# Chapter 18: Family Meeting (Or: How to Tell Your Girlfriend You're Dating Her Mom)
Luo Yan had faced down gods, kicked hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts across continents, and commanded reality itself with casual words.
But right now, standing in front of Qian Renxue's private chambers in Heaven Dou Palace, he was actually nervous.
Because there was no good way to start this conversation.
*"Hey, remember how I helped you reconcile with your mother? Well, funny story—I'm also sleeping with her now. And your mom's student. Surprise!"*
Yeah, that wasn't going to work.
Behind him, Hu Liena was practically vibrating with suppressed excitement. The little fox had insisted on coming along for "moral support," but Luo Yan knew she just wanted to watch the drama unfold.
"Stop grinning like that," he muttered. "You're not helping."
"I'm not trying to help. I'm trying to enjoy the show." Hu Liena's eyes sparkled with mischief. "This is going to be amazing. Should I make popcorn?"
"We don't have popcorn in this world."
"Then I'll invent it. This moment deserves popcorn."
Before Luo Yan could respond, the door opened to reveal Qian Renxue. She was in her Crown Prince disguise—short hair, masculine features, regal bearing—but her face lit up the moment she saw him.
"Luo Yan!" She immediately pulled him into a hug, not caring about maintaining her princely image in private. "I wasn't expecting you today. This is a wonderful—"
She stopped mid-sentence as she noticed Hu Liena standing behind him. Her expression shifted from joy to confusion.
"Holy Maiden Hu Liena?" Qian Renxue blinked. "What are you doing here? Does Mother know you left Spirit Hall?"
"Oh, Teacher knows exactly where I am," Hu Liena replied cheerfully. "In fact, she encouraged me to come. Said it would be 'educational.'"
Qian Renxue's confusion deepened. "Educational? What—"
"Can we come in?" Luo Yan interrupted before this conversation could get any weirder in the hallway. "We need to talk. All of us."
Something in his tone made Qian Renxue's expression shift to concern. "Is something wrong? Is Mother okay?"
"Everyone's fine," he assured her quickly. "But yes, we need to talk. Privately."
Qian Renxue ushered them inside, dismissing her guards with a wave. Once the door was closed and privacy formations activated, she turned to face them with arms crossed.
"Alright, what's going on? Why do you both look like you're about to tell me something terrible?"
"I don't look terrible!" Hu Liena protested. "I look excited!"
"Which is somehow more concerning." Qian Renxue's eyes narrowed. "Luo Yan, what is this about?"
Right. No more delaying. Time to rip off the bandage.
"So," Luo Yan began carefully. "You know how I've been staying at Spirit Hall for the past few weeks?"
"Yes..."
"And you know I've been helping your mother heal from the Rakshasa corruption?"
"Yes, and I'm incredibly grateful for that—"
"And you know that Hu Liena has been serving as my attendant during my stay?"
Qian Renxue glanced between them, suspicion dawning. "What exactly are you trying to tell me?"
"That I'm his now!" Hu Liena blurted out, unable to contain herself any longer. "Body, mind, and soul. He claimed me three days ago and it was *amazing* and I'm completely devoted to him forever and—ow!"
Luo Yan had elbowed her. "Let me handle this."
"You were taking too long! And she deserves to know—"
"WHAT?!" Qian Renxue's voice hit a pitch that probably shattered glass somewhere. Her Crown Prince disguise flickered, revealing her true angelic features underneath. "You're WHAT?!"
"See, this is why I wanted to ease into it," Luo Yan muttered.
"Ease into WHAT?!" Qian Renxue was staring at Hu Liena like she'd grown a second head. "You—you're sleeping with him? Since when? How did this even—"
"Since the day he saved us from the Titan Giant Ape, basically," Hu Liena said matter-of-factly. "I fell for him immediately. He's incredible. Powerful, kind, patient—"
"I KNOW HE'S INCREDIBLE!" Qian Renxue shouted. "HE'S MY—" She stopped, seeming to realize what she was about to say. "He's mine. I found him first."
"I'm not a lost wallet, Renxue," Luo Yan interjected.
"You know what I mean!" She whirled on him. "You're mine! We made love! We have a soul bond! You can't just—"
"Can't just what?" Luo Yan asked gently. "Have other women? Renxue, I told you from the beginning that my ambitions were vast. That there would be others."
"I thought you meant eventually! Like, years from now! Not—not—" She gestured wildly at Hu Liena. "Not my mother's student who's sixteen years old!"
"I'm almost seventeen," Hu Liena offered helpfully.
"THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT BETTER!"
"Actually," Luo Yan said, deciding to just go for broke, "there's more."
Qian Renxue's eye twitched. "More? What could possibly be MORE?"
"Your mother."
Silence. Dead, absolute silence.
Qian Renxue stared at him. Then at Hu Liena, who was nodding enthusiastically. Then back at him.
"My... mother," she repeated slowly.
"Yes."
"My mother. Bibi Dong. The Pope of Spirit Hall."
"That's the one."
"You're sleeping with my MOTHER?!"
"As of last night, yes."
Qian Renxue made a sound that wasn't quite a scream, wasn't quite a laugh, and wasn't quite a sob. She staggered backward and collapsed into the nearest chair.
"I need a minute," she said faintly. "I need several minutes. I need—how did this even HAPPEN?!"
Luo Yan pulled up another chair and sat across from her. "Your mother has been healing. Emotionally and mentally. Part of that healing involved reclaiming agency over her own body and choices. She wanted to be intimate with someone she trusted completely. Someone who would never hurt her. She chose me."
"But she's my MOM!" Qian Renxue's voice cracked. "You can't—that's—there are RULES about this kind of thing!"
"What rules?" Hu Liena asked curiously. "I mean, you're both adults. You both chose him freely. Where's the problem?"
"The problem is that he's sleeping with my MOTHER AND her STUDENT!" Qian Renxue looked genuinely distressed now. "How am I supposed to process this? What do I even call this situation?"
"A harem?" Hu Liena suggested.
"NOT HELPING!"
Luo Yan reached out and took Qian Renxue's hands in his. "Renxue. Look at me."
She did, reluctantly.
"Do you trust me?" he asked seriously.
"Of course I trust you, but—"
"Do you want your mother to be happy?"
"Yes, obviously—"
"Do you care about Hu Liena's wellbeing?"
"I mean, I barely know her, but I don't wish her harm—"
"Then what's the actual problem?" Luo Yan asked gently. "I'm not leaving you. I'm not replacing you. You're still mine, and I'm still yours. The bond we share hasn't changed. I've just... added to my family."
Qian Renxue's lower lip trembled. "But what if you stop loving me because you have them now?"
Oh. There it was. The real fear beneath the shock and outrage.
Luo Yan pulled her out of the chair and into his lap, holding her close. Through the Heart's Dominion bond, he felt her genuine terror—not anger, but fear of being abandoned, of being replaced, of losing the one person who'd ever truly chosen her.
"Renxue," he murmured against her hair. "You're my first. My angel. The woman who made me understand what it meant to truly care about someone. Nothing and no one will ever change that. Adding others to my life doesn't diminish what we have. If anything, it makes it stronger."
"How?" Her voice was small, vulnerable.
"Because now you have family. Real family. Your mother is healing and happy. Hu Liena has become someone you can trust. We're building something together—all of us. Not just a harem, but a genuine family unit where everyone cares about each other."
Hu Liena, showing surprising emotional intelligence, moved to sit beside them. "He's right, Miss Qian Renxue. I'm not trying to steal him from you. I'm trying to join what you've already built. And Teacher—your mother—she's so happy now. Happier than I've ever seen her. That's because of both of you."
Qian Renxue was quiet for a long moment, processing. Through the bond, Luo Yan felt her emotions gradually shifting from panic to reluctant acceptance.
"This is insane," she finally said.
"Completely," Luo Yan agreed.
"I'm dating someone who's also dating my mother and my mother's student."
"Technically correct."
"People would think we're all crazy if they knew."
"Probably."
"And you really think this can work? All of us together?"
"I know it can," Luo Yan said with absolute confidence. "Because you're all extraordinary women who are capable of caring about each other as much as you care about me."
Qian Renxue pulled back to look at him seriously. "If you hurt my mother—if you hurt either of them—I will find a way to make you regret it. I don't care if you're a god from another universe."
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
She turned to Hu Liena. "And you. If you're going to be part of this... family... then I need to actually get to know you. No more being strangers."
Hu Liena's face lit up. "Really? You mean it?"
"I'm not happy about this situation," Qian Renxue clarified. "But if it's happening anyway, I'd rather be involved than shut out. So yes. We're going to be friends. Whether we like it or not."
"I already like you!" Hu Liena said enthusiastically. "You're smart and beautiful and Teacher speaks so highly of you—"
"My mother speaks highly of me?" Qian Renxue looked genuinely shocked.
"All the time! She's so proud of how well you've maintained your cover in Heaven Dou. She just... couldn't say it before because of the corruption. But now that Luo Yan freed her, she talks about you constantly."
Tears pricked Qian Renxue's eyes. "She does?"
"Oh yeah. Like, nonstop. It's actually kind of adorable how much she brags about her brilliant daughter."
Qian Renxue buried her face in Luo Yan's chest, overwhelmed. He just held her, letting her process everything.
After a few minutes, she pulled herself together and looked up at him. "So what now? How does this work?"
"Well," Luo Yan said carefully, "I was thinking we could have a proper family dinner. All four of us. Give you a chance to actually interact with your mother and Hu Liena without any secrets or disguises."
"A family dinner," Qian Renxue repeated flatly. "With my boyfriend, my mother who's also sleeping with my boyfriend, and my mother's student who's also sleeping with my boyfriend."
"When you put it like that, it sounds weird."
"BECAUSE IT IS WEIRD!"
"But you'll come anyway?" Hu Liena asked hopefully.
Qian Renxue sighed deeply. "Fine. Yes. I'll come to your insane family dinner. But I reserve the right to be incredibly awkward about the entire situation."
"That's fair," Luo Yan allowed.
"And I want it on record that I think you're all crazy."
"Also fair."
"And if this goes badly, I'm blaming you."
"Completely reasonable."
Qian Renxue shook her head but couldn't quite suppress a small smile. "I can't believe this is my life now."
"Could be worse," Hu Liena pointed out. "You could be dating someone boring."
"I'm dating someone who collects women like they're rare spirit rings!"
"See? Never boring!"
Despite herself, Qian Renxue laughed. It was slightly hysterical, but it was a laugh.
---
To be continue.