Chapter 34: The Missing Lottery Ticket

"Hey, Ms. Fang, I need to use the restroom real quick."

Doug Feng had just sat down on the couch at Ms. Fang's place when he abruptly stood up again, using the bathroom as an excuse. But in reality, he had only one thing on his mind—the lottery ticket worth ten million.

This was his second visit to Ms. Fang's apartment. As soon as he stepped into the bathroom, Doug locked the door behind him and began his frantic search, starting with the vanity.

"Come on, ticket, where are you hiding? Don't be shy now, just show yourself…"

He rummaged through every nook and cranny, searching inch by inch. But after several minutes, there was still no sign of the ticket.

"How could it just vanish? It's not like the bathroom is huge or anything. If it slipped out of my jeans yesterday, it should be right here… Unless—wait a minute—what if Ms. Fang or her mother found it and tucked it away already? Damn, that'd make things ten times more complicated!"

He sighed and scratched his head in frustration. No matter how many times he turned the bathroom upside down, the ticket was nowhere to be found.

Knock knock knock!

"Doug, dinner's ready! You still in there? You didn't get food poisoning from lunch, did you?" Ms. Fang's voice rang out from the other side of the door.

Doug had no choice but to give up and open the door.

"Why were you hiding in the bathroom so long?" she asked, raising a brow.

"Just trying to avoid your mom. Figured she wouldn't come into the bathroom to interrogate me, right?" Doug grinned awkwardly.

They both made their way to the dining table, where Ms. Fang's mom had prepared a lavish dinner spread—classic home-cooked dishes, all of them smelling fantastic. Clearly, this was a meal prepared with effort.

But Doug couldn't enjoy it. He kept glancing toward the bathroom and around the apartment, mind spinning over the missing ticket. Even though this was all part of their fake couple act, it suddenly hit him—was this technically his first time meeting a "mother-in-law" in both lifetimes?

"What's wrong, Doug?" Ms. Fang's mom asked, chuckling. "Eat! Don't be nervous. I'm not some kind of monster, you know."

The air at the table was a little tense, but Ms. Fang's mom did her best to break the ice.

"Doug, eat properly," Ms. Fang said through clenched teeth, kicking him lightly under the table. Then, turning to her mother with a bright smile, she said, "Mom, he's probably just stressing about work."

"Right! Yes, that's it. Aunty, you should eat too!" Doug said hastily, snapping out of his daze. He picked up some dishes and took a few quick bites. "Your cooking is amazing—seriously better than a five-star restaurant."

"You're such a sweet talker," her mother laughed. "So, Doug, where are you from? And what do you do for a living?"

As expected, the classic parental interrogation had begun. But Ms. Fang had anticipated this and prepped Doug with a whole script.

"I'm local. Born and raised here. I work in sales at a foreign trade company," he replied confidently.

"Foreign trade? That sounds promising. Sales jobs usually come with high commissions, don't they? So how exactly did you and my daughter meet?"

Doug smiled. "Ah, well… my company plans to send me to the U.S. for some market research. I was looking for a quick way to brush up my English, so I reached out to a tutor online. That's how I met Ms. Fang."

They had rehearsed this story earlier at the salon and during their shopping trip. Everything was in place.

"I see… what a coincidence. I like you, Doug. You seem like a good kid. But… haven't you two only known each other for a short time? Don't you think things are moving a little too fast?"

Her tone had suddenly cooled. She set down her chopsticks and fixed them both with a serious look.

"Mom, what are you implying?" Ms. Fang asked, tension rising in her voice. Something was off.

"Don't act like I don't know what's going on." Her mother leaned forward. "That morning I came over, you weren't alone at home, were you? Why wouldn't you let me open the wardrobe in your room? And those stockings thrown on the sofa—don't think I didn't notice what was on them."

Ms. Fang's face turned crimson in an instant. Doug, too, froze like a statue. Damn… so the older woman had noticed that day.

Since childhood, Ms. Fang had been raised to be proper and conservative. Her mother was strict about self-respect and personal boundaries. To discover signs that her daughter might've brought a man home overnight was no small matter.

Doug knew better than to open his mouth. After all, the "evidence" her mom referred to was… well, definitely on him.

"Mom, you've got it all wrong! Nothing happened that night!" Ms. Fang protested, shooting Doug a death glare.

But the more she tried to explain, the worse it sounded. This wasn't something you could talk your way out of.

Her mom sighed dramatically. "Maybe I'm just old-fashioned. But still—this isn't how things should be done. You two aren't married. How can you just—"

"Alright, alright, I get it! I'm an adult now, okay? I know what I'm doing!" Ms. Fang suddenly stood up, voice trembling with frustration.

"Oh, now you're all grown up, huh? Can't listen to your mother anymore? I see how it is!" Her mom stood up too, pointing a shaky finger at her daughter. But before she could get another word out, she wobbled—clearly dizzy from the anger.

"Mom!" Ms. Fang rushed forward.

"Careful, Aunty!" Doug added, moving to support her other side.

But Ms. Fang's mom waved them off and said coldly, "Ms. Fang, I raised you with love and discipline. Everything I do is for your good. I know I may be old-fashioned, but I only want what's best for you."

She then turned to Doug and narrowed her eyes. "Doug, whatever happened, you better take responsibility."

Doug nearly choked. Take responsibility? For what? I didn't even do anything!

But this was the worst possible time to argue, so he nodded obediently. "Yes, Aunty. Don't worry—I'll take responsibility."

Inside, though, he was screaming. Take responsibility for what?! Misplaced lottery ticket stains?!

"Enough, Mom," Ms. Fang said, clearly shaken. "You have high blood pressure. Please just rest. Doug, help me get her to the bedroom."

She never expected things to spiral this badly. The fake boyfriend scheme had gone wildly off-script. All she wanted was to keep her mom from setting her up on another blind date. But now?

Now she'd accidentally convinced her mother that she was living in sin.