Chapter 509: Do You Want to Marry Her?

Chapter 509: Chapter 509: Do You Want to Marry Her?

Wang Chenning kept his expression neutral. After politely returning the greeting, he followed Lin Anning into the inner hall.

As they walked toward the inner hall, he distinctly felt a death glare from Wang Qinglin fixed on his back.

"Many people in your Lin family still want me dead, don’t they?" he asked Lin Anning softly.

The smile on Lin Anning’s face instantly vanished. She subconsciously started to turn her head, but Wang Chenning stopped her.

"But I trust your grandfather will still treat me with courtesy," Wang Chenning whispered.

Lin Anning was quite sharp; she immediately understood his implication. Wang Chenning was pleased by this.

"Grandpa, I brought Dr. Wang Chenning to see you!" Lin Anning called out sweetly as she entered the inner hall and saw her grandfather, Lin Qiushou, sitting there reading a book. She then took two quick steps forward.

"Anning, you’re here!" Lin Qiushou looked up from his book and took off his reading glasses. He gave Lin Anning a fond look, then shifted his gaze to Wang Chenning, who was right behind her.

"Elder Lin." Wang Chenning stepped forward and greeted him politely. "I apologize for visiting so abruptly and disturbing your peace. Please forgive the intrusion."

A sharp glint flashed briefly in Lin Qiushou’s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"Sit," he replied impassively, and told Lin Anning to make tea for Wang Chenning.

Wang Chenning returned a smile and sat down across from Lin Qiushou.

"Elder Lin, your granddaughter and grandson and I have had our share of unpleasantness in the past, and I’d like to apologize for that today. It was nothing more than youthful impulsiveness, and what’s past is past," Wang Chenning said, neither servile nor overbearing. "As the saying goes, you don’t get to know someone until you’ve fought them. Without that prior unpleasantness, I might not have had the opportunity to meet you today."

Lin Qiushou was rather surprised. Wang Chenning showed no signs of being intimidated, speaking to him with complete composure, his gaze unwavering.

His expression remained impassive as he looked at Wang Chenning. "You’ve got quite the nerve, beating up Annian time and time again."

Lin Anning, who was preparing tea for Wang Chenning, was startled when she heard the rebuking tone in her grandfather’s voice. She missed the cup, spilling hot tea on the table, and quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe it up.

But when she picked up the cup, more tea sloshed out, scalding her hand. She quickly put the cup down, flustered and embarrassed.

Wang Chenning, however, was completely unfazed. "I suppose I am rather bold. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared to proactively challenge the traditional medical worlds of South Korea and Japan during my visits to Seoul and Tokyo. And I certainly wouldn’t have my subsequent achievements."

Lin Anning had already told him the attitudes of the key figures in the Lin family. ’Why should I be afraid?’

Even if Lin Anning hadn’t told him anything, he wouldn’t have shown any fear in front of Lin Qiushou, let alone be intimidated by Elder Lin’s powerful presence.

’Considering he had the experiences of two lifetimes, what kind of situation hadn’t he seen before?’

Although Elder Lin had somewhat anticipated how Wang Chenning might act, he was still a little surprised. He had deliberately said a few things to apply pressure, yet Wang Chenning remained unfazed, responding with composure and even cleverly redirecting the conversation. That level of mental fortitude and adaptability was unexpected.

"Do you want Anning to be your girlfriend?" he asked abruptly as he saw Lin Anning walking over with the tea. Elder Lin was, after all, no ordinary man. "Do you want to be the Lin family’s son-in-law?"

This question not only caught Wang Chenning by surprise, but Lin Anning was also completely blindsided.

Startled, her hand trembled, and a large splash of hot tea sloshed out, scalding her hand again.

"How can you be so clumsy even in your own home!" Wang Chenning said with a smile as he grabbed Lin Anning’s hand. He quickly wiped the hot water off, then took a tube of ointment from his medical kit, applied some, and pressed the tube into her hand. "Here, take it. So you don’t burn your hand again next time."

Lin Anning’s pretty face instantly turned scarlet. She was so mortified she wished the ground would swallow her whole.

Lin Qiushou watched the two young people with great interest, saying nothing.

"Thank you!" All of her usual fierceness was gone. She took the ointment from Wang Chenning, completely flustered, and subconsciously glanced at him.

Wang Chenning smiled and instructed Lin Anning, "I’m going to give your grandfather a check-up in a moment. Why don’t you go find a clean towel?"

"Oh!" Lin Anning agreed and hurried out as if someone were chasing her.

Only then did Wang Chenning turn back to answer Lin Qiushou’s question. "What do you think, Elder Lin? Would it be appropriate for your granddaughter and me to marry?"

"It wouldn’t be," Lin Qiushou said, shaking his head. "If she married you, she would completely lose herself and just become your appendage."

"You’re even worried that I would use Anning to encroach upon the Lin family’s assets, aren’t you?" Wang Chenning said, watching Lin Qiushou with a slight smile. "Actually, I believe that two people who like each other don’t necessarily have to get married. If they really do become husband and wife, that affection might be completely worn away by the tediousness of everyday life."

"Then how do you plan to interact with her?" Lin Qiushou narrowed his eyes. "I can tell Anning likes you a lot."

"From a medical perspective, liking someone is due to the cerebral cortex secreting a specific substance. After about eighteen months, the level of this substance drops significantly. In other words, the feeling of infatuation generally fades in about two years, unless there are other stimulating factors." Wang Chenning smiled. "Infatuation can’t last a lifetime, but a friendship based on affection plus complementary real-world interests? That kind of friendship might just last forever."