Wang Weimin wasn't swayed. He grabbed a stool from the side, sat down squarely, and watched He Shumin.
"Oh, and one more thing. I told Siyi it was your birthday today, and that's why she agreed to come home. When she gets back, don't give the game away, or she'll hold it against me. I can't have that!"
"You! Wang Weimin, you old rascal. You'd even lie to your own daughter."
He Shumin was a little annoyed. Honestly, he was getting on in years—why was he getting less respectable with age? Not only had he lured Li Changle over to their house, he'd even made up a birthday for his own wife just to get their daughter to come home.
And Siyi, too. She couldn't even remember her own mother's birthday. He Shumin suddenly felt like there was no warmth left in this family.
"I only said it to make sure Siyi came home this time. I didn't want to say that at first, but she wouldn't come no matter what. She kept saying she was busy. What else could I do? I had to use you as an excuse."
Wang Weimin smiled sheepishly.
"Besides, I did it for your sake. I wanted the two of you to sit down and have a nice meal together and smooth things over. Do you know how hard that is for me? So don't go and ruin my plan later."
The more Wang Weimin spoke, the more righteous he sounded. He straightened his back. That was right—he was doing it for their own good.
How could that count as a lie? At most, it was a white lie. Could you call it a lie when it was something a scholar did?
"What if Siyi remembers my birthday?"
He Shumin asked expressionlessly, though she