Maybe it was Song Hai's good reputation in the business world, or perhaps it was Yuan Yi's influence, but the guests who attended the birthday banquet all enthusiastically offered their well-wishes to Song Hai, then turned to compliment Yuan Yi, saying how well-matched he and Yan Xi were.
Wearing the diamond watch Yuan Yi had gifted him, Song Hai stayed grounded in the face of all the praise, behaving and speaking as he normally would.
Before the banquet even ended, news about Yuan Yi winning over his future father-in-law with a grand banquet had already been pushed across major websites. Some reporters even claimed that Yuan Yi, having just taken over the hotel, invited his future father-in-law there to dine, showing how much he valued his girlfriend's family.
The day before, news broke that Yuan Yi had received the hotel from an elder in the Xu family because they liked Yan Xi. Now, with such a grand celebration arranged for his future father-in-law, even those who initially doubted the truth of the first report were beginning to reconsider. Some netizens even joked that with Yuan Yi's devotion, he might be willing to marry into Yan Xi's family if asked.
For online users, these comments were just jokes, but for Yuan Yasen, seeing these reports felt like a slap in the face. However, the hotel was given to Yuan Yi by his father-in-law, and even that "unprofessional" online finance reporter was hired by his father-in-law. Even if he felt aggrieved, he couldn't express it.
Scrolling through the online comments, Yuan Yasen barely resisted the urge to throw his phone. With his wife nearby, he didn't want her to find out, so he swallowed his frustration.
"Ya Ya, are you aware of what's going on with Father?" Yuan Yasen felt uneasy. Such a large hotel had been given to Yuan Yi without informing them first. Was it possible that his father-in-law was dissatisfied with them?
"What's wrong?" Xu Ya put down her poetry book and looked up at Yuan Yasen. "Father hasn't been feeling well recently. Since we're free today, why don't we go visit him?"
So she really didn't know about this.
Yuan Yasen felt a bit resentful. It was one thing for his father-in-law to keep this from him, but why not tell Xu Ya, his own daughter?
"Alright." As he rarely refused Xu Ya's requests, he immediately agreed.
When the elder Mr. Xu heard that his eldest daughter and son-in-law were coming, he was in the middle of an online chess game. Losing to his opponent, he quickly exited the game.
"Father." Xu Ya handed her gifts to the housekeeper and, seeing her father coming down the stairs, moved forward to help him. Mr. Xu waved her hand away. "No need, I can still walk on my own."
Xu Ya, knowing her father's temperament, didn't insist, but she still followed him closely. Mr. Xu glanced at Yuan Yasen standing nearby and pointed to the sofa. "Sit down."
"Thank you, Father." Yuan Yasen sat down, though the proud man found himself feeling awkward in Mr. Xu's presence.
"So, I hear that you're restless because I gave the hotel to Little Yuan?" Before the couple could speak, Mr. Xu spoke first. "Anyway, I'm very fond of that Yan Xi girl. If you're here to speak poorly of her, don't even start."
"Father, we're just thinking of Little Yuan's best interests. Yan Xi is indeed a nice girl, but her job puts her in the public eye, which may not suit her as Little Yuan's wife." Xu Ya tried to calm him down. "It's not that she isn't good, just that she might not be the right match for him."
"Nonsense! Public eye or not, have you all been living with your heads in the sand all these years?" Mr. Xu angrily tapped his cane on the coffee table. "You grew up enjoying poetry and the arts, living a carefree life, not because it's somehow more refined or noble, but because our family could provide you with that lifestyle. For most people, a lifestyle like that would mean 'lazy and incompetent,' unable to contribute to the household and left to struggle. A girl working diligently at an honest job is called 'being in the public eye'? And what about you? Living idly, waiting to be taken care ofâis that somehow better?"
"Father," seeing his father-in-law scold his wife, Yuan Yasen felt protective. "Ya Ya only meant well. Please, don't be angry."
"Oh, so I, as her father, am not allowed to educate my daughter?" Mr. Xu turned to Yuan Yasen, frowning. "What, now you think I'm too old to speak my mind?"
As soon as he heard these words, Yuan Yasen's head began to ache. A few days ago, his father-in-law had started with this exact phrase before scolding him for nearly an hour. Now, he felt a reflexive fear whenever he heard it.
"Dad, please go on, I'm listening," Xu Ya said hurriedly, patting her father's back to calm him down. "Take it slow."
"I know you aren't upset about Yan Xi's status; you're upset that Little Yuan didn't follow your plans. You're angry because you feel he's slipping out of your control, and that's why you're taking out your frustration on an innocent, ambitious young girl," Mr. Xu sighed. "Ya Ya, you've been pampered your whole life, allowed to be willful, and even though you're old enough to be a grandmother, your mindset hasn't changed in decades. Yasen has treated you well, and I'm happy for you, but ask yourself honestlyâhave you been a qualified mother?"
Xu Ya looked at her father in panic, not understanding why he was saying this. "Dad..."
"It's my fault for not teaching you to take responsibility, which is why you've turned out this way," Mr. Xu said with remorse. "Back then, when Little Yuan was abused by the nanny and ignored by both of you, he acted out as a teenager just to get your attention. And how did you respond?"
"There wasn't room for an extra child in your world. But this child was born to youâhe didn't have the choice to decide whether he wanted it or not," Mr. Xu said with a stern expression. "No child is ever 'extra'; only irresponsible parents are to blame."
"Dad, this isn't Ya Ya's fault. It's all my doing," Yuan Yasen quickly interrupted. "Please don't blame her."
"I know I can't just blame her; but she is my daughter, and so I have the right to guide her. As for you..." Mr. Xu looked down, staying silent for a few moments. "I have no more expectations from either of you. However you treated the children twenty years ago, continue to treat them the same way now. They're grown; they don't need the interference of irresponsible parents like you."
Hearing his father-in-law criticize him so harshly, he felt both ashamed and embarrassed. But in the face of those perceptive eyes, he couldn't find any words to defend himself.
"Dad," Xu Ya said, eyes red, "I do love both of my children."
Mr. Xu looked at his daughter, who had spent her life in a greenhouse, always receiving care from others but never learning how to care for others herself. After a long silence, he sighed deeply. "You and Yasen should just focus on living your own lives."
Xu Ya looked at her father, filled with unease.
"Today, I'm going to play the annoying old man, using my age as an excuse. You both need to stop interfering in Little Yuan's relationship," Mr. Xu said, looking directly at Yuan Yasen. "If you still see me as your father, remember what I'm saying today. Parents don't need to take a test to qualify, and children can't choose their parents. Everything has its limits."
Xu Ya looked at Yuan Yasen with a pale face, and he gently held her hand, nodding slightly.
Admitting to himself that he wasn't the best father felt like being stripped bare, a feeling of utter shame.
After the birthday banquet ended, Yan Xi and Yuan Yi helped the slightly tipsy Song Hai into the car, finally wrapping up the lively event.
Some people tend to talk more when they've had a drink, and Song Hai was one of them.
He patted Yuan Yi on the shoulder and said with a sigh, "Honestly, at first, I really didn't want Yan Yan to be with you."
"Why?" Yuan Yi was taken aback, not expecting that his future father-in-law had once disapproved of him. He was handsome, wealthy, and well-connectedâwhat wasn't to like?
"Maybe it's because you're a bit too intimidating?" Song Hai, not fully drunk, carefully chose his words. "I worried you might not get along with my daughter and that, if you argued, it could even turn physical. But then I thought, my daughter knows self-defense, so I felt a bit more reassured. Over time, you've proven that judging someone by their appearance is wrongâyou're a solid, dependable young man. Now, I can feel at ease with Yan Yan being with you."
Yuan Yi: Really? It's not just because Yan Xi knows self-defense?
"Dad." Yan Xi couldn't help but laugh at Yuan Yi's confused expression and said to Song Hai, "You're drunk; get a good rest tonight."
"My head's still clear," Song Hai said, rubbing his temples. "I promised your mom I'd take good care of you and make sure you have a happy life. If I let you end up with an unreliable man, I couldn't face her after I'm gone."
Yan Xi fell silent, touched by the deep affection her father still held for her mother. In her memory, her parents had amicably divorced. After she and her mother moved to Haishi, her father would visit multiple times a year. He even took a late-night flight just to attend her school's parent-teacher meetings. Many of her classmates found it hard to believe her family was separated.
After their divorce, neither of them found another partner. They would meet a few times each year but no longer lived together.
Perhaps, as her mother once said, two people in love aren't necessarily suited to live together. The biggest challenge of marriage is seeing all of each other's bad habits and enduring behaviors that go against one's own ways.
She didn't fully understand her parents' choice in marriage, nor did she have the right to speculate. But seeing her father mention her mother again while slightly drunk still touched her heart.
"Dad, my happiness is in my own hands, not something others can give me," Yan Xi said with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll live well and won't let myself suffer."
"That personality is just like your mother's," Song Hai muttered softly, leaning back in his chair as he began to drift off.
Yuan Yi stole a glance at Yan Xi, who winked back at him with a smile. Seeing her smile, Yuan Yi thought to himself, Yan Xiaoxi's smile is really beautiful.
When the car pulled up outside the Song family villa, it took all the effort Yan Xi and Yuan Yi could muster to help Song Hai to his bed.
While Yan Xi removed her father's shoes, Yuan Yi fetched some tea and water. Only after they'd settled Song Hai did they leave the room.
"Did you drink tonight?" Yan Xi asked, noticing a faint smell of alcohol on Yuan Yi.
"I had a glass or two with your father, not much," Yuan Yi replied, sniffing himself as if to detect any scent.
"Next time my dad invites you to drink, don't agree," Yan Xi said, pouring him a glass of water in the kitchen. "You have a sensitive stomach; drinking isn't good for it."
"It was only two drinks. If I didn't drink, he'd think I wasn't manly enough," Yuan Yi replied, downing half the glass of water in one gulp. "It's nothing."
"Nothing?" Yan Xi raised an eyebrow. "Really nothing?"
Feeling a bit guilty under her gaze, Yuan Yi's voice softened. "Fine, I won't drink next time."
A wise man doesn't argue with a woman; winning is losing, and losing is still losing.
"Mm." Satisfied with Yuan Yi's willingness to correct himself, Yan Xi nodded and turned on the TV, though her attention drifted. She knew Yuan Yi would surely watch her upcoming program on education, but she was uncertain about how he'd feel about it.
"Yuan Xiao'er, I'm planning to do a show on parent-child relationships," Yan Xi said, studying his reaction closely. "It'll cover topics like parents spoiling their children, sexual abuse, and emotional neglect. The director thinks this episode might stir up a lot of controversy and might even cause some backlash for me. But...I really want to do something for these kids."
"It's okay; you do what you want," Yuan Yi said confidently. "I have partnerships with several TV stations, so don't worry about losing work. I think this topic is meaningful. If you're worried about negative publicity, we can always pay for PR to manage it. I have a team that's really experienced with online crises."
Yan Xi blinked, a bit taken aback at his blunt response, then burst out laughing. "Yuan Xiao'er, how are you so adorable?"
"I think you should call me 'bold,' not 'adorable'âwhat's that got to do with anything?" He let it slide, though, since it was his girlfriend using the wrong word. He reached out and lightly tapped Yan Xi's forehead. "Whatever you want to do, I'm here for it. People already say I'm your support systemâwhy not put that to use?"
"Isn't it because I don't need it just yet?" Yan Xi wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled against him. "But you've got to keep working hard so that my support system becomes stronger and more secure."
"Don't worry. I won't let anyone think you'd choose a man like me without good reason."
"Well then..." Yan Xi smiled and gave him a kiss on the chin. "I guess I should work hard too, so no one thinks you'd choose a woman like me without good reason."
"Only a blind person would think that," Yuan Yi scoffed. "Sure, your chest is a bit...small, and your mouth a bit...sharp, but you're great in every other way."
"Are you sure you're complimenting me?" Yan Xi forced a smile as she grabbed both sides of his face. "Alright, I'll give you one chance to rephrase."
"I meant that my girlfriend is the best of the best," Yuan Yi said quickly. "For her, I'll work hard, make money, and be a reliable support system." No one else was around, so he wasn't embarrassed to back down. He was a man; he could endure this.
"Good boy," Yan Xi said, letting go. Seeing the faint red marks on his cheeks from her grip, she gently rubbed them. "Next time you mouth off like that, I'll twist your ear, understood?"
Yuan Yi: "You're the woman, so whatever you say goes!"
A good man doesn't argue with a woman.
After some playful banter, Yan Xi brought up something serious. "Your mobile game is set to launch next Tuesday, right?"
Yuan Yi nodded. "I've set up an internal account for you. You can download it to your phone and give it a try when you have time."
"Sounds good." Yan Xi thought of her friends on Weibo and figured she could help promote it online with their support. "When the game officially launches, I'll get a few reputable influencers on Weibo to help spread the word."
It was then that Yuan Yi remembered his girlfriend wasn't just a skilled hostâshe was also a popular digital artist with a bit of a following online.
He couldn't help but feel a little proud.