Chapter 173 Who are you locking the door against?

“Hello, Doctor, the savior of lives,” the old man nodded approvingly.

Luoxia turned her head and gave him a faint glance. Are you going to start your internship? Has the hospital already assigned your placement?

“When Xiaxia said she wanted to study medicine, I was the first to support her,” her grandfather said.

When it came time to fill out college applications, Yu Wenjing and the others didn’t support her studying medicine. They thought her temperament wouldn’t suit it and that she wouldn’t succeed. But back then, her grandfather had confidently promised that his granddaughter would make it.

Luoxia felt a bit guilty. She had been studying for over a year now, often questioning herself—wondering if she wasn’t cut out for it, why she couldn’t keep going or do well. Maybe she should have listened to Yu Wenjing and chosen an art major instead, avoiding the exhausting struggle she had endured.

But… if she had, maybe he wouldn’t be here.

She glanced at Song Chengyi, who was chatting animatedly with her grandfather, took a bite of rice, and swallowed. It was all in the past; why dwell on it now?

The countryside night was pitch dark. Apart from the solar lamps in front of each house, there were no streetlights. Neither of them felt like going for a walk; after a long day, they just wanted to rest early.

“Chengyi, your room is next to Xiaxia’s. Grandma has already arranged it for you. If you need anything, just ask Xiaxia,” Yu Wenjing said as she led Song Chengyi upstairs. He had already brought up his suitcase with clothes to change into.

“You’ll need to shower a bit differently since this room doesn’t have a bathroom. Use Xiaxia’s room to wash up.”

“Alright, sorry for the trouble, Mom and Grandma,” Luoxia nodded.

Before leaving, Yu Wenjing glanced at Song Chengyi and reminded him, “Xiaxia is sensitive, and the old house doesn’t have great soundproofing. You… be mindful.” It was a subtle hint, but Song Chengyi understood.

Though composed, his ears turned red, and he mumbled a reply.

He collapsed onto the bed, feeling somewhat defeated. Then, suddenly, he smiled.

Downstairs, the elderly couple, who hadn’t seen their granddaughter for a year, were chatting happily with her.

They asked about school, about Song Chengyi, and everything in between—nothing was left unspoken.

Luoxia patiently answered, undeterred.

They talked past ten o’clock before the old couple finally let her head upstairs.

Stretching as she climbed, she felt stiff from sitting in the car all morning.

When she reached the door, before she could reach out, it opened from the inside. Song Chengyi stepped out, fresh from his shower.

He wore only a thin nightshirt.

“It’s rather cold here. Why are you dressed so lightly?”

“It’s fine. I’m going to sleep. You should rest early, too,” he said, passing by her and entering the next room, closing the door behind him with a click.

Luoxia was momentarily stunned. Something felt off. Why had he left so abruptly?

Scratching her head, she went into her bedroom to shower.

After eleven o’clock, Luoxia tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

She felt as if something inside was itching, uncomfortable.

She sat up, hair disheveled, wondering why Song Chengyi was so unusually well-behaved tonight.

Why hadn’t he come over yet?

Had he fallen asleep already?

Her thoughts wandered next door.

She picked up her phone from the bedside table. It was empty—no messages, not even a “good night” from him.

Snapping back to reality, Luoxia found herself standing outside his door.

Ahem, she was just checking to see if he had covered himself properly, worried he might catch a cold—nothing else.

Carefully, she tiptoed to open the door…

But it was locked.

Who was he guarding against at this hour?

She wasn’t a little girl locking herself in at night! This was the third floor! No thief could climb up here. Why lock the door?

She twisted the handle hard a couple of times, but it wouldn’t budge.

She wanted to kick it lightly but didn’t want to wake him.

Frustrated, she returned to her room.

She didn’t know how long she’d been upset, but eventually, she fell into a hazy sleep.

“Xiaxia, get up! Chengyi went running with your grandfather. Why are you still sleeping?” Grandma woke her.

She sat up groggily, dazed for a moment before heading to the bathroom.

Stepping outside, she saw smoke curling from countless chimneys.

She yawned, leisurely strolling around the doorway.

She noticed the small scraped patch of paint on the car and felt her heart ache.

Millions just gone…

From afar, she saw two figures running back.

Song Chengyi wore only a gray sweatshirt.

“Xiaxia, you’re up?” Grandfather was the first to speak.

“Just got up. Waiting for you to return for breakfast,” Luoxia said without looking at Song Chengyi, though she felt his gaze burning into her back as she walked ahead. It was unnerving.

His stare was so intense she couldn’t ignore it.

The family enjoyed a peaceful breakfast of rice dumplings and porridge.

Grandma had prepared many side dishes—chopped chili, pickled garlic, marinated beans, pickled radish—all delicious.

To eat more of these sides, Luoxia forced down an extra bowl of porridge.

“These aren’t exactly healthy. Too much salt makes you thirsty,” Grandma said, watching her granddaughter devour her meal while comparing her to her composed, always polite son-in-law. She felt a pang of guilt.

“Grandma, this tastes amazing. I haven’t had this in a year,” Luoxia nearly cried.

“Alright, take some with you when you leave,” Grandma said, waving her off.

“Chengyi, why did you eat so little?” she gently asked her grandson-in-law.

“I had three or four dumplings. Very good. I’m full,” Song Chengyi smiled and put down his chopsticks.

“Were Grandma’s side dishes too salty?”

“No, they were just right.”

“Then Grandma will pack some for you to take home. Your parents should try them.”

“My parents love these side dishes. Thank you, Grandma.”

“You’re too polite, child.”

Luoxia swallowed her food, feeling extremely unfair.

Grandma hadn’t treated her so casually before. Why was she so nice to Song Chengyi now?

Early in the morning, after breakfast, relatives began arriving to pay New Year visits.

Luoxia and Song Chengyi each took a small stool to sit in the backyard and bask in the sun.

Yu Wenjing deliberately kept Song Chengyi inside to avoid him being subjected to “interrogations.”

Having such a good son-in-law was enough for the family to be satisfied.

Song Chengyi often wondered why his classmates were so lazy—unable to focus, sometimes sitting around doing nothing all day.

Ever since meeting Luoxia, he had experienced everything.

Now, sitting lazily outside in the sun felt pretty nice.

Squinting his eyes, he felt content.

“When did you go to sleep last night?” Luoxia asked casually.

Song Chengyi had gone to bed early after arriving home—not long after driving all morning and drinking some alcohol, his head still pounding.

“I went to sleep right away. Why?”

“Nothing, just asking.” Her question only made her feel more uneasy.

So it was only her tossing and turning while he slept peacefully.

Just her, struggling alone.

Relatives from all over came to visit today, some seemed more interested in Song Chengyi, others in the car in the yard.

“Uncle, did you change cars? Is this a new one this year?” a distant nephew asked, leaning against the car as soon as he arrived.

“You can’t afford this car, nephew,” Luo Hongtao, who liked this nephew well enough, said. He was usually sweet-talking and often visited the elderly couple during holidays, so there were no hard feelings.

“This car belongs to your sister’s boyfriend,” Luo Hongtao said with a pleased expression. This son-in-law really brought honor to the family.

“Xiaxia has a boyfriend? How old is she? Driving such a nice car?” The nephew’s question drew a crowd of visiting relatives.

“Xiaxia is twenty, right? At that age, it’s normal. Where’s the boy from?” others chimed in.

“He’s from City A, lives next door. The two have been in the same school since childhood and are still together at university,” Yu Wenjing replied, serving tea.

“Where is he now? At home?”

“Out in the backyard sunbathing. He just arrived this year; we shouldn’t scare the boy,” Yu Wenjing smiled.

“Aunt, how can that be scaring? We’ve watched Xiaxia grow up. Now that she has a boyfriend, shouldn’t we take a good look?” The nephew really wanted to see. How could someone this young drive such an expensive car?

Yu Wenjing called the two youngsters out to meet the relatives.

Song Chengyi remained calm, politely greeting everyone alongside Luoxia.

Though surrounded by questions, he showed no impatience; instead, he smiled warmly.

“Enough, cousin,” Luoxia said, a bit embarrassed by all the inquiries into their backgrounds.

“You haven’t even married him yet, and you’re already so protective. Are you feeling possessive?” the cousin teased.

“Cousin!” Luoxia called out, thinking, I’m already married, you know…

“Go play; we’ll keep talking,” he said, pulling Song Chengyi back into conversation.

The two seemed to hit it off immediately, chatting for a long time.

The nephew soon left to visit other relatives but added Song Chengyi on WeChat, saying they should hang out again sometime.

Song Chengyi, usually reserved, actually smiled! He smiled at another guy! He hadn’t smiled at her once today!

Luoxia felt jealous.

Just as one group left, another arrived.

Luo Hong brought Cao Jialei to pay New Year visits.

Though Yu Wenjing and Luo Hongtao disliked the second uncle’s family, they refrained from losing their temper in front of the younger generation.

Last night, Cao Jialei had asked around and learned that President Song did have a youngest son, who was still in school studying medicine and just turned twenty-something. However, he didn’t know if the son had a girlfriend.

But seeing Song Chengyi together, the match seemed almost certain. Plus, Cao Jialei had checked—the car was indeed President Song’s.

That’s why they had brought Luo Yun here today, hoping to establish connections. If they could get close to President Song’s son, that would be quite something.

After all, they were all relatives. It would be helpful to have these ties for work in the future.