readbooksol Chapter 197: Get Married
Chapter 197: Get Married
Her lips were slightly parted, her voice trembling noticeably. "Daqiang, are you okay? He didn’t give you a hard time, did he?"
"Silly girl, don’t worry."
Cao Daqiang gently patted the back of her hand, his tone calm. "Uncle Yuan quite admires me. You won’t have to worry about a thing from now on."
He smiled and looked back at Mr. Yuan, his gaze meaningful.
The look didn’t last long, but it was enough to make Mr. Yuan’s skin crawl.
Mr. Yuan stood there, a muscle in his face twitching. He forced a smile that looked more painful than crying.
He wanted to say something to ease the tension, but after opening and closing his mouth for a while, all that came out was a dry "Mm."
"Mm... Xiao Cao is indeed a fine young man. You two should date for a while and see how it goes. If it works out... pick a date and get married."
His gaze avoided Cao Daqiang and turned to his daughter, only to find her looking at the man with a face full of joy.
"This is wonderful! I knew it would turn out this way!"
Yuan Zhihe jumped for joy, hugging Cao Daqiang while laughing and shouting.
She didn’t notice the change in her father at all, nor did she sense the lingering tension in the air.
She only felt that all obstacles had been swept away and her future was bright.
She pulled on Cao Daqiang’s arm, shaking it back and forth, her smile incredibly radiant.
Watching this scene, Mr. Yuan’s chest felt so heavy, as if a stone were pressing down on it, that he nearly fainted on the spot.
He took a step back, leaning against the wall and using it to support himself.
He knew that from this moment on, he would no longer be the one calling the shots in this family.
From that day on, Cao Daqiang officially became the Yuan Family’s prospective son-in-law.
The two of them didn’t hide their relationship. They began dating openly and, as a matter of course, started collaborating on various ventures.
Relatives and friends gradually heard the news, and many came to offer their congratulations.
The Yuan Family hosted several banquets, and the scenes were incredibly lively.
Cao Daqiang came and went from the Yuan residence as if it were his own home. His words and actions were proper, his manners impeccable, and it was nearly impossible to find fault with him.
Yuan Zhihe, for her part, smiled all day long, telling everyone she met how outstanding her fiancé was.
But no one could have expected that this would give Ling Anxun the breakthrough he needed.
He had been keeping a close watch and finally found a thread, opening up a path for his investigation.
The people he had arranged had long since placed informants around the Yuan residence, focusing on Cao Daqiang’s movements and contacts.
Several secret meetings were recorded, and a few inconspicuous names were investigated one by one.
"Shanshan, there’s more to Cao Daqiang than meets the eye. He’s been involved in a lot of things for a long time. Don’t be fooled by his seemingly honest appearance."
Ling Anxun sat in his study, holding a newly compiled file.
He knew these words might cause an emotional reaction from his daughter, so he deliberately slowed his pace.
"Oh? So he’s involved. What’s that got to do with me?"
Shanshan was sitting on the sofa peeling an orange, and she didn’t even look up when she heard him.
Ling Anxun had thought she would be upset and hang her head, but the girl looked completely indifferent, as if she were hearing gossip about a neighbor.
He stared at her for a few seconds, realizing she hadn’t even frowned.
He felt a mix of helplessness and amusement. He’d thought she might still have some feelings for that man, but it seemed he had overthought it.
"There’s no direct connection, no. But thanks to the arrangements you made earlier, we were able to follow the breadcrumbs and find this clue. Do you want some kind of reward?"
He put down the file and leaned back, his tone softening.
The smooth progress of this operation was indeed due to her seemingly unintentional actions from before.
He knew she had deliberately left openings, just to lure the snake out of its hole.
"A reward?"
Shanshan’s eyes darted around, and she grinned, starting to order him around. "Dad, how about you help me harvest the herbs in the courtyard?"
Ling Anxun was stunned, then couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "You were the one who insisted on planting that whole patch of medicinal herbs, and now that it’s time to harvest, you’re washing your hands of it?"
"Hehe, I was just interested in the novelty of planting them. When it’s actually time to dig up roots and pick leaves, all that’s left is an aching back."
Shanshan shrugged, but inwardly, she was already calculating.
’It seems I can dig up that Spirit Stone buried in the yard ahead of schedule, too.’
’The herbs are no longer a concern. The planting task is more or less complete; from now on, they just need regular care.’
’I might as well take out my trump card early and prepare more thoroughly for the next step.’
She had already begun to consider her next move: whether to expand her resource reserves first, or directly contact external channels to test the market.
She was still running through her plans in her head, little knowing that Cao Daqiang, the man she had her eye on, had started courting death again.
This time, not only did he not hold back, he doubled down, his behavior becoming more and more outrageous.
Yuan Zhihe was constantly boasting to Cao Daqiang about how fast she learned things, how smart she was, even making herself out to be omnipotent.
And Cao Daqiang actually believed her. Not only did he believe her, but he also publicly praised her for being bright and clever, a rare and promising talent.
He even made a flashy show of driving to the school gate to pick her up, parking his car right in the center of the entrance and causing passersby to turn and stare.
A guy like him was considered a big shot at the school, especially among the female students. Many had heard his "touching love story."
Those stories had been exaggerated to mythical proportions, claiming he gave up his family fortune for true love and willingly endured hardship for the sake of responsibility. He was practically the poster child for a modern-day romantic saint.
Some even fantasized about marrying a man as "devoted" and "loyal" as him, feeling that as long as they could be with him, they would be willing to live on scraps.
This time, with him showing up at the school gate with such fanfare, Yuan Zhihe was overjoyed.
She clung to his arm as they strolled around, as if she’d found a priceless treasure. Every few steps, she would stop to greet acquaintances, her tone dripping with unconcealable pride.
She deliberately slowed her pace, making sure everyone got a clear look at the man by her side. From time to time, her eyes would sweep over to Shanshan in the crowd, her gaze clearly provocative.
"Even though your surname is Ling now, Cao Daqiang is your biological father, and I’m more or less your stepmother now. When you see an elder, you don’t even offer a greeting, you just stand there with a cold face? Outsiders will say you have no manners."
Shanshan stared at the smug Yuan Zhihe, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
’In her eyes, Yuan Zhihe looked like someone clutching a steaming pile of dog shit as if it were a rare treasure, kissing it wildly while thinking she’d hit the jackpot.’
"Zhihe, don’t mind her. This girl has been unruly since she was a child. No one ever taught her any manners."
Cao Daqiang immediately chimed in to support her, his tone full of contempt and disgust.
Seeing that Shanshan didn’t talk back, Yuan Zhihe grew bolder, puffing out her chest like a preening peacock.
’She felt she had won this battle too easily; her opponent had no strength to fight back.’
’It was just as Cao Daqiang had said—this was a heartless brat who would turn on her own family.’
’There would be plenty of opportunities to deal with her later.’
"A scumbag who abandoned his wife and child, left his own parents behind, and turned around to marry someone else... and someone is actually fighting to have him? Yuan Zhihe, you must be really desperate. You’ll put anything in your mouth, won’t you?"
"You’re the one who despised your own father for being poor and rejected your identity, yet you have the nerve to accuse others of being heartless and disloyal?"