While everyone was bombarding Xia Qingtian with questions, Xia Honglang brought Gu Yaoyang to the study and took out the chessboard, which hadn't been used in a long time. "Let's have a game."
"Alright," Gu Yaoyang replied.
Xia Honglang took out the black and white pieces and sat opposite Gu Yaoyang. "Qingtian has been spoiled by me. She has a temper and a wild personality. Apart from her looks, which she inherited from her mother and are incredibly beautiful, there's nothing else particularly noteworthy about her."
"You are too modest," Gu Yaoyang chimed in. "Qingtian is kind and lively, diligent in her work, and quick-witted. You've raised her very well."
"Heh." Xia Honglang let out a slightly sour chuckle. No matter how well she was raised, she would eventually end up with some other brat, wouldn't she?
"Although I have two daughters, only Qingtian is my biological child. The Xia Corporation will also be handed over to her in the future." Xia Honglang placed a black stone and looked up at Gu Yaoyang.
"I've already told Qingtian," Gu Yaoyang replied, placing a white stone. "I won't interfere with her work or restrict her freedom. Everything will be as she wishes."
"You two are just starting out, in the throes of passion. Who can guarantee you won't change your mind after a while?" Xia Honglang said. "My daughter is not someone who will revolve around men and children. She has ambition, and the capability to support it."
"I admire her ambition and respect her capabilities." A gentle smile appeared on Gu Yaoyang's lips.
"No matter how bright the moonlight, after the passion fades, it becomes a grain of rice on your collar. No matter how unforgettable the cinnabar mole, when you're tired of it, it's just a mosquito bite on the wall. How do you prove your admiration and respect?" Xia Honglang placed another black stone and looked at Gu Yaoyang. "You lost."
Gu Yaoyang studied the chessboard for a long time, his lips twitching, before looking up at Xia Honglang and saying, "How about... another round?"
"Heh, the young man is quite spirited and refuses to admit defeat." Xia Honglang chuckled, scooped up the black stones he had placed, and started anew. "You haven't answered me yet."
"I can't prove it; only time can prove everything," Gu Yaoyang replied, placing a white stone and looking at Xia Honglang meaningfully. "What I have the most of is time."
Xia Honglang didn't grasp the deeper meaning in Gu Yaoyang's words, only thinking that Gu Yaoyang was boasting about his youth and abundance of time.
Joke's on him; twenty years ago, who wasn't a handsome young man?
"However, time is indeed something intangible and unfathomable. Talking about it is too vague," Gu Yaoyang said, looking at Xia Honglang.
"Heh." Xia Honglang snorted. He knew that?
"If Qingtian and I can tie the knot, I'm willing to offer thirty-five percent of Gu Corporation's entertainment shares as a betrothal gift," Gu Yaoyang said earnestly. While mentioning money might be a bit vulgar, it was the most tangible thing.
"You!" Xia Honglang was stunned. The chess piece in his fingertip clattered onto the board, disrupting the game. "Are you serious?"
"Mhm," Gu Yaoyang replied, looking at Xia Honglang. "Mr. Xia..."
As soon as he spoke, Gu Yaoyang felt the address was too distant, so he changed it. "Uncle Xia, in all my life, this is the first time I've met someone who has stirred my heart. I will protect her, cherish her, and not constrain her."
Xia Honglang looked directly into Gu Yaoyang's eyes. After a long moment, he let out a chuckle. "Barely in your twenties, and you're already talking about living a long life...
Never mind, I'm too old to meddle in the affairs of young people. It all depends on your fate together."
Hearing Xia Honglang say that, Gu Yaoyang smiled faintly, secretly relieved.
It seemed Xia Honglang had accepted him as Xia Qingtian's boyfriend.
"The pieces are all mixed up. Let's start another game," Xia Honglang said.
Only a few stones had been placed, and Gu Yaoyang remembered their positions. If he were to make one more move, he would win this game.
He didn't want to expose Xia Honglang and could only accompany him in playing again.
Not long after, Xia Qingtian knocked and entered with tea and snacks. Seeing them playing chess, she found it somewhat unusual. "Dad, have some tea."
"Mhm, put it there," Xia Honglang said casually. "I'm about to win."
"..." Gu Yaoyang dared not respond casually and could only smile helplessly at Xia Qingtian, who had walked to the table.
Xia Qingtian immediately understood what was happening and rolled her eyes inwardly. "Dad, it's getting late. That's enough. He still has to drive back, and it's a long way. I'm worried about his safety if it gets too late."
Xia Honglang tsked, feeling a pang of discomfort.
He had doted on his daughter for so many years, only for her to side with outsiders in the end!
"Alright, we'll stop here for today. Let's call it a draw," Xia Honglang declared. "We'll play again if there's a chance."
"Okay, then I won't disturb you any further." Gu Yaoyang stood up and exchanged a few pleasantries before Xia Qingtian escorted him out of the Xia residence.
After Gu Yaoyang left, Xia Qingtian returned to the study. "Dad, what were you doing?"
"What did I do?" Xia Honglang said, collecting the chess pieces himself. "I was merely using chess to test his character for you."
"Gomoku can test character?" Xia Qingtian's mouth twitched.
She knew very well how much effort Gu Yaoyang had put into keeping the Gomoku game in a state of not losing or winning.
"Why can't it?" Xia Honglang finished putting away the pieces. "I won the first game."
"I don't think Gu Yaoyang even realized you were playing Gomoku with him in the first game," Xia Qingtian said speechlessly.
"Hmm..." Xia Honglang didn't respond this time and simply lowered his head to pack the chessboard.
Xia Qingtian looked at Xia Honglang's back and sighed softly, then walked forward and hugged him from behind. "Dad, this is the first time I've brought a boyfriend home. Don't you like him?"
"It's not that I don't like him." Despite his discomfort, seeing Xia Qingtian act so affectionately, even the toughest steel turned into soft silk. Xia Honglang paused for a moment. "Your taste is quite good."
Hearing Xia Honglang say that, Xia Qingtian's lips curved upwards, her eyes smiling into little crescent moons.
She finally felt like a normal girl, able to bring her boyfriend home openly. In the future, she would likely bring the man she loved to her father and proudly declare, "I've found the right person, and I'll marry no one else!"
These ordinary experiences that girls could have were things she had missed in her previous life.
"Let's see how he treats you first," Xia Honglang said, patting Xia Qingtian's hand. "You must be tired today, go get some rest."
"Mhm, Dad, you should rest early too." Xia Qingtian then left the study.
After Xia Qingtian left, Xia Honglang let out a heavy sigh. As he raised his face, his eyes were slightly red.
Just then, the study door was knocked again. Aunt Liu walked in. "Are you unhappy?"