122 Liar (1/2)
It was a good thing that Long Tengfei had a wife who was very fastidious in taking care of his health. Yang Jiahui could be such a nag when it came to maintaining good health, but now he was thankful for her. If not for her, he could very well likely be experiencing a heart attack at this very moment.
Him? The father-in-law of the current most powerful man in the country's business world? And what was more, it was because of his estranged daughter, Xiulan?
”Father-in-law, please be assured that I am serious in my intention of marrying Xiulan. We still have many issues that we need to face and overcome together, but I hope that when we are both ready to take the step, you'll be able to support our marriage,” Jin Liwei said.
Long Tengfei took slow, deep breaths to calm himself. He had met Jin Liwei several times before during some business and social events but their conversations revolved mainly around greetings and pleasantries. They may be both wealthy and powerful businessmen but the levels of their companies were vastly different, like that of Mt. Everest and a very small mountain or a big hill. He never imagined that such a figure would want to marry his estranged daughter and call him father-in-law.
Fortunately, Long Tengfei's innate astuteness kicked in. One must have the flexibility and ability to adapt into whatever unexpected situation in order to be a successful businessperson. Although he was still perplexed at this turn of events, he was now calm when he spoke to Jin Liwei.
”Are you and my daughter already engaged? Have you talked about when you want to get married?”
”Not yet. As much as I want to marry her as soon as possible and build a family with her as my wife, I know that she wants to focus on developing a successful career before anything else. I don't want to put her in a situation where she has to choose between me and her career. She doesn't need to choose because she can have both. But right now, her career lacks stability. She needs to stabilize her career first. I can do it for her of course, but I know that she wants to do it using her own abilities. I also have the utmost trust on her talents and skills.”
Moreover, Jin Liwei knew deep inside that if his baby girl was ever given the choice between him and her career, she would choose her career over him without hesitation. It pained him to admit this to himself but he knew that this was true. That was why he needed to work harder on imprinting himself on her and on deepening their feelings for each other. He hoped that there would come a day when her feelings for him would come close to what he felt for her.
Long Tengfei nodded.
”Besides, she's still getting used to me. Now that we know what can happen to her health when she becomes too overwhelmed, I don't want to add to her stress by rushing her. After all, I want a healthy and happy wife.”
”I understand,” Long Tengfei finally said after digesting the things Jin Liwei just told him. Then he sighed. ”I don't have a good relationship with my daughter, so she may think that I don't have any right to act like a father. But no matter what, Xiulan is my daughter and I'll always love her. All I want for my daughter is to be healthy, happy and have a good life. If you can give her that, I'll be satisfied. She's been doing so well this past year. I think I can trust her decisions from now on. If she thinks that marrying you is the right choice for her, then all I can do is to support her as her father.”
”Thank you, father-in-law.”
Long Tengfei cleared his throat, feeling awkward by Jin Liwei's address to him.
”Father-in-law, you must already know that Xiulan was attacked the other day. Fortunately, she was able to defend herself and her attackers were just three skinny girls. But what happens if she were to be attacked by men or stronger people next time? I'm very worried for her safety. I believe that she needs some bodyguards.”
”I agree.”