"Hold on, I'll talk later. I have something to do. You guys go ahead and eat."
Shen Lang couldn't stand his mom's nagging any longer and quickly retreated to his room.
Even though he'd been away from home for months, his room was still pretty tidy. The bedding and pillows were clean, so Shen Lang flopped onto his bed and started chatting with Su Lexuan.
"I'm at my parents' place. Do you want to come over and hang out? You can also meet my folks. {dog face}"
Zhuhai University is only a few kilometers away from Shen Lang's place, so Su Lexuan could get there in about ten minutes by taxi.
Shen Lang thought it would be nice for his parents to meet Su Lexuan, so they wouldn't keep pressuring him to find a partner.
Su Lexuan replied, "Oh? Isn't that a bit fast? I wasn't prepared at all."
"Prepared for what? It's just a meet-up. Plus, there's a nice park nearby. I'll take you there to have some fun later."
After sending that message, Shen Lang suddenly had another idea.
"Oh, and your roommates should be back by now. You can invite them over. I'll call up a few of my friends too. Let's have dinner together tonight and get to know each other."
Shen Lang's family had lived in this area for several years. It was Sunday, and his close friends lived nearby, so it was a good chance to gather everyone.
Shen Lang used to be socially anxious and reserved, with most of his friends being those he grew up with. He didn't have many new friends.
His friends were also single, so maybe some good connections could be made during the dinner.
"Okay, but should I bring something for your parents?"
Su Lexuan seemed to think of this as meeting her boyfriend's parents, so she didn't want to show up empty-handed.
"No need to bring anything. Just come, and we'll have some fun."
"No way. It's rude to show up empty-handed. I'll check Douyin to see what to buy for your parents."
"Alright, just give me a call when you arrive."
After ending the chat with Su Lexuan, Shen Lang went to the group chat for the "Share the Joy and Trouble" club.
One Sleeper: "@Everyone, my dear sons, I'm back. I'm treating everyone to dinner tonight."
"Damn! You finally decided to come back? Did you forget about your old man after finding a girlfriend?"
"Shit! Can I skip tonight? I feel like you're gonna feed me dog food!"
"@One Sleeper, where are the pictures of the girlfriend? Why not share them in the group so we can see?"
One Sleeper: "You'll find out when you get here. Gotta go, dad's off to eat!"
After chatting with his friends for a while, Shen Lang suddenly noticed a faint pleasant scent on his bed.
He didn't think much of it. His mom, Cheng Lijuan, was a clean freak, so it could just be air freshener from when she cleaned his room.
"What are you doing?"
As soon as he opened the door, he bumped into his sister, Shen Linlin.
"What do you mean, 'what am I doing'? I came to get you for dinner."
Shen Linlin snorted disdainfully and gave a barely noticeable glance at Shen Lang's small bed.
"Mom, we might need an extra set of dishes."
Shen Lang didn't think much of it and went around Shen Linlin to talk to Cheng Lijuan, who was serving dishes.
"I've got a friend coming over later."
"Is it Xiao Fan?"
Cheng Lijuan asked disinterestedly and couldn't help but comment, "He sure knows how to pick his timing, showing up just before dinner."
Cheng Lijuan knew about Shen Lang's friends, who lived nearby, and there were some connections between their parents as well.
"Hehe, you'll know when they arrive."
Shen Lang left it as a mystery, stretched lazily, and plopped down on the sofa.
"Didn't notice, huh?"
Shen Linlin glanced at Shen Lang on the sofa and then quietly went into his room.
"Came back without even a hello. Almost forgot about you."
Shen Linlin, her face flushed with embarrassment, quickly grabbed her pajamas from under her pillow and sneaked back to her room to put them away.
"My dear brother~"
Not long after, Shen Ranan, with a concerned expression, sat next to Shen Lang on the sofa, holding an ear-cleaning tool and patting her lap.
"Here, let me clean your ears for you."
Shen Lang wasn't fooled by her act. He lay down comfortably on Shen Ranan's soft lap.
"Stop with the sweet talk. I know you too well. Hand over your phone."
Shen Ranan pouted, pretending to be upset: "What? Is this how I am in your eyes?"
"Fine, I'm leaving tomorrow anyway."
Shen Lang pretended to get up, "If you don't want it, don't come looking for me tomorrow."
"Want it!"
Shen Ranan quickly grabbed Shen Lang's head and pressed it onto her slender legs, then opened her phone, showing a full shopping cart, smiling as she handed the phone to Shen Lang and sweetly said, "Hehe, you're the best, brother."
Shen Lang was taken aback: "What the hell! 12,000? Are you getting married, Shen Ranan?"
"Oh, come on, brother~ You don't know how many things we need!"
Shen Ranan whined, shaking Shen Lang's hand: "Please, brother, buy them for me~"
"This little bit of money is going to be drained by you sooner or later."
Shen Lang rolled his eyes at Shen Ranan but still helped her clear the cart. After all, she was his sister.
"Yay, you're the best, brother!"
Shen Ranan excitedly grabbed her phone, fidgeted a bit, and then pushed Shen Lang's head away without hesitation.
Shen Lang scolded: "Damn, that was quick!"
"Oh, brother, I just did my nails yesterday. I can't move too much. I'll help you next time."
Shen Linlin, grinning and holding her phone, eagerly shared her newly bought items with her roommates.
"Next time, I'll believe you only if I'm a dog!"
Shen Lang grumbled as he got up to get ready for dinner.
"Will you help me clean my ears after dinner?"
Shen Linlin glanced at the grumpy Shen Lang and said, "Just remember to clear my shopping cart too."
"Forget it. You almost pierced my eardrum last time."
Shen Lang made a face and said, "Just send me the link later."
He had never shown favoritism to either sister. Since he helped one clear her shopping cart, he had to do the same for the other.
"Damn!"
Instead of being happy, Shen Linlin sarcastically said, "Just because you have money, you think you're so great!"
"Hehe, sorry, but having money is what makes me great."
Shen Lang shrugged, and Shen Linlin, annoyed, kicked at him but missed because Shen Lang dodged: "Hehe, you missed!"
"Hey, how old are you all?"
Cheng Lijuan looked at the bickering family members and said, "Hurry up and wash your hands for dinner!"
"Ding dong!"
Just as the family settled at the dinner table, the doorbell rang.