198: Big scumbag - 1

Jiang Ye's finger, which was sliding across the screen, paused slightly. Just as he was about to reply, his phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the screen, answered it, and Comrade Xu Man's energetic voice immediately rang out from the speaker:

"Son! I'm back! I've had my fill of Harbin; your old lady has returned in triumph!"

Hearing his mother's voice, Jiang Ye felt an instinctive urge to show off and be praised.

It was quite strange.

He rarely had a strong desire to show off in front of outsiders, but with his own mother, it was like wanting to rush home with a perfect test score for her signature when he was a kid; he just couldn't help but want to flex a bit.

"Mom, you've arrived in Shengtian? Where are you? Let me take you out to dinner to welcome you back."

"Sure! I'm just about to head to the hotel to end my leave. Let's meet at the hotel in a bit. Oh, by the way, I bought a gift for your partner too, so I'll give it to you then."

"Alright, I'll come pick you up at the hotel!"

As Jiang Ye spoke, he turned to look at Su Ning in the passenger seat, whose body had suddenly gone stiff and whose expression had become extremely complex. He asked on purpose:

"Are you coming?"

Su Ning's eyes widened instantly. She pointed at the center console screen, which was still in a call, then at herself, silently mouthing: "Me? I'm going too?"

Xu Man on the other end of the line was taken aback. "Eh? Are you with her? Then come together! Why even ask!"

Jiang Ye grinned. "Alright, Mom, just wait for me in the hotel lobby. I'm heading over to pick you up now. Hanging up, bye."

With that, he hung up the phone.

An eerie silence suddenly fell over the car.

Su Ning was full of disbelief and stammered, "Bi... Big brother, am I... am I really going? Is... is this appropriate?"

While setting the navigation to the Conrad Hotel, Jiang Ye said indifferently, "Why wouldn't it be? You don't want to go?"

"It's not that I don't want to go..."

Su Ning waved her hands frantically, struggling to organize her thoughts. She didn't know how to express the chaos in her heart.

Although she didn't want to admit it, from any perspective—identity, relationship, or status—wasn't she currently the representative of being 'illegitimate'?

What kind of 'Big Brother' would so brazenly take his 'online wife' or rather 'mistress' to meet his parents?

According to a typical script, shouldn't the 'Big Brother's' correct move be to let her off nearby and have her take a taxi home dejectedly?

She agonized for a long time until her face turned red, finally squeezing out a single sentence:

"The 'her' your mom mentioned just now... clearly wasn't referring to me, right? If I go... won't it be awkward?"

Jiang Ye looked at her flustered state and found it a bit funny. "It's fine, it's up to you. If you want to go, then go. If you don't..."

Hearing this, Su Ning felt a slight sense of relief. Just as she was about to go with the flow and say, "Then I'd better not go," she heard Jiang Ye leisurely add the second half:

"...If you don't want to go, I'll go pick up that 1r girl. Her family's Ramen Shop isn't far from here. I'll take her to dinner; my mom will definitely like her, she's a lively girl."

Su Ning's face instantly darkened, and she almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

This Dog man!!

Then why the hell did you even ask! This was clearly a threat! A blatant threat!

She couldn't help but let out a heavy 'Hmph,' reached out to pull the seatbelt, and buckled it with a 'click.' Then she took out her cushion foundation and lipstick from her small bag and began to carefully touch up her makeup in the visor mirror, expressing her choice through action.

Jiang Ye chuckled at her reaction, started the car, and headed straight for the Conrad Hotel.

————

An hour later, Jiang Ye's zeekr x pulled up steadily in front of the Conrad Hotel.

Not long after, Comrade Xu Man was seen walking out of the hotel entrance in high spirits, carrying a small suitcase.

Jiang Ye pushed open the car door and got out, raising his eyebrows triumphantly. He called out to her, "Mom! How is it? Check out your son's new ride! Isn't it handsome?"

As soon as Xu Man saw her son, she was amused by his showy attitude and couldn't help but mimic his eyebrow-raising gesture.

Then, her gaze moved from her son's smug face to the brand-new car, and then... to Su Ning, who was standing by the car, looking exquisite yet somewhat nervous and uneasy.

Xu Man's pace faltered slightly, but her smile remained unchanged. She walked over and gave Jiang Ye's arm a playful punch:

"Stinky Kid, look at you showing off just because you bought a car! How much did it even cost for you to be this arrogant?"

After saying that, she naturally turned her gaze toward Su Ning with a gentle smile: "And this is...?"

Su Ning looked up and met Xu Man's seemingly gentle but actually searching eyes. Her heart was a mess.

A mix of complaints, awkwardness, speechlessness, and nervousness intertwined.

Who am I? How should I introduce myself?

Jiang Ye's roommate? Friend? Or... online simp, offline sucker?

Should she just say, 'I'm his online wife and potential mistress'? She'd rather just vanish on the spot!

She was momentarily at a loss for words and froze there.

Just as Su Ning was struggling internally and on the verge of social death, Jiang Ye stepped forward with a smile and naturally put an arm around Su Ning's shoulder:

"Mom, let me formally introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Su Ning."

Girl... girlfriend? Me?

Su Ning was stunned for a moment, somewhat shocked and incredulous as she turned her head to look at Jiang Ye.

Seeing the encouraging and affirming expression on his face, the complex and tangled emotions in her heart seemed to be instantly washed away by a warm current.

She took a deep breath, tried to calm her racing heart, put on a sweet and well-behaved smile again, and bowed slightly to Xu Man:

"Hello, Auntie. I'm Su Ning, Jiang Ye's... girlfriend."

Xu Man's gaze suddenly became complicated.

Something was wrong!

Something was very, very wrong!

When they spoke on the phone a couple of days ago, this Stinky Kid had said Xiao Ye was at school preparing for exams and that they were doing great.

How could he have a different, beautiful, and even younger-looking girl by his side in just a few days? And he even brought her in front of her so openly?

However... now was clearly not the time to ask questions.

Xu Man suppressed her doubts and nodded at Su Ning with a smile. "Hello, hello. Su Ning, right? What a lovely name. Don't just stand there, let's go. Let's get in the car first and chat on the way."

Jiang Ye took his mother's suitcase and put it in the trunk.

Xu Man opened the rear door and sat inside.

Su Ning hesitated for a moment by the passenger door. Only after Xu Man was settled did she open the door and sit back in her seat.

Xu Man caught this small detail, and her eyes flickered slightly again.