Winning over the father-in-law 1

"It's no big deal to meet him. He's not some monster. It's just a matter of pretending we don't know each other. Compared to me, he's more afraid of others finding out about our relationship."

Nanqi thought to herself: With Zhaozhao's current fame, if Song Hui were willing to acknowledge this daughter, it would be a great honor for him.

Besides, Zhao Zhao has always been an excellent student with outstanding looks, a model child, and not some illegitimate child. Why would Song Hui hate her so much that he refuses to acknowledge her?

"What are you thinking about?" Song Zhao waved his hand in front of her eyes.

Nanqi came back to her senses and said, "I was thinking, you are so outstanding and so good, your dad really doesn't know what a gem you are. If I were half as good as you, my mom would cherish me and pamper me every day."

"Only you think I'm good; no one else thinks I'm good."

"Nonsense, you are good. It's not that I think you're good, it's that you're good all along, and I just noticed it."

Song Zhao felt a warmth in his heart, leaned down and kissed her lips, whispering, "It's enough for you to see it alone."

During tonight's night shift, Song Hui only asked for coffee a few times and didn't make any other requests. Nan Qi, having learned her lesson, had already arranged for everything to be prepared. Song Zhao, wearing a mask, sat next to Nan Qi. During this time, Song Hui's gaze seemed to glance at her a few times, but he didn't say anything.

At five o'clock in the morning, it was time for Nanqi and Song Hui to have their boxing match. Nanqi followed him to the gym, but Song Zhao was already standing on the boxing ring, quietly waiting for him.

“President Song, I have some boxing experience. I would be more suitable to spar with you than she is,” Song Zhao said.

Song Hui sized her up with his eyes, then turned to Nan Qi and said somewhat indifferently, "Did you find her?"

Before Nanqi could speak, Song Zhao interrupted, "I came here on my own initiative; it has nothing to do with her."

Song Hui didn't ask any more questions. He put on his boxing gloves and leaped onto the ring. He lowered his body slightly, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's, fixed intently on Song Zhao. Song Zhao didn't hesitate either, quickly getting into a fighting stance. Facing Song Hui's powerful aura, he remained completely calm.

Song Zhao struck first, launching an attack with a swift hook punch towards Song Hui. Song Hui deftly dodged it and immediately counterattacked. The father and daughter exchanged blows, their punches fierce and neither giving an inch. Despite it being their first sparring match, they seemed to know each other's moves inside and out, their parries and dodges revealing an unexpected tacit understanding.

Nanqi watched from below the stage, her heart pounding with fear, and she couldn't help but feel a chill for Song Zhao. Song Zhao was already quite agile, and her punches were considered fierce even for a girl, but she was no match for Song Hui. Song Hui's 1.9-meter-tall, burly physique, coupled with his years of boxing experience, meant that if he were to use his full strength to hit a vital point, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Song Zhao was clearly aware of this, focusing primarily on dodging throughout the fight and rarely landing a punch. Before long, her forehead was covered in sweat, and her breathing became rapid; she could only lean against the corner of the ring, panting heavily. Meanwhile, Song Hui remained calm and composed in the center of the ring, his breathing steady, as if the intense sparring had been nothing more than a warm-up for him.

"President Song, the cafeteria is open. Please rest for a while and have breakfast." Nan Qi quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, her feet unconsciously moving to Song Zhao's side.

Song Hui moved his hands and feet, his bones making a soft "crackling" sound. "Let her rest, you take over."

"No need, I can continue." Song Zhao wiped his sweat and leaned on the table to get up.

"You two can come at me together, that works too."

"No, no, no!" Nan Qi helped Song Zhao sit down, reached into her pocket to call Li Li, and then said, "President Song, I just had surgery not long ago and my body hasn't fully recovered yet. If you punch me like that, I'll definitely have to be hospitalized again."

"You used this excuse to trick her into coming here?"

“She didn’t lie to you, and she asked to come here herself!” Song Zhao said.

"You actually believed someone who just pretended to be pitiful with a few words?!"

"That's my business, it has nothing to do with President Song!"

Seeing the aggressive father and daughter, Nanqi interjected, "Are you two arguing because of me?"

Song Hui ignored Song Zhao and stared at Nan Qi, coldly saying, "If you come yourself, I might think more highly of you. Hiding behind her only makes me wonder if she's blind to have taken a liking to you."

Nanqi stood up helplessly and said, "President Song, why are you forcing me to fight you?"

"You don't need to know."

Before he could finish speaking, Song Hui's fist was already hurtling towards Nan Qi's chest. Nan Qi instinctively raised her leg to block, and with a muffled thud, the two clashed head-on, each staggering back several steps. Nan Qi felt a tingling numbness in her leg bones, realizing that the force of Song Hui's punch was far greater than when she had fought Song Zhao earlier; it felt like it was about to shatter her bones.

Then, Song Hui launched another series of fierce attacks, his punches relentless. Nan Qi dodged as much as possible, using the strength of her legs to attack and defend. Seeing this, Song Zhao, disregarding his fatigue, rushed forward again to fight alongside Nan Qi. With the two of them working together, Song Hui, fighting two against one, gradually began to tire, his breathing becoming increasingly heavy.

"President Song, take a break. I'm really not feeling well anymore," Nan Qi said, deliberately slowing down her movements to appear weak.

Out of consideration for his pride, Song Hui refused to back down and launched an even more ferocious attack, each move aimed at Nan Qi's vitals. Nan Qi dared not confront him head-on any longer, so she simply withdrew her offensive stance and focused solely on defense, leaving the opportunity for the main attack to Song Zhao.

"Zhang Nanqi, stop right there!"

Li Li's scream broke the stalemate. Nan Qi waited anxiously for Li Li to finally arrive.

"What's wrong with you? How could you hit a guest? Wasn't it agreed that you were supposed to protect President Song's safety? What are you doing?! Get down here right now!"

"yes."

Li Li then turned to Song Hui and asked with concern, "Mr. Song, are you alright?"

Song Hui wiped the sweat from his brow with a towel and said casually, "Just getting some exercise, the sparring partner wasn't very good."

Li Li clapped her hands and laughed, "That's right, your muscles look impressive. Xiao Zhang is young, she'll need to train for at least another ten or eight years to be your sparring partner."

As Li Li spoke, she attentively accompanied Song Hui out. Yu Xin quickly followed, praising Song Hui's agility and extraordinary demeanor.

After Song Hui left, Nan Qi and Song Zhao slumped down beside the boxing ring, letting out a long sigh of relief.

“No, he won’t let this go so easily.” Song Zhao was panting heavily, his brows furrowed, his voice full of worry. “If he wants to deal with you, he has plenty of connections and methods. You’re all alone here, it’s too dangerous.”

Nanqi rubbed her numb legs, got up and handed Song Zhao a glass of warm water.

"He's leaving the hotel at noon today, what can he possibly do to me? Don't be so nervous."

Song Zhao took a sip of water to calm himself down, and his gaze gradually became firm: "Come home with me tonight."

"Go back... go back to which home? To your home?"

"Well, instead of being on tenterhooks, I should take the initiative. There are some things I need to make clear to him face to face."

Nanqi looked bewildered and said, "Oh, what should I wear to your house? Should I buy more gifts? Does your dad drink? Does he smoke?..."

Song Zhao looked at her speechlessly: "You don't need anything." Song Zhao sighed and said, "Baby, you're not going to propose marriage."

"But how can I come to your house empty-handed for the first time?" Nanqi pouted, then suddenly slapped her thigh, panicking, "Oh no! I just got into a fight with my father-in-law!"

她咬着牙，一脸懊恼的说道：“我晚上要是还空着手登门，他本来就讨厌我，这下不得更想揍我了？我还想娶他女儿呢，他不得把我劈成两半啊…”

"Forehead……"

Left with no other choice, Song Zhao could only accompany her to the supermarket to pick out a few cans of imported coffee and a pair of limited-edition sneakers as a gift.

"Will your dad like these? He's a CEO, wouldn't it be more appropriate to give him leather shoes?" Nanqi asked, still feeling uneasy.

“He likes sports,” Song Zhao said succinctly.

Nanqi nodded and chuckled, "Oh, right, he also loves boxing. Sigh, my brain just doesn't work when I'm around your dad."

Song Zhao stopped and put his arm around Nan Qi, gently comforting her, "Don't be afraid, I'll talk to him when we go inside. Just stay with me, and I'll give you hints when I need you to speak."

Nanqi nestled in her arms, took a deep breath, and mumbled an "Mmm".

After passing through the lush green belt outside the courtyard, Song Zhao arrived at his front door. He rang the doorbell, and a young woman he didn't recognize opened the door.

"You must be... Miss Zhao Zhao? I've seen your picture before." The woman said with a smile, "My name is Lin Hong, everyone calls me Xiao Lin, and I'm a new nanny who just started working here this year. Aunt Wei, who was in poor health before, went back to her hometown. Before she left, she specifically entrusted all the things at home to me."

"Hello."

"Hello."

Song Zhao and Nan Qi said in unison. The two changed into slippers and walked into the living room. They saw Song Hui holding Song Yuanhang and coaxing him to take his medicine in a gentle voice. His voice was kind and he seemed very patient.

Nanqi thought of Song Hui's appearance on TV. She had initially thought he was just putting on a show, but she was surprised to find that his image as a loving father towards his youngest son was genuine.

"Zhaozhao is back." Xu Jing greeted her with a smile, "Why did you bring anything? Don't be so formal."

"These are coffee and sneakers that Nanqi bought for my dad," Song Zhao explained calmly.

Nanqi was stunned for a moment before realizing that the woman in front of her must be Song Zhao's stepmother. She then greeted her, "Hello, Auntie."

"Oh, you're her...." She stopped mid-sentence, turning to look at Song Hui, seemingly unsure whether to welcome them both in.

Ignoring the awkward atmosphere, Song Zhao looked directly at Song Hui and said, "Dad, I have something I'd like to talk to you about. Could you spare some time?"

"Dad, who is she? Why does she call you Dad too?" Song Yuanhang, nestled in Song Hui's arms, blinked his innocent eyes and looked at the two of them. He was too young to remember his sister, who rarely came home, and after asking the question, he snuggled closer to Song Hui.

"Go play with Mom first, and don't make a fuss anymore." Song Hui said with a smile, his tone full of affection, even the faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes revealed his love.

Nanqi's heart stirred slightly as she recalled Song Hui's complaint in an interview about his son's naughtiness, stating that he wanted a sweet and caring daughter. Now, it seemed how insincere those words must have been.

Song Hui went to the study, and Song Zhao and Nan Qi followed one after the other. Song Hui's study was larger than the one-bedroom apartment that Nan Qi rented. The number of books here was comparable to that of a typical bookstore. The bookshelves were spotless, and the lowest shelf was filled with children's books. There was no smell of printing books when you entered the room; instead, there was a faint fragrance of sandalwood.

“Dad, I hope you will stop causing trouble for Nanqi and stop interfering with me.” Song Zhao got straight to the point, his tone calm. “I’ve been doing very well these past few years, and things will only get better from here on out.”

Song Hui leaned back in his leather seat, raised an eyebrow and sneered: "Did you come here today to warn me or to order me around?"

"Think what you want. You have your family of three, and I have my family of two. We live our own lives and don't interfere with each other."

Song Hui’s gaze suddenly turned to Nan Qi, his eyes filled with contempt and disdain that were almost overflowing: “You’re willing to abandon your father and this family for something like this?”