Chapter 36: Parents-in-law Dropped Right From The Sky
“Momo, you’ve lost weight.”
In the back seat, Song Qiao softly held Qin Mo’s hand and looked at her daughter closely.
“I didn’t. It’s just Mom hasn’t seen me for a long time,” Qin Mo smiled, trying to look relaxed. “And being thin is in the genes.”
Song Qiao felt pain in her heart. She knew the more her daughter was sad, the more she acted like nothing happened.
Her eyes were swollen. Even if makeup covered it, Song Qiao could still see it at once.
She sighed in her heart and felt glad she stopped Qin Jianguo just in time, so that the mistress didn’t see anything strange.
If her daughter met Zhang Minsheng like this, she would get hurt again.
Qin Mo was smart and didn’t want her mom to worry, so she quickly asked what they wanted to eat for lunch.
But Song Qiao asked her, “Where do you live now?”
Qin Mo clearly didn’t want to talk about the divorce so Song Qiao didn’t push, but she still worried about where her daughter stayed.
“I’m staying in an apartment for now. The place is nice,” Qin Mo comforted her mother. “I even fixed it up again. It’s very cozy.”
“Then can Mom go take a look?”
“…”
Qin Mo didn’t expect her mom to say that. In fact, her so-called fixing up was just moving in a few sets of clothes.
The simple furniture was already there. Qin Mo didn’t even have the heart to decorate. The apartment didn’t even have pots or bowls.
And today there was a blackout. Qin Mo felt uneasy. Her place wasn’t even as good as Shen Jin’s.
Her heart suddenly skipped. Qin Mo thought of Shen Jin.
“We can go,” she said after a pause.
She had to ease her parents’ minds, so Qin Mo made up her mind. “But I have a friend living with me, we’re, uh, renting together.”
She couldn’t say she kept a mistress, so she quickly changed the words “living together” into “renting together.”
“Renting together?”
Song Qiao couldn’t help feeling strange. With her daughter’s ability now, did she still need to share rent with someone? How expensive must that place be?
“Uh, she just graduated not long ago. She’s kind of my junior,” Qin Mo started making things up. “I just help take care of her a bit.”
After saying that, she quickly took out her phone to give Shen Jin a heads-up.
At that moment, Shen Jin had just returned downstairs.
Earlier, Qin Mo rushed out before even eating the “cat food.” Shen Jin drove and followed her.
She saw Qin Mo go back to her old neighborhood and was afraid she might lose against the mistress, so she hurried after her. But when she saw Qin Mo was with her parents, she didn’t follow and quietly went back home first.
Who knew she would suddenly get Qin Mo’s “call for help.”
A chance to meet the parents-in-law dropped right from the sky. Shen Jin didn’t know she was turned into a “junior who just graduated” in Qin Mo’s story, and she happily agreed.
With her girlfriend’s parents coming, Shen Jin ran to the supermarket to buy some vegetables and fruits and even brought a bouquet of roses.
Back home, she put the flowers in a vase and placed them around. She filled the fridge neatly so it looked warm and homey.
Shen Jin even picked out a nice outfit and dressed herself up.
She cleaned the apartment until it looked warm and pretty, brewed some tea, and waited excitedly for Qin Mo’s parents to arrive.
Soon, Qin Mo came back “home” with her parents.
“Uncle, Auntie.”
The one who came to open the door was Shen Jin, more welcoming than anyone else. She wore a white shirt full of professional style with white tight pants.
Her sleeves were neatly rolled to her elbows, and her hair was tied into a clean ponytail. Shen Jin was tall and slim. She didn’t look like some “mistress,” she looked like a high-class office worker.
A handsome one at that.
At first, Song Qiao thought she’d see a young girl, but when she saw Shen Jin, she froze right away.
There was even a scar on her face. This was Momo’s junior? Why did she look more like a boss?
Standing beside Song Qiao, Qin Mo’s mouth twitched. She quickly gave Shen Jin a look, hinting her not to overdo it.
But Shen Jin got even more enthusiastic.
She warmly led Father Qin and Mother Qin inside. Her “mistress” skills were used to the fullest, serving tea and water, cutting fruits and bringing snacks, almost ready to cook right there.
Qin Mo felt her head ache. She was afraid her parents would notice the truth about the “mistress.”
Luckily, Song Qiao and Qin Jianguo were still quite “simple” and didn’t think too much.
The couple sat down on the sofa under Shen Jin’s warm welcome. She quickly placed the cut fresh fruits in front of them and asked them to taste.
Song Qiao was surprised by her daughter’s warm “junior” and couldn’t help asking, “Miss, how long ago did you graduate?”
“Uh…”
At first, it sounded like she was praising herself for being young. Shen Jin was thinking if she should tell Qin Mo’s parents her real age, so they would at least have some idea about the person their daughter was with. Then she suddenly saw Qin Mo winking hard at her.
Was she telling her to act young?
Alright, a mistress has to look fresh anyway. Shen Jin reacted fast and started her act right away.
“I just graduated this year.”
“No wonder, you look so young.”
“Auntie’s also very young. Qin… Sister Qin never told me she has such a beautiful mom!”
Her mouth was sweet like it was coated with honey. Song Qiao’s impression of Shen Jin grew even better.
So the talk started to go off in a strange direction.
“Miss, are you from Licheng?”
“Mm, I have all my papers and registration here.”
“You just started working, right? What do you do?”
“I’m in the service industry. Mainly I talk deeply with clients and build good social relationships.”
“That sounds like Momo’s work too. Is it also public relations?”
“It’s a bit different. Our job focuses on client experience. It's a private one-on-one service. We respond anytime, and it’s all about having good skills. When communicating deeply, we must control the pace and make sure the client feels the most pleasant experience.”
She spoke so smoothly that Father Qin and Mother Qin both nodded again and again. They sighed that the service industry really changed fast, and there were already fields they didn’t even know about.
Only Qin Mo felt her face burning. One-on-one service, responding anytime, good skills, deep communication, the most pleasant experience, those were all things a mistress did! Oral service, clingy, physical contact…
Her mind went straight to weird thoughts. Qin Mo felt she couldn’t let Shen Jin keep talking nonsense, so she quickly found a chance to cut in.
“Dad, Mom, it’s almost noon. Let’s go eat,” she said, giving Shen Jin another look. “My junior must be hungry too.”
Father Qin and Mother Qin invited Shen Jin to join them for lunch. Shen Jin played along and politely refused, saying she didn’t want to disturb their family time.
Qin Mo finally let out a sigh of relief. If her mistress had eaten with her parents, awkward or not aside, with that mouth of hers, who knew what else she might make up.
Anyway, the “inspection” was passed for now. From what Song Qiao secretly noticed, the apartment did look just like Qin Mo said, warm and comfortable.
Feeling a bit comforted, Song Qiao thought it was nice that her daughter had a friend working in the service industry. She must be thoughtful, and she looked warm-hearted too. Maybe she could help lift Qin Mo’s mood.
She even thought about hiring Shen Jin to “serve” her daughter. From what she said about deep communication, it probably sounded like psychological counseling.
Of course, she didn’t say that out loud. She had no idea her daughter had already “communicated deeply” with her several times.
Anyway, the “home visit” ended pleasantly. After Shen Jin turned down their invitation a few times, Father Qin and Mother Qin didn’t insist.
Shen Jin walked them to the elevator. Then Qin Mo suddenly said she forgot something inside and didn’t bring her keys.
She looked at Shen Jin and smiled.
“A’Jin, can you help me open the door?”
Even though Shen Jin knew Qin Mo was only acting close in front of her parents, that one “Ah Jin” almost melted her bones.
It was the first time her kitten ever called her that.
“Uh… okay.” Shen Jin quickly held down the waves in her heart and went back with Qin Mo.
She unlocked the door and was about to ask what Qin Mo forgot when she was suddenly hugged.
Qin Mo hugged her gently from behind.
“Shen Jin, thank you.”