Chapter 166 - 157: Stopping at Nothing
The venue’s construction was finished, and all the permits had been approved. Ni Guangli was busy preparing for his own cooking variety show, so when he saw Sang Yuan appear before him looking pitiful, he couldn’t help but sigh.
"Little Sang! What’s wrong this time?"
Ever since he found out this guy wanted to be his son-in-law, he could no longer bring himself to call him "President Sang"—not even if he placed the biggest order in the world.
Sang Yuan’s eyes lit up, but he immediately suppressed his delight and let out a long sigh. "Sigh..."
’He’s clearly brought his troubles to my doorstep!’
Ni Guangli loved to joke around, so seeing Sang Yuan in this state, he couldn’t resist teasing him.
"It’s not even the end of the year. Don’t tell me you’re here to buy hot pot seasoning to hand out as Valentine’s Day gifts for your employees?"
Sang Yuan nearly choked.
’This future father-in-law of mine is getting more and more into his business. Is he really trying to squeeze in a sales pitch at every opportunity?’
"The last batch I gave them will last until the end of the year. I don’t have any plans for that at the moment."
Changing the subject, he feigned indignation. "And here I thought we were friends! I didn’t realize I was so unwelcome!"
In all fairness, the young man was a fine person. Ni Guangli quite enjoyed his company and certainly wasn’t going to let him get the wrong idea.
"It’s not that you’re unwelcome. I just saw you were in low spirits and wanted to liven things up a bit."
’Anyway, my daughter isn’t home, so there’s no need to be afraid of the little wolf showing up at my door. As long as he’s happy, he can stay for a few months for all I care! I’m not afraid of him.’
’Besides, aren’t trial marriages all the rage these days?’
’He couldn’t bear to let his daughter be at a disadvantage, so he decided he’d have to put in the hard work himself and get to know this number one son-in-law candidate a little better.’
Indeed, when Ni Guangli faced Sang Yuan now, he no longer felt that the man was out of his daughter’s league. Seeing his sincerity, he had begun to genuinely consider the possibility of marrying his daughter to him.
’We’re both big bosses with huge businesses. What’s there to be timid about!’
With a monthly revenue in the billions, Boss Ni’s confidence had completely swelled.
Money makes a man bold. That was the honest truth.
If Sang Yuan knew what was going through his mind, all his worries would likely vanish. He would just set up a few new, lucrative projects for his father-in-law. It would be that simple!
Unfortunately, the old fox’s poker face was simply too good. Sang Yuan couldn’t get a read on what he was thinking at all.
The two entered the house, talking as they went.
Sang Yuan set down his suitcase and, before Ni Guangli could pour him a glass of water, went and brewed a pot of the jasmine tea his future father-in-law often drank.
They both sat down. Once the tea leaves had unfurled and the brew was fragrant, Sang Yuan deftly poured a cup for his future father-in-law and one for himself, acting completely at home.
Seeing how comfortable Sang Yuan was in his home, as if he’d been there a hundred times, even knowing where to find the tea in the drawer, Ni Guangli couldn’t help but be secretly amazed. ’It’s like... we’re destined to be family!’
With this thought in mind, he found himself studying Sang Yuan with even greater scrutiny.
Sang Yuan, however, didn’t notice the old fox’s change of heart and continued his performance.
"I’ve been feeling under the weather recently. I want to get a physical, but I’m too scared to go... Sigh. My parents only have one son, and I haven’t even gotten married yet..."
The truth was, he had come this time because, after returning from the Northeast, he’d been tossing and turning at night, which had reminded him of something.
In his past life, after he and Ni Bingyan were married, there was one time when he and his father-in-law were drinking and getting tipsy, and the old man had said—
"A couple of years ago, I had surgery for a kidney stone, and man, was it hell. The stone was massive—as big as a peanut. If they’d found it earlier, it probably wouldn’t have been so painful."
And so, he had cooked up an excuse to come and trick his future father-in-law into going to the hospital for a check-up.
’Rather than trying to scheme against his sharp-witted fiancée, it was better to be a good, filial son-in-law to her father. Bingyan is a dutiful daughter; pleasing her dad is definitely more effective than trying to please her directly.’
He said it in a way that made it sound like he had a terminal illness, and Ni Guangli’s heart dropped.
’How careless of me! I completely forgot about something so important!’
’It’s crucial to get him a physical before he officially becomes my son-in-law. If there’s something wrong with his health, then no matter how great he is, it’s a no-go!’
For the sake of his daughter’s happiness, Ni Guangli—a man who despised hospitals more than anything—decided to bite the bullet.
"What is there to be scared of? I happen to be free tomorrow, so I’ll go with you! I know a specialist at Huaxi. Just a moment, I’ll contact a friend. We’ll go first thing in the morning and get a proper, thorough examination!"
Ni Guangli thought, ’I’ll take you to Huaxi tomorrow. Even if it’s some incurable disease, we can at least put up a fight. We’ve got the money, so there’s nothing to fear!’
’It’s not every day you find such a promising son-in-law candidate. I have to take good care of him.’
’For him, I’m even willing to swallow my pride and call in some favors!’
Sang Yuan hadn’t made an appointment himself, figuring that his future father-in-law was a local bigwig. Letting him arrange it would arouse less suspicion.
Hearing this, Sang Yuan’s face filled with emotion. "Uncle! You have no idea how much stress I’ve been under! What if they find something? My parents would be devastated! I don’t even dare go to the hospital; just the word scares me! I’m so afraid my parents will find out that I haven’t told a single soul."
If his company were publicly traded, he’d also be feigning fear of it affecting the stock price.
’No wonder he traveled all this way to see me.’ Hearing this, the last wisp of suspicion in Ni Guangli’s mind dissipated completely.
"Sigh! Ignoring an illness is the worst thing you can do! Look at me, I’m never afraid of getting a check-up. Sick or not, getting a check-up gives you peace of mind. Don’t you worry, I’ll go with you tomorrow. It’s just a check-up, no big deal~"
Hearing his future father-in-law say the word "check-up" three times in one breath, it was obvious he disliked the idea. Yet, for Sang Yuan’s sake, he had still offered to go with him to the hospital. Sang Yuan was deeply moved and resolved to be a good son-in-law to him in the future.
Ni Guangli had no idea what this "Best Actor" was thinking. Assuming he was genuinely heartbroken, he patted his shoulder and offered more words of comfort.
"You’re right to keep this from your parents. The results aren’t back yet. There’s no need to tell them ahead of time and make them worry for nothing."
Seeing his future father-in-law take the bait, Sang Yuan was inwardly delighted, but his expression remained one of grave concern.
As expected of the Best Actress’s man, the one who seemed to have inherited all the acting talent of the Sang Family, even an old fox like Ni Guangli didn’t notice anything amiss.
To cheer him up, Ni Guangli even cooked a whole spread of Sang Yuan’s favorite dishes himself.
That night, Sang Yuan ate his fill of the delicious meal and, lying in a bed at the Ni family’s home, enjoyed a rare night of sound sleep.
Early the next morning, Ni Guangli knocked on the door to wake him.
"Some of the tests require an empty stomach, so we’ll skip breakfast this morning. I’ll take you to my senior apprentice’s restaurant for lunch; it’s near Huaxi."
Sang Yuan naturally had no objections.
The driver drove them, and as they sat in the back seat, Ni Guangli continued to offer words of comfort to Sang Yuan every now and then.
When they arrived at the hospital, Ni Guangli also went through an incredibly detailed, head-to-toe physical alongside him, just to put the young man at ease.
The test results began to trickle in that afternoon. They had planned to go back for the full report in a couple of days, but the very next day, his friend who worked at Huaxi gave him a call. "Old Ni, you got a minute? Could you come back to the hospital for a follow-up test?"
Ni Guangli’s heart instantly dropped.
’Such a fine young man... is he really sick?’
’My son-in-law!’
’If you’ve got some difficult disease, then I guess it just wasn’t meant to be for us to be family in this lifetime!’
’A person with poor health can be a friend, but a son-in-law? Absolutely not!’
With that in his mind, he asked his friend, "Old Song, be straight with me. What is it? Just give me a heads-up. The kid just turned thirty..."
But Old Song replied, baffled, "The young man with you is strong as an ox. All his results are perfectly normal, so why are you asking about him? I’m calling *you* to come in. I suspect you have a kidney stone, and I want you to do another test to confirm. We need to figure out how to handle it. If you don’t deal with it while it’s small, you’ll need surgery once it gets bigger!"
This was the kind of frank talk reserved for an old friend; he’d never speak to a regular patient this way.
Ni Guangli was utterly stunned.
He’d heard stories before about someone accompanying a friend to a singing competition, only for the friend to fail while they themselves ended up winning.
Was this the medical-check-up version of that? He’d accompanied someone else for a physical, that person was perfectly healthy, and *he* was the one who got diagnosed with something?
"What? A kidney stone? No wonder my damn back’s been hurting! Ow! I’ll be right over!"