Chapter 60 Come Home with Me Tonight

"Really?" Qu Wannian expressed doubt regarding his daughter's assertion.

Since she had already blurted it out, she might as well stick to her guns to the end. Qu Tuotuo bit her lip and gave a slight nod.

"Mm, really!"

Seeing that her daughter did not look like she was merely throwing a tantrum, and knowing she wasn't the kind of child prone to lying, Qu Wannian hesitated.

Could she actually be in love?

The mere thought that her daughter had dared to openly defy him and talk back for the very first time filled Qu Wannian's heart with a sudden, ominous foreboding.

With a worried frown, he asked, "When did you two meet?"

"Over a month ago," Qu Tuotuo replied.

Over a month ago?

Qu Wannian quickly pieced it together. "You met after returning to China?"

Seeing her nod, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

Meeting domestically was good—at least it was far better than bringing some giant foreigner back home.

No matter what, the ethnicity remained unchanged.

In truth, Qu Wannian was not an obstinate or narrow-minded parent.

At least, he believed his parenting style was sound and had never forced his daughter into anything against her will.

Otherwise, the father-daughter duo would have fallen out long ago, and Qu Tuotuo was not the type to meekly submit to unreasonable demands.

His deliberate attempt to matchmake her with Bai Jingcheng this time stemmed purely from his belief that the Bai family's son excelled in every possible aspect.

Furthermore, their families were old acquaintances with a history of close friendship; if the two youngsters could end up together, it would be the icing on the cake.

More importantly, he felt his daughter possessed a somewhat aloof and solitary personality.

Not only had Qu Tuotuo never dated throughout her school years, but Qu Wannian had also noticed that she didn't even have a single male celebrity crush.

Even if she fancied some trendy trainee or idol, it would be fine—at least they were male.

To be honest, Qu Wannian felt a bit panicked.

He genuinely feared that one day his daughter would walk up to him with a solemn expression and say, "Dad, actually, I'm a lesbian."

That would truly shorten Qu Wannian's life by a decade.

She was the sole heir to the family lineage, and he was counting on her to find a fine young man to help manage the family business.

Therefore, he had no choice but to personally meddle in his daughter's love life.

That being said, if Qu Tuotuo managed to find her own true love, Qu Wannian would certainly respect her choice.

A forced melon might quench your thirst, but it wouldn't be sweet.

Respect was one thing, but he still needed to get the details straight... Qu Wannian asked instinctively, "Is he a guy or a girl... No, what I mean is, what does he do for a living?"

"A police officer." The moment Qu Tuotuo mentioned this, her spirits lifted, and her eyes sparkled. "He was the one who rescued me when I was kidnapped last time."

Hearing that he was a police officer—and the very same one who had saved his daughter previously—Qu Wannian instantly felt reassured.

Simultaneously, his favorable impression of this yet-unseen prospective son-in-law skyrocketed.

Wealth didn't matter; money was the absolute last thing their family lacked.

However, this person had to be entirely capable of protecting his daughter and ensuring her happiness.

"In that case..." Qu Wannian pondered for a moment before saying, "I can call off the arrangement with the Bai family, but you need to bring him home for your mother and me to meet."

Seeing is believing, and when it came to his daughter's lifelong happiness, there was no room for carelessness.

As her father, he had to vet the guy himself.

Especially at this crucial juncture; while things were still in the early stages and his daughter hadn't fallen too deep, he could help her cut her losses in time if the guy didn't measure up.

"Well..." Qu Tuotuo faltered. She honestly wasn't confident in her ability to invite Yu Dazhang over.

"What do you mean?" Noticing the strange look on his daughter's face, Qu Wannian's expression immediately darkened. "Are you lying to me?"

"No, no," Qu Tuotuo hurriedly denied, then explained, "I'm just afraid he's too busy with work and won't have time to come."

Busy with work? Qu Wannian laughed out of sheer exasperation.

Could anyone possibly be busier than himself, the chairman of a conglomerate?

Judging by this reaction, his daughter certainly held this fellow in high regard.

Since she was already pulling out the "busy with work" excuse, he felt an even stronger urge to meet the man.

"Today. I'm hosting a banquet at home to welcome your officially announced boyfriend, and he had better give me this courtesy no matter what."

On the surface, Qu Wannian's words sounded quite polite.

Yet upon closer inspection, one could easily detect a hint of veiled threat and an undeniable, overbearing dominance.

"Well... I'll try."

Qu Tuotuo was starting to regret her words.

Her tone lacked conviction.

In a daze, she walked out of the chairman's office and returned to her own room.

She picked up her phone several times, intending to dial that guy's number, but hesitated and failed to press the call button.

No, she had to speak to him in person to leave him no room for rejection.

Having made up her mind, Qu Tuotuo immediately summoned her secretary, gave a few brief instructions, and hurriedly rushed out of the office.

***

Yu Dazhang had been leaving work on time for the past few days.

Wei Qian treated him with considerable care, refusing to assign him to evening operations even when the team had active details.

Although Yu Dazhang had been officially sworn in as a regular officer, he had not yet been issued a firearm.

Firearm management was exceptionally strict, requiring formal applications and rigorous approval procedures.

Consequently, Wei Qian did not intend to let Yu Dazhang participate in field missions during this period.

Handling Category Eight cases meant confronting dangerous individuals and desperate criminals; going into such situations without a firearm for self-defense was simply too perilous.

Naturally, this excluded the times when Lü Zhongxin took his apprentice out.

Even so, Wei Qian discovered that Lü Zhongxin babied Yu Dazhang even more than he did.

As soon as quitting time rolled around, old Lü invariably ordered his apprentice to leave first, never once keeping him for overtime.

Emerging from the precinct, Yu Dazhang stepped out onto the street.

Just as he was debating whether to indulge himself by taking a taxi home, he suddenly noticed Qu Tuotuo waving at him from across the road.

Why is she here?

Filled with doubt, Yu Dazhang strode over.

"Did something happen?"

He never for a moment suspected that Qu Tuotuo was here to see him personally.

The two had spoken on the phone several times before; if something had actually happened, she would have just called his cell.

She must have come to report a crime.

Since he happened to be in charge of this sector, he could work a bit of overtime and pull some strings for her.

"I came to find you." Qu Tuotuo cut straight to the point. "Come home with me tonight."

"Go home with you?" Yu Dazhang's heart skipped a beat, and he involuntarily swallowed a mouthful of saliva. "People returning from abroad really are different. Umm... isn't this moving a bit too fast?"

"What are you thinking!" Realizing at once that his mind had wandered into the gutter, Qu Tuotuo gave him a light kick, her face flushing as she explained, "My dad wants to meet you."

Heaven and earth be my witness, I haven't even touched her... Yu Dazhang panicked.

Could it be that he had done something to her that night?

That shouldn't be possible.

He hadn't blacked out, and he had gone straight home to sleep.

"Why does he want to meet me?" He forced himself to maintain his composure.

Left with no choice, Qu Tuotuo gave a helpless sigh and explained the situation honestly.

"So you're just using me as a shield," Yu Dazhang said with a grin. "What era is this, still playing these childish tricks? So immature."

"Then will you help me out with this favor?" Qu Tuotuo looked at him with pleading, hopeful eyes.

"Is there food?" This was what Yu Dazhang truly cared about; he had never experienced a high-society banquet, and the end of the workday was precisely when he was hungriest.

"Of course!" Seeing a glimmer of hope, Qu Tuotuo immediately guaranteed, "And it'll be a feast."

As for what would specifically be served for dinner, she didn't actually know.

However, she trusted that her father would make immaculate arrangements.

"What cuisine?" Yu Dazhang remained slightly skeptical.

If he showed up with an empty stomach and ended up with nothing to eat, he would take a massive loss.

"Oh, just go and you'll find out." Qu Tuotuo grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him toward a luxury sedan parked by the roadside.

Yu Dazhang felt a sudden wave of intimidation. "Will your parents insult me?"

"No way, my parents are great—super hospitable." Qu Tuotuo opened the car door and shoved him inside with all her might.

***

The Qu Family Villa.

Qu Wannian and his wife sat opposite each other by the second-floor window.

A butler-like figure approached Qu Wannian and said softly, "Sir, the dinner is prepared. Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

Qu Wannian waved a hand dismissively, feigning casualness. "It's just the child's first puppy love; we're just going through the motions. No need to make a big fuss."

After the butler withdrew, the couple resumed their respective tasks—one making a phone call, the other sipping coffee—both putting on an air of nonchalance.

Saying they didn't care was a lie; in truth, both of them were darting sidelong glances toward the front entrance.

Until...

A chubby man and their daughter Qu Tuotuo appeared side by side at the front gate.

*Clatter.* Madame Qu's phone slipped from her hand and hit the floor.

*Crash.* Qu Wannian's coffee cup shattered on the ground.

In their eyes, a fat, bloated pig had just barged into the vegetable garden they had meticulously cultivated for twenty years.

Right at that moment, this very pig planted one of its trotters squarely into the patch, staring back at them with unmitigated arrogance.