Chapter 239: Darling, Did You Miss Me?

"Who are you?" Xiang Ri's expression darkened immediately. The voice on the other end was unmistakably male, not the kind he had imagined would be one of An Xiao Niu's so-called "admirers," which only worsened his mood. 

"Kid, don't bother asking who I am. Answer me this—are you with Xin Xin right now?" The voice on the phone carried an air of arrogance and an undeniable authority. 

Already irked, Xiang Ri's anger flared further at the question. "Who I'm with is none of your business! Let me tell you, Xin Xin is mine. Don't call and harass her again!" Without waiting for a reply, he ended the call abruptly. 

Standing beside him, Miss An was already trembling with fury, her gaze fixed on him as if she could burn a hole through him. "Xiang Kui! You—what kind of nonsense are you imagining now?!" 

Xiang Ri frowned. "What's wrong, Xin Xin? Did I not just chase away some obnoxious guy for you—" 

Before he could finish, An Xin erupted, shouting, "Idiot! That was my father!" 

"W-What?" Xiang Ri's jaw dropped. "You mean... that was your father? My future father-in-law?" 

"Stop pretending!" An Xin stormed forward, snatching the phone from his hand. She was just about to call back when the phone rang again. Without hesitation, she answered. 

Xiang Ri guessed it must be the "father-in-law" calling back and immediately perked up, eavesdropping attentively. 

An Xin shot him a fierce glare, ignoring him, and spoke into the phone, "Hello, Dad. I'm so sorry about earlier—he didn't know it was you…" 

"No worries, no worries," the voice replied, surprisingly good-humored. In fact, it sounded downright cheerful. "That young man has spirit! I like him!" 

Hearing this, Xiang Ri couldn't help but grin smugly. It seemed this future father-in-law was a decent fellow—certainly more agreeable than the arrogant ones he had encountered before, like old man Chu and old man Shi. 

Noticing his self-satisfied grin, An Xin pinched him hard, only letting go when his face twisted in pain. She returned her focus to the call, asking, "Dad, what did you need from me?" 

"It's nothing urgent," her father replied, his tone suddenly shifting. "Oh, by the way, Xin Xin, are you free for lunch? Bring him over for a simple meal at home." 

"Uh… Dad… I'm afraid we can't," An Xin stammered, her face flushing bright red as she fumbled for words. Though she had expected this day to come, she hadn't anticipated it happening so soon. The suddenness left her unprepared, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. 

"Why not? Are you too busy?" her father asked. 

"No, Dad… It's just that… we're cooking ourselves today, so…" An Xin's face felt like it was on fire as she tried to explain. 

Her father burst into hearty laughter on the other end of the line, taking a moment to calm down before asking an unexpected question. "Xin Xin, are you two at the market right now?" 

"Yes, Dad, how did you know?" An Xin replied, startled. She noticed Xiang Ri gesturing toward her and pointing behind them. Realization dawned on her, and her brows furrowed in anger. She nearly shouted into the phone, "Dad, you've sent someone to follow us, haven't you?!" 

There was a surprised pause on the other end, as though her father hadn't expected her to catch on so quickly. His voice took on a sheepish tone. "Xin Xin, it's just your old man being concerned about your life—" 

"I don't need it!" An Xin snapped. "You call this concern? It's nothing but interference! Let me warn you, Dad—if I ever catch you sending people to follow me again, I'll stop answering your calls altogether!" 

"Alright, alright! Never again, I promise!" her father assured her earnestly, though his tone soon shifted to divert the topic. "By the way, Xin Xin, who's cooking? Don't tell me that boy knows how to cook?" 

"Of course, it's me." Not wanting to be looked down upon, An Xin cast a sideways glance at the man beside her and replied naturally. Besides, she considered her culinary skills to be decent—at least her fried eggs were quite delicious.

On the other end, an incredulous voice responded immediately, "You? Xin Xin, don't scare your old man. You know my heart isn't the best…"

"What nonsense! I'm being serious!" An Xin retorted indignantly. "Alright, I'm done talking. Hanging up now!"

"Wait!" The voice called out hurriedly. "Hold on a second. Let that boy answer the phone—I have something to say to him."

"What could you possibly have to say?" An Xin muttered under her breath, clearly reluctant. It wasn't just the bashful anxiety of "a daughter-in-law meeting her in-laws"; she was genuinely worried the two might argue. Both had rather fiery tempers, and while her father had brushed off the earlier misunderstanding, who knew if he'd bring up something unpleasant again? And the man beside her wasn't one to take things lying down either—an argument seemed almost inevitable.

Although An Xin dreaded the prospect, her father had made the request, and the man beside her didn't seem to object. She had no choice but to hand over the phone.

Unaware of An Xin's concerns, Xiang Ri took the phone with a quick apology, "Uncle, I'm terribly sorry about earlier—I had no idea it was you. Please forgive me!"

"Oh, it's nothing. I completely understand—it just shows how much you care about Xin Xin. Very good!" The voice on the other end was magnanimous but then shifted tone slightly. "By the way, are you free this Saturday?"

"Uncle, may I ask what you have in mind?" Xiang Ri was unsure of the intent behind the question.

"Well, I originally wanted to invite you both over for lunch today, but seeing how busy you are, I didn't want to impose. If you're free on Saturday, come by my place instead."

"Of course, absolutely," Xiang Ri agreed eagerly, quickly catching on to the man's intention. Clearly, he wanted to size up his prospective son-in-law—or perhaps assess if he measured up to the role.

"Alright then, it's settled." With that, the call ended.

Though An Xin had listened intently to the entire conversation, she still feigned ignorance and asked, "Hey, Xiang Ri, did my dad say anything bad about me?"

Xiang Ri, knowing full well she was fishing for compliments, replied honestly to indulge her smugness, "Not at all. He just said we should go to his place for dinner on Saturday."

"Don't call him 'Father-in-law!'" An Xin snapped, though her heart was brimming with sweetness. Still, she maintained her stern façade. "Hmph, I haven't even held you accountable for answering my call without permission. I'll tell you what—next time a call comes in, you have to let me answer it first. Otherwise…"

Before she could finish, a phone began ringing. Instantly, her gaze zeroed in on the sound—coming from the man's pocket.

"Hand it over!" An Xin demanded imperiously, extending her hand.

"Is that really necessary?" Xiang Ri hesitated, worried about who might be calling. If it was the policewoman, things could get complicated. After all, An Xin didn't know her, and any misunderstanding could lead to trouble.

Unfortunately, before he could decide, An Xin had already reached into his pocket and retrieved the phone. From the peculiar expression on his face, An Xin's intuition kicked in—something was up. Without waiting, she took matters into her own hands.

To avoid heightening her suspicions further, Xiang Ri made no move to stop her but silently prayed it wasn't the policewoman.

"Ying Ying?" Seeing the caller ID on the screen, An Xin's face darkened instantly. The name was unmistakably feminine, and the intimate nickname only added fuel to the fire, hinting at a close relationship.

Fang Yingying?

That secretary-cum-"good buddy"?

Xiang Ri felt a headache coming on. Why was she calling now? While he knew there was nothing inappropriate between them, the one answering the phone wasn't him—it was the fiery An Xin. Misunderstandings seemed inevitable.

Before Xiang Ri could delve deeper into his thoughts, An Xin had already pressed the answer button, raised the phone to her ear, and said something that made Xiang Ri's heart sink: 

"Darling, it's been so long. Did you miss me?"