Lily smiled, "It's time for you to get off work."
Brushing her cheeks with his thumb, he checked the time on his watch. "You've miscalculated."
"I didn't. See?" She tapped the surface of his watch as he pulled her into his embrace. With his eyes fixated on her, he replied, "Mmm. I see it. We have thirty seconds to spare. That's a lot."
"Oh? A lot of time for what?"
"For this." His lips softly embraced hers until the very last second was up.
Since walking back and forth would take up unnecessary time, Lily had already changed out of her hospital clothes. By the time Lin Que was ready to go, she had already been waiting outside his office. There was barely any traffic, so the ride to Lily's apartment was smooth.
This was the first time Lily had brought a male to her place, so she felt a bit nervous. She wasn't sure how clean her place has been since the last time she's been home. Upon entering her apartment, she took out a new pair of slippers from the shoe rack and placed it on the floor.
"You could change into these slippers. We shouldn't be here too long." She said as she slipped out of her shoes and changed into her pink furry slippers.
"Ah, Lily, you're back. Welcome, Lin Que!" Toby smiled as she brought out a pot of pig bone soup. Before Lily left the hospital, she had texted Toby and informed her about their arrival time. Since the flight was at midnight and everything was already packed, Toby decided to make dinner. Lin Que agreed to join their family dinner.
Lin Que asked, "Is there anything I could help with?"
Ginny coughed as her eyes watered from the spicy pepper scent from the stir fry beef and vegetable mix in the pan. "Yes! Can you help grab a big plate from the top cabinet to the left? I need to put the food on the plate."
"Sure," he replied as he walked to the cabinet Lily pointed towards and took out a large plate. He rinsed it with water and wiped it before handing it to Ginny.
"Thanks," Ginny said as she started organizing food on it. Meanwhile, Lily took out some lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, corn and whatever she could find in the fridge to the counter. Taking a clean knife, she started chopping ingredients. She turned around to Lin Que and ask, "Are you okay with ranch dressing for salad?"
"Sure, I'm not picky." He smiled at how fast she chopped everything and mixed them in the salad bowl. Within ten minutes, a presentable salad was finished and placed neatly on the table with the other dishes.
Lin Que sat next to Lily while Ginny and Toby seated across from the couple. It was a simple family meal with a balanced amount of meat and vegetables. Toby poured a bowl of soup for Lin Que and urged him to try it as she wasn't sure if it was to his liking.
"It's delicious," he smiled after taking a sip of the fragrant soup. It's been a while since he had tasted such great dishes since he lived alone. He was a decent cook, but would be too lazy to make food if he gets tired.
The dinner was joyful as everyone ate satisfyingly. At the end of the meal, Ginny and Lily competed the same way they always did. Even though Lin Que offered to wash the dishes, they didn't let him.
"It's fine. Let them do it. They're always like that." Toby watched as the girls rolled up their sleeves and turned on the water. Once the sound of water filled up the room, Toby said to Lin Que, "Don't forget what you promised me at the hospital."
Nodding seriously at her direction, he answered, "Definitely."
"Good." She stretched as she continued watching the girls scrub dirty plates with soap.
-Let's go back in time for a little bit-
That day, she purposely excused herself to allow Alan and Ginny to spend some time alone. When she got out of the elevator, she met Lin Que and decided to have a word with him. In his office, she straightforwardly asked him whether he was interested in Lily.
Toby: "Doctor Lin, as Lily's mother, I want the best for my daughter. As you already know my daughter just got out of a relationship. She's most vulnerable right now. Therefore, I want to make sure I am not overthinking things. Are you interested in dating my daughter?"
Lin Que straightened his back, "Yes. I like Lily and want to date her. I promise I won't do anything to force her into a relationship. Everything will depend on her at the end."
Toby smiled, "What if I say no?"
Lin Que thought about it for a few minutes before answering her. "Then I will show you my sincerity through how I treat Lily. Until I gain your approval, I will not date her. Instead, I will continue pursuing her."
Crossing her legs relaxingly, Toby continued questioning him. "Very well. So, I'll put you on trial for three years. After that, you two can date. Once I am satisfied with your performance, then I'll consider giving my daughter to you. What do you say?"
"No problem. I'll do as you say. I'll prove my sincerity within three years." He locked his fingers on his knees as she maintained his posture without a sign of hesitation.
Revealing a wide smile on her face, she clapped happily. "Very well! I approve. No need to wait three years. I always let Lily decide for her own choices, but I don't want to see her hurt. I approve for now, but whether you could grab a hold of her heart; that'll be your problem."
Dumbfounded by her words, his lips parted but no words escaped from it. She continued, "However, there is one condition for dating my daughter."
"What condition?"
"As her mother, naturally I would give her the best of everything. If you do her wrong in the future and hurt her, then I will force you two to break up by all means. Although I don't ask her about things, she doesn't want to talk about; it doesn't mean I'm clueless about it. I'm quite clear about what happened in her last relationship."
"I promise I won't do anything that'll hurt her or make her feel wronged. I might be unable to prevent her from getting upset or sad since there are ups and downs in a relationship, but I'll try my best to protect her. If she gives me the chance, then I won't let her go. I also won't let anyone have the chance of taking her away."
"Very well. Good luck to you then."
- Present -
It was around ten by the time everything was packed. Lin Que checked the route to the airport and noticed some traffic warnings. He suggested for them to leave early in case of any inconveniences along the way.
He smiled and took Toby's two suitcases to his car first. At these moments, there would be many things they want to talk about in private. Therefore, he went to start up the car first.
After he had left, Lily and Ginny gave Toby a tight hug.
Toby patted their backs, "Aiya! My two girls are this old, yet so clingy."
Lily smiled, "Mom. Have a safe trip."
Ginny squeezed Toby's hand, "Auntie, make sure to give us a call once you land. We'll miss you a lot."
Toby caressed their cheeks, "Okay. I will miss you two so much. Remember to have your meals and drink more tea. Take good care of yourselves while I'm gone. Let's not have Lin Que wait too long."
"Mm. Let's double check everything and then leave." Lily nodded and listed everything Toby needed.
After everything was ready and taken, the three of them exited the apartment and walked hand in hand to Lin Que's car.