Chapter 188: A Good Son-In-Law for the Liu Family
Xiao Bing’s words made Liu Kexin’s father frown and he said unhappily, “It’s not a good habit for young people to brag. It’s better to be down-to-earth.”
Xiao Bing and Liu Kexin could tell Mr. Liu was not happy. Liu Kexin felt even worse. It was okay if he’d just lost the game, but it would be a big mistake if he bragged. Liu Kexin knew her father best. He hated pompous and boastful men.
Although her father was an intellectual, he was also respectful towards people in other fields who were down-to-earth. To him, people like that could do no wrong. That’s why he most hated young people who aimed too high. Because to him, that was being pompous.
Now that Xiao Bing has opened his mouth, if he can’t reverse the game, he would have absolutely no hope of winning over Mr. Liu’s heart.
Xiao Bing picked up a black chess piece, and put it down firmly, his whole being exuding a radiance that was different from before.
Mr. Liu looked at him and shook his head. “Young people today like to brag and put on an act.”
Mr. Liu picked up a chess piece and placed it on the board. Currently, Xiao Bing had fallen too far behind to possibly reverse the game under normal circumstances.
Liu Kexin could play Go too. Because of this, she understood the situation and was anxious. Bing was not someone who bragged.
Her father couldn’t care less. He’d decided to look for an opportunity to dissuade his daughter from marrying the boastful young man.
Liu Kexin was really perturbed. On the one hand, she felt it was almost impossible to reverse the game. On the other hand, she hoped for a miracle. She was also thinking about how to reverse her father’s opinion of Bing if the latter lost the game.
Xiao Bing took his time, going step by step with the game, his expression calm. At first, Mr. Liu thought Xiao Bing was just play-acting, but when he observed Xiao Bing’s perpetually unperturbed and unhurried pace, not showing the fretfulness of young people when they lose, he began to feel apprehensive in spite of himself.
This young man may be a little boastful but he could at least graciously admit defeat. Looks like for the moment, he should give the young man the benefit of the doubt and continue observing him.
“You have a good mental attitude.” Mr. Liu gave Xiao Bing his hard-to-come-by praise. Xiao Bing thanked him but kept his focus on the game. Liu Kexin also breathed a long sigh of relief.
Although her father praised Bing, Liu Kexin knew that her father was only giving himself more time to observe Bing. Otherwise, knowing her father, he’d have totally rejected Bing as soon as the game was over and would no longer consider him.
Liu Kexin’s father originally thought that Xiao Bing did well to graciously concede defeat. But immediately following a few quick moves, he came to a realization and he was so shocked that cold sweat began to break out all over his head. He suddenly found himself unwittingly fallen into an enormous trap that Xiao Bing set up for him. A trap so enormous that there was no way he could get out of it.
Mr. Liu continued the game step by step, but the further he went, the more apprehensive he became. Xiao Bing’s layout was so meticulous that all his previous advantages were eroded in no time at all. The original victory had become a mess, and defeat was certain!
In the end, Mr. Liu was completely defeated by Xiao Bing, and his face was ashen. Liu Kexin was stunned and then became gloomy. On the one hand, she was surprised by Xiao Bing’s high level of Go. Her father was the first-class player among amateur players. On the other hand, she was annoyed because Xiao Bing mercilessly defeated her father in a trice. Her father’s face was so livid and she didn’t know what he was thinking now.
It was after the game was over that Xiao Bing suddenly understood, especially when he saw Mr. Liu’s embarrassed look. He began to feel uneasy. He was so focused on how to reverse the game that he forgot to save Mr. Liu’s face. Even if he won, he should not have defeated Mr. Liu so completely. He should’ve pretended to defeat Mr. Liu with difficultly. If this pretend father-in-law were a little petty, he would be driven out of the house.
Xiao Bing looked at Mr. Liu uneasily. After staring at the chessboard for a while, he suddenly laughed uproariously. Xiao Bing was confused.
“Xiao Bing, I’ve been deceived by you. What? Did you try to make concession to begin with? You thought in your heart, ‘This old man is Kexin’s father, I must let him win.’ Then when you saw the change in my expression, you began to reverse the game?”
Xiao Bing said embarrassedly, “It’s just a fluke. I felt I could learn a lot from you. I was lucky to have won.”
“Come on, is it really luck that you’ve completely defeated me? Do you think that my level is that low?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“No need to explain, I’m not angry. Do you think I am the kind of person who can’t admit defeat?” Liu Kexin’s father looked at Xiao Bing earnestly and said, “I saw a few points from this game. Firstly, you had various thoughts going through your mind. You planned to lose at the beginning but ended up defeating me. But it was all to please me. I don’t like young people to be slick, but I can understand that. After all, you and Kexin are good friends.”
“Secondly, you are very upright. If others wanted to defeat me, they still want to save some of my face, but you’ve defeated me so utterly.”
Hearing that, Xiao Bing also laughed embarrassedly.
“Thirdly, your level of chess is really good, I guess it’s more or less at professional level. That’s rare.”
Xiao Bing now knew that Liu Kexin’s father was a traditional old man. The most important thing he valued was not only the ability but more importantly, the character. So the reason why he didn’t show a kind look before, was not that he thought Xiao Bing’s chess skills were not good, but he thought that this person was a good person and liked to brag.
It didn’t matter if the ability was not good, especially since they were only playing Go, but he had bragged when his ability didn’t come up to par. This was why Mr. Liu was not happy before. But after Xiao Bing defeated him completely, he immediately guessed that Xiao Bing was trying to give him a break. He was embarrassed, but the prejudice against Xiao Bing disappeared.
Just then, Liu Kexin’s mother called out that dinner was ready. Liu Kexin’s father stood up and laughed, “Kexin’s mother, take out the Maotai, I want to drink with Xiao Bing.”
Liu Kexin said coquettishly, “Dad, Bing still has to drive later tonight.”
“Ah, I never thought of this.”
Xiao Bing smiled and said, “Uncle, it doesn’t matter, I can leave the car here and drive it away tomorrow. I will go back by taxi tonight.”
“Good idea.” Liu father smiled. “Then we can enjoy a drink together tonight.”
When Mrs. Liu saw them getting along so well, she was even more pleased with Xiao Bing. She knew too well what her husband’s temperament was like. Her husband most appreciated young people who were well-behaved. If he was not happy with them, he won’t hide his displeasure, to say nothing of having a drink with them. Looks like this young man has made quite an impression on her husband.
Liu Kexin’s mother also believed in her husband’s judgment. If her husband felt he was good, then he was fundamentally good.
Liu Kexin’s mother was a very good cook. She cooked six dishes and one soup, which were enough for four people. She took out the Maotai and opened it on the table. Xiao Bing stood up and took the initiative to pour it for Mr. Liu and himself. Mrs. Liu herself did not drink.
Liu Kexin’s father said with a smile, “This was given to me by my student. That student has had a little bit of success in life, and still thinks of coming over to visit me. The gift is not important, what is important is the thought. ”
Xiao Bing smiled, “Respecting the teacher is the result of the 5,000-year history of China. That’s how it should be.”
“Yes, but in today’s society, not many young people are like this.” Mr. Liu picked up the glass, Xiao Bing quickly raised his too, and each of them took a sip.
Mr. Liu put down the glass, picked up the chopsticks and looked at Xiao Bing. He asked curiously, “I don’t understand, you are young and not a professional of Go. How do you practise your chess skills? Is someone in your family a professional player?”
Xiao Bing sighed and shook his head. “I am an orphan. I grew up in an orphanage.”
Mr. Liu was very surprised. Seeing Xiao Bing’s look of desolation, he felt guilty and immediately said, “Oh, Kexin didn’t tell us, I’m sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Xiao Bing smiled and shook his head. “I have got used to it since I was a child, and the staff at kindergarten were also very kind to me. They are like my own family.”
Mrs. Liu asked, “How did you become the owner of a noodle house?”
“Because of the support of the national policy, and the orphanage also sponsored my studies. So I successfully went to college. After I graduated, I stayed in the army for a few years and earned some merits. After I got decommissioned, I received some financial support. That’s how I became a shareholder of a noodle house in Jiang City and become the owner of a small business.”
“That’s good.” Mr. Liu praised, “You are eager to learn, can endure hardship and are down-to- earth. There far fewer young men like you nowadays who can build something from nothing. I think you will go on to do great things one day.”
Mrs. Liu smiled beside him and said, “As long as you live a comfortable life, nothing is better than that. You don’t have to do great things. Xiao Bing, make yourself at home, don’t be too polite, and eat up.”
Xiao Bing said with a smile, “Thank you, Auntie, the food you cooked is really delicious.”
Women in general like others to praise heir beauty and their cooking skills. Liu Kexin’s mother immediately laughed.
Liu Kexin looked at this scene next to him. When she saw that Xiao Bing chatted with her parents so happily, she really breathed a sigh of relief and felt warm in her heart. Seeing they got along so well, she thought, “It will be so awesome if Bing was really my boyfriend…”
