Chapter 302 - 236: Dad’s Secret

By mid-October, the autumn wind was like a jerk’s heart—growing more ruthless and colder by the day.

Ni Bingyan had been busy for over two straight months and finally got a day off. She was so moved she could have cried!

In September, she took a trip to Korea for Fashion Week. After returning, she was caught in a non-stop grind on the set of *Inheritor*.

First, they filmed at a school, then moved to a CBD for the workplace scenes. Just as they were about to wrap that up, *Demon Suppression Tower* was released on October 1st.

After two straight weeks of promotional tours, Ni Bingyan felt like her legs had been run thin.

Fortunately, the results were gratifying.

Half a month after its release, *Demon Suppression Tower*’s box office earnings had broken one billion yuan.

The cast and crew held a celebration banquet yesterday. Su Tong and Luo Guangkun were both from the Northeast and could outdrink each other. Huang Ge, a native of Qin Island, had practically been drinking beer like water since he was a kid.

Sitting at a table with that crowd, Ni Bingyan knew she couldn’t keep up. Halfway through the banquet, she used the excuse of having to go abroad for a shoot in two days to make her escape.

Everyone was in high spirits and on good terms with her, and they knew she couldn’t hold her liquor, so no one tried to stop her.

Waking up bright and early, Ni Bingyan got all dressed up and went to pick up Sang Yuan for work.

She had promised to accompany him to work a long time ago, but one thing after another had delayed it until now.

Sang Yuan had been up early, trying on eight different outfits and still not satisfied. Exasperated, Sang Jingwen came over and casually picked out a set for him.

"Go on, get changed! Bingbing is already here, and your mom is having breakfast with her right now! I’ll let you in on a secret: today she’s wearing a ginger-yellow turtleneck, a light-coffee plaid wool skirt, dark-coffee leather boots, and a light-brown woolen overcoat."

As a mature man with 40 years of marriage under his belt, thoroughly trained by his wife, Sang Jingwen was quite experienced when it came to women’s fashion.

Normally, no father-in-law would pay such close attention to his daughter-in-law’s attire, but his son was hopeless! He had no choice but to risk life and limb to pass on this intelligence.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Sang Yuan’s indecisiveness vanished.

Soon, Sang Yuan emerged from his bedroom, dressed in a three-piece British-style suit in a matching color scheme.

Today, Ni Bingyan was going to accompany him to work.

For an overachiever, this was a case of not letting a date interfere with work. But for Sang Yuan, it was a special kind of date experience.

’Heh, she’s so clever~’

Sang Yuan’s heart leaped with joy. But just as he reached the top of the stairs, he saw his mother’s cat, Xuehua’er, jump onto the dining table. With a sweep of its tail, it knocked over a glass of soy milk.

The glass was tall, so the soy milk, propelled by the force, spilled quickly. Before anyone could react, it had dripped all over Ni Bingyan.

Xuehua’er was startled and, with a shriek, tried to bolt. Ni Bingyan hadn’t expected it either, and Shui Sulan was so embarrassed she could have dug a hole to hide in.

’How is anyone supposed to know what an animal is thinking?’

No matter how spoiled Xuehua’er was, it was still just a cat.

Shui Sulan quickly made a decision and resolved to discipline Xuehua’er sternly.

"You clumsy little thing! Look at the trouble you’ve caused! See if I don’t lock you up and make you skip a few meals!"

The cat hadn’t done it on purpose. It had probably just been trying to jump into Shui Sulan’s arms, but its tail was too fluffy, and it lost control for a moment, knocking over the glass.

The glass had been quite far from Ni Bingyan, and a cat couldn’t possibly be that calculating. Ni Bingyan could only chalk it up to bad luck.

"Ah, it’s almost time for work. I need to run home and change."

Shui Sulan apologetically saw her out, apologizing the whole way.

"It’s just a change of clothes, really. It’s nothing. Wangcai is just as mischievous when he gets going. When he’s shedding, I don’t even dare to wear black."

Ni Bingyan didn’t think it was a big deal at all.

Pet owners get used to this kind of thing.

Ni Bingyan hurried home to change, leaving Sang Yuan standing frozen at the top of the stairs.

He looked down at his own clothes, then back at his dad.

Sang Jingwen was about to have a meltdown!

"Quick, go back to your room and hide! When she gets back, I’ll come tell you!"

When young people go on a date, if they meet up and discover, without any prior discussion, that their outfits coordinate perfectly, it creates a sense of telepathic connection.

In a situation like that, the sweetness of their romance would surely be amplified.

Who knows, in a moment of passion, they might even take a detour halfway through the date and head straight to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

Sang Jingwen was truly giving it his all just to get them into a matching couple’s outfit!

This was a secret he didn’t tell just anyone, passing it down only to his own son and daughter.

Back in the day, when he was dating Shui Sulan, he would always climb onto his balcony to peek next door before leaving. As soon as he saw Shui Sulan step out, he would quickly throw on a matching outfit and go out to "run into" her.

Shui Sulan was pleasantly surprised every time.

’My son is so dense. He definitely didn’t get it from me.’

But he couldn’t say that out loud.

After all, given his status in the family, he had to be careful with his words.

Ni Bingyan returned quickly.

Because time was short, she had simply thrown on a black turtleneck paired with a grape-purple skirt, switched to short black suede boots and a black woolen overcoat, and swapped her dark-coffee bag for a lavender one before rushing out the door.

When she rushed back to the Sang Family’s house, Sang Yuan, tipped off by his dad, immediately saw her new outfit on the security monitor for the main gate.

"I’m doomed, Dad! She changed into a purple color scheme! I don’t have any clothes in that color!!"

Sang Jingwen despaired over his hopeless son!

"Can’t you just wear a black suit and pair it with a purple tie and matching cufflinks?!"

Sang Yuan gave his dad a look that said, ’I’m a respectable man; I don’t wear gay-purple.’

Exasperated, Sang Jingwen had no choice but to go back to his room and grab a set for him.

"This was a gift from your mom for our tenth anniversary. Don’t you dare get it dirty!"

"Hiss! This thing might be older than I am!"

"If you don’t want it, then give it back to your old man! I’m telling you, I’ve had it up to here with you!"

After a bit of whispered scrambling, the father-son duo finished their preparations. Just as a dapper Sang Yuan came downstairs, Ni Bingyan walked through the door.

"Have you eaten? We’re going to be late!"

Ni Bingyan smiled and raised her wrist, glancing at her watch.

Sang Yuan had sharp eyes and noticed the watch face was a pearlescent purple.

He felt like something was still missing.

But the moment Ni Bingyan saw him, her eyes lit up.

She looked at him, then at herself, and without a word, just stood there, smiling with her lips pressed together.

Suddenly, Sang Yuan felt like nothing was missing at all.

"Let’s go, let’s go! We can’t be late!"

Seeing he was about to leave, Shui Sulan quickly handed him a wrapped sandwich.

"You think it’s no big deal when you’re young, but when you get old, you’ll need Bingbing to nag you about taking your stomach medicine. Just behave yourself and cause less trouble, alright?"

At her words, Sang Yuan immediately took the sandwich and happily followed Ni Bingyan out the door.

This seemed to be their first proper date since their picnic together, and the feeling was fantastic!

Ni Bingyan drove while Sang Yuan sat in the passenger seat eating his sandwich. When he finished, Ni Bingyan pulled a thermos from her bag.

"Here, soy milk. Haha! I filled it up at your place."

"When did you fill it up? How come I didn’t see you?"

"I got here really early. But during breakfast, little Xuehua’er spilled the soy milk, so I went home to change."

The two chatted casually, and soon they arrived at the company.

As soon as she walked in, Ni Bingyan noticed something.

"Huh? When did your company get carpet?"

"It’s been here for a while," Sang Yuan said cheerfully. "Last time you were here, didn’t you mention you felt awkward because your high heels were too loud on the floor? So I took the liberty of having it changed. It’s a shame you haven’t been back in so long; the carpet hasn’t been able to prove its worth."

Sang Yuan was that kind of person, always making you feel a heartfelt warmth through the little details.

As they entered the office, people continuously greeted her. Ni Bingyan smiled and waved, no longer feeling the awkwardness of her first visit.

The two entered his office. Ni Bingyan had been worried she would disturb his work, but Sang Yuan had been especially thoughtful. He immediately pulled out a stack of account books.

"I’ve been telling you to come and check the accounts for ages, but you never do. I ask you to attend shareholder meetings, but you never go. Since you have time today, hurry up and take a look at everything."

She had invested ten million yuan last year. At first, Ni Bingyan would look at the financial statements and such, but later she got too busy with work and felt it was a waste of time, so she stopped paying attention.

Now that she had time, it was only right to take care of it.

’After all, we’re not married yet, so it’s not marital property.’

’I need to work hard and save more money so I’ll feel more secure after we get married.’

The first page of the ledger was an investment overview.

Sang Yuan had invested the ten million yuan in over a dozen small companies. He then continuously cashed out and invested in new projects. A rough calculation showed that the initial ten million had already multiplied several dozen times over.

Ni Bingyan was dumbfounded. "This isn’t investing, this is straight-up robbery!"

Everyone says you make money fast in the entertainment industry, but even as a popular actress, she didn’t earn money this quickly!

Sang Yuan gave a reserved smile. While turning on his computer, he feigned a melancholic air and teased her.

"Sigh! What’s the point of being so good at making money if I can’t even claim my mountain queen..."

’This guy can’t get through a day without flirting with me a few times.’

Ni Bingyan expertly rolled her eyes. "Ptooey~"