Chapter 7: Parents

Online, the relationship between Xia Linxia, Ji Fengxue, and Xiao Yuran sparked much speculation.

One theory suggested that the apparent discord between Xia Linxia and Xiao Yuran was merely a facade created by their management to generate buzz. They might actually be good friends in private.

Another theory proposed that Xiao Yuran, who recently mentioned being single again in an interview, might feel slighted because her ex’s new partner was now close friends with her old friend. Was this a deliberate provocation? Could Xiao Yuran truly be happy for them?

A third theory questioned how Ji Fengxue, as Xia Linxia’s girlfriend and Xiao Yuran’s best friend, would navigate the relationships between the two. Would she favor one side? How should fans align themselves?

The online discussions were endless. Xia Linxia, bored, scrolled through a few comments before Xiang Huaimeng snatched her phone away.

“Please, can you get a secondary account?” Xiang Huaimeng pleaded with clasped hands. “No matter how much you argue with haters and bash rivals, I won’t interfere. But can you stop doing it on your main account?”

Other celebrities might vent their frustrations on secondary accounts, but not Xia Linxia. She didn’t have time for a secondary account, instead choosing to storm the main account, publicly fighting haters and sparring with gossip accounts. This only played into the hands of gossip sites, which smeared Xia Linxia’s name to provoke public spats, attracting more attention from fans and onlookers.

Xia Linxia yawned and didn’t attempt to retrieve her phone, making Xiang Huaimeng wonder if she had turned over a new leaf. She asked timidly, “What’s wrong with you?”

“Tired.”

“What time did you sleep last night?”

“Forgot. I laughed so much my stomach hurt.” Xia Linxia said. “Last night, Ji Fengxue’s like was just too good, haha.”

“…” Xiang Huaimeng held her head. “Stop laughing, we have a meeting with a director soon.”

They were scheduled to meet a director planning to adapt a popular online novel into an idol drama. The director had specifically requested a meeting to discuss payment terms.

Dressed in a simple, casual outfit of a loose short-sleeve shirt, jeans, and flat sneakers, with her hair in a high ponytail and a fresh face, Xia Linxia looked like a high school student.

The meeting was at a private club. The director explained the crew setup, production schedule, and payment details. Xia Linxia found it acceptable—lots of money.

As the negotiation wrapped up, Xiang Huaimeng went out to take a call from the general manager.

A few minutes later, she heard a loud thud from inside, as if someone had fallen. Alarmed, she pushed open the door, her eyelids twitching.

She saw the director on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain, while Xia Linxia stood over him, looking down. “Trying to make a move on me, dressed like this? I spit on you! Look at you, balding with a fat head.” She said, then walked out briskly.

“The director got beaten up?” Jiang Yuan asked over the phone.

“Yes, yes.” Xiang Huaimeng replied, grabbing her bag and running after Xia Linxia. “Ms. Jiang, I’ll talk to you later…”

“No need.” Jiang Yuan could hear the commotion. “Come back, we won’t take this project. Who’s the director?”

After getting a name, Jiang Yuan hung up and searched for the director’s profile online, then sent a screenshot to her old classmate. “Buddy, you have another job.”

Xia Yangxuan, seeing the disjointed records, immediately understood, showing his familiarity with the situation. “What if I make her come home?”

[Jiang Yuan]: “Not an option. She’s mine now, and I need her to make a lot of money for a few more years.”

[Xia Yangxuan]: “You’re her boss. Why am I handling your mess, Mr. Jiang?”

[Jiang Yuan]: “Do you trust anyone else with it?”

Xia Linxia, walking quickly, accidentally bumped into someone and instinctively apologized. But her unresolved anger made the apology sound more like a complaint, which didn’t sit well.

Fu Xiaoxuan, not expecting to bump into her here, smirked, “Is that how you apologize?”

Seeing it was her, Xia Linxia’s mood soured. Noticing her agent holding a script, she couldn’t help but frown, “Are you going for an audition?”

“None of your business.” Fu Xiaoxuan turned and started to leave.

“Wait.” Xia Linxia grabbed her arm but quickly let go, arrogantly saying, “Don’t go. That role isn’t right for you.”

“How do you know it isn’t right for me?” Fu Xiaoxuan asked with amusement.

“I just talked to that stupid director, and he…”

“Xia Linxia.” Fu Xiaoxuan suddenly turned serious, her beautiful face turning cold. “Do you think everyone in the world likes you, so you can act so recklessly? Just because you met the director, do you think he likes you so much that he won’t choose someone like me?”

Xia Linxia was speechless, thinking this woman’s logic was more twisted than a mountain road.

“Move.” Fu Xiaoxuan said.

Xia Linxia struggled to control her temper, suppressing her anger, and said word by word, “I told you not to go. Didn’t you hear me?”

Fu Xiaoxuan pushed her shoulder away and walked past her.

Xiang Huaimeng took her and got into the car, saying, “Since she doesn’t listen, let it be. She’ll realize the problem herself and know who was right.”

“Isn’t she stupid?” Xia Linxia said.

“Your attitude was also a problem. You were too forceful. Your relationship isn’t good to begin with. She wouldn’t listen to you.”

Xia Linxia was speechless, “So if I talked nicely to her, do you think she’d listen?”

Xiang Huaimeng: “… No, some people are just born to attract trouble. There’s nothing you can do.”

Xia Linxia: “…”

At that moment, a special ringtone started playing: “Don’t force me to cry, I’ll flip out, I haven’t been a boss for many years~~~”

Xia Linxia felt a chill down her spine and obediently answered the phone, “Hello? Is it my dear brother? What brings you to call me?”

Xia Yangxuan got straight to the point, “Come home, our parents are back.”

Ever since Xia Yangxuan took over the Xia Group, the old couple had been traveling the world like wild horses. They were wishing for a daughter-in-law and son-in-law while in a hot air balloon when they got the news that Xia Linxia had found them a… daughter-in-law?

What a double deal =.=

The couple wanted to parachute back immediately, but after much persuasion from Xia Yangxuan, they agreed to return more slowly.

“Make sure to bring Ji Fengxue,” Xia Yangxuan ordered.

Xia Linxia scratched her head, not having informed her family about the contract. She frowned, “She doesn’t need to come. We just confirmed our relationship; we might break up tomorrow.”

“Not listening?” Xia Yangxuan asked menacingly.

“…” Xia Linxia replied with a long face, “I’ll bring her. Why so fierce! Annoying!”

After hanging up, she irritably rubbed her head and asked Xiang Huaimeng, “Now do you know where I learned my tone?”

Xiang Huaimeng: “…”

Xia Linxia gave an order, “Turn around, let’s go pick up Ji Fengxue.”

Ji Fengxue was on the treadmill, exercising. Having stayed up late last night, she lingered in bed this morning. When she woke up, her head was filled with the magical quacking sound, making her laugh again.

After working up a sweat, she switched to a slow walk mode, placing her tablet on the holder and playing the latest movie.

Ding dong—

She paused, thinking it was her agent, and opened the door directly. Seeing who it was, she froze.

The flamboyant and bright Xia Linxia was now dressed simply, without showing off her waist or legs, smiling innocently with her hands under her chin, like a blooming sunflower, blinking at her, “Good morning, dear.”

Ji Fengxue sensed something bad was coming, “How did you find me, and what do you want?”

“The information had your address.” Xia Linxia squeezed in without hesitation, looking around at the black, white, and gray decor, pretending to be impressed, “Wow! Your place is as beautiful as you!”

“…” Ji Fengxue wiped the sweat off her forehead with a towel, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything. What’s up?”

Xia Linxia suddenly got serious, “Come home with me.”

Ji Fengxue: “?”

“My parents are back and want to meet you.” Xia Linxia sighed, “I don’t want to either, but if I don’t take you, you’ll see two strange old people peeking through your door every day from today onward.”

Ji Fengxue: “…”

She understood. Since they were publicly a couple, meeting the parents was inevitable.

She nodded, “Okay, but I have one condition.”

Xia Linxia, dissatisfied, put her hands on her hips, “You dare set conditions? Believe it or not, I’ll let my parents pester you to death.”

“Fine, I won’t go.”

“…”

Two minutes later, Xia Linxia’s eyes were almost bulging from the strain. “Okay, fine, I agree! What’s the condition?”

“No yelling, no harsh tones, no threatening me, no mentioning Xiao Yuran, no playing tricks, no uninvited visits, and no flirting.”

“… Who’s flirting! Do you think you’re worth it!” Xia Linxia shouted. “Is this one condition? You’re worse than a monk with all these!”

“Just answer, do you agree or not?”

Xia Linxia quickly weighed in her mind, which was worse: the conditions or Xia Yangxuan’s fury.

Three seconds later, she said, “I agree.”

“Deal.”

They sealed the agreement with a high-five.

“I’ll take a shower first.” Ji Fengxue, still wearing her workout clothes and covered in a fine layer of sweat, looked like melting snow.

Xia Linxia glanced a few more times, noticing that this woman had a great figure, probably whiter than her, a narrow waist, even abs, and legs as long as hers, though her chest was a bit smaller.

Her bare face, dotted with nearly invisible sweat beads, had a faint blush on her cheeks, like a steamed white bun—soft, white, and fluffy.

Xia Linxia suddenly clutched her stomach.

Ji Fengxue turned back, “What’s wrong?”

“Damn, I’m hungry,” Xia Linxia admitted, embarrassed. She could actually get hungry from looking?

Ji Fengxue made her an avocado egg sandwich before going to shower.

As Xia Linxia ate, she looked around. The room was somewhat sparse, with only essential appliances and no unnecessary items cluttering the space, making the house seem exceptionally large and the style too harsh, not feminine at all.

A real woman’s room should be messy like hers! Clothes and bags everywhere! A dedicated room for storing packages! That’s what real life looks like.

After showering, Ji Fengxue emerged from the walk-in closet, seeing that Xia Linxia had finished eating and was still sitting by the dining table playing with her phone, apparently not daring to wander around.

“Let’s go.”

Xia Linxia put down her phone, looked up, and after half a minute of staring, frowned, “Just that? You’re going to meet my parents and you’re wearing that?”

Ji Fengxue was dressed similarly in a white T-shirt and jeans, just without tying her hair up.

“It’s not real anyway. What if your parents like me too much?” Ji Fengxue smiled nonchalantly. “Hurry up, don’t keep them waiting.”

Xiang Huaimeng had been waiting in the car for over half an hour, worried the two might be fighting upstairs.

Just as she was considering whether to go up and check, she saw them in the rearview mirror and almost didn’t recognize them. She looked closely, realizing the two were almost identical in height and attire, looking like high school friends.

When they got in the car, Xiang Huaimeng turned back with a smile, “You two seem to get along well.”

“You said seem!” Xia Linxia rolled her eyes. “This is a movie star. When she acts, you can’t tell what’s real.”

Ji Fengxue replied, “Thank you.”

Xia Linxia: “…” I wasn’t praising you!

Half an hour later, the car drove into a villa area, climbing up a wide road to a mansion resembling a palace.

Ji Fengxue’s eyelid twitched. She had looked at houses in this area before, which were expensive, especially the top ones halfway up the hill. But it was too far from work, and she didn’t need such a large house.

If this was Xia Linxia’s house, she must be extremely wealthy. A few years in the entertainment industry couldn’t have afforded such a mansion, indicating a wealthy background.

“Don’t mention anything strange or anyone you meet today,” Xia Linxia said, bidding farewell to Xiang Huaimeng and walking forward. “You were right; we can’t let my parents like you too much. But we also can’t make them dislike you or get angry! You have to make them like you and not like you, understand?”

Ji Fengxue: “…”

Xia Linxia turned back, “Why aren’t you talking?”

Ji Fengxue looked up at the second floor of the villa, smiling, “Did your parents prepare that?”

Xia Linxia followed her gaze and saw a bright red banner hanging from the second floor of the beautiful villa—“Warmly Welcome the Beautiful Ji Fengxue to the Xia Family.”

Looking up further, she saw the two elders of the Xia family peering through binoculars. As they reached the doorstep, the sound of a pull rope was heard, and colorful confetti fell on their heads.

Xia Linxia’s mouth twitched.

Ji Fengxue looked up and smiled gently at them, “Hello, uncle and aunt.”

“Hello, hello, wait a moment, we’ll be right down,” Xia’s mother put away the binoculars and eagerly pulled her husband downstairs. “She’s prettier in person! Our Xia Xia has good taste!”

Xia’s father: “Just like our daughter, great taste!”