The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 785 - 784: Meeting the Parents

"Miss Yan the second, what brings you here?"

Glancing at the driver in the front row, Han Zibin suppressed the urge to call her Su Su as usual, and respectfully addressed Yan Su as Miss Yan the second.

He usually spent the nights at Yan Su’s place, leaving before dawn, so neither the driver nor the housekeeper knew that the two were dating.

Yan Su handed him the thermos from the seat next to her, "The Laba porridge cooked at home isn’t bad, I brought you some; you can have it as a midnight snack."

Han Zibin, feeling honored, clutched the thermos tightly without letting go, "Okay."

Then he added awkwardly, trying to cover up, "Thank you, Miss Yan the second."

Yan Su didn’t correct his form of address, "Are you free this Saturday?"

Han Zibin nodded eagerly.

"Don’t you have to work?"

"I can take leave."

Yan Su was amused by his naivety.

Han Zibin, filled with excitement and curiosity, asked, "Are you planning to take me somewhere fun?"

Yan Su replied softly, "Yes, I’m taking you to meet my parents, will you come?"

Han Zibin was stunned.

Although he had always dreamed of this day, he hadn’t expected it to come so soon.

The driver in the front couldn’t help but glance at them through the rearview mirror, astonished.

For someone as esteemed and precious as Yan Su to personally bring food to a minor manager at Shenji and even consider taking him to meet her parents was shocking.

"Xiaoshe, focus on driving."

Hearing the reminder, the driver quickly regained his composure, though his ears involuntarily perked up.

"My parents want to meet you."

Looking at the man stunned like a wooden chicken, Yan Su chuckled secretly, "Scared?"

Han Zibin’s head almost fell off, "It’s a bit sudden, but I’m not afraid."

She patted his hands reassuringly, "Don’t worry, my parents don’t bite."

"I’d go even if they did bite; I’ll make sure to behave well and try to make them happy."

Yan Su was pleased with his attitude and her tone softened, "Then you should prepare well, I’ll wait for you at the front door on Saturday evening."

"I’m going to the mall tomorrow to buy some gifts; what do my uncle and aunt like?"

"My father likes Xinyang Maojian tea, my mother likes silk products, my sister likes aromatherapy, and my brother likes red wine. You don’t have to buy anything too expensive; it’s the thought that counts."

Han Zibin memorized each item carefully.

With Yan Su’s support from within the family, Han Zibin’s visit to meet the parents went extremely smoothly, and an official meeting between the Yan-Han families was set for after the New Year.

For a noble family like the Yan Family, a single meeting doesn’t confirm acceptance of a person; they had rigorously vetted Han Zibin before meeting him and weighed the pros and cons of uniting the two families.

Strictly speaking, Han Zibin’s visit was a mere formality.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have even had the chance to dine at their table.

...

As Han Zibin gained favor in front of the Yan Family Members, his age-gap romance with Yan Su also stirred quite a sensation among the high society.

In this era, people’s views were relatively conservative; typical older woman-younger man relationships faced criticism and judgment, but a ten-year age difference like Yan Su and Han Zibin’s was downright astonishing—like snow in June!

"Han Zibin!"

Unlike her usual coy demeanor, today’s Dai Mingfang sounded notably emotional, her eyes filled with deep resentment.

"Miss Dai."

Watching Han Zibin’s consistently distant and polite demeanor, Dai Mingfang’s resentment grew stronger, "Are you really dating Miss Yan the second?"

Although he didn’t need to explain his personal matters to an outsider like Dai Mingfang, Han Zibin didn’t want to deny it.

He wished the whole world knew that Yan Su was his.

"Yes."

Dai Mingfang was incredulous, "Even if you don’t like me, there’s no need to ruin yourself, right? Choosing an older woman ten years your senior, or is it that you’re after the Yan Family’s power? If I had known you were this kind of opportunist, I wouldn’t have wasted my time on you."

Despite disliking Dai Mingfang’s persistence, Han Zibin always maintained his politeness out of customer service principle.

Dai Mingfang could insult him, but he couldn’t accept Dai Mingfang calling the woman he liked an "old woman."

"Miss Dai, age is innate, but personal quality and upbringing are cultivated later. Your mother is much older than Miss Yan the second; is she an old woman in your eyes too?"

Dai Mingfang’s face turned as colorful as a palette, and her eyes brimmed with tears of grievance.

"Fine, fine, fine, it seems things are different today, isn’t it? With someone backing you up, your temper has grown a lot, you never used to talk to me like this before."

"I’m sorry, but from now on, I will talk to you in this tone. Because I don’t want Su Su to feel jealous or misunderstood."

Dai Mingfang ran away crying.

When she ran out, she bumped right into Yan Su, who had come to Shenji for a meal.

Rivals recognize each other, with a particular jealousy.

Thinking that she couldn’t outshine Shen Mingzhu was one thing—after all, Shen Mingzhu was young, beautiful, and capable.

But what about Yan Su?

An almost forty-year-old woman, and also a cougar.

Thinking this, she mustered the courage to stop Yan Su as she walked past: "Miss Yan the second."

"Miss Dai, is something the matter?"

"I didn’t lose to you; I only lost because of our family backgrounds. If I had as good a family background as you, Han Zibin might not have chosen you."

Dai Mingfang said this and then fled like a rabbit.

Part of it was from shame, and she was also afraid that Yan Su would lash out.

The Yan and Ning families in Fengcheng were always unprovocative existences; normally, she wouldn’t dare to talk to Yan Su like this—it was purely out of anger today.

She entered the private room.

"Xiao Su, are you alright?"

Seeing Yan Su’s cold expression, a friend couldn’t help but show concern.

"It’s nothing, I was just thinking about a project and got a bit distracted."

Everyone could see that Yan Su was affected by the earlier incident, but no one would embarrass her by pointing it out.

Soon after, the room’s door was knocked on, and the person who came in to serve the dishes turned out to be Han Zibin.

Seeing him, the people inside the room shared ambiguous glances.

"Plum sauce steamed ribs, using authentic black plum sauce from Bay Island Province..."

Han Zibin followed the standard service procedure, introducing the dish while serving it to the guests at the table.

When it was Yan Su’s turn, he accidentally got sauce on the sleeve of her garment.

"I’m sorry."

Seeing the innocent-looking man blinking, Yan Su waved her hand and said to her companions, "I’m going to the restroom to clean up," then stood up and left the room.

"Everyone, please enjoy your meal."

Han Zibin promptly excused himself as well.

Once the two had left, the few people in the room immediately started gossiping with each other.

Just as Yan Su stepped out of the restroom, she was pulled by Han Zibin waiting outside into an empty private room next to it.

He used his tall figure to press her against the door and, without asking, leaned in to kiss her.

Yan Su turned her head to avoid it.

Han Zibin, undeterred, took the opportunity to gently bite her earlobe.

"Don’t be mad, I like you because of who you are, it has nothing to do with anything else."

"In my heart, you’re just Yan Su, never just some Miss Yan the second, if possible, I would prefer your identity to be Mrs. Han."

The man’s words smoothed the wrinkles in Yan Su’s heart.

To say she was completely unaffected by Dai Mingfang’s words would be impossible.

She was an ordinary woman who could feel insecure in love, yet because of the differences in status and age, she was embarrassed to voice it.