Chapter 26: Father is Coming

The bright orange Lamborghini parked outside was like a scorching branding iron, searing itself into Yu Ling’s retinas. Su Wan’s gentle remark—that there were hardly any such cars in the world, and that it was borrowed the moment he asked—felt like a poison-tipped needle, piercing her chest with a dull, throbbing pain. She yanked the heavy blackout curtains shut, sealing off that glaring orange glow as if doing so could lock the inscrutable Zhao Chen out along with it.

Darkness instantly swallowed the living room. Yu Ling slid down against the cold wall, the massive floor-to-ceiling curtains casting a heavy shadow behind her. She curled into a ball, forehead pressed against her knees, trying to suppress the two images tearing through her mind: the gentle husband who wore an apron to fry eggs, and the stranger who commanded million-dollar supercars and coldly decided the fate of the Gu family over the phone. Which one was real? Or... were they both? The thought made her shiver uncontrollably.

The soft click of a key turning in the lock broke the deathly silence. The motion-sensor light in the foyer flickered to life, casting Zhao Chen’s long shadow across the floor. He changed his shoes quietly, as if not wanting to disturb the person in the dark.

"Lingling?" he called out tentatively, his voice laced with a subtle tension. The darkness of the living room made his heart tighten. He fumbled to switch on a floor lamp, the soft light dispelling some of the gloom and clearly revealing Yu Ling huddled in the corner. Her thin shoulders trembled slightly, like a small beast that had been terrified, bristling with spikes yet having nowhere to run.

Zhao Chen’s heart sank. That SVJ... it had indeed unsettled her. He walked over quickly and crouched before her, meeting her gaze at eye level. In the dim light, Yu Ling lifted her face; her eyes were red, brimming with confusion, anger, and the fragility of someone deeply betrayed.

"That car..." Yu Ling’s voice was dry and hoarse, carrying a suppressed accusation, "whose is it, really?"

Zhao Chen did not answer immediately. He reached out to touch her cheek, but she jerked her head away. His hand froze in mid-air, his fingertips curling slightly, before he slowly withdrew it to rest on his knees.

"It belongs to A-Zhe," he repeated in a low voice, his tone characteristically steady, his amber eyes meeting her scrutinizing gaze with composure. "Lingling, I admit, some things... are not as you imagined." He chose a vague starting point. "But please believe that every word I have said to you—about us, about my feelings for you—is true."

"Not as I imagined?" Yu Ling let out a sharp, cynical laugh, her voice rising in pitch. "Is the difference between driving a million-dollar supercar and taking the subway like this? Is the difference between buying three-star Michelin meals on a whim and counting pennies for street food like this? Or is it the difference between someone who can decide the life or death of a corporation with one phone call and a nine-to-five office worker?!" The last sentence was almost a roar, the pent-up shock, fear, and the anger of being fooled finally erupting.

Zhao Chen’s pupils contracted imperceptibly. She had heard that phone call? When? He instinctively wanted to press her for details, but her near-collapse forced him to suppress the thought. The priority was to calm her down.

"Lingling, please, calm down." He softened his voice, with a patience that bordered on pleading. "I know you are confused and angry right now. Give me some time, and when the opportunity is right, I will tell you everything, without reservation. But for now..." He paused, his expression revealing genuine concern and a rare moment of helplessness. "We need to solve a more urgent problem first."

Yu Ling was taken aback by the sudden shift in his tone, her rage leaking out like a punctured balloon, replaced by bewilderment: "...What?"

Zhao Chen took a deep breath, sounding helpless and frustrated. "Your parents... just messaged me. They are... already on the high-speed train. They said they decided on a whim to come see us, and they’ll be here tomorrow afternoon." (Previously, to verify the authenticity of their marriage, Yu Ling’s parents had requested Zhao Chen’s phone number from her.)

"What?!" Yu Ling jolted up from the floor, the sudden movement causing a wave of dizziness that would have sent her falling had Zhao Chen not caught her arm with lightning speed. "Tomorrow afternoon?! Why didn't they give us any notice?!" The massive shock instantly washed away her anger, replaced by overwhelming panic. Her parents were coming! At a time like this! To see her and her "ordinary office worker" husband who drove a supercar worth millions?!

"Uncle and Auntie said they wanted to give us a surprise." Zhao Chen gave a wry smile, helping her sit on the sofa while he knelt on one knee on the carpet before her, looking up at her in a gesture of seeking an alliance. "Lingling, I know you have many questions and grievances toward me. But can we... call a temporary truce?" He looked up, his expression sincere, even carrying a pitiable plea. "Can we get through this hurdle first? At least in front of them, we need to be... well, what they expect to see?"

He paused deliberately, emphasizing his words: "A couple... living a down-to-earth life."

Yu Ling looked at his handsome face, which wore a hint of vulnerability, then glanced at the faint, damned orange glow reflecting through the gap in the curtains behind him (she hadn't pulled them shut properly). She felt completely overwhelmed. Her parents were conservative and pragmatic; if they saw that supercar and Zhao Chen’s inscrutable background... she couldn't even imagine the scene!

Panic instantly eclipsed all other emotions. She pulled at her hair in frustration. "That car! What about that damn car?! It’s still parked downstairs! My dad has the sharpest eyes! If he asks..."

"Leave it to me!" Zhao Chen interrupted, his voice firm and decisive, his demeanor shifting from vulnerable to steady and reliable in an instant. "I guarantee that by tomorrow afternoon, it will not be within sight of your parents. Lingling, you just need to trust me once, like you always have, okay? Just this once, so that your parents can be at ease."

He held out his hand, palm upward, with the weight of a solemn promise, waiting for her response.

Yu Ling stared at his hand, then at his earnest eyes. The supercar downstairs was like a giant ticking time bomb, and the news of her parents' imminent arrival was adding fuel to the fire. Anger and suspicion still churned within her, but at this moment, solving the immediate crisis seemed to be the only choice. She bit her lower lip, a battle raging inside her. In the end, the lingering trust in Zhao Chen’s "problem-solving ability" (however ironic it felt now), combined with the panic over her parents' visit, took the upper hand.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she nodded slightly with a weary, defeated resignation—a temporary truce. She did not touch his outstretched hand.

A flicker of relief passed through Zhao Chen’s eyes. He quickly withdrew his hand without a hint of awkwardness and immediately entered "combat mode." "Good! Time is tight, let’s divide the tasks! Lingling, you figure out what to buy for tomorrow—what do your parents like to eat? I’ll go handle the car and... any other areas that might need 'disguising'."

With that, he rose, his movements so swift it was as if he were a different person. The vulnerability and pitiable air vanished, replaced by a composed, calculated efficiency. He strode toward the study, pulled out his phone, and began dialing, his voice lowered as he issued quick instructions.

Yu Ling watched his brisk retreating figure, then thought of that priceless "trouble" parked downstairs, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness and absurdity wash over her. How much longer would this charade of a "normal couple" have to go on? And Zhao Chen, this man of mystery—when and where would his so-called "right opportunity" and "full confession" come, and in what earth-shattering way?

The Saturday afternoon sun carried a lazy warmth. Yu Ling stood at the entrance of the residential complex, her heart pounding, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her shirt as she stared fixedly at the direction from which the taxis would arrive.

Zhao Chen, by contrast, appeared calm and composed. He wore slightly faded light-blue jeans and a simple, off-white cotton-linen shirt with the sleeves casually rolled to his forearms, revealing his well-defined wrists. On his feet were clean white sneakers. He looked as fresh as a college graduate, the subtle air of oppression and the sharp intensity he’d displayed while handling the "trouble" the night before having vanished without a trace, leaving only a gentle, harmless demeanor. Since her parents had insisted they not be picked up at the station, they had to comply.

"Lingling, don't be nervous." He turned to her with a reassuring smile, naturally reaching out to tuck a strand of hair blown by the wind behind her ear. The gesture was intimate and natural. "Once Uncle and Auntie see that we’re doing well, they’ll surely be relieved."

Yu Ling flinched slightly when his warm fingertips touched her ear. She looked up and met his smiling, amber eyes. The gaze was clear and candid, filled with genuine sincerity, as if last night’s intense confrontation and the orange beast that had vanished from downstairs had never existed. The speed of his "masking" was incredible... Yu Ling muttered to herself, yet she was inexplicably infected by his calm commitment to the "role," and her taut nerves relaxed just a little.

Just then, a taxi pulled up smoothly at the entrance.

"Dad! Mom!" Yu Ling immediately went to greet them, her voice bright, trying hard to mask the trepidation in her heart.