My Dad Fell in Love… With Someone My Age - Chapter 7

In this digital age, news spreads at lightning speed—especially the kind of juicy gossip that the masses love. The dissemination is astonishing. So, even though Zhou Nian stubbornly refused to speak, Li Lequan quickly uncovered the real reason behind his running away from home.

“Come on, stop sulking already. The salesgirl at the boutique my mom frequents called last night. She said your dad spent several million on some woman. In our social circle, even gossip this small is enough to be dinner-table conversation. I bet by now the whole city knows.”

Zhou Nian stayed silent, looking like a deflated eggplant.

As his best friend, Li Lequan had no intention of kicking him while he was down. He could only comfort him. “It’s really not that big a deal. When my mom told me about it, she was actually happy for your dad. I mean, at his age, getting into a relationship isn’t easy.”

Zhou Nian sighed weakly, “I know it’s not easy. But that woman… she’s just too much. I’m afraid my dad’s being scammed.”

Li Lequan couldn’t help but laugh. “Come on, are you kidding me? Your dad is Zhou Tingzhi. Who’s scamming who here? And even if he is being conned, so what? Money? That girl’s young and beautiful—youth is priceless. And your dad? He’s got money to spare. Emotional manipulation? Honestly, that might be a good thing.

He gets burned once, learns a lesson, and next time he’ll find a better girlfriend—maybe even a perfect stepmom for you. Or hey, what if she decides to scam him for life, keeping him happy for the rest of his days? That doesn’t sound so bad either.”

Li Lequan’s lengthy, confident monologue left Zhou Nian speechless. He stared at him for a long time, finally surrendering with a helpless sigh. “So what you’re saying is… I just have to accept it?”

“Exactly. Look, your dad seems like a grounded guy. I doubt he’d get so smitten he leaves everything to her. But you should still keep your eyes open. As long as she doesn’t pull anything shady, just coexist peacefully.”

“And if she does?”

Li Lequan’s fingers clenched dramatically. “Then we’ve got ways to deal with her!”

Zhou Nian had always been his grandparents’ beloved grandson—spoiled, adored, and worry-free. Besides school, nothing in life had troubled him. He had neither cunning nor street smarts. Just thinking about

Tao Xin jumping onto the sofa declaring, “This is my home,” gave him a massive headache.

“Look at you! Pull yourself together. You’ve got me backing you up—what are you scared of?”

“I just feel like the two of us together still aren’t her match.”

“She’s definitely no ordinary girl. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have bagged your dad so easily. But don’t underestimate me. My family isn’t like yours. Do you know what it means to have three uncles and two aunts fighting over inheritance? I’ve seen every kind of monster. Tonight, I’m coming home with you. Let’s see what this woman is really made of.”

Li Lequan truly was a seasoned player—acting like a worldly adult despite his age. Just watching him gave Zhou Nian a newfound sense of confidence.

At 4 PM, the two returned to the Zhou residence. As soon as they entered, they noticed several bouquets on the entrance cabinet, dominated by a strong lily scent—so overpowering it was borderline suffocating.

Two men living together—who would bother buying flowers? To Zhou Nian, those bouquets looked more like a dog marking its territory than decor.

His brow immediately furrowed, his expression darkening. He was clearly gearing up to use the flowers as his reason to launch an attack on Tao Xin.

“What are you standing around for? Change your shoes.” Li Lequan tugged at his sleeve and whispered, “Don’t strike unless struck. If she doesn’t provoke you, don’t go sulking around. Be a man—don’t lose your cool over something this petty.”

Zhou Nian took the advice to heart. With a deep breath, his brow relaxed, and he forced a smile. “How’s this?”

Li Lequan gave a thumbs up. “Perfect plastic smile.”

They changed into slippers and headed for the living room—right as Tao Xin came down the stairs with scissors in hand. Zhou Nian nearly snapped. The word “you” was already at his throat, but remembering Li

Lequan’s lecture, he swallowed it back and asked as calmly as possible, “What were you doing upstairs?”

“Getting scissors from the study,” Tao Xin replied nonchalantly, as if she’d lived there her whole life. “The flowers I ordered arrived, and I’m trimming them to put in vases.” She glanced at Li Lequan.

Zhou Nian followed her gaze and saw Li Lequan staring at Tao Xin, mesmerized. Furious, Zhou Nian wanted to pummel him right then and there.

He elbowed Li Lequan hard and said through gritted teeth, “My friend’s over. Don’t go upstairs—it’s not convenient.”

“Okay.” Tao Xin smiled. “Have fun.”

Zhou Nian dragged Li Lequan into his room and slammed the door.

“Hold on, hold on,” Li Lequan said, finally snapping out of it, his face puzzled. “I swear I’ve seen her before.”

Li Lequan wasn’t one to spout nonsense. Zhou Nian paused mid-slap. “Seriously? My dad said she grew up overseas and just got back. Her apartment’s still under renovation, so she’s staying here temporarily.”

“No, really. She looks so familiar. I must’ve seen her somewhere… maybe online?” Li Lequan speculated. “Could she be some kind of influencer? Maybe one of those socialite training school girls!”

Zhou Nian paled. His dad dating someone so young was already scandalous enough. If people found out she was a livestreamer or an influencer, Zhou Tingzhi’s reputation would be ruined!

Li Lequan grew more certain by the second. “Grew up abroad, just got back, stays home arranging flowers… definitely fits the stereotype.”

“No way!” Zhou Nian declared. “If that’s true, I have to kick her out!”

Li Lequan threw an arm around his shoulder. “Calm down. It’s just a theory. Let’s have some faith in Uncle Zhou. If he had such trashy taste, would he have stayed single all these years?”

Zhou Nian shrugged him off and stared bleakly ahead. “You’re right. All men are the same—they all fall for vixens. My dad’s just a mortal too.”

Li Lequan feared Zhou Nian was spiraling. To stop him from taking vows and disappearing into a monastery, he suggested, “How about this—we test the waters with our dear little vixen.”

“How?”

“Not test, really—more like getting to know her. Let’s find out if your dad’s in love with her personality, or just her seductive tricks.”

Zhou Nian nodded. That made sense.

Seeing that, Li Lequan added, “Let’s agree—if we’re gathering intel, we keep it friendly. Don’t act hostile. The more we learn, the better our odds.”

“Okay. I’ll follow your lead.”

“Good. Watch my cues.”

They went back downstairs. Tao Xin was kneeling on the plush carpet in the living room, arranging flowers and humming to herself. She looked like she was in a great mood.

Li Lequan set aside his suspicions and studied her carefully. She was tall—over 170 cm—with a slender, graceful build. Despite wearing a simple bun and track suit, she had the elegance of a dancer.

“Ahem,” he coughed softly to get her attention. Tao Xin turned and blinked at them.

“We wanted to use the big screen downstairs to play some games,” Li Lequan said smoothly. “You keep doing your thing—don’t mind us.”

Tao Xin glanced at Zhou Nian fiddling with the console. “What kind of console?”

“PS4. Haven’t played before?”

“Nope. I usually just play mobile games.”

Li Lequan immediately found common ground. “Nice! What do you play? Zhou Nian and I mostly play Honor of Kings, sometimes Peacekeeper Elite.”

Tao Xin had played Honor of Kings briefly as part of her social adaptation training at the Bureau—just enough not to sound clueless.

“I play Honor of Kings too—but only Da Ji and Xiao Qiao.”

“Perfect! Let’s trio queue next time. Zhou Nian’s a national-ranked Li Bai, I’m national-ranked Yu Ji, and with you, that’s three DPS—time to climb the ladder!”

With a grin, he pulled out his phone and showed her his WeChat QR code. “Let’s add each other—I’ll carry you.”

Tao Xin felt a little wary of his over-enthusiasm but accepted the friend request anyway—no reason to refuse someone so friendly.

“What should I save you as?”

“You’re calling me ‘big sister’?” she raised an eyebrow.

“Uh… should I not?”

That actually stumped Tao Xin. Technically, given her age, it was fine. But she was already in college when these two were born. The title felt awkward.

“I’m your dad’s girlfriend. Isn’t it weird for you to call me that?” she said as she sent her name over. “Just call me Tao Xin.”

“I know you’re Uncle Zhou’s girlfriend. But he’s not around right now, and you look only a year or two older than us.”

Li Lequan began his subtle probing. After all, a woman’s true age couldn’t be judged by appearance alone. He boldly speculated that Tao Xin—who practically lived in beauty salons—might look 20, but could very well be 30. And if she was 30, then Zhou Nian’s situation would be much simpler.

Unfortunately, Tao Xin replied without hesitation, “I’m 20.”

Remaining calm, Li Lequan asked, “Then you must’ve been born in the year 2000. Do you know the Chinese zodiac for that year?”

Tao Xin had always thought the Administration’s social etiquette training was unnecessary. Yet now, someone was seriously asking her about zodiac signs? She looked at Li Lequan like he was a nosy reporter and answered plainly, “Dragon.”

That fast? God, she really is 20.

Li Lequan started counting on his fingers, mentally calculating timelines. He found himself impressed with Zhou Tingzhi—this girl had been born when Uncle Zhou was still in college.

“So, are you not in school now?” he asked.

“I’m taking a gap year.”

“Oh? What’s your major?”

“…”

Tao Xin looked from the strikingly handsome Li Lequan to Zhou Nian, who sat beside him fiddling with a game console. A bold thought suddenly struck her. The more she considered it, the more plausible it seemed. After a pause, she couldn’t hold back anymore and asked, “You’re being so friendly out of nowhere—did Zhou Nian put you up to this? Are you here to seduce me on his behalf?”

An awkward silence fell over the living room.

Just as Li Lequan was about to wave it off and deny everything, Zhou Nian, seated opposite him, suddenly stood up and called out toward the hallway, “Dad? When did you get back?”

Zhou Tingzhi replied calmly, “I’ve been here for a while.”