124: The rest is up to you

That exclamation of "Ah" came from Li Shanhai's mouth: "You're bringing a man home for dinner!"

"I already said I'm bringing a friend home for dinner. It's definitely either a man or a woman. With a fifty-fifty chance, is there really any need to act so surprised?"

Li Shanhai retorted: "Is there not?"

"Tsk!" Wang Lijuan glared fiercely at Li Shanhai: "If Mengyao is bringing a man home for dinner, how does that concern you!"

Li Mengyao's family was a typical example of the husband handling external affairs and the wife managing the household.

Having been married for so many years, from starting their business to establishing the current Poyun Group, Wang Lijuan had never once made Li Shanhai lose face in front of others, always putting him first in everything.

But when it came to all the trivial matters at home, Wang Lijuan had the final say. Li Shanhai, likewise, did not have any chauvinistic tendencies, nor did he feel that he had to be the one in charge at home.

This was the tacit understanding and lifestyle that the married couple had cultivated over many years.

Now, after being glared at by Wang Lijuan, Li Shanhai instantly fell silent, honestly venting his frustration on the food in his bowl.

Seeing her husband settle down, Wang Lijuan changed her expression as if flipping a book, immediately switching to a kind and gentle smile:

"What does this male... male friend of yours do for a living?"

"He works in the antique industry, but he doesn't have a family background, so he has to rely on himself. Right now, he still relies on his eye for finding goods and then earning the price difference; you could say he's starting his own business."

"Starting a business while young is quite good. Otherwise, if you wait until you're a certain age to leave the corporate world and start a business, you might not have the drive for it anymore."

Wang Lijuan didn't have any objections to the "no family background" part.

When she first got together with Li Shanhai, wasn't Li Shanhai also penniless? It wasn't until later that he struck it rich and built the Poyun Group step by step.

It didn't matter if a young person had no background, as long as they were motivated and willing to work hard, they would succeed sooner or later.

Even if they lacked a bit of luck, she could just make up for it for him.

The most important thing was that he had to be upright, have good character, and be even better to her daughter.

Li Shanhai ate his meal, but still couldn't help but say: "The waters in the antique industry are very deep. Even many who have been playing for half their lives can be set up by others. For a young person like him to be struggling in the industry, the risks are not small."

"I have also warned him to be careful about getting scammed, but his talent in this area is quite good. Even the father and son, the owners of Bowen Antique Shop, speak highly of him."

Li Mengyao seized the opportunity to bring up the matter of the layered painting: "At the end of last month for your birthday, didn't I give you two paintings and calligraphy works, and say that the small painting was opened from inside the large painting?"

"The interlayer of that large painting was actually something he discovered to be suspicious. After buying the painting, he had Boss Wan help him contact a mounting expert, and only then did they discover the small painting hidden inside."

"Was it discovered by this friend of yours?" Li Shanhai asked suspiciously: "Didn't you say last time that the two paintings were bought back from Bowen Antique Shop?"

Li Mengyao had a flash of inspiration and followed Li Shanhai's words to make up the rest:

"Boss Wan was also present during the mounting process, so after opening the painting, he just sold both paintings to the antique shop. I only found out that he had sold the paintings to the antique shop first after I had already bought them."

Li Mengyao feigned a sigh: "If I had known about this earlier, I would have just taken his painting directly, and wouldn't have had to let the antique shop make a profit."

Li Shanhai had originally still been suspicious that the matter of the layered painting was made up by Li Mengyao's "friend" specifically to deceive them, father and daughter.

Now, hearing Li Mengyao bring out Wan Bowen as a witness, and saying that the painting had indeed passed through Wan Bowen's hands, Li Shanhai finally dispelled his doubts.

Wang Lijuan knew that the difficulty of opening a layered painting was extremely high, which also proved that her daughter's friend truly had real ability. This made her even happier, and she even put down her rice bowl:

"It seems this friend of yours has quite a connection with you and your dad. Even when you pick something randomly, you can just happen to pick the paintings he sold."

"I also think it's quite a coincidence. Even when I mentioned to him that I wanted to buy two bottles of aged Moutai to give to Dad as a birthday gift, he happened to have exactly two bottles of thirty-year-old Moutai in his collection."

As soon as Li Shanhai heard "Moutai", he immediately became interested: "Those two bottles of wine were also given by him?"

Li Shanhai didn't have the thought of being reluctant to drink the Moutai his daughter gave him.

Usually, Wang Lijuan watched him closely, and he could only sneak a few drinks.

Having received the aged Moutai from Li Mengyao for his birthday, he naturally had to take the opportunity to open it and taste a few sips.

With his decades of drinking experience, he could naturally tell that this Moutai was stored very well. It must have not been moved by anyone for a very long time to be able to settle into that aged soy sauce aroma.

He didn't expect that this was also found by that friend. In that case, could he secretly ask him to get a few more bottles later?

"Did you pay your friend for the Moutai?" Wang Lijuan urged Li Mengyao:

"You just said it yourself, he is still in the startup phase, and earning money must not be easy. Our family isn't short of money for a few bottles of Moutai, so you must remember to pay him."

"I know, I paid him." Li Mengyao looked at her mom helplessly.

She hadn't even met the person yet, so why was she already starting to side with an outsider?

"It's good that you know to pay him." Wang Lijuan couldn't help but complain to Li Mengyao again: "You really are something. You've been dating a boyfriend for so long, why are you only now saying you're going to bring him home for your dad and me to meet?"

From beginning to end, Li Mengyao only said she was bringing a friend home, but Wang Lijuan and her husband had already determined that the person their daughter was bringing back was her boyfriend.

"Last time he helped me find the documents, I said I wanted to bring him to meet you both, but he was worried that the difference in our family backgrounds was too great and didn't dare to come over. It took me persuading him several times before he dared to come."

"That silly child, our house isn't some deep palace courtyard, what is there to be afraid of?"

"He was the one who helped find the company documents too?"

Li Shanhai and his wife had different reactions to Li Mengyao's words.

Then Wang Lijuan also realized that the person who was said to have helped find the company documents last time was actually her daughter's boyfriend.

The couple exchanged a tacit glance, both thinking of the time their daughter couldn't help but smile when mentioning that friend during dinner last time.

I knew it, it turns out all of this had clues long ago.

It seems that their daughter really has a connection with this boyfriend. No wonder he was able to move their daughter and make her willing to bring someone home for the first time.

"Yes." Li Mengyao didn't forget to urge the two of them: "So since it's his first time visiting tomorrow, you two shouldn't make things too difficult for him."

Ye Su, I can only lay the groundwork up to here; the rest depends on your performance tomorrow!

"What, in your eyes, are your dad and I so unreasonable that you think because his background isn't as good as yours, we'd be like the parents in TV dramas, insisting on breaking you two up?"

"Of course not." Li Mengyao started acting spoiled towards her mom: "I was just saying it casually, I didn't mean it like that."

"Fine, whatever." Wang Lijuan looked at Li Mengyao with doting eyes.

She was already twenty-seven this year, but facing her daughter's spoiled behavior, she still had absolutely no way to deal with it.

"Eat."