199: Big scumbag - 2 (more updates)

In the car, Jiang Ye drove toward the restaurant he had reserved, secretly observing his mother's expression through the rearview mirror.

He had actually been considering this matter for a while.

His romantic life was, ultimately, his own business; he didn't need to report it to anyone or care what others thought.

As long as he and the Girls felt comfortable and at ease with each other, that was better than anything.

However, there was one person whose feelings he couldn't ignore: his mother, Xu Man.

He didn't want to keep hiding things from his mother and operate secretly. At the same time, it wasn't fair to the Girls who were with him to keep them in an "invisible" state.

After much thought, he realized he needed to find a suitable time for his mother to accept the fact that her son was a "Big Scumbag."

Today, using the pretext of picking up the car and bringing Su Ning along to meet her, was a good start.

Jiang Ye lightly coughed, breaking the slightly silent atmosphere in the car, and proactively brought up a topic:

"Mom, didn't you say on the phone just now that you brought her a gift? What good stuff did you bring? Let me see it?"

"???"

Xu Man, who was silently observing the two people in the front seat, instantly widened her eyes when she heard this.

This Stinky Kid! How dare he bring that up himself?

If you hadn't given me a heads-up, the gift I brought would definitely have been for Xiao Ye! How was I supposed to know a Xiao Su would suddenly pop up in your passenger seat?!

Seeing that Su Ning also looked completely thunderstruck, she cursed her son eight hundred times internally, but maintained a calm demeanor, even making her smile more amiable.

She pulled an exquisite jewelry box from her bag and handed it forward with a smile:

"Oh, right, right, look at my memory. Xiao Su, Auntie went to Harbin, and I saw this little necklace on Central Street. It was quite unique, and I thought it was perfect for young Girls like you. It's just a small token, please don't mind it."

Su Ning was overwhelmed by the favor, quickly accepted it with both hands, completely surprised that she actually received a share.

"Thank you, Auntie! You are too kind!"

She carefully opened the jewelry box. Inside lay a beautiful, simply designed gold-plated necklace.

Just as she was about to smile and say, "I love it," her gaze suddenly fixed on the pendant—it was a small, lock-shaped pendant clearly engraved with two letters: YC.

The smile on Su Ning's face instantly froze, and her toes unconsciously curled inside her shoes.

"Oh, that..."

Xu Man's expression didn't change; her smile remained gentle, even carrying a hint of maternal affection:

"That's the abbreviation for 'Ye Chong' (Wild Pet). Auntie specifically chose it, meaning that this Xiao Ye will always dote on you and treat you like a treasure. You are Xiao Ye's..."

"Pfft—cough, cough, cough..."

Jiang Ye, who was driving, couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing, quickly covering it up with coughs.

Su Ning, holding the necklace engraved with "Y.C.," also wore an expression that was a mix of tears and laughter. Accepting it felt wrong, but refusing it felt wrong, making her expression quite spectacular.

Xu Man watched her son trying to hold back his laughter, felt her teeth itch with irritation, and couldn't help but lean forward and poke him:

"What are you laughing at! Drive your car!"

This damn Big Scumbag!

I'm here racking my brain, lying through my teeth to cover for you, and you have the nerve to sit there grinning?

Will you only be satisfied if you cause a Shura Field?

Jiang Ye took the jab, suppressed his laughter, and watched his mother's gritting teeth in the rearview mirror. He felt the time was right; if they kept acting, Su Ning would truly want to sink into the ground.

"Mom, it's fine. Su Ning knows Ye Cheng."

"...?"

Xu Man's furious expression immediately froze. She looked at Jiang Ye in astonishment, then at Su Ning in the passenger seat.

Su Ning glanced at Jiang Ye's profile. Seeing him nod, she braced herself and followed his lead:

"Yes, Auntie, Ye and I... cough, Sister Ye and I... we both know about each other."

Xu Man: "??"

Know about each other?

She was utterly stunned.

Know? To what extent? Know about each other's existence? And then what? Peaceful coexistence?

How... how is this possible?

Taking advantage of his mother's brain being momentarily frozen, Jiang Ye quickly continued his speech, trying to set the tone:

"Mom, today Su Ning and I picked up the car together, which was great. Since you called, I thought I'd take this opportunity to briefly tell you about this matter. We... well, we're together."

"They are all very good Girls, and I will cherish them. See how much easier this makes things for you? You won't have to worry about your son's marriage all day, nor will you have to rush for grandchildren."

"Oh, right! Doesn't the country encourage three children now? Maybe in a few years, you'll have three grandchildren surrounding you, calling you Grandma."

With that output, the core message was delivered, though the method was a bit simple and crude.

After Jiang Ye finished speaking, he quietly took a breath, stopped talking, and nervously observed his mother's reaction through the rearview mirror.

"..."

Xu Man opened her mouth. This excessively massive and avant-garde amount of information instantly plunged her brain into a temporary blank state.

She looked at her son in the front, who seemed focused on driving but was actually nervous, and then at Su Ning next to him, who seemed shyly bowed but was actually so embarrassed she was about to shrink away. She vaguely guessed her son's intentions.

This kid was using this method to inform her about his "shocking" romantic life, hoping she could accept it.

But... how could she accept this?! This was absolutely mind-blowing!

It took her several minutes to barely digest the key phrases before she slowly spoke:

"Son... Mom has a few questions she'd like to ask."

Seeing that his mother had responded and hadn't immediately started scolding him, Jiang Ye felt half the weight lift from his heart.

Alright, as long as she was willing to communicate, there was hope.

He understood Comrade Xu Man. She could be considered a representative of the independent women of the new era. If this had happened to his Dad, it definitely would have resulted in a full-blown physical fight.

But... she was also a fiercely protective mother. Her bottom line and tolerance for her son often exceeded common sense.

Cough... Besides, it was 2026; this wasn't anything shameful... Jiang Ye slowly pulled the car over, put it in Park, turned around, and looked seriously at his mother in the back seat:

"Mom, go ahead."

He then mentally prepared himself to receive the The Old Jiang Family's traditional art form—the Roast.

Xu Man looked at her son's appearance, feeling both annoyed and amused, and began counting on her fingers as she started questioning:

"Mr. Jiang Ye, may I ask: does the 'we' in 'we're together' that you just mentioned refer to... three people?"

"'They are all very good Girls.' Don't you think the use of 'they' and 'all' here is a bit... abrupt and surreal?"

"Yes, I admit, given your developmental trajectory, I certainly don't need to worry about you being a bachelor. But may I trouble you to tell me which lawyer I should contact the day you get locked up for bigamy?"

"And that three-child policy... is there a possibility that the country meant for one woman to have three, not several women to have three..."

Xu Man paused, her expression suddenly turning extremely strange, as if she had thought of an even more horrifying possibility. Her eyes instantly widened further:

"Wait... several women... three children... besides Xiao Ye and Xiao Su, is there... another one?!"

Jiang Ye inwardly clicked his tongue, having to admire his mother's sharp intuition.

He had originally intended to use this opportunity to pave the way for Lin Wanxing as well, giving his mother a preemptive warning.

Moreover, once the number "3" was thrown out, given his mother's intelligence, she would certainly realize that there would likely be more than just these three in the future.

He nodded, just about to open his mouth to admit, "Mom, I..."

"Big Scumbag, shut your mouth!"

Xu Man abruptly raised a hand, cutting him off, and turned to look at Su Ning:

"Xiao Su, you tell me! Auntie believes you are an honest child. Does this Big Scumbag... have another one?"

"Uh..."

Su Ning glanced at Jiang Ye. Seeing him nod slightly, she instantly understood what he meant.

She immediately felt immense pressure and her scalp tingled, but under the scorching gaze of Xu Man, she could only grit her teeth and quietly added:

"A-Auntie, there's... there's also a Xiao Lin... named... named Lin Wanxing."

Xu Man's breathing suddenly hitched, and she was completely petrified.