"Interesting." Xie Tianyi laughed heartily, released Lin Chuan's hand, and said, "Looking at Mr. Lin's hand, you must have been smoking for many years, right?"

"That's right." Lin Chuan nodded and said, "I do smoke."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Tang's expression immediately changed. Mrs. Tang was quite an enthusiastic anti-smoking advocate. So, as soon as she heard that Lin Chuan smoked, she felt uncomfortable. Lin Chuan saw this and his heart skipped a beat. He didn't expect to fall into Xie Tianyi's trap.

"Haha..." Xie Tianyi laughed out loud and said, "Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed; no one in the Tang family smokes. Furthermore, smoking is absolutely not allowed in the Tang family. So, you'd better be careful. Don't blame me for not giving you a friendly reminder."

Lin Chuan instinctively touched the cigarettes in his pocket. However, keeping his nicotine addiction in check didn't seem to be much of a problem. Lin Chuan said with a smile, "You're overthinking. Don't worry, I won't smoke randomly. Besides, I don't have an addiction; it's purely for social occasions."

Hearing Lin Chuan's explanation, Mrs. Tang's expression softened slightly.

Xie Tianyi smiled and said, "Alright, have a good rest. I'm leaving now."

After speaking, Xie Tianyi turned and left the hall. After seeing him off, Mrs. Tang returned to Lin Chuan's side.

"Lin Chuan, I'm really sorry, but smoking is indeed not allowed in the house." Mrs. Tang looked at Lin Chuan, smiling.

"Auntie, don't worry, I won't smoke." Lin Chuan smiled and said, "Moreover, I also plan to quit smoking recently. After all, smoking is harmful to health and has a big impact on future generations."

"Right, right." Mrs. Tang nodded.

After a brief chat, Mrs. Tang stood up and left, saying with a smile before leaving, "Lin Chuan, if you need anything, just tell Uncle Liu; he'll arrange everything for you."

"Yes!" Lin Chuan nodded.

Mrs. Tang slowly left and walked upstairs.

Lin Chuan simply stood up and walked over to the nearby floor-to-ceiling window. He opened the blinds, revealing a lawn outside the window. Behind it, there were several rather old trees whose shade almost covered the lawn. Not far away, there was a large swimming pool, with blue water rippling. Beside the pool were a few deck chairs with blue towels on them, and a few large umbrellas providing shade. It looked quite pleasant.

On the lawn, two maids were clearing weeds and fallen leaves, chatting while working diligently.

At this time, Tang Yumeng came downstairs.

"Lin Chuan," Tang Yumeng asked, "what are you looking at?"

"I'm looking at your luxury house." Lin Chuan laughed.

"Luxury house, huh?" Tang Yumeng laughed and said, "Most American families live in these cozy little villas, unlike our country where everyone lives in buildings."

"True," Lin Chuan nodded and said, "but the environment in China doesn't allow it. First, there are many people in China; secondly, the mindset of us Chinese is different. Everyone wants to crowd into the city center. Americans are different; they prefer to live a bit secluded."

"Cars are common in American families," Tang Yumeng laughed and said, "so it's easy for them to get around."

"Why did you come down? How's your dad?" Lin Chuan asked.

"Sigh, my dad wants to meet you," Tang Yumeng said.

Lin Chuan was slightly taken aback and said, "Alright, an ugly wife still has to meet the in-laws, right?"

"Hehe, you're not a wife," Tang Yumeng said, holding onto Lin Chuan's arm. "Come on, I'll take you up to meet my dad. But be careful with your words; my dad is quite fierce. I'm afraid you might not handle him."

"It's alright, I've met fiercer people before." Lin Chuan laughed and said, "Those fierce ones have all been slain by me with a single blow."

"You!" Tang Yumeng glared at Lin Chuan and said, "How can you say such things?"

"Hehe..." Lin Chuan chuckled.

The stairs were covered with custom-made wool carpets from Australia, making it comfortable to walk on, soft, and giving the impression of stepping on fluffy soil.

Up on the second floor, standing in the hallway, you could see the light fixture hanging down from above. The layout on the second floor was relatively complex, with several rooms along with a bathroom and a toilet. Tang Yumeng led Lin Chuan to a room at the end of the east hallway.

The door of the room was beautiful, with deep engravings, even the door frame was made of rosewood, and it was adorned with a European-style doorhead, looking extremely exquisite. Lin Chuan smiled and said, "This door alone must cost over a hundred thousand. Truly a family of tycoons."

"Go away." Tang Yumeng glared at Lin Chuan and said, "Now your Sichuan University Group is no slouch in making money either."

Upon entering the room, a strong medicinal smell was noticeable. The aroma was heavy, and the room was decorated very simply. The surrounding walls were painted with novel diatom mud style, and a few abstract art paintings hung on the walls. The room was large, with a dark wood floor. The lighting in the room was very bright, with a huge floor-to-ceiling window on the entire eastern side, leading to a lighting platform outside.

In the room, on a bed measuring 1.8 meters, Tang Yumeng's father was leaning against the headboard. He had a square face full of authority, sharp brows, and deep eyes. After all, he was a central big shot, a deputy national-level cadre. Having seen the world, he possessed profound depths. From the moment Lin Chuan entered the room, his eyes had been fixed on Lin Chuan, as if trying to exert pressure on him.

For an ordinary person, such pressure would have crushed them already, but not Lin Chuan.

From the moment he came in, Lin Chuan behaved very relaxed and composed. Beside him, Tang Yumeng was also smiling brightly. The father and daughter had exchanged only a few words just now, with no mention of the time five years ago when he talked of severing their father-daughter relationship. Although he had some regret inside, he did not express it. Men are creatures not good at expressing emotions, but the fact that Tang Guohua no longer argued with Tang Yumeng already showed that he regretted his words from five years ago.

"Hello, Uncle." Lin Chuan walked over and politely smiled.

"Hello." Tang Guohua was not rude, which let Tang Yumeng breathe a sigh of relief. Tang Yumeng quickly said, "Dad, he... he's Lin Chuan, my... my fiancé!"

"Hmm." Tang Guohua still showed no big reaction, merely curiously scrutinizing Lin Chuan.

Tang Yumeng was somewhat thrilled inside, thinking that her father had likely acknowledged Lin Chuan's status. However, she seemed a bit off in her judgment. Tang Guohua smiled at Lin Chuan and said, "Young man, I've heard about you. You've saved Yumeng's life several times. I wish to thank you. However, thanking you doesn't mean marrying my daughter off to you..."

"Dad!" Tang Yumeng grew anxious.

"Let me finish." Tang Guohua seriously looked at Tang Yumeng and said, "As long as he can satisfactorily answer my upcoming questions, I will agree to your relationship with him."

"What... what questions?" Tang Yumeng asked.

"Originally, I had a son and daughter, but my son died unexpectedly." Tang Guohua spoke with sadness, sighed, and continued, "So, the Tang family must have someone to inherit it. I am the eldest of the Tang family, Tang Hao was the eldest grandson of the Tang family. Now that the eldest grandson is gone, I hope my daughter can find someone I and the family are satisfied with. Only then can I persuade the family to let the son-in-law take over the family business and steer the Tang family."

"Dad, why must our family manage the Tang family?" Tang Yumeng spoke up, "I have three uncles and five male cousins. Why can't they take over the Tang family?"

"Of course not!" Tang Guohua reprimanded, "The Tang family is the empire I've built from scratch. How can it be handed over to others? I've convinced the family head, and as long as a suitable son-in-law is found, the head will entrust the management of the family to me. Then, I will pass this responsibility to my son-in-law."

"Dad, you've worked hard all your life, why continue to toil?" Tang Yumeng said helplessly, "Besides, even if you fight for the family's interests, you shouldn't involve my happiness?"

"Your marriage is related to the family's interests." Tang Guohua laughed.

Just as Tang Yumeng was helpless, Lin Chuan spoke up, "Uncle, regarding your question, I'm probably not the person you're looking to choose."

Just when everyone was disappointed, Lin Chuan immediately added, "However, I do have a very good suggestion to offer."

"Speak!" Tang Guohua immediately responded.

"Actually, Xiao Yu and I are genuinely in love." Lin Chuan said, "I believe I can give her happiness. As an ancient saying goes, 'It's better to dismantle ten temples than break up one marriage.' So, I feel you could let us be together. As for the family business, why not wait until I and Tang Yumeng's child can fulfill it? In the future, once you have a grandchild, you can train him according to your ideal person. You can send him to study abroad, pursue an MBA, and make him any kind of talent to take over the family business. This is much better than searching everywhere for a suitable candidate who isn't a suitable son-in-law, right?"

Lin Chuan's words immediately made Tang Yumeng blush with happiness. She pinched Lin Chuan's arm, her face turning red.

However, Lin Chuan's suggestion indeed sparked some thoughts in Tang Guohua.

But Tang Guohua immediately shook his head and said, "I'm afraid... I'm afraid my body won't wait."

"What are you saying!" Mrs. Tang beside him gave him a glare and then said, "Why wouldn't it wait? Your health is fine, and the doctor already said that as long as you recuperate well, you will recover sooner or later. This time you had acute pneumonia, not some severe illness. What are you worried about?"

"Don't I know my own body?" Tang Guohua sighed and said, "High blood pressure, diabetes, now pneumonia too, was almost at death's door."

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