By the time the train reached his destination, Shangguan Yu had fallen asleep. Thankfully, his stop was the last one on the line and the service personal went through the train, making sure to shake everybody awake who had missed getting up in time to remind them that they were already there.

Shangguan Yu woke up with a start and apologized, hurriedly taking his luggage, and rushing out of the train. On the platform, he wanted to turn to the exit and then take the bus to get home, when he already saw somebody waving at him from afar, jumping up and down.

His lips twitched and he jogged over, pulling his sister into a hug. "Sis, you guys actually came to get me?"

His sister, Shangguan Xin, nodded happily and patted him on the shoulder. "Yeah, I can’t just leave my little brother out there alone. What if some bad guy came and wanted to kidnap you?"

Shangguan Yu laughed and shook his head before turning to the person waiting behind her. "Brother-in-law. Nice to see you again!"

Yu Lan nodded and then motioned over to the exit. "Come on, I’ll drive you home. I think mother prepared some dishes to celebrate that you’re back. I hope you’re staying for the whole break this time?"

Shangguan Yu nodded and followed the two of them. "Yes, the last time, I only had to return to the dorm sooner because there was something I needed to take care of. This time, everything’s been dealt with though. I’ll definitely stay the whole time."

His sister grabbed his arm and lowered her voice. "Are you sure that it’s because you’ve dealt with everything and not because you are going to meet a handsome man?"

Shangguan Yu gave an embarrassed smile. "I only told mom yesterday and you already know the whole story?"

"Ah, believe me, it’s not just me that knows the whole story. Your brother-in-law knows, the aunties and uncles also know, and I’m pretty sure that even grandma and grandpa know."

Shangguan Yu’s smile turned even more strained and he wondered just how his stay at his family’s place would go. While his mother and sister and even his brother-in-law were pretty chill about him being gay, his grandparents and extended family were a different matter altogether.

They were still very traditional and thought that even if he had that kind of 'preference', he should still marry a wife in the future and have a child. They believed that this was just the way it should be and that everything else should be some hobby he took part in his free time without anybody knowing. Especially since his father wasn’t around anymore. Getting a boyfriend … This would be hard to get them to acknowledge.

Furthermore … those aunts and uncles were also incredibly nosy. So even if they weren’t going to judge outright, he would definitely have to hear about it from all sides later on after they went on to discuss his personal matters with everybody else than you. It was only a matter of time until the whole town knew.

Ah, he didn’t even want to know what would happen if he left to go grocery shopping or something. There were definitely some old classmates coming home for the break as well or even still living here. He could already imagine their judgmental looks and all the questions they’d ask him, the pity they’d express, and how all of this must be because things hadn’t worked out with that one girl who came on too strong when asking him out once …

Really, he had no desire to experience any of that. There was a reason why he was only out to his closest family and friends.

Shangguan Xin laughed when she saw his expression. "Aiya, don’t be like this! In fact, mom only told the two of us because she wanted us to come and get you. Also, I’m pretty sure that you can take some advice."

She poked his shoulder and Shangguan Yu nodded with relief. Well, he probably should have known that his mother would never do that. It was just … he had seen that kind of thing play out with a friend from university so he couldn’t help but be a little afraid. Anyway, he should trust his family more.

"That’s true. You have to be more serious when you advise me though. Don’t make any more jokes. If I take them seriously, I’ll just embarrass myself. Then you won’t get a handsome brother-in-law."

His sister tsked but didn’t argue. "Well, I guess we’ll manage to get you through this. Anyway, it’s really about time you get yourself a boyfriend. In a few years, you’ll be out of university. How can you still be single by then? You need to make some experiences now. That way, it’ll be easier when you have to go out and work. Finding somebody at that time will be much more difficult."

Shangguan Yu wasn’t sure if he agreed with that but considering that his sister and his brother-in-law had met early, he understood where she was coming from. Anyway, it definitely had helped their relationship that they had known each other for quite some time. But he was still pretty sure that you could work through issues even if you didn’t know each other for as long.

As for whether Ao Jing and he would be able to do so … He didn’t know yet. But in time, he’d find out. For now, they first needed to have their first date though. Thinking about what might happen later down the line was a moot point.