Chapter Sixty-Five: Ah, My Son-in-Law, I Missed You So Much

“That makes sense.” After listening to Chen Weiguo’s words, Director Zhang nodded.
“This does make things interesting, but is seven days really enough time?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Chen Weiguo smiled. “Seven days—neither long nor short.”
Director Zhang thought for a moment and then spoke again.
“It’s a good idea, but we can’t do it next week.” He carefully weighed the matter in his mind.
“We still need to prioritize the show, so next week’s plan remains unchanged.”
“Let’s stick to the original plan.”
...
That evening, Lin Ze had dinner with the three newly recruited artists, then returned to the bar.
Chang Zheng was onstage, singing with an acoustic guitar in his arms, much like so many others chasing their dreams.
Lin Ze had seen plenty of people living in basement rooms, clutching their guitars, pursuing a musical dream.
Each of them was a believer in their ideals, content if they could earn just enough to eat.
They devoted the best part of their lives to their dreams, living by them.
Mu Tang and Zhou Ke might be luckier; they had found each other and could walk this road together.
But the hope in Chang Zheng’s eyes was nearly extinguished, his dreams dulled by years of struggle.
Listening to his singing, Lin Ze suddenly understood why the owner liked him so much.
His voice was perfect to drink to.
“It’s always you,” Su Zitan suddenly said to Lu Lin beside her, “Just finished being a village guardian, now you’re here in the city to help out the middle generation of migrant workers.”
The mood Lin Ze had been building was abruptly broken; he choked on his drink.
“You could see it that way?” he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
“Haha, the boss lady’s right,” Mu Tang laughed heartily. “Other companies are all after young fresh faces. I haven’t seen any company sign artists over thirty right after opening.”
“Who doesn’t like young people? Audiences always have a measure of tolerance for them.”
Lin Ze shook his head. “But for the older crowd, once youth is gone, all you have left is your real ability.”
“You like the young ones too?” Su Zitan leaned over, her voice low.
Faced with this minefield of a question, Lin Ze answered without flinching.
“I used to think so too, but later I realized I liked mature women.”
Su Zitan raised her fist at his side.
“Only now do I see, all along, it wasn’t age I liked. I liked you.”

“Bah!” Su Zitan pinched Lin Ze hard. “You’re the mature woman, I’m a young girl!”
“That works too.” Lin Ze nodded earnestly.
“What do you mean, ‘that works too’?!”
The two others couldn’t stand it anymore. “Boss, when are we going to Donghai?”
“We leave tomorrow. You three, just find a time this week. By Friday we’ll be busy filming variety shows again, so we might not have time.” Lin Ze added them on WeChat.
“Will you reimburse the tickets?” Mu Tang asked in a low voice.
Lin Ze couldn’t help but laugh.
“Of course! Just don’t charter a private jet on your way back.”
...
“Alright, everything looks good,” Su Zitan said after reviewing the contract, handing it to Lin Ze.
Mr. Li, across the table, smiled politely.
Thanks to Lin Ze, Xinghang Media’s reputation had soared. Now was the time to build a mutually beneficial relationship; he wouldn’t mess with the contract.
Still, to be safe, Su Zitan read it through twice.
Lin Ze signed his name.
“Mr. Li, here’s to a successful partnership.”
“A pleasure to work together.” Mr. Li nodded with a smile. “If you have any new songs to sell, remember to come to us first.”
“Absolutely.”
Now that Lin Ze’s studio was established, the company wouldn’t interfere much; they’d be working in a partnership model.
“Oh, Mr. Li, about that matter…”
Hearing this, Mr. Li gave a knowing smile.
“It’s under control now, but what we have isn’t quite enough. We’ll need something else to set things off.”
“I understand.”
Drawing on memories from his previous life, Lin Ze knew that the trigger would appear sooner or later.
Simply put, it was the old saying: you reap what you sow.
Wang Xue went off to handle the studio’s establishment.
Now that Lin Ze’s status had changed, Wang Xue was struggling to keep up and had started looking for an assistant for him.
The two of them took the elevator down to the basement.
“We’re really going now? Meeting the future in-laws for the first time is a bit nerve-wracking.” Lin Ze rubbed his hands and got into the passenger seat.

Although going to Su Zhenguo’s place was almost like going home, this was the first time Lin Ze was visiting as the future son-in-law.
“What are you nervous about? My dad likes you more than he likes me,” Su Zitan shot him a glance.
“Impossible.” Lin Ze patted his chest, making sure the gift for his father-in-law was still there.
Su Zitan started the car skillfully. “How about this—when we get to the gate, you buy a case of milk? At least don’t show up empty-handed.”
“Deal!”
The car slowly pulled away from the familiar yet unfamiliar road.
Lin Ze hadn’t been lying before—he really was nervous now.
In his previous life, after Su Zitan left, Su Zhenguo still helped Lin Ze, but because of her, a distance grew between them.
If only he and Su Zitan had gotten together sooner, all those regrets wouldn’t have happened.
Lin Ze and Su Zhenguo saw less and less of each other, and eventually lost contact altogether.
But today’s meeting would be different.
The car arrived outside the residential complex. Lin Ze actually bought a case of milk and some fruit.
This was Donghai’s wealthy district; living in the mid-rise buildings up front marked you as prosperous, but the villas meant you were truly among the elite.
Su Zhenguo of the Su Group lived in one of those villas.
He was sitting at the gate.
Usually stern and reticent, this middle-aged tycoon was now dressed in thermal pants and fuzzy socks, as the weather had turned chilly.
When he saw the car pull in, he squinted and spotted Lin Ze in the passenger seat, his face lighting up with a broad grin.
He hurried to open the door, letting Su Zitan park the car.
“Oh, my son-in-law! I’ve missed you!”
Su Zhenguo opened the passenger door, thoughtfully bracing his hand against the frame so Lin Ze wouldn’t bump his head.
“So, how’s everything?”
Lin Ze had barely gotten out when Su Zhenguo couldn’t help but ask.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it all under control.”
Su Zitan got out and looked in confusion at the older and younger man, deep in secret conversation.