“Marriage?”

Xiao’s father paused for a long time and then trembled slightly, furrowing his brows. “A man, a man? Or the one from five years ago?”

“The one from five years ago? Be clear!”

Xiao Yin nodded slightly, appearing calm and natural, as if discussing today’s weather.

The room fell silent, and there was silence at the dining table.

Lei Ya seemed to be enjoying the spectacle and hadn’t stopped eating. The remaining eight or nine people at the table looked at each other in silence.

Xiao Yin’s sexual orientation was still a taboo topic within the Xiao family.

The incident from five years ago made headlines, and his face was captured in the photos.

Xiao Yin himself didn’t know why he didn’t choose to do damage control and reduce the publicity at the time. By the time the situation escalated, it had been brought to Xiao’s father’s attention by others. Naturally, Xiao’s father was furious and ordered Xiao Yin to return home immediately.

However, Xiao Yin had a competition at that time and showed no response to his father’s anger. Only after discussions among the other family members did they intervene.

Moreover, the Xiao family learned that Xiao Yin had already broken up with Rong Yi at that time. They persuaded Xiao’s father, saying that Xiao Yin was just acting on impulse and it would pass.

They were not unaware of how some indulgent young heirs within the entertainment circle behaved. Both men and women were fair game. While the Xiao family had strict values, if it was a passing fancy for Xiao Yin, it could be tolerated.

Xiao’s father was a very traditional person, residing overseas but still deeply connected to the homeland. He allowed his children to venture abroad, but one thing he firmly believed was that they had to start a family. This viewpoint had never been challenged.

Coming out was a touchy subject for him.

“Say it again,” Xiao’s father’s face was now filled with thunderous anger.

Xiao Yin remained calm, his expression unchanged.

“I’m not here to seek your approval. I’m here to inform everyone. I believe that speaking face-to-face can make things clear and serve as a serious statement.”

“If you and Mom find it difficult to accept in the short term, it’s completely understandable, and I understand. At the same time, I won’t force you to understand.”

“You are my most important family, and my boyfriend is the most important person to me. These two facts cannot be changed.”

Xiao Yin said, “My plan is to propose to him within this year. If your acceptance is better than I expect, then perhaps I can bring him back during the Lunar New Year.”

Xiao Yin interlocked his fingers and looked up at his parents, his expression calm.

Xiao’s mother was shocked, while Xiao’s father’s face could no longer be described as twisted.

After a full ten seconds, Xiao’s father finally shouted in his own voice.

“Are you rebelling against the family?”

…

The next day at noon, Rong Yi woke up on time.

He had no intention of having breakfast with the Li family, and of course, the Li family hadn’t prepared breakfast for him either.

He pushed open the door, and everyone in the living room turned to look at him, creating an awkward and tense atmosphere.

Rong Yi casually said, “Morning. I’m going out for a bit.”

“Not having breakfast?” Grandma Li couldn’t help but find fault with him. She spoke harshly, “What kind of behavior is this? Running out without having breakfast. And why did you only wake up at noon? It’s really disgraceful. Although your mom isn’t here to take care of you, you should at least…”

“I’ll eat out.” Rong Yi didn’t bother listening to her anymore. As he said those words, he had already walked out of the door, humming a cheerful tune, feeling happy.

When he sat down again at a stir-fry restaurant, Rong Yi checked his phone.

Xiao Yin hadn’t messaged or called him yet.

Perhaps it was due to the time difference.

Rong Yi sent a picture of the food from the stir-fry restaurant.

After finishing his meal, he bought some fruits and snacks that the elderly liked and carried them to his grandmother’s house.

His grandmother lived alone and had hired a caregiver to take care of her due to noticeable symptoms of dementia in recent years.

The previous caregiver was not good, so after Rong Yi visited once, he personally paid for a replacement. Everyone knew about this, but no one ever asked about it.

Rong Yi entered his grandmother’s house with the fruits.

His grandmother had answered his call yesterday and knew he was coming today, so she had been excited since she woke up.

Rong Yi’s way of accompanying the elderly was simple. He sat down, chatted with his grandmother, and shared his experiences with her. Although his life was difficult for his grandmother to understand, she was still interested and asked questions one by one.

“Do you have to play games every day?”

“You see, times have really changed. Playing games can also be a profession, and you can earn so much money from it.”

“Every time I call you, you’re always busy. You must be tired. What will you do?”

Upon seeing the worried expression on his grandmother’s face, Rong Yi decided to change the topic.

“Grandma, um, my teammates are all great people. I’m their team captain. Let me show you their photos.”

Rong Yi took out his phone and found the group photo of the other four members sent by the team manager.

As expected, his grandmother became interested.

Her attention was immediately drawn to Xiao Yin.

“Oh, so he’s the boss? He’s really handsome. Does he have a girlfriend?”

Rong Yi stifled a laugh and replied, “Yes, he does. He’s quite popular. Isn’t he handsome?”

His grandmother clearly missed the main point and smiled as she looked at Rong Yi. “But my grandson is even better looking. When are you going to find a girlfriend?”

Rong Yi blushed slightly.

Looking into the kind and gentle eyes of his grandmother, Rong Yi couldn’t help but say in a low voice, “I already have one.”

“Oh?” His grandmother’s gaze immediately became eager. “Where is she from? How did you meet? What does she look like? Do you have any photos?”

It was a typical questioning style from an elder, but Rong Yi felt a warm current surging in his heart, as if something was welling up inside him.

“We just started dating, so it hasn’t been long. I’m not sure how it will develop.”

Rong Yi carefully fabricated a lie to get past the situation and smiled as he held his grandmother’s hand. “She… She’s very beautiful, even more beautiful than me.”

“Her personality is a bit reserved, but she’s very gentle with me.”

His grandmother spoke up.

“For girls, that’s not being reserved, that’s called being introverted and gentle. How can you say that about her?”

“Okay, introverted and gentle.”

Rong Yi imagined an “introverted and gentle” Xiao Yin and couldn’t help but laugh again. He added, “She’s very talented and is the best in the industry.”

“Sounds like a powerful person.” His grandmother started to become curious but also had some hidden concerns. “But what if he doesn’t want to get married? Will it be unstable then?”

“Yeah, it might be a bit challenging.”

Rong Yi thought for a moment, lowered his eyes slightly, and spoke softly, “She… She comes from a wealthy and influential family. Her family may not necessarily agree to us being together. But we’ll take it step by step.”

“That won’t do. Our Ah Yi is no worse off either.”

His grandmother began speaking, “Good-looking, wealthy, kind-hearted, and filial. If others think poorly of you just because they have money, then it’s their problem. But don’t think that way about yourself.”

“If you think like that, then make it clear to them. It won’t hinder anything, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” Rong Yi nodded. “Grandma is right.”

“I’ll talk to her when I go back.”

Rong Yi absentmindedly touched his phone.

It was getting close to evening, and Xiao Yin still hadn’t messaged him or replied to his morning message.

Rong Yi placed his phone on the table and continued chatting with his grandmother. After a while, his grandmother smiled first. “You seem absent-minded. Are you thinking of calling your girlfriend?”

Though occasionally confused, the elderly still possessed the sharp intuition of an elder.

Rong Yi felt a bit embarrassed. “It’s nothing. I’ll call her later.”

“Call her now. Just don’t keep her waiting.” His grandmother continued to smile.

Rong Yi blushed and felt a bit flustered for a few seconds. Then, he picked up his phone and walked towards the balcony.

He dialed Xiao Yin’s number.

The call went through, but no one answered.

Rong Yi checked the time.

It was approaching 8 p.m., which meant it was already morning at Xiao Yin’s location.

Based on Xiao Yin’s routine, he should have been up by this time.

Making a call or replying to messages was secondary; Rong Yi just wanted to confirm that he was safe.

Although his worry seemed ridiculous, it was unavoidable to have random thoughts when in love.

Rong Yi couldn’t reach Xiao Yin on the phone and glanced at the time again.

If he counted the last video call from yesterday afternoon, it had been almost twenty hours since he last heard from Xiao Yin.