"I guess I found a good family that values me..."
"Where to next?"
Jiang Ruoqi settled into the passenger seat, contentedly stuffing the two little red books into her already bulging bag, right next to one of the day's acquisitions—two boxes of souvenirs. She barely registered Meng Shang's question and answered offhandedly, "Go home and sleep."
"Ahem..."
Meng Shang was about to start the engine, but at her words, he choked on his own saliva, turned his head, and coughed awkwardly a few times. The muffled coughs were clear in the empty car. Jiang Ruoqi realized what she'd said, paused her movements, and leaned over like a curious cat to peek at Meng Shang.
When he finished coughing, he found Jiang Ruoqi smiling, her eyes filled with barely concealed mischief.
"Dr. Meng, care to elaborate on what you were thinking?"
"Let me clarify: I was just thinking you worked a night shift and ran around with me all day—you must be exhausted. I wanted you to rest early. Aren't you tired? Shouldn't you go home and sleep?"
"I..." Meng Shang was at a loss for words.
He couldn't exactly say that her words made him think of the souvenirs from the premarital checkup center, or that his mind had naturally wandered to sharing a room and a bed together.
Seeing him silent, Jiang Ruoqi's tone grew meaningful. "So Dr. Meng is that type, huh."
She had been good at reading people since childhood and knew when to push. Naturally, she wouldn't let this chance to tease him slip by.
Meng Shang didn't feel like driving anymore. "What type?"
She'd deliberately left the sentence hanging, hoping he'd take the bait. He had resisted, but with her unwavering gaze, he eventually gave in, just as she wanted.
Jiang Ruoqi paused for a moment, then leaned closer. The faint scent of her perfume reached him first.
Meng Shang's mind wandered.
"The type that seems aloof and ascetic on the surface but is already racing down the highway inside," she finally answered.
That snapped him back.
Meng Shang's eyelids twitched. He raised his hand and gently pressed the back of it against her forehead. "I'm driving now. Sit still."
"That sounds like an invitation, Dr. Meng," Jiang Ruoqi didn't move.
_Don't fall for it again_, Meng Shang warned himself. "If we don't go soon, we'll hit traffic."
"You're lying. What traffic on a Saturday night?" Jiang Ruoqi muttered but finally settled back into her seat.
The passenger seat was spacious. She stretched her long legs out slightly to one side, her knees angled toward Meng Shang—a standard posture for formal settings.
Meng Shang finally started the engine. A brief, faint vibration filled the car, even making Jiang Ruoqi, who wasn't tired, feel a bit drowsy. She worried about Meng Shang's energy; his alertness affected both their safety, and she'd rather pay for a designated driver.
Fortunately, the car merged smoothly into traffic, and the vibration quickly disappeared. Dr. Meng, used to working shifts over 24 hours, seemed completely alert.
Jiang Ruoqi sighed inwardly. You really couldn't be a doctor without good stamina.
They chatted casually on the way; as long as Jiang Ruoqi wanted to, the atmosphere never felt awkward.
Through the window, the sky had darkened, the bluish hue tinged with rosy sunset gradually deepening into a richer blue.
Jiang Ruoqi thought of something and began planning their next steps, her demeanor shifting. "By the way, when are you free? We should go back to Hangxiang to visit Grandma as soon as possible."
It was the second time she'd mentioned it, and she addressed Meng Shang's loved ones naturally. "How about tomorrow?"
"I'm covering a shift for a colleague tomorrow. Earliest would be next week."
"Next week..." Jiang Ruoqi muttered, then remembering something, she picked up her coat to fish for her phone. "I'll go back and fill them in first. If you're busy, we can talk later."
"I'll be free. Next week is Christmas and New Year's. Gangcheng's on holiday, so no one will bother me with work." Jiang Ruoqi pulled out her phone, but pressing the power button did nothing—it was dead. Li Minghui must have kept calling for quite a while.
Oh well, nothing major. She'd deal with it later.
Meng Shang focused on driving, not noticing her movements. He mentally reviewed his schedule and asked, "How about next Saturday?"
"Sure." Jiang Ruoqi tossed her phone into her bag. "Since it's on the way, let's go shopping before heading home. I need to prepare some meeting gifts."
Meng Shang hadn't expected that. Given his previous attitude, his parents would have been overjoyed just to see him bring a girlfriend home before thirty-five. But now he'd gone straight to marriage—they'd need time to process it. He couldn't care less about formality. Still, he'd better give them a heads-up to avoid shocking them too much.
"They should be the ones giving you gifts. You don't need to prepare anything."
His family didn't care about that. His mom, though, had been dangling a carved gold-inlaid jade bracelet in front of him since college, hinting that it was for his future wife. She wanted him to hurry up and find someone before it got even harder after he started working at the hospital. But it turned out timing wasn't the real issue—opportunity would show up and, as she put it, "break in."
Jiang Ruoqi pouted. "It's just basic politeness. Besides, the value of the gift shows how much I care about you, proving I really matter to you."
Meng Shang found this reasoning familiar. He looked at her earnest expression and asked, "Did you browse a few experience posts from people meeting their in-laws for the first time?"
Busted.
Jiang Ruoqi said nothing, just tilted her head and glared.
Meng Shang glanced at the rearview mirror and caught her profile. He quickly adjusted his tone. "Fine, I guess I found a good family that values me."
Satisfied, Jiang Ruoqi began discussing what gifts to prepare.
"Some nutritional supplements for Grandma—maybe ginseng or something else. Dr. Meng, you'll have to help me decide. For your mom, a silk scarf; her fair skin would look great with a bright, lively pattern. Tea for your dad—green tea is better for older people, maybe Biluochun or Longjing."
She had everything planned out, clearly doing her homework before deciding to marry. Even knowing his mom's skin tone was a detail that surprised him.
"Su Yansheng gave you a lot of details," Meng Shang remarked.
He figured their only mutual friend was Su Yansheng, and as childhood friends, only he could have provided that information.
Jiang Ruoqi blinked, realizing she had slipped up. But luckily, people often rationalize things to fit their logic. Since Meng Shang had already given her an excuse, she just needed to go along.