novelaction Chapter 679 Yuan Ye in the Mountain City (22)
Chapter 679 Yuan Ye in the Mountain City (22)
No one knows a daughter better than her mother. Just by looking at her daughter's expression, Madam Chu guessed what she meant: had her daughter fallen for this Detective Xiao?
She immediately understood her husband's meaning. It was clear that her husband valued this Detective Xiao very much, otherwise he wouldn't have invited him to their home for dinner. Moreover, her husband was very enthusiastic towards him at the dinner table, praising him as having a limitless future. She had never seen her husband treat anyone like this before.
The husband asked his daughter to have dinner with him so that they could get to know each other and see if there was any possibility of a relationship developing. Since the husband had taken a liking to this young man, and his daughter seemed to be interested in him as well, she naturally had nothing to say.
The young man is in the United States, which is quite far away. Is his daughter going to the United States with him?
If it really works out, she'll actually feel a little reluctant. But the world is in turmoil these days, so going to America would be good. She just doesn't know if the young man will be willing; she'll have to ask her husband later.
At this moment, Chu Xiaoya said to Chu Yuntian:
"Dad, can I borrow your wine glass for a moment?"
Chu Yuntian felt something was off, glanced at her, and asked:
"What, do you want to drink? Aren't you supposed to be unable to drink?"
Chu Xiaoya said very generously:
“I can’t drink alcohol and have never drunk any before. Today, there are anti-Japanese heroes here. Even though I can’t drink, I still want to toast Brother Xiao.”
Yuan Ye thought to himself, "Your father calls me 'little brother,' and you call me 'elder brother.' This generational hierarchy is too confusing."
He also noticed that Chu Xiaoya was always secretly watching him. Even though she didn't drink, she still offered him a toast. It seemed that she had some feelings for him. However, this girl was indeed quite nice. She had a good temperament, was pretty, and came from a good family. But he didn't have any feelings for her at the moment. Perhaps he was overthinking it. Maybe she was only interested in him, the so-called anti-Japanese hero. After all, in the rear area, anti-Japanese heroes were always respected.
Yue Haishan and Li Hong burst out laughing upon hearing this.
“Miss Chu is right. We should have a drink with our anti-Japanese hero. But you call him Brother Xiao, doesn’t that make your father a generation lower?”
Chu Yuntian noticed it too, and couldn't help but chuckle. The seniority was indeed a bit confusing, but he wasn't embarrassed at all, and smiled:
"Xiaoya will say what she thinks, and I'll say what I think. I don't care about anything, so why should you care?"
His words immediately elicited laughter from the table. Once the laughter subsided, Chu Xiaoya picked up Chu Yuntian's glass and smiled at Yuan Ye:
"I misunderstood your generation just now. I should call you Uncle Xiao, but my dad doesn't mind, so I'll still call you Brother Xiao."
This toast is for you; may you capture many more Japanese devils in the future!
Yuan Ye was touched that she still wanted to toast him even though she didn't drink, so he quickly picked up his glass and stood up.
"I'll finish this one; you can just have a little bit."
After saying that, he drank it all in one gulp. He looked at Chu Xiaoya, who did not hesitate at all and also downed her glass of wine in one go, completely disregarding what he had said.
As the strong liquor went down her throat, Chu Xiaoya couldn't help but cough. Madam Chu, who was standing beside her, felt heartbroken. This child was too stubborn. She brought her a glass of water and asked her to take a sip. Chu Xiaoya took a sip of water and then stopped coughing.
Yuan Ye couldn't help but look at Chu Xiaoya with new respect. She truly lived up to her reputation as the daughter of a military family. However, he could also tell that she really didn't drink alcohol and probably had never drunk alcohol before. Yet, she didn't even frown and downed the drink in one gulp.
This morning in Dai Yunong's office, Dai Yunong was applying for the rank of Major General for Chu Yuntian, which was one of the reasons why Chu Yuntian seemed particularly happy at the dinner table today. Of course, he would be even happier if Yuan Ye could become his son-in-law. He also noticed that his daughter was acting a little differently today, seemingly having a good impression of Yuan Ye, which was a good sign.
Chu Xiaoya calmed herself down and said:
"Brother Xiao, can you tell me how you caught the Japanese spy? It must have been very dangerous."
This put Yuan Ye in a difficult position, as the process of capturing the Japanese spy had to be kept secret for the time being and it was not appropriate to disclose it now.
He thought for a while and said:
"Miss Chu, it's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just not convenient right now. I'll tell you when I have the chance later."
Chu Xiaoya immediately understood that it might involve confidential matters, since her father worked in a classified field and never discussed work-related matters at home.
She was curious about what her father did every day and developed a sense of mystery about his profession.
"Okay, but I really want to hear it. You must tell me when you have the chance in the future. You can't lie to me."
Chu Yuntian didn't want to talk about work either, so he quickly changed the subject and said:
"Detective Xiao is going back to the United States tomorrow, and it may be a while before we see him again. Let's have a good drink tonight so that Detective Xiao won't say that I didn't treat him well when he goes back."
Everyone laughed, except for Chu Xiaoya. She was disappointed that Brother Xiao was going back to America tomorrow.
"Brother Xiao, are you going back tomorrow?"
Seeing Chu Xiaoya's surprised and somewhat disappointed expression, Yuan Ye wondered if Chu Yuntian hadn't told her before.
He nodded and said:
"Yes, there are still things waiting for me to take care of over there, so I have to go back. I will come back when I have the chance."
He then turned to Chu Yuntian and smiled:
"Chief, thank you for your hospitality. I think we've had enough to drink, so let's drink less. We're going to take a stroll around the mountain city this afternoon. I've been so busy these past few days since I got back that I haven't had time to appreciate the scenery."
Besides, Section Chief Yue and Captain Li are going to be my guides. It wouldn't be good if they got drunk; who would be my guide then? Don't you think so?
Chu Yuntian slapped his head and said with a smile:
"Look, I forgot about that. You're right, you should drink less alcohol. Take a good stroll this afternoon and let the two of them keep you company."
"I'm going to go shopping with Brother Xiao too."
Chu Xiaoya interjected.
Don't you have class this afternoon?
"That's what Madam Chu said."
"It's alright, I can just ask for leave. I know this mountain city well, I'd be better suited to be Brother Xiao's guide."
Fearing her mother wouldn't agree, Chu Xiaoya quickly spoke up. Seeing her daughter's insistence, Madam Chu looked at Chu Yuntian, seemingly seeking his opinion.
Chu Yuntian was more than happy to accept this, as it was an opportunity to make a deeper impression on them, and immediately said:
"Alright, let Xiaoya go. She works hard every day with classes, so it's good for her to relax. Xiaoya has excellent grades, so taking half a day off won't affect her studies. She'll catch up on her classes quickly."
Yue Haishan, being somewhat perceptive, also noticed something amiss and raised his wine glass, saying:
"Chief, Miss Chu is very familiar with the mountain city. She would be a better guide for Detective Xiao. Otherwise, I won't go and will keep you company while you drink. That way, if you don't drink enough, Detective Xiao will drink less."
After saying that, he glanced at Li Hong, who immediately realized he was a beat too slow and quickly picked up his wine glass, saying:
"I'm not going either. I'm a rough man, while Detective Xiao is a refined man. I don't know how to introduce him properly. Miss Chu is a college student, cultured, and familiar with the mountain city. Miss Chu would be a better fit for the introduction."
I'll stay and have a few more drinks with the director; it's rare to see him in such a good mood today.
"Alright, since you don't want to go, then don't go. You've all worked hard these past few days, so let's have a good drink today and drink until we're drunk."
Chu Yuntian readily agreed, raising his glass to clink with the others before downing it in one gulp.