"Who are you?"

"Ah ah!"

I anxiously stuffed Su Yuqian's Banqiao Yuli figurines and cosplay outfit into the box, then put on an innocent smile and said, "I'm not a thief,"

After saying that, I suddenly realized how unlike a thief I looked. Why did Su Yuqian's mother suddenly appear? How do I explain now?

"Oh, you're You Jie... I didn't recognize you until you raised your head," said Su Yuqian's mother with a smile.

"Ah ah, I'm You Jie, hello aunt..." I was nervous and trembling.

"I'll call you You Jie, is that okay with you?"

"Ah... of course, " I was highly nervous and felt cold sweat on my back.

"Last time, Yu Qian accidentally spilled tea on you and burned you. Are you okay now?" Su Yuqian's mother was so gentle, it warmed my heart.

"I... I'm okay," the nervous feeling eased a little.

"Is Yu Qian not at home?" Su Yuqian's mother asked.

"She went to school," I answered without thinking.

"Today is Monday, she should be at school. But why didn't You Jie go to school and is still at my house? And it looks like you were going through things," Su Yuqian's mother had a smile on her face, but her words were filled with suspicion.

"Well... I..." I was so nervous that I couldn't speak anymore.

"Don't be nervous, You Jie. I just want to ask you," she said.

I didn't want to be nervous either, but I couldn't speak.

"Are you and Yu Qian in a relationship?" Su Yuqian's mother continued to ask when she saw that I didn't say anything.

"Huh?! How did you know, aunt?" I was truly surprised because we hadn't told her about it.

"Auntie can tell, of course. There's usually some intention when a girl brings a boy home. It could be just a simple interaction between classmates, but Yu Qian's recent changes are definitely related to you. Hmm~ it can be summarized as the troubles of love," Su Yuqian's mother said casually, leaving me dumbfounded.

"Although that's the case, things shouldn't progress so quickly," her words made my heart sink, could it be... I became a little anxious again.

"I have some special reasons for appearing at auntie's house, I had no choice," I explained.

"You can come to auntie's house, of course auntie welcomes you. Just... " she glanced at the box I was pressing down on, with a troubled expression.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gone through things without permission," I immediately apologized with a bowed knee.

"It's okay, it's not a big deal," Su Yuqian's mother was really magnanimous.

"Let's not make it a habit," she warned me, and I nodded.

"It's not convenient here, let's go to the living room and sit. I have some questions to ask you," she said.

"Okay..."

We moved to the living room, and I enjoyed Su Yuqian's mother's hospitality - delicious tea and snacks.

"When did you start dating Yu Qian?" Su Yuqian's mother asked me as she sat on the sofa.

"About three or four weeks ago."

"It hasn't been long. How are you getting along?" Su Yuqian's mother's topic made it difficult for me to speak. Seeing my reluctance and awkwardness, she said, "Maybe I shouldn't ask these questions, but it's necessary as Yu Qian's mother, don't you think so, You Jie..."

"...it's okay..." I hesitated for a long time before finally saying it.

"Do you think you can maintain this relationship for a long time?" Su Yuqian's mother's question suddenly made my heart sink.

"What I mean is... do you genuinely like Yu Qian? You won't hurt her, betray her, or play with her feelings," I replied with a firm tone without any hesitation.

"Of course not..." I replied without any hesitation.

"I hope so... because Yu Qian has been hurt before," Su Yuqian's mother's face suddenly turned serious. I was quite surprised to hear this from her.

"Yu Qian has a bit of a spoiled temper and is always saying one thing but meaning another. She's been concealing her pain, but no matter how much she conceals, I can still see it. But half of this personality is nurtured by her father,""Su Yuqian's father..."

Su Yuqian's mother seemed a bit sad.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked about this."

"It's okay... He left us so suddenly, and Su Yuqian couldn't accept it... And then she started to hate him."

"No wonder she put that photo at the bottom of the box."

"What photo?"

"The one I found at the bottom of the box just now. It had you, Yuqian, and her uncle."

"That was taken when Su Yuqian was six. I didn't expect her to still keep it."

Su Yuqian's mother was surprised.

"He asked Yuqian to use my last name, and he said we would settle in China in the future. Unfortunately... things have changed."

Su Yuqian's mother's eyes were moist, and I quickly handed her a tissue.

She wiped away her tears. "Let's not talk about these things from the past anymore. Right now, I just want to know if you can do all these things. If you just want to play around, I advise you not to hurt Yuqian. It's better to cut ties with her."

"I definitely don't have a playful attitude. I genuinely like Yuqian, and I want to do everything I can to love her and make her happy."

"Really?"

"Of course, I can swear to the heavens." I raised one hand, although swearing wouldn't bring any good results.

"No need to swear. As long as you truly care for Yuqian, I have no concerns. But if you hurt her, as her mother, I won't forgive you either."

"I would never do that." I solemnly made a promise.

There was a moment of silence that seemed to dominate the atmosphere.

"Drink your tea quickly, or it will get cold..."

"Okay..." Urged by Su Yuqian's mother, I picked up the tea cup and started drinking. Then I chatted with Su Yuqian's mother about some unrelated topics, but I still held back some information about Zhiye and my current situation. I hesitated, wondering whether I should say it or not.

Unfortunately, I still didn't say it. After eating the meal Su Yuqian's mother made, I accompanied her to watch some TV. I tried my best to have a conversation with her, but it's really difficult to talk with adults.

We continued like this until 5 o'clock in the afternoon. When the door opened and Su Yuqian walked in, taking off her shoes and looking into the living room, she froze when she saw me with her mother.