The three-year promise has come to an end.

Afterward, Su’s mother began asking other questions—about his family situation, more details about his work. Of course, she also touched upon how to create a better life; to put it plainly, how to make money. So he chatted about his writing novels.

But as the conversation went on, Su Qingwan began to sense something was off. Xu Lin, as a shield, was simply too outstanding. Maybe that wasn’t so good. If she had known, she would have made him act more ordinary. Who would have thought he’d say he writes novels? Was he making it up—or was it true?

Before long, they reached the east gate of the community. Su Qingwan slowed the car, and Su’s mother continued, “When you have time, come over to our place. He’d like to meet you.”

“Alright,” Xu Lin replied.

“Xu Lin, let me walk you in. With all these things, it’s quite a way to your building,” Su Qingwan suddenly offered.

But Xu Lin quickly waved it off. “No, no, it’s just a few steps.”

Chatting here was fine, but if his pretend mother-in-law walked him all the way to his door and asked to look around, or remembered the exact address to check later, his lie would unravel immediately.

“Alright then,” Su’s mother conceded.

“Xu Lin, take the fish with you,” she called as he opened the door to get out.

“No, no, I haven’t even carried your things yet. I absolutely can’t take it. I’m off now.” Xu Lin laughed, got out of the car, and hurried toward the gate with his load.

Su’s mother, who had been stern all along, watched Xu Lin disappear into the distance. Her expression softened. “He’s a good kid.”

“You think he’s alright?” Su Qingwan asked.

“Mhm. Do you know how we met?”

“?”

“He did me a small favor. But in this day and age, few are willing to help, even with small things. His manner and character seem good so far—honest and steady.”

Su Qingwan nodded. If Xu Lin didn’t seem so mature, she wouldn’t have dared to let a student play the role of her boyfriend.

“If you think it’s worth pursuing, then give it a try. But as for your father, let Xu Lin face that hurdle himself. His standards are much higher than mine.”

“I know. I’ll wait until he’s even more outstanding before he meets Dad.” That way, she could drag things out and then just say they broke up.

“Alright, let’s head back.”

“By the way, you bought fish. How should we cook it? I want sweet and sour.”

“Sweet and sour? Su Qingwan, you’re not a child anymore and you still can’t cook.”

“Xu Lin bought so many groceries and he’s cooking for his family. You can’t even manage scrambled eggs with tomatoes.”

“I’m learning, aren’t I?”

“Then you’ll cook today.”

“No, Mom!”

Su Qingwan glanced at the spot where Xu Lin had vanished at the gate. Next time, I’ll make you cook for me and see if you’re just bragging!

When she got home, she found both bedrooms closed; it seemed everyone was still asleep. That was normal—after all, they’d stayed up till one last night, and her parents had worked all day. They deserved a good rest.

But Xu Lin himself felt full of energy. He piled all the groceries onto the counter. In his opinion, cooking shouldn't be too monotonous. There should be plenty of meat and fish, but also a balance with vegetables.

Whenever he went home for New Year’s, what he looked forward to most was his grandparents’ stir-fried dishes, not the tableful of fish and meat. Those were tasty, but eating too much left you heavier and sluggish; it was easy to gain a few pounds each year, and digestion suffered. So this time, he’d arrange the dishes to his own taste.

Though the weather had turned cold, he’d still include a cold dish. He’d bought carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, and green peppers to make a shredded vegetable salad. Using four ingredients for a “three-shred” salad was perfectly normal, right?

For the hot dishes, he planned to stir-fry bok choy—his mother and he both loved it. His father’s favorite was “Three Earthly Treasures”—convenient, since he’d bought potatoes and peppers, and there was an eggplant at home.

Though the superstar hadn't said so, it was obvious she liked tofu. So he’d make Mapo tofu, but tone down the spice for her throat’s sake—just enough flavor, not too bland.

As for meat, he’d prepare boiled pork slices in spicy broth, braised shrimp, and sweet-and-sour pork. The whole family liked spicy food, so the pork slices were a must. He’d initially wanted to make “Mao Xue Wang,” but couldn’t find a stall selling beef tripe.

He’d also bought other things—a whole chicken and some extra vegetables like cauliflower, shiitake mushrooms, and lotus root. But it was impossible to finish everything in one meal, especially with leftovers from last night; wasting food was no good.

Counting himself, his parents, and Ji the class rep, there’d be five people—three vegetable dishes, three meat dishes, and a cold salad. That was more than enough. He’d add a soup, though the main staple would still be rice.

He glanced at the bag of eggs—no tomatoes. So the traditional tomato and egg drop soup was out. Opening the fridge, a piece of dried seaweed caught his eye. That would do—his grandmother used to make that for him as a child.

But first, he’d post today’s novel update online and wake up the superstar. He tiptoed to his bedroom door and gently pushed it open.

This time, the door swung right in. He saw the quilt folded neatly, and a faint fragrance lingering in the air.

“Sure enough, girls’ rooms are different from mine… Wait, where is she?”

He checked his parents’ room next—also empty.

Just then, he heard the door click. The three of them walked in together, looking just like a family.

“Xu Lin, went for a run?” his father asked.

“Mm… Where did you all go?”

“We had breakfast, then took a walk,” said Mrs. Li, changing her shoes.

“And my breakfast?”

“There’s none for you. We thought you ate out.”

“You really are my parents,” Xu Lin sighed, heading to his room. Instantly, a cheerful energy filled the house.

He sat down at his computer, intending to power it on, but realized it hadn’t been shut down—just in sleep mode. Before he could move the mouse, a slender, lovely hand caught his wrist.

“Xu Lin, don’t—”

“Chu Qingchan, what did you do with my computer?”

“Um… just browsed through your study materials.”

Xu Lin was speechless. He was such an upright guy—he only looked at that stuff once every few days! Wasn’t she a top-tier celebrity? Didn’t she know any shame? Even he only peeked in secret, even if he downloaded it himself! She was worse than a rogue. No, worse than a rogue woman!

“But I deleted everything after I finished.”

“What the heck, Chu Qingchan, that’s even worse!”

“I’ll download some for you next time.”

“By the way, Superstar Chu, you look so cold on the outside, but you’re always up to something lively. Just don’t get my bed wet.”

“I did not! I just looked!” Chu Qingchan retorted in a low growl, her whole face flushed with embarrassment and annoyance.

“What’s going on?” someone asked from outside.

“Nothing, nothing—she’s just being silly after drinking,” Xu Lin replied.

Outside, Mr. Xu and Mrs. Li exchanged glances. They thought having a celebrity daughter-in-law wasn’t so bad after all—she was beautiful and had a good personality. The two of them actually made a surprisingly good match, which was the most important thing. But for now, their son needed to focus on his studies; he was still young. They wouldn’t interfere or force anything—just let things develop naturally, as they had with their own relationship.

Two hours later, Xu Lin had posted two new chapters of his novel, written two more to save for later, and was getting ready to cook when he heard his father call out, “Why did you buy so many groceries? There’s still some left from yesterday.”

“I’m cooking for you all today!”

“You can cook? Even I don’t dare step into your mother’s kitchen.”

“Just wait and see!” Xu Lin strode out of his room toward the kitchen, only to be pulled back by his mother.

“You’ve never cooked before. Let me do it. Qingchan, what do you want to eat?”

“Shouldn’t you ask your own son first? It’s fine, I’ll cook. Trust me.”

“Don’t mess around.”

“I’m serious. Just watch.”

“Fine, I’ll let you try.”

Chu Qingchan and Mr. Xu came over as well, the three of them gathering outside the kitchen, seemingly waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

A slow, confident smile appeared on Xu Lin’s lips. “The three-year promise is up!”