She was caught by his parents. What was the point of sneaking off to a hotel, then?

Ye Qianqian was reluctantly dragged into the car, and she had no choice but to follow them to Shen’s house.

However, although Ye Qianqian was no longer willing to go there, she still had to fake the appearance of being overly happy and eager to go.

It was very cold in the capital. The plants, trees, and all kinds of greenery nearby were completely bare, and ice still clung to the branches. Even though the festive lanterns were still hanging around, it all had a very monotonous feel to it.

It was indeed cold. Unlike the cold, wet weather in the south, the cold weather here tended to make one feel particularly dried out.

Fortunately, there was a heater in the car, and Ye Qianqian was finally able to sit down.

When they arrived at Shen’s house, they found the old woman sitting on the couch inside. She was twisting a strand of Buddhist beads with Sanskrit engraved on them.

She was a little underdressed. She wore only two black Cheongsam pieces, which were decorated with dark red embroidery. Her short white hair fell over her ears.

She couldn’t help but do a double take when she spotted Ye Qianqian coming toward her.

Old Mrs. Shen sat as still as a statue on the sofa. “You’ve returned,” she said.

After glancing at Shen Zhilie, she said, “All you do is wander about. You went to Kingstown just yesterday, and you’re back today. I thought you were going to celebrate Chinese New Year in Kingstown.”

Zhilie pulled his luggage inside and said with a smile, “How could I? I still want to stay with my grandmother.”

“I’m afraid it’s not only me that you want to stay with, is it?” Old Mrs. Shen took a look at Ye Qianqian.

Ye Qianqian felt a little embarrassed and said, “Hi, Grandma. Happy New Year!”

“Happy New Year to you too. Nanny He, why don’t you go tidy up a guest room for her.”

Nanny He was feeling a little embarrassed. She glanced over at Shen Zhilie, indicating that she was asking for his opinion on this.

Shen Zhilie said, “Why bother? She can just sleep with me in my room.”

“No, no, no,” Ye Qianqian said. She felt even more embarrassed. “I’d better sleep in the guest room, or I can just leave and stay in a hotel.”

“What hotel?” Old Mrs. Shen’s tone was a little harsh. She looked up at Ye Qianqian and said, “People who didn’t know better would think that I was abusing my grandson’s girlfriend. Hmph.”

Ye Qianqian was speechless. She forced a dry smile, feeling utterly embarrassed.

Shen Zhilie noticed and became unhappy. “Grandmother,” he said, “how can you speak so rudely during the Spring Festival?”

“You want your grandmother to speak properly, then?” Old lady Shen looked at Shen Zhilie with contempt. “It’s not like you don’t know what your grandmother is like,” she said. “Aren’t you asking for too much?”

Shen Zhilie thought that she was being completely unreasonable.

Nanny He silently brought Ye Qianqian’s luggage to the guest room, then came back and said, “Miss Ye, I’ll help you tidy up the place.”

Ye Qianqian waved her hand and said, “I’d better do it by myself. You should go do your own work. I can handle this little thing on my own.”

Old Mrs. Shen took a glance at Ye Qianqian and relaxed a little bit. She twisted the Buddha beads in her hands without speaking.

Shen Zhilie looked at Ye Qianqian, then went up to her and said, “Let me help you unpack your things. Come on.”

He walked into the guest room with Ye Qianqian and closed the door behind them.

As soon as Ye Qianqian entered the room, she tried to listen for voices outside. She couldn’t tell if simply no one was talking or if the insulation in the wall was too thick, but she couldn’t hear a single word.

She turned around and glared at Shen Zhilie. She gave him a push and said, “Didn’t we have a deal that I would stay in the hotel first while you took care of your grandmother? Now what do I do? I’m embarrassed as hell!”