My Alleged Husband

Chapter 120: Chapter 105: Who is More Important?_2

”Dad, don’t say that, you will always be the dad who loves me and protects me regardless of everything. In my heart, no one is more important than you,” Li Jiayuan said to Li Haixiao with tears shimmering in her eyes.

”Not even Xiao Wei?” Li Haixiao deliberately countered Jiayuan, leaving her unsure of how to respond. She simply stood there, dumbstruck.

”Dad, it’s different. After today, Xiao Wei will be my husband. Of course, he’s important to me. But you are my father, and that’s an unchangeable fact. There’s no comparison. In my heart, you and Xiao Wei are equally important!” Jiayuan said. She couldn’t say one was more important than the other, because that would hurt one of them, and that was the last thing she wanted. She didn’t want to hurt either one.

”Alright, alright, I can see you’re struggling with this. I won’t make it hard for you any longer. Are you only saying this because Xiao Wei is here?” Li Haixiao asked, patting Jiayuan on the shoulder.

”Dad, of course not. These are my genuine feelings. I really care about you and Xiao Wei, so please don’t ask these questions in the future. Do you know how childish it is to ask such things? It leaves me at a loss for words. When I say you’re important to my heart, that’s exactly what you are. I don’t want you to doubt me. Besides, after today, Xiao Wei will be your son-in-law. Do you think he would be disrespectful to you?”

Li Haixiao thought Jiayuan made a lot of sense, but he still wanted to compete with Xiao Wei for a place in his daughter’s heart. He felt unsettled whenever he thought about his daughter, whom he had worked so hard to raise, being taken away by Xiao Wei.

”Xiao Wei, come here. Who is more important, you or me?” Li Haixiao, knowing that if he continued to press Jiayuan on this, she would probably just ignore him, so he simply threw the question at Xiao Wei. If Xiao Wei said it, Jiayuan would surely not object. Li Haixiao was indeed a wily old fox, scheming even against his own daughter and son-in-law.

Xiao Wei, who had wanted to stay out of the fray, found himself being openly called out by his father-in-law. If he remained aloof now, he would offend his father-in-law.

Xiao Wei looked at Jiayuan, then at Li Haixiao. He really didn’t want to speak, especially on who was more important. It goes without saying that one’s own spouse is most important in one’s heart. Yet faced with his father-in-law’s probing, what was he to do? How was he supposed to answer this difficult choice posed by Li Haixiao?

”Dad, I think you are a little more important to Jiayuan. Think about it, you are her father, you’ve been with her for so many years. How could Jiayuan ever forget your affection for her? Right? I’ve known Jiayuan for only a short time, and there’s no way my position could surpass yours. I know Jiayuan spoke to you the way she did to avoid hurting me. Don’t you believe me? Ask Jiayuan herself, see if I’m right,” Xiao Wei addressed Li Haixiao, who actually believed what Xiao Wei said. He turned to Jiayuan and asked if that was the case.

Jiayuan looked up at Xiao Wei, who nodded at her, signaling her not to disappoint Li Haixiao. Jiayuan then said to her father, ”Dad, Xiao Wei is right. That’s exactly what I think. When you ask such questions in front of Xiao Wei, wouldn’t it make him sad if I said it was you? So I had no choice but to answer the way I did.”

”Really?” Li Haixiao was still somewhat skeptical; Jiayuan’s reaction was quite different from before.

”Of course. Don’t you trust me? I am your daughter after all. How could you not believe me?” Jiayuan said, her eyes blinking rapidly. Seeing the blinking, Li Haixiao knew that if he expressed disbelief, Jiayuan would likely start crying on the spot.

”How could I not? You’re my daughter, and of course, I trust you. Now, go and make yourself look nice. I’ll go out and greet the guests,” Li Haixiao said to Jiayuan. ”Dress beautifully, today is your wedding day. Don’t be all teary!”

”Yes, I know, Dad. Just be careful when you walk,” she responded.

”I will.”

No sooner had Li Haixiao left than Jiayuan walked over to Xiao Wei, took his hand, and asked, ”Xiao Wei, why did you make me lie to my dad just now? In my heart, you and my dad are equally important. Do you realize that doing this makes me feel really uncomfortable?”

Xiao Wei sighed and whispered to Jiayuan, ”Jiayuan, do you realize that your dad wasn’t truly asking you that? He just can’t let go. If my daughter, whom I’ve painstakingly raised for many years, were to be taken away by a man I’ve known less than a year, I’d feel heartache too. Your dad just wants to hear you say ’he is the most important in your heart.’ I knew that’s what your dad meant, so why should I disappoint him? I know very well what place I have in your heart. We have many years ahead of us, but your dad is already past his prime. How many decades does he have left? Why should we let such a small thing break his heart?”

Jiayuan felt that Xiao Wei had a point; she hadn’t realized he was so considerate. She had only been concerned about not hurting anyone but hadn’t noticed that the years had turned her loving dad’s hair silver...