When Pei Shiyu and I went in, they were already seated and had specially prepared two seats side by side for us.

Before sitting down, I pulled out the chair for Pei Shiyu and said, "This is the scene I've been dreaming of."

"You're quite the schemer, kid. I haven't even agreed yet, and you've already arranged the scene," Pei Xianglong said with a smile.

I stood up, picked up the wine on the table, opened it, and poured it full for Pei Xianglong and Old Wang before pouring my own. But I toasted Pei Xianglong first, and continued sincerely, "Tonight, I'll take advantage of this great atmosphere to call you Dad. Anyway, I'll still say the same thing: I'll work hard to earn money to support the family and prop up our home. I'll treat Pei Shiyu with a hundred percent of my love to care for her. Except for a degree, I should be okay in other aspects."

Before Pei Xianglong could react, I changed my address directly. "Dad, I toast you."

He didn't drink immediately, as if pondering whether I was exaggerating again. At this moment, Old Wang chimed in and raised his glass to Pei Xianglong. "Old Pei, let's have a drink. As long as the children like each other, that's all that matters. Lin Che is a good guy."

"That's not what I meant. I just told him when we came up that he should only say three-tenths of what he thinks, but he said it all. What if Lin Che can't do it?"

"Uncle, that's usually how people express themselves. If Lin Che said he would try his best to be good to Pei Shiyu, you might think he wasn't sincere enough, right?" Wang Rui said.

"So it seems I was wrong?" He immediately smiled when he heard it was Wang Rui speaking.

"There's no right or wrong. As long as there's love between them, that's the key."

"My daughter is right. Then I'll drink this glass of wine for now." Pei Xianglong was also quite forthright.

The dishes seemed to have been prepared in advance, and they were served quickly, one after another. Moreover, my mother personally brought them up, making the whole thing feel like she was half hostess and half restaurant manager, which confirmed what she had said before: bringing my girlfriend back wouldn't embarrass me.

Old Wang said with concern, "You should sit down and eat too. Just tell them to serve the dishes."

"I'm afraid Lin Che will be unhappy," my mother replied directly.

"Why?"

"Ask him."

After saying that, she went out again. This was purely to cause me trouble. She was afraid that Pei Shiyu and Pei Xianglong would be disgusted when she came in, but now that they were sitting down to eat together harmoniously, she still did this. She must have done it on purpose.

But after she went out, she came in again after a while and sat directly next to Old Wang.

"Lin Che, I won't interfere with other things, but you must take care of my wife. Your father-in-law and I are known as good husbands in the business world. Your mother has also stuck to this job for you. Because of this, you have to love your mother even more," Old Wang said very earnestly.

Today really wasn't a good day for me. First, there was Pei Shiyu and Pei Xianglong, and now even Old Wang was starting to lecture me, as if I was so ignorant. Or do I really have a problem with my values? I couldn't figure it out anymore, making me feel half happy and half worried tonight.

"I surrender, okay? Since this afternoon, I've been tamed three times including you. If you keep talking, I'll really lose my confidence."

Pei Shiyu, who had been silent all along, finally spoke. "You're overconfident."

I looked at her, quickly picked up the teacup, filled it with tea, and put my arm around her shoulders as if I was very considerate, saying, "You're also very tired. You've quarreled twice just this afternoon. Drink some water to moisten your mouth."

Perhaps because there were too many people present, I saw her face turn red immediately, but she didn't say anything to me, just quickly lowered her head, deliberately focusing her eyes on the tableware. I thought this was Pei Shiyu's most instinctive reaction, and I liked her like this, looking a little shy.

Actually, what I said wasn't wrong. We did quarrel twice in one afternoon, but it wasn't her fault. I was the real culprit. My eyes didn't move, and I kept looking at her from the side. Maybe after tonight, our relationship could be openly conducted. Most of the credit goes to Old Wang.

At this time, Old Wang and Pei Xianglong were drinking happily. I don't know if she forgot that she couldn't drink, or if she was trying to be brave for me. Even the person who usually controlled her didn't say anything to interfere. In my opinion, Old Wang was loyal, while the latter was a loving father. That's the only way I can understand it.

Taking advantage of the atmosphere, I planned to toast Li Rui, but before I could stand up, Wang Rui started to stop me. "You can't drink tonight. You have to drive back later. How about you and I race again?"

I looked at her strangely. This woman had switched over. Was it that she wanted to enjoy herself, or was Li Rui's alcohol tolerance too poor? I curiously looked at them...

"Don't you want to have a drink?" I asked Li Rui.

Li Rui picked up his glass and said, "If I drink, one glass is definitely not enough. My alcohol tolerance is not as good as Wang Rui's."

"Mine isn't as good as hers either."

"I've heard about it. It's said that you got drunk last time."

Perhaps because Pei Shiyu was present, Wang Rui's personality was also a little restrained today. She said she wanted to race, but her whole posture didn't look like she wanted to drink. From the time I met her, in my impression, Wang Rui rarely let her hair down, but today was different. Not only did she have long flowing hair, but she also had it done, making her look very feminine.

I drank several glasses with Li Rui. The atmosphere in the second half of the night was strange. Although we were at the same table, Old Wang and Pei Xianglong were privately talking about business matters over the years. Occasionally, they also mentioned Lin Hai's name, while my mother just sat aside listening to their speeches, being their most loyal audience. I realized from Pei Xianglong's conversation that he seemed to have come out of the shadow of losing his wife and son, because he was telling Old Wang the whole story, and he was saying it very carefully. Maybe it was because he had drunk alcohol, or maybe it was because he had met an old friend that made him open up his heart like this.

Pei Shiyu always maintained her posture, as if she didn't want to talk to Wang Rui directly. Throughout the whole process, I didn't see any interaction between them. One was her nature, and Wang Rui also seemed to have her own personality. Except for when she was talking to me, she seemed very relaxed. Other than that, she was a different person than usual.

On the surface, I kept chatting with Li Rui about happy things, but in reality, I had been secretly observing them. Of course, I hoped that they could release their enthusiasm. If they really became a family in the future, I didn't want them to be awkward when they met. The relationship between people is very subtle. If they can get along when they first meet, then the inherent impression exists. Since they've met several times and it's still like this, I think it will still take a very good opportunity to break the deadlock in the future, and it will depend on me and Li Rui to fuel the flames.