------------
From a distance, Shawn Young could already see his mother’s little fruit stand. His slender mother, Linda Young, was busy packing a fruit basket for a customer—the kind people bring when visiting patients in the hospital. Beside her stood a tall girl in a school uniform, helping arrange the fruits. That was Shawn’s younger sister, Sherry Young, now a senior in high school. Shawn didn’t see his father, Sam Young, anywhere.
Shawn strolled over with Rainie Cheng and Joanna Gong. His mom, Linda Young, was still busy packing for the customer, only noticing that three young people were approaching. Without looking up, she called out in her usual cheerful way, “Welcome, beauties and handsome! Looking for some fresh fruit? I’ve got the freshest, seasonal picks here—guaranteed! Take your pick!”
“Mom, it’s me—Shawn! I’m back!” Shawn quickly called out to his mother.
Linda Young was startled, looked up, and was puzzled for a moment. Then, with a burst of surprise, she exclaimed, “Oh my! Shawn, you’re back? How come you look so different? I almost didn’t recognize you!”
“Come on, Mom! I’m your own son—how could you not recognize me?” Shawn scratched his head awkwardly.
“Of course I recognize you now! But you’ve changed so much in just a few months. What have you been eating at school—some kind of second puberty? But you look way better than before! Haha, now that’s my son!” Linda Young was clearly thrilled to see her handsome boy.
“Ah! Big brother, is that really you? How did you get so handsome?” The tall girl in the shop turned around, her face lit up with surprise and joy as she called out to Shawn.
“Heh, your brother’s always been handsome—just even more so now! Ha!” Shawn grinned and patted Sherry Young on the head.
Sherry Young was tall, with delicate, gentle features. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her face resembled Shawn’s so much that anyone could tell they were siblings at a glance. Years of simple living had made her slim and a bit pale, but in her school uniform, she looked every bit the student she was.
"Hehe—Big bro, don’t flatter yourself! You’ve gotten way thicker-skinned in just a few months!" Sherry Young giggled.
"Shawn, are these two lovely girls your classmates?" Linda Young naturally noticed Rainie Cheng and Joanna Gong behind Shawn.
"Uh—they’re both my best friends! Haha!" Shawn didn’t quite know how to introduce them, so he went with the vague ‘best friends.’ His face turned red as he glanced at the girls, scratching his head in embarrassment.
"Hello, Auntie. I’m Rainie Cheng, Shawn’s good friend! You can call me Rainie, or just Cheng." Rainie blushed but introduced herself gracefully.
"Oh, don’t be so formal, Rainie! Are you Shawn’s classmate? You’re really pretty! Are you close with my boy?" Linda Young looked at Rainie, clearly impressed by her looks and demeanor, secretly liking her already.
"I—I’m not Shawn’s classmate, I’m his… good friend. Uh—the extra special kind! Haha, I’m just a police officer!" Rainie Cheng hurried to explain with a smile.
"What? You’re a cop? Shawn hasn’t gotten into trouble, has he?!" Linda Young was startled.
"Haha, no, no! Don’t worry, Auntie—your son Shawn is super well-behaved! Actually, I’m a Hong Kong Interpol officer, so unless he’s into international crime, he’s not under my jurisdiction. I met Shawn during a case in Nanning City and we became… good friends! This time, I came to the mainland for work and thought I’d drop by to see you and your family. It was all so rushed, I didn’t get a chance to bring gifts, but I’ll make it up next time—hope you don’t mind, Auntie!" Rainie said, her cheeks flushing as she smiled.
"Oh! Oh, that’s fine, that’s fine! It’s a blessing for Shawn to know a young, beautiful police officer like you. I’ve heard Interpol is a pretty awesome organization! Rainie, I bet your job comes with great pay and benefits!" Linda Young was relieved, but her curiosity got the better of her as she asked more about Rainie’s work. She figured if Rainie was close to Shawn, maybe she could help him out after graduation. After all, she’d heard Interpol was a ‘big deal’—traveling the world, with great pay and perks.
"Uh—well, the pay and benefits are pretty good! Haha—" Rainie replied, a bit embarrassed.
"Geez, Mom! Why are you grilling Rainie about her job? She’s a senior inspector at Interpol, a top cop! She’s got confidentiality rules, you know! Stop with the twenty questions, alright?" Shawn jumped in, worried his mom would start her usual nagging routine.
"Oh, oh! I won’t ask, haha—So, this other pretty girl, is she your classmate too?" Linda Young quickly changed the subject to Joanna Gong. She noticed Joanna was very attractive—with curves in all the right places—and secretly liked her as well.
"Hello, Auntie! I’m Shawn’s classmate, Joanna Gong. You can just call me Joanna!" Joanna said shyly.
"Oh! You’re Shawn’s classmate? That’s wonderful! So, do you have a boyfriend yet?" Linda Young, upon learning Joanna was Shawn’s classmate, immediately saw her as a more likely daughter-in-law than Rainie. So she went straight to the ‘most important’ question.