In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 155: Flirtatious Father of the Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role (9)

When Qi Sheng first found out that his daughter was in a relationship, his immediate reaction was worry. This silly girl was naïve and stubborn—he was genuinely afraid she might get taken advantage of.

He was just about to start looking into the guy when his love-struck daughter began bragging with pride.

“Dad, remember how I said Xiao Ge liked me and you didn’t believe me? Look, he’s my boyfriend now!”

“I knew my instincts weren’t wrong! I’m so pretty, sexy, and cute—who wouldn’t like me?”

…

Having successfully won over the person she liked, the young girl couldn’t help feeling a little smug.

Seeing her looking like her tail was wagging sky-high, Qi Sheng found it a bit odd. Did this silly girl actually manage to run into someone blind?

Now he was even more curious about Xiao Ge. He hadn’t met the guy yet, but he really wanted to know what this brave soul truly thought of his daughter. If Xiao Ge genuinely liked her and was a decent man, Qi Sheng would fully and wholeheartedly support them.

Xiao Ge, on the other hand, had no idea that his relationship with Qi Xinglin had barely gotten off the ground before he was already being called in to meet the parents.

He had just returned to his place when his agent arrived right after him—wearing an excited expression. “Xiao Ge, this is great news! Director Xu just called—you’re officially confirmed for the role of Zhang Xiaotian!”

Upon hearing that, Xiao Ge couldn’t help but smile. It seemed all the effort he put in these past few days had paid off.

Even after sharing the good news, the agent was still visibly excited.

“This is Director Xu we’re talking about! I didn’t expect you to land a lead role in his production so soon. Once this film is released, your status in the industry is going to rise even further!”

Xiao Ge already had several hit TV dramas under his belt, with both critical acclaim and popularity. The only area he still lacked was film, which made his agent all the more thrilled by this opportunity.

“The old saying really is true—’Blessings lie in disguise.’ I was still upset about Director Liu screwing you over, but who would’ve thought it’d lead to this? I had no idea Liu and Xu had such a good relationship. These top dogs really keep their connections well-hidden.”

Thinking about the filming journey and everything they’d been through, the agent grew sentimental. He looked at Xiao Ge with a sense of relief and pride.

What other artist could compare to his? Xiao Ge’s professional skills needed no babysitting, and his emotional intelligence was sky-high. If it were him facing a spoiled heiress like that, he’d probably have folded long ago. But Xiao Ge had handled it like it was nothing!

The agent couldn’t help but think he was incredibly lucky to have met someone as suited to the entertainment industry as Xiao Ge in his early thirties.

Just as the agent was happily imagining the bright future ahead for the two of them, Xiao Ge hesitated for a couple of seconds before deciding to break some personal news.

“I just got into a relationship.”

“Oh, that’s great! Congrats on—”

“Wait, what did you just say?!”

The agent spun around in shock, staring wide-eyed at Xiao Ge, momentarily unable to process what “got into a relationship” meant.

Surely, he must have misheard.

But Xiao Ge could read his expression and calmly said, “You didn’t hear wrong.”

The agent was so stunned by the news he was momentarily dumbfounded. He looked at Xiao Ge, unsure of how to respond, and could only slump onto the couch to slowly digest the information.

Xiao Ge glanced at him but didn’t immediately reveal who his girlfriend was. He figured he’d give his agent a moment to adjust.

And indeed, the agent was mentally working through it. Xiao Ge was at the peak of his career, and having a girlfriend could definitely have some impact. But then he thought of Xiao Ge’s background and the years of effort he had put in. At nearly 27, it was perfectly normal for a man to have someone he cared about.

The agent thought of how every Chinese New Year Xiao Ge had to either spend it alone or with the crew. Just picturing his artist’s solitary figure made the agent start comforting himself: Xiao Ge is a capable actor—so what if he has a girlfriend? His fans often comment under his Weibo posts urging him to settle down anyway.

The agent reasoned that this really wasn’t that big of a deal—why was he so shocked in the first place?

After this round of self-consolation, he finally accepted the fact that Xiao Ge had a girlfriend. Then, he froze again—who exactly is this girlfriend of his?

Xiao Ge didn’t usually hang around any women. Could it be someone he met on set?

But that didn’t quite add up. The agent had heard of the new second female lead in Love in Progress—wasn’t she already dating someone? If it wasn’t her, then was it the third, fourth, or even fifth female lead?

In an instant, the agent filled in the blanks himself: Xiao Ge must be dating a newcomer in the industry! And once his imagination started running wild, he couldn’t stop himself from spinning a whole tragic love story in his head—his poor artist falling for a young, innocent girl and getting hurt.

With a look of tragic solemnity, the agent asked, “Is your girlfriend a newcomer?”

Xiao Ge thought for a moment and replied, “More or less.”

Oh no. Is my artist really destined for such a pitiful future?!

Too worried about what lay ahead, the agent couldn’t wait any longer. “Just tell me who she is. I’ll meet her myself in a few days. I need to get a sense of who she is.” What he didn’t say aloud was: I need to evaluate her character.

Ever since he brought Xiao Ge into the industry at 18, the agent had seen himself as more than just a manager—he was practically family. Whether for professional or personal reasons, he had to meet Xiao Ge’s girlfriend.

Understanding his agent’s concern, Xiao Ge hesitated for a moment but still spoke up: “You know her—Qi Xinglin.”

“Who??!!!”

“The one you’re thinking of right now.”

The agent: …

He swallowed hard, blinking in stunned silence. So am I hearing things, or has my artist lost his mind?

“Don’t joke like that. My heart can’t take it.”

Xiao Ge laughed. “I’m not joking. I just parted ways with her a little while ago. But our relationship is still in the testing phase—I’m not sure what the future holds.”

The agent felt like he was riding a rollercoaster today. Just moments ago, he’d been thinking how promising Xiao Ge’s future was—and now, this?! Of all the people… why her?

He stared blankly for a while before finally managing to speak. “What on earth were you thinking? Of all the women you could date!”

Xiao Ge thought for a bit and calmly replied, “Maybe I was just momentarily swayed by her beauty. Or maybe it’s because being with her feels… easy.”

The agent recalled Qi Xinglin’s looks and thought the first reason seemed plausible. But hearing the second one made him completely lose his cool.

“Wait, do you not understand what the word ‘easy’ means? How could being with that heiress possibly be easy?!”

Xiao Ge chuckled. “At the very least, I don’t have to guess what she’s thinking.”

After the age of ten, Xiao Ge had been forced to learn how to read people’s moods to survive. Entering the entertainment industry only made him more cautious and restrained. It had become second nature—until he started spending time with Qi Xinglin and realized that maybe, just maybe, he didn’t have to always be so guarded.

The agent fell silent at that. But after a long pause, he couldn’t help but voice his concern again. “Have you thought about what will happen if President Qi finds out? Do you think he’ll approve? And what if… I mean if you two don’t work out and she ends up feeling hurt—have you considered the consequences for yourself?”

After all, her father was a business tycoon, and her mother was a fashion icon in the entertainment world. If Qi Xinglin ever felt wronged, was Xiao Ge really going to come out of that unscathed?

Xiao Ge understood where his agent was coming from and smiled. “It’s just a relationship. It’s not as complicated as you think.”

He wasn’t too worried. From his time with Qi Xinglin, he’d realized she wasn’t as willful or unreasonable as he had once assumed. Even when she disliked someone, she never bullied them just because she could. And judging from how her father had gone as far as investing in the drama to protect her reputation, it was clear that while he doted on her, he didn’t indulge her recklessly.

As for Qi Xinglin’s mother, Xiao Ge had interacted with her before too. She was indeed a strong-willed woman, but not unreasonable.

Seeing his agent’s anxious expression, Xiao Ge smiled and said, “There’s really no need to worry. I’ve thought through the consequences.”

Hearing this, the agent nodded, though not very reassured. Since they were already together, all he could do now was pray their relationship went smoothly—or at least ended peacefully. What else could he do? He didn’t dare break up a relationship that involved Qi Xinglin.

Unbeknownst to Qi Xinglin, someone was already praying for her to have a peaceful breakup just as her relationship began. She was still in a giddy, lovestruck mood, hugging a photo of Xiao Ge while praising her own excellent taste.

With little to no concern about others’ opinions, Qi Xinglin, now reminded that Xiao Ge was officially her boyfriend, picked up her phone and called her mom.

“Mom, are you around people right now? I have something important to tell you!”

Lian Jing was puzzled when she got the call—she couldn’t imagine what “important” news her daughter might have. She was in her office, alone, so she replied, “Go ahead, there’s no one here.”

Qi Xinglin said, “Hehe, I’m in a relationship now! You might even know my boyfriend.”

She deliberately kept her mom in suspense, which immediately alarmed Lian Jing. This silly girl has a boyfriend?!

Just like Qi Sheng, she worried her daughter might not be good at judging people—and yet she couldn’t help but be curious. What if some poor fool actually fell for her?

So Lian Jing asked, not quite calmly, “I know him? Someone from the entertainment industry? Or one of the Qi family’s old family friends?”

As far as she knew, those young heirs usually ran the other way when they saw Qi Xinglin.

Pleased and proud, Qi Xinglin replied, “It’s Xiao Ge! What do you think? Pretty awesome, right?”

Lian Jing was surprised to hear Xiao Ge’s name—genuinely surprised. Just a year ago, they had worked together, and back then, she had even joked to herself that if she were twenty years younger, she might have gone after him. Never imagined her daughter would actually do it.

For a moment, Lian Jing couldn’t wrap her head around it. She knew her daughter well—so she was truly baffled. Handsome, good-natured boys like him really are susceptible, huh?

Still, now that Xiao Ge was officially her daughter’s boyfriend, and since she already had a favorable impression of him, Lian Jing began giving her daughter some advice: “Now that you have a boyfriend, you can’t keep being as willful as before. I know what kind of person Xiao Ge is. Don’t bully him.”

Qi Xinglin was a little unhappy at being scolded, but hearing her mom praise Xiao Ge made her feel proud all over again. She replied half-heartedly, “Got it, got it.”

But Qi Xinglin didn’t call just to share the news—she had a mission. “Mom, from now on, Xiao Xiao is part of our family. So if you come across any good resources, he has to be the first to get them! Give him all the best stuff!”

Lian Jing was amused by the demand. “He’s already family just because you two started dating? Fine, fine. I’ll save all the best for Xiao Ge, okay?”

Satisfied with that, Qi Xinglin added another instruction, “Then tell Dad, too. If he gets any good film projects, make sure Xiao Xiao is the first one to choose!”

Listening to her daughter’s protective tone, Lian Jing felt a bit helpless. This silly girl—is she trying to give herself away for free just because she’s in love? But then she recalled the impression Xiao Ge had left on her and relaxed again. He didn’t seem like someone who’d take advantage.

While Qi Xinglin was still lost in her excitement, Qi Sheng and Lian Jing had already had a phone call of their own—mostly Lian Jing talking and Qi Sheng listening.

“So, you think that boy’s a good one?” Qi Sheng summarized, after hearing everything.

“Mm. So far, I don’t see anything wrong. I spoke with Director Liu earlier, and he has a high opinion of Xiao Ge too. Plus, Shi Tou has told me a lot about how he behaves on set. The kid seems decent.”

The formerly married couple exchanged thoughts and then hung up. Both found themselves silently thinking the same thing: Did our silly daughter really find someone this blind?

And so, without Xiao Ge having any clue, the affection his future in-laws felt for him just kept rising—like a stock on a bullish run, unstoppable.

Meanwhile, still riding her emotional high, Qi Xinglin had already started fantasizing about marriage and honeymoon plans, completely forgetting that the two of them were still in a six-month “trial period.”