The waiters brought the food to the table one after another, and dinner officially began. In the short conversation beforehand, I had made a preliminary judgment about Yang Sisi's parents. Her father appreciated me and approved of Yang Sisi being with me. Her mother, however, was not very satisfied with my current situation. She felt that if Yang Sisi were with me, she would inevitably have to make a lot of sacrifices in the future.

This is normal, because men and women have always viewed things from different perspectives. Men value shared interests, while women tend to focus on more practical matters.

Although her mother said some unpleasant things to me, I didn't feel offended. I could understand her because her intentions stemmed from her love for Yang Sisi, and I also wanted Yang Sisi to have the best life possible, so we weren't fundamentally in conflict...

That's absolutely true. When you're willing to try to understand other people's difficulties from a different perspective, you'll feel more open-minded.

...

During the meal, intending to lighten the mood, I took the initiative to ask Yang Sisi's mother, "Auntie, you must be quite busy with work, right?"

"Well... but in the past two years, Sisi's dad's company has become more and more stable, and I also plan to take a break and spend more time with Sisi... Our family has had a lot of difficulties, especially when it came to Sisi. We almost missed her entire childhood. Although her dad and I have both succeeded in our careers, time has already passed and can never be turned back. We can't miss out on her later life... I just said some unpleasant things to you, but please understand my feelings as a mother... We don't want to lose her again."

I said sincerely, "I understand, I understand completely."

Yang Sisi's mother finally smiled and said to me, "I welcome you to Shanghai. If you have any difficulties in life, we are willing to do our best to help you... Sisi's father and I are not particularly picky people. We don't care about social status or matching families. As long as Sisi is happy, that's all that matters... But our daughter must stay with us. You can work at Sisi's father's company in the future. He's getting old and needs a successor... I don't doubt your abilities, and I am very grateful for your contributions to Sisi and our family. I approve of you as a person, but I don't approve of your current way of getting along."

To be fair, Yang Sisi's mother is a very reasonable person. She sincerely expressed her needs and her opinion of me; the rest is just a matter of finding a way to resolve the conflict.

However, I am really wavering. I don't know where my future lies, so how can I give Yang Sisi a future?

I finally spoke to Yang Sisi's mother and said, "Auntie, I understand what you mean, and I will handle it."

At this point, Yang Sisi's father chimed in, "I think Sisi and Michael haven't reached that point yet. We need to give them enough space to get along on their own. They are both sensible children, and I believe they are capable of handling these conflicts. If we parents interfere too much, their relationship will change, which would go against our original intention... So, let's not talk about this for now, let's talk about something else... Michael, what are your hobbies?"

Yang Sisi, who hadn't spoken until now, blurted out, "He's incredibly smart. Swimming and basketball are his strengths, and he's clearly much better than others!"

"That's quite a coincidence. When I was young, I also represented my school in basketball games. I'll have a chance to play against him."

"Uncle, you must be very strong for your age!"

Yang Sisi slapped me and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? My dad isn't old at all!"

"Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue!"

Yang Sisi's father didn't mind at all. He laughed heartily and said, "I really hope that in the future, three generations of our family can run and jump on the basketball court together. For someone like me who is getting on in years, that would be true family bliss..."

Although Yang Sisi's father didn't explain it very clearly, I understood. When he said "three generations of family," he meant him, me, and the child that Yang Sisi and I had... This was certainly a beautiful dream, but it would never come true; regardless of whether I ended up with Yang Sisi or not, it would never happen.

I felt pain, so I lowered my head, pinched my head with my fingers, then looked up and smiled at Yang Sisi's father, and then didn't say anything more.

...

Although we didn't talk very frequently during the meal, we covered everything that needed to be discussed. By then, I had a clearer understanding of myself; I was feeling utterly dejected and caught in a dilemma.

I'm pretty sure that if I tell Yang Sisi's parents the truth about my health condition, even if they like me a lot, they won't agree to Yang Sisi being with me. There are no parents in this world who are so forgiving. And if Yang Sisi insists, she will definitely fall out with her parents. Her family only has this harmonious relationship now after going through many ups and downs. If she insists on going with me regardless of everything, then we will only have one path in front of us, and the end of that path is an abyss!

...

After dinner, we walked together to the restaurant entrance. Yang Sisi refused to go home with her parents and insisted on staying with me a little longer. While we were waiting for the driver to bring the car over, an Audi A7 suddenly stopped in front of us, and then we saw Bao get out of the car.

He walked up to Yang Sisi's father, handed him a document, and said, "Uncle Yang, here's an urgent document for you to sign. My dad asked me to bring it over."

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