and hasn’t lived there long; should she already start cohabiting? Isn’t this too soon?"

"You’d still be a young woman even with cohabitation." He leaned in to kiss her, the motion gentle and slow.

For a moment, all was quiet, the wind outside lifted the sheer curtains. Within this bright and cozy atmosphere, they kissed, with occasional, indistinct sounds of intimacy.

Downstairs, Yuan Chun and Mu Zhi sat on the sofa, their expressions troubled.

Yuan Chun initially wanted to call Zhao Yu to ask about Mu Qiu’s last fainting episode but was afraid it would lead to a misunderstanding, implying they called to blame her.

So she didn’t make the call, just sat there, troubled.

After a while, Yuan Chun spoke up, "From what Xiao Cheng said, Qiuqiu’s fainting last time was quite serious."

Mu Zhi got upset, "I told you she shouldn’t be in this line of work!"

"Then you try to persuade her," Yuan Chun coldly retorted, "You’ve been persuading for years, has she listened? You both have the same temperament. Can’t you see she’s just like you?"

Moreover, what Cheng Zhirang just said wasn’t wrong. Their concern over her chosen profession was deepening misunderstandings.

She sighed, "Convincing hasn’t worked, so let’s not push it. As long as she doesn’t regret it in the future. Otherwise, let her be happy."

At the end of the day, their children’s health was their utmost wish.

Mu Zhi said nothing, but he agreed.

As for Cheng Zhirang...

He began to have a headache again, "Even in love, she couldn’t settle down; she had to find a celebrity. If they were to break up, wouldn’t it become a public affair?"

This was one of their worries.

Yuan Chun frowned, but what could be done?

"They seem to be in a good relationship. Are you really going to make them break up? Now’s the time they’ll get the most attention. Plus, Xiao Cheng seems decent, good-looking, has good conditions, is good to Qiuqiu, and is very polite."

————

Notice how many of Qiuqiu’s thoughts and subconscious words mirror her dad’s.