Chapter 99 - 94: In the Bag
After the incident with that kid from the Sun Family, Ni Guangli had learned his lesson.
When picking a son-in-law, you can’t just look at whether the father is a good man. What matters most is whether the son-in-law himself is a good man.
Once he understood this, he started paying attention to the young men from families of comparable social standing.
’This one’s too ugly, he’s out. That one fools around, no way. This one’s mother is a handful, not even a consideration. That one’s father has an illegitimate child—the moment he kicks the bucket, the inheritance will be a total mess...’
He scrutinized them all with his picky gaze, but not a single one managed to win his approval.
Fortunately, when one door closes, another opens. Although his daughter’s lifelong happiness was still up in the air, his business was booming!
The previous order had been completed. That boss, Sang, had said their product quality was excellent and was planning to place another order—this time for charitable supplies to be sent to an orphanage.
’Ah, these big bosses! They deserve to make big money! They’re such good people!’
The Ni family also had a tradition of doing good deeds, though mostly on a smaller scale, like handing out congee during the Winter Solstice or delivering meals to welfare centers on Children’s Day. It was nothing compared to this Boss Sang, but they could still be considered a family that accumulated good karma.
He had always believed that his smooth-sailing business over the years was partly due to the principle of "good deeds are rewarded."
With business coming to his door—especially for a charitable cause—Ni Guangli naturally had no reason to refuse. He even proactively offered a significant discount.
Because the order was quite large and the deadline was tight, President Sang was concerned the factory might not be able to deliver on time and requested a site inspection. Ni Guangli agreed.
He was in the food and beverage industry, so he certainly understood the importance of food safety. His factory had nothing to fear from an inspection.
Early that morning, Ni Guangli first went to his restaurant to get the soup simmering. He then instructed his young apprentice to prep the ingredients so he could cook them himself upon his return, and only then did he head to the airport with his men.
For this major order, Ni Guangli was pulling out all the stops. Not only would he personally cook for the client, but he was also picking him up from the airport himself.
He was filled with passion for making money these days.
The Ni family was already very wealthy, but what could he do? He was raising a daughter and was afraid she would be wronged after getting married.
With the precedent of Jiang Sheng, no amount of money he earned felt like enough right now.
The Ni family’s driver was a tall man. Ni Guangli had him hold a sign up high, with Sang Yuan’s name written on it.
As the flight arrived, he stood on his tiptoes, craning his neck until it ached. Finally, he saw a young man with an extraordinary air leading a group of people in their direction.
They had gotten along very well chatting on WeChat, and Ni Guangli had assumed they were peers. He never expected to meet in person and discover the other man was so young.
He had been so obsessed with picking a son-in-law lately that he was practically going mad. The moment Ni Guangli saw Sang Yuan, he couldn’t help but think, ’How wonderful would it be if this young man were my son-in-law!’
He was so handsome and had such an outstanding presence. When a crowd of people emerged, no matter who you were, your eyes would be drawn to him first.
He was capable and had a good eye for business. Not only was his own career flourishing, but just a few casual pointers from him had opened up several new avenues for Ni Guangli to make money.
He was kind-hearted, treating not only his own employees well but also showing great compassion by giving back to society after earning his fortune.
He was mature and experienced in his work, completely lacking the recklessness and naivety of a young hothead.
Most importantly, he was well-mannered in conversation and knew how to show respect.
Sometimes, when Ni Guangli slipped up and said something inappropriate, the young man was adept at saving his face. He really had a very considerate personality...
Oh my!
He really has so many good qualities!
Oh my!
The more I look at him, the more I like him; the more I think about it, the better he seems!
’A pity. A man this outstanding, even if he’s not married, most likely has a girlfriend.’
’Since I have a daughter of marriageable age, it wouldn’t be appropriate to ask if he’s single.’
’This meeting is for business. It’s not the right occasion, and our relationship isn’t at that stage yet.’
’Besides, I don’t know him well enough yet. With the cautionary tale of Sun Yaowei right there, it’s best to be cautious.’
Ni Guangli suppressed his excitement and walked forward with a smile.
Seeing the man’s eyes light up as he looked at him, Sang Yuan’s anxious heart immediately settled.
Just as he understood his wife, he also understood his father-in-law.
Although his temper could be volatile at times, he was an incredibly kind person. Once you earned his approval, he would shower you with affection.
The most crucial part was that, unlike his wife, his father-in-law was not indifferent to looks.
His father-in-law was a sucker for a pretty face. His favorability toward good-looking people would shoot right up.
It hadn’t been a waste to get his hair styled before coming.
The blind date incident from a couple of days ago had also served as a reminder.
His father-in-law’s whims came and went. If he didn’t resolve this for him, it could easily spoil things.
"Hello, hello! Are you President Sang Yuan?"
"Hello, hello, I’m Sang Yuan. Might you be Boss Ni of Guangyan Food?"
"Yes, yes! A pleasure to meet you!"
"Thank you for coming all this way to pick me up. You’re too kind!"
After meeting, the two exchanged a few pleasantries, introduced their respective entourages, and then got in the car, heading straight for the Guangyuan Food Factory.
Ni Guangli was a seasoned businessman. Everything in his factory, from the sanitation to the workers’ morale, was impeccably maintained. The production line was state-of-the-art, the workshops were sterile, and the production process was highly standardized. It was all very reassuring to see.
His father-in-law was a thorough man, and Sang Yuan had complete confidence in him. The real purpose of this trip was never about the inspection anyway.
But Ni Guangli didn’t know that! He was on high alert the entire time.
The group toured the factory, with Sang Yuan leading his people on a very formal-looking and serious inspection.
Seeing how detailed their questions were, Ni Guangli’s answers were equally cautious.
When Sang Yuan finally agreed to sign the contract, Ni Guangli couldn’t help but breathe a secret sigh of relief.
’This President Sang is no pushover!’
’My daughter is too naive; she’d be no match for him. Better not to even think about it.’
’It’s a mismatch of status. The more outstanding he is, the more I should stay away!’
Sang Yuan’s two lifetimes combined weren’t as long as Ni Guangli’s one. Furthermore, Ni Guangli was a chef whose mental fortitude had been honed since childhood, day after day, by shredding potatoes. Sang Yuan really couldn’t see through what he was thinking.
From Sang Yuan’s perspective, with the contract signed and a large sum of money coming in, his father-in-law was looking more benevolent than ever. He had even put on his chef’s uniform to cook personally. Surely, he couldn’t be more satisfied with him!
As one delicious dish after another was served, Sang Yuan couldn’t help but sigh. ’These good days probably won’t last much longer!’
Once they were married and had kids, unless the children came to visit, his father-in-law would definitely be the one sitting at the table waiting to be served.
In his father-in-law’s own words: "You have a daughter too. In the future, if your son-in-law comes over and just sits there waiting to eat while you, an old man, are busy in the kitchen, would you be happy about it?"
’Ah, it feels so good to be the guest of honor~’
Afraid his petty father-in-law might hold a grudge later, he didn’t dare get too smug, despite feeling pleased. No matter what Ni Guangli said, he remained perfectly polite.
For a time, a delightful time was had by all.
After a few rounds of drinks and several courses, it was time for sipping wine and building rapport.
Sang Yuan had had a fair bit to drink. As they chatted, he acted like he was getting emotional and started to complain to Ni Guangli:
"Sigh! My family is pushing me so hard to get married! I was so busy with my career these past few years that I never had time to find a partner. And now it’s almost the end of the year, isn’t it? My mom said if I don’t find a girlfriend, I shouldn’t even bother coming home. If I could find one, why wouldn’t I? Aih!"
Ni Guangli had been wondering why he would ignore his company’s main business to run all the way out here for a mere twenty-million-yuan contract. Now it all made sense.
He was trying to escape the nagging at home and get some peace and quiet.
’I’ve been there myself.’
Ni Guangli said, "I was almost 40 when I got married, and my family was pushing me like crazy too! But if fate hasn’t arrived, there’s no use in rushing. And when it does arrive, you can’t escape it even if you try!"
Sang Yuan, acting drunk, poured out his troubles to him.
"Uncle!"
He wasn’t even calling him President Ni anymore.
"I’ve finally, finally met someone who understands me! You have no idea! The richer you get, the harder it is to find someone who genuinely wants to build a life with you."
Sang Yuan was intentionally trying to get him drunk, and Ni Guangli naturally ended up drinking quite a bit as well.
One man was distressed about being pressured to marry, the other was distressed about not being able to find a good son-in-law.
And so they drunkenly chatted on! One sentence from you, one from me. Before he knew it, when Ni Guangli finally came to his senses, he had already agreed to arrange a blind date between his daughter and Sang Yuan.
The moment the words left his mouth, Ni Guangli sensed trouble and immediately pretended to be drunk, collapsing onto his apprentice with a loud "SNOOORE SNOOORE."
As the banquet ended, the apprentice carried his master home on his back to rest, while the assistant helped Sang Yuan to his guest room at the villa.
As they were walking, the boss suddenly straightened up, put his hands on his hips, and burst out laughing.
This assistant wasn’t Xiao Zhao—Xiao Zhao was still on vacation and hadn’t returned. Unaware of the inside story, he just thought his boss was drunk and acting crazy.
It took quite a bit of coaxing! He finally managed to persuade him back to his guest room to sleep.
Sang Yuan felt he had his father-in-law wrapped around his finger and went to sleep happily. But when he woke up and brought up the matter again, his father-in-law stared at him with groggy, shocked eyes:
"What? What did you say? How is that possible! Hahaha! You must have been drunk and misheard me."
Sang Yuan wanted to say, ’I was fucking pretending to be drunk, how could I have misheard?’
Ni Guangli wore a placid smile. ’Yes, you just misheard.’
"Come, come, my young friend. Your old brother here will show you a thing or two today. I’ll make you some ’bok choy in supreme broth’."
There was another round of delicious food and fine drinks. Afterward, Ni Guangli thoughtfully gifted him many local specialties and very enthusiastically saw him off at the airport.
It wasn’t until his feet were firmly back on the soil of Beijing that Sang Yuan came back to his senses. He asked his assistant, "Little Chen, tell me... did I just get played?"
How could Little Chen dare to tell the truth? He just widened his eyes and pretended not to understand. "Huh? Boss, what are you talking about?"