Chapter 097: Innocence

The dinner was finally over.

Huang Tianhua, together with his son Huang Yu, personally escorted the prominent businessmen and officials from the gathering, signaling the true end of the evening.

"I can only use what little influence I have to build a bridge for you, introduce you to these notable figures in KM City. But as for relationships and connections, that’s something you have to cultivate and maintain yourself, over time. Only then can you turn your father’s network into your own," Huang Tianhua said, noticing his son lost in thought as they walked out of the hotel after bidding farewell to the last guest.

"I understand, Dad," Huang Yu replied quickly, coming back to his senses.

"He's still just a child. Why do you keep telling him these things?" Du Dan commented with a hint of annoyance.

"A child? Xiao Yu is already twenty-four years old. At his age, I had already made a name for myself," Huang Tianhua retorted, his tone serious but tinged with pride.

"Nonsense. Back then, you spent all your time carousing with your disreputable friends. You think I don’t know?" Du Dan rolled her eyes, unafraid to lay bare her husband’s past right in front of their son.

"That was all for business," Huang Tianhua replied awkwardly, lowering his voice.

"Business, you say? I remember once catching you myself—you looked like you were enjoying yourself quite a bit," Du Dan replied with a faint smile, locking eyes with him.

"Xiao Dan, I’ve told you a thousand times—ever since I met you, I swear I’ve never touched another woman. And you really shouldn’t say these things in front of our son," Huang Tianhua quickly put on a smile, trying to appease her.

"And how do I know you’re telling the truth? How can you prove it?" Du Dan looked unconvinced.

Huang Tianhua wrapped his arms around her, whispering sweet words and comforting her softly.

Finally, he leaned close to her ear and murmured, "Let’s go back to our room now, and I’ll prove it to you. I promise you’ll be satisfied."

Du Dan, already a bit flushed from the wine, immediately understood his meaning. Her cheeks glowed with a deeper shade of red, making her even more alluring.

Huang Yu, standing off to the side, could only watch with a speechless expression; clearly, this was not the first time he’d witnessed such a scene.

"The child is still here. What nonsense are you spouting?" Du Dan gently slipped out of Huang Tianhua’s embrace, straightening her clothes.

Still, her radiant face betrayed her amusement.

"Xiao Yu, I can see you must have someone you like. If you do, be brave and pursue her, all right? As for what your father said about building your own network—just follow your heart. What matters most is that you live a happy and fulfilled life," Du Dan said earnestly.

"She’s right. And if you don’t want to meet Boss Yang’s daughter, I’ll refuse on your behalf," Huang Tianhua added.

"No, since I already promised, it wouldn’t be right to back out. Besides, there are a lot of interesting places in KM City I’ve been wanting to visit. Miss Yang can be my guide," Huang Yu replied, his heart warmed by his parents’ concern. He was a man who kept his word; if he’d agreed, he would follow through.

"You rascal, did you hear at dinner that Miss Yang is quite beautiful and now your interest is piqued? I’ve met her before—she’s certainly attractive, though her personality can be a bit free-spirited. But even if you end up spending the night with her and don’t want to take responsibility, I can take care of it for you," Huang Tianhua said, coming up to his son and, with a knowing look, whispered in his ear.

"Dad, I…" Huang Yu was at a loss for words.

But Huang Tianhua didn’t wait for him to reply. He burst out laughing and returned to Du Dan’s side, half-embracing her as they made their way toward their hotel room.

"My dear, what did you just say to Xiao Yu? He looked rather strange afterwards," Du Dan asked softly, leaning against him.

Huang Tianhua saw no reason to hide it and repeated his earlier words to her.

"You! Instead of teaching him good things, you fill his head with nonsense. Aren’t you afraid he’ll go astray?" Du Dan replied, rolling her eyes.

"If only he would! No matter how I try, with his temperament, it’s impossible. He’s so much like you—innocent to the core," Huang Tianhua sighed.

"And what’s wrong with being pure? I think it’s wonderful. Would you rather he turned out like you? All I want for Xiao Yu is a happy life," Du Dan said.

"I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. It’s just that such innocence can easily be hurt. If he meets the right person, all is well. But if not…" Huang Tianhua’s voice trailed off as the elevator doors closed.

Huang Yu didn’t turn to leave the hotel until his parents had entered the elevator.

During this time, he checked his phone several times, but there was still no message from Li Jia, and he couldn’t help worrying about her. His plans to return to PE City kept getting postponed.

Just as he was about to log out of his messaging app, a friend request was approved. It was Boss Yang—the man who, at dinner, had insisted on introducing his daughter to him. Huang Yu recalled that Boss Yang hadn’t returned to his seat until he’d sent a friend request to an account called "Lollipop in Mouth."

That account belonged to Boss Yang’s daughter, whose real name was Yang Yuqi.

"Didn’t expect Boss Yang to be so efficient. He convinced his daughter to accept my request so quickly," Huang Yu thought, remembering that Boss Yang was the last to leave the banquet. Before leaving, Boss Yang had asked if his daughter had accepted Huang Yu’s friend request yet.

At the time, Huang Yu checked his phone and regretfully informed Boss Yang that she hadn’t.

Boss Yang hadn’t seemed surprised, saying he’d go reason with his daughter and told Huang Yu to keep an eye out for a message.

This made quite an impression on Huang Yu. He’d never seen a father so eager to "market" his daughter before. Of course, he knew he was an eligible bachelor—handsome and popular with women—but he hadn’t expected such enthusiasm from a big-time businessman.

Lost in thought, Huang Yu quickly changed the contact note from "Lollipop in Mouth" to Yang Yuqi’s real name.

"Are you Huang Yu???" came a message from Yang Yuqi, as soon as the friend request went through, followed by three question marks.

"Yes, it’s me. And you are…?" Although Huang Yu was certain of her identity, he cautiously asked just to be sure.

"Don’t you know who I am? Why did you add me?!" came a lightning-fast reply, which was withdrawn two seconds later.

Huang Yu was baffled. Even though Yang Yuqi had deleted the message quickly, he’d seen it clearly. Her brisk, unfiltered words revealed exactly what type of girl she was—certainly not the demure, conventional sort.

"No wonder Boss Yang is so eager to set me up with his daughter. Now I see why," Huang Yu thought with a sigh, recalling his father’s description of her as "free-spirited." At the time, he hadn’t paid it much mind, but now he couldn’t help but think, "This isn’t just free-spirited—she’s a classic troublemaker."

This wasn’t really his type, and he immediately regretted not letting his father decline the introduction on his behalf.

"Did you see that last message?" Yang Yuqi sent another message in a flash.

Huang Yu stared at the screen, exasperated. After a few moments’ pause, he replied, "You withdrew it so quickly, I didn’t really see what it said." Then, hoping to lend credibility, he added, "What did you say in the message?"

He mentally congratulated himself for his quick thinking—this way, he could avoid awkwardness and help Yang Yuqi save face.

“Fake,” she replied, followed by three derisive emojis.

Huang Yu stared at the message, the three mocking faces making him want to delete her from his contacts altogether. But he prided himself on his education and self-restraint. To get into an argument with a girl like this seemed beneath him, so he silently told himself to let it go.

"..." he finally sent, expressing his speechlessness.

"Where are you now? My dad said, no matter what, I have to meet you today and spend at least half a day together. Otherwise, he’s going to cut my allowance in half next month," Yang Yuqi replied, completely ignoring his ellipsis and getting straight to the point about why she was meeting him in the first place.