Xena brought a whole bunch of stuff—it was really an assortment, a full bag's worth.
She had no shame saying it, but Fyren was too embarrassed to listen.
"Xena, y-you… calm down a little. What have you been up to these past few days?"
"A few wealthy clients in Southlandia had appointments booked for ages. I grouped several surgeries together and went on a business trip. Didn't I tell you before I left? What, did you miss me?"
Xena clung to Fyren, hugging him and swaying back and forth. "Aww, did you miss me that much in just these few days? Hehe, I missed you too!"
Fyren was beyond frustrated. "Just calm down first, don't… don't… You're a young lady, don't always aim for a guy's lower half…"
Xena giggled wildly, though her own pretty face was flushed bright red.
"I get it—Fyren's a shy big brother who doesn't know many tricks! But it's okay, big sis will teach you, alright?"
"Really, stop messing around. Let's have a proper conversation…"
Xena lay delicately on the sofa, striking a seductive pose. She nibbled on the tip of her finger, then stretched her slender leg over to scratch Fyren's thigh like a cat's paw...
"Today, Fyren, you're the doctor, and I'm the patient. I'm here to see you for a consultation!"
"Doctor!"
That one word—"doctor"—made Fyren's bones go weak, as if eighty percent of his calcium had instantly drained away.
Xena bit her lip and slowly began tugging at her clothes:
"I heard that when you examine people, you tie them to the dining table and strip them naked. Is that true?"
Fyren stared at her: "Don't you push me, I'm warning you!"
Xena said, "Well, it looks like there's no way out. For the sake of treatment, I'll have to do exactly as you say…"
...
Meanwhile, ZhiXu was going insane!
"Quick… quick, quick, quick… make them stop! Fyren… I'm not done with you!"
Elton Leng and Bin Chen both felt that their time for revenge had come.
Both stifling their laughter, they tried to calm him down.
Elton Leng said, "Zhi! Not to criticize you, but weren't you pretty excited and smug just a while ago when you were watching our families' drama? How come it's not okay when others watch yours?"
"Exactly!" Bin Chen chimed in. "Besides! It's not even a big deal! We've all been young—did you really expect your daughter to stay by your side her whole life as an old maid? I think it's fine. They're just a couple sharing some intimate talk to spice things up. It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with their character, and it definitely doesn't mean you failed as a parent, right?"
Elton Leng added, "Right! As long as they keep things within comfortable and enjoyable limits when they get down to business, we elders shouldn't interfere. Zhi, you're not allowed to interfere!"
Bin Chen said, "In matters like this, there's no such thing as one side losing out and the other taking advantage. Both sides are equal. They're both adults with physical needs, after all!"
Elton Leng continued, "Your family works in pharmaceuticals—you should be more open-minded than the average person! This is just like eating, drinking, or using the bathroom—it's a necessary physiological activity. Besides, they're using products developed by your own pharmaceutical company. It's basically an internal quality inspection!"
The two of them went back and forth, almost verbatim repeating the passionate, high-sounding arguments ZhiXu had earlier delivered with great righteousness.
ZhiXu trembled with rage: "Those are my lines! What you're saying… those are all my lines!"
Elton Leng said, "What else did Zhi say? That his daughter has a boyfriend, and he what?"
Bin Chen promptly helped him recall: "Wouldn't have any emotional reaction!"
Elton Leng said, "See? Just a moment ago you said you wouldn't be affected, and now you're so angry your waves are shaking! What else did he say?"
Bin Chen immediately added, "He said it's normal—the union of yin and yang, the complementarity of man and woman. Humanity depends on this to reproduce!"
Elton Leng said, "See? You understand the theory perfectly! You spelled it out so clearly yourself, so why are you confused now? They're in the middle of… the union of yin and yang, the complementarity of man and woman—they might even reproduce! What are you panicking for? What else did he say earlier?"
Bin Chen said, "He also told us to broaden our thinking and open our minds! He said he's an open-minded person and has already prepared himself mentally!"
Elton Leng added, "Your mindset really isn't as broad as ours! Earlier, when our daughters took turns causing a scene, did we panic? Did we get angry? Weren't we as steady as Mount Tai, unshakable!?"
Zhi Xu clutched his chest: "My heart isn't feeling so well…"
Elton Leng retorted, "Cut the nonsense! What was the last thing he said?"
Bin Chen promptly reminded him: "He also said he hopes Xena finds a boyfriend soon and moves out to live with him, so she doesn't annoy him at home every day."
Elton Leng clapped his hands: "Well, there you go! From now on, Xena will live with Fyren. When the baby is one month old, you can go give your gift—you'll have to pay for the milk powder! And don't forget diapers, a stroller, children's toys, baby clothes…"
Bin Chen chimed in: "How can she manage the postpartum period without help? Your family is in the pharmaceutical business—you're the expert in this area. You should send someone to take care of her during confinement and look after the baby!"
Elton Leng continued, "You can't just take care of your daughter and grandson! You have to treat the son-in-law well too, right? Shouldn't you buy Fyren a car, give him a few properties, and transfer a few hospitals to his name? Otherwise, with that wild donkey temper of his, what if he turns abusive toward your girl?"
Bin Chen said, "Ah, why worry about that? From the sound of it, Xena seems to be into that type! But business at the pharmaceutical factory is booming. Right now, it's jointly controlled by Xena and Fyren, but eventually, it'll all be Fyren's…"
Even Hong Zhang couldn't take it anymore.
Adding insult to injury—this was outright brutal!
He timidly interjected, "You two, show some mercy—he's lost all color in his face!"
The three old men quickly rushed to attend to Zhi Xu.
It took Zhi Xu a long while to recover, utterly devastated.
"I… I never imagined it would… How could it turn out like this? My Xena has always hated Fyren! How could this happen?"
Bin Chen said, "My daughter was supposed to be a refined lady! And didn't she also… damn, I won't say anymore."
Elton Leng added, "My daughter was an ice queen! You all heard her—was she icy? Not at all! Now it's really… damn."
After making fun of each other in turns, the three old men finally settled down.
Hong Zhang thought to himself: It's over.
This time, it's really over.
"Um… Is it possible that we've all misunderstood? What if those kids are just messing with us?"
Just then, Fyren's voice screamed from the phone:
"Xena, stop messing around!"
Xena giggled wildly: "No way, no way! Today, I'm definitely conquering you. You just behave yourself, lie back, and enjoy—leave the rest to me!"
Fyren cried out: "Miss, does your family know you're like this?"
"Haha! Nope! My dad only knows I'm quirky and love mischief. In his heart, I'm still an innocent, lively little girl! Heehee, but what he doesn't know is that this young lady is also a little demon—hahaha!"
Fyren groaned: "You witch, you're going to be the death of me! Fuck!"
"Hehe! From now on, out in the world, I'll be the renowned divine doctor Xena—I'll handle being cute and pure, and you can be the domineering CEO. But at home… I'll be your little naughty plaything, how does that sound, Fyren?"
Hong Zhang didn't hesitate—he directly pressed the end call button.
The four old men fell into silence.
After a long while, the other three seemed to regain their senses and slowly turned their heads toward Hong Zhang.
Hong Zhang stammered: "I… I'm not close with Fyren, really. This son of mine… he's picked up."
"Since when can you just pick up a damn son!?"
Hong Zhang was on the verge of tears: "I really had no idea it would be like this! Otherwise, I wouldn't have called!"
Zhi Xu suddenly recalled: "Now that I think about it! A while ago, you asked me if Xena was promised to anyone, and what I thought of Fyren… Did you already know back then!?"
Bin Chen also chimed in: "My daughter's never home these days, always running out. Hong, tell us clearly—has she been hanging around at your place all this time!?"
Elton Leng slammed the table: "Hong Zhang, let me tell you something!"
Bin Chen and Zhi Xu both looked over. Elton Leng declared with authority:
"My daughter has to be the first! I said it first—you can't go back on your word now!"
Bin Chen and Zhi Xu were burning with anxiety.
They both thought Elton Leng was swayed by money—that because Fyren had helped his daughter stabilize Qianfeng and made thirty billion, he now approved of Fyren.
But in reality, Elton Leng was the one who truly saw the bigger picture.
It wasn't about the billions. It was that this kid Fyren was getting more and more… unnervingly impressive!
Elton Leng was the first among these old men to see things clearly.
The core issue wasn't about his daughter, the family business, or anything else.
The core issue was Fyren!
Nothing else!
Fyren was going to be the biggest variable in the future, and judging by the current trend, this kid's potential was limitless.
He himself had a daughter. At his age, what could he take with him?
His greatest wish was for Fyren and Eliza to get married ASAP!
If Eliza became the official wife, then in the future, the industries of both families would be inherited by his grandson!
What was that called?
That was fucking legacy!
If they missed this boat and Eliza ended up as a second or third wife, her future influence and inheritance priority would be completely different!
So, even outside the business world, his competitors were still these same old fools!
He still had to fight!
It still came down to who understood first, who reacted first, who made the first move, who gained the upper hand.
Bin Chen and Zhi Xu, however, were too frantic to see this layer.
In their eyes, since when was Fyren even worthy of being called a decent match?
If his father weren't Hong Zhang, this guy would starve to death or get beaten to death on the streets!
How could this trash possibly be good enough for my daughter!?
My daughter! A jewel of heaven, graceful, beautiful, captivating, with a boundless future!
I'd rather break her legs and keep her at home than let a troublemaker like Fyren have her!
The three old men argued noisily, red-faced and thick-necked—slamming tables and glaring.
Elton Leng wanted Hong Zhang to commit, to acknowledge Eliza first!
The other two wanted Hong Zhang to give them an explanation—this thing absolutely had to be ruined!
After listening for a long time, Hong Zhang had to admit his son had caused this mess—he wasn't in the right!
He could only keep his head down and listen. On the surface, he looked like a wilted eggplant, completely defeated.
But inwardly, he was overjoyed.
Watching the three old men heatedly arguing, each stuck in their own agenda,
Hong Zhang calmly interrupted:
"It's just… shouldn't you all… call your daughters? After all, on Fyren's side… he's still… busy…"
Nothing is more terrifying than when… the air… suddenly… grows… silent…