“Here, try some of the tea I brewed.”
Luo Jingcheng slid a freshly poured cup of tea to the other side of the table.
The gesture clearly meant for Luo Xinyu to sit across from him.
The room wasn’t furnished with chairs—instead, there were two floor cushions for sitting. Luo Jingcheng felt that this setup gave off more of that “true tea master” vibe.
Luo Xinyu stared at the cup of tea still steaming with white vapor in front of her, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
Do you not know how scalding hot this tea is?! And you actually expect me to drink it down just like that? Who tries to poison their own daughter like this?
Pursing her lips, she still picked up the cup, brought it to her mouth, and took a symbolic sip or two.
Her father didn’t know how to brew tea—Luo Xinyu was well aware of that. As for why he was putting on this whole tea-serving host act, it was probably to put a little pressure on Xia Xi.
Too bad for him, though—the person sitting across from him right now was his own biological daughter, and Luo Xinyu felt absolutely zero pressure whatsoever.
“It’s good.”
Setting the cup down, Luo Xinyu forced herself to give a compliment against her conscience.
To be honest, the tea her father had brewed was bitter and astringent—anyone would think he’d used bitter melon to steep it.
Seeing “Xia Xi’s” calm expression, Luo Jingcheng looked at the cup he’d poured for himself with some confusion.
Before the other party had entered the room, he’d already tasted it himself, and the flavor was… indescribable.
But now this guy was praising his tea as delicious—was there something wrong with his own taste buds?
No.
This kid was clearly lying through his teeth.
Luo Jingcheng cleared his throat lightly.
Even so, he still appreciated the compliment given against conscience—who doesn’t like being praised, even when they know they’ve done a poor job?
“Xiao Xi.”
“Yes, Uncle?”
Luo Xinyu picked up a new teapot and began brewing fresh tea on her own.
“What do you think of my daughter?”
Luo Xinyu had expected her father to ask about things like ideals and aspirations, or maybe questions regarding assets and property. She hadn’t expected him to open with asking how Xia Xi viewed her.
Well, that makes sense, I suppose.
Whatever assets Xia Xi had and whatever achievements he’d made—her father could’ve easily looked all that up with a bit of effort. There was no need to ask again.
“Xinyu is a wonderful girl—gentle, virtuous, kind-hearted, generous, understanding, adorable, beautiful…”
Luo Xinyu sang her own praises without so much as a blush. Who doesn’t have a moment of narcissism now and then?
But she was cut off mid-compliment by Luo Jingcheng.
“I bet all that stuff you said earlier was fake—the only real one was ‘adorable and beautiful,’ wasn’t it?”
As a man himself, Luo Jingcheng knew perfectly well that the initial spark between a man and a woman often starts with physical attraction.
If his daughter were even a little less pretty, or if Xia Xi were even a little less handsome, their relationship wouldn’t have progressed this fast—hell, it might not have even developed into what it was now.
This world, after all, still runs on looks. Not to say there aren’t people who don’t care about appearances and only value inner beauty, but those are the minority.
People are naturally drawn to better things—and outer beauty is still beauty. It’s only human nature, and everyone understands that.
“Not at all, Uncle—I meant every word. Xinyu really is amazing.”
Luo Xinyu pouted slightly, her hands never stopping.
Her tea-brewing technique was noticeably more skilled than Luo Jingcheng’s.
Back when she’d been learning to cook and make desserts with Lin Xueling and An Xiaoyu, they’d also studied a bit of tea culture and the like—after all, beverages are an important part of the culinary arts.
“Obviously—do you think I don’t know how excellent my own daughter is?”
Luo Jingcheng rolled his eyes.
Of course he knew his daughter was outstanding. Even before her legs healed, she’d already mastered calligraphy, painting, music, and chess. Now that she was better, he’d heard she’d even learned to cook—she was a proper young lady through and through.
“Alright, I won’t beat around the bush with you. I’ll be straightforward: if you want to marry my daughter, fine—I’m not some stubborn old fossil. I get that you young folks nowadays prefer free love and don’t care for arranged marriages or parental mandates.”
Luo Jingcheng tapped his index finger lightly on the tea table, one knock at a time. The thump, thump, thump carried an oppressive weight—clearly his way of piling a bit more psychological pressure on “Xia Xi.”
“I have three conditions. If you can meet all of them, I’ll approve of this marriage.”
Luo Xinyu honestly hadn’t expected her father to be this direct.
She and Xia Xi hadn’t even considered marriage yet—hell, they hadn’t even officially established their relationship as a couple—and yet her father had just laid it all out so bluntly.
If Xia Xi were here in person, he’d probably be stammering incoherently by now.
Good thing we swapped bodies beforehand.
“Go ahead, Uncle. Whatever the conditions, I’ll do my best to meet them.”
Luo Xinyu knew perfectly well that at times like this, all you had to do was show your willingness. As for whether you could actually fulfill them in the end, that wasn’t really what mattered—what mattered was the sincerity behind it. As long as she could show her father that Xia Xi would take good care of her, that was enough.
“First, you can’t force my daughter to do anything she doesn’t want to do. You have to treat her well, and above all, you can’t do anything morally corrupt like cheating on her.”
“Of course—my heart belongs only to Xinyu.”
Luo Xinyu blinked.
Even she didn’t believe that when she said it.
Xia Xi’s heart definitely didn’t belong only to her—after all, with that kind of magical ability of his, there was no way he’d tie himself to just one person, right?
Not that she minded, though.
All the pretty girls Xia Xi had come across so far had already become her good sisters anyway~
“Hmph. Smooth talker.”
Luo Jingcheng snorted coldly and continued.
“Second, I think your current status isn’t enough. The Luo family is one of the top families in the capital, and my daughter is a genuine lady of high birth. If you’re just a well-known writer, I don’t think you’re good enough for her.”
Luo Jingcheng paused there without elaborating further.
Luo Xinyu understood what he meant.
With her father’s personality—tough on the outside but soft on the inside—what he said on the surface sounded like he thought the two weren’t on equal footing and that Xia Xi wasn’t good enough for her. But what he actually meant was that Xia Xi shouldn’t slack off and should put more effort into his career.
He’d probably found out that Xia Xi had been holed up in his room eating, drinking, and having fun lately, which is why he’d laid down this condition.
“Don’t worry, Uncle. I’ll work hard to climb higher and strive to one day be worthy of Xinyu.”
Hearing “Xia Xi” say that, and seeing the determined look in those eyes, Luo Jingcheng nodded in satisfaction.
“Good. I hope I’m not wrong about you.”
He stood up, stamped his feet a bit to shake off the numbness from sitting cross-legged, then walked over to Luo Xinyu, who was still seated, and reached out to pat her on the shoulder.
“The third condition…”
