As Song Qiao followed Cheng Dong upstairs, his demeanor was calm, while Cheng Ran was filled with nervous apprehension.
She even instinctively reached out and held Song Qiao's hand, as if it would bring her some peace.
Feeling the warmth and moisture in her palm, Song Qiao smiled softly and asked, "Why are you sweating so much just because I'm meeting your parents?"
Cheng Ran looked up at Song Qiao and couldn't help but sigh. "Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know?" This was no ordinary parental introduction!
Song Qiao smiled slightly, not replying. He took her small hand and gently wiped it on his sleeve. Then, he patted the back of her hand to reassure her. Cheng Ran didn't resist at all during this process, letting Song Qiao lead her forward.
The villa where the birthday party was being held was the Cheng family's residence in the affluent district. Following Cheng Dong all the way to the top floor, Cheng Dong opened a door and led them inside.
The moment they entered the room, Cheng Dong's already somber face darkened further. It was as if one could wring water out of him. He turned to face Cheng Ran, who was standing with Song Qiao, and demanded, "Cheng Ran! What is the meaning of this today?"
Cheng Ran lowered her head, unsure how to respond.
Song Qiao turned to look at her, then shielded her behind him, shrugging his shoulders in reply. "Old man, I suppose I should call you Master Cheng instead." "Your sole focus on marrying her off to Guo Shanhai is to increase your influence, isn't it? So that you can consolidate the old subordinates left behind after Tao Fan's death, and then ascend to the vacant Master position within the Tongmen?"
Hmph! Cheng Dong snorted coldly. Eight out of ten guests present today knew his intentions. Therefore, he saw no need to pretend any longer. He directly questioned, "Since you know my purpose, why are you here to ruin things!"
Song Qiao spread his hands and smiled. "I didn't want to, it's just that your daughter is too enchanting. I couldn't help myself and... and..."
Pfft! Hearing Song Qiao say "couldn't help myself," Cheng Ran, hiding behind him, suddenly couldn't help but chuckle. She quickly pursed her lips and gently pinched his waist. The strength was carefully controlled, lest she hurt Song Qiao.
Conversely, Cheng Dong's face was terribly dark. He had initially thought Song Qiao was deliberately trying to cause trouble. He had even intended to ask who he was and if he was sent by the Tao family. But seeing Song Qiao's seemingly pathetic state now, he gradually began to believe that he had genuinely lost control and ruined his plans. After all, he had previously received reports from his subordinates about a pervert who had been leering at his daughter's photographs.
"Forget it, forget it... I can't blame you for this today." Cheng Dong sighed heavily and waved his hand dismissively at Song Qiao. "Get lost! My daughter is not someone you can touch! Forget this incident the moment you leave here, or I will never forgive you!"
Cheng Dong was too weary to argue with someone like Song Qiao. His only thought was to quickly send Song Qiao away and try to contact Guo Shanhai to see if anything could be salvaged. If it truly couldn't be rectified, killing Song Qiao would be useless!
As it turned out, Cheng Dong had underestimated the situation.
Not only did Song Qiao refuse to leave, but he also turned and took Cheng Ran's hand, taunting Cheng Dong with a seemingly pathetic refusal. "I won't! She is my wife now!"
Cheng Ran was somewhat speechless. She waved her hand at her father while softly pleading with Song Qiao, "Don't make him angry anymore! Don't worry, I won't go back on my word. Let me try to placate him first, okay?"
Song Qiao shook his head at Cheng Ran and replied calmly, "No need for all that trouble, I'm not afraid of him!"
Crack, crack! Cheng Dong instantly clenched his fists, staring intently into Song Qiao's eyes, and said with a sinister laugh, "Do you know who I am?"
"Aren't you just a Vice Master?"
"Scoundrel!" Cheng Dong slammed the table in front of him, pointing at Song Qiao's nose and cursing loudly. "What arrogant talk! No wonder everyone outside congratulates me on finding such a good son-in-law... It seems you are truly short-sighted and utterly ignorant! 'Aren't you just a Vice Master?' Do you know how many lives this one Vice Master of mine can easily control!"
After berating Song Qiao, Cheng Dong still felt indignant. He didn't want to argue with Song Qiao here; his priority was to resolve this matter as quickly as possible. However, he couldn't easily act against Song Qiao. After all, everyone outside knew that Song Qiao had come upstairs as his prospective son-in-law. If he couldn't resolve this before the banquet ended, he would be handing ammunition to his rivals in Modu for years to come!
So, he turned and glared at Cheng Ran, questioning her, "Are you absolutely determined not to marry into the Guo family and stay with this bumpkin?"
Seeing Cheng Ran nod, Cheng Dong almost exploded with anger. Trembling, he nodded with a sinister smile. "Good! Very good!" "You've certainly grown up, to the point of disregarding your mother's life!"
Upon hearing her mother mentioned, Cheng Ran's body trembled violently. Tears involuntarily streamed down her cheeks. The hand Song Qiao held tightened its grip, and she gritted her teeth, shouting at Cheng Dong, "I am not a tool of the Cheng family! I am a living person too!" "Can you please stop threatening me with my mother's life!"
"Heh heh... you're going to such lengths for this stranger you just met... You really consider him your man, don't you?"
Confirming Cheng Ran's stance, Cheng Dong trembled with rage. He hadn't wanted to act against Song Qiao easily, but now he realized he seemed to have no other choice. Song Qiao's appearance had given Cheng Ran too much courage to defy him! A man was meant to bear such a role. Even though they hadn't known each other for long, the mere thought of him being her man gave Cheng Ran a sense of inexplicable security. Unless Song Qiao died!
"In that case..." Cheng Dong's facial muscles began to twitch violently, his expression becoming extremely distorted and ferocious. He clapped his hands and ordered coldly, "Then let your boyfriend die before your eyes!"
As the words fell, the door was roughly kicked open! Countless bodyguards crowded into the room. But in the next moment, Song Qiao acted first, intending to strike preemptively!
Holding Cheng Ran's hand, his speed was surprisingly fast. He dragged Cheng Ran's body, and with what looked like a slip of the foot, he instantly leaped in front of Cheng Dong! Without hesitation, he raised his hand and slapped his future father-in-law across the face!
With a sharp crack, Cheng Dong, caught off guard, was sent sprawling to the ground by the powerful force of the slap!
Bang! The chair behind Cheng Dong, crushed by his body, exploded outwards, turning into dust!
Song Qiao looked down at Cheng Dong, who lay on the ground in shock, and snorted, "We're family, so why all these fancy moves? Just fight directly!" "With your skill level, you want to be a Master?"