"Brother Chen, this isn't about whose surname the child will take, but whether your grandfather will agree to you marrying Miss Ruan," Qi Nan said. "And why does Miss Ruan insist the child take her surname?"
"Because her family has an empire to inherit," Shao Chen mumbled after taking a drink.
Qi Nan: "..."
Isn't Miss Ruan of mixed foreign heritage?
Does such a patriarchal mindset exist abroad too?
Qin Beiting sat up straight and placed his empty glass on the table. "Isn't that simple? You support the nation's three-child policy. One takes your surname, one takes hers, and for the remaining one, decide based on your family's reaction."
Shao Chen listened, finding a lot of sense in it. His Shao family had always been single children for generations, unlike the Qin family, who believed in having many blessings. He had never even considered a second child.
He immediately poured wine into Qin Beiting's glass. "If I have a third child, and my grandfather still disagrees?"
He knew his grandfather's stubbornness. If he disagreed with something, he'd never change his mind, let alone acknowledge a third child, even ten.
Qin Beiting picked up his glass, took a sip, and said unhurriedly, "That's also simple. You take the children and return to Denmark with Ruan Tianxin. Let your children compete for the throne, and if they win, you might even get the title of Father of the Nation."
Qi Nan: "Huh?"
Does she really have an empire to inherit?
"You want me to become a live-in son-in-law?" Shao Chen slammed his glass down heavily. "What a joke! It's just a woman, how many can I have? I just find her obedient, good at serving, not like those shallow women who only covet my money. And we get along. For her, I'll become a live-in son-in-law? No way!"
"Then what are you worried about? If you can't handle it, break up. Find someone your grandfather approves of, and the problem is solved?" Qin Beiting said.
"This isn't about whether I can handle it! This is a man's dignity!" Shao Chen declared righteously. "Even if I remain single my whole life, die alone, and have no son to bury me, I will never be a kept man!"
Then, he looked at them suspiciously. "Would you be willing to be live-in sons-in-law?"
"I wouldn't!" Qi Nan immediately denied.
"Exactly!" Shao Chen picked up his glass and clinked it with theirs, united in their conviction.
After drinking, neither Shao Chen nor Qi Nan saw an answer from Qin Beiting, and they both looked at him.
He was idly swirling the ice in his glass, his handsome brows furrowed slightly as if pondering a difficult question, a hint of confusion on his face. "Is being a live-in son-in-law really that damaging to a man's dignity?"
Shao Chen: "..."
Qi Nan: "..."
"Damn it, Brother Ting, you wouldn't have considered it, would you?" Shao Chen exclaimed in shock.
Qin Beiting: "..."
"That's impossible. With Brother Ting's standing, even Sister-in-law wouldn't ask him to be a live-in son-in-law, let alone the Ye family. They wouldn't even dare to dream of it!" Qi Nan said.
Shao Chen: "That tiny temple of the Ye family can't possibly accommodate a great Buddha like Brother Ting."
Qi Nan: "Right! So Brother Ting, you don't need to pretend to be humble and ask such questions. In this world, no one would dare ask you to be a live-in son-in-law."
Shao Chen: "You're lucky to have found such a celestial wife. Stop standing on the sidelines and making sarcastic remarks, advising others to become live-in sons-in-law."
Qin Beiting, who had once proactively offered to be a live-in son-in-law and been rejected: ".........."
---
In the evening, Yu He returned to the clinic. It hadn't closed yet; one patient needed a longer acupuncture session and would finish later.
Qiao Wei had already finished his own tasks and was sitting in the lobby, glancing at his phone intermittently, as if waiting for a call.
"Brother Wei, if you have something to do, you can leave first. I'll take Grandma back later," Yu He said, seeing his anxious demeanor.
Qiao Wei snapped back to attention. "Oh, okay. Then I'll be going."
It was this late. Qiao Qiao had gone to the hospital all afternoon; why hadn't she called him yet?
He drove directly to the Obstetrics and Gynecology department of Xiehe Hospital. Since men were not allowed in the OB/GYN ward, he had to ask a nurse, "Hello, could you help me check which doctor's consultation room Qiao Qiao is in?"
Coincidentally, the nurse recognized Qiao Wei, knowing he was from the Wuming Divine Doctor's clinic. Moreover, Qiao Qiao had been quite a "celebrity" recently, so she remembered her.
She was sure she hadn't seen Qiao Qiao all afternoon, but if she had disguised herself, it was uncertain. So, she carefully checked today's registration records and shook her head. "No, she didn't register today."
Qiao Wei was caught off guard. "Are you sure?"
The nurse checked the system again. "Yes, I'm sure!"
Qiao Wei's mind went blank. He recalled Qiao Qiao's tearful pleas to him that morning. Had she been lying to him?
He put his hands in his pockets. As he pulled out his phone, he suddenly realized something was missing.
He searched thoroughly; his bank card was gone!
He suddenly remembered Qiao Qiao's embrace before she got into the car. His expression instantly darkened, and his heart grew cold.
"Sir, are you alright? Did you lose something? Do you need to call the police?" the nurse asked kindly, noticing his distressed expression.
"Thank you, no need," Qiao Wei said and turned to leave the hospital.
He didn't have Qiao Qiao's new contact information and didn't know where she was or where to look for her, so he returned to the residential compound dejectedly.
Qiao Wei couldn't sleep all night. In the early morning, he received a debit notification from the bank: eighty thousand yuan had been deducted!
He immediately checked the details of the deduction in the bank app. The merchant was named "Little Shop." He searched online but couldn't find any shop called "Little Shop."
He stayed up until dawn. After taking Elder Mrs. Yu to the clinic, he went to the bank counter during a lull in patients and asked them to help check the information of the deducting merchant.
The information he received was an account in Beishi, with no detailed address and no registered business license.
He couldn't find any more information. He thought that if it were a hacker, they could probably find the other party's detailed address in minutes, but he didn't want to trouble Yu He. Qiao Qiao had already caused her enough trouble.
He suddenly thought of Ye Zizheng. Ye Zizheng was learning coding from Yu He, so checking the IP address of a transaction record should be no problem.
He had previously given Ye Zizheng rides and had his WeChat contact. He immediately sent him a message, asking if he could check.
The other party replied quickly.
Ye Zizheng: [Simple.]
Ye Zizheng: [Send me the detailed transaction records to look at.]
Qiao Wei: [Can you not tell your sister about this?]
Ye Zizheng: [Why?]
Ye Zizheng: [You weren't swindled out of money and are embarrassed to let her know, were you?]
Qiao Wei: "..."
How can you be so sharp.
Qiao Wei: [Yes, so you must keep it a secret for me.]
Ye Zizheng: [You definitely haven't installed the National Anti-Fraud App! Truly foolish and rich, serving you right to be scammed.]
Qiao Wei: "........"
Ye Zizheng: [Send over the detailed transaction records. This young master will help you get justice!]