Jian Fei missed him, of course she missed him.
Every day, seeing her father, who had a similar facial structure to him, and hearing stories from his childhood, she felt she was going mad with longing.
It was precisely because she missed him so much that she realized her feelings for him were more than just liking, which made her anxious and hesitant to tell him about their child.
But hearing Ke Teng say that now, she was no longer sure about her "dark" assumptions.
He didn't seem as intent on drawing a line between them as she had imagined.
"You want to tell your dad about our relationship? You want to say we're dating?"
Ke Teng looked at her, her face full of surprise. "Aren't we? Aren't we dating? Don't you want to be my girlfriend?"
A strong wave of emotion spread from her chest to her brain. Jian Fei's nose prickled, and she felt like crying.
She had never been in love, never heard any sweet nothings or vows of eternal love.
But what Ke Teng was saying at this moment was exactly what she wanted to hear.
Could she be shallow enough to think these few words were the most moving love declarations in the world?
"Can we sit down and talk? I'm a bit emotionally unstable right now."
Seeing her eyes redden, her voice laced with a nasal tone, and her evident urge to cry, Ke Teng, unsure of what he had done to upset her, quickly pulled her to sit on the bed.
Jian Fei took several deep breaths, thought it over and over in her mind, before finally speaking.
"I don't know much about rich people, but from what I see in news reports and on TV, people like you tend to prefer powerful alliances."
"You can find any girlfriend casually, it's just for fun. But when it comes to marriage, it's bound to be a match of equals, or even a business marriage..."
Ke Teng frowned in displeasure.
"What do you mean 'people like us'? What do you mean 'rich people'?"
"You're a doctor, for goodness sake. Listen to yourself, does that sound like something you'd say?"
"But it's true, isn't it? Reality is like this, people are divided into different classes from birth..."
"Who says people are divided into classes from birth? Did my dad tell you that?"
Ke Teng frowned.
"Did he not know what kind of person he was when he was born? Yet he came all the way to Shangcheng to pursue my mother? He did so many things to win over my grandparents?"
"People forge their own paths through hard work and struggle. If my dad had your mindset back then, where would I have come from?"
"What do you mean destiny is predetermined? You believe such nonsense. I never realized this about you before, Jian Fei, your values are skewed."
Jian Fei's face flushed at his righteous words.
It seemed her values were indeed skewed. Watching too many strange things had instilled deep-seated prejudices in her.
In contrast, Ke Teng was much more rational than her when facing major issues.
However, these words were normal coming from Ke Teng, but if she said them, it would sound naive.
It was considered devoted and pure for a rich young master to marry a Cinderella.
But for Cinderella to want to marry into a wealthy family, it sounded like a pipe dream to anyone who heard it.
"I don't mean that. What I mean is, I know you're a good person, you don't intend to hurt me, but..."
"I understand. You've thought from the beginning that I was just playing around and wouldn't marry you in the future."
Jian Fei retorted, "Isn't that the case? Even if you don't want a marriage of convenience, what about Mr. Ke?"
Ke Teng sighed, feeling rather speechless.
"If my dad heard that, he'd probably be so angry he'd die. All this time we've spent together would have been for nothing."
He grabbed her hand, pulled her up, and stormed towards the door.
Jian Fei was startled. "What are you doing? It's late at night. Don't disturb Mr. Ke. What are you doing?"
"If he's disturbed, so be it!"
Ke Teng opened the door.
"You've misunderstood our entire family like this, as if the two of us big men have ganged up to bully you. We have to clear this up today!"
"From the moment you started dating me, you had this in mind? To keep it bottled up for so long, that's quite something."
"Smiling sweetly at me while preparing to make way for someone else at any moment. How generous of you!"
As they spoke, they arrived at Ke Jingyu's door.
He was already asleep. If they suddenly went to talk to him about dating... what if he got upset?
"No, no, no. Mr. Ke is not in good health. He can't be stimulated..."
"Stimulated? If it's stimulation, then it's also for good luck! You don't know how much he's been looking forward to me getting married, how much he wants me to have a grandson quickly. If he knew I had a girlfriend, and a girl like you, I bet he'd send out wedding invitations tonight!"
Jian Fei: "..."
Ke Teng knocked on the door repeatedly. "Dad, are you asleep?"
Ke Jingyu had been sleeping quite well recently and had just fallen into a daze.
"What is it?"
Ke Teng: "Open the door, I need to talk to you."
Jian Fei's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out of her chest. Her hands and feet turned cold.
She didn't know what Ke Jingyu's reaction would be. What if it ruined the current harmonious state?
Seeing her nervousness, Ke Teng simply pulled her closer, embraced her, and held her so she couldn't move.
Ke Jingyu opened the door and saw this scene.
Thinking he had gone mad, Jian Fei, being held by him, opened her mouth to scold him.
"You beast, you haven't been drinking tonight. What madness is this? Let her go!"
Ke Teng was stunned by the scolding, then he chuckled in anger.
"Look how much he likes you! And you're still worried about not being welcome in our family?"
Jian Fei's face turned as red as a tomato, she felt utterly mortified.
Ke Jingyu then realized the situation was not what he had imagined.
"What's going on? You're not bullying her? What are you two doing?"
"Dad, come out, we have something to tell you."
The three of them sat on the living room sofa, with Ke Teng holding Jian Fei in his arms.
"I assume you've noticed, Dad, that Jian Fei and I are together."
Heavens, there was nothing more awkward in the world than this!
Getting to know his son through her father, and then establishing a relationship with him...
Could I find a hole to bury myself in? Can you two talk privately?
Jian Fei didn't know where to put her hands, feet, or eyes.
"Mr. Ke, I'm sorry..."
Ke Jingyu looked at the awkward Jian Fei, then at the determined Ke Teng, and remained silent for a few seconds.
"How long has it been?"
Ke Teng replied, "Not long. But I'm serious."
"As you said, Jian Fei has many qualities that I lack, and I didn't notice them before."
"But now I do, so I will never let her escape. She has already agreed to be my girlfriend, and everything that should have happened has happened. You won't stop us, will you?"
Ke Jingyu maintained the same expression. "Are you serious?"
"Of course, I'm serious!"
Ke Jingyu finally nodded.
"Ke Teng, I still trust your judgment in choosing friends."
"Although your past with Jiang Nan Fang was a bit unreliable, I still recognize her personal capabilities."
"Now that you've decided on Jian Fei, I hope you'll show the same determination as you did back then."