RMM -Chapter 243 Fate’s Tricks

“Here you are! Come in and have a seat.”

Su Ruo led Zhou Yunzhen inside, and Shen Liang, who was sitting in the living room, greeted them with a smile.

“Aunt, hello.”

Zhou Yunzhen didn’t seem nervous at all. She calmly exchanged pleasantries with Shen Liang, her smile warm and confident, showing a natural ease.

“Hello, hello, you must be Zhou Yunzhen, right? I’ve heard so much about you from Ruo Ruo. She’s always praised you, and now that I see you, you really live up to the hype.”

Shen Liang’s smile was genuine and kind, hard to tell whether she was being polite or truly complimenting her.

Su Ruo couldn’t help but giggle. “See? Mom, I told you, talented and beautiful girls like Yunzhen are rare these days. I’m not exaggerating at all.”

Shen Liang shook her head with a helpless smile. “Silly girl, Yunzhen may be talented and beautiful, but you’re not bad either, are you?”

Shen Liang didn’t just see Su Ruo as her daughter-in-law now—she saw her as a daughter. Naturally, in her eyes, her own daughter would always shine brighter than anyone else.

Besides, Shen Liang genuinely thought Su Ruo was outstanding. Just look at her looks: even without considering the whole capital city, within their social circle, who else had a daughter as charming as Ruo Ruo? And her abilities—Su Ruo had already managed such a big business at her age, in her early twenties. That’s no small feat. Her talent was obvious.

A girl this exceptional—where else could you find one? Even when Su Ruo complimented another girl, Shen Liang couldn’t help but argue that her daughter was still the best.

Su Ruo didn’t know whether to be modest or proud at her mother-in-law’s praise. It was a bit awkward—Shen Liang was protective but honest, seeing everything in the best light for her own family.

“You see, my mom likes joking around and teasing me all the time,” Su Ruo said to Zhou Yunzhen with a playful smile, giving Shen Liang a mock glare as if to complain, like a little girl.

“Annoyed by your mom’s chatter? Alright, I won’t disturb you. There are things between young people I wouldn’t understand anyway. I’m getting old, after all.”

Zhou Yunzhen quickly replied, “No, no. Aunt, you look like you’re just as young as Ruo Ruo—there’s nothing old about you. You’re too modest.”

Zhou Yunzhen’s words were flattering but carried some sincerity. Meeting Shen Liang for the first time, she was surprised—she had expected Xi Yuechen to be in his thirties, and his mother to be older, but she was actually a glamorous, elegant lady, graceful in every movement. Calling her “old” was far from the truth—she was a mature woman full of charm.

No wonder Xi Yuechen and Xi Yuehui both looked so good—their genes came from this side.

Sure enough, Zhou Yunzhen’s words amused Shen Liang. “You really know how to joke. If I were half as young and pretty as Ruo Ruo, I’d be overjoyed.”

Though she said this, Shen Liang’s smile was full and warm, her eyes shining with delight.

Su Ruo teased, “Look at how happy you made mom. So, mom, you like hearing this kind of praise, huh? Alright, from now on, I’ll tell you every day. And when your precious grandson grows up, I’ll make sure he tells you too.”

Shen Liang was even happier, her usually elegant and restrained face now smiling so much that fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes.

“You child, nonsense! That’s too obvious flattery. If you said it every day, I couldn’t handle it. And when my grandson can talk, I’d become an old lady. Just teach him to be filial to us, that’s enough.”

Shen Liang enjoyed compliments but didn’t quite know how to handle such excessive adoration. She knew Su Ruo’s words were meant to save face for her, though likely not entirely untrue. Shen Liang had always been mindful of her appearance, often visiting beauty salons, and wasn’t at the stage of aging yet.

She couldn’t take it if her daughter-in-law and grandson flattered her constantly, whether real or fake.

“Mom’s still charming and graceful at this age. And honestly, nothing I say is exaggerated, so why be shy?”

Su Ruo wrapped her arm around Shen Liang’s and continued with a cheerful smile, “If I had your looks and elegance at your age, my life would truly be fulfilled.”

Compared to Zhou Yunzhen, a first-time visitor, Su Ruo’s sweet words were more effective. Just judging by Shen Liang’s expression, it was clear she appreciated Su Ruo’s flattery—er, kind words.

Zhou Yunzhen observed their interaction, a hint of envy flashing in her eyes. Xi Yuechen’s mother wasn’t just beautiful and elegant, she was also easy to get along with. Seeing how she interacted with Su Ruo, she seemed approachable and amiable.

Having such a mother-in-law would make living together very comfortable. No wonder Su Ruo always looked happy. Married to Xi Yuechen with such a good family background and an easygoing mother-in-law—how could one not be happy?

If she replaced Su Ruo in the future, the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship might even be smoother. But sweet words—anyone can say them. Su Ruo had her meticulous approach to life, after all.

Shen Liang, charmed by Su Ruo’s coaxing, glanced at Zhou Yunzhen and shook her head helplessly. “Miss Zhou, don’t mind her. Ruo Ruo is usually like this at home—no idea what she’s like outside. Come in, please. I almost forgot to invite you in while chatting with her.”

Su Ruo stuck out her tongue, embarrassed. “It’s all my fault. I neglected our guest. They say pregnancy makes a woman forgetful for three years. Yunzhen, don’t be mad; I’ll show you my full hospitality.”

As Zhou Yunzhen followed Shen Liang into the living room, she shook her head with a smile. “It’s fine. Aunt, please just call me Yunzhen, like Ruo Ruo does, not Miss Zhou.”

Shen Liang nodded with a smile. “Alright. Yunzhen, you and Ruo Ruo sit first. There’s fruit here. Ask the staff for anything you want to drink—don’t be shy.”

Then she looked at Su Ruo. “Ruo Ruo, entertain your friend well. If you need anything, call me. I’ll go check on Xi first; he’s probably about to need a diaper change. You two can go see him afterward.”

“Okay, mom, go ahead. If Xi is hungry, just call me,” Su Ruo waved, signaling Shen Liang to head upstairs.

“Ruo Ruo, you get along well with your mother-in-law.”

After Shen Liang went upstairs, Zhou Yunzhen teased Su Ruo, her gaze playful.

“Of course! Although I’m my mother-in-law’s daughter-in-law, she sees me as a daughter. How could we not get along?”

Su Ruo spoke proudly, full of self-satisfaction, causing Zhou Yunzhen’s expression to darken slightly.

“So your mother-in-law is really easygoing? Is she always this nice to everyone?” Zhou Yunzhen asked curiously.

“Hmm… not necessarily. It depends on the person. If she likes someone, naturally, she’ll be nice.”

Su Ruo tilted her head and said firmly, though inwardly she knew no one would ever receive the same favor from Shen Liang as she did.

“Oh, then winning her favor shouldn’t be hard,” Zhou Yunzhen smiled confidently, if only for a moment.

“Maybe,” Su Ruo replied uncertainly. She had no idea—her mother-in-law had always been kind to her.

“By the way, has the hospital been busy lately? Are you doing alright?”

Su Ruo didn’t want to discuss this too much and casually picked up a topic to chat about.

Zhou Yunzhen was tactful and naturally followed her lead, chatting easily.

Before long, Shen Liang called Su Ruo upstairs to feed Xi, and Zhou Yunzhen followed to see the baby.

While Su Ruo fed Xi in the nursery, Shen Liang told Zhou Yunzhen to wait, saying that if she got bored, she could walk around.

Afterwards, Shen Liang went downstairs, not staying with Zhou Yunzhen to avoid making her uncomfortable.

Zhou Yunzhen looked at Shen Liang’s tall, upright figure and sighed inwardly. Fate’s tricks—if only she had met Xi Yuechen earlier, she might have been living here by now, legitimately.

The second floor didn’t have many rooms. Zhou Yunzhen wandered slowly and noticed a partially open door, curiosity piqued.

Whose room could it be? Could it be Su Ruo and Xi Yuechen’s bedroom? The door was open; a glance inside wouldn’t hurt.

Deciding so, Zhou Yunzhen pushed the door open and stepped inside.

It was huge.

That was her first impression. Then she noticed the room was simply decorated for such a large space. Fortunately, small decorations prevented it from feeling empty.

The overall style was more masculine and austere. Zhou Yunzhen scrutinized the room; the decoration did not suit her tastes.

This was clearly Su Ruo and Xi Yuechen’s bedroom. When the room was decorated, Xi Yuechen wasn’t married yet and rarely stayed home, so it had been decorated simply and generously. When Su Ruo moved in, she didn’t mind the simplicity—it was neat, comfortable, and suitable. Shen Liang had chosen the style for her son, so Su Ruo didn’t change it to avoid upsetting her.

Within seconds, Zhou Yunzhen could tell it was their room.

The magazines on the bed, the baby items on the table, even clothes casually draped over the window-side sofa—all gave it away.

Her nose caught a faint, familiar fragrance—Su Ruo’s scent.