"Uncle, hello."

After chatting and laughing with his mother-in-law, Ye Chen then tried to ingratiate himself with his father-in-law.

"Hmm, I'm fine. My health is excellent, and I enjoy every meal—I don't need your concern," Zhang Shoufu said indifferently, as if he wasn't keen to engage with Ye Chen.

"Oh no!" Zhang Xinlan thought to herself that something was amiss.

Ye Chen had grown up in the countryside and his parents had passed away early; Zhang Shoufu believed Ye Chen didn't have a promising future, so he was lukewarm towards him.

"Zhang, how can you speak like that!" Ms Zhang chided her husband. "Ye Chen is a child we've watched grow up, and now he's Xinlan's boyfriend. What kind of attitude is that!"

"Hmph, I just can't accept it—my daughter finding herself a man younger than her, and just a doctor at that!" Zhang Shoufu said firmly.

"..."

The dissatisfaction from Zhang Shoufu was instantly clear to Ye Chen, and he realized he was being looked down upon...

"You!" Wang Liyun was so angry she ground her teeth. "You stubborn mule."

"Ye Chen, my father is like this because he cares about me, don't be angry," Xinlan glanced at Ye Chen, her words tinged with consolation.

Zhang Shoufu wasn't malicious by nature, but he was somewhat power-hungry. Having lived in the city for so many years, his competitive mindset had intensified, and he didn't want Xinlan to end up with a man who was going nowhere.

"Haha, Ye Chen, Mr. Zhang doesn't like you as his son-in-law!" Liu Shihua saw Ye Chen at a disadvantage and couldn't help feeling a bit of schadenfreude. "Ye Chen, you should quickly wake up my father, I'm sure he will like you!"

"Yes, yes! That Ye Chen, you should follow Shihua and wake up Mr. Liu—that's the important thing," Zhang Shoufu said eagerly.

"Uh, alright then." Ye Chen smiled helplessly.

Being given the cold shoulder by his father-in-law made Ye Chen very puzzled and he couldn't understand why Zhang Shoufu disapproved of him.

However, it was a relief that Ye Chen didn't have just one father-in-law... Nowadays, without two or three fathers-in-law, one would be embarrassed to step out the door!

Liu Shihua led Ye Chen into the sickroom, and seeing this scene, Xinlan inevitably felt uncomfortable.

Xinlan had brought Ye Chen home to meet her parents, thinking it would be a joyous occasion, but she didn't expect such a turn of events, giving Shihua the opportunity to step in.

"Dad, Ye Chen is my boyfriend now, how can you treat him like this!" Xinlan began to express her dissatisfaction with her father.

"Daughter, everything I do is for your own good!" Zhang Shoufu said earnestly. "Ye Chen came from the countryside, his parents are long gone, in this big city he has no backing—how much can he achieve in his lifetime?"

"You, you, you, how do you know he won't achieve anything?" Xinlan was frantic. "Ye Chen is excellent, better than anyone!"

Ye Chen was unassuming yet extraordinarily capable, like a true dragon lurking in the abyss. He seemed harmless, but possessed untold terror!

Xinlan wouldn't allow anyone to mistake Ye Chen's wisdom for mediocrity—not even if that person was her father.

"Daughter, listen to me first!" Zhang Shoufu sighed. "Your mother and I have only you as our child, and you are our only pride!"

"Xinlan, you're a strong woman, and with such a successful career, you should look for a true dragon among men. Ye Chen is not worthy of you!" Zhang Shoufu just thought Ye Chen was good-for-nothing.

"Zhang Shoufu, you country pumpkin, what do you know? I think Ye Chen is quite good, polite and has a temperament, and his conversation is anything but ordinary. He's definitely a noteworthy person!" Wang Liyun, seeing Mr. Zhang deliberately belittle Ye Chen, was also somewhat angry. She thought Ye Chen was a pretty good young man and well-understood.

"Dad's wrong, Mom's right!" Zhang Xinlan clung to her mother's arm, wanting to protest her father's words.

Wang Liyun was a wise woman, unlike the stubborn mule that was Zhang Shoufu.

"Right my ass!" Zhang Shoufu glared as he spoke. "Xinlan, I ask you, is Ye Chen a doctor or not?"

"A doctor?" Zhang Xinlan pondered. "He's kind of a doctor, but although he is highly skilled in medicine, he doesn't often treat people."

"A doctor who doesn't treat people, what kind of doctor is that?" Zhang Shoufu sneered. "If Ye Chen were a doctor, I'd give him serious consideration, but it seems now he's not serious about his work and he's unreliable. Such a man will have no prospects; I disapprove of your relationship!"

"Dad, you—"

Zhang Xinlan stopped mid-sentence, wanting to defend Ye Chen, but she also knew her father was too narrow-minded to understand the likes of Ye Chen.

"A few years ago, an actor pursued you, his prospects weren't bad either; endorsing an advertisement, he could earn millions, and he pursued you all the way to our home. I thought that lad was all slicked up and just a man from the entertainment industry, so I chased him away with a rolling pin. I felt he wasn't worthy of you!" Zhang Shoufu boasted. "Last year, there was also a wealthy businessman after you, definitely a rich man with assets worth hundreds of millions. But he was older than you and had been divorced, so I didn't agree to it either!"

"..."

"My dear daughter, I'm so strict because I want you to be happy in the future!" said Zhang Shoufu. "I am Zhang Shoufu, and you, my daughter, are the greatest blessing of my life. I have to protect you well, otherwise there would be no meaning to my life!"

Zhang Xinlan's expression softened, knowing her father cherished and loved her, but Ye Chen was being so wrongly accused...

"This lad Ye Chen looks alright, and he doesn't have an air of impatience about him, such young people are truly rare these days. If you had shown a calm demeanor, I would definitely be happy about you being together!" Zhang Shoufu said with a look of melancholy. "But Xinlan, you are a strong woman now, earning millions, even tens of millions a year. To marry a doctor, I feel distressed for you, afraid that you will suffer!"

Zhang Shoufu's reason for disliking Ye Chen was simple: he felt Ye Chen was neither wealthy nor had any prospect of becoming wealthy, and he was afraid Zhang Xinlan would suffer if she married Ye Chen.

"Who told you Ye Chen is poor? Ye Chen is very rich, richer than anyone!" Zhang Xinlan looked at her father and said very earnestly, hoping her sincerity would enlighten him.

"Don't try to fool me. He's just a kid from the countryside, an orphan with no parents, how much money could he possibly have?" Zhang Shoufu didn't believe Zhang Xinlan's words. In his eyes, his daughter was seeing a Xishi in her lover's eyes, trying to lie to get his approval for their relationship.

"..." Hearing her father's words, Zhang Xinlan felt quite choked up on behalf of Ye Chen. Good girl Zhang Xinlan felt for the first time that her father was too hateful.

"Mom, what do you think?" Zhang Xinlan looked towards her wise mother.

"Initially, I thought Ye Chen was a good kid, but now that your dad has spoken, I also think your father is considering this correctly!" said Wang Liyun.

Zhang Xinlan's expression stiffened.

"Xinlan, you're our treasure. We can't stand to see you live in poverty or have a hard life!" sighed Wang Liyun. "My good daughter, let's put aside your relationship with Ye Chen for a while. I want to observe him a bit more."

The quick change in her mother's attitude left Zhang Xinlan somewhat in disbelief. Was this still her wise mother?

"Xinlan, Ye Chen is a good-looking young man, and it's his prime time for vitality. You haven't done that thing with him, have you?" Zhang Shoufu seemed to remember something and looked at Zhang Xinlan with some nervousness.

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