Chapter 341 - Qualified

Chapter 341: Chapter 348 QualifiedAfter making the decision, Li Yifei remembered that he still hadn’t called Xu Shanshan back, so he quickly dialed, saying, "Shanshan."

"Brother-in-law, why did it take you so long to answer the phone?" Xu Shanshan’s tone carried a hint of complaint, along with a bit of coquettishness.

"Hehe, I was driving, just had a little situation, wasn’t convenient to answer."

"Liar, your driving skills are so good, no matter how dangerous the situation, it wouldn’t prevent you from answering the phone. Come on, tell me, were you up to something bad?"

Li Yifei broke into a cold sweat; Xu Shanshan had seen through his lie immediately. He laughed and said, "I was thinking about something just now, so I forgot to answer. By the way, has Qiao Ya come back during this period?"

"Nope, if she were coming back, wouldn’t she contact you?"

"True. So, what’s the reason you called, how’s Mom doing?"

"No real reason, just miss you, so I called. My mom is doing fine."

If Xu Shanshan had said she missed him before, Li Yifei would have just laughed it off, assuming Xu Shanshan was joking. But this time, after playing mahjong with Xu Shanshan, Li Yifei truly understood that Xu Shanshan’s feelings for him were not the same as before.

He chuckled dryly and said, "As long as Mom is okay. This weekend, we’ll go back to see her."

"Sounds good. You should also come pick me up and take me back."

"If you come back, wouldn’t it be hard on Dad to take care of Mom alone?"

"It’s no big deal. My mom’s fine now."

"How can she be fine?" Li Yifei frowned immediately.

"Oh, oh, I meant my mom looks alright on the outside although she is ill, she’s eating and sleeping well, doesn’t need me to take care of her too much for now."

Li Yifei said incredulously, "How is that possible?"

"Hehe, why not? My mom saw you and my sister really got married and you’re giving her a grandchild, so her spirits are high. Don’t you know the power of the human spirit is extremely strong?"

Li Yifei believed in the power of the spirit, especially for someone like him, a super special forces soldier. In times of distress, having a strong will to survive determined whether they could come back alive. Some illnesses that appeared severe might even recover without medicine due to the patient’s optimistic and cheerful spirit. However, Xu Shanshan’s mother had late-stage lung cancer; relying solely on spiritual strength seemed unlikely to have much effect.

"Alright, you don’t need to worry. Your most important task now is to focus on making a baby with my sister. Really, I can’t believe you’re so slow in that regard."

Li Yifei broke into another sweat, saying, "Having a baby isn’t that easy."

"You need to at least take action. How can you have a baby if you’re not even doing that?"

"How do you know we haven’t... done that?" Li Yifei exclaimed in surprise.

Xu Shanshan coughed dryly a few times and then chuckled, "I am Zhuge Kongming, you see. Just a little calculation, and I know you haven’t done it. Brother-in-law, you’re a man, why are you so hesitant about this? I really look down on you."

Li Yifei smiled wryly, realizing Xu Shanshan had tricked him out. He said, "We will get on it soon."

"You better hurry, I’m also waiting to hold my nephew. Brother-in-law..." Xu Shanshan suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

"What’s wrong?"

"Hehe, nothing. You be careful driving, I’m hanging up." Xu Shanshan hung up after speaking.

Li Yifei shook his head; this mischievous sister-in-law really left him scratching his head.

Driving, Li Yifei arrived at the entrance of the community where Qiao Ya lived. The security here was quite tight; without an access card or someone from inside notifying, the main gate was impassable.

Li Yifei didn’t go through the main gate. After parking, he found a secluded spot and climbed over, avoiding the surveillance cameras. They seemed to have no blind spots, but Li Yifei knew that although the cameras were densely arranged, they weren’t perfectly professional, leaving some blind spots.

After circling the yard twice, Li Yifei didn’t see that blonde foreigner. It seemed he’d have to inquire about the foreigner’s situation through Qiao Ya later.

Since there were no leads on this side for now, Li Yifei returned to the company. As they were leaving work, Xu Yingying still arranged to leave with Li Yifei. However, they waited until most of the regular employees had left before they went out together.

It was already mid-May. Since Chu Xiaoyao had exams coming up soon, she was attending evening classes and wouldn’t be out until half-past eight, so Li Yifei didn’t need to pick her up at this time.

"Let’s go to my house first." Xu Yingying said to Li Yifei after getting in the car.

"Your house..." Li Yifei’s expression turned a bit strange.

Xu Yingying shot him a look. "No need for that expression. I’m not going to force you. I need you to pick up some stuff from my house."

"You wouldn’t want to stay at my place, would you?" Li Yifei’s eyes widened in surprise.

"Why not? Don’t forget, we are married now. Aren’t married couples supposed to live together?"

Li Yifei chuckled awkwardly, "Our marriage... isn’t exactly real, right?"

Xu Yingying’s mood had stabilized a bit over the past couple of days. Plus, with Chu Xiaoyao’s situation, she understood that having a child was a significant matter, not something that had to happen immediately, so she faced their current relationship squarely.

Xu Yingying knew that Li Yifei married her, got the marriage certificate, all because of her mom. She was quite grateful to Li Yifei, but she didn’t want to express that directly. Instead, she smiled slightly and said, "To you, I might not be considered your wife, but we have indeed registered the marriage certificate. Legally, I am your lawful wife, and we can’t divorce for now, so why not give it a try? Perhaps we could become a real couple."

"No need to try; we’re not compatible," Li Yifei replied very straightforwardly.

"Why?"

"It’s simple. Our lifestyles and pursuits are different. I prefer a simple life, have no ambitions, just want some quiet days, chatting with friends, going out for a drink, relaxing however I please. But you, you pursue a career, you seek a sense of accomplishment. This all conflicts with each other. As friends, maybe there’s no problem, but if we actually became a couple, lived a real life together, there’d definitely be lots of conflicts."

"I just don’t believe that a career woman can’t be a good wife." Xu Yingying’s stubbornness flared up immediately.

Li Yifei chuckled and said, "It’s not that you can’t be a good wife. If you marry into a wealthy family, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to showcase your talents and live well, but with me, it’s not suitable."

"If you’re so certain, then why not try? If we really don’t get along, I’ll give up on this hope."

Meeting Xu Yingying’s persistent gaze, Li Yifei gently shook his head, saying, "You really are determined to go your own way. As you said, we are a couple for now, so let’s try it."

"Hmph, I’ll prove to be a good wife, making you completely convinced."

Li Yifei smiled and didn’t argue with Xu Yingying. The concept of a good wife doesn’t just depend on how good a woman is, but whether she can be suitable for the man.

After fetching some clothes from Xu Yingying’s house, they returned home. When Xu Yingying was hanging clothes, she noticed the ones belonging to Su Yiyi in the wardrobe. "Does she still come to stay with you now?" Sёarch* The Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"She does, visits from time to time."

"And in the future?"

Li Yifei replied decisively, "She will continue to come by." Then he waited for Xu Yingying to get angry.

Xu Yingying’s face turned somewhat unpleasant but surprisingly she suppressed it quickly, saying, "Should I avoid her?"

Li Yifei was a bit taken aback and continued, "It’d be best if you do, but if you don’t, we can book a hotel room."

Xu Yingying’s chest heaved a couple of times but she still nodded, saying, "If she’s coming, make sure to tell me in advance so I can prepare."

"Mm, if she’s coming, I’ll definitely inform you."

"Thanks." Xu Yingying nodded, "Now I’ll tidy up the room, I can’t cook yet, so you’ll have to handle that for a while until I learn."

"Sure." Holding back laughter, Li Yifei walked out of the bedroom. He could tell how frustrated Xu Yingying was when she said those words, and having to hold it in was surely difficult.

While Li Yifei cooked, Xu Yingying actually tidied up the room. Watching her busy figure, Li Yifei suddenly realized this was probably the first time Xu Yingying had done such house chores in front of him. Her actions were quite swift, and her work was orderly, not completely unlike her usual dignified and stern boss self.

Li Yifei specially stewed an old hen; though it took a long time, it would be ready when Chu Xiaoyao returned. A little after eight, he drove to pick up Chu Xiaoyao.

When Chu Xiaoyao came out of the school, she seemed a bit subdued, but as soon as she saw Li Yifei, she skipped over happily. Youth is often unfazed by worries; even though she was shocked at that time, it hadn’t impacted her too severely. Mostly because aside from being tied up, she hadn’t faced any abuse or seen any bloody scenes, so the fright wasn’t too intense.

Grabbing Li Yifei’s arm, Chu Xiaoyao affectionately linked her arm with his, walking towards the car. This felt a bit awkward for Li Yifei at first, but seeing the parental exchanges around him and the closeness between parents and children, he relaxed. After all, he was essentially a guardian to Chu Xiaoyao now. Her being close to him wasn’t inappropriate at all.