Chapter 339 336. Father Arrives
Weekend, high-speed rail station.
At the final stop of the bus line, An Han got off the bus mixed in with the crowded passengers. She took a breath and looked back, only to see Su Peng still being pushed around inside the bus, unable to get off.
He had to wait until the impatient passengers finished getting off before he finally stepped down last.
“Anyone can tell you’ve never squeezed onto a bus before.”
Su Peng’s clothes were a bit messy. He lowered his head and straightened his coat, complaining, “I don’t know what they’re in such a rush to get off for.”
He really didn’t take buses much, especially crowded ones. He would rather take a taxi or rent a car than squeeze among people. Unfortunately, he was broke now...
But An Han had taken the bus to and from school every day throughout middle and high school. She was long used to the crowd.
“My dad’s about to arrive.”
After checking the time, An Han didn’t feel like teasing Su Peng anymore. She grabbed his hand and hurried toward the train station.
Today was the day her father was leaving the country.
There was actually an airport near their hometown, but before leaving, her father wanted to check on An Han’s living situation, so he booked a flight from Gaoqi Airport instead.
Standing on the steps near the exit, An Han stood on tiptoe and looked into the distance, but her face remained tense.
She was nervous, afraid that her father might explode in anger and forbid her from dating Su Peng.
Then what? Do what Su Peng did—argue with her father and stop asking him for living expenses?
Thinking about all kinds of random possibilities, she suddenly turned to Su Peng and asked, “Are you getting used to your job?”
“It’s fine. I’ll just treat it as exercise.”
Su Peng kept his hands in his coat pockets, a faint smile on his face. “The first three days were pretty hard. I almost quit.”
But thinking about An Han, he didn’t want to give in to his parents like that. Making money was just a matter of working harder.
“I thought a rich kid like you wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
While chatting, An Han’s mood eased a bit. She leaned sideways, resting her shoulder against Su Peng’s, teasing him.
“Like the kind who runs crying to mommy the moment they feel wronged~”
“I’m not that delicate.”
A wave of passengers poured out of the exit after getting off the train. An Han immediately straightened up, no longer making overly intimate gestures with Su Peng, and scanned the crowd for her father.
Very quickly, her gaze locked onto a tall, upright man wearing a black top hat and a long trench coat—an English gentleman.
The Sherlock Holmes-like outfit matched An Han’s aesthetic perfectly, but in real life she had only seen a few people who could pull off that look with style—her father being one of them.
Before the man even lifted his head, before she could clearly see his face, An Han raised her hand and waved from afar.
Her father, dressed like a gentleman, strode quickly toward them in his leather shoes. An Han and Su Peng jogged up to him as well, each grabbing one suitcase, acting attentive and eager.
“Dad~ you look so handsome today!”
Her father’s stern face froze for a moment before breaking into a kind, fatherly smile. His eyes curved into slits as he laughed.
“Stop flattering me.”
“Uncle, you really do look great. You look like you’re barely in your early thirties.”
Her father glanced at Su Peng, and the smile immediately disappeared. He lifted his chin, not even looking directly at him.
“Where’s your car? Let’s go back to the rental. My flight is tomorrow, so I can still rest for a night.”
“My car?” Su Peng froze for a moment, then awkwardly took out his phone. “I’ll call a ride.”
He usually drove his family’s car or rented one. But after arguing with his parents, there was no way he could go back and borrow a car—and he didn’t have money to rent one either.
A trace of disappointment appeared on her father’s face.
He had hoped to drive that BMW one more time before going abroad...
His tone softened slightly as he patted Su Peng on the shoulder in a seemingly earnest manner.
“Don’t call a ride. Just use your BMW. This station isn’t far from your place anyway, right?”
The station was indeed in the city center, only a few kilometers from Su Peng’s home.
“Well... Uncle, that might not work.” Su Peng scratched his head and lied. “My dad’s using that car. I can’t borrow it.”
An Han couldn’t help chiming in, “Dad, he even hesitates to call a ride now~”
“Oh? How come?”
“He started working a part-time job~”
“Did his family go bankrupt?” Her father’s eyes lit up.
An Han noticed the anticipation hidden beneath his words and explained quietly, “He just argued with his family.”
“That’s not very interesting.”
She felt like her father might actually be a little hostile toward rich people.
Originally, An Han had planned to remove all traces of Su Peng from the apartment, but since her father had already caught on during their last phone call, there was no point in trying to hide it now. Otherwise, it might only make him imagine even stranger things.
Nearly an hour later, the three of them arrived at An Han’s rental apartment.
Her father didn’t seem to be in a good mood. With a stern face, he walked in and quickly scanned the living room before turning his gaze toward Su Peng.
His gaze placed immense pressure on Su Peng. Even the relaxed smile on Su Peng’s face stiffened as he forced an awkward grin.
“Come here. Let’s have a good talk, just the two of us.”
He threw an arm around Su Peng’s shoulders, the force nearly knocking him over.
“Alright...” Su Peng rubbed his sore shoulder, his smile becoming even more uneasy.
Even arguing with his own parents had never made him this nervous—facing his future father-in-law was something else entirely.
“Dad, what do you want to eat for lunch?”
An Han took off her coat and scarf, hanging them on the rack while asking. She then instinctively reached out to help Su Peng remove his coat as well.
But her movement quickly froze under her father’s gaze.
Pressing her lips together, An Han silently stepped back, her face flushing red as she hurried over to her father instead.
“Dad, you should take off your coat at home~”
“Mm.”
Her father expressionlessly removed his coat and handed it to her.
Compared to the younger daughter at home—who caused trouble every day and had already gotten him called to school three times just a couple of weeks after the semester began—he finally understood why people called daughters “little padded jackets.”
But the moment he thought about how Su Peng had taken half of that warmth away, his blood pressure began rising, and his fists slowly clenched.
Watching her father’s expression, An Han forced a smile.
“Dad, what do you want for lunch... should we order takeout?”
Her father glanced toward the glass-door kitchen and noticed the clearly used cooking utensils inside.
“What’s in your fridge? I’ll cook lunch.”
“I’ll go check!”
Watching his eldest daughter run off, her father turned his head and looked at Su Peng.
“Come on. Let’s talk in your room.”
“Dad! There’s not much food at home! Should I order some groceries online?”
“Fine. Buy whatever you like.”
Responding to An Han’s voice, he wrapped an arm around Su Peng’s shoulders and firmly dragged him into the second bedroom.
Despite being taller than her father and trained in martial arts since childhood, Su Peng behaved like a meek little lamb—obedient and well-behaved.
——————
Thanks to Cuo Zaizai Naodai’s support as an Emperor-tier patron!
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