Chapter 580: Which Step Is It?

Thinking back, it had been quite a while since he last saw Old Master Qiao. Thus, Xiao Yufan followed Qiao Chuxi once again to the Qiao residence…

But this time was different from previous visits. Now that Xiao Yufan had accepted Qiao Chuxi, he couldn’t just pretend nothing had happened, could he? After all, this was the home of his woman.

Qiao Chuxi herself felt somewhat uneasy. She wasn’t worried her family wouldn’t accept Xiao Yufan, but rather that everything was moving too quickly. After all, she had only just confessed her feelings to the man today, and they had only just taken that first step together.

“Could it be our Chuxi is already having second thoughts? Now that you’ve fallen into my trap, do you really think I’d let you go so easily?”

Perhaps sensing Qiao Chuxi’s unease, Xiao Yufan wrapped his arms around her delicate frame, leaning close to her ear as he whispered softly…

Her body trembled slightly, and Qiao Chuxi’s face flushed crimson. This rogue! Didn’t he know a woman’s ear was one of her most sensitive spots? With his warm breath tickling her, she felt her entire body growing warm and restless.

“I’m just worried that Father, Mother, and Grandfather might think we’re moving too fast.”

Thinking about how she had brought this man home on practically their first day together, Qiao Chuxi did feel a bit uneasy. But then again, was this really too fast? She knew plenty of people who slept together on the very first meeting. Compared to them, they were practically taking it slow.

When two people truly love each other, what was there to worry about?

“Your parents?” Xiao Yufan’s eyes widened. He had never met Qiao Chuxi’s parents before and hadn’t even thought to ask about them until now. It seemed the only one who hadn’t met them was himself.

“That’s right,” Qiao Chuxi explained. “Before, my parents and I didn’t want to get involved in the family business conflicts with Uncle, so we went abroad for a while. Now we’re back, so today you’re not only meeting Grandfather—you’re meeting my parents too!”

Knowing Xiao Yufan must be confused, Qiao Chuxi elaborated…

“Meeting the parents again? Ugh, this is going to give me a headache!”

Xiao Yufan groaned inwardly. With so many women in his life, meeting all their parents was already enough to make him lose his mind. Although his women were understanding, he couldn’t be sure their parents would accept the fact he had more than one lover.

“Don’t worry,” Qiao Chuxi reassured him with a smile. “My parents are very open-minded and definitely not old-fashioned. They already know about you and understand how I feel.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly, Qiao Chuxi’s laughter was soft and sweet. That lingering sense of shyness gradually faded. Taking the man she loved to meet her closest family brought her a quiet sense of happiness.

“Hehe, didn’t expect my future in-laws to be so reasonable either…”

Xiao Yufan felt much more relaxed now. Now that he had accepted Qiao Chuxi, he would treat her just like the others. His only concern had been whether her parents would be stubborn traditionalists.

“Who said anything about in-laws? We’re not even at that stage yet!”

Hearing Xiao Yufan’s words, Qiao Chuxi pouted, though by the end of her sentence her voice had dropped to a whisper. Bringing up marriage in front of this lecherous man was practically throwing herself into the lion’s den.

“Oh? What stage are you talking about? I don’t remember hearing anything about that,” Xiao Yufan teased, finding her flustered expression utterly adorable. As soon as he finished speaking, he saw her face turn even redder. Though Qiao Chuxi was a powerful businesswoman, at heart she was still a young woman with little worldly experience.

“You’re so embarrassing! Don’t say anything else, or I really won’t talk to you anymore…”

She shook her fist playfully, her cheeks puffed out in mock anger. But to Xiao Yufan, such threats were utterly ineffective—only making his thoughts even more mischievous.

As they approached the Qiao estate, Xiao Yufan immediately spotted Old Master Qiao practicing Tai Chi on the lawn. They slowly walked toward him, though Qiao Chuxi’s face still hadn’t lost its rosy hue. All of this was that rogue’s fault—he just couldn’t stop teasing her.

Of course, if Xiao Yufan had known how unfairly he was being blamed, he would have cried out in protest. He hadn’t even done anything! How had he become the one tormenting her? If he really wanted to tease her, he could easily leave her unable to walk for days…

“From Tai Chi to Wu Ji, the form is soft but never weak. I didn’t expect Old Master Qiao to be such a master of Tai Chi!”

Watching Old Master Qiao’s movements, Xiao Yufan’s face broke into a smile. He hadn’t realized before that Old Master Qiao was also an expert in internal martial arts, and his mastery of Tai Chi was no less than anyone else’s.

“Oh, Yufan, you’re here! Looks like Chuxi finally got her wish. From what you just said, you seem to know quite a bit about Tai Chi too!”

It’s been quite a while since I last saw Old Man Qiao, so Xiao Yufan followed Qiao Chuxi back to the Qiao family…

This time, however, was different from before. Since Xiao Yufan had accepted Qiao Chuxi, he couldn’t just act as if nothing had happened. After all, the Qiao family was now his woman’s maternal home.

Qiao Chuxi also felt a bit unusual. She wasn’t worried that her family wouldn’t accept Xiao Yufan, but rather that everything was happening too quickly. After all, she had just confessed her feelings to him today, and they had only just taken the first step together.

“Could it be that our Chuxi is having second thoughts? Now that you’ve fallen into my trap, I won’t let you go so easily!”

Perhaps sensing Qiao Chuxi’s unusual mood, Xiao Yufan wrapped his arms around her soft figure, his lips brushing against her jade-like ear as he whispered softly…

Her body trembled, and a blush quickly spread across Qiao Chuxi’s face. This scoundrel must not know that a woman’s ear is the most sensitive area. Under the warmth of his breath, she felt her entire body becoming restless.

“I’m just worried that my parents and grandfather might think we’re moving too fast!”

Thinking about bringing this man home on the very first day, Qiao Chuxi also felt it was a bit inappropriate. But then again, it wasn’t too fast, was it? She knew that many people nowadays did that kind of thing on their first meeting. Comparatively, they were already slow.

If two people truly have feelings for each other, why bother with so many concerns…

“Your parents?” Xiao Yufan’s eyes widened. He had never met Qiao Chuxi’s parents before, and he had even misunderstood her at one point without asking. But now it seemed that he was the one who hadn’t met them.

“Yes, before, my parents and I didn’t want to cause any conflict with my uncle over the family business, so they went abroad for a while. Now they’re finally back, so not only will you meet my grandfather, but you’ll also meet my parents!”

Knowing that Xiao Yufan must be puzzled, Qiao Chuxi explained…

“Meeting the in-laws again, what a headache!”

Xiao Yufan felt overwhelmed. With so many women in his life, just meeting their parents was enough to drive him crazy. Although his women were all understanding, it didn’t mean their parents would accept the fact that he had more than one woman.

“Don’t worry, my parents are very open-minded, definitely not old-fashioned. And they already know about you, and that I like you!”

A blush appeared on Qiao Chuxi’s delicate face, her smile charming. The faint unease gradually dissipated. Being able to bring the person she loved to meet her closest family gave her a small sense of satisfaction.

“Hehe, I didn’t expect my future in-laws to be so understanding…”

Xiao Yufan relaxed a lot. Since he had accepted Qiao Chuxi, he naturally had to treat her the same as his other women. His only concern was whether the elders would be old-fashioned and unyielding.

“What future in-laws? We’re not at that stage yet!”

Hearing Xiao Yufan’s words, Qiao Chuxi chided him, but her voice became almost inaudible by the end. Mentioning that stage in front of this big wolf was like pushing herself into the wolf’s mouth.

“Oh, which stage are you talking about? I don’t know!”

Xiao Yufan found Qiao Chuxi’s shy demeanor utterly adorable and couldn’t resist teasing her. But as soon as he finished speaking, he saw her face turn so red it looked like it might drip water. Although Qiao Chuxi was a strong businesswoman, she was still a young woman with little experience in the world.

“This is so embarrassing, stop talking. If you keep going, I really won’t talk to you anymore…”

Shaking her fist, Qiao Chuxi said angrily, but this kind of threat had no effect on Xiao Yufan. Instead, it only made his thoughts even more mischievous…

As they entered the Qiao family estate, Xiao Yufan immediately spotted Old Man Qiao doing his morning exercises on the lawn. The two slowly walked over, and the blush on Qiao Chuxi’s face still hadn’t faded. It was all because of this scoundrel who kept teasing her.

Of course, if Xiao Yufan knew he was being blamed so unfairly, he would definitely cry out in injustice. He hadn’t done anything, so how could he be accused of teasing her? If he were to tease her, he could at least make her unable to get out of bed for a few days…

“Tai Chi transforms into Wuji, the body is soft yet not lacking in strength. I didn’t expect Old Man Qiao to be a master of Tai Chi!”

Watching Old Man Qiao’s movements, a smile appeared on Xiao Yufan’s face. He hadn’t noticed before, but Old Man Qiao was also an internal strength expert, and his mastery of Tai Chi was no less impressive.

“Oh, it’s Yufan. Chuxi must be very happy now. Hearing you say that, it seems you’re quite familiar with Tai Chi too!”

Old Man Qiao had been fully focused on his practice and hadn’t noticed Xiao Yufan and Qiao Chuxi approaching. Of course, it wasn’t because Old Man Qiao had entered a state of self-forgetfulness, but because Xiao Yufan was now at the peak of the Condensed Strength stage, while Old Man Qiao was only at the Condensed Qi stage, so he naturally couldn’t sense him.

“I only know a little about it!”

When Xiao Yufan was very young, Old Man Situ had been using martial arts to nurture his body, one of which was Tai Chi. So his understanding of Tai Chi was no less than anyone else’s. Saying he only knew a little was just his modesty.

No matter how strong a person is, they should not be arrogant. This was a principle Xiao Yufan followed, especially since Old Man Qiao was his elder…

“In your generation and at your age, it’s already quite impressive to have some knowledge of Tai Chi. It seems Yufan not only has business talent but also a way of cultivating himself!”

Old Man Qiao nodded in approval, looking at Xiao Yufan with increasing favor. Regardless of the Situ family’s status in China, Xiao Yufan’s temperament alone was enough to earn his admiration. If such a man could be with Chuxi, he would be very happy.

Although he was a bit surprised why Xiao Yufan had appeared with his granddaughter today, he hadn’t thought of that…

“Old Man Qiao’s praise is something I dare not accept!”

“You’ve been gone for so long, when did you become so humble? This doesn’t seem like the ambitious you from before…”

Old Man Qiao slowly stopped his movements, exhaled a breath of turbid air, and then slowly turned his gaze to Qiao Chuxi’s delicate profile. When he saw the alluring blush on her face, he finally understood why the two had appeared here today…

“I guess I know a little,” Xiao Yufan replied modestly. From a young age, Old Master Situ had trained his body using traditional martial arts, including Tai Chi. His understanding of Tai Chi was second to none. Saying he only knew “a little” was just his way of being humble.

No matter how strong one becomes, arrogance is never acceptable—that was Xiao Yufan’s principle, especially when dealing with elders like Old Master Qiao.

“In your generation, at your age, knowing anything about Tai Chi is impressive enough. It seems Yufan not only has talent in business, but also in self-cultivation and inner peace.”

Nodding approvingly, Old Master Qiao found himself liking Xiao Yufan more and more. Setting aside the Situ family’s status in China, Xiao Yufan’s character alone was admirable. If such a man could be with Chuxi, he would be more than happy.

Though he was a little surprised to see Xiao Yufan here with his granddaughter, he hadn’t yet figured out the full meaning behind their visit…

“Your praise is too much for me, Master Qiao.”

“You disappeared for so long—when did you become so humble? This isn’t the same ambitious young man I remember…”

Old Master Qiao slowly stopped his movements, exhaling deeply before finally turning his gaze to Qiao Chuxi’s delicate profile. When he noticed the rosy blush on her face, he finally understood why the two of them had come today…