Ji Bai was already an expert at dealing with his mother. He first thought about setting up barriers, then he thought ways to protect Xu Xu behind him.

Nonetheless, Xu Xu was different.

While she preferred to do things the easy way, her tactic of “gaining the approval of the Ji Family” was not meant to target any particular individual per se, but at the family as a whole.

Now that the outcome had been set, she decided to seize this opportunity and attempted to try her hardest to communicate with Mother Ji. If she succeeded, Ji Bai would no longer be stuck in this tough situation and everyone could be more at ease. if she failed, she would not suffer any substantial loss.

For all that, the one thing that did not cross her mind was whether this matter would cause her any harm.

Therefore, Xu Xu was caught off guard when Mother Ji uttered such merciless words.

If people did not see eye-to-eye, then you could debate about it; misunderstandings and conflicts between one another could be dispelled, but if a person merely looked down on you and disliked you for who you are, then what can you do?

Though Xu Xu was willing to communicate with her to improve the situation, she would definitely not do anything to prove to her that “I’ll be a match for Ji Bai” or “I’m worthy of your liking,” because from Xu Xu’s perspective, her judgment and pretentiousness was not right.

Hence, after experiencing this sharp unexpected pain, Xu Xu merely bit her tongue and stopped responding. She decided not to refute as it would be pointless.

Upon seeing Xu Xu’s hurt expression, the scornful look in Mother Ji’s eyes only deepened. She did not want to talk to Xu Xu anymore, so she turned and left.

Ji Bai held the diamond ring in his hand, which he had painstakingly selected, but as he entered his house, he saw his mother with a ghastly pale face walk out of his room. She looked at him for a brief moment then returned to her room right away.

He was slightly stunned, and a few seconds later, he saw Xu Xu walking out too; furthermore, she looked quite off.

Ji Bai immediately grabbed her, he stared at her and asked softly, “What happened?”

Xu Xu shook her head. “Leave me alone for a while, it’s nothing huge, don’t worry.”

The two of them were already deeply connected after living together for such a long time. Whenever Xu Xu said that she wanted to be alone, Ji Bai usually gave her space to deal with her emotions.

Because of this, Ji Bai remained silent for a while, but he still eventually let go of her, after which Xu Xu went back into her room and shut the door.

His mother’s door was shut tightly as well, whereas a lone maid was mopping the floor in the living room. Ji Bai sat there for a while, but suddenly noticed the maid’s expression. He stared at her, then called her to walk outside of the house with him.

Initially, the maid naturally refused to say anything since Ji Bai was only home temporarily, while Mother Ji was the one who called the shots at home. Nevertheless, how could she withstand interrogation from a criminal police captain – after pushing and urging her for some time, he managed to get a clear picture of what had happened.

At the moment, the night sky was looking perfect whereby a full moon hung clearly in the sky above his head. As Ji Bai stood by the pond outside his house, he felt rather troubled, so he subconsciously reached into his pocket for a cigarette, yet he found a red date slice. He smiled faintly and ate the fruit slice, then he went inside the house.

First he walked into his mother’s room. “Mother, I’m coming in.”

“Mmm.”

The lights were dim inside her room as his mother sat on the couch while watching television programs quietly. Ji Bai sat down beside her and stared at her with a smile on his face. “I’ll be leaving tomorrow; don’t you have anything to nag about?”

Initially, his mother thought that he was here to talk about what she had said and to speak out for Xu Xu, which is why she had preemptively put on a sulking face. Unexpectedly, he smiled at her and spoke nicely as if nothing had happened. So, after recovering from the minor shock, she smiled. “I have nothing to nag about.”

Ji Bai stood up and poured his mother some tea. “While I’m away, you and father must take care of your health. If they’re any matters to attend to, let big brother and second brother deal with them. If they refuse to do so then let me know, I’ll ask Shu Hang and the others run errands for you. Don’t make me worry.”

A smile emerged at the corner of his mother’s lips. “It’s easy to say such things when you’re not doing the dirty work. Stop sweet talking me.”

Ji Bai laughed. After the two of them talked for a while more, his mother’s unhappiness was all but gone.

At this time, the maid knocked on their door and brought in a bowl of bird’s nest. Ji Bai saw this and asked, “What about Xu Xu’s?” The maid quickly apologized. “I’ll send it to her immediately.”

Ji Bai nodded as he took a glance at his mother’s peaceful face. Then, he brought the bird’s nest over to her and stirred it with the spoon to cool it down. His mother smiled as she watched his thoughtful act.

As Ji Bai stirred, he said, “When I return to Lin City, I’m planning to propose to Xu Xu.”

Instantly, Mother Ji’s face tensed up.

She heard him continue, “Mother, let’s be real, she’s the only lady that I’ve liked. Whether you agree or disagree, the matter has been set, I’m marrying her for sure.

“I know that you’re upset about this, and you won’t be able to accept it for some time, since I’ve been back, I’ve noticed that you treated her with the proper etiquette. I’m grateful for this. I’ll put myself in your shoes, and in the future, I’ll make sure Xu Xu does everything that a daughter-in-law should do and that she does them well.

“In the meantime, I’ll be waiting and I hoping for the day that you accept our marriage.”

Mother Ji fell silent as Ji Bai continued looking at herself, his eyes were intense despite his tone being quite calm. “Whatever it is, mother, she’s truly in love with me, which is why she’s willing to come home with me. I have to do the right thing and ensure that everyone respects her, I can’t let her get bullied in my own home.

When I came back earlier, I overheard your conversation. You shouldn’t be saying things like whether or not her background is good and whether or not she’s a match for me. I don’t want to hear them anymore.”

Ji Bai opened the door to Xu Xu’s room and saw that she was sitting on a chair in front of the window. She was tapping on the window frame with one hand, and her white-skinned face seemed deep in thought.

Ji Bai sat down beside her and pulled her into his arms as they watched the stars and night sky outside the window together without making a sound.

A moment later, Xu Xu said dispiritedly, “I talked to your mother, but it didn’t work out too well.”

Ji Bai pinched her nose and smiled. “Sorry to have made you go through that, wifey, don’t take her words to heart. Besides, she won’t immediately listen to what you have to say, just give her some time to digest all of it.”

When Xu Xu heard this, she understood that Ji Bai already knew about the situation, and she too nodded. “I understand, so what should I do now?”

Before coming here, Xu Juan had called her to remind her, “Your future mother-in-law is probably a ruthless person, you should be wary. Setting aside how well Ji Bai treats you, he’s still a dutiful son, and all men are worried about things like this. You should be mentally prepared.”

On the other hand, her father mentioned that even though there might be a conflict and she might be wronged, that as the younger one, as long as it did not go against her principles, then Xu Xu should be humble and take the initiative to maintain a healthy relationship with Ji Bai’s parents.

Combining the advice from her father and brother, and with her rough understanding of how in-laws relationships worked, if Ji Bai wanted her to try harder in any other way, she would willingly do it.

Ji Bai could tell at once what she was thinking this. Not only was she not mad, she was actually thinking about how to fix the situation, her determined and sincere character could really soften one’s heart.

He remained silent for some time then turned her around so that she faced him. He wore a faint smile on his attractive face and stared at her with his inky eyes. “It’s simple.”

“… Simple?”

Just keep doing what you’re doing now, as long as you keep doing everything that you should towards an elder, it’s enough.

“Regarding my mother, if there’re any conflicts or any issues, just ignore them and make sure not to act on them – leave everything to me. From today onwards, there won’t be any need for you to struggle to win over your in-laws anymore. Please don’t trouble yourself anymore.

“Just look toward the future, I’m sure that the relationship between the two of you will eventually improve so for now just go with the flow.”

The next day, the two of them boarded the flight at noon and both Father Ji and Mother Ji were there to send them off. The look on Mother Ji’s face still made her seem displeased, but she did not say anything else.

As the plane soared through the layers of clouds, the lights in the cabin dimmed and the carriage quietened as most passengers decided to take a nap. Xu Xu stared outside the window for some time, then turned to look at Ji Bai.

He was leaning back against the seat while the golden rays of light shone on his face, making him look handsome yet at peace. When Xu Xu recalled his words from yesterday, her heart melted.

He had told her that “she would not need to struggle with her in-laws anymore” for her to deal with because he intended to shift it into a mother-son matter. After he said this, she felt quite relaxed.

If all men could simply manage tricky in-law relationships the way he did, then family politics in China would be so much more peaceful.

Although she still had some regrets, she knew that not everything could go her way. However, she still felt that it would be difficult for him.

Xu Xu closed her eyes and leaned against his shoulder.

A moment later, the air stewardess handed them their meals. Xu Xu did not have much of an appetite, so she stopped eating after a few bites. Ji Bai caressed her head and said with a smile, “Don’t eat if you can’t. I reserved us a nice place for dinner.”

By the time they arrived at Lin City, it was mid-afternoon; when they arrived home, the first thing that two of them did was unpack and clean the house. As they looked at the brightly lit room which was now clean and tidy, the two of them felt warmth in their heart.

The most comfortable place in the world was still their own home.

After cleaning up, Xu Xu went to shower, and halfway through, Ji Bai entered the bathing room and carried her to the bed right after toweling her off.

In Beijing, the two of them had slept separately in order to protect Xu Xu’s reputation. Sure enough, Ji Bai was quite upset with the lack of intimacy between them during the holiday. Therefore, both his kisses and touches now were all much stronger and more passionate than usual. He looked down at how her snowy white body which had been covered in kiss marks in no time, and the flame in his heart grew more intense as the entwining of their bodies became wilder than usual. That being said, he had not completely lost his head, and he nibbled Xu Xu’s hands and legs from time to time. Xu Xu struggled to contain her moans from his teasing, but she also found them funny at the same time, causing her face to redden due to the embarrassment. The curtains were closed tightly, and the entire house was filled with their silent romance; only the two of them could grasp the intensity of the moment, whereby excitement and lust overlapped.

Xu Xu recently accepted that sex was indeed a good thing. After she had fully freed her body, the low spirits from the Beijing trip soon vanished into thin air too. She quickly became joyful, as if everything had paid off.

Ji Bai wanted to do it twice since he still had not gotten enough of her. Usually, Xu Xu would already be tired after such a long time, but just as he was about to turn away from her body, she reached out and grabbed his arm. “Can you still go on? Let’s do it one more time. It’s alright if you can’t.” Her pair of shimmering black eyes look at him straight as a few droplets of sweat glistened on her forehead.

Ji Bai laughed victoriously – this was probably the most beautiful invitation he had ever heard, then he lowered his head and kissed her passionately. “How can I say no?”

By the time they wrapped things up, it was already evening, and Xu Xu slowly dragged her worn out body into the shower. Ji Bai kept smiling as he watched her walking into the shower room, then, he suddenly noticed the time on the wall and called out, “Da Hu is looking for me, I’ll go over to his place for a while, I’ll wait for you at the restaurant.”

“Oh.” Xu Xu said with eyes half closed.

Dusk blanketed the beautiful and clean city while cars speedily cut through the chilly night. With one hand on the steering wheel, Ji Bai took the ring box out with another, his eyes were filled with joy.

He had reserved a spot at an extremely beautiful and elegant restaurant located in a nearby suburb. He did not prepare a tacky violin show or cover the carpet in red roses, nor did he do it on a grand scale by booking the whole restaurant. He knew that the emerald green velvet couches, wool carpets as white as snow, and the best table with a view of a grand mountain far away was more than enough. Water flowed continuously down from the transparent roof, which made the entire room light up in a unique way, whereas the stars and the moon reflected off the curved, tranquil river outside.

Would the little one say yes?

As he pondered this, his phone rang. It was Da Hu.

“Captain, are you back in Lin City?”

“I’m back.” Ji Bai remembered that there was a football match tonight, so Da Hu was most likely inviting him to watch the match, so he added with a laugh, “I’m not free tonight, I’m with Xu Xu.”

Da Hu paused for an instance then said heavily, “Captain, a female corpse was found on the mountain.” He stopped a while then continued, “An extremely strange female corpse. Hurry over with Xu Xu then.”

After he hung up, Ji Bai took a glance at the ring in his hand. He quickly put it away then phoned Xu Xu. “We’ll have dinner another time. There’s a case, I’ll pick you up right away.”

The location of the crime scene was on a mountain in a certain county located rather far away from the city. It perfectly fit the description of “deep mountains and old forests”. While it was connected to the national highway and mountain paths, it belonged to an autonomous county with low population; there were small amounts of people in such a wide area, and there were not many people residing on the mountains nearby. If not for a farmer who had coincidentally passed by after collecting herbs on the mountain, then the corpse would not even have been found.

Ji Bai and the others drove to the foot of the mountain then hiked up through some small, uneven paths. Later on, the paths disappeared, and everyone had to trek carefully through a huge area of thorns and weeds. Due to the dangerous terrain, Ji Bai made Xu Xu follow him closely. When faced with difficult routes, he would actually carry her past them. As Xu Xu leaned on his warm and broad back and looked at his peaceful profile in the middle of the dense forestry, her previously tense heart started to calm down.

It was already the break of dawn by the time the criminal police officers reached the location of the corpse.

It was a low-lying grass area on the hillside which had been cornered off by some police officers who had arrived before them. Behind them was a large cave, and there were a few scattered yet impressively large trees around.

When she first saw the corpse, a strange feeling arose in Xu Xu’s heart as the emotions felt by the sight of it was too overwhelming.

It was a lady over twenty years old, she wore a thin yellow sweater and a pair of slim black trousers, and was curled into a ball on the slightly yellow-colored patch of grass. Her black hair was beautifully let down and her oval face was complimented by long, thin eyebrows. She was absolutely stunning.

She had very fair skin all over her body, whether it was her cheeks, hands, ankle. Every inch of her exposed skin was as clear as jade, which was in sharp contrast with the withered grass underneath her body. Her cheeks were actually somewhat reddish in color and her lips had been tinted with a peach-colored lipstick. She almost looked like she was smiling gently.

Almost as if she was sleeping.

This fresh, beautiful lady almost seemed to be quietly sleeping in front of them.