Chapter Seventeen: Father Confronts Son-in-Law, Daughter Confronts Father

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Perhaps Huanhuan truly possessed a natural talent for singing; even with accompaniment from only a single instrument, her performance was quite impressive. What surprised Zhou Chen even more was Nan Li’s accompaniment. Having spent so much time with her, he had never seen her play an instrument before, yet she played so beautifully.

As soon as the singing ended and the applause hadn’t yet died down, Tian Yulan directed her son to perform a recitation of pi for everyone. Although Yan Ziyou was reluctant, he dared not defy his mother and had no choice but to stand aside and recite pi aloud in front of everyone.

“3.1415926...”

In just a short while, he had already recited over a hundred digits. Zhou Chen and Nan Li exchanged glances, both speechless. Aside from Tian Yulan’s beaming smile, even Yan Peng lowered his head, unsure of what to say.

Listening to Ziyou’s fluent recital, Zhou Chen was genuinely astonished. Though he didn’t see much use in rote memorization, Ziyou’s ease indicated how much effort he had invested.

If only Huanhuan could work as hard as Ziyou, she might not only be admitted to Hanlin Middle School but at least wouldn’t rank in the middle or even the bottom at Fengfan Primary.

Though Huanhuan was still young, the fact that she could only recite a few digits while Ziyou could recite so many dented her small pride.

At the dining table, only Tian Yulan and Cai Juying, mother and daughter, felt delighted watching Ziyou recite without pause; the others were left feeling helpless and awkward.

Seeing Ziyou recite more and more, Yan Peng could no longer hold back. His son hadn’t even eaten much before being asked to recite pi—of course, as a father, he felt sorry for him.

“All right, that’s enough. Over a thousand digits—how long do you intend to keep going?”

Nan Jianlong, who hadn’t really wanted to listen, quickly added, “Yeah, Ziyou has already done very well. Come on, come on, let’s eat first.”

Seeing his son’s moment to shine cut short, Tian Yulan was displeased and kicked Yan Peng under the table.

“Uncle Nan, our Ziyou can recite over a thousand digits without pause.”

Then she shifted focus to Huanhuan, “Huanhuan, how many can you recite?”

Huanhuan answered straightforwardly, “3.1415926, that’s all.”

Nan Li, unwilling to see her daughter discouraged, said gently, “It’s okay, Huanhuan. This isn’t something that’s tested. Being able to recite this much is enough.”

Tian Yulan finally seized an opportunity and said with a forced smile, “You really are quite lenient with your children. But that’s understandable; for girls, things don’t have to be so hard. Being promoted straight to Fengfan Middle School isn’t bad at all. But for boys, it’s different. They must get into Hanlin, which is the top middle school in our district. Even across the whole city, it’s in the top tier.”

After enduring for a long time, Nan Li finally lost patience. She put down her spoon, gently patted Chaochao’s head, and said calmly, “It has nothing to do with whether they’re boys or girls. Our Chaochao won’t be forced either. Children are children; constantly pushing them to compete like this just makes people irritated.”

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Tian Yulan was not to be outdone. “I often tell Ziyou that only by enduring hardship can one become a superior person.”

Nan Li retorted disdainfully, “In modern society, everyone is equal. What kind of person is a ‘superior person’? That’s just a feudal notion.”

“There is no such thing as equality! That’s just fooling yourself. People strive upwards, water flows downwards. So, you must never let your child relax in their studies. If you feel sorry for her now, you’re actually harming her.”

“......”

As the two daughters’ conversation escalated into discussions about original families, feelings of deprivation, and social climbing, Nan Jianlong could no longer hold back.

With a clatter, he slammed his chopsticks onto the bowl, and the atmosphere at the table instantly froze.

Zhou Chen had anticipated this escalation, but unlike in dramas where someone would step in to smooth things over, he remained quietly seated.

What he hadn’t expected was that his father-in-law, realizing he couldn’t control his two daughters, would shift the conflict onto him.

“Junshan, I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

“Huh?”

Zhou Chen was bewildered.

Talk to me? About what? Weren’t you supposed to mediate between your two daughters? Why are you bringing me into this? What could you possibly want to say?

Ignoring Zhou Chen’s expression, Nan Jianlong continued, “You’re an architect, but you don’t focus on your job. Instead, you write novels? Isn’t that neglecting your main duties? And what kind of novels do you write?”

Zhou Chen was speechless. How could writing a novel be considered neglecting one’s duties?

“I write online novels. It’s just something I do in my spare time; it doesn’t interfere with my work, and it’s not neglecting my main duties.”

“Online novels?”

Nan Jianlong’s tone hardened. “You mean those messy, trivial stories online? You’re an architect, yet you waste time writing those vulgar, lowbrow novels that can’t be taken seriously. Isn’t that neglecting your main duties? Wouldn’t it be better to spend more time with your child?”

Zhou Chen finally understood: his father-in-law was deliberately diverting the argument onto him.

Perhaps he thought that as his son-in-law and student, Zhou Chen wouldn’t contradict him no matter what, so he felt free to do this.

Though Zhou Chen was slightly displeased, out of respect for Nan Li’s father and considering his usual demeanor, this was not the time to argue back.

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As Zhou Chen pondered how to change the subject, another unexpected incident occurred.

He hadn’t intended to undermine his father-in-law, but Nan Li was displeased.

Why was this happening?

She was having a dispute with Tian Yulan, and it would be one thing if he didn’t support her, but to reprimand her husband in front of so many people was even more infuriating.

So Nan Li also put down her chopsticks and looked at her father.

“Dad, I don’t agree with what you said. How can you say Junshan’s novels are vulgar? You haven’t even read them; isn’t that disrespectful?”

“Me?”

Nan Jianlong looked stunned. He hadn’t meant to scold his son-in-law; he just wanted to use the topic to stop his two daughters from arguing. But he didn’t expect his daughter to jump to his defense before Zhou Chen even responded.

But Nan Li was not finished. She continued, “I know about Junshan writing novels; he hasn’t neglected spending time with the children. In fact, he’s only been writing for about a month and has already earned over ten thousand yuan. And that’s just the beginning. So writing novels isn’t a waste of time—it’s a job, a job that makes money.”

Nan Jianlong’s face darkened as he retorted, “It’s not about making money. As an architect, his primary focus should be his profession. If he spends all his energy writing novels, his professional skills will decline, which is very detrimental to his future. You shouldn’t just look at short-term gains; you must think about the long term.”

“The main job is to earn money too. As long as it’s legal and ethical, why can’t he do it?”

“A person’s energy is limited. You have to focus on one thing. Trying to do everything leads to failure.”

“What’s wrong with writing novels during spare moments at work? It’s better than going out drinking or partying. I trust Junshan’s self-discipline. Even if he writes novels, he won’t neglect his main job, nor will he run around chasing women or abandon his family.”

Clearly, Nan Li was furious, her pent-up emotions erupting. The last sentence slipped out unintentionally.

In an instant, the entire restaurant fell into silence.

“Enough!”