Upon entering the kitchen, Su Qingwan’s parents started to whisper.
“Lao Su, this boy is quite nice, isn’t he?”
“He looks good, is neatly dressed, very polite, and speaks steadily.”
“And since he came into the house, his eyes haven’t wandered. He’s been seriously looking at us the whole time. I like that.”
“And that sense of restraint he has reminds me of myself when I first visited your family.”
“Are you very satisfied with him?”
To be honest, she had never heard such a long string of positive comments from her husband before.
“But beyond appearance, what matters more is the deeper character, the planning for the future, especially thoughts on life and career.”
“Like you said, I’m not being materialistic. I just want our daughter to have a better life. Is that wrong?”
“No, it’s not.”Mother Su understood her husband’s point, gently holding his hand, causing the usually composed Father Su to blush.
“Ahem, I’ll head out first.”
“Take the plates.”
“Okay, okay.”
Xu Lin sat obediently in the chair without moving around. He understood one thing: in his girlfriend’s house, he shouldn’t sit with his legs crossed like a lord.
Soon, Su Qingwan’s parents came out with plates and utensils, which they hurriedly took over.
Xu Lin glanced at the dishes. They were quite sumptuous and healthy, with nothing high in salt, sugar, or oil.
Steamed fish, stir-fried shrimp, green beans with meat, two vegetable dishes, a meatball soup, and rice steamed with black and purple rice.
“So many dishes, thank you, Auntie.”
“No need, usually Wanwan is the greedy one. She’s grown up but still can’t cook.”
“Mom~”
“Alright, let’s eat.”
“Okay.”
“Try the fish, see how my cooking is.”
Xu Lin used the serving chopsticks to pick a piece and then placed it in Su Qingwan’s bowl.
Su Qingwan was a bit surprised, her lips curling up slightly as she glanced at her mom, meaning, “Look at my husband.”
Mother Su rolled her eyes at her daughter, then glanced at her husband, who remained motionless.
“Ahem.”
“What’s wrong? Is your throat uncomfortable?”
“Never mind, let’s eat.”
Xu Lin ate elegantly yet quickly, continually praising Mother Su, who smiled more and more with each compliment.
But he was sincere. The food, though lighter in taste than at home, was genuinely good.
In the middle of the meal, he chatted with Father Su about everything from politics and geography to trivial matters, from astronomy to street literature.
“By the way, Xu Lin, can you cook?”
“I can, but the taste is just average.”
“No, Mom, Xu Lin’s cooking is even better than Uncle Bei’s. Really, I’m not lying.”
Su Qingwan recalled the meal at Xu Lin’s home, making her feel her mom’s cooking wasn’t as good.
“Really? Looks like my daughter will enjoy good meals in the future.”
“Mom, that’s still far off. He’s a bit younger than me and just started working. It’ll take time.”
Su Qingwan’s remark finally gave Father Su an opening. He straightened up and put down his chopsticks, knowing it was time for a serious talk.
“Xu Lin.”
“Yes, Uncle, go ahead.”
“Just now Wanwan said it will take time, but I want to hear about your plans for the future. As a father, I don’t want my daughter to live a life without direction.”
After some interactions, he had already formed a good impression of Xu Lin. Xu Lin had good looks, a pleasant personality, was well-mannered, and knowledgeable.
Even though Xu Lin hadn’t gotten into college, which slightly lowered his score in his eyes, Xu Lin could hold a conversation and had a broad understanding of many things. This made up for it somewhat. Most importantly, Xu Lin treated his daughter very well. He could tell this from small gestures like giving her food and adjusting her utensils.
Overall, Xu Lin was better than many young people he had met, so now he wanted to ask about Xu Lin’s plans for the future. If Xu Lin’s answer was satisfactory, then they could get to know each other more and consider it a pass.
Hearing this question from her father, Su Qingwan also looked seriously at Xu Lin. Although their relationship was fake, the connection between them was real, so she was curious about Xu Lin’s answer. If they were truly together, what kind of future would he promise and look forward to?
“First of all, I want to share something with you,” Xu Lin began.
“Hmm?” All three of them were taken aback, and Su Qingwan was puzzled. What did he want to say? Was he going to crack under pressure and say something ridiculous?
“I’m actually planning to leave my current job soon. Although the salary is decent, I don’t want to just muddle through my days,” Xu Lin explained. “Especially now that I have a girlfriend, the company doesn’t offer any prospects for advancement.”
As Xu Lin mentioned having a girlfriend, all three naturally thought of Su Qingwan, but Xu Lin’s mind was filled with many different faces.
“So I feel the need to work harder. Besides my job, I’ve been writing novels online and have earned some money from it. You might not know this, but top online writers can make over ten million a year.”
“However, I can’t guarantee that. While I have had some success, I am still far behind them,” Xu Lin continued. “So I decided to invest in a chain of spicy hot pot restaurants. After some research, I found it to be a good opportunity. I’ve already rented a place and am preparing to open the business.”
“I also have two other projects planned for the future, which will depend on the success of the hot pot restaurant to get started. This is my current career plan. If everything goes well, I should be able to stabilize my income at around a million within the next year or two.”
“Do you have so much confidence that you won’t fail? Aren’t you afraid?” Su Qingwan’s father asked, not questioning the feasibility or suspecting Xu Lin of exaggeration, but genuinely curious.
“Because I’m choosing low-cost, relatively high-return investments, even if I fail, the impact won’t be too significant. I need to progress quickly to provide a stable life for Qingwan—not just for now, but for the future. That’s why I need to work hard now,” Xu Lin responded. “If I wait until I’m older, I won’t have as much energy to strive for anything.”
“Even if I’m not cut out for business, I can find a decent job and continue writing novels. While it won’t make me rich, it will provide a stable life for her. I aim to buy a house within three years and move out of my parents’ home. If Qingwan wants to stay with her parents, we can all live together.”
“Alright. But I don’t know much about this online novel thing. Can you make 10,000 a month?” Father Su inquired.
“Around 30,000,” Xu Lin answered.
“That’s not bad,” He nodded, now more reassured. He wasn’t afraid of young people failing but was concerned about those with no ambition, just drifting through life. This young man seemed talented and smart. Even if he failed, he wouldn’t struggle too much in life.
As for buying a house, he had the money to help with a down payment or even buy it outright if necessary. The important thing was to have ambition.
“Then what about your relationship and marriage with Wanwan? Are you planning to get married after you make a lot of money?”
“That depends on Wanwan, you, and Auntie’s opinion. Personally, I want to get the marriage certificate as soon as possible. Once I’ve made up my mind, I won’t regret it, and I won’t keep her hanging.”
Xu Lin looked at Su Qingwan and held her hand. Su Qingwan felt a rush of warmth and had an impulse to say yes.
But she understood that Xu Lin would definitely keep her hanging. He said he wouldn’t, but what about Ji Yun? And her idol, Miss Chu—wasn’t he involved with her too? It was so messy. She needed to find some time to ask him properly.
“So, when are you planning to have kids?” Mother Su suddenly interjected.
“Ah! Mom!”
“Isn’t that a perfectly normal question?”
“When do you want to have a grandchild?”
“Next year.”
“Mom!”
“Haha, just kidding. But I do want it to be soon.”
“We’ll do our best.”
Xu Lin glanced at Su Qingwan again. This time, Su Qingwan didn’t look at him; she kept her head down.
Xu Lin thought she was embarrassed, but he didn’t know that Su Qingwan was really starting to think about when they should have children.
She didn’t particularly like kids, but thinking about having a child with Xu Lin suddenly made it more acceptable. Mainly, the child would definitely be good-looking.
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