The four of them walked toward Jiang Xiaoqi’s home, two in front and two behind.
"See? What did I tell you? Xiaoqi definitely wasn’t out with her colleagues. I knew it! They were out on a date."
Usually, when Jiang Xiaoqi came home late, Jiang Guobin would be the one to go out and meet her.
But this time, Liu Liping suspected her daughter might be on a date with Lin Jiang. Driven by curiosity, she tagged along with her husband to meet them.
And to her surprise, they really were coming back together.
"Your guess was spot on," Jiang Guobin said, a little proud. "But I was quick on the uptake, too. I got him to stay the night."
"The problem is, if you’re having him stay, where is he going to sleep? Our apartment only has two bedrooms. Are you suggesting we sleep on the sofa?" Liu Liping whispered.
"What are you talking about, sleeping on the sofa? Obviously, they’ll sleep together."
"Huh? They’re not married yet, and they’re not even at the stage of talking about marriage. Isn’t it a bit too soon for them to be sleeping together? That doesn’t seem right."
"The main thing is, Xiaojiang is too good of a catch. And our Xiaoqi is so shy. If we don’t give them a push, they’ll never make any progress."
"That’s true. Our Xiaoqi is a great kid, just too timid. They’ve been together for so long, and I think this is only the second time they’ve gone out for dinner and a movie."
Liu Liping sighed. "I bet they’ve probably only held hands by now. Maybe they haven’t even kissed. They’re more conservative than our generation was."
"That’s why we have to give them a hand and help them speed things up. It can’t go on like this."
"What if... you know... they actually do *it* tonight?"
"Not a chance," Jiang Guobin said, his tone firm.
"She’s your own flesh and blood, don’t you know her? I’m guessing it’ll be a big step if they even hug."
"You’re right. Sigh... that girl."
Although she agreed verbally, Liu Liping still had some reservations.
After all, it was her daughter. Letting them stay together so soon still made her a tiny bit uncomfortable.
But, just as her husband said, if they didn’t help, the two of them surely wouldn’t make any major progress anytime soon.
If such a great prospective son-in-law got snatched away by someone else, it would be a terrible loss.
While they were talking, the four of them arrived upstairs at the apartment.
Liu Liping took some washed fruit out of the refrigerator.
"Here, Xiaojiang, have some fruit."
"Thank you, Auntie."
"Mom, your birthday is next week. This is a gift Brother Jiang bought for you."
Seeing the gift Jiang Xiaoqi handed her, Liu Liping broke into a huge grin.
"We’re all family, you didn’t have to buy anything. You’ve spent too much."
"Don’t mention it, Auntie. It’s the least I could do," Lin Jiang said graciously.
"Mom, open it and take a look. Brother Jiang spent a long time picking it out."
Liu Liping opened the box and pulled out the receipt that was tucked inside.
"This... this watch is over 70,000?!"
The price stunned the couple.
An item at this price point, especially a watch, was far beyond the spending limit for an average family.
"The price doesn’t matter, as long as you like it, Auntie."
"I love it, I love it! Xiaojiang, you’re so thoughtful to have prepared a gift for me."
When a gift reached this price point, its actual appearance was no longer important.
Even if she didn’t genuinely like it, one look at the price tag was enough to make her love it.
It was like a Mercedes G-Wagen; if that thing sold for a little over a hundred thousand, nobody would want one.
"It’s getting late. You two shouldn’t stay up. Get some rest, you both have work tomorrow."
When they had first arrived, Liu Liping still felt a little hesitant.
But after seeing the 70,000-plus watch, all her reservations vanished into thin air.
She couldn’t wait for them to hurry off to bed.
She even started hoping her daughter would take the initiative and that something *would* happen.
Such are the hearts of parents everywhere.
"Your father and I are heading to our room. Xiaoqi, take Xiaojiang to get washed up. You both should get to bed early."
Parents are all the same. At times like this, they do their best to disappear and not get in the way of the young folk.
If they had somewhere else to stay, they wouldn’t have even been home.
Jiang Xiaoqi brushed her hair back. "Brother Jiang, my place isn’t as big as yours. Sorry you have to put up with it for tonight."
"What’s there to put up with? It’s not like I roll around in my sleep."
"Hehe... Go on, Brother Jiang, get washed up."
Jiang Xiaoqi pulled Lin Jiang into the bathroom and got him a new toothbrush and towel.
She turned, found a nightgown on a hanger, and casually took off her clothes. But she didn’t put it on just yet. Instead, she used the toilet right there next to Lin Jiang. Only after she was finished did she slip on the nightgown.
Lin Jiang had a distinct feeling. ’Pandora’s Box has been opened again.’
By the time she had changed into her nightgown, Lin Jiang had finished brushing his teeth. Jiang Xiaoqi stood in front of the mirror, removing her makeup.
"Brother Jiang, you can go wait for me in the room."
As she spoke, Jiang Xiaoqi stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear:
"I have a lot of fun things in my room. I’ll show them to you later."
Lin Jiang’s large hand landed on Jiang Xiaoqi’s bottom.
"I’ll give you 10 minutes. Don’t make me wait too long, or there will be a new punishment."
"Then I’ll have to be slow on purpose and take more than ten minutes."
That one sentence was all it took. Lin Jiang knew. ’Pandora’s Box has definitely been opened again.’
Back in Jiang Xiaoqi’s room, Lin Jiang found the space quite familiar.
He had seen her room many times during their video calls.
He even knew where she kept her secret Treasure Chest, though he had no idea what was actually hidden inside it.
The overall decor was very cute, with lots of dolls arranged on the headboard.
On her vanity were several pairs of glasses, suitable for various scenarios.
After a quick look around, Lin Jiang lay down on the bed. He waited for a moment before Jiang Xiaoqi walked in, wearing a sheet mask.
"It’s been 13 minutes."
Jiang Xiaoqi immediately put a finger to her lips, afraid her parents would hear.
She quietly closed and locked the door, then, full of excited energy, came over to Lin Jiang and climbed on top of him.
"I took a few extra minutes on purpose."
Lin Jiang gave Jiang Xiaoqi’s bottom a squeeze.
"Looks like you’re ready."
"Not so fast. Let me show you my closet."
Jiang Xiaoqi pulled Lin Jiang off the bed and opened her white closet.
Most of the clothes inside were uniforms and miniskirts, along with lots of thigh-high socks and black nylons.
"As expected of a JK uniform enthusiast. You have so many items and outfits."
"Oh... these aren’t the *real* items and equipment."
"Then where are the real items and equipment?"
"Promise me you won’t laugh when I show you."
"They’re all things I’ll be using in the future. Why would I laugh at you?"
"Brother Jiang, you always say such shameless things."
Quietly, Jiang Xiaoqi opened the bottom drawer of the closet.
Surprisingly, it was filled with books. It wasn’t until she removed the top layer of books that Lin Jiang saw what was hidden beneath.
Underneath was a metal box with a combination lock, about 50 centimeters long and 30 centimeters wide. It was a decent size.
After removing the books, Jiang Xiaoqi took out the box. She presented it to Lin Jiang with both hands and whispered almost inaudibly:
"The code is 8326. Brother Jiang, you can open it... take out whatever you want to use~~~"
Lin Jiang placed the metal box on the bed, entered the code, and opened it.
As it opened, Lin Jiang felt like the door to a whole new world had just opened for him as well.
It was filled with so many strange gadgets he’d never seen before, each one more bizarrely shaped than the last.
"A few of these look pretty fun, but can we... operate them here? Aren’t you afraid your parents will hear?"
"I was thinking the same thing. I am a little worried."
Jiang Xiaoqi sat on the bed, looking up at Lin Jiang.
"Brother Jiang~~~"
"What is it?"
"Don’t you think this is more exciting?"
’Did you just blow Pandora’s Box wide open?’
A question for all my 18-centimeter-long brothers.
When I’m typing in WPS, how do I get the current line of text to always stay in the middle of the screen?
Right now, once I fill up a page, the paragraph I’m typing on ends up at the very bottom of the screen. I have to look down so much my neck is about to break. Help~~~~

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