Lin Xi suddenly remembered exactly what she had scribbled on that first page. Panic flared in her chest as she lunged to snatch the notebook back. “President Song, give that back!”

Song Xu was far taller than her, with a reach to match. He simply hoisted the notebook high above his head. No matter how much Lin Xi hopped or reached, she couldn’t even graze the cover.

Most of the executives were still filing out of the conference room. From across the table, Song Qingshi watched his normally stoic, ice-cold son teasing a little secretary like a schoolboy. He cleared his throat loudly. “Xiao Xu, come to my office for a moment.”

Realizing the Chairman was watching them, Lin Xi immediately pulled back and stood at attention, her face burning.

Song Xu shoved his laptop into her hands. “Take this back to the office for me.”

“My notebook…” Lin Xi stared longingly at the book in his hand. At least give me my notes back!

“I’m borrowing it,” Song Xu whispered, leaning down so his breath brushed against her ear. “You took better notes than I did. I’m afraid my father is going to grill me.”

If not for the unmistakable glint of mischief in his eyes, Lin Xi might have actually believed him. She bit her lip, narrowing her eyes. “Fine. The rental fee is two hundred.”

Song Xu tapped her lightly on the head with the rolled-up notebook. “I’ll give you two hundred and fifty—seeing as you’re such a little dimwit.”

Song Qingshi couldn’t take it anymore. Are they seriously flirting in front of me? “Song Xu! Get over here right now!”

The use of his full name signaled real trouble. Song Xu shot a puzzled look at his father. What’s his problem? I haven’t even done anything yet—why is he so angry?

Lin Xi heard the tone, too. Giving up on the notebook for now, she clutched the laptop to her chest and scurried out of the room behind Zhang Qing.

—

Song Xu rolled the notebook into a tube, tapping it against his thigh as he followed Song Qingshi into the Chairman’s office.

“Dad, what was so urgent?” Song Xu tossed the notebook onto the desk and pulled off his baseball cap. Since his father had already seen the injury on his forehead, there was no point in hiding it anymore.

Song Qingshi sat heavily in his leather chair, his gaze sharp and searching. “Who exactly is that secretary? Since when do you hire staff without going through HR?”

“She’s a part-time secretary,” Song Xu explained casually. “She’s not on the official company payroll.”

“What?” Song Qingshi thought he had misheard. “Since when does this group hire ‘part-time’ staff for the General Manager’s office?”

He slammed his hand onto the desk. “Song Xu, this is ridiculous! Do you have any idea how much confidential information was discussed in today’s meeting? If she leaks even a fraction of that, the losses could be catastrophic!”

If he wasn’t terrified of making his wife angry, Song Qingshi would have seriously considered slapping some sense into his son.

“Dad, have some tea and calm down.” Song Xu slid a teacup toward him. “Lin Xi isn’t a corporate spy.”

Song Qingshi took a gulp of the tea to settle his nerves. Before he could even swallow, Song Xu added, “She’s your future daughter-in-law.”

Pffft!

Song Qingshi choked, spraying half the tea across the desk. He doubled over, coughing violently.

Song Xu quickly grabbed some tissues and began wiping down the desk and the files. “Dad, why so much excitement? These documents are important.”

This unfilial brat! Song Qingshi was still hacking away, yet his son was more concerned with a stack of lifeless paper than his own father’s health.

After clearing the mess, Song Xu finally gave his father a few sympathetic pats on the back. “Feeling better?”

Song Qingshi shoved him away, his voice raspy. “What did you just say? Who is my future daughter-in-law?”

Song Xu sat back down, perfectly composed. “The little secretary you just saw. Lin Xi.”

“Impossible!” the Chairman barked instantly. “Give up on that idea right now. The Song family doesn’t just let anyone through the door.”

“Dad, you were the one who told me to keep a woman by my side. You even said Mom would like her.” Song Xu remained unruffled. “I happen to like her too, so I’ve made my choice.”

“She’s that little nanny you’ve been keeping at your apartment?” Song Qingshi finally connected the dots. The name ‘Lin Xi’ had sounded familiar; his wife had mentioned it once or twice.

“That makes it even more impossible,” he snorted. “I told you to keep her around for company, not to marry her. This is non-negotiable.”

“And if Mom agrees?” Song Xu hadn’t expected immediate approval. Bringing Lin Xi today was just a way to build up his father’s “immunity.”

“Your mother…” Song Qingshi’s tone softened at the mention of his wife, but he shook his head. “She won’t agree either.”

He knew exactly how picky his wife was when it came to potential daughters-in-law. Even for their foster son, Song Chen, she had been incredibly meticulous. Family background, appearance, character, education, and upbringing—not a single hair could be out of place.

“This Lin Xi… aside from being decent-looking, what could she possibly offer?”

“Beauty is the least of her virtues,” Song Xu replied, his expression hardening at the dismissal. “She is a top-tier student. She ranked eleventh in the entire city for the humanities track of the college entrance exams. You know exactly what that score represents.”

“She’s a university student?” Song Qingshi was genuinely surprised. “I thought she was just a nanny.”

“There are plenty of nannies in the world. I had my reasons for choosing her.” Song Xu pushed the notebook across the desk. “Take a look at what the ‘little nanny’ recorded during her first-ever meeting.”

Skeptical, Song Qingshi opened the notebook. He was immediately struck by the elegant, beautiful handwriting. It was the kind of script that was a pleasure to read.

As he scanned the notes on Director Shu, his eyebrows shot up. He hadn’t expected the girl to have such a sharp eye for people. But as he read further, he became even more impressed. In such a short time, she had managed to summarize every speaker’s key points without missing a single detail or wasting a single word.

“She’s talented,” Song Qingshi admitted, though he wasn’t ready to fold. “But being a talent is a far cry from being the daughter-in-law of the Song family.”

Lin Xi had many other virtues, but Song Xu wasn’t about to share those. Some things were too private to discuss with anyone.

“She makes incredible milk tea,” Song Xu added, throwing out a final, clinching argument.

Song Qingshi froze. He slammed the desk again. “What use is that? Every girl at a tea shop can make milk tea! Should I marry them all off to you just to please your mother?”

“The girls at the tea shop don’t have her brains,” Song Xu argued. “The ones with brains don’t have her looks. The ones with looks can’t make tea. Xixi is top-tier in every category.”

And her figure is top-tier too… and in bed… He was certain their future compatibility would be perfect.

“You…” Song Qingshi pointed a finger at him, momentarily speechless. He was still searching for a rebuttal when Song Xu delivered the final blow.

“Dad, don’t get too ahead of yourself anyway,” Song Xu sighed, tapping his fingers on the desk. “I haven’t actually won her over yet. For now, she’s only your future daughter-in-law.”

Song Qingshi: “…”