Chu Qing thought to himself, feeling frustrated. He decided to wash his hands in the bathroom before joining everyone at the dining table. The unexpected guest, Ye Chenxi, was already sitting there. Due to her presence, Chu Qing didn't bother asking about Chu Xiao's whereabouts. Judging by his parents' expressions, it seemed she wouldn't be returning home tonight.
Chu Qing felt a sense of unease engulfing him throughout the meal. The way his father glanced at him conveyed an unmistakable disappointment as if all his efforts had been in vain, akin to a stolen cabbage patch. It left Chu Qing feeling heartbroken and disheartened. His mother, though comparatively calmer, occasionally revealed traces of worry in her eyes, casting a gray shadow over Chu Qing's already somber mood.
He knew that his mother must be thinking about the family again, about his fiancée whom she had never met before. Ye Chenxi was at the dining table, trying her best to please his parents and him.