Chapter 2: Participating in the program is fine, it'll let me hold my grandson soon.
The news that Song Ying brought her boyfriend to participate in "Love Journey" quickly became a trending topic, sparking heated discussions online.
Not only that, but someone also sent a message into the Qin family's group chat.
That evening, Song Ying and Qin Shu went back to the Qin family home for dinner. As soon as they entered, before they even put their bags down, one of their sisters-in-law started making sarcastic remarks.
"When you first entered the industry, didn't you say you wouldn't rely on the Qin family's connections? What's wrong? Less than a year has passed, and you can't seem to make a name for yourself, so you've already given up?"
The noblewoman, dressed in a purple cheongsam and adorned with a full set of purple gemstones, glanced sideways with a disdainful expression.
The other woman beside her was adorned with pearls and appeared gentle and reserved, but the words she uttered were no different from those of the former.
"What kind of person is Ashu? The old man has protected him for so many years, but now he's showing his face in public for an actress. I think he's been hanging out with people from humble backgrounds for too long and has long forgotten that he's a member of the Qin family."
"From what my second aunt is saying, does that mean I, a grown man, can't show my face in public and have to sit at home all day like you, gossiping and drinking tea?"
Before Song Ying could reply, Qin Shu, who was standing beside her helping her change her shoes, scoffed and retorted, "What era is this? The Qing Dynasty is long gone. Are you two still talking about the Three Obediences and Four Virtues?"
"Ashu! How dare you speak to your elders like that!"
A stern-looking middle-aged man on the sofa turned cold and reprimanded, "Apologize to your two aunts!"
"Apologize?"
Qin Shu laughed, "Alright, I'll listen to you, Second Uncle. But there's an order to things, so please apologize to my wife first, both of you aunts."
"Nonsense!"
Qin Zhen, the second uncle of the Qin family, glared at him coldly, "Look at the state you've become! I thought you'd be more sensible after getting married, but it seems you're getting worse with age! I should have let you marry Ayan, otherwise you wouldn't have forgotten even the most basic manners!"
"If Second Uncle is so satisfied with Xu Lanyan, why doesn't he marry her himself? Why does he have to play matchmaker for me? I'm very satisfied with my wife and have no intention of changing her."
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Qin Zhen stood up angrily.
Aunt Xu Jinhua's voice also changed as she called out, "Qin Shu! Do you know what you're saying?!"
Seeing that another commotion was about to break out, Song Ying quickly tugged at Qin Shu's clothes and shook her head at him, "Today is Grandpa's birthday, don't make a scene."
Marrying into the Qin family was an unexpected event for Song Ying.
During the year she studied acting abroad, she met and fell in love with Qin Shu. Three years later, after completing her studies and returning to China, she prepared to make a comeback in the entertainment industry. Qin Shu was afraid that she would change her mind, so he begged and pleaded with her to get a marriage certificate first.
For Song Ying, marriage was a natural progression that came with age. Her desire to become an actress stemmed from her love of acting. Therefore, without much consideration, the two met each other's parents early on and began discussing marriage.
Song Ying's parents were both university professors. She knew Qin Shu's family was wealthy when they started dating, but she assumed it was just because they were well-off and she wasn't after them, so she never asked any questions. It wasn't until the day she met his parents that she learned Qin Shu's true identity.
The three giants of Beijing: Qin, Wen, and Zhao.
The Qin family has been the richest family in Beijing for many years, with a lineage of outstanding achievements and unparalleled influence in both political and business circles. However, the Qin family descendants adhere to their family precepts, always keeping a low profile and never getting involved in petty squabbles. Apart from the eldest uncle, Qin Yong, who now takes over the family business and frequently appears in financial reports, there is almost no information about the other members of the Qin family online.
Song Ying didn't want anything from the Qin family. Although she was surprised, she didn't think they were any different from other families, except that their house was bigger and they had more people in the family.
After obtaining their marriage certificate, the Qin family originally planned to hold a grand wedding, but due to Song Ying's inability to coordinate a suitable time, it has been delayed until now.
Having reached their current status, the Qin family no longer cares about arranged marriages. Among the elders, the grandfather is kind and the eldest uncle, Qin Yong, is generous. Because Qin Shu's parents died early, both of them doted on him and let him decide his marriage. Therefore, they also extended their affection to Song Ying.
However, Qin Yong's wife, Li Biru, along with his second uncle, Qin Zhen, and his second aunt, Xu Jinhua, always looked down on Song Ying's background, believing that only those from wealthy and powerful families were worthy of entering the Qin family.
Qin Shu didn't want Song Ying to suffer, so the two moved out of the old house after getting their marriage certificate. However, they always came back for holidays and the old man's birthday, and each time the two sides would argue because of Song Ying.
This is not the first time.
Song Ying has a lot of haters in the industry, but she doesn't care. Of course, more importantly, she doesn't want Qin Shu to have too much trouble with his family because of her. But Qin Shu can't bear this grievance on behalf of his wife.
"If a dog bites you, can you bite back? Let them say what they want, it's not like it'll hurt you much. Don't forget why we came here today." Song Ying scratched Qin Shu's palm and whispered to him to calm him down.
At that moment, someone came down from upstairs.
"A-Shu, A-Ying."
Upon hearing this, the two looked up and saw their uncle, Qin Yong, who had now taken over the family business.
"Uncle," the two greeted each other.
Qin Yong nodded. "Grandpa is waiting for you upstairs. Go see him and come down for dinner later."
Qin Yong's appearance timely saved the young couple from their predicament.
The two went upstairs, where the old man was looking at calligraphy and paintings with his reading glasses. As soon as he saw Song Ying, he waved to her, "Come, come, Ying, look at this!"
Song Ying's father is a professor at Peking University who specializes in the preservation of cultural relics and is considered an expert in the restoration of calligraphy and paintings. Although Song Ying learned acting from her mother, she was exposed to calligraphy, paintings and antiques from a young age and also knows a bit about them.
"Is this Han Xi's 'Spring Banquet' from the previous dynasty? It looks like an authentic work! I heard my dad say that 40-90% of the 'Spring Banquet' paintings on the market these days are fakes!"
"You have a good eye, girl! This is something Grandpa just acquired at the auction a few days ago. Since you recognize it, I'll pack it up for you when you leave later."
Song Ying knew her stuff; such a painting was worth at least several million. But when Grandpa Qin said that, it sounded like he'd bought too many apples and was going to pack some for her to take with her when she left.
"No, no, no, Grandpa, I don't understand these things. Giving them to me would be a waste. If you like them, it's best to keep them with you."
“I told you to take it, so take it. Does Grandpa need any more of these little things? Or take this back to your dad; he'll definitely love it.”
At this point, Song Ying understood. "Then I'll thank you on behalf of my father."
Grandpa Qin waved his hand, gesturing for Song Ying to sit down.
Qin Shu sat down next to his wife, his earlier prankster behavior completely gone. "Grandpa, you can't be biased. Where's my gift?"
"It's my birthday, and I'm giving you a present?" Grandpa Qin glared at him, "I haven't even asked you for a present yet."
"We've already prepared your gift!" As he said this, Qin Shu took the gift that he and his wife had prepared and handed it to Grandpa Qin.
It was a set of writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, not an antique, but something that Qin Shu and Song Ying had recently taken time to travel to various places and learn from masters to make by hand.
Grandpa Qin was delighted to receive the gift, and then officially slid into the essential topic of every meeting—urging them to have children.
"..." The young couple were suddenly at their wits' end.
“We’re still kids ourselves, why would we want to have a baby? Besides, it’s not something you can just decide to do… My business is just starting to pick up, and I’m too busy with company matters. Ah Ying and I don’t see each other often, so I’m afraid we won’t be able to take care of each other for the time being.”
In fact, Song Ying and Qin Shu had already discussed the matter of having children. For Qin Shu, it was naturally no big deal; he couldn't wait to have children. However, Song Ying had just made her comeback, and it was clearly not appropriate for her to retire from the entertainment industry due to pregnancy before she had achieved any success.
Qin Shu wouldn't say these words, but instead took all the blame upon himself.
"I saw a message your second aunt posted in the group chat today, saying that you're going to accompany Aying to participate in some kind of program?"
The conversation eventually turned to this matter.
Before Song Ying could explain, Qin Shu spoke first, "That's right. It's a dating reality show where couples live together on the show. I've been busy with work lately and haven't had much time for A-Ying, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to spend more time with her, just like when we were dating, and nurture our relationship a bit more."
"Besides, don't you want a grandson? You're so busy with work all day, how can you have the time or inclination for that? Maybe if I go on this variety show, our relationship will warm up, and your grandson will just come naturally, right?"
The old man loved hearing this and nodded repeatedly in agreement, "That's good, that's good! Young couples should spend more time together! You've finally done one thing right! Before, when I asked you to take over the family business, you refused and insisted on starting your own business, keeping yourself busy and delaying my time to hold my grandson."
When he got to the second half of the sentence, Grandpa Qin snorted and glared at Qin Shu.
Qin Shu quickly smiled and agreed, but from an angle where the old man couldn't see, he winked at his wife, his smug little face clearly saying—see, there's nothing I can't handle.
Qin's second uncle and his sisters-in-law looked down on the entertainment industry, but now that the old man had given his approval and Qin Shu was going to make a guest appearance on a variety show, even if they had any dissatisfaction or contempt, they dared not show it, and the meal went relatively peacefully.
That evening, Grandpa Qin originally wanted Qin Shu and Song Ying to stay at his house, but Qin Shu politely declined, saying, "The old house is too far from the company, and I have to get up early for work tomorrow. Grandpa, Ying and I will be leaving now."
After leaving the old house, Song Ying breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much refreshed.
As Qin Shu drove, he brought up the events of the evening with a touch of smugness, "I told you I could definitely pull it off, right?"
Remembering the reason he gave, Song Ying rolled her eyes at him, "Anyway, it's your big talk, I'm not responsible for it."
"I'll take care of anything that happens, but given my good behavior today, Mrs. Qin, aren't you going to reward your husband properly?"
What reward do you want?
Qin Shu suddenly stopped the car on the side of the road.
The shadows of the trees were swaying, and the villa area was sparsely populated. Qin Shu suddenly took off his seatbelt and moved closer to Song Ying. His bright, fox-like eyes shone with a hunting aura in the night, like a wolf in a fox's skin.
"How about trying a new location?"
A slap landed on someone's forehead. "...Get out!"
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