Chapter 169 - 160: I Swear This Is the Last Time

The phone rang again. Feeling utterly helpless, Ni Bingyan finally picked up.

She couldn’t help it. He was her only father, and he genuinely cared for her, always putting her first. Even when she had to refuse him, she couldn’t be too harsh.

Otherwise, she would break his heart.

"Dad! Didn’t we already agree? I was going to focus on my career, and relationships could wait. You promised me you wouldn’t arrange any more blind dates for me, so why are you going back on your word? If you absolutely have to talk about this, can we just chat some other time? I’m swamped right now. I don’t have time to waste on such pointless matters."

People were still dredging up that last blind date with Sun Yaowei over the New Year.

The internet never forgets, and she couldn’t guarantee that someone wouldn’t see them and snap a photo this time.

If she accidentally started trending again, it would be utterly mortifying!

One failed blind date was bad enough, but to go on them one after another? People would think she was desperate to get married!

It would make her look like she couldn’t find a husband. So humiliating!

She expected her dad to keep insisting, but instead, he changed the subject. "I found out I was sick a few days ago. I was afraid you’d worry, so I didn’t tell you."

Ni Bingyan didn’t doubt the truth of his words. After all, real life wasn’t a TV drama, and she wasn’t a fool. A trip to the hospital would quickly reveal whether he was actually sick or just faking it. It wasn’t like a simple misunderstanding could be dragged out for several episodes.

"What kind of illness? I’ll take time off and come back right now. Have the driver take you to the Huaxi Campus. We’ll meet there and find a specialist to get a second opinion. What if it was a misdiagnosis? And even if you really are sick, no matter what it is, we’ll get you the best treatment, even if we have to sell everything we own!"

Recalling how he had promised not to arrange any more blind dates, his sudden urgency made Ni Bingyan panic.

’Could he have some terrible disease? Is that why he’s so anxious to see me married?’

Ni Bingyan’s voice trembled. "Dad... Dad, getting you treated is the most important thing right now. Don’t overthink things. You’ll get a son-in-law, and you’re going to be okay. You’ll see me marry a good man! And you still have to help me with my kids! I’m so busy with work, what would I do if I had children and didn’t have your help?!"

Seeing her immediate panic, it was clear she was terrified. Ni Guangli quickly tried to calm her down. "It’s nothing serious, just kidney stones. They prescribed some medication, and I’m drinking lots of water every day. I’ve been feeling much better lately. You don’t need to worry."

Hearing it was only kidney stones, Ni Bingyan breathed a sigh of relief, but she still wasn’t reassured. "Which doctor did you see? When’s your follow-up? No, I have to come back and see for myself. I won’t feel at ease otherwise."

She sounded determined. If he didn’t stop her, she’d surely head straight for the airport.

A warmth spread through Ni Guangli’s heart, but he didn’t want to interfere with his daughter’s work, so he said:

"You’re my only child. If it were really serious, I would have called you home ages ago. What are you in such a panic for? Aren’t you coming back next week to promote your new movie? Why hurry back now? Just focus on your work. When you’re back, we can go to the hospital for a follow-up together, how about that?"

He sounded open and honest, as if he wasn’t hiding anything. Ni Bingyan hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "No, I need to come back and see for myself."

’Better safe than sorry,’ she thought. ’If she missed something due to carelessness, she would regret it for the rest of her life!’

"Oh, don’t be so stubborn! I just had a ton of tests done at the hospital; there’s no reason to go again now! The specialist is a friend of your Uncle Song. If you don’t believe me, call Uncle Song and ask. Would I lie to you? What is there to lie about in a situation like this? With any illness, if we go to the hospital, you’d know about it before I would. What are you panicking for? Do you just not want me to be well?"

Seeing he was getting angry, Ni Bingyan could only relent.

’Besides, kidney stones aren’t an emergency,’ she reasoned. ’The hospital didn’t schedule surgery, just prescribed medication and told him to drink more water. It probably isn’t a big deal. Going back next week shouldn’t cause any delays.’

"Alright, alright, don’t be angry. You’re not feeling well, so you need to keep your spirits up."

"How am I supposed to be in a good mood when you won’t even go on one blind date?"

He refused to let the matter drop. Ni Bingyan was getting extremely annoyed, but she suppressed her temper and spoke.

"I told you, I don’t want to get married or find a partner right now. Why are you so worried about it? When I find someone, or when I want to start looking, I’ll tell you. Okay? Weren’t you almost forty when you married Mom? How did you feel when Grandpa and Grandma were pushing you to get married? Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire! How old am I, anyway? And you’re already starting to push me!"

"My situation was different! Sometimes if you hesitate, you miss out on a good man! Besides, the reason I got married when I was almost forty was that your mom was still young! When I was your age, your mom was just a little kid! Can you blame me for that? The Matchmaker God is just so unreliable, he wasn’t very kind to me..."

"Dad! Stop bickering with me! You’re sick, so you need to focus on getting better. All this worrying isn’t good for your health! I’ll transfer you the money in a bit. We’ll do whatever the specialist says. I’ve only ever heard of doctors curing illnesses, never a son-in-law. Forget finding a man, even a magical ginseng wouldn’t be that effective!"

His daughter had a sharp tongue, but Ni Guangli refused to admit defeat.

"Speaking of which, it’s thanks to him that I even found out about this in time! If I hadn’t been careful and had let this drag on for a few more years, I probably would’ve needed surgery! *Sigh!* Other people’s daughters remember to take their fathers for check-ups, but not mine. It took some young man to figure out a way to trick me into going to the hospital for an examination."

’A young man tricked him into getting a check-up?’

Ni Bingyan’s heart skipped a beat.

"Don’t tell me you ran into a scammer, did you?"

’Maybe the whole illness is fake!’

"What are you thinking?! I had my check-up done at Huaxi. Besides, there’s no way he’s a scammer!"

"I heard that in the old days, when someone couldn’t repay a great kindness, they would offer themselves in marriage. Since you can’t marry yourself off, are you offering your daughter instead? Is arranged marriage still a thing in this day and age?"

Ni Guangli couldn’t stand her sarcastic tone and stopped beating around the bush. "The person I’m introducing is someone you actually know, and he’s a really great young man. Promise me you’ll go on this one blind date. I swear this will be the last time! Regardless of whether you like him or not, I will never set you up again. Deal?"

"That’s what you said last time. This matter is not up for discussion. Unlike some people, I don’t have to eat my words to feel full. I’m a person of principle."

Ni Bingyan wasn’t falling for his trap.

Seeing that he hadn’t given up, she decided to hang up.

"Alright, alright, that settles it. I have to go catch a flight back to the set; I still have two scenes to shoot tonight. I’ll come back next week and take you to the hospital for your check-up."

Seeing that his daughter was completely unyielding, Ni Guangli rushed to get the words out, "It’s Sang Yuan! Sang Yuan! You know him, right? He’s truly sincere! *Sigh*. The best son-in-law I can imagine is someone exactly like him. If you don’t go and meet him, then no matter who you find in the future, I’ll always compare them to him. And if they’re not as good as he is, I’ll never be satisfied!"

’A perfect son-in-law was once right in front of me, but my silly daughter didn’t know enough to seize the chance. Just thinking about it is enough to make me sick with frustration!’

Ni Bingyan was about to hang up the phone, but his words made her freeze. "Who did you say? Sang Yuan?"

"That’s right! Come to think of it, he came to me last year to learn how to cook. He said his mother wasn’t in good health and he wanted to be a good, filial son. But he ended up learning a bunch of numbing and spicy dishes. It was only afterward that I realized those are all your favorite foods..."

"This time was the same. To coax me into getting a physical, he pretended he was sick and asked me to go with him..."

Her father was still rambling on, but Ni Bingyan was already lost in a daze...

’No wonder his beef jerky tasted so familiar.’

’So, Sang Yuan had been making all this effort for her in private?’

She had the strange feeling that Sang Yuan had already walked ninety-nine steps, and she only needed to take one more for them to successfully come together.

’Suddenly, she really wanted to hear from him herself. What was he really thinking?’

’Most feelings in this world start with physical attraction. How deep could a connection like that really be?’

’Why would he go to such lengths?’

’She knew better than anyone just how stubborn her dad was, yet Sang Yuan had managed to convince the old man to arrange this blind date.’

Her father was still listing all the things he liked about Sang Yuan when Ni Bingyan snapped back to reality, realizing she had just asked, "When is it scheduled for?"

Ni Guangli was about to continue his persuasion when he heard his daughter agree. His face immediately lit up with joy!

"First, tell me when you’re free. Then I’ll go and ask him when he’s available."

After hanging up, Ni Bingyan stood at her company’s entrance, still somewhat dazed. She then saw Wei Shuojie pull the car over. "Get in! I’ll take you to the airport!"

She had only come back for an audition this time, so Ni Bingyan hadn’t brought Duanmu Li and Wang Biao along. Wei Shuojie was handling her transportation.