Chapter 222 They haven't even graduated yet!
Her father, Huang Guoqiang, sat on the sofa with a teacup in hand, his eyes fixed on the television news.
His brow was slightly furrowed, and he maintained an air of detachment, letting the mother and daughter bicker beside him.
He didn't even lift an eyelid, as if he had long since grown accustomed to Chu Hong's fussing.
Huang Jiayi's cheeks burned at her mother's questioning, and she tugged at her bag strap, feeling completely at a loss.
Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's buzz, tinged with both shyness and helplessness:
"Mom, what are you guessing at..."
She paused for a moment, then bit her lip before adding,
"He's not in our system."
"Not in our system?"
Chu Hong was stunned for a second, but then she smiled again.
"Then which system is he in? The government?"
"Is he in a Public Institution?"
"That's fine too, as long as it's stable."
Jiayi buried her head even lower, her fingers twisting the hem of her shirt, her voice so small it was almost inaudible:
"He's... at a school."
"Oh, at a school!"
Chu Hong slapped her thigh and instantly breathed a sigh of relief, the smile returning to her face.
"The Education System, then. That's also very good—a formal job, winter and summer breaks, and he can look after the home. It's much better than you working overtime every day!"
"Mom, you've got it all wrong..."
Jiayi grew anxious and hurriedly looked up, her cheeks so red they looked ready to drip blood.
Her tone was laced with panic,
"He... he hasn't graduated yet!"
"Huh?!"
Chu Hong's laughter stopped abruptly, and her eyes widened into circles.
The smile on her face froze instantly, replaced by a look of utter disbelief.
This time, even Huang Guoqiang—who had been sitting on the sofa feigning composure while staring at the news—
suddenly looked up, his brow knitted into a tight knot, his voice carrying a hint of subtle shock:
"He's still a student?"
The next second, Huang Guoqiang exploded.
With a loud *clack*, he slammed his teacup onto the coffee table, his voice suddenly rising an octave.
His tone was full of fury, mixed with the helpless frustration of a father whose daughter had failed his expectations:
"Huang Jiayi! You little brat, are you trying to infuriate me to death?!"
He stood up and pointed at Jiayi, his chest heaving violently, clearly incensed:
"How many times have I told you? When looking for a partner, find someone mature and steady with a stable job!"
"Look at all those young men from the Public Security System chasing you—every one of them is excellent, with a house, a car, and a stable job."
"But you? You don't like any of them, and instead, you go and date a student?!"
Jiayi flinched at her father's roar, and her eyes instantly rimmed with red.
She felt both aggrieved and panicked, her fingertips gripping her bag strap so tightly her nails nearly dug into the leather.
She wanted to explain, to say that he wasn't an ordinary student.
She wanted to say that things between them weren't what her parents thought, but the words reached her lips only to be swallowed back down.
She hadn't even sorted out her own feelings for him yet, so how could she explain it clearly to her parents?
Chu Hong also snapped out of it, the smile completely gone from her face. She grabbed Jiayi's hand, her tone both urgent and angry:
"Jiayi, you're being so muddled!"
"What can a student give you?"
"He hasn't even graduated, he doesn't even have a job—are you going to follow him and suffer?"
"You're twenty-three already, not a child anymore. How can you be so willful!"
"I'm not being willful..."
Jiayi sniffled, her voice carrying a hint of a sob, her eyes red.
"He's very outstanding, it's not what you think. And... and his circumstances are good, and he treats me very well."
"What use is being 'good'?"
Huang Guoqiang paced back and forth in anger, his tone remaining stern.
"Excellence can't put food on the table!"
"You're in the Public Security System; what kind of people haven't you seen? How did you end up falling for a student?"
"You must tell me clearly today exactly what your relationship is with him, and then break it off immediately!"
Jiayi bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes, though she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
She looked at her enranged father and then at her anxious mother, her mind in a complete jumble.
She knew her parents meant well for her, but she couldn't control the racing of her heart.
She couldn't help but remember the way he smiled as he handed her the bag, and she couldn't help but feel that that youth, three years younger than her, might truly be worth being brave for once.
"I won't."
After a long silence, Jiayi looked up. Her voice wasn't loud,
but it carried an unprecedented determination. Her eyes were red, yet there wasn't a hint of retreat in them.
"I don't want to break it off. I want to try things with him."
These words were like adding fuel to Huang Guoqiang's rage. He pointed at Jiayi, so angry he was speechless:
"You... you are simply being unreasonable!"
Chu Hong also grew frantic, grabbing Jiayi's hand and shaking it hard:
"Jiayi, can you stop being so foolish?"
"Listen to your mother and break it off now, otherwise you'll regret it later!"
Jiayi didn't say anything more. She just lowered her head, and her tears finally fell uncontrollably, splashing onto her hand, cold as ice.
She knew her parents would never agree, but that spark of attraction in her heart
was like a wildly growing vine that had already entangled her entire heart, impossible to tear away.
Just then, Jiayi's phone suddenly rang, that familiar name flashing on the screen.
Her body stiffened instantly. Her first instinct was to answer,
but she was afraid her parents would see. She clutched her phone nervously, her cheeks burning hot, her mind a tangled mess.
Why was he calling at a time like this? Was something wrong?
If her parents saw, it would surely set off another storm...