Chapter 54 "Is he also capable in that area?"

The group chat had transformed from a dinner gathering into a venting session.

Ceng Jin: "Ever since he got a wife, he has to show her off every few days."

Shang Ji: "Let him flex. Last time at the dinner table, he faked being drunk after those two glasses of mutual-pledge wine, leaning against his sister-in-law and refusing to let go. I was too lazy to expose him."

Xie Qingcheng: "To be fair, when he acts reservedly seductive, he's genuinely seductive—more like a flashy peacock than his younger brother."

Jing Zhuo lazily finished reading the messages in the group, the corners of his lips curving upward involuntarily.

A bunch of bachelors without marriage certificates, what did they know about this.

He locked his phone screen and lay down in bed, accompanied by the fragrance of roses.

"Eighty-five percent..."

Jing Zhuo murmured the number softly, "Three days left."

...

Early Saturday morning, Song Xi called Zhang Heming to confirm that she would go to the Heming Residence to pick up Guaguai after work.

Guaguai had been staying at the Heming Residence for a month, and it was about time to bring it to its new home.

"It sounds like you and your husband are getting along great, even bringing the baby back with you?"

Song Xi agreed, "Indeed, it's pretty good. He is a very straightforward person who says whatever is on his mind."

"Is he also good in *that* department?" Zhang Heming asked, veering off topic.

Song Xi felt a bit embarrassed, "I haven't even moved in with him yet. I-I don't know what it's like."

"You still haven't moved in after this long? Is there really no problem with his orientation?"

Zhang Heming had been too busy lately to even find time to meet Song Xi's husband.

"There's definitely no problem!" Song Xi guaranteed, "Don't worry, I'll make my move on Sunday. I've already figured out how to win him over."

Over the past two days, she had secretly opened the romantic novels Zhang Heming had previously sent her.

Driven by a diligent and studious mindset of research and analysis, she had read three whole volumes!

Her theoretical knowledge was now familiar, and she was just waiting for practice.

Zhang Heming egged her on, "Take him down! Make him witness the allure, gentleness, sexiness, and fiery passion of my bestie!"

"..." That voice was just too humiliating.

Song Xi hung up her phone with a deadpan expression.

At 3:10 PM, Song Xi suddenly received a call from her older female cousin. As soon as she answered, the person on the other end burst into tears.

"Xiaoxi, I've come to the capital. I'm downstairs at your company. Wuwuwu, I don't want to live anymore..."

Song Xi: "???"

Ten minutes later, at a cafe near Mishima.

"I've been married into his family for half a month and I'm being ostracized by the whole family. There's no seat for me at the dinner table, I'm sidelined in daily life, and yesterday I caught a cold and woke up a bit late, so his mother called my parents to complain that I was lazy and wanted to return me like defective goods, wuwuwu..."

"I was so furious I wanted to go back to my parents' home, but my parents insisted that since I was already married, I should just endure it and not affect the family business."

"I'm so angry I could die, wuwuwu..."

Her cousin, Song Yuanyuan, sat opposite her, crying tears of snot and sorrow as she denounced the entire family.

Song Xi was stunned by these words.

She hadn't expected so many issues to crop up just half a month after her cousin's marriage.

"So that's why you came to the capital to find me?" Song Xi pointed at herself.

"Except for you, everyone else urged me back to my husband's family to apologize, but I refuse..." Song Yuanyuan wiped her tears and said, "Marriage and dating are completely two different things. When we were dating, Jiang Cheng never took me to meet his parents. Whenever I mentioned wanting to visit his home, he always refused. Then, on the very first night of our honeymoon, his whole family gave me a massive reality check!"

"Wuwuwu Xiaoxi, serving a mother-in-law is so hard, and she constantly goes behind my back to complain. What am I going to do for the rest of my life..."

Seeing Song Yuanyuan crying so piteously like pear blossoms drenched in rain, Song Xi had no choice but to take a half-day leave to accompany her for a stroll in the Capital Gardens to clear her mind.

All afternoon, Song Yuanyuan acted as if she had found an outlet for her grievances, crying and complaining about all the hardships of her husband's family.

"Learn from your mistakes, Xiaoxi. When you get married in the future, you must first inspect how the other family treats you. The more clueless you are before marriage, the more endless suffering awaits you after marriage."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

Song Xi silently engraved these words in her heart.

Come to think of it, she had never met Jing Zhuo's family, and didn't even know what his family dynamics were like.

Yet Jing Zhuo had already subtly figured out her family background and upbringing.

In the evening, Song Xi accompanied Song Yuanyuan for dinner and dropped her off at a nearby hotel.

Upon returning to the marital home, the lights in the living room were on, and the sound of typing came from the study—Jing Zhuo was already back.

She didn't disturb his work and went to her room to take a shower.

When she came out wrapped in her pajamas, she was swept up into a warm embrace.

The tip of the man's nose brushed against the crown of her head, tickling slightly. Over the past two days, their relationship had progressed at a rapid pace, and Song Xi felt it was getting very close to—being in love.

She tilted her head up to look at his sharply defined chin and hesitated before speaking.

"Jing Zhuo, how many people are in your family?"

The hands holding her paused for a moment, but Jing Zhuo answered, "Five."

He added, "Both parents are alive, and I have a younger brother and a younger sister."

So there were quite a few people in his family.

Song Xi thought of Song Yuanyuan's description: if the in-laws were bad and unhappy with her in the future, a single phone call to the Song family to complain would make her life even more miserable than Song Yuanyuan's.

She disliked having people complain about her behind her back.

"When can I meet them?" Song Xi asked.

"You want to meet them?"

Song Xi nodded. "We've gotten our marriage certificate; we're family now. I've already met your friends, shouldn't I meet your family as well?"

She tilted her head to look at him, her eyes bright and filled with genuine earnestness.

Jing Zhuo's Adam's apple bobbed as he uttered a single word.

"Okay."

Song Xi breathed a sigh of relief. "Then I should prepare some welcome gifts."

"However, they went abroad recently and won't be back for a while. We'll have to wait about a month."

"What about your siblings?" Song Xi asked.

"One is busy flying everywhere, and the other is busy with work."

"Ah..."

So she wouldn't be able to see them anytime soon.

Song Xi asked again, "Then when approximately will your parents return to the country?"

Jing Zhuo replied, "They went to Switzerland for a prolonged stay, about a month or so."

"Oh, alright then."

Song Xi had no choice but to let the matter rest for now.

However, since Jing Zhuo hadn't refused her, it meant his conscience was clear and he wasn't intentionally blocking her from meeting his parents.

That should... be a good thing, right?

Song Xi rested her head against his chest, hugged him for a moment, and then wanted to go back to her room to sleep.

Just as she pushed him away, she was pulled back and trapped in his embrace again.

"Today, is the progress bar for getting used to a new bed at ninety-five percent?"

Listening to his steady, powerful heartbeat, Song Xi felt her own heart racing in tandem.

"Mm."

"Then tomorrow—"

"Tomorrow's matters can be discussed tomorrow. I'm going to sleep, goodnight President Jing~"

Unwilling to reveal even a tiny hint of her surprise, Song Xi agilely pushed him away and darted into the bedroom.

Jing Zhuo stood quietly outside the door for a moment, lowered his head with a soft chuckle, and turned to sit on the sofa.

Ten minutes later, he posted a video link in his family group chat.

[5 Cities You Must Visit in Spring in Switzerland. Don't Miss Them...]

Shortly after, a message popped up—