Chapter 52Don’t worry. No matter what, I’ll be here with you.
C City wasn’t very far from A City, maybe two hours by car. Pei Ying was extremely nervous the entire way there. Song Nanchuan wasn’t at all amused at how anxious she looked. “Looking at you is even making me nervous now.”
Pei Ying’s voice was a bit shaky as she said, “Who wouldn’t be nervous about meeting a boyfriend’s parents. When you meet my parents… There probably wouldn’t be anything to get nervous about, actually.”
When Song Nanchuan met her parents, she’d probably still be the nervous one…
Hearing her words, Song Nanchuan laughed. “I’d rather like to get together with your parents.”
Pei Ying, “….”
See. Here she was, going to formally meet his parents, and Song Nanchuan wanted to get together with her parents.
As they chat a bit, Pei Ying started to relax. But when the car arrived at the Song manor, her nervousness welled back up and she could hardly breathe.
The Song manor was even larger than Song Nanchuan’s villa back in A City. The greenery in the courtyard out front was neatly trimmed, and there was even a small fountain.
Song Nanchuan actually hadn’t lived in this place for very long. He’d gone abroad for school, and after he returned, he’d run off to A City. But compared to his villa, the Song manor was a much livelier place. Besides his parents, his two older brothers and his sister-in-law also lived here, along with seven or eight service staff.
After the car entered the estate, Pei Ying grew silent. Song Nanchuan grabbed her hand and tried to comfort her, “Don’t worry. No matter what, I’ll be here with you.”
“Mmh…”
“Come on, smile.”
Pei Ying raised her lips and smiled slightly.
Song Nanchuan chuckled. “A bit more naturally, won’t you?”
Pei Ying looked at him, and then she gave another smile. Song Nanchuan raised his lips. “Mmh, much better. Keep that smile on.”
Pei Ying maintained the smile for a few seconds, and then the car stopped. The housekeeper walked over swiftly and opened the door for Song Nanchuan. “Young Master, welcome home.”
Song Nanchuan smiled as he walked around to the other side. He opened the door for Pei Ying, “Ying Ying.”
He extended his hand to Pei Ying, who mechanically grabbed onto it and stepped out of the car.
The warmth of his hand calmed her slightly. From behind Song Nanchuan, the housekeeper greeted, “Ms Pei, h.e.l.lo.”
At first, Pei Ying was startled that the housekeeper recognized her, but after recalling her and Song Nanchuan’s many headlines, she found it quite understandable. She held the smile on her face, and nodded slightly. “h.e.l.lo.”
Song Nanchuan gave her 101 points and then led her forward. “Alright, let’s not stand out here. Are my parents home?”
The housekeeper responded, “Yes. They’re waiting for you and Ms Pei inside.”
“Mmh. Pei Ying’s gift for them is in the car. Help me bring it in.”
“Yes, sir.”
The housekeeper brought out the gift and followed them inside. Song Nanchuan held onto Pei Ying’s hand the entire time, keeping Pei Ying’s heart at ease.
Her heels clunked on the hardwood floor. It wasn’t very loud, but the sound echoed deafeningly in Pei Ying’s ears.
Sitting in the large living room were several people. Seeing them, Pei Ying’s breath tightened as she tried her best to keep a smile on.
After seeing the group of people in the living room, Song Nanchuan’s brows wrinkled. His eldest brother and sister-in-law were one thing, but even his second brother had come back for the entertainment.
With Pei Ying’s hand in his, they walked into the living room. He made introductions, “This is my father and my mother.”
Upon seeing them, Pei Ying showed her flight attendant smile, the one that she’d once practiced endlessly. “Uncle, Auntie, h.e.l.lo.”
Mr Song simply gave a light nod without saying anything. Mrs Song, on the other hand, returned her smile and said, “Ms Pei, h.e.l.lo. You look even prettier in real life, compared to on TV.”
“Thank you, Auntie. You’ve aged well too.”
Mrs Song’s lips moved, as if wanting to say something more, but Song Nanchuan pulled Pei Ying to the side, making more introductions. “My elder brother and his wife. You can just call them Elder Brother and Sister-in-law.”
Sitting on the sofa, the elder Song brother raised his eyes, as Pei Ying said, “Elder brother, Sister-in-law, h.e.l.lo.”
“h.e.l.lo.”
After they finished their greetings, Sister-in-law smiled at Pei Ying and said, “Ms Pei is really very pretty. No wonder Third Brother likes you so much.”
Song Nanchuan raised his brows and said, “I don’t like her just because she’s pretty.”
“Mmh. It’s because her legs are long too.” This comment was made by the second Song brother. Pei Ying had been thinking about how sweet and well-bred Sister-in-law was, and that she really fit the image of a young lady. But then her attention was pulled away by this sentence.
The elder Song had also chuckled at his comment, the two brothers seemingly very familiar with their younger brother’s tastes.
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Seeing Pei Ying look at him, Brother Two didn’t wait to stand up and extend his hand. “Ms Pei, h.e.l.lo. I’m Song Nanchuan’s second brother.” (t/n: I should just call him Second Brother, keeping with the pattern, but I just really wanted to call him Brother Two; it sounds so silly.)
“h.e.l.lo.”
Pei Ying extended her hand to shake, but was pulled back by Song Nanchuan quickly. “Alright, whose hand are you shaking. When you see him in the future, make sure to stay far away.”
“What kind of thing is that to say? Why should she stay away from me?”
“It’s nothing, really. I’m just afraid your girlfriends will misunderstand.”
Brother Two, “….”
After a moment’s silence, he turned to Pei Ying. “Ms Pei, don’t listen to his nonsense. I’m single right now.”
Song Nanchuan explained to Pei Ying, “He treats those girls like play things, not as girlfriends. That’s why he’s still single.”
Pei Ying, “….”
Brother Two, “….”
The eldest Song brother coughed and looked at them. “Alright, you guys. Mom and Dad are here right now.”
Hearing the brothers quibble, Mr Song scoffed. He looked at Song Nanchuan and said, “You’re not much better than Lao Er. After you went off to C City, you’re always in the headlines with some celebrity. The reporters even have a series about you two.” (t/n: Lao Er, or literally “old two,” is what the parents call Brother Two. They do the same thing with the other sons too.)
Song Nanchuan, “….”
A certain point caught Brother Two’s attention—”Dad, I told you not to call me Lao Er!”
“Alright, that’s enough from all of you. Nanchuan and Ms Pei have come all the way from A City. They must be hungry, and it’s just the time for lunch. Let’s eat.” Mrs Song tried to smooth things over and pushed everyone to the dining room.
Meals here were different from the deliveries they ate at Song Nanchuan’s villa. Here, there was a professional chef responsible for making three meals a day. Because Song Nanchuan and Pei Ying were visiting, lunch was a bit more luxurious that day.
Pei Ying ate following Song Nanchuan’s guidance, keeping a refined demeanor the entire meal. Whether or not she was full was a secondary matter.
Although her stomach had to suffer a bit, she was able to gain Mr and Mrs Song’s approval. Mrs Song drank her bowl of soup and asked Pei Ying, “Ms Pei, you must be very busy. I heard that you accepted the lead female role in The Performer.”
Pei Ying nodded and replied, “It’s true I’ve been busy recently, but our work schedule is usually more flexible.”
Brother Two, who was sitting diagonally across from her, raised his brow at her. “I heard you beat out Li Sisi and Ni Bai to get that role. That’s pretty impressive.”
“I just happened to find a suitable role. Of course, when it comes to experience, I still have a lot to learn about.”
Sister-in-law smiled and said, “Ms Pei, you’re too modest. I watched Season of Love, and you’re very good.”
“Thank you, Sister-in-law.” Pei Ying smiled back to her.
After Brother Two asked another round of questions, Mrs Song pulled their chat back around. “Ms Pei, what do your parents do? I heard Nanchuan say that you also have a younger brother.”
“Yes. My brother’s still in school, and he just started his fourth year of college. My parents are just ordinary workers.”
Brother Two jumped in again, “No big deal. My mother is a very thoughtful woman, and she doesn’t carry prejudices against someone’s background.”
Mrs Song shot him a look. “Why do you have so much to say? Do you always have to add on when I say something?”
Brother Two smiled at her, and then motioned that he would zip his lips.
“Alright, everyone, just eat. If you have things to talk about, talk after our meal.” After Mr Song spoke, the table quieted.
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After lunch, Elder Brother and Sister-in-law retreated to rest. Brother Two went out to who knows where. And Mr Song called Song Nanchuan to see him upstairs. With a frown, Song Nanchuan gave an uneasy look over to his mother and Pei Ying, still in the living room.
“What? Scared I’m going to eat up Ms Pei?” Mrs Song looked back at him with an expression that was both smiling and not. Song Nanchuan laughed and curried, “I was just thinking that you two looked like sisters.”
“Enough of your sweet talk. Hurry and go see your father. Why would you need to worry about Ms Pei staying with me?”
Song Nanchuan didn’t leave immediately, his gaze landing on Pei Ying. She smiled at him and said, “I’m fine.”
“Mmh.” Song Nanchuan gave a slight nod. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before heading upstairs.
Mrs Song and Pei Ying sat down on the living room sofa. She called for a few plates of dessert and a pot of tea, and then she started speaking with Pei Ying. “How did you and Nanchuan meet?”
Pei Ying responded, “I went to meet with the director, and he happened to be at the dinner as well. That’s how we met. Later on, when I was filming a drama that Universe had invested in, he came to the set. After meeting again, we slowly got to know each other.”
“So that’s how it happened.” Mrs Song nodded gently and then smiled. “What did you think of Nanchuan after you first saw him?”
Recalling her first meeting with him, Pei Ying couldn’t help laughing. “I thought he was such a gentleman the first time I saw him, very respectable. There were a lot of important people at the dinner, so I didn’t dare to eat freely. He noticed this and helped turn the table, so the food was in front of me. Even though it was just a small thing, I was really touched by it.”
When she finished, Mrs Song finally asked, “You and Nanchuan are doing well now, right?”
“Mmh, we’re good.” Pei Ying couldn’t stop her cheeks from blushing. Actually, she wanted to say that they were pretty much joined at the hip, and he was overcome with l.u.s.t…
Seeing Pei Ying’s embarra.s.sed expression, Mrs Song seemed to understand something. There was a moment of silence between them, and then Mrs Song stood up. She said to Pei Ying, “Are you interested in seeing my secret closet?”
Pei Ying was a bit confused. Secret closet? What was that?
“Of course, I’d be honored,” she responded with a sweet smile.