"Dad!"
"Uncle Xia!"
Xia Nuannuan and Qin Tian spoke one after another, greeting them.
Xia Zhengping nodded, frowning slightly and asking, "Why are you here so late?"
Qin Tian showed an embarrassed expression and was about to explain when Xia Nuannuan beside him quickly replied, "Dad, we only finished playing at ten o'clock. How is that late? It took us half an hour to get here by car."
"Uncle, it's my fault. I went to an internet cafe with a friend to play some games and lost track of time," Qin Tian explained with a sheepish smile.
Xia Zhengping glanced at him but said nothing, changing the subject. "Let's go, to my place first!"
After speaking, he turned and walked away.
Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan exchanged a look and hurried to follow.
"Why did you suddenly come to Jiangcheng? Your mother too, she only told me about it this afternoon." Xia Zhengping said with a hint of blame as he looked at his daughter who had come to his side.
Qin Tian, following a step behind, mentally thanked his future mother-in-law. It was obvious that his future mother-in-law had done this deliberately. If Xia Zhengping had known in advance, it might have been more troublesome, such as insisting on driving to the train station to pick them up, and then arranging their itinerary, and so on.
"Qin Tian had some business to attend to, so I came along to have some fun. There's nothing for me to do at home, and I was too bored!" Xia Nuannuan said, hugging her father's arm in a cajoling tone.
"Business? What business?" Xia Zhengping turned his head to look at Qin Tian with surprise.
"I'm cooperating with a friend on a small business," Qin Tian replied with a smile. Compared to his father-in-law's net worth, his internet cafe was indeed just a small venture.
"Small business?" Xia Zhengping frowned slightly.
"Dad, let me tell you!" Xia Nuannuan chimed in, explaining Qin Tian's internet cafe venture.
As Xia Zhengping listened, his expression gradually became surprised, and he looked at Qin Tian with a doubtful gaze. Qin Tian smiled and nodded, agreeing, "What Nuannuan said is all true."
No matter how unbelievable it was, Xia Zhengping had to confirm that this was likely true. His daughter had never been good at lying since she was young, and Qin Tian had no reason to lie.
"How much did you invest?" Xia Zhengping turned his head and asked again.
Qin Tian quickened his pace, moving to his future father-in-law's left, and replied, "One million in total. Zhao Ge, in particular, has been in the internet cafe business for many years and has rich experience, so he kept the costs relatively low."
Xia Zhengping nodded slightly, then hesitated, "This money..."
"I earned it myself," Qin Tian replied with a smile.
Xia Zhengping stared at him in silence for a moment, half-believing his words. He had a general understanding of Qin Tian's family background. A high school senior who had just graduated claiming to have earned a million was even harder to believe than the news of him opening an internet cafe with someone. Even though he was now well-off, at Qin Tian's and his daughter's age, he was just an ordinary high school student, even one with poor academic performance. Therefore, it was difficult for him to believe, or rather, he was unwilling to believe, that the pig-headed youth who had stolen his daughter's heart could have such capabilities.
"Dad, Qin Tian wouldn't lie to you. We went to a clothing company this afternoon and met the CEO. Qin Tian even sold some clothing design drafts and earned eighty thousand yuan!" Xia Nuannuan said indignantly, sensing her father's skepticism and coming to Qin Tian's defense.
"Oh?" Xia Zhengping was taken aback again.
Qin Tian smiled helplessly and briefly explained the two occasions on which he had made money using clothing design drafts. He could also understand Xia Nuannuan's intentions. After seeing the information about Xia Ji Seafood in the car earlier, Xia Nuannuan was intentionally trying to let her father know how excellent he was, and also to bolster his confidence.
"You understand clothing design too!" Xia Zhengping was even more shocked after listening. If all of this were true, he had to admit that Qin Tian was far more outstanding than he had imagined.
"Yes, I understand a little!" Qin Tian nodded with a smile.
"Your modesty is too fake; it makes you seem more smug!" Xia Zhengping said with a calm expression.
Qin Tian was stunned for a moment, then gave an awkward yet polite smile.
"What else is there? Just tell me directly!" Xia Zhengping said, somewhat exasperated.
Qin Tian scratched his head and honestly confessed, "I also opened an online store with someone, doing game power leveling. The business is going well, and I've made some money. Then, I had good luck with stock trading. In the end, I managed to save up enough to invest this million."
"Nothing else?"
"No, really nothing else. Just this!"
"As a high school senior, how do you have time to dabble in all this?" Xia Zhengping asked again, speechless.
Qin Tian smiled modestly and said, "Uncle, you know, my academic performance is okay, and I don't need to spend too much time on studying."
Xia Zhengping's mouth twitched slightly, and he suddenly felt like he didn't want to talk to him anymore. However, thinking about it, he did look at Qin Tian with newfound respect from the bottom of his heart. Academic performance wasn't everything; he naturally appreciated good grades, but he didn't place too much importance on them. Just like when he was studying, his grades were average. Up until now, among his former classmates, who could say they had achieved more than he had? Qin Tian and his daughter's conversation had proven that he was not only outstanding academically but also capable of providing his daughter with a happy and prosperous life. With this in mind, Old Xia suddenly found no reason to object to their relationship, which made him feel quite sad and helpless.
...
...
Chatting idly, the three soon arrived at Xia Zhengping's residence. Although he hadn't bought a house in Jiangcheng, with his net worth, Xia Zhengping naturally wouldn't mistreat himself too much. The place he was staying now was a well-decorated apartment. It had a two-bedroom, one-living-room layout, complete with a bathroom, kitchen, and balcony.
"Dad, did you just tidy this up?" Xia Nuannuan asked with a teasing smile as she looked around.
Xia Zhengping didn't deny it, just nodded with a dry laugh. A single man living alone wouldn't naturally be so neat and tidy. This afternoon, upon learning that his daughter was coming to Jiangcheng and might be staying here, he had quickly called and hired a cleaner to tidy everything up meticulously.
"The last time Mom and I came to Jiangcheng, we went to a house that Old Xia was renting. It was so messy, there was no place to sit," Xia Nuannuan amusingly revealed to Qin Tian.
"That's because you and your mother sprang a surprise visit on me. Otherwise, I would have hired a cleaner to tidy it up in advance," Xia Zhengping tried to save face, looking at his daughter with a bitter expression. They weren't a family yet, and this girl was already spilling all the beans!
"Uncle, it's okay, I understand." Qin Tian gave Old Xia a slight smile. He had lived alone in his previous life as well.