Love in the Fast Lane - Novelbike

Do you think Mo Zihan’s troubles end here? Just one Third Uncle would be a minor inconvenience if it weren’t for the drama younger sister that is her mom.

It was Tang Ning’s fault. While driving Third Uncle home after dinner, he casually mentioned, “We almost bumped into them.” Third Uncle immediately “sobered up” and asked, “Oh? Your parents came too?”

Oh, great! Mo Zihan already knew Third Uncle was pretending to be drunk, and the moment Tang Ning said that, she knew things were going south. As soon as Third Uncle spoke, she covered her face with her hands. It was over; it was a disaster.

With just that one sentence, even if Tang Ning were clueless, he couldn’t fail to see what the old guy was up to. He let out a bitter smile, released his grip on Third Uncle, and sighed, “You’re really giving us no chance to defend ourselves. One slip and the secret’s out. At this rate, we could end up as underground agents.”

Third Uncle chuckled through the booze, “As for being underground agents, you two don’t quite fit the parts. Not really working well together, huh? What’s this called? No matter how cunning the little fox, it can’t outsmart the old hunter. So, what’s the deal here?”

Tang Ning rubbed his nose while Mo Zihan expressed her anger by stomping on his foot. What else could he do? He had to tell the truth: “Actually, we haven’t been together for very long, and there’s not much to talk about. Compared to our peers, we’re actually still quite young. But… you know how it is. We were kind of pushed to this point.”

Third Uncle pulled out a cigarette and handed one to Tang Ning, “Smoke?”

Tang Ning hesitated but took it, fumbling for his lighter.

Third Uncle chuckled, “No pretense from you, huh? If you had acted all innocent, I wouldn’t have called you out on it.”

Mo Zihan found it quite strange. If she hadn’t seen Tang Ning smoking herself, she wouldn’t have been certain he was a smoker. Although Third Uncle was a heavy smoker, it should have made him more insensitive to the smell of smoke on Tang Ning. How was it that smokers seemed to have some kind of sixth sense?

Tang Ning held up his right hand, showing his yellow-stained middle and index fingers under the light.

Third Uncle asked curiously, “Xiaohan, haven’t you noticed Xiao Tang’s yellow fingers before?”

Alright, Mo Zihan used her special technique of stomping on Tang Ning’s foot again, and this time it was really hard. Tang Ning winced in pain but quickly came up with an excuse to deal with Third Uncle. “I used to work as a writer, so I smoked a lot. After getting together with Xiaohan, she wouldn’t let me smoke, so I had to sneak it. Heh, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I’d still be keeping it a secret.”

Mo Zihan quickly picked up on his lead. Somehow, it didn’t even seem like she was pretending as she stomped on his foot again furiously without saying a word. But Tricky Third Uncle, being as sharp as he was, immediately caught on to the secret messages passing between them. He chuckled, sending a cloud of smoke towards Tang Ning. “Sorry about that. I have to side with our girl. But you’re still young, so try to quit smoking; she’s doing it for your own good.”

Mo Zihan suddenly felt a jolt in her heart. Wait, something wasn’t right. Tang Ning had somehow managed to shift Third Uncle’s attention. Impressive. It seemed that Third Uncle had really drunk quite a bit this time because otherwise, with his wit, he wouldn’t have been sidetracked by Tang Ning’s smoking story.

But had Third Uncle really been fooled?

Once back at the residence, Third Uncle staggered heavily to the bed. Tang Ning and Mo Zihan exchanged a glance of mutual relief, then quickly turned to leave. Suddenly, Third Uncle sprang up, shouting, “Wait a minute! I almost forgot something important. You almost fooled me, you little rascals. Stop, don’t move, and raise your hands!”

Tang Ning broke out in a sweat and quietly asked Mo Zihan, “What did Third Uncle do before?”

Mo Zihan whispered back, “He used to be a militia member, received a lot of early Party education, deeply ingrained. Just forgive him for that. Um, what do we do next?”

What else could they do? Under Third Uncle’s insistence, Tang Ning had to go to the train station early the next morning to refund his ticket. Mo Zihan took another day off from work. She knew that if Third Uncle and Tang Ning’s father sat together, those two honest men would have endless conversations. She had to be incredibly cautious now, watching out so that Tricky Third Uncle wouldn’t make decisions behind her back.

Mo Zihan knew Tricky Third Uncle well. Despite his seemingly unreliable nature, he was very much like her mom-they had seen so much and experienced so much. They knew what goodness looked like and how to lead a fulfilling life. Both of them would be quite happy to see Mo Zihan with Tang Ning. But this Tricky Third Uncle, if she wasn’t around, would definitely sell her out.

Of course, that wasn’t the real issue. The main concern was that Mo Zihan feared he might spill her deepest secrets during this time, which would be extremely embarrassing.

Wait, even if he did let her secrets out, why should she worry? What was there to be afraid of?

Sure enough, when she got home, she saw Tang Ning squatting on a stool. Across from him sat his father and her Third Uncle, with a few bottles of alcohol and plates of cold dishes on the coffee table. Their conversation had taken on a slurred tone, a clear sign they had both talked and drunk too much. Even though neither of their Mandarin was particularly good, it didn’t hinder their communication.

Tang Ning’s mother was cooking in the kitchen, and when she came out, her face showed pure joy. Tang Ning flashed Mo Zihan a helpless gesture, as if saying “there’s nothing I can do; just go with it.” He then slumped back onto the stool, utterly defeated and silent.

Mo Zihan felt a vague unease. She was sure that during the short time she went out to buy groceries, something happened that would make her heart pound with anxiety.

But she had only been gone for a few minutes! It should have been the same amount of time for Tang Ning to get back. Why did he look so utterly dejected, like a beaten eggplant? Could it be that he had really gotten them into trouble?

Mo Zihan hurriedly tried to pull Tang Ning into the side room to talk, but Third Uncle called them back, “Don’t go just yet. Old Tang and I have discussed something, and it seems like you don’t have much say in the matter anymore.”

Tang Ning and Mo Zihan both sensed trouble, but they couldn’t say anything in front of the elders. At this point, could Tang Ning really come clean about their situation? Being a very filial person, even if things had reached this point, he would never back down, no matter how difficult.

Seeing Tang Ning’s pleading eyes melted Mo Zihan’s heart. She gently squeezed his hand and walked over to sit on the sofa opposite them. Whatever happens, happens. What could possibly go wrong? At worst, they would just be caught in a tighter situation. There was no point in overthinking the long-term consequences now. If worse came to worst… well, she loved this little home and didn’t want to leave it. If Tang Ning’s feelings were as genuine as she thought, Mo Zihan believed she could happily continue living here.

Third Uncle, smoking and drinking, spoke in a calm tone, “Xiao Tang is a very responsible person with good character. Xiaohan, I’ve watched you grow up, and I know you’re a child who takes responsibility seriously as well. Since both of you are responsible towards yourselves and each other, and you’ve decided to live together, I assume the thought of marriage has crossed your minds, right? You’re both nearing thirty; it’s not early anymore. I can speak on behalf of Xiaohan’s parents. We had a discussion just now, and we thought, come this New Year, go back home together and let Xiaohan’s parents meet Xiao Tang. If everything goes well, after the New Year holiday, you should respect our wishes and set a date to get engaged. What do you think?”

Phew…

Thank goodness, there’s still plenty of time to handle things. Time can change a lot; thank goodness!

That was a close call. For now, let’s just go with it. After all, it’s not like we can really put up a fight, right?