Dramatic changes in the movies and TV shows

Chapter 1486 The Thoughts of Both Families

"Oh, right, I brought this for you!" Jin Meili said, handing over the bag.
"My cook made osmanthus cake. My mom said she made too much and couldn't finish it, so she asked me to bring it out and share it with my friends."

"I just... I brought you one too!" Her pretty face blushed unconsciously as she said "just."

Lin Hao took the bag, opened it and took a look. The oil paper was neatly wrapped and the osmanthus cake was emitting an enticing aroma.

Lin Hao unceremoniously took a piece, took a bite, tasted it, and then nodded in praise:
"It's so delicious! Please thank Auntie for me!"

"I'm glad you like it!" Jin Meili walked with her head down, but the corners of her mouth were turned up high.

The two walked slowly along the tree-lined path, sunlight filtering through the leaves and dappling the ground.

As Jin Meili walked, she got closer and closer to Lin Hao. Occasionally, her shoulder would brush against his arm, and she would pull back as if burned, but after a few steps, she would come closer again.

Lin Hao noticed it, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, but he didn't say anything. A young girl's feelings are always poetic.

There was a clump of unnamed white flowers by the roadside, in full bloom. The petals were small and densely packed together, looking like a snowflake from a distance.

Lin Hao stopped and looked down at the flower, saying, "This flower is nice. I'll have someone plant some in my yard another day."

Jin Meili squatted down, leaned closer to look, and looked up to say:
"This flower is called 'June Snow,' and it blooms most profusely in the summer. I planted it in the garden when I was a child, and then... then it died, and I cried for days."

She crouched there, sunlight filtering through the leaves and falling on her face. Her eyelashes were long, and her eyes shone like shattered stars.

Lin Hao looked at her and suddenly said, "Then I'll have someone plant a patch of them at home, and you can come and see them anytime!"

Jin Meili was stunned upon hearing this, her bright red ears turning as red as if they could bleed.

She stood up, patted off imaginary dust from her skirt, and muttered with her head down, "Well, you said it, you can't go back on your word!"

"No regrets."

The two continued walking. When they reached a large locust tree, Jin Meili suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at Lin Hao.

She didn't say anything, just looked at him, and Lin Hao looked at her too.

A gust of wind blew, and her stray hairs were blown onto her face, obscuring half of one eye.

Lin Hao reached out and naturally tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

But Jin Meili didn't flinch at all; instead, she closed her eyes, like a kitten waiting for its owner's affection.

With such a beautiful woman before him, Lin Hao naturally couldn't let her go, so he cupped her pretty face and kissed her.

Jin Meili's face flushed red to her ears, and she was at a loss for what to do.

But feeling the warm touch on her lips, Jin Meili, guided by Lin Hao, instinctively embraced and kissed him.

······
In the Jin family's dining room, dinner had just been set on the table.

Jin Quan sat in the main seat, Mrs. Jin sat next to him, Madam He sat at the lower end, and several of Jin's sisters were also present.

Jin Meili sat at the end of the table, a bowl of rice in front of her, chopsticks in her hand, but she didn't touch them for a long time.

"Merry? Merry!" Mrs. Kim called out twice.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Jin Meili, who was still grinning foolishly, finally came to her senses.

"What are you laughing at?" Mrs. Jin asked, looking at her with some curiosity.

Jin Meili paused for a moment, then reached up and touched her face; she didn't even realize she was smiling.

Feeling a little guilty, he lowered his head, took a bite of rice, and mumbled, "No, I didn't laugh!"

Jin's eldest sister, Minzhi, exchanged a glance with her younger sister beside her, both trying to suppress their laughter.

Mrs. Jin didn't say anything more, but she glanced at Mrs. He, who smiled slightly, indicating that they had guessed correctly.

After the meal, Jin Meili insisted on helping the maid clear the dishes.

She never used to do these things on her own initiative, but today she not only cleaned up but also took the dishes to the kitchen, saying she wanted to learn how to manage household chores.

When it came back, it was humming an unknown tune, as cheerful as a bird.

Mrs. Jin listened, then glanced at Mrs. He, who nodded.

That evening, Mrs. He brought a bowl of white fungus soup and knocked on Jin Meili's door.

"Come in." Jin Meili sat in front of the dressing table and tried on clothes in front of the mirror.

There were three items on the bed: a pale yellow dress, a pink dress, and a light blue school uniform. She picked them up, compared them, put them down, and picked them up again, her face full of conflict.

Mrs. He placed the white fungus soup on the table, sat down beside it, looked at it for several seconds, and then spoke:
"Merry, have you found someone you like lately?"

Jin Meili paused for a moment, then folded the pale yellow dress, her voice deliberately calm, and said with an innocent expression:

"No."

"Then why do you go to Peking University every day?"

"I'm going to listen to the lecture. Brother Lin Hao's lectures are so good, it would be a shame not to go."

"Oh, going to class?" Mrs. He handed the white fungus soup to Jin Meili, then asked in a low voice:

"You keep calling him 'brother Lin Hao' like that, have you taken a fancy to him?"

"Mom~!" Jin Meili said coquettishly when her mother teased her.

After speaking, she glanced at her mother and saw that the other woman was looking at her meaningfully. She immediately lowered her head guiltily and tugged at the cuff of her dress several times.

Madam He didn't press the matter. She placed the white fungus soup in front of Jin Meili, stood up, and stopped at the door, saying:
"Chief of Staff Lin is indeed a good person, your father and I have no objections!"

"Oh dear~!" Jin Meili was so embarrassed that her mother had hit the nail on the head and even expressed her support. She then buried her head in the blanket.

······
Madam He sat back down in the living room, told Jin Quan about the matter, and then said with a smile, "This girl, I'm afraid she's really fallen for him."

"I just don't know about Chief of Staff Lin's side!" Madam He hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

Jin Quan laughed and said, "If Chief of Staff Lin wasn't interested, why would he chat with her every time and even bring her back? Do you think Lin Hao is that free?"

After thinking about it, Mrs. He agreed that it made sense, and then added:
"But to be honest, our Meili is a good-looking girl with a good personality. Who wouldn't like her?"

As Mrs. He spoke, the corners of her mouth turned up. What could be more joyful than her daughter finding a good husband?

That evening, Mrs. Jin pulled Jin Quan into the bedroom and closed the door.

"Sir, what do you plan to do about Meryl's matter?"

Jin Quan sat down in the chair, took off his glasses and wiped them: "What? What should we do?"

"Didn't you notice?" Mrs. Jin said in a low voice.

"That girl has a thing for Chief of Staff Lin. Today at the dinner table, she would suddenly start laughing for no reason while we were eating!"

"Why are you worrying about this?" Jin Quan put on his glasses and glanced at Mrs. Jin.

Seeing the expectant look on the other person's face, Jin Quan immediately realized what the other person was thinking, so he said in an annoyed tone: "You want Runzhi Dai Meili to marry Lin Hao?"

"You know Runzhi's temper. If she wants something, she will take the initiative to fight for it. If she is not willing, it is no use forcing her."

"Besides, since Mei Li and Lin Hao already have feelings for each other, they shouldn't interfere!" Jin Quan raised an eyebrow and said meaningfully.

"What are you talking about? I'm Mei Li's aunt. If I don't worry about it, who will?" Mrs. Jin sat down next to him.

In truth, she did want her daughter Jin Runzhi to marry Lin Hao, but ultimately, the master of the house had the final say when it came to the marriages of his children.

The key point is that Jin Meili has already crossed paths with Lin Hao, and it seems that things are progressing quite quickly. At this point, it seems a bit too late to ask her own daughter to do it.

What's most heartbreaking is that she has already asked her daughter, and it seems that she doesn't care much about this Director Lin.

But Mrs. Jin was still somewhat unwilling to give up and always wanted to try, but seeing the old man's attitude, her desire faded.

However, he still said with some concern, "But Bai Xiongqi is keeping an eye on Chief Lin's side!"

"I think that girl Xiuzhu is also interested in Chief Lin. What will happen to Meili if the Bai family makes a move first?"

"Sigh~!" Jin Quan leaned back in his chair and sighed helplessly.

According to his idea, the perfect match would be for his seventh son to marry Bai Xiuzhu and his eighth son to marry Lin Hao.

Unfortunately, his seventh son was disappointing; he fell for a female student named Leng Qingqiu, making a marriage alliance with the Bai family impossible.

That's fine, but the key issue is that if Bai Xiuzhu were to marry Lin Hao, it would be like losing both the sesame seed and the watermelon, resulting in losing everything.

Moreover, he was Bai Xiongqi's teacher, so he naturally knew what the other party was planning.

But he couldn't say anything about it, since it was Lao Qi who had let Bai Xiuzhu down, and he couldn't interfere too much, otherwise he would look too bad.

But he was equally unwilling, so he proposed a marriage alliance between the Bai and Lin families, and said calmly:

"I understand. I'll think of a solution!"

However, Jin Quan knew that Lin Hao was also interested in Mei Li, and he was naturally happy to see this, so he should take the initiative to bring them together.

······
With the unification of finances in the north and the full implementation of soldiers' accounts, military power naturally returned to the central government.

As a result of this major event, the Beiyang government began a phased process of rewarding those who had contributed to the cause.

As the driving force behind this, Lin Hao naturally reaped huge benefits and was promoted to Vice Minister of State Affairs of the Beiyang Government.

Others also benefited. For example, Bai Xiongqi's cooperation with the Army Ministry was also indispensable, and he was promoted to Minister of the Interior.

On the day the news broke, Bai Xiongqi sat in his office for the entire afternoon.

He showed no outward sign of excitement, but inwardly he was surging with turmoil. He had waited three years to take this step from deputy minister to chief of staff.

Now that he has benefited from Lin Hao's influence, he has overcome the obstacle in one fell swoop, and his next target is naturally the deputy chief of staff, or even the chief of staff of the Beiyang Army.

To realize this wish, Lin Hao, a key figure, must be won over.

After thinking for a moment, he immediately picked up the phone and dialed Lin Hao's office number.

"Chief of Staff Lin, are you free tonight? Let's have a simple dinner at home, your sister-in-law will cook herself. First, to celebrate, and second, it's been a long time since we brothers have had a proper get-together."

Lin Hao chuckled on the other end of the phone and said:
"Haha, it's not just you who got promoted, Brother Bai; I've also become the Deputy Minister of State. This meal should be on my behalf."

"It doesn't matter who invites you, you haven't been to my house yet!" Bai Xiongqi paused here before continuing:
"I'm sure you've had quite a few invitations. Why don't you come over for a casual meal tonight? Your sister-in-law is a good cook, and it won't interfere with anything else."

Lin Hao thought for a moment and immediately understood Bai Xiongqi's little scheme, so he agreed.

After hanging up the phone, Bai Xiongqi leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest twice.

Lin Hao has now been promoted to Deputy Minister of State, and he holds the reins of finance. The president trusts him, and the taxes from the six northern provinces and the salaries of the army are all dependent on him.
If Bai Xiongqi wants to advance further, Lin Hao is the best help.

Soon it was time to leave work, and Bai Xiongqi picked up his briefcase and walked out.

When he arrived home, Keiko Suzuki was busy in the kitchen. He went in and said to her:
"Lin Hao is coming over for dinner tonight, so cook a few of your best dishes!"

Keiko Suzuki, wearing an apron, turned around and said in accented Chinese:

What does Mr. Lin like to eat?

Bai Xiongqi paused for a moment and said, "Let's make what you're good at: tempura, sashimi, and miso soup."

"Are you sure Mr. Lin likes Japanese food?" Suzuki Keiko wondered, thinking that many Chinese people don't like Japanese food.

Feeling that his wife's words made sense, Bai Xiongqi thought for a moment and said:

"Then let's add some Chinese food, how about braised pork? I noticed he really liked it last time!"

Keiko Suzuki nodded, instructed the servants to hire several chefs, and then turned to continue her work.

Bai Xiongqi didn't say anything more and saw Bai Xiuzhu sitting on the sofa in the living room flipping through an English magazine.

So she jokingly said, "Xiuzhu, Lin Hao is coming over for dinner tonight."

Bai Xiuzhu, who had been feigning composure, paused in her flipping through the magazine upon hearing this, and finally said with a look of impatience and feigned arrogance:

"understood."

Bai Xiongqi walked over, sat down opposite her, and said with a smile, "Is this all the attitude you've got?"

Bai Xiuzhu raised her eyelids slightly and said, feigning composure, "Otherwise what? Do you think I'd stand at the door and wait?"

Bai Xiongqi stared at her for two seconds, then suddenly smiled.

He's her brother, someone who watched her grow up. He can't hide her little thoughts from her. She might say she doesn't care, but she probably cares a lot inside.

"Fine, whatever!" Bai Xiongqi stood up, patted his trouser leg, "Anyway, they're here, you can greet them or not if you want!"

He walked toward the study, but stopped abruptly at the top of the stairs without turning around: "By the way, dress nicely tonight."

Bai Xiuzhu clenched her fingers on the corner of the magazine page. Only after Bai Xiongqi's footsteps had faded into the distance did she close the magazine and look down at herself.

I didn't go out today and didn't dress up properly. I really need to be careful. If I ruin my image in Brother Lin Hao's eyes, then I'm doomed.

"It's just a meal," Bai Xiuzhu muttered haughtily.
She shed that expressionless facade, licked her lips, and realized her face was already burning hot.

She tossed the magazine onto the coffee table, quickly got up and went upstairs, walking much faster than usual.

Back in her room, Bai Xiuzhu closed the door, walked to the wardrobe, and suddenly pulled open the door.

"This pale yellow dress is too youthful; it makes me look like a little girl who hasn't grown up yet."

"That pure white one is too plain; it's missing something."

"Light pink? I wore it at the Jin family banquet last time, so it's not appropriate to wear the same one again."

"I've never worn light blue before, but wouldn't it look too somber?"

(End of this chapter)