Around 6 PM, Qin Donghai returned home and, seeing his wife and daughter, happily sat on the sofa.
Chen Jiahui, seeing her husband home, didn't immediately mention Fang Bai and went into the kitchen to start cooking.
During dinner, the family ate quietly, and Qin Shuyu smilingly helped her mother with dishes.
Chen Jiahui didn't say anything, just ate the food as it came, her expression calm, not falling for her daughter's antics.
After dinner, Chen Jiahui slapped a newspaper in front of Qin Donghai: "Look at this top scorer, Fang Bai, do you know him?"
Qin Donghai, who was leaning on the sofa drinking tea, widened his eyes after seeing the headline and photo: "Oh, so it's Fang Laodi!
Wow, I didn't expect him to still be a student, and a top scorer at that!
He can handle business and study well, he's a genius!
Amazing, amazing, haha."
Qin Shuyu knew she couldn't escape, so she sat on the sofa beside them, pursing her lips, her eyes occasionally glancing at her parents' expressions, like a child who had done something wrong and dared not speak. Hearing her father praise Fang Bai, she estimated the possibility of disapproval was quite low, and a hint of joy flashed across her lips.
"Hmph, I told you, it must be the same person, I guessed it long ago."
Chen Jiahui couldn't help but curl her lip, seeing her daughter secretly smile. After a snort, she turned to her husband with a sarcastic laugh, "Haha, he's so amazing, not only did he trick you, he also tricked your daughter."
Qin Shuyu retorted upon hearing this: "Mom, he didn't trick me."
His wife and daughter's words fell on Qin Donghai's ears. His smile instantly vanished, and he looked at his daughter, then at his wife: "I was tricked? How did Fang Laodi trick me? How did he trick my daughter?"
"Ho ho, your daughter is dating him, and we're the only ones kept in the dark.
If you really become in-laws, who will your company be working for?
You even call him Fang Laodi, how funny, haha." As Chen Jiahui spoke, she couldn't help but laugh, though her laughter carried a teasing tone.
Qin Donghai's expression changed instantly. He froze for a moment before reacting, turning to his daughter and asking sternly: "Daughter, are you dating this Fang Laodi, no, this Fang Bai?"
Chen Jiahui saw her daughter looking like a frightened hamster, glared at her husband, and scolded him with a laugh: "You, you've scared your own daughter.
So what if she's dating? She's old enough. A local person is good. This young man is quite capable, but his intentions are too sly. He kept such a big thing from us, isn't it just because he's afraid we wouldn't agree?"
"Mom, Fang Bai isn't sly, he didn't mean to keep it from you."
"Then why didn't you tell us earlier that you were dating? If it hadn't been reported in the newspaper and I found out, I guess I wouldn't have known until your belly got big."
"Mom, no, it's not like that. Fang Bai said he would find a chance to tell you."
"Oh, please, you two are just partners in crime, keeping your dad and me in the dark."
"Could it be that Fang Bai really didn't know I was Shuyu's dad, and it was just a coincidence? I don't think he's the type to trick people." Qin Donghai stroked his stubble, deep in thought. The news of his daughter dating Fang Bai felt too sudden.
If he said no, it seemed Fang Bai wasn't bad in any way. His looks and height were fine, he was reliable in his work, had a knack for business, and studied well. Getting into a prestigious university would definitely not be a problem, and he was a good match for his daughter.
The only flaw was his broken finger, but it didn't seem to severely impact his life.
He had too many advantages, so a small flaw seemed insignificant, especially since he had firm perseverance and was trustworthy.
If he said yes, he felt a bit annoyed. This little rascal had secretly stolen his daughter right under his nose.
Had Fang Bai asked for his opinion?
That feeling of being tricked, no matter how he thought about it, he was just really annoyed.
Also, his daughter had never told him about dating, making him feel like she had grown up and was turning her back on him.
Chen Jiahui's eyebrows relaxed, and she said with a laugh: "Don't know, only you, the insider, don't know.
Think about it yourself, why did Fang Bai approach you for cooperation at first, and not someone else?
And why did he partner with you, and always defer to you? He can get orders himself, why wouldn't he work alone?
Xinghai Shopping Mall's business is so good, he probably doesn't lack those tens of thousands of yuan for valve orders, it's clearly aimed at you, his future father-in-law."
Qin Shuyu eagerly explained: "Mom, Fang Bai just wanted to help Dad, he doesn't have that many bad intentions."
"Look, he already knew your dad, but pretended not to. And you say he doesn't have bad intentions."
"…"
Qin Shuyu realized what she had said wrong.
Hearing his wife and daughter say this, Qin Donghai felt quite disappointed. He had thought that it was his own charm that attracted people to cooperate, but he didn't expect it was still because of his daughter.
He sighed, rubbed his eyes, and asked his daughter faintly: "I called Fang Bai a few days ago, and he said he was doing business in Shanghai. Was he specifically going to pick you up?"
"He was picking me up, but it wasn't specifically for that. Fang Bai bought a house and invested in business in Shanghai, and he also bought a house for me, which cost over a hundred thousand yuan." Qin Shuyu tried her best to speak well of Fang Bai.
"He bought a house for you? Is the title in your name?" Chen Jiahui asked in shock, and Qin Donghai was also a bit surprised.
To just give away a house worth over a hundred thousand yuan, how generous is that!
This was not a small sum of money; their own assets weren't even that much.
No wonder her daughter was siding with him; any woman would be willing.
"The title is in my name, and the house is being renovated." Qin Shuyu ran back to her bedroom and took out the transaction contract and other documents from her suitcase to show her parents, needing to prove to them that Fang Bai had not tricked her.
After Chen Jiahui and Qin Donghai reviewed the contract and other documents, they asked their daughter some more questions.
Under her parents' interrogation, Qin Shuyu's and Fang Bai's affairs were basically revealed.
"Sigh, you handle it, dear. Anyway, I have no objections." Chen Jiahui felt that Fang Bai was a good kid. Although he kept it from her husband, perhaps there was a reason he didn't want to say it. At least for now, the factory was doing quite well, wasn't it?
Qin Donghai was silent for a moment, then said to his daughter: "Tell Fang Bai to come over tomorrow afternoon. I want to ask him myself. There are some things I won't feel at ease about until I get clear answers."
He was still a bit sulky, feeling a little less confident about his own business.
For the past six months, he had been full of vigor and pride, feeling that he was managing the company quite well.
Chen Jiahui slapped Qin Donghai's thigh: "Hey, don't scare him. Things are already like this."
"We'll just talk business. Isn't he going to college? Jiayu Company also has a share for him."
"I estimate he already anticipated how to arrange things. You're just worrying needlessly. Our family assets are tens of millions, it would be strange if he cared about that 20% stake." Chen Jiahui now felt that Fang Bai's excellent conditions were not necessarily a good thing, mainly because his intentions were too complex, and she feared her daughter would be taken advantage of.
She looked at her daughter, who was secretly smiling with pursed lips, and suggested: "Call Fang Bai tomorrow morning and ask him to come over. Just say we want to meet him."
"Oh, okay."
Qin Shuyu's face lit up with joy, finally getting her parents' approval.
She wanted to call Fang Bai right now to tell him the good news, but then thought, she'd wait until tomorrow and tell him in person.
That night,
Fang Bai's family was very happy. Liu Fengqing personally cooked a table of delicious dishes to celebrate, and even burned incense and worshipped Buddha.
"Big brother is so amazing, he's the provincial top scorer!"
Fang Tingting tugged on her brother's hand, feeling a mix of admiration and distress, "Big brother, you didn't have to score so well. Now I feel so much pressure. I feel like I'm not cut out for studying at all. I'd rather be a photography artist."
"People are pushed to their limits. If you don't push yourself, how will you know your potential? Believe in yourself, you can definitely do it!" Fang Bai encouraged her. In truth, he didn't believe it himself; if it weren't for the Golden Finger, getting into a vocational college would have been good enough.
But if his sister really gave up, her grades might not be as good as in his previous life, and getting into university would be a gamble.
It seemed he still needed to find school teachers to tutor her.
"Listen to your brother, you need to study hard, don't play with your broken camera all day."
"Big brother told me to take pictures, and now he's telling me to study." Fang Tingting pouted.
Fang Bai said with a smile: "It's okay to play occasionally, but you still have to go to university. I'll talk to the school teachers and arrange one-on-one tutoring for you."
"Hmm, I agree, you must go to university."
Fang Bai's parents also agreed. Fang Tingting knew she couldn't argue, so she had to accept. Now that their family's financial situation was better, she still had to keep up with her older brother in studies, otherwise, she would be the one losing face.
After discussing this, Fang Bai's parents talked to their son about the celebration banquet for his admission, which they would hold after the admission notice arrived.
Fang Bai didn't refuse, letting his parents show off. This was likely the most glorious moment of their lives.
After the evening, Fang Bai returned from his walk and looked at mechanical engineering materials. He was pondering what Xinghai Mechanical Company's first product should be, and at the same time, he was also thinking about the valve factory's first product.