Mai Ding spent the whole night having nightmares. He dreamed of himself drenched in blood, of himself torn and bleeding, of himself hanging from the front gate of the An family home. This would be his first time meeting An Zi Yan’s parents. He knew perfectly well that Wu Xin had never liked him, and he was worried that his visit would make the whole family unhappy over New Year’s. Even at a time like this, Mai Ding was still worrying about other people. He jolted awake from another nightmare, drenched in cold sweat. Barefoot, he stepped onto the floor and walked over to the mirror. He looked at himself in the reflection, then at An Zi Yan, and he could almost understand. If only he were a little better-looking, came from a better family, were a little smarter, just a little more worthy of An Zi Yan, then maybe Wu Xin wouldn’t dislike him so much.
“Get back in bed.” An Zi Yan had woken up the moment Mai Ding startled awake from his nightmare, but he hadn’t said anything. Only after watching Mai Ding stand in front of the mirror for ages in the middle of winter wearing nothing but thin pajamas did he finally lose patience and snap at him.
Frowning, Mai Ding turned his head and looked at An Zi Yan through the dim moonlight. “An Zi Yan, what if your family doesn’t like me?”
“I said get back in bed.”
After standing outside the covers for so long, Mai Ding really was starting to feel cold. Shivering, he walked over, but still refused to climb into bed. “Going to your house right in the middle of New Year’s… isn’t that basically asking to get yelled at?”
An Zi Yan reached out and pulled Mai Ding into the warm blankets. “Why do you always think so much? Just because she doesn’t like you, am I supposed to never take you home?”
“What if she won’t even let me through the door? That would be so embarrassing.” The moment Mai Ding slipped beneath the covers, his stiff, chilled body relaxed. He cautiously snuggled closer to An Zi Yan.
“Who am I?”
“An Zi Yan, obviously.”
“And who is An Zi Yan?”
“Mai Ding’s man, obviously!”
“Exactly. I could even take you into my coffin with me, never mind through my front door.”
“Hey, hey! Why does that sound so wrong?”
“It wasn’t a figure of speech.”
Mai Ding pouted, then happily burrowed into An Zi Yan’s arms. “I knew my husband was the greatest. From now on, I’ll leave every problem to you. I’ll sit behind you cracking sunflower seeds while you clear all the thorns out of my path.”
An Zi Yan pushed away the Mai Ding who had so enthusiastically thrown himself into his arms. “If I have time for that, it’d be faster to just clear you out of the way. Go to sleep.” He placed his palm over Mai Ding’s open eyes and slid them shut. It reminded Mai Ding of those people on television who died with their eyes open and had someone close them afterward. How unlucky. But An Zi Yan had already issued his final warning, so all Mai Ding could do was squeeze his eyes shut. Before falling asleep, he finally realized something: An Zi Yan would never clear the thorns from the road for him. An Zi Yan was the thorn in the road.
Early the next morning, Mai Ding packed his clothes while worrying about what he was supposed to do. Mai Ding’s dad walked in and sat on the bed. “What’s this? You cried your eyes out back then. Judging by the scene you made, if your mother and I had refused to let you stay with An Zi Yan, you probably would’ve swallowed poison. But now, the moment someone mentions going to his house, you’re scared?”
Mai Ding looked at his dad resentfully. Having him bring up those old incidents was terribly embarrassing. Just remembering how he had cried and made such a scene back then gave him goosebumps all over, especially when he remembered all the good things he had said about An Zi Yan.
“I’d rather swallow poison. You two are you, and they’re them. At most, you and Mom are a couple of Pikachus. All you can do is shout ‘Pikachu’ and zap people a little. I’ve never been afraid of either of you. But who are they? They’re Xenomorphs! Hard shells, terrifying fangs—maybe when they open their mouths, another head will shoot out!”
At that moment, Mai Ding’s mom came in carrying some homemade snacks and stuffed them into his luggage. “Remember your manners when you’re at someone else’s house. Don’t keep shouting all the time. Be polite.”
Mai Ding quickly cut her off. “I know, I know. Do you think I’m still three years old?”
“And don’t take what his mother says too much to heart. Problems between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law have existed since the dawn of time. The important thing is to take good care of An Zi Yan. As long as he’s satisfied with you, what can his mother possibly do? Don’t confront her head-on. We’ll use underhanded tactics.” Mai Ding’s mom wore a sinister expression. Apparently, she had plenty of experience when it came to mother-in-law problems.
“Why am I the one who has to take care of him? We’re equals.”
Mai Ding’s mom picked up a mirror and held it in front of him. “The mirror can answer that question for you.”
Mai Ding angrily shoved it away. “Can you stop crushing my confidence? So we’re judging people by their looks now? Is it my fault I look this ordinary? If anyone’s to blame, it’s you for not manufacturing me properly!”
An Zi Yan was already waiting impatiently outside. They really could drag things out forever. “Mai Ding!”
“I’m coming! Why are you rushing me? Are you in a hurry to die?”
“In a hurry to take you to your death.” An Zi Yan dragged Mai Ding into the car.
Mai Ding’s mom chased them outside and called after him, “One more thing.”
“What?”
“Don’t secretly watch his sister take a shower.”
“…”
The car set off. Mai Ding had no idea how long they drove before it finally stopped in front of an extremely luxurious-looking house. Normally, he would have fallen asleep long before the end of such a long drive, but today he couldn’t even close his eyes. He spent the whole trip anxiously glancing left and right, desperately hoping they wouldn’t arrive too soon.
It had snowed all night, leaving the world beneath a thin blanket of white. Mai Ding had no attention to spare for the scenery. Standing in front of the An family home, he gripped his luggage tightly, his face rigid with tension, unconsciously edging closer to An Zi Yan. An Zi Yan walked up and rang the doorbell. The door opened almost immediately. It was An Su, still wearing pajamas. When she saw An Zi Yan and Mai Ding hiding nervously behind him, she said, “So you still remember how to come home.” Then she stepped aside and let them in.
Mai Ding pasted on his best smile. “S-Sis, Happy New Year.”
An Su didn’t appreciate the gesture. She turned her face away. “Who’s your sister? And how am I supposed to be happy?”
“Did you gain weight over New Year’s?” An Zi Yan swept a glance over her figure. “Well, if my body looked like that, I wouldn’t be very happy either.” Then he dragged Mai Ding toward the living room.
An Su stamped her foot furiously behind them. “An Zi Yan! Where am I fat?!”
An Xun and Wu Xin were sitting in the living room, both dressed immaculately and elegantly. One was reading the newspaper while the other watched television, occasionally exchanging a few words. Mai Ding’s heart clenched. His head spun, and he began backing away. “Can I come back next year instead?”
An Zi Yan rolled his eyes at him. Hearing the noise, An Xun and Wu Xin looked up and paused when they saw Mai Ding beside An Zi Yan. They had already seen him in photographs, of course, but Wu Xin clearly hadn’t expected her son to actually bring him home. Her expression changed instantly. Mai Ding wasn’t stupid. Watching Wu Xin’s healthy complexion turn pale and then ashen made his palms sweat, and he hid his hands behind his back to wipe them against his trousers. An Xun, on the other hand, greeted him warmly. “Zi Yan, really. You should’ve told us beforehand if you were bringing someone over. You’re Mai Ding, right? Come sit down.”
How could Mai Ding possibly dare sit? He didn’t even dare take a proper look at An Zi Yan’s father. Instead, he immediately bent forward into a full ninety-degree bow. “Uncle, Auntie! H-Hello!”
He had started babbling again. An Xun had already heard about Mai Ding from Grandpa An, who was very fond of the boy. Wu Xin, meanwhile, continued reading her newspaper. “I’m not dead yet. I don’t deserve a bow that deep.”
An Xun shot Wu Xin a warning look, then asked a servant to bring Mai Ding a cup of hot tea. “It’s cold outside. Come over and sit down first.”
Mai Ding looked at An Zi Yan. Only when An Zi Yan nodded did he walk over and sit uneasily on the sofa, both hands resting on his knees, his back ramrod straight, not daring to move an inch. Coming here really had been the worst possible decision. Wu Xin examined him from head to toe until every hair on his body stood on end. Finally, she turned resentfully toward An Zi Yan. “Zi Yan, where did you run off to on New Year’s Eve? You had your mother worried sick.”
“I went to keep him company,” An Zi Yan said casually, taking a sip of tea.
“Why did you have to keep him company? Is he disabled? Is he incapable of taking care of himself?” Wu Xin spoke loudly, as though afraid Mai Ding might not hear her. Mai Ding gripped the fabric of his jeans and lowered his head, rubbing his knees.
An Xun tugged at Wu Xin, signaling her to stop, but she had no intention of listening.
An Zi Yan shrugged. “Because I wanted to.”
“What kind of answer is that? Is your plan for New Year’s to deliberately anger your mother?” Wu Xin straightened up in disbelief and stared at her beloved son.
Mai Ding turned toward An Zi Yan and frantically made faces at him. This was not the time to say things like that! Wasn’t he just pouring fuel on the fire?
Mai Ding’s head was beginning to ache. He could practically feel Wu Xin glaring holes into him, as though she wanted to devour him alive. He couldn’t act like the heroine of some idol drama, throw himself into Wu Xin’s arms, and sob, “Auntie, I really love him! Please give us your blessing!” If he actually tried that, Wu Xin would probably drive the heel of her shoe straight through his stomach. He couldn’t apply ordinary logic to members of the An family.
The An family could not be won over by kindness, moved by romance, or conquered with a smile.
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