Chapter 41

Zhou Wenwen listened to the repeated message "The number you dialed is powered off!" on the phone, sighed, and pressed the hang-up button.

"Damn Mu Yan, not even turning on his phone in the evening!" Zhou Wenwen pouted and muttered to herself.

"Wenwen, come out here!" Her father's stern voice called from outside.

Zhou Wenwen put down her phone and walked out.

In the living room, her parents were sitting on the sofa with serious expressions. Her father's stern look made her tremble a bit.

"Dad, is there something wrong?" Zhou Wenwen asked.

"Wenwen, don't you have something to tell me recently?" Zhou Xueru looked at his daughter and asked sternly.

Hearing her father's stern voice, Zhou Wenwen, though prepared mentally, still felt a bit nervous and said softly, "I don't have anything to tell!"

Upon hearing her daughter's response, Zhou Xueru glared and slapped the coffee table, saying, "There's nothing to say, is there? Now that you're grown up and working, you can earn your own money, so your wings are hard, right?"

Whenever she did something wrong or performed poorly in exams, her father would slam the table. But since she went to college, it had been years since he did this. When he slammed the table, Zhou Wenwen knew her father was truly angry. He hadn't been this angry for years.

Jiang Youlan sighed and pushed her husband, saying, "Xueru, don't get so angry. After all, our daughter has grown up. Look how scared she is."

"Has she grown up? I don't see it. Even grown-ups can be deceived!" Zhou Xueru was still angry and didn't have a good face even when his wife spoke.

Jiang Youlan rolled her eyes and directly asked her daughter, "Wenwen, tell me, have you recently started dating a boyfriend?"

Although Zhou Wenwen had expected her father's anger, when her mother said it out loud, she still trembled, her face turning pale as she said, "You know?"

"Hmph! If you don't want others to know, you shouldn't do it!" Zhou Xueru said coldly.

"Since you know, I won't hide it. Yes, I have a boyfriend, but we just started dating, so I didn't tell you. After all, I'm already twenty-three, and it's normal to have a boyfriend!" Zhou Wenwen said.

"Ha, did you not have time to tell us or were you afraid to tell us? Do you think I don't know that your boyfriend has killed and been in prison!" Zhou Xueru was furious.

Jiang Youlan, seeing her husband's anger after he received a call and said their daughter was unbelievable for finding a man, initially thought her daughter had secretly found a boyfriend. But she never expected that the boyfriend had a criminal record. Her face turned sour as she said, "Wenwen, what's going on? Is what your father said true?"

Seeing that her father knew everything, Zhou Wenwen realized that hiding it was futile. She nodded and said, "Yes, he has killed and been in prison, but it was because he saw some thugs trying to rape a female classmate. He bravely fought with them and accidentally killed one. Although he was in prison, he is a good person, a hero. Many teachers at No. 7 High School know about this."

"You... you're still being stubborn. Dating a convict and you think you're right? You're making me furious!" Zhou Xueru, seeing his daughter defy him, stood up from the sofa and shouted, pointing at her. If she weren't already grown up, he might have slapped her.

Facing her father's anger, Zhou Wenwen did not back down this time and directly confronted him, "Dad, what do you mean by a convict? How can you look at people with prejudice? What about the things you taught me? If Sima Guang was afraid of breaking someone's water vat and having to pay for it, would he not save the child?"

Jiang Youlan knew her daughter wouldn't lie. Since she said this, it must be true. Her daughter is not a frivolous person, and she trusts her daughter's judgment. The boyfriend must be a good person, but even if he killed accidentally, he still has a criminal record. If it gets out that her daughter married a convict, it would be very embarrassing.

Jiang Youlan understood that her daughter, though gentle on the outside, is actually strong-willed. She has a bottom line, and as long as it isn't crossed, she can endure anything. But if it is crossed, her stubbornness is no less than her husband's.

After much thought, she decided not to make the situation worse and immediately pushed her husband back onto the sofa, saying, "Stop arguing! What's the point of arguing?"

Although Zhou Xueru had a big temper, he still listened to his wife. She was very beautiful, and many people pursued her. Marrying her was the most glorious thing in his life, so he always let her have her way. Now that his wife spoke, he could only endure.

Jiang Youlan waved her hand, signaling her daughter to sit down.

After her daughter sat down, she sighed and asked, "Wenwen, have you thought it through? Do you really want to be with him? Think about the pressure you will face. If others know your husband was in prison, how will they look at you?"

"I will explain to others. After all, he did nothing wrong. If they can understand, they will still be friends. If they can't understand, then such friends are not worth keeping!" Zhou Wenwen said firmly.

"Alright, even if that's the case, what about your future life? You are just an ordinary teacher with a limited income. His situation makes it hard for him to find a job. Do you know his family's situation? Can he support you? You've seen that your father strongly opposes this, and I, as your mother, am also dissatisfied. If you want help from me in the future, it will be very difficult. Are you really prepared to suffer with him?" Jiang Youlan asked in succession.

"His mother is also a teacher, and his father passed away a long time ago. I know their family's conditions are not good, but I am prepared. Mu Yan is very hardworking. He is now an employee of Fenghua Group. I believe in his abilities. With opportunities, he will achieve something in the future and won't let me suffer for long!" Zhou Wenwen said.

"Oh! You have so much confidence in him?" Jiang Youlan asked.

"Yes!" Zhou Wenwen nodded forcefully.

Seeing that her daughter had such deep feelings for the man and was even prepared to suffer with him, Jiang Youlan sighed bitterly and thought for a moment before saying, "Alright, since that's the case, how about this? Promise your mother that you won't have a serious relationship with him for at least two years. Within two years, if he can buy a three-bedroom apartment in the Donghai Fourth Ring without a mortgage, I will consider your relationship!"

"What? A three-bedroom apartment? That would cost at least two to three million. Even if Mu Yan becomes a manager at Fenghua, he can't do it in two years. You're pushing him to the brink!" Zhou Wenwen immediately shook her head, clearly not willing to accept such a condition.