130: Late but here it is (bonus chapter)

This earth-shattering shout startled Ye Cheng, who had been bowing her head to hide her embarrassment, causing her to jerk her head up and blurt out in a daze:

"Mom?"

Comrade Xu Man, who was standing by the bed wearing a hotel uniform with her hair up in a bun, was also stunned.

She looked at her son's shocked face in front of her, then glanced down at the faint, barely visible mark on the mattress, her tone tinged with uncertainty:

"Son?"

Ye Cheng stared at this bizarre scene, her brain completely short-circuiting. Subconsciously, she turned to Jiang Ye and repeated blankly, "Son?"

"...?"

Xu Man's gaze swept back and forth between Jiang Ye and Ye Cheng, especially noticing Ye Cheng's flushed cheeks and flustered appearance. She instantly realized what was happening.

She cleared her throat lightly, forcing a kind smile onto her face, and tentatively looked at Ye Cheng. "Dau... daughter-in-law?"

Ye Cheng blinked, pointing at herself. "Daughter-in-law???"

The three of them stared wide-eyed at each other. The air in the room seemed to freeze, leaving only an atmosphere named "peak awkwardness" silently spreading.

Jiang Ye's mouth twitched. He was the first to react, scratching his nose as he forcibly broke the silence:

"Ahem... cough, cough... Well, um, Mom, Merry Christmas!"

Xu Man: "..."

Jiang Ye quickly continued, trying to ease the awkwardness. "Mom, this... this is my girlfriend, Ye Cheng."

He then turned to the completely petrified Ye Cheng. "Cheng Cheng, this... this is my mom."

Only then did Ye Cheng snap out of her daze. She hurriedly bowed to Xu Man, so nervous her words stumbled. "A... Auntie, hello! Auntie, hello! I'm Ye Cheng!"

"Ah! Hello, hello, hello!"

Xu Man's face instantly lit up with an extremely warm smile. She stepped forward and took Ye Cheng's hand. "Hello, Xiao Ye! Really... oh my, what a pretty girl!"

After responding to Ye Cheng, she immediately turned her head and glared at her own son, instantly switching back to annoyed mode, letting out an exasperated huff:

"What are you still standing there for? You don't have to pay for this fitted sheet. Get lost now!"

Having said that, she looked back at Ye Cheng, her expression becoming amiable again. "Xiao Ye, I'm really sorry. Auntie's on duty right now. You young people go ahead and have fun. When you have time, I'll definitely have Xiao Ye bring you home for a meal. I'll cook you something delicious!"

Jiang Ye inwardly let out a huge sigh of relief, silently cheering, "Long live Mom!"

What he admired most about his mom was this: she hated awkwardness the most herself, yet also knew best how to prevent others from feeling awkward.

Jiang Ye quickly seized the opportunity. "Alright, alright! Mom, you go ahead and work. Cheng Cheng and I will be off now!"

As he spoke, he walked over to Ye Cheng, took her by the arm, and headed for the door.

Passing by Xu Man, Jiang Ye secretly gave his mom a thumbs-up, flashing a proud grin.

Xu Man gave him an annoyed jab with her elbow, lowering her voice with a laugh and a scold. "You little rascal..."

After Jiang Ye led the dazed Ye Cheng out of the room, Xu Man looked at the dark red stain on the mattress protector—a witness to history—her mouth twitching. Then, she couldn't help but let out a soft, gratified chuckle:

"This little rascal... all grown up now..." As she efficiently began removing and changing the bed linens, she nodded thoughtfully, muttering to herself, "Hmm... This girl seems nice. Pretty, and still a virgin in her twenties... Good, good."

————

Elsewhere, Jiang Ye and Ye Cheng dashed into the elevator.

Only when the elevator doors slowly closed, shutting out that incredibly awkward room, did the two of them finally let out long sighs of relief.

Immediately after, Ye Cheng's "revenge" arrived.

She swung her pink fists, venting her frustration with a flurry of blows on Jiang Ye's arm and back. Though not forceful, her mortification was palpable:

"Ahhhh! I'm going to die! How could Auntie be here?! Why didn't you tell me in advance?! So embarrassing!!!"

Jiang Ye raised his arms to block while defending himself plaintively. "I swear on my honor! You were the one who booked the place! Given the situation yesterday, did I dare say another word? Of course, we had to... ahem, 'get on board' first! Who knew it would be such a coincidence that my mom she..."

Ye Cheng thought about it and realized he had a point, but it still couldn't ease the burning embarrassment inside her. Her whole body felt numb.

Though she knew she'd have to meet Jiang Ye's parents sooner or later, she never imagined it would be in such a scenario!

And right after *that*!

The worst part was having her future mother-in-law personally wash that... that fitted sheet... Just thinking about it made Ye Cheng feel her toes curling so hard inside her shoes they could dig out a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment.

She realized that ever since meeting this guy beside her, the embarrassing situations she'd experienced had far surpassed the total of the past twenty years combined, and each one pushed the limits further than the last!

The two arrived at the front desk and quickly completed the checkout procedures.

Naturally, Comrade Xu Man didn't report the fitted sheet issue. Jiang Ye only had to pay for the extra bedsheet and that box of "Durex."

After settling the bill, the two walked to the hotel lobby's lounge area and sat down, preparing to call a ride.

Jiang Ye took out his phone, turning to ask Ye Cheng, "What's your specific home address? I'll call a car for you."

Ye Cheng was lowering her head, rubbing her flushed cheeks. After hesitating for a moment, she softly uttered a name. "Chenguang Welfare Home."

Jiang Ye's typing fingers paused slightly. He glanced up at her but didn't ask further, just nodded and continued operating his phone.

He specifically chose a six-seater business sedan—Ye Cheng hadn't slept well last night, so she could lie down a bit on the road to be more comfortable.

Naturally, the price was also considerably higher.

From the Conrad Hotel to County, a regular ride-hailing car would cost around seventy. A six-seater business sedan started at seven hundred.

However, for the current Jiang Ye, while he didn't yet have the big money for buying cars or houses, spending a few hundred or thousand to make someone close to him more comfortable was something he no longer hesitated over.

Meanwhile, Ye Cheng sat quietly beside him, watching the man carefully select the car model and service on his phone screen. He even wrote in the notes, "Passenger needs rest, please drive smoothly." Enjoying this somewhat clumsy yet utterly genuine care, the corners of her mouth unconsciously lifted.

Soon, a driver accepted the order—a Voyah Dreamer.

The car quickly arrived at the hotel entrance. The driver in a suit got out in advance and respectfully opened the car door.

Ye Cheng shouldered her backpack and walked to the car door. After a moment's thought, she turned and walked back.

She tilted her face up to look at Jiang Ye, pursed her lips, her cheeks slightly reddening. "Actually... you were pretty good last night."

"!!!"

Jiang Ye was internally ecstatic, but on his face, he feigned nonchalance and snorted:

"Obviously, you needed to say it? Hurry up and go. I need to get to making money! Next time, I'll make sure you're bedridden for three days and three nights!"

"Sure, I'll be waiting."

Ye Cheng clicked her tongue, her face full of disdain. "I hope next time, someone won't need me to carefully protect his pride anymore. After all, I'm not really fond of lying~"

"..."

Jiang Ye instantly narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning "dangerous."

Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, Ye Chen immediately turned around, trotted over, and ducked into the car, waving at him through the window.

The car started smoothly and drove away from the hotel.

Jiang Ye watched the receding taillights, let out a snort with a face full of exasperation, pulled out his phone, opened his WeChat wallet, glanced at the balance of 570,000 inside, then swiped his finger and tapped into Yaoyao's chat window.

Hmm... After finishing this wave of a million sound waves, it's time to have the second wife "ponder" again, see if there are any new tricks we can take advantage of.