Peninsula: I, a chaebol! I will never follow hidden rules.

The sky is falling!
The South Korean entertainment industry is notorious for its rampant unspoken rules; this is common knowledge both abroad and among South Koreans.

When Bae Joo-hyun was a trainee, her parents had some concerns about her becoming an idol. However, they eventually agreed because they knew their daughter really wanted to be an idol, and SM Entertainment was a big company that would protect its employees.

It's been over six years now, and Bae Joo-hyun has never gotten into any trouble. Even when faced with CEOs or presidents who have designs on her, SM Entertainment always helps her out. So, Bae's parents think it's all good; SM Entertainment truly lives up to its reputation as a big company.

But who would have thought! Bae Joo-hyun's troubles were either nonexistent or extremely serious!
The third son of the Li Group!

To Pei's parents, this identity was like that of a person from heaven!
Now their beloved eldest daughter has not only become the third son's "girlfriend," but she's also pregnant!

How to do?
The Pei family owns a restaurant in Daegu, selling Korean food, fried chicken, and the like. They're not poor, but they're not exactly wealthy either; they're just a middle-class family.

What can a family like theirs do when faced with the Li family? What can they possibly do?!

The couple were tormented by a deep sense of powerlessness and couldn't sleep all night.

The thought that their daughter was pregnant and only ranked in the top five among Li Zhixuan's women made Pei's parents secretly wipe away tears in the middle of the night.

As dawn broke, Pei's father went out and hung a sign at the restaurant entrance that said it was temporarily closed. He then called a few employees to tell them not to come to work that day. After that, he went home and sat face to face with his wife, continuing to worry.

“Her dad, let’s go out and buy some things when the mall opens later. We’re going to Jeju Island to see Joo-hyun tomorrow.”

Hearing his wife mention this, Mr. Pei sighed with a worried expression: "Sigh! Let's call first. What if they get upset if we rush over there? They'll be polite to us on the surface, but then take it out on Joo-hyun. That would be the best-case scenario."

"I'm afraid they'll give us a cold shoulder when they see us. If that happens, wouldn't my daughter be even more embarrassed and awkward? She'll still have to suffer afterwards, especially since she's pregnant. I don't want to cause her any trouble."

Upon hearing this, Pei's mother became frightened and quickly said, "Then let's not go. Let's wait until Zhu Xuan brings him back on New Year's Day."

Mr. Pei shook his head: "You should still call. Our daughter is pregnant, and it would be too much for us parents to ignore her. What time is it now?"

It's almost eight o'clock.

"Pregnant women need a lot of sleep, I'll call her again at nine o'clock."

"Ah."

After waiting for more than an hour, it was nine o'clock in the morning. After composing himself, Mr. Pei picked up his phone and called his daughter.

"No one answered. Joo-hyun is probably still asleep. Let's call again later."

"Ah."

"Ding dong~"

Pei's parents were talking when the doorbell rang.

Who would come at this time? Could it be...?

The couple exchanged a puzzled look, both having a premonition, and then quickly got up and went to the door.

After glancing at the doorbell screen, Mr. Pei hurriedly opened the door.

"Waaaaah~ Mom and Dad~ Waaaaah~"

Bae Joo-hyun didn't want to cry; she really didn't want to. But the moment she saw her parents, she burst into tears, completely unable to control herself.

Seeing this, Pei's parents quickly hugged their daughter and comforted her. Pei's father glared at Li Zhixuan behind Pei Zhuxuan with resentment.

Your precious daughter is crying like this, she must have suffered a lot of grievances!

No good people among the chaebols! Damn bastards!
Mr. Pei dared not lash out. He gently patted his daughter's back, signaling his wife to comfort her. Then he released Pei Zhuxuan and bowed deeply to Li Zhixuan, saying, "Greetings, Third Young Master!"

It's so frustrating! But for my daughter's sake, I have to endure it.

Seeing this, Li Zhixuan, who was carrying a bunch of gifts and had a bag on his shoulder, quickly dodged aside, then looked helplessly at Pei Zhuxuan: "You promised not to cry, but look at you, you've caused a misunderstanding."

At this moment, Bae Joo-hyun forgot about crying and quickly helped her father up: "Dad, you are an elder, why are you bowing to him?"

"I..." Pei's father didn't know how to explain, because at this moment he realized that he seemed to have misunderstood something.

Immediately afterwards, Li Zhixuan bowed deeply to Pei's parents and said politely, "Hello, Uncle and Aunt. I am Li Zhixuan, Zhuxuan's husband. It was wrong of me to come and visit you so late. I'm sorry."

man?

That self-proclaimed title is quite interesting.

Li Zhixuan calling himself her husband seems inappropriate since he and Bae Joo-hyun aren't legally married. Calling himself her boyfriend is also problematic, as Bae Joo-hyun is almost four months pregnant. Maintaining that title makes it seem like he's not planning on taking responsibility. So, Li Zhixuan simply calls himself Bae Joo-hyun's man.

Bae Joo-hyun almost laughed at this, then gave the scumbag a coquettish glare.

Pei's parents were a bit bewildered, because this was so different from the scene they had imagined when they first met Li Zhixuan.

"He...you guys..."

Seeing her parents looking somewhat at a loss, Bae Joo-hyun quickly said to them, "Mom and Dad, just treat him like your son-in-law, there's no need to be nervous."

“Yes!” Li Zhixuan immediately replied, “You two are my elders, you can treat me however you want, I have no objection.”

Is the chaebol so easy to talk to? Could it be because Joo-hyun is pregnant, and he's afraid that Joo-hyun's unhappiness will affect the fetus, so he's coaxing us like this?

Thinking of this, Pei's father gave Li Zhixuan a polite smile and said, "It's rather cold in this hallway, let's talk inside."

"Yes, yes, yes! Please come in."

Afterwards, everyone went inside. Pei's mother put her arm around her daughter's arm and helped her to sit down on the sofa. Li Zhixuan followed behind, and Pei's father was the last to return to the living room after closing the door.

As soon as he entered the living room, Pei's father saw Li Zhixuan put down a pile of gifts he was carrying on the floor, then take off his backpack, open it, and take out a water cup, slippers, a box of fruit, wet wipes, and a bunch of other things.

Immediately afterwards, he squatted down to help Bae Joo-hyun change her slippers.

Seeing this, Bae Joo-hyun quickly said, "I can do it myself." As she spoke, she reached out to take her slippers.

Li Zhixuan quickly grabbed his slippers and put them behind him, saying, "That won't do. Now is my time to shine. How can I let you do it yourself? I have to do it."

After saying that, he started to help Bae Joo-hyun take off her shoes.

Bae Joo-hyun was amused by Lee Chi-hyun's serious expression: "Haha! I'm only three months pregnant, no different from a normal person. If you want to show off, you can wait another two months."

“You’re wrong about that,” Li Zhixuan retorted. “Whether you’re different from a normal person or not isn’t important. What’s important is how I treat you. If I act attentive and give your parents a good impression, they’ll feel at ease, right? Besides, shouldn’t you explain things to them?”

Hearing this, Pei's parents felt a bit amused and exasperated, then looked at their daughter with a puzzled expression and asked, "Explain what?"

“Uh…” Bae Joo-hyun blushed, a little embarrassed: “Yesterday I told you that I was in the top five by his side, but that’s not true. I’m actually in the top three in his heart.”

Top three? That's pretty good!
Pei's parents were slightly pleased, but then they heard Li Zhixuan say helplessly, "Not in the top three, but tied for first place."

After helping Bae Joo-hyun change into slippers, Lee Chi-hyun got up and sat down next to her. He then explained to Bae Joo-hyun's parents, "Our Lee family has a relatively small number of descendants. My father had three brothers in his generation, and only my father is still alive. My two uncles passed away early, and they didn't have any sons. Both of their daughters are married."

In my generation, there are three brothers. My eldest and second eldest brothers are still unmarried, without wives or children.

On my side, Jessica, Joohyun, and Yoona have all gotten pregnant one after another. If nothing unexpected happens, the baby in Joohyun's belly should be the second child of the Lee family's third generation.

Therefore, for the Lee family, Joo-hyun is a meritorious contributor who helped continue the family line, and the Lee family will not mistreat her.

As for me…

At this point, Li Zhixuan took Pei Zhuxuan's hand, looked at her with eyes full of affection, and said, "I treat her like my wife, and I will definitely treat her well. You two don't need to worry at all."

Overjoyed, Bae Joo-hyun immediately told her parents, "It's true, he's very good to me. My uncle and aunt are also very good to me, and they even gave me a luxury house."

"Oh, right! There's one more thing," Li Zhixuan said to Pei's father. "I was planning to train Zhu Xuan to run a fast food chain brand, and the first store was already open. But then she got pregnant, and I couldn't take care of it anymore. If you have time, could you keep an eye on it for her?"

A chain brand? Opening a store? Wow! A chaebol is a chaebol! They're so generous!
Mr. Pei had been running a restaurant for over twenty years, and he was still quite shrewd. He understood that Li Zhixuan was asking him to help manage the business to put his wife and daughter at ease.

Therefore, this must be agreed to!

"Sure, I have time."

"Okay! You guys chat, I'll go get Joo-hyun something to eat."

Upon hearing that food was being prepared, Pei's mother quickly said, "I'll go. You've just arrived home, so rest for a while."

"No need, please sit down, I'm not tired."

Whether she's tired or not is secondary; the main thing is that women's tastes change after pregnancy. Jessica Jung has started eating cucumbers and watermelons. Bae Joo-hyun is the same; she used to love durian, but now she feels nauseous just smelling it.

Therefore, Bae's mother has no idea what Bae Joo-hyun's tastes are, so how can she be allowed to prepare food for Bae Joo-hyun?
In addition, the ingredients Bae Joo-hyun eats every day are not ordinary; they must be all-natural and pollution-free.

Li Zhixuan first had two boxes of ingredients brought up before going to the kitchen to prepare food for Bae Joo-hyun.

In the living room, Bae Joo-hyun first introduced the gifts she had brought back to her parents. Apart from health supplements, the gifts were mostly clothing, and they were all very expensive and luxurious items.

After finishing, Pei's father went to the kitchen to help, while Pei's mother asked many questions and found out a lot of details.

The pregnant woman has been having digestive issues lately, so she needs to eat smaller, more frequent meals. She'll have one meal at 8 AM, along with iron and blood-building supplements. At 10 AM, she'll have another meal with calcium and vitamins, and at noon, she'll have yet another meal with folic acid and magnesium.

Pei's parents didn't see breakfast, but they personally watched Li Zhixuan cook for Pei Zhuxuan at 10 am and 12 pm.

If a tycoon's son can personally cook for their daughter, they can't help but believe that Li Zhixuan is good to their daughter.

Since that's the case, they accepted the reality. Apart from not having a formal status, they felt that their daughter had many advantages in being with Li Zhixuan.

Their grandson will have the opportunity to inherit the Li family business in the future. Even if he doesn't inherit the family business, he can still inherit a considerable amount of property and their daughter's fast-food chain brand, right?

After lunch, Li Zhixuan followed Bae Zhuxuan to her room to rest. Bae's parents also went back to their room to discuss how to improve the fast-food chain. They felt that if they did well, their daughter's status with Li Zhixuan would definitely rise.

Meanwhile, after Bae Joo-hyun returned to her room, she lay down on the bed. Lee Chi-hyun got on the bed and massaged her legs and feet while saying, "I told you, as long as your parents see that you're doing well, they'll definitely accept it. Look at your parents, aren't they quite happy?"

"It's different with Jessica Unnie. You've won over both of them. Will their parents accept that?"

"We can keep our relationship a secret for now, since Krystal isn't pregnant anyway."

Hearing this, Bae Joo-hyun turned to look at the scumbag: "If I weren't pregnant, would you still come home with me to meet my parents?"

"That depends on your wishes. If you want me to come, then I will definitely come."

Bae Joo-hyun was a little unhappy with this answer: "Can't you be a little more proactive?"

Li Zhixuan shrugged: "There's nothing we can do. How many criminals will voluntarily turn themselves in?"

"Haha! You really do have self-awareness. Hahaha!"

Bae Joo-hyun burst into laughter at the "criminal" joke, then got up and snuggled into his arms.

After cuddling for a while, Bae Joo-hyun cupped Lee Chi-hyun's face and asked, "Is it really appropriate for you to ask my dad to help keep an eye on the fried chicken shop?"

"First, I want him to help you manage the whole business, not just that little fried chicken shop. Second, he's your father, what's wrong with that?"

Bae Joo-hyun frowned slightly, puzzled, and asked, "Isn't it taboo to practice nepotism in business?"

"Haha! Are you stupid? The Li Group is a family business, so why would it be afraid of nepotism? Nepotism is not a problem at all, as long as you don't use the wrong people."

Also, there's a generation gap between young people and their parents, which will inevitably lead to conflicts in their business philosophies. Therefore, what you need to do is communicate with your uncle frequently. Of course, I will also help you.”

"I know that my main task is to give birth to the baby first."

(End of this chapter)