Why did the system take my request to take photos with a cosplayer seriously?

The only difference was that his usually straight back had slumped slightly, revealing his fatigue and dejection.

The elevator arrived at the hotel's upper floor, and Zhao Xingguo swiped his card to enter.

Zhou Rongmei was sitting in front of her dressing table applying a face mask when she heard the door open and instinctively turned around.

"Xingguo?"

Zhou Rongmei hurriedly went to greet her: "Why did you drink so much?"

She helped Zhao Xingguo up, and the strong smell of alcohol hit her face, making her unconsciously frown.

"Slow down, slow down, don't fall."

"fine."

Zhao Xingguo waved his hand to show that he could still walk.

Zhou Rongmei quickly helped the person steady, and couldn't help but complain.

"At this age, you're still drinking like you used to. And Xiao Ding, why didn't anyone stop you?"

"It has nothing to do with Xiao Ding."

Zhao Xingguo sat back down on the sofa, rubbing his throbbing temples: "My old boss kept urging me to drink, how could I refuse?"

Zhou Rongmei was about to pour water when she heard this and turned back again.

"Former boss?"

She asked in surprise, "You met your former boss?"

"Ah."

Zhao Xingguo closed his eyes: "And Qi Ze too."

"Qi Ze is here too?"

Zhou Rongmei was even more surprised: "How many years has it been since you last saw each other? How did you find me?"

Zhao Xingguo opened his eyes and took a long breath.

"It was arranged by Xiao Ding."

"Was it all arranged by Xiao Ding?"

"Ah."

"Tsk tsk..."

Zhou Rongmei couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement: "Xiao Ding is really capable."

Finding two people with such close ties to Zhao Xingguo in Hong Kong and managing to gather them together that same evening is clearly not something that can be achieved simply by having money.

Zhou Rongmei didn't think too much about it; she just felt that her son-in-law was far more capable than she had imagined.

Great news! All good news!

"Yes!"

Zhao Xingguo sighed and gave a bitter laugh, muttering to himself, "Truly capable..."

In Zhou Rongmei's view, her son-in-law is capable, has connections, and knows how to get things done.

But what Zhao Xingguo felt was far more than that.

When he and his wife mentioned their former boss and Qi Ze in the car yesterday, Ding Heng didn't ask any further questions.

But just one day later, the two were sitting together at the dinner table.

Qi Ze is alright; he's always been doing business in Hong Kong, so as long as he puts in the effort, he can always find some information.

However, the former leader rarely appears in public after retirement, and he would never give out his private contact information casually.

Through whom did Ding Heng, a young man in his early twenties, find his way?

What method did they use to get the old leader to attend the banquet so readily?

On the surface, the dinner was a reunion of old friends arranged by Ding Heng, but in reality, Ding Heng was subtly demonstrating his methods and abilities to him.

At the dinner table, the three of them drank and reminisced about the past.

However, whenever the topic turned to Ding Heng, the other two people's attitudes became extremely ambiguous.

The old leader, in particular, spoke in a drunken daze, his words carrying a profound meaning.

“Xingguo, you’ve always been good at judging people and solving cases, but when it comes to choosing a son-in-law, don’t always judge him like a criminal. Young people’s lives are different from ours. Yanxi has been lucky since she was little. She had you two protecting her when she was young, and now she’s naturally found her own destiny.”

How much did the former leader actually know? Did he only meet Ding Heng today? Or had they already been in contact before?

Thinking of this, Zhao Xingguo felt a sudden tightness in his chest.

He spent his entire life in criminal investigation.

When faced with a problem, I always subconsciously consider all the possibilities.

The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I became.

If Ding Heng were just an ordinary wealthy young man, no matter how much wealth he had, Zhao Xingguo might not have been so wary of him.

Money is something that can be calculated openly; what's frightening is the boundless network of connections, abilities, and methods.

Zhao Xingguo poured himself a glass of water and gulped it down.

Aside from his parents, wife, and daughters, his former boss was arguably the most important person in his life.

I owe my success to the guidance and support of my former leader.

Qi Ze was also one of his most trusted friends when he was young.

Zhao Xingguo couldn't possibly ignore what the two people said.

He even started to think...

Or should we just let it go?

The daughter is already an adult, and her relationship with Ding Heng is one of mutual consent.

What can a father do? Excessive interference will only push the father-daughter relationship to the brink of conflict.

Is that correct?

Zhao Xingguo buried himself in thought.

Rationally speaking, he knew that forcibly intervening was pointless.

From the father's perspective, however, he could not accept that his daughter would share a husband with other women.

not to mention……

Is the reason I'm wavering now because I trust my daughter, or because I'm afraid of Ding Heng?

If it's the latter, then the father himself is rather pathetic.

Zhao Xingguo's brows furrowed more and more deeply.

"Xingguo?"

Zhou Rongmei noticed that her husband was acting strangely, so she waved her hand in front of his eyes and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"nothing."

Zhao Xingguo propped himself up on his knees, the effects of the alcohol causing him to sway slightly.

Zhou Rongmei quickly helped her husband up: "What happened? Did you have something unpleasant to talk about at the dinner table?"

"They are all old friends I haven't seen for years, what could be so unpleasant about?"

Zhao Xingguo said calmly, "I'm going to wash up."

"Are you really alright?"

"fine."

He shook his head and exhaled a long breath reeking of alcohol.

"Go to sleep early..."

……

The next morning.

Zhao Xingguo didn't sleep well that night; he had a splitting headache from the hangover.

Before seven o'clock, he arrived at the rooftop buffet restaurant alone.

There weren't many customers in the restaurant. Zhao Xingguo chose a few simple breakfast items, found a seat, and slowly began peeling eggs.

Halfway through peeling, a shadow suddenly fell in front of him.

"dad."

Zhao Yanxi pulled out a chair and sat down, yawning lazily, with only a cup of iced coffee in her hand.

Zhao Xingguo reminded him, "You're skipping breakfast and just drinking iced drinks?"

"It's okay, I'm used to it."

Zhao Yanxi smiled knowingly, trying to fool them.

Zhao Xingguo did not lecture as usual, but continued to peel eggs with his head down.

Zhao Yanxi quietly observed her father's expression, recalling that Ding Heng had taken Zhao Xingguo out to dinner the night before, and they didn't return until very late.

She wanted to ask about the situation, but Ding Heng went back to his room and fell asleep immediately. She sent a message to her mother, Zhou Rongmei, but only replied with one sentence.

"Your dad drank too much and has already gone to sleep."

As the night passed, Zhao Yanxi was filled with anxiety, and Zhao Xingguo's reaction made her even more confused.

She tentatively asked, "Dad, did you drink a lot with Ding Heng last night?"

"good."

Zhao Xingguo peeled the egg and put it into the porridge: "The old leader kept persuading us, and Qi Ze was also making a fuss, so we couldn't control ourselves."

"Old leader, is this Grandpa Zhang?"

Zhao Yanxi had met her father's boss a few times when she was a child, but she didn't have a deep impression of him.