Chapter 153 She

“What?!” Xue Tian'ai and Qin Mengxue were stunned on the spot, their faces instantly written with absolute bewilderment.

“Pfft!!” Cen An'an, who was drinking a beverage nearby, spat it right out upon hearing those words, then stared at Qin Wanlan with a shocked expression as well.

Blue Yingyan’s reaction was not as dramatic; she just shook her head with a hint of helplessness and let out a gentle sigh, though she didn’t say anything.

“What kind of reactions are you all giving me? Is there something wrong with what I just said, or did I not make myself clear enough?” Qin Wanlan swept his gaze across their expressions, then said with some dissatisfaction.

“Then I’ll say it again!” Qin Wanlan reached out a finger and pointed at Qin Mengxue: “You!!”

Then, Qin Wanlan’s finger slid over to point at Xue Tian'ai: “And you!! The two of you, hurry up and make me a grandson to play with! If a grandson won't do, a granddaughter is fine too! Boys or girls, I don’t care!”

In fact, there was no need for Qin Wanlan to repeat it at all; everyone present had heard him crystal clear...

“Um, Dad... did you drink too much...” Xue Tian'ai was the first to react, the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

Xue Tian'ai never could have imagined why, while in the middle of drinking, the topic would suddenly shift to having children... Having children? He hadn't even thought about it at all...

After all, neither he nor Qin Mengxue were very old right now—she was twenty-five, and he was twenty-three... Besides, although he and Qin Mengxue had nominally been married for three years, they hadn't spent all that much time actually together yet...

“I did not drink too much! Brat, what do you mean by that?” Qin Wanlan instantly became displeased, staring at Xue Tian'ai with wide, round eyes.

“No, no, no...” Xue Tian'ai was genuinely a bit scared of his father-in-law now and quickly waved his hands: “I just think having a kid right now is a bit too sudden...”

“Dad... Actually, I also think it’s a bit too sudden...” Qin Mengxue, who had remained silent until now, softly chimed in.

However, at this moment, Qin Mengxue’s entire face was covered in a rosy blush, and her tone was filled with tenderness and shyness... There was no trace left of her usual cold, aloof image as the female CEO of the Menghua Group!

“Sudden my foot!! Are you two teaming up to piss me off?!!” Whether Qin Wanlan was drunk or genuinely angry, almost every word he spoke now sounded like a thunderclap, making the eardrums of the few present ache with pain...

“Uh, well, I’m going to go take a shower...” Seeing that Qin Wanlan was getting a bit prickly, Cen An'an suddenly felt a bad omen... She quickly patted her backside, stood up, and slipped away in a flash...

After all, discussing matters like having children had nothing much to do with her. If she ended up as collateral damage later, that would be terrible, so of the thirty-six stratagems, running away was the best policy...

“You three chat slowly; I’ll go clear away the dishes...” Blue Yingyan also stood up at this moment, then gave Qin Mengxue a deeply meaningful look and said, “On this matter, my view is the same as your dad's...”

“Mom...”

“You're already married, isn't it perfectly normal to want a child...” As if she hadn't heard Qin Mengxue’s words, Blue Yingyan picked up some bowls and chopsticks and walked straight toward the kitchen...

After Cen An'an and Blue Yingyan left the dining table one after another, only the three of them were left at the large table, and an awkward, tense silence fell over them for a moment...

“What do you two mean? Are you going to have a child or not??” Qin Wanlan tapped the tabletop with his finger and stared sternly at Xue Tian'ai and Qin Mengxue.

Xue Tian'ai felt his scalp tingling from being questioned. Left with no choice, he could only secretly cast his gaze toward Qin Mengxue...

Qin Mengxue’s eyes met Xue Tian'ai’s for a fleeting second, but she hastily looked away in a panic, turning her deeply blushed face aside...

Xue Tian'ai felt even more exasperated at this moment, but looking at Qin Wanlan’s stormy expression, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, “Dad, I really think this matter shouldn't be rushed...”

“Why can't it be rushed?! I'm in a huge rush right now!!”

“Dad, think about it. If Xiao Xue gets pregnant, what happens to such a huge Menghua Group? Who is going to run it?”

“So what? If the Menghua Group can't find anyone to run it, Xiao Xue isn't allowed to have children? Besides, Xiao Xue getting pregnant isn't you getting pregnant, and you're my Qin family’s son-in-law anyway—you can just take over running the group then!”

“Dad... I'm afraid that might not be appropriate. It’s not like you don't know me...” Xue Tian'ai smiled bitterly. Given his current identities, he wasn't quite suited to stand out in the open...

Although Qin Wanlan had been drinking, he caught the implied meaning in Xue Tian'ai’s words. He quickly put on a casual, carefree wave of his hand and said, “We’ll talk about that when the time comes; I have my own arrangements!”

“I............” Xue Tian'ai was left speechless at that moment. He never expected his father-in-law’s attitude to be so resolute, acting completely like he wouldn't turn back until he hit a brick wall.

“What are you, you... Brat, if you dare say the word 'no' to me again tonight, I'll beat the crap out of your backside!” Qin Wanlan raised his chin, glaring at Xue Tian'ai with an expression of utter exasperation.

Seeing Qin Wanlan like that, even Xue Tian'ai had to obediently shut his mouth... He firmly believed that his father-in-law would really give him a severe beating...

And what was even more frustrating was that he couldn't even fight back! After all, he was his father-in-law; there was no logic for a son-in-law to raise a hand against his wife's father...

Qin Mengxue was also somewhat dumbfounded at this moment. She hadn't expected that Xue Tian'ai—who feared neither heaven nor earth and seemingly never lost out—would actually suffer defeat at her father's hands...

However............ shouldn't the most important thing right now be racking her brain to talk her dad out of this idea? She didn't want to have a baby at twenty-three... Therefore, Qin Mengxue used her small foot to gently kick Xue Tian'ai under the table, trying to remind him to say something.

Xue Tian'ai naturally felt Qin Mengxue’s signal. He turned his head slightly and saw Qin Mengxue’s pitiful gaze, along with a surreptitious thumbs-up gesture she was making with her hand...

Xue Tian'ai instantly felt like crying without tears.

“Alright, alright, Wanlan, stop making things difficult for the young couple.” Blue Yingyan had finished washing the dishes and returned at that moment, naturally spotting the distress on Xue Tian'ai and Qin Mengxue’s faces.

“After all, it is indeed a bit too sudden to bring this up with them the moment you get back. Let the two of them discuss it themselves... I'm sure the young couple will be able to figure it out!” Blue Yingyan walked behind Qin Wanlan and gently patted his shoulder.

“Hmph! Discuss it or not, the result is the same! I want that grandchild, and I'm going to get it! I'm going to take a shower; do whatever you want!” Qin Wanlan let out a heavy snort, stood up, and walked upstairs.

“Sigh, that old codger is just like that. Xiaoai, don't take it to heart. But the matter of having a child that your dad brought up—you two should seriously think about it...” Blue Yingyan let out a gentle sigh and then also turned around to walk upstairs.

Watching Qin Wanlan and Blue Yingyan’s figures disappear at the stairwell, both Qin Mengxue and Xue Tian'ai let out a sigh of relief. No matter what, they had managed to stall for tonight...

Qin Wanlan, upon returning upstairs, didn't actually go take a shower as he had claimed. Instead, he stood by the bedroom window, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and stared at the risen moon outside the window, lost in thought.

Blue Yingyan didn't say anything after returning to the room either; she just sat at the edge of the bed, quietly gazing at the back of her beloved husband, Qin Wanlan.

“Yingyan, Xiaoai has truly grown up healthy into an exceptionally outstanding man!” Qin Wanlan exhaled a cloud of smoke and sighed sentimentally.

“Yes, the last shred of worry in my heart is gone now. Entrusting Xiaoxue to Xiaoai is definitely not a mistake.” Blue Yingyan smiled faintly, her tone gentle as she continued, “Wanlan, you really drank too much tonight. Go take a shower first.”

“Drank too much? Maybe so. After all, I'm indeed no longer young...” Qin Wanlan chuckled self-deprecatingly, stubbed out the cigarette butt in his hand, and turned around to look at Blue Yingyan: “Yingyan, you tasted it too, didn't you?”

Upon hearing Qin Wanlan’s words, Blue Yingyan was startled for a moment, and then tears gradually welled up in her eyes: “Ah... yes... yes, the braised pork made by Xiaoai tastes exactly like hers...”

Qin Wanlan looked at Blue Yingyan, whose eye sockets were turning slightly red, and a sorrowful expression involuntarily appeared on his face: “If she were still alive and saw her son grown into such a fine, talented young man, would she be smiling from ear to ear?”

“She would, she definitely would, absolutely!” Blue Yingyan looked up to wipe the corners of her eyes, then nodded heavily: “After all, she was the person in this world who loved Xiyuan and Xiaoai the most!”

“Yingyan, Xiaoai is back now; we must love and cherish Xiaoai well on her behalf...” Qin Wanlan turned back around, gazed into the boundless night outside the window, and let out a long sigh.