"Could be, what if he wants to be my son-in-law?" Li Daming chimed in.
Wang Yao shook her head. "Oh, give it a rest. You're not even asleep yet, and you're already having sweet dreams."
Li Daming rubbed his bald head. "Why is it just my dream? Even if that kid wanted to be my son-in-law, I'd have to think about whether I want him."
"Stop fooling around. Go wash up and get to bed," Wang Yao said, giving him a slap on the back. "You'd better drop all these underhanded little schemes of yours."
Li Daming sighed, stood up, and shuffled slowly towards the bathroom. He had already hinted this much; they couldn't blame him later.
The next morning, Wang Yao was busy in the kitchen. Li Daming glanced at her a few times. Wang Yao explained, "Xiao Ye wants to eat my homemade noodles. He says they're much better than anything from outside."
"This kid sure knows how to get on people's good side," Li Daming muttered.
Gu Ye entered the kitchen, wanting to greet Li Daming, but the other man just grunted and walked away.
Tough nut to crack. This future father-in-law is quite the delicate one.
He scratched his head. "Aunt Wang, is there anything I can help with?"
"The kitchen's no place for you. No need for you to do anything, just wait to eat," Wang Yao shooed him out of the kitchen.
With nowhere else to go, he saw Li Daming tending to the plants and lawn, watering them. Gu Ye shamelessly sidled up again.
"Uncle Li, let me help you."
"No need. Don't come and make a mess," Li Daming said, turning his body away.
Gu Ye tried hard to find a topic. "I'm thinking of buying a practical car. Are you free? Maybe you could come with me to look, give me some advice?"
"Cars are a matter of personal taste. You should buy according to your own preference," Li Daming deflected.
"What you say makes sense," Gu Ye smiled. "A friend gave me a shopping card. I have no use for it, and it's about to expire. Why don't you take it, buy some daily necessities?"
"Ah, no need. The household supplies are quite well-stocked."
"...Alright then," Gu Ye transformed into a smiling boy, standing beside him rubbing his hands. "I heard from Xiao Mo that you're an expert fisherman. A friend of mine has a pond with a good variety of quality fish, easy to catch. I wanted to try it out, but I lack company. Could you keep me company?"
Li Daming didn't answer immediately. Swinging the hose slowly, he finally spoke, "...My skills are average. Where is this pond? If it's far, I won't go."
Gu Ye: "Not far, not far. It's quite convenient by car..."
Su Yunjin stood by the window, watching her son putting on this shameless, ingratiating act. She'd truly never seen him like this before.
She turned to Gu Guofeng with a sigh. "Lao Gu, it seems the old saying is right. Love makes a man great."
"What are you talking about so early in the morning, out of the blue?" Gu Guofeng expressed his confusion.
"It's fine if you don't understand now. You'll know later," Su Yunjin said. "Xiao Ye mentioned when he came home yesterday that he plans to quit the entertainment industry. Can you see what position the company might arrange for him?"
"Really? How come this kid suddenly came around?" Gu Guofeng was surprised. "I'll have Little Xun look into it later and make an arrangement."
To win someone over, you must cater to their interests. Gu Ye had finally managed to make a date with Li Daming.
At the breakfast table, eating the familiar handmade noodles, Gu Ye rejected Gu Guofeng's proposal to join the company.
"Dad, don't worry about me. I won't join the company. I want to try making my own way."
...
When Jiang Mo learned that Gu Ye was going fishing with Li Daming, she said, "I'm worried you and my dad won't get along. I'll go with you guys then."
"No problem. Even if you don't go, I can make our dad happy," Gu Ye said. At worst, he could use the power of money. With so many fish in that pond, they were bound to catch something, unlikely to go home empty-handed.
"Are you free after work tonight? Let's have dinner, just the two of us, and go watch a movie at a private cinema?"
Jiang Mo was at the company today organizing client materials and hadn't gone out. "Hehe, sure."
Gu Ye: "Alright, I'll pick you up after work."
After dinner that night, the young couple walked hand in hand into the private cinema.
The cinema's privacy and environment were both quite good.
They were led into a private room. However, upon entering and seeing the space inside, they were stunned.
...This is a bed, right?
Is this private cinema... legit?
