Chapter 1082: Chapter 1080: The Future Father-In-Law’s Display of Authority
Receiving recognition from her idol, Zhu Qianyu felt invigorated, and after watching TV and chatting with the Ji Family, she returned to her room full of energy to work on her script.
As a result, she completely forgot that she had promised Ji Huan that she would be online for a video chat with him at ten o’clock.
Over in L City, Ji Huan returned to his apartment a little after nine, hurriedly showered, and checked himself in the mirror to ensure he looked both handsome and radiant. Satisfied that he appeared flawless from every angle, he grabbed his laptop, got into bed, powered it on, adjusted the camera angle, and waited for Zhu Qianyu to come online.
Despite it being only a little over ten hours since they last saw each other, Ji Huan felt as if a little kitten was scratching at his heart, making him itch with anticipation.
But he waited and waited, watching as the clock moved from ten o’clock to five past ten, then ten past ten. By the time it was fifteen past, he could no longer hold back and called Zhu Qianyu’s phone.
"Xiao Yu, are you still with my mom and dad? Weren’t you supposed to be online with me?" The moment the call connected, the young master sounded full of grievances.
On the other end, Zhu Qianyu shrugged, holding the phone between her shoulder and ear while her hands continued clattering away on the keyboard.
Hearing Ji Huan’s complaint, she was startled and remembered her ten o’clock video chat promise.
"Ah, ah... I’m not with Uncle Ji and Auntie. I’m working on my script. Wait a bit—I’m almost done with a section, and I’ll be online right after! Be good... wait for me!"
Having spent half the day with two little rascals, Zhu Qianyu’s tone unconsciously became one of coaxing.
And the young master fell for it, pouting and grumbling, "Alright, I’ll wait for you!"
Although he felt quite aggrieved, he still obediently hung up the phone.
The young master waited another fifteen minutes, watching the time inch from twenty-nine to thirty, before receiving Zhu Qianyu’s video invitation on his messenger app.
He quickly clicked accept, and there was Zhu Qianyu, smiling apologetically at the camera.
"Ji Huan, sorry about earlier—my inspiration was flowing, and once I started writing, I couldn’t stop. So, heh..."
Although not an artist himself, over the years, the young master had witnessed his sister drop everything to impromptu play the violin when inspiration struck her, so he understood what Zhu Qianyu meant by not being able to stop.
"It’s alright, I’m not blaming you!" He flicked a finger at the screen playfully. "But you owe me half an hour, and I’ll remember it. You’ll have to make up for it later!"
Zhu Qianyu never knew such things could be counted as debts.
"Just a bit later, where’s the owe?" Zhu Qianyu engaged with earnestness.
"Later is just interest. A debt is a debt. I’ll keep it in mind!"
The young master’s playful insolence wasn’t far off from Beibei and Guoguo’s way of reasoning.
"Fine, remember it however you like!" Zhu Qianyu indicated that she wasn’t one to be petty.
"Hmm... good attitude. I’ll bring you a gift when I come home!" The young master’s face had already replaced its earlier disgruntlement with a bright and sunny smile.
The two chatted like that until after eleven, bidding each other a reluctant goodnight when Zhu Qianyu started yawning back-to-back, and then signed off to rest.
The next day, while Ji Huan was overseeing the workers at the L City base, his assistant Gao Yuan informed him that a Mr. Zhu was waiting for him in his office.
Ji Huan’s lips curled slightly. It seemed Zhu Zhizhou’s information network was quite efficient!
"Gao Yuan, go oversee the second group’s workers. Their progress is clearly slower than the others."
After giving instructions, Ji Huan headed to his office.
His office, located near the base, was a simple cottage. Aside from a high-performance computer, the rest of the furnishings were quite ordinary.
Thus, when he pushed open the office door, he saw the expression of a middle-aged man sitting inside with a frown.
"Hello, are you Ji Huan?"
The middle-aged man’s brow never relaxed, nor did his posture shift, but he raised his eyes to look at Ji Huan, clearly showing a critical gaze.
Ji Huan chuckled inwardly, thinking, oh, so this is you trying to intimidate me as a future father-in-law?
"Yes, I am Ji Huan. And you are?"
Ji Huan pretended he didn’t know him at all, walked to the water dispenser to pour himself a glass of water, and returned to drag a chair and sit across from him.
"Hmph, and who am I? You don’t know?" The middle-aged man was putting on quite a show of airs.
He probably thought this 21-year-old young master was just a naive youngster, unaware of worldly matters, right?
After all, his own sons, at twenty, only knew to ask him for money to fool around.
"Sir, forgive me, but if memory serves, this should be our first meeting!"
Ji Huan spoke with utmost composure, sipping the water he’d poured. He’d spent over half an hour communicating with the project head on site, which left him parched.
The middle-aged man eyed him cynically, "A bold one, huh? Don’t know me but know Zhu Qianyu, do you?"
Ji Huan nodded, "Of course I do!", took another sip of water, and seeing the middle-aged man glaring at him, added, "Zhu Qianyu is my girlfriend!"
A tinge of mockery appeared on the middle-aged man’s chubby face, "Young man, you say Zhu Qianyu is your girlfriend. Have you asked her parents?"
Ji Huan replied without hesitation, "Xiao Yu is eighteen this year. In our country, she’s an adult. She has the right to decide her own relationships. As for her parents, if they truly care about her, they’d know she has a boyfriend!"
Ji Huan continued to avoid revealing the middle-aged man’s identity.
If he wanted to act, he could continue his act!
"Nonsense!" The middle-aged man shot an angry glare, his chubby hand slapping the coffee table.
"I’m her father! Are you telling me that as a father, I can’t interfere with her dating?!"
Ji Huan calmly leaned back, placed his cup on the desk behind him, and once settled, sat up straight to meet Zhu Zhizhou’s furious gaze with an indifferent expression.
"Oh... so you’re Mr. Zhu... a pleasure to meet you!"
Ji Huan’s words, "pleasure to meet you," were clearly just lip service. As a junior, he didn’t even extend a hand to Zhu Zhizhou.
After returning, he only poured another glass of water for himself, leaving Zhu Zhizhou with nothing.
After all, this was a construction site, not a place with secretaries or extra personnel to attend to unexpected guests.
"You!"
Zhu Zhizhou had initially intended to put on airs and give this reputed second son of the Ji Family, who hadn’t yet taken on any significant role in their business, a scare, hence the stern patriarch demeanor.
