269: Chapter 269 Heartfelt Pleasure

Ruan Shan had served in the military when he was young. After being discharged, he started a business in outdoor activities. It wasn't exactly a massive enterprise, but he had some wealth. It could be said that Ruan Xingyu had never known want since she was a child.

He was handsome and fit; although he was in his fifties, he looked only in his forties. Wealthy, with a loving and beautiful wife, and a superstar daughter—his family life was happy and fulfilling. This was Ruan Shan's current situation.

Many of his old comrades had long since let themselves go, but he had kept up the good habit of exercising. He was a very disciplined man.

How did that saying go? Discipline brings freedom. Ruan Shan was essentially a practitioner of that very mantra.

People who are disciplined also appreciate others who share that same discipline, viewing it as a vital quality. If it were just some random person, he wouldn't care. But because it was his daughter's boyfriend, he naturally scrutinized him a bit more.

What Chen Wanyi didn't know was that when Ruan Shan first heard her say their precious daughter had a boyfriend, he immediately did a deep dive into all of Lin Chuyan's personal information.

Chen Wanyi had met Lin Chuyan once, and her impression seemed quite good. That was a good sign; it was a good start. But as a protective father, he certainly had to investigate for himself.

He didn't know until he looked into it. Good heavens, once he started digging, from Lin Chuyan's early days on talent shows to his later return to Singing and acting, and even his online spats with Haters... it was hard to say, really hard to say.

If you said he wasn't good, he managed to get back on his feet. If you said he was good, well, he was still quite a bit behind his own daughter, wasn't he?

Naturally, he wouldn't rush to a conclusion. He understood Ruan Xingyu's situation well; she hadn't just liked any random guy for all these years. Based on his trust in his daughter's judgment, he was willing to keep observing.

Then, as Lin Chuyan became more and more popular, he had access to more information. Gradually, this observation turned into appreciation.

This guy really seemed to have climbed back up step by step through his own efforts, hadn't he? And he was doing better and better—so well that it was hard to believe.

Falling isn't scary; what's scary is failing to get back up. In his eyes, someone who can stand up again is equally remarkable. In fact, having experienced setbacks was, in his view, a plus.

By this time, he couldn't sit still anymore—since he seemed fine, he might as well invite him over to the house to sit and have a proper chat. He only had one daughter, and this old father was simply too worried.

The meal was simple home cooking. Chen Wanyi's culinary skills weren't exactly expert level, but she had thoughtfully made a big pot of pork rib and corn soup, very much catering to Lin Chuyan's tastes as someone from Guangdong Province.

"Xiao Yan, come, let me ladle you another bowl of soup."

"Thank you, Auntie, I can do it myself."

"Xiao Yan, your Mandarin is really good; I can't hear any accent."

"Mm, well, as an actor, it's basic training. Lines are very important."

"I've seen your dramas. It's rare to have such acting skills at your age."

"Thank you, Auntie. Haha, it's just that the characters I play are a bit annoying, haha."

It was a bit awkward to be asked about a role right to his face. Lin Chuyan immediately thought of the murderer in "the hovering blade"... Many viewers couldn't separate the actor from the role, but fortunately, the two elders before him didn't seem like that kind of people.

Fortunately, Chen Wanyi didn't continue talking about the role: "Are you busy later, Xiao Yan?"

Lin Chuyan nodded while swallowing his food, then continued his answer: "A bit. Next month, which is to say the day after tomorrow, I have to go back to filming. The month after that, a movie I filmed in Hong Kong is being released, and I have to go on a promotional tour. Then there's a new album to release, and after that, it's the Spring Festival Movie Season movie, which also needs promotion. During this time, I'll likely also be recording an interview show for CCTV, though the specific time hasn't been set yet."

It was still a bit difficult for him to focus without being disturbed by the outside world right now; Wu Yue's phone had been ringing off the hook, as there were simply too many media outlets wanting to interview him.

Wu Yue had turned down everything he could, but there was one he couldn't refuse—and, of course, he hadn't wanted to—CCTV's "dreamer" had come knocking.

It aired on the CCTV general channel and was the kind of household-name program that broadcast every Monday at 9 PM.

Ruan Shan didn't say much more, just nodded: "It's a good thing for young people to be busy."

"Yes, my parents say the same thing."

"How is your parents' health?" Ruan Shan had probably searched online and knew that Lin Zhiyuan had been ill before.

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle. They are both doing quite well now, and they are even planning to go on a trip together."

"Is your teacher in good health too?" Lin Chuyan nodded: "Master Li is the same; he's recuperating very well. His condition has been excellent since his comeback, and he's currently filming the 'Creation of the Gods' trilogy. I asked him a few days ago, and he said it's almost wrapped up."

Ruan Shan could be considered a fan of Li Mujian. Naturally, it wasn't the way young girls chased after Lin Chuyan today, but rather an appreciation for an old artist from the bottom of his heart.

To be honest, part of his positive impression of Lin Chuyan also stemmed from this: Master Li had only taken two people under his wing, and Lin Chuyan was his final disciple. His character couldn't possibly be bad, right?

Furthermore, when he saw some of the slander and abuse online, he had a filter in his heart: popularity brings controversy; it would be strange if no one was cursing him. His own daughter had achieved so much, and wasn't she also cursed by many? It was good that Xiao Yan retorted; who said one had to obediently take the abuse? Being able to retort showed he was sharp and quick-witted.

Another part of his good impression was because Lin Chuyan was truly showing off his affection... Sometimes Ruan Shan would look at it with a "confused old man on the subway" face, but sometimes he also felt a bit comforted—this kid seemed to be genuinely good to his daughter and very attentive.

As they chatted, Ruan Shan's interest grew: "Xiao Yan, want a drink?"

Lin Chuyan naturally wouldn't refuse: "Sure."

Ruan Xingyu raised her hand from the side: "Give me some too."

Lin Chuyan took the initiative to ladle her another bowl of soup: "You should drink this; it tastes much better than alcohol."

Chen Wanyi and Ruan Shan looked at each other simultaneously and smiled. It was good that he didn't let their girl drink. But the fact that he didn't say it directly, and instead coaxed her, was even better.

Although they said they were drinking, they didn't actually drink much. There were no scenes of testing each other's character through alcohol; Ruan Shan was genuinely in a good mood, so he pulled Lin Chuyan over to have a few small cups of white spirit.

After a few cups went down, without anyone saying anything, he put the liquor away. He wasn't greedy for the drink.

Ruan Xingyu looked at her dad, then at her boyfriend, and realized these two were getting along quite well. They talked about work, future career plans, and even fitness... Feeling great, she even took the initiative to add a bit more rice to her bowl.

After they had eaten their fill, the four of them moved to the living room to sit. The news broadcast was on TV at the moment, and the few of them just let it play as background noise. While Chen Wanyi was busy making tea, Ruan Xingyu started to claim credit for her boyfriend: "Dad, let me show you the gift; there's a surprise."

She took the initiative to bring over the gifts and started pulling them out one by one. Lin Chuyan had indeed prepared well.

He had discussed it with Wen Qi, and then put his own effort into it on that basis. Wen Qi said both elders were quite attentive to daily health, so he had selected some health supplements like deep-sea fish oil, multivitamins, and lycopene.

Wen Qi said Chen Wanyi liked drinking tea, so he consulted Zhang Wentang. Under his senior brother's recommendation, he bought some good tea—some were the kind Chen Wanyi drank daily, and some were ones Wen Qi had never bought before, which he added in as well.

Furthermore, some clothes given by Vogartis were also used as a gift to borrow flowers to offer to Buddha. This brand was already a great fit for successful middle-aged men like Ruan Shan, and considering he was in good shape, it was even more suitable.

Wen Qi said Ruan Shan liked calligraphy and painting, and also liked his teacher, Li Mujian—what a coincidence, right? The old master really did have a talent for calligraphy. Back in the day, when he played the role of Song Jiang in "Water Margin," he wrote the rebellious poem on Xunyang Tower, writing it entirely without obstruction. Although he wasn't some famous master, his level of calligraphy was truly rare.

Lin Chuyan then asked his teacher for a piece of calligraphy. Li Mujian asked for the name of his disciple's future father-in-law and soon mailed him the completed calligraphy work.

At this moment, hearing that this was calligraphy personally written by Master Li, Ruan Shan was a little excited. He slowly opened it. Inside were eight characters: Heart clear as water, ambition firm as a mountain.

The transitions were natural, without any hint of artifice, and it was very pleasing to the eye, fitting the meaning of the eight characters perfectly. Finally, he added the inscription: Written in the autumn month, Li Mujian writes this as a gift for Mr. Ruan Shan's refined appreciation.

"Good, good, very good! Xiao Yan, thank you, I like it very much. Ah, it's really good. Remember to thank Master Li for me."

Ruan Shan looked at these characters again and again, scrutinizing them over and over; he seemed to be already thinking about where to find a good spot to hang them. It was solid; this time it was truly solid. What do you call this? This is called hitting the future father-in-law's sweet spot with a gift.