Extra 2.1

Since Ji Lin mentioned that he had a girlfriend and wanted to bring her home for inspection, Ms. Meng became concerned. She thought that meeting her son’s girlfriend, and possibly future daughter-in-law, for the first time required her to present herself in the best possible light. She couldn’t afford to lose in terms of aura.

For the next ten days, she applied a SK-II face mask every morning, afternoon, and evening, performed eye massages, desperately engaged in fitness yoga, and even started controlling her sugar intake. She aimed to quickly shape her body and believed she had embarked on a journey of self-improvement. 

With good news, spirits soared. Thinking of her son, who had been single for many years, finally having a partner, Ms. Meng felt proud and couldn’t help but want to show off. As she walked through the community, she spotted her neighbor, Mrs. Huang, who was also her rival in a way. Mrs. Huang had a son of a similar age, although her son was far inferior to Ji Lin. However, if they were to compare their sons within the entire villa community, Mrs. Huang’s son would be the only one who could put up a fight against Ji Lin. Despite the fact that Mrs. Huang’s son couldn’t compare to Ji Lin in terms of appearance, physique, or work ability, he did have one advantage over her son—

He got married early! He even had children early!

A few years ago, when Mrs. Huang’s daughter in law gave birth to her first child, she had endured countless instances of Mrs. Huang’s flaunting tone. Now, to her surprise, Mrs. Huang’s daughter in law had even given birth to her second child. As Mrs. Huang went door-to-door distributing ceremony candies, she intentionally addressed Ms. Meng with an air of superiority: “Sometimes, having an exceptional child isn’t necessarily a good thing. You see, when a child is too outstanding, they tend to have a high self-opinion, can’t grasp their position, and look down on others. In the end, they become unable to settle for less or aim higher, resulting in delaying their own progress. By the way, how old is your son? He must be in his thirties, right? You better hurry up, my dear. Even if a boy is outstanding, as he ages, his value will depreciate…”

“…”

With Meng Xin’s competitive and ambitious personality, she naturally felt infuriated by Mrs. Huang’s remarks. However, she was helpless since her own son was not living up to expectations and indeed didn’t have a partner. Meng Xin couldn’t find a more effective way to retaliate other than emphasizing that men should prioritize their careers. 

But now…

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Lso lhlauvbkdt oyp ekqqlaldv!

Lso vbyv bla psd bye y tkazqaklde, Yp. Yldt qlzv vakwxrbydv. Ebld pbl pyo Yap. Twydt, pbl nbydtle bla ralhkswp yvvkvwel sq yhskeydnl yde nsdqkeldvzu oyzjle wr vs bla.

“Dkys Twydt, es usw jdso…”

Tsolhla, clqsal Yp. Yldt nswze csypv ycswv bla psd yzps byhkdt qswde y ryavdla, Yap. Twydt lytlazu kdvlaawrvle bla.

“Dkys Yldt, es usw jdso? Zswa psd byp y tkazqaklde!”

???

Gzvbswtb Yap. Twydt pllxle tldwkdlzu byrru, Yldt Dkd clnyxl wdbyrru kdpvlye.

Ls, bla psd bye fwpv xldvksdle qkdekdt psxlsdl vs bla. Tso eke vbkp Yap. Twydt rlapsd jdso?! Ebyv tyhl bla vbl aktbv vs jdso vbkp nsdqkeldvkyz kdqsaxyvksd vbyv Yldt Dkd bye fwpv zlyadle?!

Meng Xin’s face tensed. “Who told you?”

Mrs. Huang, brimming with excitement and gossip, said, “No one told me. I saw it with my own eyes. I just came back from the supermarket and saw your son walking with a girl. They were holding hands, and when they reached the corner of the stairs, thinking no one was there, they even kissed passionately. Oh my, it made me blush…”

“…”

Indeed, there was a supermarket near the villa community. If Mrs. Huang had just seen Ji Lin, then it wouldn’t be long before they arrived…

But Meng Xin’s curiosity overwhelmed everything else. She couldn’t wait to meet this girl and subconsciously asked, “What does she look like? How tall is she? Is she attractive? Does she have fair skin?”

Mrs. Huang’s face lit up. “She’s particularly beautiful, quite tall, with fair skin. She looks like a little star. Xiao Meng, I didn’t expect your son to go after beauty. Girls like that don’t seem like they’d be good at household chores. They spend money recklessly. Ah, I can only say your son is still too young. He doesn’t know what it takes to build a life. Look at my daughter-in-law. She’s both virtuous and gentle…” Mrs. Huang continued to praise her own daughter-in-law while subtly belittling Ji Lin’s girlfriend. Then she suddenly remembered something. “Wait, Xiao Meng, you haven’t met this girl yet? Why are you asking me what she looks like?”

That’s right… Ms. Meng thought angrily. She indeed hadn’t met this… little vixen!

She now felt a surge of anger. She didn’t expect her son, after all the twists and turns, to end up with a little star! What can a little star do?! Besides eating, drinking, and having fun, what else can they do? Take selfies all day long! And even hugging, cuddling, and kissing in public. Meng Xin knew her son well. He was always reserved when it came to emotions. In the past, he would never have acted like this in public… This… He must have been enchanted by this little wench, infatuated with her appearance and body…

But one should not expose their family’s faults, nor show weakness in front of others. Ms. Meng immediately turned her head, pretending to be calm, and said, “I haven’t met her? How is that possible! My son introduced her to me right from the beginning. I’m just asking to see if your judgment aligns with mine.” Ms. Meng pursed her lips. “But obviously, our perspectives differ. She’s not some little star. She’s also an industry elite. It’s just that many people have narrow-minded views. They see her as just a pretty face. But in reality, my son’s girlfriend is just exceptionally beautiful…”

Ms. Meng said this with confidence. She thought, isn’t it the same with Bai Duanduan? She looks enchanting, but in the end, she’s been well-behaved, working diligently at her job in her son’s law firm from nine to five. Who said that good looks necessarily mean being a little star? Look at Bai Duanduan. Isn’t her appearance comparable to that of a little star? She’s quite down-to-earth and hasn’t tried to use her looks for anything…

With that thought, ah! Ms. Meng felt a bit dejected. If her son really ended up with a little celebrity, it would be better to let Bai Duanduan have him at a bargain price!

*******

With a grand farewell to Mrs. Huang, Meng Xin returned home and prepared herself for the upcoming encounter. The supermarket mentioned by Mrs. Huang wasn’t far from the villa area, about ten minutes away. Soon, she would be able to meet Ji Lin’s girlfriend, who shamelessly displayed their affection in public.

Meng Xin felt a mixture of anger and confusion. Emotionally, she had developed a slight aversion to this woman, feeling that being good-looking wasn’t everything. How did her son, who used to be so composed, suddenly become like a negligent ruler? She wondered if there was something she could do to intervene and bring her son back to his senses. However, rationally, Meng Xin believed that she shouldn’t meddle in her son’s relationship. After being single for so long, her son finally found someone he liked. If she were to ruin it for him, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t remain alone for the rest of his life…

As Meng Xin struggled with her conflicting thoughts, the doorbell rang.

They had arrived!

Meng Xin tidied herself up, cleared her throat, straightened her posture, and then gracefully and gently opened the door. “Hello, I am Ji Lin’s…” However, as Meng Xin stared at the person outside the door, her eyebrows furrowed.

There was no one else outside the door, only Bai Duanduan.

Just Bai Duanduan alone.

So it wasn’t Ji Lin bringing his girlfriend home, but Bai Duanduan coming to supervise her exercise…

Meng Xin immediately let out a sigh. “Why is it you, Xiao Bai?”

Bai Duanduan smiled sweetly. “It’s me, Aunt Meng.”

As soon as Meng Xin saw Bai Duanduan, she dropped her pretenses. She lifted her head and relaxed her stomach that she had worked so hard to hide. Then she casually sat down on the sofa. “What have you been busy with lately? It’s been a while since you last came. Do you have any new bags or shoes to recommend to me?”

Originally, this topic would undoubtedly have elicited a strong resonance from Bai Duanduan. However, for some unknown reason today, Bai Duanduan remained surprisingly calm. “Oh, Aunt Meng, I forgot to mention that I’ve turned over a new leaf. I’ve decided not to buy luxury goods anymore. Photography has made my family poor for three generations. Buying bags ruins lives.”

“…”

Meng Xin clearly had trouble accepting this development. She didn’t know what had triggered Bai Duanduan, but…

Bai Duanduan talked, but Meng Xin keenly noticed that Bai Duanduan was still wearing the luxury items she had recently praised, the same ones that Ji Lin intended to buy for her… So Meng Xin irresponsibly speculated that Bai Duanduan’s talk of turning over a new leaf was simply due to feeling guilty after spending a large sum of money, similar to those who complain about needing to lose weight after eating too much—it’s just empty talk.

“But Xiao Bai, what have you been busy with lately?” Meng Xin’s tone carried a hint of reproach. “You haven’t come to see me.”

“I’ve been busy with love, Aunt Meng.”

!!!