Chapter 688 - Is He Treating You Well? (2)
The cloud of worry that had been hovering in his heart as he worried about his daughter had finally dissipated. Although this had certainly turned their lives upside down, knowing that Li Meili had gotten pregnant out of wedlock, it was easily resolved as Zhang Jiren was willing to take responsibility for it.
Initially, he thought that his daughter would be ill-suited with Zhang Jiren, given their conflicting personalities, but as he looked at the two right now, he was satisfied that his daughter was willing to compromise and listen to her husband.
It was time for dinner and everyone sat down while Chairman Li naturally took the seat at the head of the table. The rest of the family waited for him to pick up his chopsticks and start eating first before they followed suit.
Although the Li family was unlike other wealthy families who were old-fashioned and followed strict rules passed down from generation to generation, Chairman Li was quite strict especially towards his children. With his overwhelming temperament, it was no wonder that he and Li Meili hadn't gotten along well.
Madam Li had such a smile on her face that made everyone think that she was a kind woman. Her smiles, especially towards her husband were gentle and loving. Towards her children, she wasn't as strict as her husband, but she would occasionally remind them they should be wary of their actions and words or they might just regret them later.
Meanwhile, Li Yuanyi had inherited the good genes from both their parents, his handsome face could rival those in show business. It seemed to Zhang Jiren that all the Li family members possessed looks that simply couldn't be ignored by anyone.
"Meili, don't eat too much salty food from now on. You have to watch what you do and what you eat for your baby's sake." Li Yuanyi reminded his sister.
Li Meili sighed, knowing that her brother was just trying to remind her to take care of herself more. Although Li Yuanyi was only older than her by two years, he had always taken care of her whenever possible.
It might not have been obvious because of their usual banterings, but the siblings were very close to each other and Li Yuanyi naturally knew what kind of person his sister was.
"Dear, are you still going to work while you are pregnant? How about after you give birth? It would be hard for you to raise a family while running a business." Madam Li asked.
Zhang Jiren and Li Meili looked at each other. This wasn't something they discussed yet.
"If Meili still wants to work, I won't stop her." Zhang Jiren smiled at his wife. "I suppose that's better than her just waiting around at home doing nothing. Of course, we will set some precautionary measures to make sure that she will be comfortable at work. Maybe shorten her working hours if that's alright with her."
Li Meili nodded. She certainly wasn't planning to give up on The Black Nightingale just because she was pregnant.
After dinner, Chairman Li called his daughter up to his study before she departed with Zhang Jiren later that night. Once Li Meili closed the door behind her, she was quite expecting that he would try to chastise her again for bringing such a huge problem to their family, but she didn't expect that her father would say otherwise.
"Zhang Jiren…… Is he treating you well?" He asked with such a gentle tone that Li Meili wasn't accustomed to.
"Hmm. He's very kind to me." She said with a slight blush on her face, remembering how she had upset Zhang Jiren a few days ago with her harsh words.
Zhang Jiren had treated her well and hadn't forced her to do anything she didn't want to. It might be too early for her to say this, but she didn't think he was such a bad person. To her, he was different than what other people perceived him to be.
There was definitely an air of indifference around him but he wasn't such an ice block that did not know what people think of him. The fact that he was able to shut her up effectively as she started showing prejudice towards him because he was a Zhang was still something that was fresh in Li Meili's memory.
Chairman Li was a bit surprised with her answer but he supposed that he still didn't know that much about his daughter's relationship with CEO Zhang. He stared at her for a moment, making Li Meili feel awkward under his gaze. After a long silence, he finally nodded his head.
"Alright. If that's the case, then you must try to continue understanding each other. Passionate feelings tend to run dry in the long run, but if you respect and trust your partner, it's not impossible for your marriage to work."
When his daughter didn't say anything, Chairman Li continued.
"If ever you think that he's changed or he's starting to show his real colors to you and you don't like to be with him anymore, leave at once. I don't care whose family he came from. I won't allow your husband to bully you."
Li Meili wanted to roll her eyes at that. If there was someone who'd been trying to harass and bully her for such a long time, that's certainly him and not her husband. As for Zhang Jiren, although they decided to pretend as husband and wife, Li Meili had promised to treat him well.
It was obvious that Zhang Jiren wouldn't gain much from this farce of a marriage between them, but if there came a day when he would fall in love with someone else, Li Meili was willing to divorce him and give back his freedom. She couldn't ask him to sacrifice for her more than he already had.
"I'll send someone to help you look after the villa and accompany you home once you and Jiren move to your new place. You have to understand that as a CEO of a huge company, your husband would be absent most of the time."