Chen Dafu’s words hit Chen Jianguo’s ears loud and clear.

He couldn’t hold it in anymore.

"If you dare, I’ll break your legs so you won’t be able to go anywhere!"

"We’ll see who’s faster—your fists or my legs! Try pushing me again and I’ll go get a vasectomy at the hospital right now!"

"You—!!"

"Stop pushing me already!"

"I—I—I…"

He stuttered several "I"s in a row. Chen Jianguo suddenly clutched his chest, like he couldn’t breathe, his face twisted in pain.

Seeing his father like that, Chen Dafu dropped all defiance and rushed forward to support him.

"Dad! What’s wrong?!"

"Gotcha, you little punk!"

The moment he spoke, all signs of pain vanished. Chen Jianguo sprang up like nothing had happened and locked Chen Dafu’s arm in place.

Seeing his dad miraculously cured, Chen Dafu was completely dumbfounded.

Before he could react, Chen Jianguo’s hand came down on his head in a flurry of slaps.

Smack smack smack. The sound echoed, making even Liu Changqing wince just hearing it.

Thankfully, this round didn’t last long. After five or six smacks, Chen Jianguo let him go.

Freed again, Chen Dafu darted behind Liu Changqing in one quick move, poking just half his head out to peek at his dad.

Looking at his son hiding like that, Chen Jianguo took a deep breath…

Then let it all out with a long sigh.

"Ah… cursed be my family, how the hell did I raise something like this."

"…"

"Forget it. Do whatever you want. I won’t ask anymore."

"Really?!"

The moment he heard that, Chen Dafu lit up like a lightbulb.

He jumped out from behind Liu Changqing and skipped up to his father, unable to hide the joy on his face.

"Really, Dad? You mean it? You’re really not gonna ask about me and Gu Xiyu anymore?"

"Yeah. Do what you want. I won’t question you again. But!"

With a sudden shift in tone, Chen Jianguo pointed straight at his son.

"You better give me a lot of grandkids. That’s what you said just now!"

"Don’t worry, I’ll get it done!"

Whether he could pull it off or not didn’t matter—just say yes for now. With that mindset, Chen Dafu grinned from ear to ear.

Seeing his son promise so enthusiastically, even the usually stern Chen Jianguo couldn’t help but laugh.

He was genuinely amused by how shameless his son could be.

The two exchanged a glance—

And both burst into smiles.

Standing off to the side, Liu Changqing watched the whole scene unfold, completely speechless.

What could he say?

Truly father and son.

Their personalities were practically cloned.

Before Liu Changqing could reflect further, he heard Chen Jianguo ask his son:

"Right, that girl… what’s her name again… Xiyu, yeah. Where’s her family from? I’ll pick a time to go propose properly."

"Huahua Town, in Gujia Village."

"…"

Hearing this, the smile froze on Chen Jianguo’s face.

He frowned and looked at his son.

"Huahua Town, Gujia Village? That’s what she told you?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"What's her dad's name?"

"Why are you asking that…"

"Just say it!"

"I think she said it’s… Gu Yan."

"Gu Yan?"

Chen Jianguo thought for a moment. That name didn’t ring a bell.

But then, he remembered something—earlier, Gu Xiyu had mentioned her grandpa…

With a sharp breath, he asked in a rushed tone:

"What’s her grandpa’s name?"

"Uh… let me think… oh right, it’s Gu Cheng."

"…"

Chen Jianguo fell silent, eyes widening in shock.

At the moment his son said that name, long-buried memories came flooding back.

He knew.

He finally knew everything.

Gritting his teeth, Chen Jianguo’s face twisted into the kind of sinister grin you’d only see on movie villains.

"So that’s it… Gu Xiyu is your granddaughter… Hahaha! Who would've thought—caught you at last!"

"Huh?"

Chen Dafu was stunned. He instinctively looked at Liu Changqing, who was also baffled.

Neither of them knew—

Back in Chen Jianguo’s youth, the reason he sold off all his family’s assets wasn’t originally to start a business.

It was to get married.

He was the last male heir of the family, and back then, he’d fallen head over heels for the village belle of Chenjia Village. He pursued her relentlessly, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t win her heart.

Eventually, he came to a conclusion: she didn’t want him because he was poor.

So he sold everything he had, ready to bring the money to her family and propose.

That was when he learned—

Gu Cheng from Gujia Village had already gotten together with her.

They were getting married soon.

When Chen Jianguo saw their wedding with his own eyes, he realized what he had truly lost.

It wasn’t about money.

It was about his face.

Gu Cheng didn’t have much either, but he was tall, fair-skinned, and had a good build. His family wasn’t rich—but he was handsome.

That was all it took. Chen Jianguo was crushed.

On the night of their wedding, he left the village for good.

Took all his money, and threw himself into the city.

From then on, whenever people asked about his rise to success, he left out the painful parts and only said he sold off his assets to start a business.

That… was the secret he’d kept hidden all his life.

Chen Jianguo had Dafu when he was 33. Dafu was 26 now.

Given people used to marry and have kids younger, Gu Cheng would be pushing 60 at least—so there was no doubt Gu Xiyu was his granddaughter!

Karma’s real, huh? Heaven really does have eyes!

Chen Jianguo never could’ve imagined, after all this time, he’d end up face to face again with the man who stole the woman he loved.

And now… his son was dating that guy’s granddaughter??

Thinking of that, Chen Jianguo burst out laughing again.

"Hahahahahahahaha!!"

"…"

"…"

Liu Changqing and Chen Dafu looked at him, faces full of confusion.

What the hell was going on?

When the laughter died down, Chen Jianguo clapped both hands on his son’s shoulders, spitting a bit in the process.

"Tomorrow, you go propose! You two are getting married—now!"

"Huh… Why the sudden rush?"

"Don’t worry about it! You said you liked her, right? Then marry her already! What kind of man drags his feet?!"

"But… we’re not even together yet, I’m still trying to win her over…"

"…"

"Useless!"

After yelling that, Chen Jianguo turned around, pulled open the car door, and hopped inside.

He started the engine, ready to leave.

From the driver’s seat, he called out to his son standing outside:

"You’ve got one week to lock down that girl Gu Xiyu. Pick a day next week—we’re going back to the village!"

"Dad, that’s… way too fast!"

"Cut the crap. A real man moves fast!"

Then Chen Jianguo looked over at Liu Changqing.

"And you, kid—thanks for helping us out today. If anything comes up, give me a call. Ask Dafu for my number. I’m actually quite interested in the stuff you’re working on."

With that, he pulled out his phone and dialed someone—who it was, no one knew.

At the same time, his hands stayed busy on the steering wheel, spinning it with one hand as he turned the car around and drove off.

"Old Zhang, book a private room! Time to celebrate!"

Liu Changqing and Chen Dafu stood side by side, silently watching him drive away.

After a while, Liu Changqing murmured:

"Driving one-handed and making a call… not exactly safe driving. Makes your family cry and your insurance sky-high."

"What?"

"Nothing."

He turned to look at Chen Dafu.

"Well, the crisis is over. I told you before, you should’ve just talked to your dad."

"You saw how hard he hits! I couldn’t say a word without getting smacked."

"True… your dad does have a talent for beating kids."

"Right? I’ve been traumatized since I was little. It hurts like hell but never leaves bruises. I couldn’t even file a complaint if I wanted to."

"…"

Hearing that, Liu Changqing suddenly understood—

That’s why last time, when his own kid smacked Chen Dafu with a brick, the guy walked away fine.

He’d been conditioned since childhood.

Thinking that, Liu Changqing patted him on the shoulder.

"Alright, head back. What you should really be thinking about now is how to explain this to Gu Xiyu… Your rich-kid identity is exposed."

"…"

"Oh no! I’ve been exposed! Old Liu… what do I do now?!"

"Figure it out yourself."

Then Liu Changqing turned toward the road where Chen Jianguo had just driven off.

He sighed inwardly.

He didn’t even give me a ride back… Now I’ve got to walk a whole way just to catch a cab.

Thinking that, he looked back at Chen Dafu.

"I’m heading home. My wife’s waiting for me."

"Alright…"

After a quick goodbye, Liu Changqing started walking away.

But he’d barely taken a few steps…

When Chen Dafu called out to him.

"Old Liu—"

"What is it?"

Liu Changqing turned back, a little puzzled.

Chen Dafu had gone serious. He looked at Liu Changqing for a while, then finally asked:

"Aren’t you going to do something about Ye Rong? In her current state, if you just said a word to Yuanyao’s family, it’d be enough to—"

"No need."

Liu Changqing had expected some sort of follow-up—but not that.

He shook his head calmly and replied in a soft voice:

"I’m not the kind of man who’d trip up a fool. That’s beneath me."

"But back then, she—"

"I’ve got a family now. My kids are on the way. At a time like this, the last thing I want is more trouble."

After saying that, Liu Changqing turned around and raised a hand in farewell.

"Time to go. My wife’s still waiting."

Standing there—

Chen Dafu silently watched him walk away.

Maybe… once you have a family, your perspective really does change.

He remembered clearly—

How deeply Liu Changqing had once hated Ye Rong…