"Still a little off." Yin Yan released their clasped hands and looked at his own palm. "It had an effect after all."

"What?"

Yu Zhen didn't hear him clearly. Coming back to his senses, he asked while checking his own body, trying to find any changes.

Watching his downright foolish behavior, Yin Yan couldn't help but step forward and place a hand on his head.

Yu Zhen froze from the touch and looked up at him.

From his appearance, Yu Zhen didn't look like he was twenty-two at all. He looked more like someone who had just come of age, his face even still holding a trace of baby fat.

Compared to Yin Le, who had truly just come of age, and setting aside his mature, old-fashioned way of dressing, just looking at his face, he even seemed a little younger than Yin Le.

But this was abnormal. Yin Le was only seventeen this year, while Yu Zhen was already twenty-two.

Yin Yan was momentarily lost in thought, a rare occurrence. But even when he was, he maintained a calm and composed appearance, his gaze not even going vacant for a moment, so others couldn't tell at all.

Seeing him go quiet again, Yu Zhen tentatively moved his head and asked cautiously, "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong just now?"

His hair brushed against Yin Yan's palm, bringing a soft, ticklish sensation.

Yin Yan came back to his senses, visually estimated his height, and asked, "How tall are you right now?"

Yu Zhen's mind raced, struggling to keep up with the topic. Guessing that the hand on his head was probably measuring his height, he couldn't help but level his gaze, only to find that he could only see Yin Yan's chin and lips from this angle. He grew inexplicably embarrassed, took a step back, and said, "175... I-I'll still grow!"

He'd heard that men's height development doesn't stop until their twenties. He-he still had a chance!

Although in reality, his height hadn't increased since he was eighteen, and the hope of further development was incredibly slim, but-but one still had to have dreams, what if they came true!

"You will indeed grow more, probably to around here on my current body." And his bone structure would fully develop, the contours of his features completely shedding their youthful air, becoming truly mature and dazzling.

Yin Yan affirmed his statement, even raising a hand to indicate the position of his own brow bone.

Yu Zhen, who had thought the sudden mention of height was a form of teasing, was stunned again by this earnest reply. Then his eyes lit up in a flash. He moved closer, visually estimated Yin Yan's height, and said expectantly, "Will I really grow taller? To here?" As he spoke, he reached out and touched Yin Yan's eyebrow.

The joy conveyed from the other's heart was so palpable it was practically overflowing. Yin Yan couldn't help but raise a hand to grasp the one touching his glabella, replying with great patience once more, "Yes, you will grow taller, to here, once your Soul Body becomes stronger."

"...Huh???"

The corners of Yu Zhen's upturned mouth flattened. His mouth slightly agape, he asked in disbelief, "Is height also related to the strength of one's Soul Body?"

The question was incredibly naive, but Yin Yan still answered patiently.

"It is. Your height was determined by fate the moment you were born, but you clearly haven't reached it yet. This is because your Soul Body is incomplete, only sufficient to sustain your life, with no spare capacity to handle anything else."

"..."

There was actually such a principle.

The joy in Yu Zhen's heart slowly faded as he realized something.

"If I want to make my Soul Body stronger..."

"Soul Refining."

"Then the method for Soul Refining..."

"Encounter ghosts, accumulate Merit."

"..."

Yin Yan took his hand and, while leading him back toward the restaurant, said, "Don't worry, I'll help you."

'No, this isn't a matter of helping or not, it's... forget it.'

Yu Zhen glanced back at the other end of the alley, recalling the image of the old woman walking aimlessly with her apples. He pursed his lips, turned back, and replied, "Thank you, I'll do my best."

The two had been gone for quite a while. When they returned, Yu Zhen looked dejected, his hair was a bit messy, and his clothes were still dusty from a fall he hadn't had time to brush off. He was the very picture of a pitiful mess after having been through 'domestic violence'.

The moment Chou Feiqian saw Yu Zhen's state, her heart sank, and her palms began to sweat again.

'She'd heard that patients with mental problems, nine times out of ten, had violent tendencies. Xiao Yan...'

Yin Le, on the other hand, couldn't hold it in at all. Thinking he was being discreet, he glanced at the calmly seated Yin Yan and asked Yu Zhen in a casually feigned tone, "Brother Yu, what were you and Big Brother doing just now? Why are your clothes all dusty?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, how rude of me."

Hearing this, Yu Zhen quickly turned away from the table to brush the dust off his clothes and replied embarrassedly, "Yin Yan just took me for a walk outside. I accidentally fell."

'Here it comes, here it comes.' The alarm bells went off in Yin Le's head.

That's how it always played out on TV. In a married couple, the one suffering from domestic violence would often cover it up for all sorts of reasons, and the most common excuse was falling down!

They were all adults, and the roads outside were smooth. How could he fall so easily! Besides, Big Brother's sudden act of leaving the table and taking him out of the restaurant was also highly suspicious!

'Could it be that Big Brother was dissatisfied with Brother Yu's reaction to meeting the parents, so he dragged him out to 'educate' him a little?'

A family melodrama was already playing out in Yin Le's mind, while Chou Feiqian's heart felt as if it were being pricked by needles. Anxious and angry, she couldn't help but feel a renewed hatred for Han Ya, who had caused her eldest son to become like this. She also felt terribly sorry for Yu Zhen, who had been dragged into this for no reason.

"Um, Xiao Yan, about the notarization of assets, your dad and I discussed it and decided to respect your and Xiao Zhen's opinion. But Mom and Dad feel this is too unfair to Xiao Zhen, so we've decided to transfer some shares from the branch company you manage to Xiao Zhen's name, so he can get some dividends each year. What do you think?"

Given the Yin Family's wealth, giving only a few shares of a branch company to their eldest son-in-law was truly stingy. But considering the still unclear situation between Yin Yan and Yu Zhen, Chou Feiqian thought it over and decided to be 'stingy' for the time being, to observe the situation first.

"You can decide."

Yin Yan didn't refuse her kind offer, because dividends were only paid out once a year and wouldn't be received for now. There was no need to reject an elder's goodwill over it.

Seeing him say this, Yu Zhen swallowed the words of refusal he was about to say and, at Yin Yan's signal, thanked Chou Feiqian.

Having offered the sweet date, Chou Feiqian adjusted her posture and finally got to the main point. She said tactfully, "There's one more thing that your dad and I feel we can't be careless about, and that's your premarital check-up. Although whether you get one and where you get it is your own business, I was thinking since everyone is free right now, why don't we all go to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow? We can take this opportunity for the whole family to get checked. We'll just treat it as a routine check-up, how about it?"

The staff at the Civil Affairs Bureau had indeed mentioned a premarital check-up when they registered. Yu Zhen had no objection to it, thinking it would be good to set the Yin Family's parents' minds at ease, so he turned his head to look at Yin Yan.

Yin Yan, however, saw the hesitation and guilt hidden beneath Chou Feiqian's words. He rubbed the ring on his finger and nodded.

"Alright then, Mom will go arrange it right away."

Chou Feiqian let out a huge sigh of relief, feeling a bit more at ease.

'He's willing to get a check-up. It seems there was no domestic violence. There's still hope for my son.'

After all this fuss, it was getting late. The group had the tea and snacks cleared away, called the waiter over to order, and had a lively dinner.

At the dinner table, Chou Feiqian learned a little about Yu Zhen's basic situation. Upon hearing that he was the only one left in his family, her sympathy and maternal love overflowed. She would periodically put food on his plate and pull him into conversation. The more she interacted with him, the more she liked him.

Although Yu Zhen was timid, spoke little, and wasn't a sweet-talker, he was down-to-earth, sincere, and filial. The respect and reverence he showed towards elders came from the bottom of his heart, which was incredibly refreshing for Chou Feiqian, who was used to dealing with false pleasantries.

Moreover, through their interaction, Chou Feiqian discovered that Yu Zhen held no resentment about being forced into the marriage and even seemed to feel a little apologetic towards them. His character was extremely magnanimous and kind!

'How wonderful.'

After the meal, Chou Feiqian, who had been tormented by Han Ya for many years, was practically overflowing with emotion.

'You don't know until you compare. After this comparison, she felt that even if her son really had gone crazy and that's why he'd tied up such a spouse and brought him home, then it was a good kind of crazy! It would be best if he just stayed crazy like this, it's so much less trouble!'

"Just stay at the same hotel as me. I'll take you to the mall tomorrow. Look at your pale little face. Boys need to dress warmly too. Don't be like Xiao Yan, wandering around in just a jacket in the middle of winter!"

At the restaurant entrance, Chou Feiqian held Yu Zhen's arm, trying to stuff him into the car as she spoke.

Quick of eye and deft of hand, Yin Yan intercepted Yu Zhen, saying with a calm face, "Mom, Yu Zhen and I are going back to the Taoist Temple to stay."

Chou Feiqian paused, shot him a subtle glare, and reached for Yu Zhen again, scolding, "You tore down his door panel, what's there to stay in! You're so thoughtless!"

Yin Yan didn't back down an inch. Not only did he pull Yu Zhen back, but he also stepped in front of him and explained, "I only dismantled the courtyard gate's panel. The door to the house is fine, we can stay there."

"..."

'Is this rascal of a son really stupid or just pretending! He can't even understand an excuse like the door panel and even explains it so seriously. He's really trying to anger me to death!'

'I heard from Xiao Le that Yu Zhen's Taoist Temple is dilapidated and remote, without even a proper bathroom. It's freezing now, yet instead of going to a warm hotel, he wants to take his newly-wed partner to suffer in the cold. Has he lost his mind!'

"Why don't... I take you and... and Dad back to the hotel first, and then go back to the Taoist Temple myself?" Yu Zhen peeked out from behind Yin Yan, suggesting softly, tactfully stating his preference.

He didn't want to go to the hotel. A golden nest is no match for one's own shabby den, and besides, his grandpa was waiting for him to go back and offer incense.

The person in question had spoken, so Chou Feiqian couldn't refuse him as bluntly as she would her own son. Just as she was about to persuade him further, Yin Yan suddenly turned his head to look at Yu Zhen behind him and asked, "Can you drive?"

Yu Zhen was puzzled and nodded foolishly. "I got my license, but..."

"Uncle Weng, give me the car keys."

Yin Yan called out to Weng Xiping, then took Yu Zhen's hand, nodded at Chou Feiqian and Yin Hexiang, and said, "Goodnight, Mom and Dad. It's dark, so Yu Zhen and I won't see you back to the hotel. See you at the hospital tomorrow."

After speaking, he took the car keys from Weng Xiping, led Yu Zhen to the car, pulled open the driver's door and pushed Yu Zhen inside, tossing him the keys as well. Then he walked around to the passenger side, opened the door, and got in. The movements were smooth and executed in one go.

"Go."

Having gotten used to his commands today, Yu Zhen followed the order with a single action and started the car immediately. Only after pulling out did he remember that he hadn't formally said goodbye to the elders, but the car was already on the road and it wasn't convenient to turn back. So he could only apologize silently in his heart and drive on, biting the bullet.

The black sedan quickly merged into the flow of traffic, so fast that the Yin Family members didn't have time to react.

"Ah! My wild rabbit meat!" Yin Le suddenly howled at the top of his lungs.

The howl snapped Chou Feiqian back to her senses. She slapped him lightly, then turned her head to glare at Weng Xiping. "Why did you give him the car keys directly!"

Weng Xiping wore an upright expression and replied calmly, "Madam, according to my observations, Mr. Yu's Taoist Temple only has one habitable room."

The air suddenly fell silent. Weng Xiping added, "I can see that you seem to be very fond of Mr. Yu, Madam... This is a good opportunity."

The silence continued. After a long moment, Yin Hexiang came to his senses, stepped forward, and patted his shoulder with gratification. His voice was firm and powerful, "Well done! As expected, Xiping is the most sensible!"

Weng Xiping smiled reservedly.

'Ho... ly... shit...'

Yin Le exclaimed silently, stunned by the shamelessness of his own father and their housekeeper uncle.