22 – Your Рrоblеm
“Whо еlsе сould havе sроilеd hеr? You and Old Сhеn, of cоurse.”
Zhou Fаn brоught оut thе dishеs tо set thе tаblе, аnd Lu Jin quickly stеpped forwаrd tо helр.
In truth, Zhоu Fаn hаd bеen еаvеsdropрing in thе kitchеn for quite a whilе.
Thе couplе’s whirlwind marriаge bасk then seеmed sudden, laсking thе usuаl swеetness оf lоvеrs.
Тhis time, returning hоme tоgether, thе atmosрhere wаs noticeаblу wаrmer, with frеquеnt touches аnd clоsеness—finallу resembling а yоung соuplе’s affeсtionatе bоnd.
Тhe sound at the door caught Сhеn Qingzhi’s attention:
“Why dо I hеar someоnе talking about me from afar?”
Chen Zhijin opened the door with a beaming smile.
The usually serious and stern Professor Chen only softened his expression when he saw his daughter.
“Dad!”
Chen Qingzhi darted over:
“Ah, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you, and you’ve lost weight. Are things at the institute keeping you busy?”
The two children also scampered over, calling out “Grandpa.”
Chen Zhijin patted his daughter’s hand as she pulled him closer, pretending to scold:
“You’re all grown up now, still clinging to your dad. Go find your husband!”
Despite his words, he clearly relished the attention, looking pleased and proud.
Lu Jin watched his father-in-law, forcing a dry smile and pretending not to mind.
Once everyone was gathered and seated at the table, Chen Zhijin produced two bottles of Maotai from somewhere and asked Lu Jin:
“Care for a drink?”
Lu Jin didn’t dare refuse and nodded repeatedly:
“It’s been a while since I’ve had a good drink with you, Dad.”
Chen Zhijin’s eyes held a smile, but his gaze was sharp.
During his studies at Jing University, Lu Jin had audited Chen Zhijin’s finance class and knew his father-in-law was a “smiling tiger,” fond of being polite before striking.
At the table, the two women Chen Zhijin loved most were slow to pick up on cues, with long reaction times.
Only Lu Jin sensed the impending storm brewing in Chen Zhijin.
Holding the wine decanter respectfully, he poured:
“Dad, please take it easy. Just enjoy yourself. Let me toast you three cups first.”
Without even taking a sip of soup, Lu Jin downed three glasses of baijiu in a row.
Chen Qingzhi secretly kicked him under the table, her eyes warning him that they still had to go home that night. If he drank too much and stayed over, she’d definitely have to share a bed with him.
Lu Jin simply pressed his hand on her knee:
“Don’t stop me. Let me keep Dad company and drink to our heart’s content.”
Chen Qingzhi guiltily glanced at Chen Zhijin and lowered her head to chew on the dry, tough braised pork.
Zhou Fan’s cooking was notoriously bad, but Chen Zhijin and Lu Jin never spoke the truth.
Chen Qingzhi had always been honest and ended up getting scolded for it, so over time, she stopped telling the truth.
Before coming, she had asked Lu Jin why he could eat her mother’s cooking with such relish every time.
Lu Jin answered honestly:
“Mom puts so much effort into cooking, no matter how hard it is. I just pinch my nose and eat it—it’s all love.”
“The soup is too salty.”
Chen Qingzhi couldn’t help but offer a small critique.
Unsurprisingly, the kick she had given Lu Jin earlier was returned by her own mother.
Chen Zhijin smoothed things over:
“A little saltiness is good—it helps sober you up.”
Chen Qingzhi sighed at her cheerful father and said nothing more, struggling to chew on the chicken leg on the table while also looking after the two children.
With children and young people around, the topic of having kids was inevitable.
Chen Qingzhi was just about to explain that she was in the prime of her career and that it wasn’t suitable for a female celebrity to have children too early.
But Lu Jin took her hand, and she looked up at him without resisting.
She let Lu Jin shamelessly handle her parents’ questions one by one:
“We’re working on our health. We’ll let nature take its course.”“This matter can’t be rushed. Xiao Zhi and I are both busy, but we’ll definitely share any good news with you and Dad as soon as possible.”
“In a few years, we’ll make sure you and Dad get to hold a chubby grandson.”
Zhou Fan was quite pleased with his answer and, smiling, served her son-in-law another bowl of soup.
Lu Jin raised an eyebrow and, without hesitation, downed it in one go:
“Mom, your cooking just keeps getting better.”
“Flatterer.”
Chen Qingzhi scoffed, cutting in.
Zhou Fan couldn’t stand seeing Chen Qingzhi bully Lu Jin and immediately shot her daughter a sharp look:
“Eat if you want, or get out if you don’t.”
Chen Qingzhi fell silent, and even the two little ones sitting beside her became much more well-behaved.
Zhou Fan’s mood had been off all day because of the trending topic involving Chen Qingzhi.
She was usually busy with work and hadn’t paid much attention to the earlier disputes between Chen Qingzhi and Liu Jing in the news.
But the “handstand hair-washing” trend had left her both angry and worried.
The sink area was slippery to begin with, and if Chen Qingzhi wasn’t careful, she could easily injure her neck or spine—a dangerous situation.
As a police officer, Zhou Fan had seen plenty of bizarre deaths over the years and tended to worry more than most.
Chen Qingzhi, of course, understood this. She kept her usual banter to a minimum and instead made herself useful, diligently pouring tea and water for Zhou Fan.
It wasn’t until the meal was nearly over that Zhou Fan’s attitude toward Chen Qingzhi gradually softened.
Chen Zhijin, in high spirits, spent the entire dinner engaging Lu Jin in discussions about the current economic situation.
Whenever their views differed, the two would even debate a few points.
Zhou Fan took the two little ones home, leaving Chen Qingzhi alone to look after the two men who appeared to be on the verge of getting drunk.
“I can’t win an argument with you, kid. You’ve always had your own ideas, charming our Xiao Zhi into following you around like a little tail, always clamoring to play with you.”
Chen Zhijin gave Lu Jin’s arm two heavy pats, his eyes sharp and serious.
Chen Qingzhi, watching TV in the living room, couldn’t help but protest when she heard her name:
“Dad, he tricked me with a doll back then! I’m not that easily fooled anymore!”
Chen Zhijin drained the wine in his glass and said lightly:
“If you weren’t fooled, why did you agree to marry him so easily? And why did you sneak the household register behind your mom’s and my backs?”
“I just wanted to surprise the two of you.”
Chen Qingzhi insisted stubbornly.
If she had formally brought Lu Jin home back then and announced they were getting married, her parents might not have necessarily objected.
But who could blame her? Her mind had been muddled that day, and Lu Jin kept provoking her with that infuriating look, as if he was certain she was too timid to retaliate against Liang Yilou.
In a moment of impulse, she had chosen to act first and ask for forgiveness later.
Suddenly, Chen Zhijin slammed his wine glass heavily onto the table, the casual smile vanishing from his face as he questioned Lu Jin:
“I know Xiao Zhi’s personality well. Ah Jin, I can’t figure out what you’re really thinking.”
The confident, spirited demeanor Lu Jin had displayed while discussing finance earlier vanished completely, replaced by a solemn, cautious respect.
“What did you promise me back when you got married?”
Chen Zhijin picked up the wine decanter beside him and refilled the empty glass:
“Our family’s status can’t compare to the Lu family’s, and I’ve said it before—we old folks couldn’t bear to see our precious girl marry into a wealthy family.”
“It was you who swore to me, promising you wouldn’t let Xiao Zhi suffer! That you’d take care of her for the rest of her life.”
The usually carefree and silver-tongued Lu Jin opened his mouth but said nothing.
Instead, he lowered his head and downed the wine in front of him.
Back when Lu Jin switched to finance and applied to schools and professors abroad, Chen Zhijin had also put in considerable effort to help him.Even the breakup of his own daughter did not affect the teacher-student and friend-like relationship between Chen Zhijin and Lu Jin.
Although Lu Jin had not seen Chen Qingzhi in recent years, he never failed to visit Chen Zhijin every time he returned to the country.
How the two children dated was their own freedom.
Chen Zhijin and Zhou Fan had never interfered.
But becoming a true family carried a different meaning.
“No matter what reasons you and Xiao Zhi had for getting married, as her husband, if she is neglected or treated unfairly in this marriage, that is your problem!”