Chapter 118: Peng Min’s Parents

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Peng Hua and Zhao Qianqian’s expressions first flickered with surprise and joy, especially when Peng Min stood up and called out “Mom and Dad.” However, the happiness quickly gave way to concern as they recalled how Peng Min had left home without a word and had been missing for two years. For a young girl to do such a thing naturally subdued their initial delight, and their faces darkened. Although they were glad their daughter had returned safely, as parents, they knew there were things they had to say, lessons to teach, and reckonings to be made.

“Uncle, Auntie, hello,” Huang Yu greeted them as they were about to speak, causing their stern words to falter as they scrutinized this unfamiliar young man standing beside Peng Min. The fact that their daughter had returned accompanied by a stranger clearly spoke volumes.

Between the two, Zhao Qianqian was pleased to see Peng Min in good condition and had a generally favorable first impression of the handsome Huang Yu. The only slight misgiving was that Huang Yu’s looks were a little too striking. It was like when an ordinary family is urged to arrange a match for their child; sometimes, good looks add points, but when the appearance is too exceptional, it can paradoxically become a disadvantage.

As for Peng Hua, his gaze toward Huang Yu was less warm. Especially when he saw Peng Min greeting them while holding Huang Yu’s hand, his expression soured further. After all, no father could greet with a smile the man who had taken his cherished daughter away.

“When did you come back, Minmin? You didn’t even call ahead. You’ve been gone two years, and in the past year, not a single call home. Do you know how worried we were?” Zhao Qianqian broke the silence first.

“Mom, my phone was stolen over six months ago, so I lost all my contacts. I had no way to reach you,” Peng Min explained.

“That’s nonsense. Don’t think your mother doesn’t understand—social apps don’t disappear, and I never saw a single message from you,” Zhao Qianqian retorted sharply as if a thought had struck her.

“Mom, you know I rarely use those apps. They feel outdated; only you and Dad use them,” Peng Min murmured.

“Alright, it’s good you’re back. We’ll talk about this later. And who is this?” Peng Hua interrupted, clearly wanting to steer away from the topic.

He looked Huang Yu over and judged him a suitable match for his daughter. Though he disliked the idea of someone taking his precious daughter away, he was genuinely glad she had found such a man.

As they spoke, they set aside the food ingredients and moved to sit on the sofa, clearly wanting to get to know Huang Yu better.

Peng Min had prepared for this moment and said, “His name is Huang Yu. He’s my boyfriend. He’s from PE City and recently found a job in KM City. I didn’t want to stay in PE City, so I came back with him to KM City. We plan to live here together.”

After briefly introducing Huang Yu, she spun an elaborate, fabricated story about how they met and came together in PE City. Huang Yu, seeing her calm demeanor, knew she had often deceived her parents, but just as he was about to stop her from continuing the fiction, he noticed the amused expressions on Peng Hua and Zhao Qianqian’s faces. They seemed to be silently encouraging her to keep going.

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It was clear they didn’t believe Peng Min’s story—likely burned by her many fabrications before, they had grown wary.

“Enough. I’m not interested in your story,” Peng Hua finally said, unable to listen any longer and cutting her off.

He then turned to ask Huang Yu some questions—not about private matters but about his hobbies and lifestyle.

Huang Yu answered each question thoughtfully.

Peng Hua said no more. Zhao Qianqian studied Peng Min carefully, asking about her life these past years but without pressing too hard. Soon, she took the ingredients to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Peng Yuying had wanted to stay outside longer but was summoned inside by Peng Hua to review her studies. After all, she was nearing the end of her second year in high school and in the critical phase of preparing for college entrance exams; every moment counted.

With Zhao Qianqian busy in the kitchen and Peng Yuying studying in her room, Peng Min went to help in the kitchen, leaving only Huang Yu and Peng Hua in the living room.

Honestly, the atmosphere made Huang Yu somewhat uneasy.

Peng Hua seemed to notice and asked if Huang Yu played Go.

Huang Yu nodded.

Peng Hua’s face lit up. He didn’t have many hobbies, but he loved Go—a passion sparked by watching a childhood anime called “The Go Boy” with his father.

Nowadays, few people played Go, and he rarely found opponents among his circle of friends. Usually, he had to go to a Go salon to find a game.

Peng Hua fetched the family’s Go board—a set he used mostly for studying positions alone and often played Gomoku with his daughters. He hadn’t really played Go against anyone in a long time.

He had asked out of curiosity, but hearing Huang Yu could play surprised and puzzled him. He wondered if his daughter had told Huang Yu about his hobby just to win his favor.

That thought dampened his expectations. After all, a match was only enjoyable when the players were evenly matched. If the skill gap was too wide, the game would be dull.

But since the board was set, it was too late to back out.

He decided that if Huang Yu turned out to be a complete novice, he would have to school him properly.

In truth, Huang Yu’s Go skills stemmed from years ago when he used to watch his father play and begged him to teach. He never beat his father even once and lost interest by high school, especially with the pressure of college exams.

If he weren’t sitting awkwardly, he wouldn’t have agreed to play at all.

The game began. After seven or eight moves, Peng Hua noticed Huang Yu’s play was decent. His initial disappointment gave way to renewed hope. After about a dozen moves, Peng Hua realized Huang Yu wasn’t a beginner; he had clearly honed his skills over several years, and the earlier suspicion that Huang Yu had only learned to impress him was unfounded.

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The game ended with Peng Hua’s victory.

Though he had won easily, he was genuinely happy to have found a younger player who knew Go.

“Uncle, your skill is way stronger than mine. Maybe we shouldn’t continue,” Huang Yu said, seeing he had lost midgame.

“No way. I’ll give you five stones handicap. Let’s play again,” Peng Hua said eagerly, his passion for Go just ignited.

As he spoke, he quickly reset the board.

“Handicap? Okay then,” Huang Yu smiled, now interested.

He understood the concept of handicaps well. When he learned from his father, his father never gave him any stones. That was one reason he lost interest—he could never find another peer to play with, and eventually, he gave up.

In the kitchen, Peng Min helped her mother cook and stole glances at the living room to see how Huang Yu was getting along with her father. Seeing them engrossed in Go, she felt relieved.

Seeing them get along so well also made her happy.

“The boyfriend you found, Mom is very pleased,” Zhao Qianqian said to her once she returned to the kitchen.

“Of course. Do you think I’d pick a bad man?” Peng Min replied confidently, without a hint of shyness, standing tall.

Zhao Qianqian smiled but said nothing more and returned to her tasks.

What she didn’t see was that Peng Min’s bright smile gradually faded.

Through the kitchen window’s crack, Peng Min glanced again at the two playing Go, her eyes focusing on Huang Yu with a touch of mockery and disappointment.

From an outsider’s perspective, Huang Yu seemed perfect in looks and background, but Peng Min saw more—she saw an ordinary man, no different from any self-interested person.

At first, when she first saw Huang Yu, she thought Li Jia had overreached by finding such a boyfriend, but now she fully believed Huang Yu was completely unworthy of her sister Li Jia.

Though Peng Min hadn’t studied much, she was no fool.

Huang Yu appeared to have avenged Li Jia’s family by personally killing those who had harmed them.

But was their tragedy truly the work of those men?

Perhaps the truth lay deeper, with other hands pulling the strings.