"Relax. I already looked up what places are suitable for dates like this on my way here. It said that you should choose one with a lot of people around, something public. So that is definitely the first thing I’ll make sure of."

His brother-in-law nodded at that. "Yes, and make sure it’s also a place where you can see what he’s doing. Don’t go to the movies with him or something. You can never know what he’s doing in the dark beside you."

Shangguan Yu felt that that was a bit excessive but he still nodded. Anyway, while movie dates seemed to be pretty popular, he didn’t like the idea. "That’s right. Anyway, I didn’t think of doing something like that. In the movies, we’d have to keep quiet. I don’t think that’s a good idea for our first date. I would like to be able to talk a bit with him when we meet up. I guess he’d also be happier with that."

"Then how about going to eat something?" His mother was excited about the idea. "We can choose a nice restaurant. Maybe even one that we already know. Isn’t the son of the neighbors working at one? We could ask him when he’s working. Then you can go there on a day when he can have an eye on the situation. If that guy tries anything funny, he can swoop in and save you."

Shangguan Yu’s lips twitched. That son of the neighbors wouldn’t happen to be gay, right? It certainly sounded as if his mother was trying to set them up with each other. This 'swooping in and saving the damsel in distress' was definitely her favorite storyline when watching those dramas on TV. "Mom, it’s not like I don’t know Ao Jing. We’ve played together for half a year. He is really alright. You don’t have to worry."

Shangguan Xin leaned further over the table, putting some food into his bowl. "You, ah! You’re too trusting. Since it’s online and you haven’t even seen his photo, he might just be pretending."

Shangguan Yu shook his head. "If this was some years ago, I might agree with that. But the game we’re playing is a virtual reality one. I’ve even heard his voice."

His sister didn’t seem too convinced. "Aren’t there ways to alter that with some program or something? Anyway, you can’t trust him!"

Yu Lan looked thoughtful though. "Well, I guess the same would be true for having a call. But I still think it’s safer to at least try it. If he starts to come up with excuses or takes a suspiciously long time for it, then you should definitely worry. If he reacts normally, then it wouldn’t be a problem at all. Just go by what his reaction is."

Shangguan Yu nodded. "I promised we’d play together when I’m here as well. I guess I can just ask him today."

The other three people nodded happily. They were definitely in favor of that idea.

Seeing that her brother was finally willing to see the light, Shangguan Xin raised a hand and counted on her fingers to make sure he didn’t forget anything. "So, you need a photo, his telephone number, and you should also ask him about some details of his life. Like, do you know which company exactly he’s working at?"

Shangguan Yu stared at his sister, trying to figure out if she wouldn’t make a call to Ao Jing’s employer. He definitely didn’t want to embarrass him like that. Still, having some more information also wouldn’t be bad. "Well, I can ask him." Anyway, there weren’t too many companies he would be able to work at. While the city wasn’t that small, one hill wasn’t big enough to accommodate two tigers. From what Ao Jing had said about that company so far, it should be pretty big. He really doubted that a competitor would be right in front of their doorstep.

Seeing Shangguan Yu agree so straightforwardly, both his mother and sister heaved a sigh of relief.

When he had said yesterday that he wanted to meet up with somebody, his mother just hadn’t been able to stop herself from wondering. She had done the very same thing back when her daughter had met Ah Lan but this time, it was even worse. After all, back then, she had always felt that things were relatively safe. The two of them had met at university face-to-face and seen each other almost every day on campus with many other people around and lots of mutual friends. That was quite normal in terms of getting to know each other.

On the other hand, Shangguan Yu … She wasn’t too sure. She knew that young people these days were often meeting online and were quite a bit more open-minded. But she had also heard a lot of stories about what could happen if you weren’t careful. So she really wanted to do everything she could to make sure that he wouldn’t get into trouble. Even if there wasn’t much, just a little made her feel better. And seeing that her son at least understood that there were some dangers involved, also calmed her down. Somebody who was careful instead of rushing in because he was head over heels in love would definitely be safer.

Shangguan Xin felt pretty much the same. Contrary to her mother, she definitely wouldn’t be content with just her brother’s words that he would ask that man about his background though. No, she was sure that they had to do some more.

She glanced at her husband, slightly raising her eyebrows. In return, he nodded. He knew very clearly how important his brother-in-law was to his wife and he also felt that Shangguan Yu might be in danger if he went into this unprepared. As his brother-in-law, he should definitely make sure that there was nothing for his family to worry about! Now, they only needed a plan.