Chapter 76

"Boss." The assistant hurriedly knocked on Song Hai's office door, his expression quite peculiar. "There are several luxury cars parked outside our company."

"Luxury cars? They're not ours, so why are you so excited?" Song Hai, who had been living alone for years and didn't care much about birthdays, didn't have any plans for a big celebration. Even though it was his birthday, he had only booked a table at a regular restaurant and planned to take his daughter out for a simple meal.

The assistant chuckled bitterly. "I thought the same at first, but the people from the convoy said they were sent by Mr. Yuan Yi to pick you up for a birthday banquet."

"Pick me up?" Song Hai was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized, "He wants to flatter me?"

The assistant thought to himself that he'd seen many people trying to please the wealthy mother-in-law or father-in-law, but this was the first time he'd seen a wealthy young man trying to please a regular father-in-law. The boss's daughter was truly extraordinary, keeping a figure like Yuan Yi firmly under her control.

"Let's go take a look," Song Hai said, curious. He wanted to see just how impressive the luxury convoy was that had left the assistant so shocked.

Outside the company's gate, eight luxury cars worth millions were parked. The lead car had the Chinese character for "longevity" beautifully arranged on the front with flowers and diamonds, while the rest of the cars had their hoods decorated with cranes made of flowers, as if ready to take flight. At first glance, it looked like a wedding procession.

The drivers wore coats embroidered with the words "Longevity like the Southern Mountains" and stood neatly by the car doors, exuding an impressive aura.

The company's staff had never seen anything like it. Many of them took out their phones and pressed their faces to the windows to take photos. This method of flattering a future father-in-law was truly unprecedented.

After Song Hai stepped out of the gate, he was stunned by the grand spectacle, standing still for a while before he regained his composure.

"Uncle Song," a young man in a suit walked up to him, "I'm Zhang Wang, a friend of Yuan Yi and Yan Xi. You can call me Xiao Zhang. Mr. Yuan Yi has arranged a birthday banquet for you at the hotel, and he hopes you'll honor him with your presence."

Before running this errand for Yuan Yi, Zhang Wang had learned about Mr. Song Hai's background, and now seeing him in person, he realized that Song Hai was indeed as the rumors described—charming in his own way with his plump figure.

"Hello, Mr. Zhang," Song Hai shook Zhang Wang's hand, "How could Mr. Yuan Yi go through all this trouble for me?"

"You're too kind," Zhang Wang said, knowing that what Yuan Yi had done might seem a bit extravagant, but as a friend, it was his duty to say the right words, "Yuan Yi has had little time with his parents since he was young, so if there's anything lacking in his actions, please forgive him, Uncle Song. His respect for you is genuine."

Remembering what his daughter had mentioned to him about Yuan Yi, Song Hai smiled and replied, "That child Yuan Yi, he's just too polite."

Hearing this, Zhang Wang felt relieved. He turned to open the car door for Song Hai, "Please, after you."

"Thank you," Song Hai smiled politely at Zhang Wang and, under the curious gaze of all the company employees, got into the limited edition luxury car.

After the luxury convoy left, the company staff couldn't contain their curiosity and began gossiping excitedly.

"Have you seen the boss's daughter? She's amazing! To have such a wealthy CEO go out of his way to wish our boss a happy birthday. To do this for the boss's daughter, he must really like her."

"I haven't seen her in person, but I've seen her on TV. My parents and grandparents are all fans of hers, they sit in front of the TV every day to watch her show, even watching the reruns with great interest. To have such a following from the older generation, she must have something special about her."

"She's not that pretty, how could she make a wealthy CEO fall for her like that?"

"Look at you, sounding all bitter. I think she's quite pretty, and her show is interesting too. Otherwise, so many people wouldn't be fans of hers."

"Some people aren't criticizing the boss's daughter's looks because of her appearance—they're just jealous that such good fortune didn't fall on them. They've got nothing to say but to talk about looks."

The assistant heard some employees arguing and walked to the office door to knock: "Focus on your work, no gossiping during office hours."

The employees, seeing the assistant from the boss's side, quickly stopped talking. The ones who had just spoken ill of Yan Xi were so scared they didn't even dare to lift their heads. The assistant glanced around the office, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

The employees in the office secretly sighed with relief.

At that moment, photos had already been posted online by a passerby.

Passerby: "I just saw a luxury convoy on the road. I thought it was for some rich person's wedding, but turns out it was for a birthday celebration. The rich really know how to show off. Us mere mortals can only look up in awe. [Picture attached]"

The netizen posted several pictures, showing the prominent floral and diamond '寿' (longevity) characters on the car hoods, as well as the vivid flower cranes. Not to mention the limited edition luxury cars, which stirred up envy and resentment among many.

As the post gained attention, another netizen tweeted that the boss's daughter's boyfriend had arranged the luxury convoy to pick up the boss and take him to the birthday banquet, and the boss's daughter was truly living the life.

Bored netizens did some digging, found out where this netizen worked, and then checked the company's legal representative, discovering that it was Song Hai. At first, no one realized that Song Hai was Yan Xi's father, but when the company's employees leaked the information, netizens finally realized that this extravagant birthday celebration was Yuan Yi's way of trying to win over his girlfriend's father.

Netizen 1: "I don't know why, but somehow I think this Yuan Yi is kind of cute."

Netizen 2: "The way he's saying, even if the whole world opposes us being together, I'll still pursue my feelings and try to please your father, it really makes my inner romantic feel something."

Netizen 3: "If this isn't love, then is there any true love in this world?"

Netizen 4: "Some netizens are secretly imagining that Yan Xi is desperately clinging to Yuan Yi's thigh, but now it's obvious that Yuan Yi is trying hard to please Yan Xi's family. It's clear who can't live without who."

Netizen 5: "Though I'm a hater of Yan Xi, I have to admit, this reveal makes me realize that Yuan Yi really has his heart set on her. The way he's trying to please his future father-in-law looks so familiar. My brother did the same when he was trying to win over my sister-in-law's parents, but my brother wasn't as rich as Yuan Yi."

Sitting in the luxury limited edition car, Song Hai still had no idea that he had become an online sensation. He glanced at the young man sitting beside him, unsure of what to say. Being courted by his daughter's boyfriend in this way left him not knowing whether to laugh or cry, but at least he could tell that Yuan Yi really cared for his daughter, or he wouldn't go through all this trouble trying to win him over.

"Which hotel are we going to now?"

"Yuyuan."

Song Hai immediately understood. This was the Xu family's century-old hotel, now in the hands of Yuan Yi. He had dined at Yuyuan before, and both the accommodations and banquet services were very refined. The service was top-notch, the kind of place where people happily and willingly spend their money. The fact that the Xu family was willing to pass such a great hotel to Yuan Yi, their grandson, suggested that some parts of the reports were true, such as Yuan Yi being very favored by the Xu family's elderly patriarch.

"Yuan Yi originally planned to pick you up himself, but Dahe hasn't finished work yet, so he went to the TV station," Zhang Wang said. He knew that for people who valued their children, showing kindness to their children could earn more goodwill than showing kindness to them directly. "For this birthday banquet, Yuan Yi invited many of his business friends. Of course, those important guests you've interacted with are also on the guest list."

Zhang Wang handed over a stack of invitation lists. "Please take a look and let me know if anyone is missing."

Song Hai glanced at the list. It was very detailed, and no one was left out.

"The banquet was prepared by Yuan Yi and Dahe together. However, Yuan Yi made a small change in how he's welcoming you," Zhang Wang explained. He knew that Yan Xi had already planned to wish her father a happy birthday, but the original plan wasn't this extravagant or high-profile. He didn't know if Yuan Yi would get scolded by Dahe after this event.

Now, Song Hai understood that the luxury convoy had been arranged by Yuan Yi, not his daughter. He had suspected that his daughter, Yan Yan, would not be involved in such a showy gesture—after all, she took after him in some ways and after her mother in others.

Looking at the luxury convoy trailing behind their car, Song Hai tried to keep his expression calm, though he found this level of extravagance a little amusing.

"I know he meant well. I won't hold it against him," Song Hai nodded. "I just wonder if our Yan Yan will get used to this way of doing things."

Zhang Wang: That's a question I also want to know the answer to.

"Dear audience, that's all for today's 'Midday News.' Thank you for watching, and we hope to see you again at the same time tomorrow," Yan Xi said the usual closing line, switching off her microphone. After the cameras stopped filming, she stood up and stretched her back. "Great job, everyone."

"Thank you, Yan!" her colleagues smiled. "We know you have something to do today, so we won't keep you any longer. Go ahead."

Yan Xi smiled and thanked everyone. After changing out of her host attire, some colleagues joked with her, as it seemed like everyone at the station knew her father was celebrating his birthday today. But why was it that Chen Jie, who wasn't typically chatty, had shared that she needed to take leave to wish her dad a happy birthday? How did everyone know about it?

Less than five minutes after turning on her phone, she received a call from Yuan Yi. After learning that he was downstairs waiting for her, she quickly headed for the elevator.

She couldn't help but wonder if she had some sort of karmic connection with Zhao Wantong. They always seemed to run into each other unexpectedly in the elevator. Recently, Zhao Wantong had been hosting programs with senior colleagues, but the audience feedback wasn't great. Almost everyone felt that Zhao was an unnecessary addition, so the station was considering whether to cancel her development plan.

As a fellow female host who was also being groomed by the station, Yan Xi was much luckier than Zhao Wantong. Although many viewers initially thought she wasn't suited for the program with Shen Xingyan, after a few episodes, the audience gradually warmed up to her. The station also started to value her more and more. Maybe in a year or two, she would be able to stand on her own in the station.

Zhao Wantong's makeup was heavy, but the fatigue in her eyes couldn't be covered up by the cosmetics. When she saw Yan Xi enter the elevator, she surprisingly didn't make any sarcastic remarks. Instead, she stepped aside to the corner, not wanting to stand too close to Yan Xi. She thought Yan Xi might take the opportunity to mock her, but until the elevator doors opened again, Yan Xi didn't say a word, which made Zhao Wantong feel a little better.

At first, Zhao Wantong believed that everything Yan Xi had achieved was due to her family background and her boyfriend's influence. But the audience's feedback didn't lie—Yan Xi had adapted much better to hosting alongside a senior than she had.

As Zhao Wantong walked out of the radio station, she saw Yan Xi laughing and chatting with her wealthy boyfriend. The same wealthy man who made many online marketing accounts both resent and fear him was smiling like an ordinary man in front of Yan Xi, just like any other man in love.

She brushed through her long, flowing hair, took a deep breath, and thought, "If Yan Xi, who entered the station two years later than me, can be accepted by the audience, then I can too!"

Yan Xi fastened her seatbelt and turned to Yuan Yi, asking, "Did you arrange for someone to pick up my dad at the hotel? I wonder if he'll like the way I arranged things for him."

"Your father likes you so much, even if you only make him a bowl of porridge, he'd be happy, let alone a birthday banquet like this," Yuan Yi replied. Having come out of his earlier "high-profile" mood, he felt a little guilty, adding, "I've made a few extra touches to your plan, I hope you don't mind."

Yan Xi smiled, "You're just trying to make my dad happy, how could I mind?"

Yuan Yi sighed with relief. "That's good."

Half an hour later, Yan Xi stood at the entrance of the Yuyuan Hotel, stunned by the sight of vibrant flowers, rows of staff, and hot air balloons hanging with birthday wishes. She turned to Yuan Yi, speechless for a moment, and finally asked, "Are you sure this is really okay?"

She didn't want Yuan Yi to end up in the headlines again soon, but for a scandal about the famous century-old hotel closing down due to poor management.

Yuan Yi also felt that this might be a bit extravagant, but he believed that after today, no one would doubt how much he valued Yan Xi. "It's a rare birthday celebration for your father, it's better to make it grand."

Yan Xi wanted to say that this was all a bit over-the-top, but seeing Yuan Yi's eager smile, she changed her mind: "Yes, it's nice. My dad hasn't properly celebrated his birthday in years, so it's not too much to make it a bit grand this time."

"In the future, as long as I'm around, whatever kind of birthday celebration Uncle likes, I'll take care of it," Yuan Yi said, feeling more confident now that Yan Xi didn't mind his arrangements. He took her hand and said, "Come on, let's go in."

Flower petals covered the red carpet, and Yan Xi could tell that the attendants standing on either side were looking at her as if she were some kind of femme fatale.

As they entered the banquet hall, Yan Xi noticed the band in the corner and her father sitting at the main table, grinning from ear to ear with a rosy complexion.

As his daughter, Yan Xi could read her father's emotions pretty well, and at this moment, she was sure he was very happy.

Thinking it over, Yan Xi realized that Yuan Yi's arrangements today were actually fitting. Her father, who loved to wear flashy watches and big gold rings, probably did enjoy this lavish style deep down.

"Yuan Yi, thank you," Yan Xi said, smiling at him. "My dad is really happy."