I just praised this kid for being decent sometimes, and he immediately switched to his annoying side again.

"Oh, I see. Is it convenient for you to talk now, or should I call you back later?"

"No need, no need. Let’s talk now, it’s fine."

"Alright, here’s the thing. The day after tomorrow, I’m going to Xiaoyanzi’s house for Shiqing’s birthday. Xiaoyanzi invited me, and I’ve already mentioned it to her parents today!"

Lu Haoran’s tone conveyed an undeniable excitement and joy, mixed with a slight hint of nervousness, though not too obvious. Years of college experience had shaped him.

Hehe, I knew it. That day, those two were whispering about this.

"Oh, you’re meeting the parents, huh? Good going, young man, you have a bright future!"

Su Zelin was also happy for his good buddy.

His matchmaking efforts for this pair seemed well worth it, as it looked like they had a great chance of making it official.

"But I’m a bit worried, afraid I might not perform well!"

The honest guy spoke again.

Except for someone as socially adept as Su Zelin, any other guy meeting a girlfriend’s parents for the first time would probably feel the same way.

"What are you afraid of? They’re not tigers; they won’t eat you. Just treat them like any normal elder in the family!"

The rascal comforted him.

He had met Xiaoyanzi’s parents in his past life. They weren’t the kind of snobbish couple who looked down on others; they were quite amiable. The honest guy’s worries were unnecessary.

"That’s true, but I want to make a good impression on Xiaoyanzi’s parents. Zelin, can you teach me?"

Although Lu Haoran had grown a lot, he couldn’t afford to be careless about such a big event. Ultimately, he couldn’t help but ask for help from his personal skills guide.

"Haoran, listening to you, you’d think I regularly meet girls’ parents and have tons of experience. Oh, my..."

Su Zelin couldn’t help but tease.

Just after he spoke, Qin Shiqing pinched him.

The rascal was puzzled.

Always pinching someone.

What did I do to offend her this time?

"Uh, Zelin, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that you’re very socially adept. Even if it’s your first time doing this, I feel you’d do it much better than I could. So, could you think about what you’d do in my place and teach me?"

In the honest guy’s eyes, the rascal was like a super socialite with high emotional intelligence and great at talking. Even if he hadn’t met a girl’s parents either, he wasn’t on the same level as himself.

"Is that so? Well, alright then. It’s hard to explain over the phone. Do you have time later? Why don’t you come over to my house?"

Regarding his buddy’s life events, more attention was necessary. Su Zelin planned to personally guide him and offer some wisdom.

"Yes, yes, anytime works!"

The honest guy nodded vigorously.

"Alright, I’ll be home in about twenty minutes. You can come over then."

"Got it, see you later!"

Driving back to Willow Branch Lane, Lu Haoran was already waiting at the rascal’s doorstep.

After hanging up, the honest guy set off immediately. Riding his bike, it only took about ten minutes from his house to Willow Branch Lane.

After getting off, they greeted each other, and Su Zelin led his good buddy into the house, noticing Qing Mei followed along.

"Qin Shiqing, are you a tag-along? Why are you here? This is between me and Haoran, what’s it got to do with you?"

The rascal stopped in his tracks, furrowing his brow.

"Haoran is my friend, and Xiaoyanzi is my bestie. Of course, I want them to succeed. How is it not my business?"

The girl justified herself.

She also wanted to watch the fun, to see how Su Zelin taught the honest guy to meet the parents.

"If you’re in my house being a third wheel, you’ll distract Haoran!"

Su Zelin huffed.

I become the third wheel between you and Lu Haoran...

Something about that sounded off.

Qin Shiqing was at a loss for words.

"It’s fine, Shiqing is just concerned about me. Let her come if she wants to."

Seeing the two nearly about to quarrel, the honest guy quickly offered a compromise.

Being so familiar with Qin Shiqing, he wouldn’t feel awkward just because she was there.

"See, Haoran doesn’t mind; it’s just you being fussy!"

Qin Shiqing pouted.

Su Zelin had nothing to say, so he allowed the tag-along to join them upstairs.

Su Jianjun and Zhao Lixia weren’t at home. His dad was at the electronics store, and his mom had gone to the alley to drive the tractor from early in the morning. As usual, she’d be back by dinner time.

The three of them sat in the living room. While making tea, Su Zelin sized up Lu Haoran and after a while, said: "Haoran, as the saying goes, sharpening the axe isn’t a waste of time for chopping firewood. The first thing you should do before meeting the parents is to change your image!"

"Change my image?"

Lu Haoran was slightly confused.

"Yeah, it’s already the year 3002, and your hairstyle is still from the 1990s. You need a change!"

Su Zelin patiently pointed the way.

The honest guy’s hairstyle hadn’t been changed before.

Previously, he had the most old-fashioned bowl cut. After entering college, he switched to a mushroom cut, which is basically the short version of a bowl cut.

However, neither of these hairstyles suited Lu Haoran in Su Zelin’s opinion.

Whether it’s a bowl cut or mushroom cut, they both lean towards a cute and naive type. The key to pulling off a mushroom cut is a small face and sharp features, needing quite high facial attractiveness; otherwise, it exposes the lack of delicacy in one’s features.

Lu Haoran didn’t have the looks, and since he was already so honest, these two hairstyles made him look even goofier.

If Su Zelin had a mushroom cut, it’d be no problem—a peerless face makes it work. He had such a hairstyle before, which slightly toned down his roguish vibes and still looked pleasing to the eye.