"I… I don't even know," Su Lexuan mumbled, looking downcast. It was pretty clear she was worried her parents wouldn't approve of their relationship.
Leaving the elevator, Shen Lang took Su Lexuan for a walk around the park near their apartment. The park had an artificial lake that stretched out wide, its surface reflecting the surrounding trees and flowers like a giant mirror.
Su Lexuan seemed pretty upset, probably stressing over how to tell her parents about her relationship with Shen Lang. She was concerned about whether her parents would agree to her continuing to date him.
"Avoiding it won't help. You need to tell your parents about us," Shen Lang said firmly. "There's an old saying: 'The road will open when you reach the mountain, the boat will sink when it reaches the bridge.'"
"Ugh, you're my senior and you don't even know these common sayings?" Su Lexuan managed a small smile, feeling a bit better.
"Shen Lang, I've decided. I'm going to tell them about us tonight. If they don't agree…"
"If they don't agree, I'll sneak into your house every day and climb in through the window to see you," Shen Lang interrupted with a grin. "Tonight, I'll share a bed with you, and during the day, I'll sneak out through the window and make you pregnant with a big baby!"
"Gross! You think you're Romeo or something? Even Romeo didn't climb through windows!" Su Lexuan said, playfully hitting Shen Lang. Despite her words, she was smiling sweetly.
Since Shen Lang was Su Lexuan's first love and she was at that age where she loved romantic fantasies, she found his crude jokes oddly thrilling and looked forward to them.
So, Su Lexuan started telling Shen Lang all about her parents' personalities and how to handle them. She went on and on about her family background and other private matters.
Su Lexuan's family was quite wealthy. Although they weren't top-tier rich, they were well-off in the bustling city of Jianghai. Compared to Shen Lang's modest family, theirs was much better off.
Her mom, Zhang Chunling, ran a cosmetics company. Though not well-known, she had made quite a bit of money through e-commerce in recent years. Zhang Chunling was generally easygoing as long as it wasn't illegal; she was quite lenient about Su Lexuan's studies and social life.
Her dad, Su Zhendong, was a bit more challenging. He ran a courier company and had gotten into some trouble in the chaotic 2000s, even serving a two-year sentence. Most importantly, he was extremely devoted to his daughter, treating her like a princess and being very protective.
The thought of dealing with such a protective father made Shen Lang feel confident though, knowing he had his own advantages.
...
By around six in the evening, Shen Lang had reserved a table at a popular Cantonese restaurant on the commercial street and had sent the location to his close friends.
Su Lexuan's roommates had arrived, but they had trouble finding the restaurant due to the complex traffic. Su Lexuan had to go pick them up, leaving Shen Lang alone at the restaurant.
Before long, Shen Lang's four best friends showed up one by one. Two of them were his college roommates, Wen Jie and Zhao Zikang. The other two were childhood friends, Fan Haiyang and Tan Linfeng.
True to form, Shen Lang's friends were still the same guys from college, and they were just as nervous around girls as before.
"Damn, Shen Lang, did you get plastic surgery or something?"
"Two months ago you said you were working out. I thought you'd just been slacking off, but you really did make progress. I'm impressed!"
"Hey Shen Lang, where's your girlfriend? Why isn't she here for dinner?"
"Yeah, Shen Lang, bring your girlfriend over. We can help you judge her. Don't let her fool you like last time."
Their reactions were a mix of surprise and acceptance as they saw Shen Lang looking so different. Even though Shen Lang had changed a lot, his friends treated him the same way they always had.
"It's okay, she's just picking up some people," Shen Lang said, handing the menu to Tan Linfeng. "Don't blame me for not looking after you guys. My girlfriend's friends and roommates will be joining us, and they're all really pretty. It's up to you to make the most of it."
"Seriously? You're not going to share any pretty girls with us?" Tan Linfeng asked skeptically. "Is your girlfriend really prettier than her friends? I don't believe it!"
"She's the campus belle from Zhuhai University—the one who was all over Douyin recently, Su Lexuan. She's my girlfriend now," Shen Lang said, leaning back in his chair with a smug look.
"Haha, dreaming isn't so bad, right?" Wen Jie said, pushing up his thick glasses and chuckling.
"There are plenty of guys at Zhuhai University who are better-looking and richer than you. How could it be you?"
"Yeah, Shen Lang, stop kidding. Su Lexuan is a campus belle," Fan Haiyang said firmly. "If you really managed to get her as your girlfriend, I'll cover tonight's dinner and take you guys to Honglangman for a fun night."
"Forget it, I don't want to waste your money," Shen Lang shook his head. "Besides, I already have a girlfriend, so I'm not interested in those places."
"Come on, we know you too well," Zhao Zikang laughed. "You used to be too shy to talk to girls. Do you expect us to believe you're dating the campus belle Su Lexuan?"
"Shen Lang, we're here!" At that moment, Su Lexuan arrived with her roommates and best friend Ye Xinxin, looking bright and cheerful as they entered the private room.