"Why are you back?"
Mu Junze caught sight of the things in her hands and stepped forward to take them.
Up close, Meng Nianchu noticed beads of sweat on his high - bridged nose.
Could he have rushed back just for this?
Thinking this in her heart, she opened her mouth and asked, "Did you rush back in a hurry?"
After putting the gifts in the trunk, Mu Junze opened the car door. He placed his big hand on the top of the car to protect Meng Nianchu as she got into the back seat. Stubborn as ever, he firmly denied it. "I just finished my work."
Meng Nianchu knew Mu Junze's personality well, and his answer was within her expectation. She caught sight of the high - end red wine and precious pastries on the front passenger seat. She pursed her lips and let out a soft snort.
The Meng family's residence was in a quiet and secluded suburb. After a half - hour smooth drive, they finally arrived.
Tall, lush trees stood in front of the European - style villa, blocking the desolate starry sky. Specks of silver moonlight fell on the black iron gate, and the familiar smell from the past rushed towards them.
Meng Nianchu took a deep breath. She clenched her slender hand into a fist, suppressing the excitement in her heart. Slowly opening the door, she called out with a beaming smile, "Dad, Mom, I'm back!"
People who haven't seen each other for a long time always cherish the reunion. When Meng Nianchu saw her beloved father and mother again, tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn't hold back her emotions.
"Why are you crying, child? Everything's fine." Meng's mother held Meng Nianchu's small hand and led her to sit on the sofa. With a kind face, she teased her.
Meng Nianchu held back her tears and squeezed her mother's hand. She said excitedly with a smile, "I haven't seen you for a long time. I missed you."
"You silly child. If you miss home, just come back. Why are you crying? You're not a kid anymore."
"Your mother has cooked your favorite dishes. Eat more later. I can see you've lost weight." Meng's father, who had been waiting eagerly on the side, finally got a chance to speak.
Meng Nianchu nodded vigorously. "Okay!"
Mu Junze was quite considerate. Seeing Meng Nianchu chatting with her parents, afraid that his presence would make them uncomfortable, he put the gifts on the table and quietly stepped back to a corner, becoming an invisible person so as not to disturb them.
A few minutes later.
Suddenly, a brisk footsteps sounded, interrupting the warm family chat. Meng Rong barged in rudely.
She spotted Mu Junze sitting alone in the corner at a glance. A look of surprise flashed across her eyes, and she quickened her steps to sit beside him.
"I heard there are many projects in the company recently. You must be exhausted." She asked eagerly.
Mu Junze didn't even look at her.
Meng Nianchu answered Meng Rong, her words cold and full of hostility.
"I'll take care of him when he's tired. You don't need to worry, sister."
Meng Rong's smile froze and then sank.
After a simple exchange of greetings among the family members, Meng Rong saw that Meng Nianchu had a good relationship with their parents. Unwilling to be ignored, she complained about being hungry and abruptly ended the conversation.
Helplessly, Meng's mother served the food.
Meng Rong picked up a piece of fish first and put it into Mu Junze's bowl.
"This fish tastes extremely delicious. You've been so overworked recently. Eating more is good for your health."
Then she picked up another side dish and put it in Mu Junze's bowl as well. "This dish also tastes great. Eat more. Have you been having a poor appetite recently? You seem thinner than before."
Bite after bite, Meng Rong kept picking dishes and chattering shamelessly. Mu Junze's temper was getting worse and he became increasingly impatient.
Meng Nianchu forced a smile. She took Mu Junze's bowl and placed it in front of herself, then handed her small bowl to Mu Junze. "Junze has a cleanliness fetish and doesn't like others to pick food for him. You haven't known him for long, so you don't know this. Just eat your own food."
Her voice was soft and gentle, and others couldn't detect anything strange.
But Meng Rong was extremely angry. "How can I be an outsider? I'm also a member of the Meng family, Junze..."
"After all, I'm Junze's wife." Meng Nianchu said casually. "Of course you're an outsider, sister."
As she was speaking, Mu Junze peeled the shell of a drunken shrimp and put the shrimp meat to Meng Nianchu's lips. "You like this, don't you?"
Meng Nianchu glanced at him, a smile in her eyes, and obediently took a bite.
"Thank you, husband."
Mu Junze enjoyed Meng Nianchu's blatant show of affection.
Meng Rong raised her voice, discontented and sarcastic. "Nianchu, you're not a child anymore. Can't you even peel a shrimp by yourself? You need someone to feed it to you. If others see this, they'll think you're spoiled and your family doesn't discipline you well."
"She only eats the ones I peel."
Mu Junze retorted forcefully.
These simple words hit Meng Rong hard, leaving her speechless for a long time.
Meng Nianchu was naturally delighted. She accepted the shrimp peeled by Mu Junze and glanced at Meng Rong, who was fuming but dared not say anything. A mischievous smile appeared on her lips.
She took out a piece of tissue and wiped the corner of her mouth. Then she pressed on and brought up another thorny issue. "I haven't heard you mention anyone you like for such a long time, sister. You've met so many actors while filming. Isn't there even one you like?"
"Of course not." Meng Rong said coyly, stealing a quick glance at Mu Junze. "Of course not. I'm not a vain girl who only thinks about love. I focus on my career. I'm not considering love for the time being. My new drama is about to start filming. I have a bright future ahead."
When mentioning her new drama, her expression was self - satisfied and her words were haughty.
Meng Nianchu snorted disdainfully and turned to talk to her mother.
"Mom, sister is not young anymore. She should think about getting married. Otherwise, with her age and all the negative news about her on the Internet, people might think there's something wrong with her."
"Even if we don't talk about that, as your daughter - in - law, I often come back with Junze. If people see sister taking such good care of Junze, there will surely be gossips."
"Meng Nian..."
Meng Nianchu cut Meng Rong off. "If I didn't trust Junze to be a decent man, I might even suspect that sister has some inappropriate thoughts about him because of her excessive care."
"I!" Meng Rong was so angry that she stammered. She widened her eyes and glared at Meng Nianchu angrily, wishing she could tear her mouth apart!