Chapter 179 - 177: Authorization Successful

Chapter 179: Chapter 177: Authorization Successful

"...We have a sofa bed. It’s comfortable and soft."

Jiang Xia winced inwardly. Same father-in-law, same old tricks. The man had him completely figured out.

He was reluctant, but as the son-in-law, what choice did he have but to accept?

Seeing the dejected look on his face, Lin Yanwan was secretly amused. ’Dad would never hand his daughter over so easily. At this stage, getting him to agree to let Jiang Xia stay over is already a huge win.’

"Dad, don’t go to the trouble. I don’t have a toothbrush, toothpaste, or a change of clothes here. It’d be more convenient for me to just go home," Jiang Xia refused with an air of righteousness.

"Hm, that’s true." Lin Gaoyuan turned to his wife and said with a grin, "Wanqiu, we should buy a few extra sets of toothbrushes, toothpaste, and face towels another day. Our son-in-law will be able to use them in the future."

"Okay."

Ji Wanqiu nodded in agreement. She looked at Jiang Xia, her tone slightly hesitant. "It’s already so late. Why don’t I drive you home? That way I can also let your parents know you’re okay, so they don’t worry."

Clearly, his future mother-in-law was very concerned about him.

"Mom, it’s really fine. Ever since I graduated, my parents stopped keeping tabs on me. As long as I’m not out causing trouble, it doesn’t matter when I get home. You two should get some rest."

"Do you have your house keys?"

"I do."

"Oh. Well, be careful on your way home. Stay safe, and text Yanwan when you get there."

"Will do."

"Bye, brother-in-law."

"Bye, Xiao Man."

The couple saw him to the elevator. As the doors closed, Lin Gaoyuan huffed. "As if I don’t know what that kid is up to. He just wants to crawl into Yanwan’s bed. You think I’d let him?"

Ji Wanqiu’s heart clenched. ’In my opinion, it’s only a matter of time before those two start living together. We can still keep an eye on them while they’re here, but once they go to the Imperial Capital, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away. We won’t be able to manage them even if we want to.’

’So it all comes down to Yanwan. Instead of worrying about this and that, I’d be better off giving my daughter a few preemptive warnings.’

’For example, lines like: "It’s too late, the dorms are locked," "The hotel said they only have one room left," "I just want to hold you while we sleep, I promise I won’t try anything," and "I’ll just rub up against you, I won’t actually put it in." She can’t believe any of that nonsense!’

"Let’s go. Time for bed. I have to discuss the partnership with the creators of *Cat and Mouse* tomorrow."

Lin Gaoyuan yawned.

After leaving his girlfriend’s parents’ house, Jiang Xia hailed a cab and headed home. Aside from grinding out some storyboards in the morning, he had spent the whole afternoon napping with his girlfriend in his arms. As a result, he wasn’t the least bit sleepy now; he was brimming with energy.

When he got home, he found his parents had already gone to bed. He first sent a text to his girlfriend to let her know he’d arrived safely, then grabbed a change of clothes and took a shower.

Then, it was time to pull an all-nighter drawing to make up for the progress he’d lost during the day.

◇

Early the next morning, Jiang Xia was still fast asleep when he was jolted awake by his ringing phone.

He squinted at the caller ID. Seeing it was Li Weiya, he felt he had no choice but to answer.

"Hello, Aunt Li..."

Hearing the groggy rasp in his voice, Li Weiya chuckled. "Still sleeping?"

"Yeah, I went to bed a little late last night," Jiang Xia said, closing his eyes and just holding the phone to his ear. He couldn’t stop yawning.

"Ah Ming is still asleep, too. I think he was up until two last night. I can’t do that anymore. When it’s my bedtime, I get tired no matter what."

Li Weiya made a bit more small talk before getting straight to the point. "I’m going to sign the contract with your father-in-law today. Do you have any instructions?"

Jiang Xia thought for a moment. "Don’t be in a rush to sign. Tour his factory first. Take a look at the production lines and the working environment. Only sign after you’ve considered everything carefully. He’s worked very hard these past two days to secure our merchandise license."

"Yes, that’s true."

"Also, if you notice anything that’s not up to par, you have to point it out to his face. Be as critical as possible. We even need to apply some pressure in the contract. You have to understand, this toy factory is our company’s future springboard into the toy market. It has to be managed and developed properly."

"Indeed."

Li Weiya was well aware of Jiang Xia’s development plan. He wanted to sell merchandise and toys, and his girlfriend’s family factory was the linchpin of it all.

This was the perfect chance to leverage the popularity of *Cat and Mouse* to get ahead of the competition. If they missed this opportunity, trying to build up the business later would be exponentially more difficult.

"So, are you going to be there?"

"Aunt Li, I’ll leave it entirely in your hands. You know the rules of business better than I do. Just let me know the outcome after the contract is signed," Jiang Xia said, unable to stifle another yawn.

"Fair enough."

Li Weiya chided him good-naturedly, "Alright, get up. No more sleeping. Check your QQ. I sent you a copy of the revised contract. See if anything is missing so I can fix it right away."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Jiang Xia dozed for another two minutes before finally dragging himself out of bed.

He turned on the computer in his study and meticulously reviewed the contract. Finding no issues, he determined it was ready to be signed.

He then immediately called his girlfriend. No matter what, they needed to exchange a bit of intel.

In that moment, he was like a grand marshal in his command tent, determining victory from a thousand miles away.

◇

They agreed to meet at Lin Gaoyuan’s own toy factory. The name was rather plain—Gaoyuan Toys. It was obviously a person’s name and lacked the ambitious ring of a company destined for greatness.

Li Weiya arrived wearing a light green pantsuit, her hair in large waves. With her high heels and bright lipstick, she perfectly embodied the image of a powerful career woman.

"You must be President Li. A pleasure to meet you," Lin Gaoyuan said, shaking her hand politely.

"Boss Lin, a pleasure."

Li Weiya smiled, subtly sizing up Ah Xia’s father-in-law. ’He has a kind, steady face and a slightly heavyset build. He’s also wearing a suit.’

’As for the elegant, beautiful woman beside him, that must be Ah Xia’s mother-in-law. With a mother this beautiful, the daughter must be stunning. Didn’t Ah Ming say she was the prettiest girl in her class?’

’Tsk, that kid is one lucky guy.’

"President Li, have you had breakfast yet?" Ji Wanqiu asked with a small smile.

"I have, thank you," Li Weiya replied, returning the smile.

She pulled a folder from her briefcase and looked at the couple, getting straight to the point.

"Boss Lin, I’m on a tight schedule today, so let’s not beat around the bush. My purpose here is to inspect your toy factory and determine if it has what it takes to be a partner for our company. If everything is up to snuff, we can officially discuss a partnership."

"How does that sound?"

...