Chapter 169 - 167: Calling Her Wife Aboveboard

Chapter 169: Chapter 167: Calling Her Wife Aboveboard

Jiang Xia was stunned. He hadn’t expected his father-in-law to apologize to him at a time like this. When he came to his senses, he saw that the man was already leaning against the seat, fast asleep.

Ji Wanqiu smiled. "That’s just how he is. He only speaks his mind after he’s had a few drinks. Don’t take it to heart, Xiao Xia."

"Mom, Dad can be pretty cute sometimes."

Jiang Xia scratched his head in embarrassment, not noticing Lin Gaoyuan’s left cheek twitch slightly.

"Cute? Ha... You’re the second person to say that about him."

"Who was the first?"

Ji Wanqiu’s tone was teasing. "Who else could it be? Yanwan, of course."

"Alright, it’s getting late. You should head home. You can come over to visit anytime." She started the car.

After fastening his father-in-law’s seatbelt, Jiang Xia gently closed the car door and waved. "Mom, don’t rush. Drive safely."

"Goodbye, Xiao Man~"

"Goodbye, Brother-in-law~"

He took two steps back as he spoke, catching his wife’s eye in the back seat. The look they shared said it all.

Watching his mother-in-law’s car slowly drive out of the residential complex, Jiang Xia took out his phone and sent Lin Yanwan a text. It was a long message, but it consisted of only a single word.

In the car, Lin Yanwan took out her phone and opened the new message. Her screen was flooded with the word "Wifey."

After tonight’s dinner, her relationship with Jiang Xia was officially settled in front of both their parents. So, even without a legal marriage, they were now engaged in name.

After all, even her own parents had approved of this son-in-law, so she was, naturally, Jiang Xia’s wife. ’It’s going to be very, very difficult to refuse him from now on.’

Come to think of it, it had been less than half a year since they were both reborn, and their relationship had already developed this rapidly. It was quite astonishing.

Ji Wanqiu glanced in the rearview mirror. Xiao Man was resting on her older sister’s arm, while Yanwan gazed at the city’s neon lights outside the window, a visible smile on her face.

"My son-in-law really is something special, isn’t he, Yanwan?" Ji Wanqiu said jokingly.

Lin Yanwan’s face flushed slightly. "Mom~"

"What was it you used to tell me? ’Just friends’?"

"..."

Blushing, she silently bit her lip and said no more. ’If I say anything else, I’ll definitely just be teased again.’

"Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing you."

Ji Wanqiu was in a great mood. In any case, she was thoroughly satisfied with this son-in-law; otherwise, she wouldn’t have suddenly come clean tonight.

"Mom, thank you."

Lin Yanwan said suddenly as the car drove on.

***

Back home, Jiang Xia looked at the double happiness character posted on the door, an unconscious smile spreading across his face.

’Tonight’s engagement dinner was really all thanks to Mom. Getting both sets of parents’ approval is so much more important than just dating in private.’

’The main thing is, I don’t have to hide anything anymore. Going over to my wife’s place is like going home now. I just wonder if I’ll be able to sleep while holding her... Probably... possibly... no, definitely not.’

He took out his keys and opened the door. Xia Shanshan was still cleaning up in the kitchen. Jiang Wende was a lightweight to begin with, and now he was half-lying on the bed, dead drunk and unconscious.

"Mom, go take care of Dad. I’ll clean up the kitchen." Jiang Xia tied on an apron.

"It’s fine, I’m almost done cleaning up anyway. Just let your dad sleep for a while. It’s really been a long time since I’ve seen him this happy." Xia Shanshan smiled. "So, was your mom on her game today?"

Jiang Xia gave her a thumbs-up. "More than on your game! Mom, how on earth did you convince my mother-in-law?"

"I just laid out the pros and cons for her. Your mother-in-law is so open-minded; it’s obvious that ripping the band-aid off is better than you two continuing to date in a daze. Plus, I adore Yanwan, and she adores you. So we hit it off right away and arranged the engagement. From now on, we’re all one family."

Xia Shanshan said with a wide grin, "You can just go be someone else’s son with a clear conscience now."

"Why do I get the feeling you’re even more impatient about this than I am?" Jiang Xia muttered.

"Of course I am! Let me tell you, finding a wife is like doing business. It’s all about seizing the opportunity—being quick-eyed and fast-handed. If you find a good wife, your whole life will be smooth sailing. If you find a bad one, you’re in for a world of pain."

Xia Shanshan continued her lecture, "Look at her. Yanwan is beautiful, has a great personality, she’s gentle and kind, has high morals, excels in her studies, and comes from a good family. The most crucial thing is that you two get along. Why wouldn’t I want such a wonderful daughter-in-law? You think I should wait for you to bring home a mystery box? Your mother isn’t an idiot."

"...More than not an idiot. No one’s smarter than you."

"Are you making fun of me, you brat?"

"Mom, how would I dare~"

"Go, go, go. Scram."

So, Jiang Xia promptly scrammed. He went to his room, grabbed his pajamas, took a shower, and got into bed. After sweetly chatting on the phone with his wife for half an hour, he sat up and started grinding out storyboards again.

***

「The next morning,」 Shen Ying delivered some good news. Five provincial TV stations had agreed to Qitian Animation Company’s terms, buying the second-round broadcasting rights for *Cat and Mouse*. The show would air one day after its broadcast on Yu Du TV Station.

This showed that, in the eyes of the people at the TV stations, *Cat and Mouse* still had a great deal of untapped potential. Or perhaps, they placed more value on their cooperative relationship with Qitian Animation Company.

After handling his daily business, Jiang Xia carefully inspected the key animations drawn by the two temporary workers. He found that some scenes weren’t handled with enough detail, so he sent them back for revisions.

He was very strict about quality control for *Cat and Mouse*. The first season had received good reviews, and he didn’t want to be roasted by countless viewers and netizens over quality issues.

"Aunt Li, are you there?" Jiang Xia quickly typed. "I need to talk to you about something."

A few seconds later, the QQ profile window lit up. He opened it to see a simple, single word: "Speak." This suggested that Li Weiya was probably a bit busy at the moment.

He thought for a moment, then decided to ask the question that was on his mind.

"My father-in-law’s family is in the toy business. I’m thinking of ’selling’ him the merchandising rights for *Cat and Mouse*. What do you think would be the proper way to handle that?"

Seeing the words "father-in-law," Li Weiya paused for a moment. She vaguely remembered Wang Ming telling her that Jiang Xia was dating the exclusive voice actress for *Cat and Mouse*.

’Could they be talking about marriage already? My son doesn’t even have a girlfriend yet.’

"What do you mean? Is he unwilling to marry his daughter off, so you want to use the merchandising rights for *Cat and Mouse* as a betrothal gift?" Li Weiya asked.

"That’s not it. My father-in-law is a great guy, and we just got engaged yesterday. But he doesn’t know yet that I’m the one who created *Cat and Mouse*," Jiang Xia replied.

"If that’s the case, then why not just give it to him? You’re family now anyway, no need to be secretive about it. He might even admire you more for it and feel more at ease marrying his daughter to you," Li Weiya said casually.

"It’s easy to say that, Aunt Li, but that’s an ideal scenario. The actual situation is much more complex."

"What’s wrong? You don’t actually think your father-in-law is coveting your assets, do you?"

Jiang Xia fiddled with his fingers.

"Actually, I’m worried that if I tell him directly, I’ll become the father-in-law, and he’ll become the son-in-law."