Suddenly seeing Qin's mother push the door open and enter, both Chu Ge and Qin Ruoying were startled. The two of them were holding hands, and even though Chu Ge hadn't done anything, his hand was held by Qin Ruoying. It wasn't quite appropriate for Qin's mother to see him and his "sister-in-law" in such an act, was it?

However, Chu Ge has an unusually strong composure. Although the situation was sudden, his face showed no panic, just the right amount of embarrassment.

He patted Qin Ruoying's hand and said somewhat awkwardly, "Jing, Auntie is watching, shouldn't you let go?"

"Oh, oh."

Qin Ruoying quickly withdrew her hand from Chu Ge's, adjusted her mood swiftly, and said with an embarrassed expression, "Mom, are you looking for Xiaoying? She's in the kitchen washing dishes."

When speaking, Qin Ruoying deliberately raised her voice slightly above normal, hoping Qin Ruojing in the kitchen could hear and catch on, letting her prepare in advance.

Qin's mother was taken aback, clearly still not over the shock from the scene just now, and subconsciously said, "Xiaoying? Washing dishes? Since when is this girl so diligent?"

Qin Ruoying showed a slightly helpless expression and said, "Your second daughter says washing dishes is lighter work compared to cleaning up, so she went to wash the dishes."

"This girl, she's really good at skiving off. Alright, you two carry on."

Qin's mother mumbled half-annoyed, half-amused, and after speaking, she closed the room door and walked toward the kitchen.

Watching the door closing again, Qin Ruoying finally let out a long breath, wiped the cold sweat from her forehead that the scare had caused, and murmured with lingering fear, "That was close."

Chu Ge knocked Qin Ruoying's forehead lightly, "Isn't it all because of your fooling around?"

Qin Ruoying giggled, stuck out her tongue playfully, and said, "Alright, it was a false alarm, and my mom didn't catch us. But, brother-in-law, you're amazing, I was so scared I was frozen, but you stayed so calm."

"I'll go check on your sister."

Chu Ge smiled wryly, said nothing more, and then left the room too. After all, Qin Ruoying just told a lie, and he had to watch over Qin Ruojing. If something slipped, it would be quite a scene.

Luckily, Qin Ruojing had changed into pajamas identical to her sister's in the afternoon, and the two were dressed alike. Plus, Qin's mother had a little drink with dinner, and with Chu Ge discreetly signaling to Qin Ruojing, they managed not to get caught.

After finishing washing the dishes, Qin Ruojing took some fruit from the fridge, and the four of them sat on the sofa watching TV.

Although Qin's mother wasn't interested in current events or politics at all, due to the influence of her husband, Qin Yan, she habitually watched the news. Usually, when the elder couple was at home, they would chat a bit after watching the news.

Today's news content, aside from the routine items, included several officials falling from grace due to corruption, keeping mistresses, and a report about an official who drowned in the swimming pool at the gym.

The news time passed quickly, and Qin's mother habitually started discussing the news content.

"These corrupt officials got what's coming to them. But that swimming drowning incident is rather odd. I mean, how can someone drown in a gym pool? What were the lifeguards doing?"

"Maybe it was just an oversight, leading to an accident."

"Hmm, could be. Every year, there are drowning incidents in swimming pools after all."

Qin Ruojing and Qin Ruoying said one after the other, while Chu Ge remained silent. He didn't think such matters were as simple as the sisters claimed.

However, since he didn't know any of the officials mentioned in the news, these matters had nothing to do with him. He watched and then moved on, not giving it a second thought.

After talking about the news with Qin's mother and the Qin sisters for a while, the conversation naturally shifted back to Qin Ruoying.

"Xiaoying, your sister and brother-in-law have such a good relationship now. When your brother-in-law's career takes another step up, they'll be getting married. You're not young anymore. When are you going to find a reliable boyfriend so your dad and I can be at ease and get yourself settled?"

Surprisingly, Qin Ruoying didn't evade the issue this time or use excuses like headaches or stomachaches to sneak away. Instead, she giggled and said, "Mom, don't worry. I have someone I'm interested in now. Once we develop things a bit further and become a real couple, I'll bring him over for you and dad to meet, so you can help evaluate him."

Qin's mother's eyes lit up, "Really? What does that young man do? Is his family's condition good? How does he look?"

Taking advantage of picking up a tangerine from the coffee table, Qin Ruoying glanced meaningfully at Qin Ruojing from an angle Qin's mother couldn't see, then winked at Chu Ge, and returned with the tangerine, smiling at Qin's mother, "Mom, well, that's a secret for now. Here, let me peel this tangerine for you."

Chu Ge broke out in a sweat, knowing full well that Qin Ruoying was talking about him. He glanced at Qin Ruojing, and saw that her expression had also become slightly unnatural.

Hearing Qin Ruoying say that, Qin's mother immediately became anxious, "You cheeky girl, speaking halfway and leaving me hanging? Quickly, tell me more."

Qin Ruoying peeled the tangerine with a bright smile, saying, "Mom, it's not that I'm trying to keep you in suspense, but this is still very uncertain. I've taken a liking to him, but I can't guarantee if he likes me back. I'm working hard to win him over."

Qin's mother was stunned, forgetting to take the tangerine, and asked in amazement, "You? Actually chasing someone? Did I hear wrong? Is that man as handsome as Pan An, or a wealthy heir, to have such charm?"

Qin Ruoying placed the tangerine in Qin's mother's hand, chuckling, "Mom, don't ask for now. I guarantee that once you both see him, you'll definitely be satisfied. Right now, it's just about whether I have the fortune to win him over."

The more Qin Ruoying didn't say, the more curious Qin's mother became, instinctively asking, "Is this guy better than your brother-in-law?"

As soon as she said that, Qin's mother felt a bit regretful. The question was quite untimely, making it difficult for Qin Ruoying to answer, and surely making Chu Ge feel awkward.

This time, Qin Ruoying boldly glanced at Chu Ge, giggled, pinched her chin, pretended to think, and nodded, "Hmm, pretty much."

Chu Ge was more speechless, and at that moment suddenly felt a pain in his thigh. Without looking, he knew Qin Ruojing had pinched him hard. He couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, thinking it's not my fault, why are you pinching me?

But in this situation, he could only endure it. Qin Ruoying noticed this detail and smiled even brighter.

Qin's mother realized her earlier slip, feeling slightly embarrassed, only to see Qin Ruoying pick up the half-knit sweater on the couch and start smilingly talking.

"Alright, mom, enough about me, let's talk about your grandson-to-be. My brother-in-law's career is rising rapidly, and I believe it won't be long before he can proudly marry my sister. I think you're right, they should indeed have a child. By then, they'll balance family and career, and you'll get to hold your grandson, how wonderful."

Qin Ruojing secretly thought this was not good, pulling Chu Ge, but before she could get up from the couch, Qin's mother, eyes lighting up, had already turned and looked at her following Qin Ruoying's words.

"Hmm, Xiaoying's words make sense. Xiaojing, Chu Ge, honestly, that's what I had in mind for you two as well. You're not that young anymore; I'm not rushing you to get married, but you can't be too lax about having children."

Qin Ruojing blushed again, hurriedly deflecting, "Mom, without getting married, how can we have children? Having children out of wedlock, what kind of thing is that? Besides, we…"

Qin's mother waved her hand, interrupting Qin Ruojing before she could finish.

"Xiaojing, listen to mom, getting married and having children aren't conflicting things. It's not like before; these days, isn't getting married because of pregnancy quite common? Besides, you're so slim, even if you're pregnant, it might take four or five months to show. As long as you don't shout it out to the world, who will know you're pregnant?"

"And didn't you say yourself when you came back, work is not as important as mom, and I'm almost fifty. To be blunt, I have one foot in the grave. My biggest wish now is to see you two sisters married with children, having a happy, fulfilling family. This isn't too much to ask, is it? Were your words just to make mom happy?"

Qin Ruojing was more helpless, forced to smile as she grabbed Qin's mother's arm, "Mom, what I said is true, it's just…"

"No justs, you have to make the most of the time while I'm still physically okay. Once the child is born, I'll help look after them. You know your dad is busy with work, and I spend my days playing mahjong and cooking, not much else. When a little one arrives, it'll keep me company, making you both worry less and keeping my mind at ease."

"Also, having children too late isn't good for a woman's health. I'm not scaring you; remember my old friend, Auntie Zhang? Her daughter had a child at thirty, and then…"

Once Qin's mother started, she couldn't stop, especially regarding the risks of having children late, her face full of worry. Qin Ruojing listened with a wry smile but couldn't find a chance to interject.

Qin Ruoying sat on the side, listening while sneaking laughs. Even though she knew her mother's words were earnest and genuinely for Qin Ruojing's good, she could completely imagine how helpless and troubled Qin Ruojing must feel.

After more than half an hour, Qin's mother finally released Chu Ge and Qin Ruojing, concluding with a parting statement.

"It's getting late. You two go wash up and rest, and don't bring things or eat stuff you shouldn't."

Chu Ge almost burst into laughter, while Qin Ruojing was puzzled, subconsciously asking, "What stuff?"

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