It was the weekend, so the school was quite quiet. Only the third-year high school students were still in school. The first and second-year students had gone home for vacation.

In about an hour or so, it would be time for the students to be dismissed. At that time, there would be more people seen on the road.

They came at the right time. The school was still very quiet now.

This school covered a large area, with two sports fields. It was a well-known public high school in the city. Most students with good academic performance entered this school. Back then, Xie Li also got in by himself and even received a scholarship because he was the top scorer in the high school entrance examination that year.

Xie Li walked on the tree-lined path holding Tang Man’s hand. The ground was dappled with light and shadow. Tang Man suddenly thought of a sentence and turned her head to say with a smile, “Xie Li, am I walking on the path you once walked?”

Xie Li grunted and held her hand a bit tighter.

The two walked slowly in silence. No one spoke. They walked around the school once. When they passed a bulletin board, Tang Man saw a few people’s photos posted on it. In the front row was a very good-looking boy who seemed to have done well in a joint exam, ranking at the top.

His name was Wang Zhaoming.

Tang Man’s gaze lingered on it for a while. Xie Li also noticed and couldn’t help but tighten his grip on her hand.

She came back to her senses and joked with a smile, “Assistant Xie, don’t tell me you’re getting jealous over this?”

Xie Li’s expression remained unchanged. He held her hand and was about to leave. “Miss Tang, I remember your high school boyfriends were all this type of pretty boys.”

Tang Man laughed and said, “Speaking of which, Assistant Xie should have also been considered a pretty boy in high school.”

Xie Li suddenly stopped. Tang Man almost bumped into him. Fortunately, she stopped in time. Meeting Xie Li’s gaze, Tang Man didn’t feel embarrassed. She rubbed her wrist and said as a matter of course:

“Assistant Xie, don’t you look at your own photos? I think compared to this student named Ming, our Assistant Xie in his younger days was not inferior at all.”

Xie Li looked at Tang Man for a long time and finally couldn’t help but laugh, a very bright laugh. This laugh made Tang Man a bit puzzled. Which sentence of hers had hit this person’s funny bone to make him so happy all of a sudden?

So she couldn’t help but hook his palm and said, “Assistant Xie, what are you laughing at? Tell me and let me be happy too.”

Xie Li didn’t say anything, just held her hand and walked forward, letting Tang Man shake his hand non-stop.

He only felt his heart suddenly calm down, thinking that Tang Man being with him might not be entirely due to their interest-based relationship. There might be a hint of other possibilities, and just this hint of other possibilities was enough to make his heart surge.

After strolling around the school, they finally went back. It was already five or six o’clock, the time for dinner. There were already many students in the school. The two of them were really conspicuous among them. Plus, staying outside for a long time was still a bit hot, so the two went home.

They didn’t leave this residential building until it was almost dark after dinner.

However, the two elders insisted on seeing them off downstairs. On the way down, they met a few acquaintances and a few children. Seeing Tang Man, they inevitably talked about their relationship and marriage. For them, once someone visited, it almost meant the two families were going to become in-laws.

Those few children were still young, probably of preschool or first-grade age. They peeked out their heads curiously from behind the adults to look at Tang Man.

The adults were chatting, and the topic fell on Xie Li and her. Tang Man couldn’t leave for a moment. However, when various relatives chatted, the topic easily extended to having children after marriage. Then they asked Xie Li and Tang Man about this matter.

Tang Man noticed that Xie Li’s parents had smiles on their faces, looking at those few children very kindly. They were clearly elders who loved children and probably hoped Xie Li would have a child after getting married.

But she currently had no plans for childbearing. Perhaps she might change her mind in the future and want a child, but at present, she was very certain that she didn’t have this thought.

When it was completely dark and there were more mosquitoes in the stairwell, those few aunties finally said their goodbyes, mainly because the few children started making a fuss.

They couldn’t understand the adults’ courtesies and gossip. They were still young and only understood their own little world. For the active them, pulling a few people to talk in the stairwell was not a fun thing. So after being bitten by mosquitoes a few times, they couldn’t help but make a fuss, clamoring to go home.

After leaving the building and parting with Xie Li’s parents, Xie Li drove to send her back to the apartment. He was going to come back here later, but it was obvious that his mood was quite good. Tang Man could feel it.

When they sat in the car and the air conditioning was turned on, Xie Li finally noticed Tang Man, who had been a bit quiet along the way. He couldn’t help but turn his head, slowed down the car speed, glanced at her a few times, and then spoke carefully, “What’s wrong?”

Tang Man turned her head.

Xie Li tilted his head, “I feel like you’re in a bad mood.”

“Is there anything about my parents that made you feel uncomfortable?”

Xie Li said this with some hesitation. He knew that Tang Man was a special person. She had many boundaries in her heart. Sometimes when a line was crossed, it almost meant that person was already circled by her.

“No, it’s just that the weather is too hot and I’m a bit tired.”

Tang Man smiled and casually avoided this topic. She didn’t like to dwell too much on this matter. She clearly knew that since she had chosen Xie Li, in accepting the benefits, she also had to bear all the troubles behind it.

Including dealing with some things she disliked.

And undeniably, it wasn’t that she didn’t like Xie Li at all. Perhaps she had some favorable feelings, and that bit of favorable feelings was enough for her to accept this relationship.

Xie Li softly asked if that was the case, and after a slight hesitation, he said, “Then you should rest early tonight. Next week, after I arrange a meeting between both sets of parents, do you think we should invite Madam Yang to have a meal together?”

“My mother?”

Xie Li grunted in agreement.

Tang Man hesitated for a moment but still shook her head, “No need to invite my mom. She’s pregnant now and it’s inconvenient. And my dad doesn’t know she’s pregnant yet. If they make a scene in front of your parents, it won’t look good.”

Old Tang wasn’t the kind of person who would show some restraint in front of outsiders. Even though they might be meeting their future in-laws, Old Tang had no qualms about hitting someone in public at a restaurant, so Xie Li’s unfamiliar parents wouldn’t have much face in front of him.

This person was unruly when he was young, and as he got older, he became even more brazen.

Xie Li lowered his eyelids for a moment before grunting to indicate that he understood. However, he couldn’t help but reach out a hand to hold Tang Man’s hand. He held Tang Man’s hand in his palm, his gaze still fixed on the road ahead, his voice already as calm as possible.

“If there’s anything about my parents that concerns you, you can tell me. If you have any doubts about our relationship, I hope you can also tell me,” Xie Li said, “Tang Man, we are engaged, not ordinary boyfriends and girlfriends.”

After a few seconds, Tang Man grunted in agreement.

An hour later, the car arrived at the apartment building. It was still quite early. Xie Li stopped the car, got out, and opened the car door for her.

Tang Man got out of the car and met Xie Li’s gaze. She seemed to sense his reluctance. She hesitated for a moment, then took the initiative to hold his hand, “Do you want to come up and sit for a while?”