Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 565: That Night

Zhou Yuwen had indeed drunk quite a bit today. Most of the people present were his uncles and elders, and moreover, Zhou Guobin was there. It was not that Zhou Yuwen was truly intimidated by these local bigwigs, but with his old father present, there was no need for him to display the slick, worldly tactics he had picked up in society. Therefore, he drank whatever was poured for him, which ironically made everyone feel that he was a very honest and sincere young man.In truth, Zhou Yuwen was in a half-drunk state by this time, but he remembered the prior agreement with Pan Min to bring the red wine to her home.

That was why he mentioned it to Liu Shuo.

Liu Shuo asked, "Brother, Sister-in-Law Su Qing is not even around, so what are you going to her house for?"

Zhou Yuwen replied, "I have two cases of red wine in my car. We need to carry them over for Aunt Pan."

Hearing this, Liu Shuo could not help but tease, "Ah, what a good son-in-law."

Zhou Yuwen told him to get lost, and then added that they should check if any fruit stalls were still open to bring her a little something else.

No matter where Zhou Yuwen went nowadays, he always had bodyguards tailing him. They usually just stayed hidden in the background and did not show their faces, but when it was time to carry things, Liu Shuo naturally called them over to help.

It was already ten o'clock at night, and Pan Min was already planning on sleeping.

Actually, she still harbored a bit of expectation in her heart. After all, Zhou Yuwen had mentioned earlier that he would drop by once he finished his engagements.

But upon further thought, she realized how late it was and figured there was no way Zhou Yuwen would actually show up.

It was likely just a polite remark.

Just as Pan Min was about to take off her clothes to take a shower, a knock echoed from the door.

"Who is it?"

"Aunt Pan, it is me. I brought Liu Shuo to drop off a few things for you."

"Oh, alright."

Peering through the peephole, Pan Min saw Zhou Yuwen, Liu Shuo holding two large boxes, and several men in suits standing behind them.

Seeing this scene, Pan Min found it somewhat amusing.

In the dead of night, Zhou Yuwen had brought a whole group of people carrying bags and boxes just to give her gifts. If the neighbors saw this, who knew what they would think.

Pan Min opened the door and hurried them inside. She could not help but chide Zhou Yuwen slightly, saying that it was already so late, and there was no need to be in such a rush.

Zhou Yuwen was clearly in a drunken state. He insisted, "That will not do. Since I promised Aunt Pan, I definitely had to come."

Looking at Zhou Yuwen's intoxicated appearance, Pan Min, for some inexplicable reason, felt a touch of emotion.

Zhou Yuwen directed the men to set everything down. Aside from the red wine, there was also some freshly bought fruit and health supplements.

Once all these items were placed down, the old and rundown two-room apartment of barely over sixty square meters instantly felt a bit cramped.

Zhou Yuwen then instructed the group to wait for him downstairs.

These men were obedient enough, heading downstairs silently without a word, and they did not overthink the situation either.

Because right after buying the health supplements earlier, Zhou Yuwen had asked Liu Shuo to withdraw twenty thousand yuan in cash and place it in an envelope. He could not exactly hand that over in front of so many people, could he?

After everyone stepped out, the room immediately felt empty again.

However, looking at box after box of gifts, Pan Min let out a wry smile. She told him that spending money on all these things was a waste since it was just one person at home usually, and no one would end up eating any of it.

Zhou Yuwen replied that if she did not eat them, she could give them away to others. Zhou Yuwen was a little drunk, but his stamina and vitality were far beyond that of ordinary people, so this bit of alcohol was nothing to him. He forced himself to stay alert while sitting on the sofa in Pan Min's home, asking if there was anything in life he could help her with.

If there was, she just needed to ask.

"Aunt Pan, now that Su Qing is abroad, you do not have anyone around to chat with."

"People often say that a son-in-law is half a son."

"If you need anything, please do not hesitate to trouble me."

Hearing Zhou Yuwen ramble on line by line, Pan Min found it genuinely amusing. She sat on the other sofa and asked him, "Did you come over here specifically just to check up on me?"

Zhou Yuwen hurriedly denied it.

Pan Min could smell the alcohol on him, and she knew perfectly well that his visit today was primarily driven by guilt for forgetting to visit her before the New Year.

To be honest, now that she fully understood Zhou Yuwen's character and qualities, Pan Min felt her daughter had made the right choice. Zhou Yuwen was indeed a man worthy of entrusting one's life to.

So, she did not say much more, simply remarking, "Alright, Yuwen, I know you want to treat me well, but I truly do not lack anything right now. Just look at yourself, who knows how much alcohol you have consumed."

Zhou Yuwen insisted it was not that much.

"It is mostly because my dad was there, so I felt embarrassed to flee from the toasts, but this little bit of alcohol is not enough to get me drunk. By the way, Aunt Pan, have you ever considered working at the Education Bureau?" Zhou Yuwen asked casually.

"Hmm?" Pan Min looked confused upon hearing this.

In truth, she guessed what Zhou Yuwen was getting at. To be honest, she was not very interested. The closer a place was to power, the filthier it became; Pan Min understood this very clearly.

Sure enough, just as she had expected, Zhou Yuwen brought up the dinner table conversation about the Education Bureau wanting to arrange a job for her.

In front of Pan Min, Zhou Yuwen was still too naive.

Even with the experience of two lifetimes, Pan Min was still much more mature than Zhou Yuwen. Of course, it could also be that Zhou Yuwen was simply drunk and ended up saying things he should not have.

Pan Min pondered for a moment before replying, "Well, Yuwen, I know you genuinely want the best for me, but to tell the truth, I do not really want to work at the Education Bureau."

"I am used to my freedom. Just teaching classes down here and having more communication with the students... I quite like this kind of life."

"As for going up there..."

"I do not think I am suitable for it," Pan Min finished with a smile.

Zhou Yuwen watched her slender and tall figure sit completely upright; every glance and slight frown was full of charm. For a moment, he felt he was being somewhat of a busybody. 'She is my mother-in-law after all,' he thought.

So Zhou Yuwen asked, "Then, Aunt Pan, what about what we discussed before about going to Jinling?"

It was obvious that Zhou Yuwen sincerely wanted what was best for Pan Min. Actually, Pan Min had considered the move to Jinling before. Although her days of teaching and educating were leisurely and carefree, she had been living this relaxed life for over ten years. Sometimes, she also thought about changing her lifestyle. But because Su Qing had already gone abroad, and she felt that her daughter and Zhou Yuwen were merely boyfriend and girlfriend, it was already embarrassing enough that her daughter had to place her dependence on him.

If she also went to Jinling to trouble Zhou Yuwen, it would feel a bit much for both mother and daughter to... In short, it simply did not make sense emotionally or logically.

They would also be looked down upon by others.

Therefore, Pan Min wanted to maintain some boundaries with Zhou Yuwen.

That was until today, seeing Zhou Yuwen rush over in the middle of the night to deliver gifts even when he was completely drunk, and even offering to arrange a job for her.

Pan Min could not help but feel a little moved.

Watching Zhou Yuwen, who was clearly intoxicated but still trying hard to stay alert, Pan Min found it amusing.

However, she was too embarrassed to directly state that she wanted to go to Jinling.

She could only think of finding another topic first, so she asked, "You drank quite a bit, right? Are you hungry? How about I cook a bowl of noodles for you to eat?"

Hearing Pan Min say this, Zhou Yuwen realized he was actually quite hungry. Pan Min stood up and went to the kitchen to busy herself, leaving Zhou Yuwen with a graceful view of her back.

Without needing to engage in chatting with Pan Min, Zhou Yuwen let his guard down and lay back on the sofa.

Not going to lie, this sofa was really comfortable.

Why did it make him feel like sleeping so much...

Zhou Yuwen's last memory was of the apron tied around Pan Min's slender waist in the kitchen.

Pan Min had her hair pinned up, with a few wisps of long hair framing her profile. 'Aunt Pan is truly a good woman,' Zhou Yuwen thought to himself. 'Presentable in public and skilled in the kitchen.'

He remembered that in his previous life, Aunt Pan's culinary skills were quite excellent. Speaking of which, Pan Min could even be considered his cooking teacher.

Just thinking and thinking like this, Zhou Yuwen unexpectedly fell asleep.

By the time he regained consciousness, he was being awakened by the crowing of a rooster.

Zhou Yuwen furrowed his brows slightly and opened his eyes.

Only to find that the sky outside the window was already bright.

He, however, was lying fully clothed in a cozy bedroom. This bedroom was very small but incredibly clean, containing a large bed, a desk, and a bookcase.

The mattress was soft, and the bedding smelled fragrant.

One glance was all it took to know it was a woman's bedroom.

'How did I end up here?'

The previously drunk Zhou Yuwen was momentarily dazed, but after a little recollection...

He was suddenly startled.

'This is my mother-in-law's bed!'

Frightened, Zhou Yuwen hastily threw off the covers. Fortunately, all his clothes were still on.

However,

'Did I spend the entire night here?'

Hearing the sound of vegetables being chopped outside the door, Zhou Yuwen put on his shoes and opened the door to check.

He saw Pan Min, wearing an apron, busying herself in the kitchen. By now, her long hair was tied up, exposing a beautiful, swan-like neck bathed in the sunlight streaming through the window.

She looked like a newlywed virtuous wife and loving mother. Seeing Zhou Yuwen emerge, Pan Min was delighted and asked with a smile, "You are awake?"

"Mhm."

At this moment, Zhou Yuwen hardly dared to look Pan Min directly in the eyes. Noticing the quilt on the sofa, he asked, "Aunt Pan, did you... last night?"

"I slept on the sofa last night."

Pan Min answered Zhou Yuwen's unasked question very naturally.

She explained that she had originally wanted to arrange for Zhou Yuwen to sleep in Su Qing's room, but Su Qing had been gone for a year. The bedding in that room had long developed a musty smell, and the bed had not been properly made.

So, she arranged for Zhou Yuwen to sleep in her own room.

As a woman who loved cleanliness, her willingness to put Zhou Yuwen in her own bed proved that Pan Min had truly accepted him as her son-in-law, and she genuinely viewed him as a child of her own.

Pan Min felt none of this was a big deal.

Zhou Yuwen, however, was thinking far too deeply about it. He had spent an entire night in the same house alone with his mother-in-law...

"Let us not talk about that for now. I cooked some porridge, so have something to eat. You drank so much alcohol last night, so eating some porridge will be good for your stomach." Pan Min clearly had not considered that issue at all, her mind still focused on the porridge.

But right now, Zhou Yuwen was somewhat worried. Did that not mean Liu Shuo and the bodyguards had waited for him downstairs all night?

"Um, Aunt Pan, I still have some matters to attend to later, so I will take my leave first,"

Zhou Yuwen said as he put on his jacket and left, as if escaping.

On the contrary, Pan Min found it a bit strange and could not help but call out, "Hey, eat something before you go!"

It was not until Zhou Yuwen had truly left.

The apartment suddenly became completely quiet.

Thinking back to Zhou Yuwen's abnormal behavior.

Pan Min froze for a moment. 'Could this kid be trying to avoid suspicion?' she thought.

Pan Min definitely harbored no such thoughts. In her eyes, she was already an aging woman whose beauty had faded, and he was her son-in-law; what could possibly happen between them?

Besides, last night after she finished making the noodles and discovered Zhou Yuwen soundly asleep, she truly felt the child was simply too exhausted. That was the only reason she thought to let him sleep in the inner room for a while.

She never expected the boy to be so particular.

However, considering that Pan Min had wanted to talk to Zhou Yuwen about going to Jinling last night, it was only after Zhou Yuwen left as if escaping that she suddenly grasped a few things.

This realization ended up making Pan Min feel a bit awkward as well.

The reason Zhou Yuwen ran so fast was that before falling asleep last night, he indeed had inappropriate thoughts about Pan Min, and then, baffling or without rhyme or reason, he had drifted off to sleep. Now, Zhou Yuwen was somewhat unsure if the events of last night were a dream or reality.

He was definitely too embarrassed to ask directly, and seeing the way Pan Min was acting, Zhou Yuwen also could not completely read the situation.

He hurried downstairs.

While heading down, he even bumped into an old woman who lived opposite Pan Min's apartment.

Early in the morning, a man was walking out of the apartment of a woman living alone.

With just a flicker of the old woman's gaze, a tale of gossip already had its beginning and end formulated in her mind.

When Zhou Yuwen reached the bottom of the stairs, he found that, just as he suspected, the bodyguards were still waiting downstairs.

He was not worried about the bodyguards; they all had professional training and knew how to keep their mouths shut tight.

It was Liu Shuo...

Just as he was thinking about Liu Shuo.

Right at that moment, Liu Shuo called.

"Um, brother, sorry about last night. My dad kept urging me to go over and drink with our relatives, and I could not argue with him, so I had to leave early," Liu Shuo said apologetically.

Zhou Yuwen had initially been trying to figure out how to get Liu Shuo to keep this a secret. Hearing Liu Shuo say this, he simply replied, "Is that so?"

"Brother, what time did you leave last night?" Liu Shuo asked, puzzled. He truly could not refuse his old father last night, and he had even made a phone call to Zhou Yuwen specifically, but it did not connect.

Zhou Yuwen casually answered, "I left pretty much right after you did."

"Oh, I see."

The two chatted for a little while longer before hanging up.

Afterwards, Zhou Yuwen looked out the window, recalling Pan Min's face—one completely stripped of superficiality and holding a serene indifference to the world. Truthfully, Zhou Yuwen really did respect Pan Min as an elder.

It was just that after last night, Zhou Yuwen's state of mind could no longer regain its former tranquility.

Time passed quickly after the New Year. Within just a short span of a week, the temperature began to warm up.

During this week, Zhou Yuwen was either dealing with relatives or discussing matters regarding investment.

He also made phone calls with Su Qing and the others, chatting about designs or issues related to the construction of the estate.

Since studying design with her teachers, Su Qing's personality had become much more cheerful. She asked Zhou Yuwen if he had checked up on her mom during his trip back for the New Year.

"Oh, yes," Zhou Yuwen replied evasively.

Su Qing immediately asked Zhou Yuwen if Pan Min was doing well.

She even added, "Did you not say before that you wanted to bring my mom to Jinling? It has been months, so why has there suddenly been no news from your side? Are you going to do it or not?"

"I definitely have no problem with it. The key issue is that my mother-in-law is unwilling!" Zhou Yuwen said.

"That cannot be. I just chatted with my mom about this very topic a few days ago, and my mom said she actually had thoughts of resigning. She just felt that going over like this would be too much trouble for you."