Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest-Chapter 497 - 93: Accidentally Won Over Little Zhou While Trying to Impress Zhou’s Mother

Chapter 497 -93: Accidentally Won Over Little Zhou While Trying to Impress Zhou’s Mother

The two returned home, and Zhou’s mother was so taken aback by Zhou Hongyu’s fashionable attire that she was momentarily dazed.

“I’m going to change,” Zhou Hongyu said coldly, walking straight to her room.

Her bet with Yan Yu was about “whether she could turn herself into a beauty,” not about maintaining this look permanently.

As for who won or lost the bet, Zhou Hongyu didn’t want to bring it up again—anyway, I won’t admit it, I didn’t lose!

She locked her bedroom door, took off the skirt she had just bought from the store, and was about to throw it into the garbage bin next to her.

…Forget it.

...

For some reason, she changed her mind and went to the wardrobe for a hanger, hanging up the new skirt.

Having changed back into a jacket and jeans, Zhou Hongyu was silent for a while, then started straightening her hair in front of the mirror.

Yan Yu sat on the couch in the living room, only to hear Zhou’s mother ask tentatively:

“So, Yan Yu, right? Are you Hongyu’s boyfriend?”

Seeing her so reverent, Yan Yu immediately guessed that Zhou’s mother had learned of his identity.

The previous test results with Zhou Hongyu were very clear: she didn’t love her mother, nor did she crave the so-called “motherly love.” The only reason she tolerated her mother living there and asking for money every day was just to “keep her grandmother below at ease.”

If that was the case, then taking action would be much simpler.

“Hongyu will be living outside with me,” Yan Yu said with an indifferent expression. “This apartment will be left to you.”

“What?” Zhou’s mother immediately showed a resistant look.

If my daughter doesn’t come home, who will give me money?

“Hongyu has already told me,” Yan Yu said, intertwining his fingers to show he had everything under control. “You haven’t fulfilled your parental duties to her, right?”

“I was a kindergarten teacher before, and I was quite busy with work,” Zhou’s mother hurriedly defended. “I just left her with my mother to take care of her, and I regularly checked in…”

“Let’s skip the unnecessary talk,” Yan Yu interrupted her with a wave of his hand. “Both of us know what the reality is. The problem now is that Hongyu’s job is very demanding. When she comes home, she still has to endure your verbal attacks, and this severely affects her work. In fact, the Pingxi Army has also noticed her poor mood recently and even came to me to inquire about the situation, so I decided to come back with her to resolve this issue. As things stand, it isn’t suitable for you to live together.”

When Zhou’s mother heard Yan Yu bring up the Pingxi Army, she immediately went pale and her voice rose by an octave:

“Where’s the sense in that? It’s a legal obligation for children to support their parents! Can the Pingxi Army just forcibly separate me from my daughter?”

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“Yes, they can,” Yan Yu said with a pleasant smile, speaking kindly. “If you disagree, you can file a lawsuit or cause a disturbance at the command center’s doorstep; go ahead and try.”

Zhou’s mother was instantly silenced. It was commonly said that civilians should not fight with officials. Making a scene required the official residence to care about face, but since Yan Yu had adopted a “I don’t care about face” attitude, it was foreseeable that if she dared to make trouble, the Pingxi Army would surely suppress her with decisive measures.

If it were any other unreasonable old woman, she would have made a fuss no matter the cost, betting that the official residence would still care about its reputation. But Zhou’s mother, having once been a pre-school teacher in a government kindergarten, was all the more familiar with the various rules within the system—the Pingxi Army had a thousand ways to prevent her from causing trouble.

“As for financial support,” Yan Yu said deliberately, “Hongyu can continue to provide living expenses for you, but the law stipulates that the minimum standard for support is related to the local average income, and has nothing to do with Hongyu’s own expenses.”

Zhou’s mother’s expression turned extremely ugly because the local average income of Shuzhong Prefecture didn’t even come close to a tiny fraction of Zhou Hongyu the cultivator’s income.

Absolutely not! But… what else can I do…

Seeing that she still couldn’t say anything, Yan Yu knew that he had completely overwhelmed the old woman. If there had been any fight left in her, the moment she heard that the support money would be given based on average income, she would have exploded on the spot.

“Of course,” Yan Yu changed his tone, speaking softly again. “I don’t intend to insist that Hongyu give you money based only on the minimum standard. It’s every child’s greatest wish to provide a good life for their parents, but that’s conditional on a harmonious relationship, isn’t it?”

“Right, right, right!” Zhou’s mother immediately clung to these words like a lifeline, saying hurriedly, “I didn’t mean to annoy my daughter deliberately. It’s just that… when two people live under the same roof, how can they not argue?”

Yan Yu ignored her attempts to justify herself and grinned.

“So, you have no objections to Hongyu moving out with me, right?”

“No objections.” Zhou’s mother stated seriously, “She should prioritize her job.”

“I’ll deposit the alimony into your account every month,” Yan Yu continued to lay out the terms, “Apart from that, there will be no other contact, not phone calls, not messages… after all, Hongyu’s work is military-related, you understand, don’t you?”

“Understand, understand.” Zhou’s mother had given up at this point, agreeing to anything as long as the money continued to come her way.

“That’s wonderful,” Yan Yu smiled, “Auntie has a deep sense of propriety. The Pingxi Army should also be satisfied.”

Zhou’s mother forced a smile and stood up, saying:

“Well, how about staying for dinner…”

“Can you even cook?” Yan Yu asked in surprise.

Zhou’s mother was at a loss for words. She had never cooked a meal in her life, always relying on takeout or eating out.

“Then, I won’t disturb you any longer.” Yan Yu stood up, walked over to Zhou Hongyu’s bedroom door, and was about to knock when the door suddenly opened from the inside, revealing Zhou Hongyu back to her usual self.

Not only had she changed her clothes and straightened her hair, but her fingernails were also neatly cleaned; it was baffling how she managed to do all this so quickly.

“Shall we go?” asked Yan Yu.

Zhou Hongyu didn’t answer and simply headed straight for the room’s door.

As the two descended the stairs and turned a corner, Zhou Hongyu suddenly turned her head to look at Yan Yu, hesitating as if she wanted to speak.

She felt that she should probably say thank you at this moment, yet found it somewhat difficult to say.

“What’s the matter?” Yan Yu chuckled, “Is it because you’ve been hiding behind your bedroom door eavesdropping on my conversation with your mother, and now you’re so moved that you want to throw yourself into my arms?”

Zhou Hongyu immediately put on a cold face and turned to leave.

I will definitely not thank him!

The two arrived at the KTV and entered the private room, where everyone was seated around the tables.

The girls from Zhenghai were sitting on the inside, while the men from Huofeng sat on the outside. Only Tang Xiaolian, being both a girl and from Huofeng, sat right in the middle, exuding the air of the party’s protagonist. At that moment, she held a microphone, belting out “The South of Colorful Clouds” in a high pitch, with Meng Qingxi helping her rap on the side.

“Oh, you can sing songs by Phoenix Legend?” Yan Yu remarked offhandedly, “Impressive, Comrade Xiao Lian.”

“Not at all, okay!” Tang Xiaolian immediately stopped singing and playfully scolded, “Captain Yan is simply a cultural illiterate in this area.”

“And here I am praising you, yet you’re not even happy about it.” Yan Yu took a seat next to Zhao Yuanzhen, who handed him a handful of sunflower seeds. He raised his hand and said, “You eat them.”

“I’ll put them here for you.” Zhao Yuanzhen placed the sunflower seeds next to him, “Take them yourself if you want some.”

Zhou Hongyu also took a seat, positioning herself between Tang Xiaolian and Yan Yu. Tang Xiaolian immediately passed her the microphone, asking with a smile:

“Captain Zhou, would you like to sing a song?”

Sitting by the door, Zhang Huaide surreptitiously adjusted his glasses with a finger.

It feels like the relationship between these two has gotten better… or is it just my imagination?