Chapter 128 - 127: I Don’t Know What to Title This

Chapter 128: Chapter 127: I Don’t Know What to Title This

"How are you doing now?"

In her bedroom, Lin Yanwan called him, her voice tinged with anxiety.

"I’m okay. My head was ringing a bit at first, but it’s much better now. Thanks for the frozen water bottle, babe. It feels really good."

Jiang Xia sat on the curb of the residential complex, gently pressing the cold water bottle to his swollen face. The fiery sting from before had faded considerably.

"Your face is that swollen, and you still have the nerve to joke around? Go see a doctor, now!" Lin Yanwan said urgently.

"It’s fine, the swelling has almost gone down. You don’t have to worry, babe." His tone shifted. "By the way, you didn’t lose your temper with our dad, did you?"

"He already thinks his daughter is siding with an outsider. Losing my temper would just be adding fuel to the fire, wouldn’t it? Am I that dense?"

Lin Yanwan stood by the window, sighing softly as she watched the shimmering heatwaves outside. "Jiang Xia, if you’re angry, just say it. Don’t bottle it up. What my dad did was completely out of line. No matter what, he shouldn’t have hit you."

"What’s there for me to be angry about?"

He chuckled. "As a father, he was being pretty lenient by not tearing me limb from limb on the spot. If I saw my own daughter being held like that by some strange guy, I’d probably be even more vicious. When he told me to leave, he was giving me an out, and himself one, too. Otherwise, the atmosphere would’ve been even more awkward with both of us in the house. I get it."

"You really think so?"

"Isn’t it obvious?"

Jiang Xia let out a long breath. "In our past life, when we were dating, our dad had his reservations about me, but it was just the classic case of the precious cabbage he’d raised for eighteen years getting dug up by a pig like me. Any father in the world would look at his son-in-law and feel a bit displeased."

"But after we got married, when was Dad ever harsh with me? During those years when housing prices were at their peak, his own business had failed, but he still scraped together the money for our down payment. After my parents passed away, he treated me like his own son. That time you and I were fighting, he came downstairs to find me, carrying two bottles of strong liquor, and had a drunken heart-to-heart with me. After all that kindness, even if he hit me a few more times, I wouldn’t even flinch."

"So, you tell me," Jiang Xia said with a smile, "with a father-in-law like him, why would I be angry? He’s my dad, too."

Lin Yanwan’s eyes grew moist as she listened. There were some things in his story that even she hadn’t known.

"But he was really angry today. When I bombed my college entrance exams, he didn’t get mad. He just comforted me, saying, ’Famous universities are great, but who says you can’t make a name for yourself without going to one?’ I cried all night, and he stayed up with me all night. I’m just afraid that this time, he’s made up his mind..."

Jiang Xia couldn’t help but laugh. "Honey, you know him so well, yet you’re still worried he’ll try to stop us? In his eyes, his daughter’s happiness is the most important thing. He was just saying things out of anger, as a father. At worst, he’ll grumble for a bit, but in the end, won’t he still have to happily hand you over to me?"

"Mhm!" Lin Yanwan nodded emphatically.

"Where are you now?"

"Downstairs in the complex. The sun’s still a bit strong, so I’ll head to the internet cafe in a little while to wait. You’re coming, right?"

"If I don’t show up, how are you going to pay those two?"

"That’s true."

"In that case, I won’t come see you for the next couple of days. I’ll wait until Dad’s cooled off a bit, then I’ll go have a drink with him."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Lin Yanwan patted her sister’s head, tiptoed to the door, and pressed her ear against it, listening for any sounds from the living room.

◇

Lin Gaoyuan stood silently on the balcony, smoking. Now that he had calmed down, he realized his actions had been inappropriate.

He had to admit, the kid had some spine. Most guys his age were proud and arrogant, but after getting punched twice for no reason, he didn’t make a sound or argue back.

He took the beating, stood at attention, admitted his mistake, and got out. He did what was asked of him, and even what wasn’t.

If he hadn’t gotten so angry that he’d lost control, the situation might be completely different now.

Who knows, maybe he would have even been happy to hear that kid call him ’Dad’? After all, his wife had praised the boy several times.

Now both his daughters were ignoring him, and he’d driven away his future son-in-law. When his wife got home from work, wasn’t she going to give him hell for it?

At these thoughts, Lin Gaoyuan suddenly slapped himself across the face.

"Lin Gaoyuan, oh Lin Gaoyuan," he muttered, "your name means ’lofty and far-sighted,’ so how could you have been so impulsive this time?"

He heaved a long sigh, stubbed out his cigarette, and walked over to pick up the gift that had fallen on the floor. Then, he gently knocked on his daughters’ bedroom door.

"Yanwan, Xiao Man, Daddy brought you both gifts from my trip. Open the door and let me in, okay?"

"No! We’re not opening it! Daddy’s mean!" Xiao Man said, pouting.

"I’m sorry, Xiao Man. Daddy just lost his temper, but I’m not angry anymore. I’m sorry, okay?"

"But you hit Brother Jiang Xia! And you yelled at me! You’ve never yelled at me before. I’m going to tell Mom on you!"

Behind the door, Lin Yanwan silently gave her little sister a thumbs-up. ’Perfectly said,’ she thought. It seemed the little one was the only person who could mediate the rift between father and daughter.

Lin Gaoyuan felt completely helpless. He had no idea what kind of spell that boy had cast on his wife and daughters for them to all be taking his side.

"What happened between me and your Brother Jiang Xia is a long story, but I promise, I will never yell at Xiao Man again, okay?"

"Really?"

"Cross my heart. I’ll even let you ride on my back like when you were little."

The bedroom door slowly creaked open a crack. Lin Xiaoman peeked out with one eye. Seeing that the anger on her father’s face was gone, she timidly opened the door the rest of the way.

"Daddy..." Xiao Man said.

"Mmm, my good girl. I’ve missed you so much these past few days. Look, Daddy bought you a pretty new dress. Do you like it?" Lin Gaoyuan picked her up and nuzzled his cheek against hers.

"Ow, Daddy, your stubble is prickly."

"Is it now? Then Daddy will go shave in a bit."

Watching the heartwarming scene unfold, Lin Yanwan couldn’t help but remember her own childhood, when her father had doted on her with the same gentle affection.

"Dad, please don’t be angry anymore," she said softly.

Lin Gaoyuan pursed his lips, momentarily unsure what to say. He couldn’t possibly apologize to the boy, could he? As the father-in-law—to a young man who wasn’t even his son-in-law yet?

The boy had silently stolen the heart of the daughter he’d raised for so long, and he hadn’t said a word. A man had to have some pride, after all.

"Yanwan, I know my tone was a bit harsh earlier, and it was wrong of me to hit him. Don’t take it to heart. I know you’re worried about that boy. If you want to go see him, then go. But if he ever bullies you, you must tell me. You and Xiao Man are your father’s precious treasures. If I can beat him up once, I can do it a second time."

Feeling the concern in her father’s words, Lin Yanwan froze. She had prepared a whole speech, but it turned out her dad saw everything more clearly than anyone. He had simply let his temper get the better of him.

He picked up the other box he was holding and said, "I know you love music, so I bought you a clarinet."

"Thank you, Dad!"

Her eyes welled up with tears as she stepped forward, joining Xiao Man in hugging their father from both sides.

...

(Please, stop flaming me! I’m about to get married myself, and my own mother-in-law and father-in-law have been great to me. I really love the idea of having a daughter. In the last Chapter, I just subconsciously put myself in the father’s shoes—and from that perspective, wouldn’t you want to break the protagonist’s legs? The father-in-law was designed to be a good person from the start. Maybe I went a little overboard with the description, but his initial motivations were definitely for his daughter’s sake.)