After the Divorce, I Unlocked a Perfect Life

Hearing someone speak, Liang Shuhuo spun around in a panic.

Only to find her mom and dad standing right behind them.

Lin Jiang didn’t recognize Liang Shuhuo’s mother, but he recognized Liang Youjun, so the middle-aged woman standing with him had to be her mom.

However, the way they had been standing was a bit intimate, and getting caught by her parents was slightly awkward.

"Mom, Dad, what are you two doing here?"

"I came to buy your dad a pair of pants," said Liang Shuhuo’s mother, Wang Chunmei.

As she spoke, her eyes never left Lin Jiang, sizing him up.

She didn’t know the specifics, but based on looks alone, he was a great match for her daughter.

Add to that their earlier intimate behavior and the shopping bags in her hands, and it was obvious they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

Liang Youjun, on the other hand, looked extremely uncomfortable, standing stiffly on the spot.

"Alright, you two carry on. Your dad and I will get going."

Wang Chunmei was very open-minded. She didn’t take the opportunity to press them with questions and pulled Liang Youjun away, not wanting to be a third wheel.

But as he was leaving, Liang Youjun gave Lin Jiang a long, hard look.

His eyes held a trace of hostility, as if he were about to charge over and pick a fight with Lin Jiang.

"So that’s why she always said she wasn’t in a hurry whenever I told her to find a boyfriend. Turns out she’s been secretly seeing someone all along."

Wang Chunmei said gleefully, nudging Liang Youjun with her shoulder.

"Why are you so quiet? You’re her father, after all. Your daughter has a boyfriend; you should at least say something."

"Say what? Do you even know who that man is?" Liang Youjun said grudgingly.

"Who else could he be but her boyfriend?" Wang Chunmei said dismissively.

"Didn’t you see how they were acting? In all these years, have you ever seen our daughter get that close to any man? And look at what she was carrying. Would she be out buying lingerie if she weren’t with her boyfriend?"

"You’re not seeing the whole picture. That man is her creditor, not her boyfriend."

"Huh? What are you talking about? Since when does Miaomiao have a creditor?"

"Remember she borrowed two million to start her business? She ended up losing it all. She borrowed the money from him."

"Well..."

At Liang Youjun’s words, Wang Chunmei finally understood.

’She knew the whole story perfectly well, but she couldn’t let on, so this wasn’t the time to reveal the truth.’

"Even if he is her creditor, there’s no need for you to look so grim."

"I’m worried he has ill intentions toward our daughter," Liang Youjun said.

"She’s always spending money like water. A few days ago she even bought a purse that cost over twenty thousand. You tell me, spending money like that, when is she ever going to save enough to pay him back?"

"So you’re worried she won’t be able to pay him back, is that it?"

"That’s the least of it. I’m worried the man is threatening her, forcing Miaomiao into a relationship with him. Our daughter would be the one getting taken advantage of, wouldn’t she?"

Wang Chunmei was speechless for a moment.

’Her old man might not be the brightest, but he certainly has a vivid imagination.’

"Putting the debt aside for a moment, don’t you think they look good together?"

Liang Youjun fell silent, seriously considering the question.

"If we ignore everything else, they do look pretty good together. He’s a whole head taller than our daughter, and he’s handsome, too."

The more Liang Youjun spoke, the more enthusiastic he became. "The first time I saw that young fella, I really did think they were a couple."

"If they get together, she won’t have to pay back the money, and you can stop worrying so much."

"That’s ridiculous! Have you no shame at all? The older you get, the more backwards you become," Liang Youjun grumbled.

"What do you mean, ’no shame’? Explain yourself!"

"A debt is a debt. How could she pay it back that way? I’d rather die poor than do something like that."

"But what if they’ve genuinely fallen for each other? What then?"

"That’s a separate matter. The money would still have to be repaid."

"Yes, yes, the money has to be repaid. But judging by how our daughter looked just now, I get the feeling it’s mutual between them."

Liang Youjun said nothing, replaying the scene in his mind.

The two of them had been talking and laughing. It certainly didn’t look like anyone was forcing the other.

"Could they really be together?"

"I think so. I’ve never seen her get so close to any guy."

"In that case, I need to have a proper talk with this young man."

Liang Youjun said, "Why don’t you invite him over for dinner? We can consider it his first formal visit."

"Would having him for dinner at home be okay? Or should we book a nice restaurant?"

"I think home is better. It shows we take him seriously and that we’re sincere."

"You have a point. He might be our future son-in-law, after all. It’s better to host him at home," Wang Chunmei said.

"Let’s stop wandering around. We should hurry to the supermarket and get some groceries for tonight."

"You call her first and tell them both to come over for dinner. I’ll take this opportunity to have a good talk with the young man."

"Alright."

...

Once the old couple had gone, Lin Jiang looked at Liang Shuhuo with a smile.

"So, your nickname is Miaomiao."

"It’s from our family’s generational naming tradition. Everyone in my generation has ’Shu’ as their middle name. My grandpa wanted to call me Liang Shu-miao, but my grandma said it sounded unpleasant and changed it to Liang Shuhuo. ’He’ and ’Miao’ are connected—think ’sprout’ and ’seedling’."

"I have to admit, your grandma has class."

"Of course she does."

"But the look your dad gave me was a little off... like I was the pig about to ruin his prize cabbage," Lin Jiang said.

Liang Shuhuo covered her mouth and giggled.