In the Years When I Was a Father-Chapter 156: Flirtatious Father of the Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role (10)

Since her boyfriend was an actor, Qi Xinglin—who had originally given up on acting—suddenly blurted out the next morning without thinking, “Dad, I want to keep acting and continue playing a couple with Xiaoxiao!”
Qi Sheng, who was eating breakfast, froze: …
What kind of grudge is this, that you’d ruin someone’s future like that!
Qi Sheng didn’t want to see his unlucky daughter get heartlessly dumped one day, so he tried to persuade her. “I suggest you give up that idea. Acting doesn’t suit you. Besides, haven’t you heard? Couples who work together for too long tend to lose the spark.”
Qi Xinglin thought it over and agreed a little, but still felt indignant. “But I can’t just sit by and watch him act in romantic scenes with someone else. That would make me jealous.”
Qi Sheng chuckled. “Jealous already? Then I suggest you break up with him as soon as possible.”
Of course, Qi Xinglin couldn’t allow herself to break up with the boyfriend she had just landed. She thought about Xiao Ge’s job and forced herself to accept it after a tough internal struggle. Then she had a new idea—once this drama was over, she’d be free. She could totally show up on set to intimidate those little vixens with ulterior motives!
With that thought, her mood improved again. She looked smugly at Qi Sheng. “Dad, you don’t get it. What Xiao Xiao and I have is true love. How could we break up over something so small? We’re going to be together forever—take notes!”
Qi Sheng smiled helplessly. “Fine, here’s to our little princess’s true love.”
Qi Xinglin raised her glass of milk with a poised air, secretly despising her father’s playboy ways—he could switch girlfriends three times in a day.
After breakfast, Qi Xinglin specially put on a full face of makeup. She had planned to wear a new outfit too, but after digging through her wardrobe, she realized she hadn’t bought anything new in a while!
Qi Xinglin felt a pang of sorrow for her poor, pitiful wardrobe. She made a mental note to go shopping after today’s shoot—how else could she keep her boyfriend enchanted without new dresses?
With that cheerful mindset, she drove her pink sports car to the set. Ignoring her own makeup room, she went straight to Xiao Ge’s lounge, intending to dazzle her boyfriend as usual. And while Xiao Ge was indeed amazed by her appearance, she also received some devastating news.
“After I wrap up my scenes next week, I’ll head straight to a small rural town under Jiang City. The shoot there will take at least six months.”
“What?!” Qi Xinglin was stunned. “Jiang City is so far! And it’s in some small rural town? Isn’t that too tough? Xiao Xiao, we just started dating. Don’t rush into work—let’s take some time to travel together first?”
Xiao Ge shook his head. “It’s a film by Director Xu Ying. The contract is already signed. Plus, this is a big opportunity for me.”
Even if he had told her he landed a lead role in an international director’s film through his own skills, Qi Xinglin wouldn’t have been happy right now. But she had just been scolded by her mom yesterday and knew opportunities like this were rare. She could only nod glumly.
Seeing her so downcast, Xiao Ge tried to comfort her: “We can video chat at night, and I’ll try to come back and visit when I can.”
This was the most he could do for their relationship at the moment. He couldn’t—and wouldn’t—give up this opportunity. Since this kind of work would be his norm in the future, it was better to lay everything out for the little girl now. That way, if she regretted it later, it wouldn’t hurt so much.
Qi Xinglin had no idea what her boyfriend was thinking. She had only been upset for a little while just now, and then she started wondering if she could borrow some money from her dad to buy a camper van!
They had just started dating—this was the perfect time to cultivate their relationship!
However, Qi Xinglin didn’t say anything right away. First, she wasn’t sure if she could actually borrow the money. If her dad said no, she’d have to turn to her mom. And if her mom wasn’t reliable either, then she’d ask her girlfriends for help. If she pinched and scraped a bit, maybe getting enough for a camper van wouldn’t be so impossible after all.
Qi Xinglin started mentally calculating her options. The thought of surprising Xiao Ge made her happy all over again.
So while Xiao Ge was still worried that his girlfriend might be angry with him, he could visibly see that she was becoming more and more cheerful.
Xiao Ge: ???
Qi Xinglin not throwing a tantrum came as a surprise to Xiao Ge. But over the next few days, he noticed one thing—he was getting ambushed with kisses more and more often. As a normal guy, could he possibly tolerate this? No way!
The last few days before the young couple had to part were quite sweet. After Xiao Ge wrapped his final scene, Director Liu hosted a dinner for the entire crew, and Xiao Ge’s manager also arrived.
Although the manager acted all tough in front of Xiao Ge, when it came to facing Qi Xinglin, he was extremely courteous and polite. When Xiao Ge gave him a scornful look, he just smiled and shrugged it off. But inside, he was crying bitterly—this heartless brat had found a girlfriend with such a powerful family background! His own position was getting more and more precarious!
At first, the manager had been worried that Qi Xinglin would be miserable after separating from her boyfriend for a while. But not even a few days after Xiao Ge joined the new crew, he saw that his artist’s girlfriend had arrived near the set in a luxurious white RV, complete with a private chef, bodyguard, and assistant.
Manager: …Alright then. Nothing is a problem when it comes to rich people!
Qi Xinglin had meticulously prepared her entire entourage—she was going to be a live-in partner, after all, so she had to be fully equipped! She was even excited. She’d never thought about visiting some rural countryside before, but now she could treat it as a romantic elopement with Xiao Xiao.
The more she thought about it, the more thrilled she became. So she decided to get some financial support from her rich and generous dad.
A little sweet-talking, a bit of pouting and whining were essential. Of course, she also had to make some compromises—she not only wrote an IOU, but also accepted a “mission.”
So when Xiao Ge finished a full day of grueling training and came over to his girlfriend, he found her fiddling with a bunch of photography equipment.
“You know how to take photos?” he asked, though he immediately realized it was a bit of a silly question—her major in university was photography, after all.
“No…” she replied.
Xiao Ge: …Well, guess it wasn’t such a dumb question after all.
“Then what’s all this?”
“My dad’s become super stingy now. He won’t do anything for me unless there are conditions. He said I can’t be idle every day and insisted I take 100 qualified photos. Isn’t that unreasonable?!”
Xiao Ge wanted to say “President Qi is wise,” but when the words reached his mouth, he changed them: “So what counts as ‘qualified’?”
Qi Xinglin pouted. “He found me two photography mentors! One is my assistant, and the other is a professor from our old academy. One teaches me in person, and the other grades my work. What’s gotten into my dad?!”
Xiao Ge thought it was great. He chuckled quietly and ruffled her hair when she started pouting, coaxing her: “I’ve always been interested in photography, but never had the time to learn. You learn it properly now, then teach me later, okay?”
Qi Xinglin, who hadn’t been that interested at first, lit up immediately. Thinking about becoming her boyfriend’s teacher, she puffed up her chest with confidence. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this!”
The following six months became a period where their relationship truly deepened. Xiao Ge’s daily work was intense, and after initially being a bit clingy, Qi Xinglin realized how exhausted he was—often falling asleep as soon as he got back. She finally became more considerate. She had the chef pay extra attention to his meals and would quietly fiddle with her camera while he rested from his long workdays.
With the motivation of one day becoming Xiao Ge’s photography teacher, Qi Xinglin gradually began focusing on her studies. And to her surprise, she discovered that photography was genuinely fascinating. Producing a batch of decent photos each day brought a real sense of fulfillment.
Qi Xinglin started to enjoy this lifestyle. She thought that even if Xiao Ge had to travel often for filming in the future, at least she’d have her own things to do.
Their relationship progressed far more smoothly than Xiao Ge had expected. But a year later, when Qi Xinglin couldn’t resist sneaking out again to move in with her boyfriend, she was mercilessly stopped by her dad.
“How’s your relationship going?” Judging from how this silly girl was practically running to the guy’s place every day, it seemed pretty good.
“Of course it’s going great,” Qi Xinglin replied with a sweet expression as she thought about their relationship. But looking at her dad, Qi Sheng, who was blocking her way, she pleaded helplessly, “Daddy, love you, love you, you’re the best—let me go, okay? Xiao Xiao and I have a date today.” She made a half-hearted heart gesture with her hands and blinked her eyes in an attempt to act cute.
Qi Sheng remained unmoved. “You two have been dating for a year now. It’s about time Xiao Ge came to meet me.”
Thinking about the upcoming date, Qi Xinglin didn’t hesitate: “Sure, I’ll bring him to meet you tomorrow night.” With that, she ducked under her dad’s arm and ran off.
When the couple met up—even though they’d only been apart since yesterday—they still started off sweetly with a kiss.
Qi Xinglin was incredibly familiar with Xiao Ge’s home by now. After having dinner together and cuddling up to watch a movie, just as they were about to engage in some pre-bedtime relationship-enhancing “exercise,” Qi Xinglin’s brain suddenly short-circuited, and she remembered what her dad had said earlier.
“My dad wants you to come over to my place tomorrow. He wants to meet you.”
After saying that, she looked expectantly at her boyfriend’s reaction—only to find the person who had just been holding her waist and ready to move things along suddenly freeze, staring blankly at her.
Qi Xinglin found it odd. “Why’d you stop? Keep going.”
How was he supposed to continue after that?!
Being suddenly told he had to meet his future father-in-law tomorrow… How could anyone stay in the mood? Xiao Ge thought silently.
He flopped back onto the bed, burying his head into his girlfriend’s neck, already starting to feel the headache that tomorrow was sure to bring.
His hot breath tickled Qi Xinglin’s neck, making her squirm and giggle. “Xiao Xiao, what are you doing?”
She still had no idea that her boyfriend was nervous and was still focused on what they’d just been doing. Unable to help herself, she leaned in and kissed Xiao Ge again.
But Xiao Ge, at this moment, was completely immune to her temptations. He suddenly sat up straight. Under her puzzled gaze, he went to the wardrobe and started rummaging through it like a madman.
He had asked for this challenge himself—no matter how terrifying, he had to face it!
Qi Xinglin, watching from the side and following him curiously, suddenly had a revelation. It was like discovering a new world—her always confident and composed boyfriend seemed… nervous.
She comforted him, “Xiao Xiao, you don’t need to be so nervous. My dad’s easy to talk to these days. Besides, he’s known about you for a long time.”
Xiao Ge’s hands paused mid-search. Of course he knew that President Qi was aware of his existence—his girlfriend had followed him around for six months of filming; it would’ve been impossible for her dad not to know.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, meeting the future father-in-law for the first time was still a nerve-racking experience. If he didn’t leave a good impression, life might become miserable later on. So, Xiao Ge just couldn’t relax.
While he was a bundle of nerves on one side, the soon-to-meet-his-future-son-in-law Qi Sheng, on the other side, was actually quite happy. After all, a father meeting his daughter’s boyfriend—under special circumstances—could also be a joyful thing.
Especially when you have a daughter like his, who constantly leaks information like a little cotton jacket with holes. It was truly something special that someone could cherish her so much!