Chapter 34

Cheng Lang drove Shuangyun to his parents' house. A quiet street house with a jacaranda tree in the yard.
"Oh my god, it's so beautiful!" Shuangyun exclaimed as soon as she got out of the car.
Cheng Lang laughed and said: "My parents disliked this tree the most at the time. Once the flowering season ends, it drops flowers everywhere. It's a pain to clean up."
"Right, everyone likes the street full of big trees, but not in their own yard."
Hearing this, Cheng Lang laughed together with Shuangyun.
Cheng Lang's parents heard the commotion and quickly came out to greet them.
Traditional Chinese parents—they would definitely show twelve points of enthusiasm to guests, let alone this being Cheng Lang's girlfriend.
Shuangyun was sweet-tongued and knew etiquette, calling them uncle and aunt, making both of them very happy. The four entered the house, and Cheng Lang's parents began bustling about serving tea and water.
Shuangyun didn't feel awkward, perhaps because she had no expectations.
She didn't seek to leave a good impression with Cheng Lang's parents, didn't seek "to marry Cheng Lang."
No expectations, so it didn't matter.
This made her seem very relaxed and easygoing.
Cheng Lang's father was cooking in the kitchen, his mother helping on the side. Shuangyun also went in to learn.
While learning, she chatted with both of them, talking about how Cheng Lang cooked for her every day.
"Just like his father." Cheng Lang's mother teased.
The three laughed in the house.
Cheng Lang stood not far away helping fix a cabinet at home, his mouth also silently curving upward.
Sunlight came through the window on one side of the kitchen. Shuangyun's figure was gently blurred by the light, also given a glossy filter. Her laughter was as clear as always, her shoulders also gently shaking.
After the cabinet door was fixed, Cheng Lang put the tools in a drawer and walked to Shuangyun's side.
The conversation during cooking was very harmonious. Shuangyun finally got to taste Cheng Lang's father's cooking.
Even better than Cheng Lang.
Shuangyun ate a lot, always feeling the food really had the taste of home.
After the meal was almost finished, Cheng Lang still had to say what he wanted to say. Shuangyun probably knew that Cheng Lang's parents hadn't approved of him staying in New York back then, so she also held Cheng Lang's hand under the table.
Cheng Lang said he would go to work in the US after Christmas. His parents' expressions naturally changed drastically, saying why didn't he discuss it with them. Cheng Lang said many years ago he'd also tried to discuss it with them, but the result was obvious.
"Discussing with parents" wasn't discussion—it was just giving them a chance to veto you before you made a decision. What they called opinions weren't really opinions either. If you didn't listen, they would repeat like a broken record until you raised your hands in surrender.
Cheng Lang had deep experience with this, so this time he wouldn't give them the chance again.
Cheng Lang's father was very angry and turned to ask Shuangyun.
"He's going to the US. Everything will have to start over. We can't take care of him! Help us persuade him."
Shuangyun moved her seat back slightly, creating a safe distance from Cheng Lang's parents, then said clearly: "Uncle, Aunt, Cheng Lang is already in his thirties. If he still can't make decisions for his own life, that's the tragedy of both him and you. I completely support Cheng Lang doing what he wants to do, and he doesn't need your care."
Cheng Lang's parents might have said something more, but Cheng Lang had already taken Shuangyun's hand and stood up, walking toward the door.
The deep-rooted control in Chinese families might one day be cut off by grown children in an unexpected, intense way. The rebounding rope would then strike back at the parents with equal force. And the child who broke free would always remember this day of freedom, with no more burdens, jumping resolutely into the free world.
The speeding car hovered at the edge of the speed limit. Cheng Lang's heart only had Shuangyun.
She was exactly as he'd thought—a sharp blade, cutting off those endless controls without compromise. He'd originally planned to resolve everything more gently in his own way, but felt Shuangyun's sharp decisiveness made him feel even better.
Back at the apartment building, Cheng Lang also tightly held Shuangyun's hand.
He was silent all the way, taking the elevator back to his apartment.
Two steps to the window, he drew the curtains.
The living room suddenly fell into darkness.
Shuangyun's heart beat at this moment.
—Oh! It's today!