When A Snail Falls in Love

As the three men sat down, Xu Xu took Ji Bai’s hint and went to put on a more conservative piece of clothing. Even so, it was not enough to stop Xu Juan’s judgmental gaze. He did not say anything and simply stared, first at her, then at Ji Bai who was wearing his clothes.

After a while, Xu Xu calmed down and officially introduced Ji Bai to her father. “Dad, this is my boyfriend, Ji Bai.”

Ji Bai immediately stuck out his hand and said, “Hello, uncle.”

The three of them all looked at Father Xu.

Father Xu smiled slightly and nodded at Ji Bai as if he had not noticed the messy bed in the bedroom. “Hello. I heard that you’re Xu Xu’s colleague in the police unit.”

The original awkward atmosphere immediately became pleasant as Ji Bai began to speak calmly, composed. Xu Xu was relieved and she soon left to make tea for everyone. Xu Juan looked at the happy expression on his sister’s face and controlled himself.

When Xu Xu came back with a pot of hot tea, she heard her father asking Ji Bai, “Oh, you’re from Beijing. What do your parents do?”

It was not like her father wanted to unearth every dirty detail, but because he was a man of traditional background and also a gentle, loving father, he wanted to know more about his daughter’s partner. Therefore, he did not beat around the bush.

Both Xu Xu and Xu Juan turned to Ji Bai.

Ji Bai smiled and answered, “Both of my parents have retired. My father used to run a company and my mother worked in the communist party department. I have two older brothers. My eldest brother is now working in the ministry of finance and my second brother is managing the family business.”

Father Xu was slightly stunned but he nodded and did not probe further.

Xu Xu had never asked him about his family background before, but when she heard how he openly answered her father’s question without a hint of arrogance, she smiled. Ji Bai was truly a humble man.

A few minutes later, Xu Juan stood up and said, “Xu Xu, I have something that I left in your room. Go and take it for me.” Xu Xu walked into the room with Xu Juan and locked the door.

Clearly, everyone knew that this was just an excuse. As soon as Xu Xu entered the room, she sat down on the edge of the bed. She knew her father’s character well and was not worried that he would make things difficult for Ji Bai. Nevertheless, she was still a little curious about what they would talk about.

Xu Juan, on the other hand, was not in a good mood. He walked to the side of the table, picked up the bouquet of roses and sniffed it. Then he picked up the glass of half-finished red wine and swirled it around turning to look at Xu Xu. “He should have filled the entire room with roses and got wine from a private vineyard before even thinking of sleeping with my sister. Why would you let him so easily?”

Xu Xu was never ashamed to talk to her brother about sex, but when it had actually happened, she was a little embarrassed. She answered, her cheeks slightly burning, “It’s none of your business.”

Xu Juan shook his head and sighed. “I just don’t want you to regret it.”

Xu Xu scoffed. “I was the one who wanted it.”

Xu Juan was having an internal break down. He knew that Xu Xu had always been straightforward and that it would really be awkward if they continued on with this conversation, so he had no choice but to give up. Although he still worried about his sister being taken advantage of, when he thought about it, his sister had always been independent and smart. If Ji Bai were to hurt her, she would most probably kick his ass, so he should leave her to her own devices. When this thought came to him, he smiled to himself.

The two of them looked at the tightly shut door and Xu Xu asked, “What do you think Dad is talking to him about?”

Xu Juan shrugged. “I don’t know, but Dad knows his limits, so his conversation will only do you good.”

Xu Xu nodded.

This was how the Xu family got along. Although both children had extremely distinct personalities, they had been brought up strictly by their father ever since they were young. Therefore even when faced with awkward situations like just now, Xu Juan dared not say anything as his father pretended to be ignorant and quietly stepped aside. In reality, even though Xu Juan was critical of his soon to be brother-in-law, he did not genuinely give him attitude as he was afraid that his sister would feel bad and take it out on him. It was clear that in this dynamics, the one with the most power in the family was actually the kind-looking father, followed by Xu Xu and last Xu Juan.

Of course, Ji Bai also noticed this. After having a polite conversation with Father Xu, he respectfully and honestly said, “Uncle, it’s really impolite of me to meet you so abruptly like this. I’ll ask Xu Xu to bring me over to your place to visit you properly another day. If you agree, I would also like to bring her to Beijing and introduce her to my family during the holidays.”

Bonus chapter (1): On a random day after they got married and had both a son and a daughter.

Ji Bai and Xu Xu brought their son to the theme park. The roller coaster soared through the air rapidly, and when their son got off the ride, he was jumping up and down. On the other hand, the long hair that Xu Xu had grown out after getting married was a mess; it covered her face completely such that only her tiny chin could be seen. When they got off, she held her son’s hand and walked towards Ji Bai. As Ji Bai stepped forward to meet them, an old man beside them nodded and offered them his approval. “It’s perfect when you have both a son and a daughter! Amazing!” Ji Bai was speechless.

Bonus chapter (2): Practice shooting.

Although Ji Bai had been promoted to station chief, he would still bring Xu Xu to the shooting range every weekend to critique her rookie marksmanships and train her personally. Of course, he was extremely strict throughout the process and would never take advantage of her, especially in public. When others saw the scene, they would only stand back and admire the station chief’s impressive shooting technique. However, Xu Xu was very troubled. Was she the only one who noticed Ji Bai’s suspicious action? His fingers would unintentionally brush against the back of her hand and his breath would occasionally gently blow on her cheeks. Moreover, the thoughtful look in his eyes was identical to the look he would give her in bed at night… Ji Bai himself was clearly not bothered by this. One of his greatest pleasure was to look at his wife’s bright red face in his arms. Later on, there were some ladies who politely went up to Ji Bai when Xu Xu was no longer around. “Station Chief, can you guide me a little?” Ji Bai smiled at them and called out, “Zhao Han, come and teach them.”