Life and Death Insurance – EXTRA 1.2

Meeting the In-Laws 02

At this crucial moment, Xiang Tian, ​​who hadn’t had a chance to speak until now, finally spoke.

“Dad, Mom, Sisters, this is Zhengzhong. Zhengzhong, this is my dad, my mom, and my three older sisters, Xiang Ling, Xiang Li, Xiang…”

Before he could finish, Xiang Ke interrupted him.

“Xiang Tian, ​​we’ve all seen Zhengzhong’s picture; there’s no need for you to introduce him. Zhengzhong, we are all family; let’s skip the formalities. I’m Xiang Ke, Xiang Tian’s youngest sister. Dad, Mom, let’s take Zhengzhong and the others home first, then we can talk. Look how long they’ve been on the plane; they must be tired.”

Xiang Ke made the final decision, and Ling Zhengzhong followed the Xiang family out of the arrivals area to the airport’s designated parking lot.

Along the way, Ling Zhengzhong finally understood that being the center of attention wasn’t a pleasant experience, because in the mere ten-minute walk from the arrivals area to the parking lot, he was subjected to countless stares.

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This was understandable. The three Xiang sisters, already strikingly beautiful and slender with a quiet elegance characteristic of Asians, were quite eye-catching among the blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners. Add to that the delicate and pretty Xiang Tian and the robust and dignified Ling Zhengzhong, and it would be strange if they didn’t stand out.

Finally, they got into their father’s car. Xiang Tian tried to sit next to Ling Zhengzhong, but Xiang Ling pushed her to the back, saying, “You sit in the back. You two are together every day; can’t you even be separated for a moment?”

So Xiang Tian obediently sat in the last row. Ling Zhengzhong, observing this, immediately concluded that Xiang Tian’s status in the family was probably equal to his father’s.

After the car started moving, out of politeness, Ling Zhengzhong planned to chat briefly with Mrs. Xiang. So he said to her, sitting in the passenger seat, “Auntie…”

“Zhengzhong, what did you call me? You and Xiang Tian are practically like married now; why are you calling me ‘Auntie’? So formal!”

Cleverly dismissed by Mrs. Xiang’s words, Ling Zhengzhong quickly changed his address, saying, “Dad, Mom, Sister.”

“Oh, that’s a good boy! Old man, look how sweet Zhengzhong is! Our Xiang Tian has such good taste!”

Through the rearview mirror, Ling Zhengzhong saw that Xiang Tian, ​​sitting in the back, had a face as red as a freshly cooked lobster.

The shy little hamster was so cute.

Before coming, Ling Zhengzhong was worried that the Xiang family might object to their relationship, but after hearing his concerns, Xiang Tian immediately reassured him with a smile that his family was very open-minded and there was no need to worry. Now it seemed there was indeed no need to worry, because the Xiang family treated him like family, with a level of warmth far exceeding that shown to their own son.

“Zhengzhong, I heard you work at a computer company. You must be very smart.”

“Of course! Look at Zhengzhong’s appearance; he looks very intelligent. He’s a white-collar worker in an office, unlike our family, who are all busy around the stove.”

It was Xiang Ling who spoke. Before Ling Zhengzhong could reply, Xiang Ke interrupted, “Zhengzhong, my computer hasn’t been working well these past few days. Could you take a look?”

“Sure…”

“Zhengzhong, what are your hobbies? You look so fit; you must go to the gym often, right?”

“Oh, my friend’s brother owns a gym, so I often go there…”

“By the way, what do you and Xiang Tian usually do for entertainment? Xiang Tian isn’t good at anything, and he isn’t very talkative either. Don’t you get bored with him? If you have any complaints, just tell your sisters. Xiang Tian is a blockhead; he doesn’t know anything.”

“No, Xiang Tian is very talkative…”

Xiang Tian didn’t like to talk? Surely not. His pet hamster loved to chat and was very active; he was a very lively little animal.

Ling Zhengzhong smiled as he tried to avoid the wolf girls’ touches, though he never got a chance to finish a sentence.

While answering the Xiang sisters’ questions, poor Ling Zhengzhong’s cheeks were constantly being pinched, making him feel like a vegetable or fruit displayed in a market, subject to the casual touching and judgment of customers.

This situation continued until they arrived at the Xiang family home. Ling Zhengzhong, who considered himself experienced in many situations and in dealing with all sorts of clients, was still sweating profusely. He finally understood firsthand what “three women make a drama” meant; the three girls in the Xiang family were noisier than three thousand ducks. It was truly difficult for Mr. Xiang and Xiang Tian. No wonder Xiang Tian ran off to Chu Feng; if it were him, he would have run away too.

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After entering the house and taking their seats, Ling Zhengzhong took out the gifts for everyone.

Xiang Ling received a limited-edition summer CK perfume; Xiang Li received a set of the latest Parisian fashion; Xiang Ke received a Sony video game; and Xiang’s parents received a finely carved wooden sword and a set of lucky cat ornaments in various poses.

The entire set of gifts was purchased by Ling Zhengzhong on Xiang Tian’s advice before the trip, specifically to cater to their tastes. Sure enough, after receiving their gifts, the Xiang family’s attitude immediately became even more enthusiastic, with Mrs. Xiang even holding Ling Zhengzhong’s hand tightly, tears welling in her eyes.

“Zhengzhong, people say a son-in-law is like half a son, but I treat you like my own child. Our fourth son is good in every way, except he’s too delicate and quiet and doesn’t like to talk, so he’s always bullied…”

Mr. Xiang quickly interjected. “Xiang Tian knows martial arts; how could he be bullied?”

“Shut up! So what if he knows martial arts? He still gets bullied! I heard that last time they went to Thailand to investigate drugs, someone else was originally in charge, but they thought it was too dangerous and pushed it to Little Four. If I hadn’t been chanting Buddhist prayers and worshipping Guanyin at home every day, he would be dead…”

Seeing that Mrs. Xiang was on the verge of tears, Mr. Xiang immediately and wisely shut his mouth. Ling Zhengzhong looked at Xiang Tian suspiciously, and the latter quickly shook his head repeatedly, indicating that it wasn’t like that.

Ling Zhengzhong hurriedly said, “Mom, don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Xiang Tian, and I’ll never let anyone bully him!”

“That’s good. This child has always been honest, unlike his three older sisters. If it weren’t for his cousin looking after him back home, I would never have let him stay so far away from me… Zhengzhong, I heard about how you and Xiang Tian met on the phone. I always said that marriage is unpredictable. Look, you two are from opposite ends of the country, yet you’ve come together.”

Ling Zhengzhong cautiously asked, “Mom, are you really not bothered by me being with Xiang Tian?”

“Why would I mind? Look, I have another son now!”

After finishing her mother’s sentence, Xiang Li immediately turned to her father and said, “Look how thoughtful Zhengzhong is. You were still clamoring for a wife back then…”

“I didn’t say Zhengzhong was bad. I just said that the Xiang family only has one son, Xiang Tian, ​​and this is about carrying on the family line…”

Before Mr. Xiang could speak, Xiang Li immediately said, “Dad, what era are we living in? Why are you still so old-fashioned? You have three daughters; are you afraid you won’t have grandchildren in the future? At most, we can let all the children take the Xiang surname. Besides, look how well Xiang Tian and Zhengzhong match. It doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl, as long as Xiang Tian is happy. Don’t you want your son to be happy?”

Poor Mr. Xiang fell silent again.

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