Right path to power

Upon arriving at the reception area, Song Minghao stepped forward and put his arm around Lin Xiao's shoulder, saying, "Everyone, let me reintroduce you—Lin Xiao, the 28-year-old county magistrate. From now on, he is my, Song Minghao's, rightful brother-in-law."

As soon as he finished speaking, a murmur of surprise rippled through the room.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

"Brother, it's not that it's wrong, it's just that you're going too far..."

"Kid, what were you talking about with me...?"

This sparked a burst of laughter from the audience.

However, congratulations and praises immediately poured in for Lin Xiao, while Song Wanqing beside him was somewhat neglected.

Seeing this, Zhuang Jingshu pulled Song Wanqing to her side and whispered a few words in her ear, causing Song Wanqing's face to turn red immediately.

After everyone calmed down, Song Minghao said seriously, "Lin Xiao, I'm not kidding you. If you ever dare to bully Qingqing in the future, not only will I not let you off the hook, but they won't either."

The next second, everyone looked at Lin Xiao with approval.

"Song Minghao, what are you doing? You guys..."

Song Wanqing was getting a little anxious and tried to get up, but Zhuang Jingshu pulled her back.

"Are you guys serious, guys?"

"Do you think we're joking?" Han Haicheng retorted.

"Okay, I understand."

Lin Xiao smiled, paused, glanced around, and revealed an extremely determined look in her eyes, her tone full of confidence and composure:

"However, I certainly won't give you the slightest chance."

The scene suddenly fell silent, then burst into laughter a few seconds later.

Song Wanqing also expressed her ardent love for Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao knew in his heart that this all stemmed from his love for his younger sister, Song Wanqing, just like he did for Grandpa Song and the others.

However, Song Minghao's words were by no means empty talk.

Because these scions of prominent families in front of him were completely different from those he had encountered in Quanning. These people were not the "spoiled brats" that everyone thought they were, but elites in their respective fields.

Therefore, their influence and lethality are directly proportional.

In fact, this reflects a characteristic of human nature: those who are truly in high positions are often low-key and timid, while those who are in the middle are often arrogant.

Around six o'clock, Lin Xiao and Song Wanqing returned home.

At this time, Song Guoqiang had not yet returned.

Ten minutes later, he returned home, and dinner officially began.

Lin Xiao was a little reserved. Although Song Wanqing and Gu Yongling would occasionally serve him food, making him feel like he was at home, he could still feel Song Guoqiang's slightly oppressive aura, even though they hadn't exchanged a single word during the meal.

"Let your aunt and Qingqing tidy up. You come to the living room and sit with me for a while."

After the meal, Song Guoqiang said to Lin Xiao in a casual tone.

Lin Xiao was momentarily stunned and didn't react, but fortunately Song Wanqing quickly tugged at his sleeve, and he responded with an "Oh," before following her into the living room.

After sitting down, Song Guoqiang looked him over and suddenly asked, "I heard you're also involved in stock trading? The market's been so chaotic this year, what's your take on it?"

Lin Xiao was taken aback again—shouldn't they be concerned about her marriage to Song Wanqing? Why was she asking about this?

Although he adopts a hands-off approach to managing his stocks, his college classmates who are avid stock traders still give him real-time advice. He operates based on his own judgment, and his account is currently showing growth.

In fact, the stock market is a barometer of the economy.

Although he doesn't often pay attention to individual stocks, he still has some understanding of the overall market trend, especially after he became the acting county head.

So he does have some insights into this issue.

"Uncle, I mostly leave my stocks to their own devices; I'm too busy with work to manage them. However, I do make some trades sometimes, since it involves a lot of money."

There's a saying in the market: the stock market is a barometer of the economy. So, when I have free time, I still pay attention to the overall stock market situation. The biggest characteristic of this year's market is the significant divergence. I believe this is not just a matter of stock market fluctuations, but also a true reflection of the country's economic transformation.

In the past few years, we have mainly relied on infrastructure, real estate and traditional heavy industry to support the economy. Although the scale is large, the momentum of growth is getting weaker and weaker, so traditional large-cap stocks can no longer support the market.

As the economy adjusts, capital is increasingly being invested in emerging industries and innovative business models. Overall, the slowdown in economic growth is prompting faster internal industrial upgrading and structural reforms.

The same principle applies at the grassroots level. The era of extensive expansion is over. The path of development relying on resources and brute force is no longer viable. In the future, the competition will be about structure and quality.

After saying that, Lin Xiao took a careful breath.

Song Guoqiang's fingertips gently caressed the sofa, a barely perceptible hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

Although it wasn't a casual probe, he didn't expect to get a great answer. Unexpectedly, Lin Xiao's answer transcended the mindset of a retail investor, looking at the economic trend from the market and observing the current situation at the grassroots level from the trend.

He couldn't help but sized up Lin Xiao again, muttering to himself—it seems she does have some ability to abduct my daughter.

Then, Song Guoqiang changed the subject and asked about work-related matters.

Seeing that the two were having a good chat, Song Wanqing, who had been watching the situation closely, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, stop looking. You should have passed your dad's test," Gu Yongling said softly.

"Mom, really?"

"Even if you lack confidence in yourself, do you lack confidence in Lin Xiao? Actually, it's not that your father is strict; we just hope you can find true happiness and that the person you choose will protect you, love you, and cherish you for the rest of your life. So, of course, we need to be careful."

The reason my mother suggested the two-year agreement wasn't because she insisted on waiting until he reached a certain position before agreeing, but rather to see if this future son-in-law of the Song family was truly worthy of my precious daughter entrusting her life to.

Hearing her mother's words, Song Wanqing's eyes immediately reddened, and she nestled in her mother Gu Yongling's arms.

"Are you all done with your work? If you are, come and sit down with us. Last time Lao Zhou went to Wuyishan, he brought me some old pine trees. It's rare for the whole family to be here today, so let's have a taste."

Song Guoqiang's kind voice came from the living room; it didn't sound like a ministerial-level official at all, but rather like the loving kindness of an elder.

Lin Xiao was deeply moved because he heard that word: family!

Yes, he has gained the approval of his future father-in-law and has officially become a member of the Song family.

The prospective son-in-law brewed tea, his daughter nestled beside him, and his parents-in-law sipped their tea with smiles on their faces...

This may not be the scene that the world imagines a wealthy and powerful family to be.

In reality, a powerful and influential family that can withstand the vicissitudes of life is often just an ordinary household.

After sitting for more than an hour, Lin Xiao got up to say goodbye: "Uncle, Aunt, I'm going to the airport to pick up my parents."

"I'll go with you," Song Wanqing said, then looked at her parents.

"Take care on the road, and say hello to them for us."

"it is good."

Song Wanqing drove the two of them to the airport to pick up Lin Xiao's parents, and then took them to the hotel.

"Uncle, Auntie, please get some rest. I'll come pick you up first thing tomorrow morning."

"Okay, okay, thank you for your hard work, Qingqing."

Xiang Fangjing couldn't stop smiling; she was increasingly satisfied with this daughter-in-law, and Lin Changhe kept nodding in praise.

Downstairs, Lin Xiao held onto Song Wanqing's hand, refusing to let her leave.

"Alright, you can go upstairs and rest now. I'll come first thing tomorrow morning."

"No!" Lin Xiao said coquettishly.

Song Wanqing chuckled: "Oh, so County Magistrate Lin can be coquettish too? What a pity I didn't record that scene earlier."

"I'm just copying you."

"Tch, who's like you?"

Suddenly, Lin Xiao pulled Song Wanqing into his arms and pressed his hot lips to hers, only pulling away after a long while.

"Anyway, you're mine now, so a little time won't make a difference," Lin Xiao said smugly.

Song Wanqing smiled and said, "You're mine now, don't even think about escaping my grasp."

The two finally parted ways with great reluctance.

Back at the hotel, Fangjing urged Lin Xiao to wash up quickly, and then the family discussed tomorrow's plans in the living room.

Dowry, wedding, banquet, guests... Lin Xiao felt a bit overwhelmed, even thinking it was more complicated than managing a county town.

Is it true?

What exactly is marriage?

Just like the economy, marriage isn't about fleeting enthusiasm; it's about long-term compatibility and shared values ​​that ensure a lasting and stable relationship.