"Well," Li Li Hua said finally. "I'm sure it's no surprise that we are shocked, But please don't think we are displeased by the news. I adore Qian Meng. I'm just a little caught off guard."

  Mo Qingchen responded in her stead. "I understand. We didn't keep it from everyone to be deceptive. We just wanted to see where it went before bringing in our families in this."

  "When did it start? How?" she asked.

  Qian Meng grabbed Mo Qingchen's wrists, trying to tell the story herself. They would only say what was believable. "He moved his office to the building opposite to mine. He even followed me to my coffee place. We just… dated."

  "Long enough to get married?" Mo Zichen asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

  "We haven't seen each other for long," Yun Qian Meng paused and looked over at him. Mo Qingchen saw a surprisingly sincere-looking smile on her face. "Mo Qingchen has become an integral part of my life. I can't imagine moving forward in life without having him by my side. So," she said, turning back to his parents. "I accepted when he asked me to marry him."

  'What the hell? Nobody should be that convincing of a liar,' Mo Qingchen thought to himself. She had never used this level of deception in front of him, so he had scoffed it off when she said she was convincing. Now, he looked at her in a new light.

  Li Li Hua gasped, putting her hand over her chest.

  Mo Zichen was the only apathetic one. He could not reconcile the image of his son with the story this Yun Qian Meng was giving him. She was the daughter of the competition. The competition he had fought bitterly for decades and finally defeated… and the competitor's daughter was sitting in front of him, accompanying the son he wanted to hand his empire to, and telling him that they were in love.

  With Mo Qingchen? The boy was not capable of human connections. He wouldn't believe it until the end of time.

  And then unexpectantly, Li Hua stood up and practically ran over to Mo Qingchen with open arms. He moved his hand away from Qian Meng and stood up just in time to catch her as she enveloped him in a huge hug.

  Qian Meng blinked, having never seen Mo Qingchen like this before. His face was still stoic, but he humored his mother's affectionate behavior. That said a lot about who he liked in this family.

  "Oh my god, Mo Qingchen," she gasped. "I can't believe it!"

  While Li Hua had her arms wrapped tightly around Mo Qingchen's neck, Qian Meng got a little worried that she might strangle him. Mo Xiao Chen walked over to her and hugged her.

  She somehow found a way to stand up on her unsteady legs to hug him back.

  "Congratulations, Yun Qian Meng," he said warmly as they hugged. "This is unexpected but we are thrilled to have you as our family!"

  "Thank you," she managed to squeak.

  Then, Mo Xiao Chen and Li Hua switched places and it was Qian Meng's turn to be hugged so tightly that she couldn't breathe.

  "Congratulations, brother," Xiao Chen said as Mo Qingchen patted his brother's shoulder, trying his best to pull away. What a difference in reaction.

  "Thank you, Professor Li. I'm glad to have your blessing," she said quietly.

  "Of course, you have my blessing. It's been my prayer that Mo Qingchen would find a strong young woman like you to settle down with." She sniffed. "Call me Mom, okay? Don't be formal."

  She had mixed emotions hugging Li Li Hua. On one hand, she felt incredibly guilty. On the other hand, she was thrilled. Li Li Hua thought Qian Meng was in love with her son.

  When Li Li Hua finally let her go and moved aside, Qian Meng was painfully aware of the silence from Mo Zichen.

  "I'm getting a new little sister!" Mo Xiao Chen remarked in excitement, hugging her again. He had an aura that could make people happy. And even though Qian Meng was nervous, she couldn't help but smile.

  "Big brother, who knew you would get that stick out of your ass long enough to trap a woman like Yun Qian Meng?" Mo Xiao Chen said as he elbowed his brother.

  "Lucky," Mo Qingchen answered dismissively.

  The room was silent for about a minute after that.

  "What the hell is going on?" Mo Yize said in an icy tone, breaking her silence.

  "Yize!" Li Li Hua reprimanded her in a whisper.

  "No! What the hell is wrong with you? Mo Qingchen tells us he is marrying my ex-friend from university, who none of us was even aware he knew more than a business competitor, and you don't have questions? You're acting like this is the best thing you've heard all year. Don't you find it strange?"

  Qian Meng looked at Mo Yize.

  "We're surprised, but they explained it to us. People have wanted them to get together for a while, so it's not surprising," Li Li Hua bit out. "We should just be happy for them."

  "They don't even know each other!" Yize protested as if she was offended by the idea.

  Mo Zichen fully agreed. He didn't like being hoodwinked and he sensed that was what he was facing in that situation.

  "Yize, that's enough," Li Hua said sternly. "I understand that this news is unexpected, but don't spoil this special time for Qian Meng and your brother."

  "Are we in some alternate universe? Why am I the only one who finds this weird?" she asked. She implored the people around to join her.

  "Mo Yize!" Li Li Hua said firmly. "Do not use that tone in this home."

  Mo Yize snorted. Of course, it was always about everyone else. She was the only one wrong.

  Qian Meng could see the frustration in her eyes and suddenly realized what Mo Yize meant… or Mo Qingchen meant when he had said his mother was a good mother to him, but not to his sister.