Chapter 165: Certain Defeat
"Are you asking him?"
The middle-aged man slapped the armrest of his chair with his right hand, clearly displeased.
"I’m Bai Shishi’s boyfriend!" Lin Tian hung his head, daring not to look the middle-aged man in the eye.
"Boyfriend?"
The middle-aged man’s lips curled into a smile: "Becoming a son-in-law of the Bai Family isn’t that easy?"
"Dad~ let’s not talk about that now, here’s your birthday gift!" Bai Shishi quickly changed the subject, magically producing a box.
"Oh? What has Shishi brought?" The middle-aged man, seeing the box in Bai Shishi’s hand, asked eagerly.
"A twenty-year-old Moutai, do you want to try it?" Bai Shishi raised her eyebrows at the middle-aged man.
"Hand it over now!"
Bai Shishi immediately stepped forward and handed the aged Moutai to her father.
The middle-aged man, upon receiving the Moutai, looked as if he had discovered treasure, his face beaming with happiness.
"It’s wonderful to see such a harmonious family!" Seeing the harmony between Bai Shishi and her father, Lin Tian also smiled.
"Shishi, what does your boyfriend do?"
The middle-aged man asked Bai Shishi while looking at Lin Tian: "I am Bai Shishi’s father, Bai Tianlong!"
"Ah?"
Bai Shishi was caught off guard and didn’t know how to respond: "Lin Tian, he’s asking you!"
"Ah?"
Lin Tian was also taken aback, not knowing how to reply. Although they had discussed beforehand that if asked about having a house, car, or job, he would say yes. However, Bai Shishi’s father clearly wasn’t playing by the rules.
"Ah what, he’s asking you!"
Bai Shishi glared at him, afraid their cover would be blown.
"I run a company!" Lin Tian, thinking quickly, blurted out.
Bai Shishi, standing nearby, almost choked and died from not catching her breath; this guy was really good at bragging...
"How should I put it?" Lin Tian scratched his head, rapidly weaving a story in his mind: "It’s actually a farm?"
"Farming also counts as running a company, this is hilarious!" A young person in the hall laughed.
"I’m not just any farmer; I said it’s a farm, didn’t I? Understand?" Lin Tian paused and continued: "Simply put, it’s like a manor!"
"Hiss!" Upon hearing this, everyone gasped. If it really was like a manor, how impressive would that be?
"I leased a piece of land, planning to make it a resort, growing fruits, fishing..." Lin Tian even used his previous joke.
"Not bad, not bad, truly promising for someone so young!"
Bai Tianlong, having seen many people, could tell Lin Tian was sharp and energetic just from his attire, like a dragon among men.
Lin Tian blushed noticeably: "Too kind, too kind!"
"Shishi, is he the one you’ve chosen?" Bai Tianlong shifted his focus back to Bai Shishi.
Bai Shishi was momentarily stunned: "What do you mean?"
Bai Tianlong spoke solemnly: "According to our Bai Family’s rules, to enter the Bai Family, one must be both literate and skilled; only by passing these tests can you enter the Bai Family!"
Lin Tian was the first to react, secretly grumbling: "Big families have too many issues!"
"Ah? There’s such a thing?"
Now Bai Shishi was dumbfounded, Lin Tian’s boyfriend identity was fake, what talk of entering the Bai Family?
What if he really passed the test?
What would they do then?
Could she really end up having to marry him?
The whole thing seemed to be getting more complicated!
"Father is right, to enter the Bai Family, one must pass the literary and martial tests!" Bai Jiaming nodded in agreement.
"What should we do?"
Lin Tian asked Bai Shishi with his eyes.
"How do we test?"
Bai Shishi asked, now having no choice but to tough it out.
Lin Tian was pretending to be a boyfriend merely to make Bai Tianlong happy; after all, Bai Shishi was already of age but still didn’t have a real boyfriend, which worried her father greatly.
But unexpectedly, even with a pretend boyfriend, there would be a test, catching Bai Shishi completely off guard...
"Forget about the literary test; in modern society, it’s no longer needed, and he just passed it!" Bai Tianlong didn’t think Lin Tian’s earlier words were deceitful at all.
"What do you mean?" Lin Tian and Bai Shishi asked in unison, confused about when the test was passed.
"In modern society, being literate essentially means having money; Father already asked earlier, and Lin Tian has already answered. Isn’t he running a company?" Bai Jiaming explained.
"So that’s what it is!" Bai Shishi nodded thoughtfully.
"Oh~!"
Lin Tian suddenly understood; he hadn’t realized his bluff actually hit the mark...
"What about the martial test?"
Bai Shishi asked anxiously. Lin Tian unknowingly passed the literary test, but if he passed the martial test too, wouldn’t she really have to marry him?
At that time, it would be like swallowing bitter medicine without a sound, making the false become real.
"As for the martial test, we need to assess his skills. Our Bai Family does not accept incompetent men; even if a Bai woman chooses a man, he must be both literate and skilled, so the martial test is a spar!"
Bai Jiaming continued to explain to Bai Shishi.
"So, it’s basically fighting!"
Having listened to Bai Jiaming, Lin Tian finally understood: to enter your Bai Family, you must first fight, win, and you get in; lose, and you don’t.
"Isn’t this nonsense? If I win, who dares to stop me?"
Lin Tian suddenly found this family’s rules amusing.
Bai Jiaming displayed an awkward smile: "You could say that."
"Who should I fight?"
Bai Shishi suddenly asked, having seen Lin Tian’s skills; just like in action movies, he’s pretty good.
"How about sparring with my bodyguard?" Bai Jiaming volunteered.
"Let’s go with Long!" Bai Tianlong decided.
"Hiss!"
The whole room gasped; letting Lin Tian fight Long was like a grade-schooler battling a college student?
He would certainly be thoroughly defeated!
There wasn’t a hint of suspense about the result.
"Long?"
On the surface, Bai Shishi feigned shock, but inwardly she was delighted. Thank goodness it was Long; Lin Tian was sure to lose.
"Who’s Long?"
Lin Tian looked puzzled. Judging by everyone’s reaction, this mysterious opponent seemed formidable.
"Long is Father’s bodyguard, who has been with him for more than ten years. He was once a secular disciple of the Shaolin Temple, having mastered the Golden Bell Shield and Iron Cloth Shirt, invulnerable with no weaknesses, impervious to weapons!"
"Most impressively, he once fought a dozen armed hooligans, got slashed over ten times, and remained uninjured!"
Bai Shishi spoke with a look of admiration, underscoring Long’s prowess.
Lin Tian was speechless: "Cut over a dozen times and it’s like nothing? He’s unbeatable, how do we fight that?"
"That’s why you’re bound to lose!" Bai Shishi actually breathed a sigh of relief, thankful Lin Tian had no chance of winning.
Lin Tian leaned in and whispered to Bai Shishi: "Then why even fight, I might as well surrender to avoid getting hurt!"
"No way, with so many people watching, you still have to show some real moves and fight seriously!"
Given that she knew Lin Tian couldn’t win, Bai Shishi was instead encouraging him to take the bout seriously.