Jian Fei missed him, of course she missed him.
Every day, looking at her father, whose features resembled his, and listening to stories from his childhood, she was driven mad by her longing for him.
It was precisely because she missed him so much that she realized her feelings for him were more than just liking, which made her anxious and hesitant to tell him about the child.
But hearing Ke Teng say that now, she was a little unsure of her "dark" assumptions.
He didn't seem as intent on drawing a line between them as she had imagined.
"You're going to tell your dad about our relationship? You're going to say we're dating?"
Ke Teng looked at her, astonished. "Aren't we? Aren't we dating? Don't you want to be my girlfriend?"
A surge of intense emotion spread from her chest to her brain. Jian Fei's nose stung, and she felt like crying.
She had never been in love, never heard any grand declarations of love.
But what Ke Teng was saying now was exactly what she wanted to hear.
Could she be so shallow as to consider these the most moving love words in the world?
"Can we sit down and talk? I'm a bit unstable emotionally right now."
Seeing her teary eyes and hearing the slight nasal tone in her voice, Ke Teng, unsure of what he had done wrong, quickly pulled her to sit on the bed.
Jian Fei took several deep breaths, thought it over, and then finally spoke.
"I don't know much about rich people like you, but from news reports and TV dramas, it seems like people like you prefer strong partnerships."
"You can pick any girlfriend casually, it's just for fun. But when it comes to marriage, it has to be an equal match, or even a business alliance..."
Ke Teng frowned, displeased.
"What do you mean, people like us? What do you mean, rich people?"
"You're a doctor, for goodness sake. Listen to yourself, does that sound like something you would say?"
"But it's true. Reality is like this, people are divided into classes from birth..."
"Who says people are divided into classes from birth? Did my dad tell you that?"
Ke Teng frowned.
"Didn't he know what kind of person he was when he was born? Yet he came all the way to Shangcheng to pursue my mom? He did so much to win over my grandparents?"
"People forge their own paths through hard work and struggle. If my dad had your mindset back then, where would I have come from?"
"What do you mean fate is predetermined? You believe in such nonsense. I never realized this about you before, Jian Fei. Your values are skewed."
Jian Fei's face flushed at his righteous words.
She supposed her values were indeed skewed. Exposure to too many strange things had instilled deep-seated prejudices.
In contrast, Ke Teng seemed much more rational than her in the face of major events.
However, while these words were normal coming from Ke Teng, they would sound naive if she said them.
A prince from a wealthy family marrying a Cinderella was seen as devoted and innocent.
But a Cinderella wanting to marry into a wealthy family sounded like a fool's dream to anyone who heard it.
"I don't mean that. What I mean is, I know you're a good person, and you don't intend to hurt me, but..."
"I understand. You've thought from the beginning that I was just playing around, and that I wouldn't marry you in the future."
Jian Fei retorted, "Isn't that true? Even if you don't want a wealthy alliance, what about Mr. Ke?"
Ke Teng sighed helplessly.
"If my dad heard you say that, he'd probably be furious with you. All this time with you would have been for nothing."
He grabbed her hand, pulled her up, and stomped towards the door.
Jian Fei was startled. "What are you doing? It's late at night. Don't disturb Mr. Ke, what are you doing?"
"So what if we disturb him!"
Ke Teng opened the door.
"You've misunderstood our entire family so much, as if the two of us big grown men ganged up to bully you. We need to clear this up today!"
"From the moment you started dating me, you had this in mind? To hold onto it for so long, you're quite something."
"You smile sweetly at me, yet you're ready to step aside for someone else at any moment. How generous of you!"
As they spoke, they arrived at Ke Jingyu's door.
He was already asleep. What if they suddenly went to talk to him about dating, and he got upset?
"No, no, no, Mr. Ke isn't well. He can't be stimulated..."
"Stimulated? If anything, it would be a 'rush of good fortune'! You don't know how much he's been hoping for me to get married, how much he wants me to have a grandchild quickly. If he knew I had a girlfriend, and a girl like you at that, I bet he'd send out wedding invitations tonight!"
Jian Fei: "..."
Ke Teng knocked loudly. "Dad, are you asleep?"
Ke Jingyu had been sleeping well lately and had just drifted off.
"What is it?"
Ke Teng: "Open the door, I need to talk to you."
Jian Fei's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out of her chest. Her hands and feet were cold.
She didn't know how Ke Jingyu would react. What if it ruined the current harmonious situation?
Seeing her nervousness, Ke Teng pulled her closer, embraced her, and held her so she couldn't move.
Ke Jingyu opened the door and saw this scene.
Thinking he was going mad, Jian Fei, pinned by him, opened her mouth to curse.
"You animal! You haven't been drinking tonight, why are you going crazy? Let her go!"
Ke Teng was stunned by the scolding, then amused, then angry.
"Look how much he likes you! And you're still worried about not being welcome in our family?"
Jian Fei's face turned as red as a tomato, she felt utterly mortified.
Ke Jingyu then realized the situation wasn't what he thought.
"What's going on? You're not bullying her? What are you two doing?"
"Dad, come out, we need to talk to you."
The three of them sat on the living room sofa, Ke Teng holding Jian Fei in his arms.
"As you've probably noticed, Jian Fei and I are together."
God, there was nothing more awkward in the world than this!
Meeting his son through her father, and establishing a relationship with him...
Couldn't I just find a hole to crawl into? Can't you two discuss this privately?
Jian Fei didn't know where to put her hands, feet, or eyes.
"Mr. Ke, I'm sorry..."
Ke Jingyu looked at the uncomfortable Jian Fei, then at the determined Ke Teng, and remained silent for a few seconds.
"How long has it been?"
Ke Teng said, "Not long. But I'm serious."
"As you said, Jian Fei has many qualities that I lack, which I didn't notice before."
"But now I do, so I will absolutely not let her escape. She has already agreed to be my girlfriend, and everything that should have happened has happened. You won't stop us, will you?"
Ke Jingyu maintained his expression. "Are you serious?"
"Of course, I'm serious!"
Ke Jingyu finally nodded.
"Ke Teng, I still have great faith in your judgment of friends."
"Although your past dealings with Jiang Nan Fang were a bit unreliable, I highly recognize her personal abilities."
"Now that you've set your heart on Jian Fei, I hope you'll show the same determination you did back then."