Chapter 447: A Complex Family

Chapter 447: Chapter 447: A Complex Family

Upon hearing Yang Chen's question, Liu Mingyu was silent on the other end of the phone for a moment before she chuckled softly and said, "My parents are very ordinary people. My mother is just a regular housewife; besides cooking, she plays mahjong with the ladies in the community, chats, and drinks tea. My father does some business in Yandu and isn't home often. I used to see him only a few times a year. He seems to be planning to return to Zhonghai to develop his business, so he's been home a lot lately."

"Do your parents have any hobbies?" Yang Chen asked thoughtfully.

"They don't have many hobbies, and they don't like being too ostentatious. Don't bring too many things; they won't like that," Liu Mingyu reminded him.

Yang Chen pondered that Liu Mingyu's parents were likely the most ordinary family elders. He asked, "What did you tell your parents about me?"

"I just said we met at work, and you're a director at a branch office," Liu Mingyu replied.

"And they didn't ask anything else?" Yang Chen couldn't believe Liu Mingyu's parents would be satisfied with such scant information.

"They... they asked when we would get married. I didn't know what to say, so I told them to meet you and you would explain," Liu Mingyu stammered. Usually so graceful and confident, she didn't know how to handle this situation.

Yang Chen knew he was being a jerk about this. Clearly, he couldn't provide a "wedding date," nor could he promise a specific future. So, to get Liu Mingyu's parents to approve of them, he'd have to find a way to make them not oppose.

A conventional approach wouldn't solve this problem, so Yang Chen thought "unconventional means" might be necessary. As for what exactly to do, Yang Chen didn't have a good plan; he'd have to take it one step at a time.

They arranged to have dinner at a quiet vegetarian restaurant in the eastern district of Zhonghai. Liu Mingyu's father was said to be a vegetarian, so the family meal would only include vegetarian dishes.

From this, it was clear that Liu Mingyu's family respected her father highly. Yang Chen figured that gaining her father's approval would be key.

Driving to the elegant restaurant and getting out of the car at the entrance, he saw Liu Mingyu waiting anxiously. Yang Chen approached, seeing her tense expression, and couldn't help but laugh, "Are you that nervous? Do you think your parents will eat me?"

Liu Mingyu wasn't in the mood for jokes. She said, "If my father does something sudden, please don't react impulsively. Talk it out calmly."

Yang Chen was puzzled. There seemed to be something in Liu Mingyu's words, but he didn't have time to think it over. He followed her into the reserved private room.

As they walked in, Liu Mingyu clung to his arm tightly, her soft body trembling slightly with unease.

Since it was a vegetarian restaurant, the decor was mostly in shades of dark green and black, giving it a very clean and serene atmosphere. The corners were filled with indoor plants, and the ceiling was hung with spider plants, providing a refreshing ambiance.

When the door to the private room opened, Yang Chen immediately saw a couple sitting directly opposite him.

Chapter 447: A Complex Family

Liu Mingyu's mother bore some resemblance to her daughter. Although crow's feet lined the corners of her eyes, it was evident that she had been quite beautiful in her youth. When she saw Yang Chen walk in, a complicated expression flickered in her eyes, which Yang Chen found puzzling.

Next to Liu Mingyu's mother sat a man in a gray pinstripe suit. His slightly balding hair was neatly combed back, and his sharp eyes stared at Yang Chen like two sharp knives. However, a faint smile played on his lips, as gentle as a spring breeze.

The moment Yang Chen saw Liu Mingyu's father, he understood why Liu Mingyu was so tense. Her father was definitely not a simple man, as there was a palpable aura of danger around him. This was a man who had taken many lives, definitely not the simple businessman returning to Zhonghai as Liu Mingyu had described.

Yang Chen suddenly felt a peculiar interest arise within him. The issue of discussing marriage, which had been troubling him earlier, seemed less concerning now.

A tall, skinny teenager wearing loose hip-hop clothes, with his hair dyed yellow and standing on end, and sporting earrings, burst in. His small eyes scanned the room and settled on Yang Chen. His initial enthusiasm cooled significantly. "Is this the guy? He looks pretty lame."

"Minhao, why are you so late again? Have you been fighting again?" Liu Mingyu's mother asked, displeased, as she stood up, walked over to the boy, and pulled him to sit beside her.

Liu Qingshan seemed pleased to see his son. He said to Yang Chen, "This is Yu'er's younger brother, Minhao. He used to live with me in Yandu and didn't come back to Zhonghai often."

Yang Chen was taken aback, realizing how complex Liu Mingyu's family truly was. Her mother and Liu Mingyu lived in Zhonghai, while her father and brother were in Yandu. Liu Mingyu's mother and daughter clearly had a normal, ordinary family life, but Liu Qingshan and Liu Minghao seemed anything but benign.

No wonder Liu Mingyu had suddenly warned him about not coming if he was busy. But didn't she know what kind of people her father and brother were?

"Are you wondering how Yu'er could have a father like me?" Liu Qingshan seemed to have read Yang Chen's thoughts.

Yang Chen nodded, "It is a bit surprising."

"Surprising my foot! How dare you think you can marry my sister with your shabby looks? Have you even looked in the mirror? You're neither handsome nor cool, and you don't look strong either. You probably can't even fight. How dare you think you can marry my sister? My sister should marry someone from the Forbes list of billionaires!" Liu Minghao said disdainfully.

Yang Chen rubbed his nose. "It's the Forbes Billionaires List."

"Yeah, yeah," Liu Minghao suddenly chuckled. "That's what I meant!"

Liu Mingyu's mother listened to her son ranting without scolding him. She affectionately patted Liu Minghao's face, treating him like a child.

At this moment, Liu Mingyu walked back into the private room. Seeing her brother, she said with dissatisfaction, "Minghao, have you been fighting again? Coming back so late, you might as well sleep on the streets next time!"

She then introduced Yang Chen to her brother, "This is my brother. He's very mischievous, but he has a good heart."

Yang Chen smiled, "I can see that. He keeps saying I'm not handsome but hasn't hit me."

Liu Mingyu smiled, but seeing her father Liu Qingshan's stern face, she grew worried again.

"Yang Chen, the reason I knew you were already married yet still had Yu'er invite you to dinner is quite simple," Liu Qingshan took a sip of apple cider, his sharp gaze fixed on Yang Chen. "I don't oppose the two of you being together."

Liu Mingyu suddenly looked up at her father in surprise, clearly unaware that he would say such a thing.

Liu Mingyu's mother, on the other hand, seemed to have known all along and smiled helplessly without saying anything.

The most dissatisfied was Liu Minghao, who looked like he wanted to protest but backed down after a stern look from Liu Qingshan.

Yang Chen didn't know what to feel. It was as if he had prepared a lot of arguments and a mindset for dealing with disapproval, only to find it all unnecessary. Yet, he was quite pleased with the outcome. He blinked and smiled, "Uncle, you are very understanding."

"Are you mocking me? While I'm not a strict adherent to monogamy, I'm also not a father who likes to give his only daughter to another man as a mistress," Liu Qingshan's eyes showed a hint of anger, but then he smiled and asked, "The president of the Red Thorns Society, Si Tu, is also your lover, right?"

Yang Chen's smile faded as memories of what Rose had told him that day flashed through his mind. He frowned and asked suspiciously, "Could it be, Uncle, that you are Rose's collaborator?"