Wang Rui arrived before us. My mother was already sitting at the table, and the atmosphere seemed very formal. I noticed Pei Shi Yu frowned the moment she saw the scene, clearly unprepared for this.

I quietly leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Don't feel pressured. Just think of it as saying hello."

Before Pei Shi Yu could speak, my mother enthusiastically greeted us, "Ah Che, this is your girlfriend? I heard from Wang Rui that you were coming, so I prepared the private room upstairs. Let's go up. Lao Wang will be here soon."

Hearing that, my scalp really tingled. Especially since Pei Xiang Long was also here tonight. It really felt like we were arranging a marriage. I had only meant for it to be a simple dinner, but it had turned into this, and it was all my fault. I only told Wang Rui because I hadn't seen her in a few days and thought it would be a good opportunity for her to interact with Pei Shi Yu and change their impressions of each other!

I immediately pulled my mother aside and said, "Why are you making such a big deal out of this? She hasn't even agreed yet, and you're making it feel like we're getting married."

"Didn't Wang Rui say your future father-in-law was coming too? Is this him?"

I was a little annoyed and immediately stopped her, "That was just a joke with her. You just do your own thing later. We young people will eat by ourselves. You don't need to specially entertain us."

"It doesn't matter if I didn't know. I already said it. It doesn't matter if you two work out or not, we still need to be enthusiastic. You leave her father to us. If you young people want to be together, then just eat by yourselves."

"We don't even know if Pei Xiang Long is willing!"

"You're pursuing his daughter, and you're calling him by his first name. You have no manners."

"Just don't worry about it."

"If a mother doesn't care about her son's affairs, what will people think?"

"She already knows I'm an unmanageable man, so I'm dispensable."

After saying that, I went back to Pei Shi Yu and saw that Wang Rui and Pei Xiang Long were already chatting. Li Rui had joined in as well. Only Pei Shi Yu was standing aloof on the side, not planning to say a word.

Seeing this, I immediately took her hand, pulled her aside, and asked, "What do you want to eat tonight?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well... when we were coming, I joked with Wang Rui and said I was bringing my girlfriend and future father-in-law out to dinner, and I invited them. Wang Rui thought our families were having a meal together."

Even though Pei Shi Yu's expression showed a bit of displeasure, she still replied gracefully, "What else can I do now that I'm here? If I leave now, won't they think I'm difficult to get along with?"

"Not at all. I didn't expect it to be so formal either. Well, there's no time like the present. You want to get married anyway, and I'm willing to marry you..."

Before I could finish, Pei Shi Yu kicked me subtly, which Li Rui happened to see. He just smiled at me. Just then, I suddenly heard Lao Wang say loudly, "Isn't that Lao Pei?"

Typical of him, his voice arrived before he did.

Pei Xiang Long immediately looked in the direction Lao Wang was coming from and greeted him enthusiastically, asking loudly, "What are you doing here?"

"This is my wife's restaurant."

Pei Xiang Long was surprised and pointed at me, asking, "Then you are...?"

"Lin Che is our son."

I gave Lao Wang extra points for his statement. This not only made me look good but also increased my confidence in pursuing Pei Shi Yu because anyone who could greet Pei Xiang Long like that must be someone important.

Thinking about it that way, I had underestimated Lao Wang's achievements. That day, I only saw the company building and thought it wasn't as impressive as Pei Shi Yu's house, but I didn't even connect the fact that he could be on equal footing with Pei Xiang Long.

So, taking advantage of this great opportunity, I half-jokingly and half-seriously introduced Pei Shi Yu to Lao Wang, pulling her to my side and saying, "My future wife, this is my future father-in-law."

"Really?" Lao Wang asked, half believing.

"Ask him if you don't believe me."

I said that, but my eyes were fixed on Pei Xiang Long. As long as he approved tonight, it would accelerate my relationship with Pei Shi Yu, which would be the same as agreeing.

"I approve of Lao Wang as a person, but I still need to observe you carefully, Lin Che."

"Give me some face," I said with a smile.

"This isn't about face. It's too early to talk about proposing. Get to know each other first, but I don't want a repeat of what happened today. If I catch you again, I won't be so polite."

"Did he talk back to you today?" Lao Wang asked curiously.

"No," I immediately avoided the question.

Then Lao Wang focused his attention on Pei Shi Yu and immediately started praising her, "Lao Pei, you're so lucky to have such a beautiful daughter. It's not easy."

"I prefer your daughter. She's not only beautiful but also has a cheerful personality. She makes me feel close to her."

"That kid got lucky," Lao Wang said seriously, pointing at Li Rui.

"I wonder who my daughter will be lucky with?" Pei Xiang Long took the opportunity to compare.

"I think she and our Lin Che are a good match. It's not easy to keep daughters when they grow up, so we should marry them off as soon as possible."

"I can tell you have double standards."

Amidst the laughter, Lao Wang led the way upstairs. I turned back to look for my mother, but I didn't see her on the first floor. Maybe she was avoiding me after what I said earlier.

"Lin Che, where's your mother?" Lao Wang asked me.

"I was just looking for her. She was just here."

As soon as I finished speaking, I saw my mother standing at the entrance of the private room on the second floor, holding a bottle of fine wine. Maybe she heard us coming upstairs and came out, smiling happily, with the perfect face of a future mother-in-law.

Actually, my mother has a pretty good temper. That's the conclusion I've come to after spending these days with her. No matter what happens, I've never seen her lose her temper. You can understand a person by comparing them to others. She treats Wang Rui like her own daughter, while Lin Hai's wife's attitude toward me is completely different. It's just that the stepdaughter and stepson are of different genders.

Speaking of Lin Hai, I suddenly thought of Lin Yang. I wonder when his funeral is. Last night's drama was a way to stand up for them, at least Chen Biao is dead, even if it wasn't my doing.

Pei Shi Yu probably noticed I was distracted and tugged on my sleeve. I then realized that everyone had already gone inside, and only we were still standing there.

"What are you thinking about?" Pei Shi Yu asked.

"Nothing. I just think it's a coincidence that your father and Lao Wang know each other."

"I've met him a few times. Isn't he in foreign trade?"

"Do you do the same kind of business?"

"Not exactly. They do business with technical content, but it's very specialized, while we have a broader range of business. He's known my father for many years."

"Then how come he doesn't know my mother?"

"I've never seen him bring your mother to public events."

"Is Lao Wang not like that either?" I asked curiously.

"I've seen him, but I've never greeted him."