Qin Zhiwei sat on the couch with his phone, messaging Shen Xinyi and grinning like an idiot.

Qin Wenliang and Wang Mei had long since stopped finding it remarkable.

Since he had been home, this waste of a son had kept dropping into that state, and his parents had decided to see it and say nothing.

Qin Zhiwei had no interest whatsoever in the Spring Festival Gala. He had drunk a little at the New Year's Eve dinner, and now, on the strength of being three parts drunk, he was working up the nerve to message Shen Xinyi.

Qin Zhiwei: "Guess what."

Qin Zhiwei: "Xu Ye and Chen Qingqing are spending New Year together this year. I hear it was dinner at Xu Ye's before nine and dinner at Chen Qingqing's after nine."

Shen Xinyi: "I know that."

Shen Xinyi: "He said so in the group."

Qin Zhiwei: "When do I get to spend New Year with you?"

Shen Xinyi: "Have you been drinking."

Qin Zhiwei: "Only a little."

Shen Xinyi: "Hmph. I knew it."

Qin Zhiwei: "Answer me."

Shen Xinyi: "We'll see."

Qin Zhiwei: "I hear Zhao Ming and Zhang Ruowei have both met the parents. When are you coming home with me to meet mine?"

Shen Xinyi: "Does your mom even know I exist?"

Qin Zhiwei: "I haven't told them yet. Have you?"

Shen Xinyi: "Me neither, but I get the feeling mine have already figured it out."

Qin Zhiwei snuck a slightly guilty look at his own parents. His mother had in fact been reading the whole exchange over his shoulder, and only when he looked up did she go back to pretending to crack melon seeds.

Qin Zhiwei could not believe it. "Mom. Have you been reading my messages?"

"So what if I have? Something to hide?"

Qin Zhiwei had nothing to come back with.

Wang Mei cracked another seed and said, without much interest, "Your dad and I have known about your girlfriend for a long time, you know."

"What!"

"You started seeing her last year, didn't you?"

"Ah!"

"Don't play innocent. Last year you…