The ride back from the company was quiet, though not in a cold way. Li Zhenkai had insisted on driving Jiang Yue home himself, despite her repeated claims that she was fine. She could still feel the phantom tremor in her legs after the elevator incident, but she wasn't about to admit it aloud.
He gripped the wheel with one hand, the other resting on the gear. His profile was sharp in the glow of the streetlights, unreadable as always. She wanted to ask if he'd been scared too, but something in his expression told her the answer.
"You're too calm," she muttered finally. "Most people would be freaking out after watching a steel box plummet."
His lips twitched, but he didn't look at her. "Do I look calm?"
Her brows knit. "You do."
"That's a problem," he said simply, pulling into her street.
Before she could press on, her phone buzzed in her lap. It was her mother. Jiang Yue hesitated, then answered.
"Yue'er," Mama's warm voice came through, threaded with worry, "are you free for dinner tomorrow? Your father has been asking about Zhenkai. Since he's your fiancé, it's only proper that we meet him properly at home."
Jiang Yue's eyes widened. She instinctively glanced at Zhenkai. He didn't react, just kept driving. "Ah, Mama, he's very busy. He has important things to handle at work. I don't want to pressure him."
On the other side, her mother chuckled softly. "Busy or not, if he truly cares, he'll make time. Ask him, at least. Tomorrow evening."
When the call ended, she bit her lip and fidgeted with her phone. Finally, she said, "You heard that, right?"
"I did."
"I'll cancel. You've got enough going on with this corporate spy case. My mom means well but "
"I'll come." His voice was steady, as if the matter was already decided.
She turned in her seat to face him. "What? Are you sure? You have to finalize the countermeasures with your team tomorrow morning."
"I said I'll come," he repeated, pulling up to her gate. "Morning is not evening. I can handle both." He glanced at her, his gaze calm but unwavering. "Unless you don't want me there."
Her heart stuttered. "No! I mean… it's just, my parents are warm. They'll smother you."
"I can endure worse." He cut the engine, then leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice. "Besides, I should meet the people who raised you."
Heat crept into her cheeks. She pushed the door open quickly. "Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you."
The next evening, Jiang Yue found herself pacing the living room, smoothing her hair for the tenth time. Her father was pretending to read the newspaper, though he kept sneaking glances at the clock. Her mother was in the kitchen, humming cheerfully as she stirred a pot of soup or something else.
"Yue'er, stop pacing," her father finally said. "You're making me nervous, and I'm not the one being introduced."
She huffed. "Baba, you're supposed to be the intimidating one. Don't act like a nervous groom's father."
Before he could reply, the doorbell rang.
Jiang Yue froze.
"Go open it," her mother called from the kitchen, clearly delighted.
With trembling hands, Jiang Yue pulled open the door and there he was.
Li Zhenkai stood in a tailored black suit, holding a simple box of pastries in one hand. His other hand was tucked casually in his pocket, but his eyes softened a little when they met hers.
"Good evening," he said smoothly.
She blinked. "You… brought something?"
"It's polite."
She stepped aside, her heart doing somersaults. "Come in."
Her father rose to his feet, folding the paper away. His stern face melted into something surprisingly friendly as he extended his hand. "Mr. Li, welcome."
"Uncle," Zhenkai greeted, shaking firmly. He turned to the kitchen and raised his voice slightly. "Auntie, thank you for inviting me."
Mama bustled out, beaming from ear to ear. "Oh, so handsome! And you even brought pastries? You're too polite. Sit, sit, dinner is almost ready."
Zhenkai bowed his head slightly before taking a seat at the table. Father jaing sat across from him, trying not to stare as his wife laid out dish after dish, steaming dumplings, braised beef, stir-fried vegetables, and the soup that had been simmering all day.
The meal began, and to her surprise, Zhenkai didn't keep his usual aloof silence. He answered her father's questions respectfully, listened intently to Mama's anecdotes, and even complimented the cooking with a sincerity that made her mother glow.
At one point, Mama ladled an extra portion into his bowl. "Eat more, Zhenkai. You're too thin for a man working so hard."
Jiang Yue nearly choked on her rice. Thin? Li Zhenkai was literally sculpted.
But instead of brushing it off, he inclined his head. "Thank you, Auntie. I'll eat well." And he did, accepting every dish with quiet gratitude.
By the time the meal ended, her father was nodding in approval, Mama was already knitting him a scarf, and Jiang Yue was sitting there with her jaw slack.
When Zhenkai finally stood to leave, her father patted his shoulder. "You're welcome here anytime. And… take care of our Yue'er."
"I will," he said simply, and though his tone was calm, Jiang Yue felt the weight of those words settle deep in her chest.
As they stepped outside, scarf draped around his neck courtesy of her mother, she burst out, "What just happened in there? My parents just adopted you or something."
He looked down at the scarf, then at her. "I was… ambushed by kindness."
She laughed, shaking her head. "You make it sound like a hostile takeover."
"Kindness is more dangerous than hostility," he murmured, his eyes unreadable.
For a moment, they stood in silence under the streetlight. Jiang Yue's heart raced, because for the first time, Li Zhenkai didn't look like the untouchable CEO everyone feared,he looked like someone who had finally found a place he didn't want to leave