Boss Lu: A reborn life is destined to be without regrets!
Chapter 474 - 344. An awkward yet polite encounter_2

Chapter 474: 344. An awkward yet polite encounter_2

Hair...

Not bad, not too messy.

Collar...

Flipped it over, neatly adjusted.

Fortunately, both of their rational minds were tightly strained, and it had only stayed at the level of kissing and hugging just now.

No hickeys, no disheveled clothes, no uncontrollable passion.

But to be suddenly blocked at home by the woman’s elders who came home early from work, this was definitely a supremely awkward situation that even someone like Mr. Lu, who had lived two lives, was experiencing for the first time.

At this moment...

What should he say?

Honestly, he didn’t know either.

"Mom, one of my classmates came to visit today, let me introduce you."

Faced with the circumstances, Zhong Ruixi had no choice but to adapt on the spot.

She had initially hoped to take some time to straighten out their appearance alongside Lu Jincheng before gracefully welcoming her mom home in the living room.

However, there were shoes in the hallway.

A pair of unmistakably conspicuous men’s winter sports shoes, clearly larger than size 40.

If she didn’t rush out to distract her mom, was she supposed to wait for them to knock and greet first?

"Hello, Auntie. I’m Lu Jincheng."

Hearing this, Lu Jincheng promptly emerged from the bedroom, politely nodded to the lady standing in front of him, and greeted her.

"...Hello, hello, Xiao Lu, right? I’ve heard Rui Rui mentioning you. Come, take a seat."

As the universally recognized face of Liao City First Middle School, Zhong Ruixi had virtually inherited all of her mother Ning Qin’s stunning features.

The tall and short mother-daughter duo stood before Lu Jincheng, and to someone unaware, they might even mistake them for sisters.

"Ah, thank you, Auntie."

Lu Jincheng flashed a shy smile as he obediently sat down on the sofa, his posture straight and proper.

Ning Qin, truth be told, was slightly surprised.

She hung her purse along with her coat on the living room’s rack, then glanced again at her guest and daughter’s expressions, and the answer she had in her mind became abundantly clear.

How familiar could a relationship between classmates be to bring a boy over to the house?

Something’s up.

But she didn’t outright say it.

Instead, she brewed some tea, brought out some fruit, and gently chatted with the guest as a friendly courtesy.

Lu Jincheng — this name was certainly not unfamiliar to Ning Qin.

Mother-daughter relationships typically tend to be closer; even if not everything was shared, the density of information exchanged was much higher compared to boys.

Ever since university entrance exam results came out and her daughter enrolled, Ning Qin had known that there was a high school classmate named Lu Jincheng among her future college peers.

Not to mention, during the winter break pickup at the station, she had spotted her daughter saying goodbye to a tall boy amidst the crowd.

As an elder and someone who’d been through life, she could see through many things at a glance.

"Xiao Lu, try this."

"Don’t be reserved; you and Rui Rui seem to have quite the connection. Both in high school and college at the same school, you’ll undoubtedly be helping each other a lot."

"..."

"Has your school already released the end-of-term grades?"

"You hid it well! If Xiao Lu hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t even know you’d earned a scholarship!~"

No matter the scenario, Mr. Lu remained Mr. Lu.

If it were any normal person caught off guard in such a situation with their future mother-in-law at home, they’d be mortified and stuck in embarrassment for quite a while.

But Mr. Lu just adjusted his mood slightly and skillfully blended into a conversation with the middle-aged woman.

The difficulty level was just right.

Using Zhong Ruixi as a segue, he and Ning Qin talked about everything from her interest in end-of-term grades, to university life, then geography in Jiang City, finally circling around to the cultural differences between the North and South.

Every topic subtly praised Zhong Ruixi, smoothing Ning Qin’s wrinkles into the rich air of her joyous smile.

Just as Ning Qin had stated, there were many aspects of her daughter’s life that she hadn’t shared at home.

Having a daughter studying away from home, no matter how many phone calls were made, couldn’t equal the firsthand knowledge of her experiences.

For instance, she was already the host representing her academy at various major events.

Or her outstanding performance in the White Horse Cup.

The daily college life, favorite foods, steady growth step by step — these quietly blossoming days were the scenery beyond Ning Qin’s view.

At first, the chat between Ning Qin and Lu Jincheng had merely been an exchange of pleasantries.

But gradually, she stumbled upon a truth.

With the three seated together, the topics were virtually led by Lu Jincheng, involving content everyone was interested in. There was almost no occurrence of awkward silence or discomfort.

Bright, cheerful, articulate, and engaging.

This was Ning Qin’s first impression of Lu Jincheng.

"Xiao Lu, why not stay here for lunch? I’ve bought more than enough food, and our family of three certainly can’t finish it all."

As the time approached noon, Ning Qin glanced up at the quartz clock in the living room and smilingly said to Lu Jincheng.

"No, no, Auntie. I have to head back for lunch. Next time, I’ll be sure to try your cooking."

Lu Jincheng stood up, quick to know when to quit.

Staying for lunch at this moment would plainly be inappropriate.

"Goodbye, Auntie~"

He put on his shoes, donned his coat, and waved with a smile, bidding farewell to Ning Qin.

Zhong Ruixi followed him downstairs to see him off.

The moment the apartment’s security door closed with a muffled sound, the man noticed Bai Yueguang’s face lighting up with a smile.

"Oh my God!"

"I almost died of fright..."

"You weren’t the least bit nervous?"

"You even chatted with my mom so happily. Wow, unbelievable."

Not until they stepped outside the old staircase did Zhong Ruixi raise her volume slightly.

"Who said I wasn’t nervous?"

Lu Jincheng pursed his lips, shot her a brief glance, and continued.

"Auntie already saw through our relationship. This was pretty much meeting the parents, wasn’t it?"

"My big toe was tense the whole time, terrified that I’d say the wrong thing and ruin her first impression of me."

"Hahaha, really?"

Zhong Ruixi giggled, her lips curling into a soft, adorable arc.

"You’re nervous like that too?"

"Of course."

"Though, my mom clearly thinks highly of you! You two talked for so long."

For reasons unknown, Zhong Ruixi seemed particularly cheerful right now.

Her feet shuffled briefly over the thin snow, sunlight reflecting on her fair skin and concealing joy in her little shadow.

"The timing wasn’t right."

At the community entrance, Lu Jincheng reached out halfway intending to hold her hand, then hesitated and stuffed it back into his pocket.

"No matter how harmonious the conversation, Auntie still wouldn’t want to see some unruly boy suddenly appear out of nowhere, flipping the cabbage she painstakingly raised for eighteen years upside down."

"Right there at home."

"Stop rambling, who’s unruly!"

Zhong Ruixi was still laughing, her eyes sparkling, teeth white, and hair tips shimmering under the sunlight.

"You were already here, why didn’t you stay for lunch?"

"Partly out of consideration for your dad’s feelings..."

Lu Jincheng hesitated for a moment, looked around, and finally took his partner’s little hand.

"And partly because I have a bi-weekly meeting this afternoon. I need to brief He Ying ahead of time."

"Alright."

Upon hearing there was work to attend to, Zhong Ruixi stopped probing further.

"Actually, I never understood, what exactly is Senior’s role at your company?"

"A very important role."

The man responded casually.

"Very important?"

"I just always felt like you treat Senior as if she’s your go-to helper... She’s the Student Union President, you know."

Regarding He Ying, Zhong Ruixi consistently upheld a stance of respect, support, but slight perplexity.

What puzzled her the most was why He Ying operated in such a way at work.

Capable of independently organizing large-scale events with universally praised execution, a highly competent senior appeared to be helping Lu Jincheng accomplish seemingly trivial tasks.

What was the point?

She could understand Mou Keyan.

She could understand others who worked for fame, for money, or for different reasons — those who joined Golden Stone Media as aspiring talents.

But as a junior who had genuinely crossed paths, collaborated for a period, and understood He Ying’s style, Zhong Ruixi truly couldn’t fathom why.

What was He Ying striving for?

Why did she try so hard?

"Student Union President?"

Lu Jincheng chuckled lightly, his tone composed.

"The title of Student Union President means nothing to her."

"What she truly desires is to escape the gravitational pull of mediocrity."