The long corridor-shaped dining room featured a long dining table, adorned with sparkling silverware, candelabras, and flower vases. Coupled with the overall layout of the dining room and the exquisite carved patterns on the walls, the Collins family's dining room exuded an air of luxury.
Compared to the Cooper family's simple dining room, this place was as exquisite as a palace.
When Mike and young Sean arrived, everyone else was already seated, except for Mr. Tuohy.
Then, once young Sean sat down next to Michael, the long dining table was left with only the head and foot seats.
As a guest, Mike was clearly not suited for the head seat, so he went to the other end and sat down.
Looking around, the table was laden with seafood such as king crab, tuna, lobster, and oysters.
There were also accompaniments like foie gras and caviar.
Mrs. Tuohy had indeed prepared a sumptuous seafood feast, just as she had said.
And from the presentation, it was clear that Annie, the full-time housewife, was an excellent cook.
"Mike, when do you plan to marry Collins?" Mrs. Tuohy waited for Mike to sit down, a smile on her face, then asked the most pointed question as if chatting casually.
"Cough—" Mike, who had just sat down, was so startled he nearly jumped up. He composed himself and awkwardly replied, "I'm still in high school right now, marriage is too early for me…"
The world was so wonderful; Mike had no intention of settling down with just one person, not even if she was a rich woman.
Therefore, delaying tactics were his best option right now.
However, Mrs. Tuohy seemed oblivious to the atmosphere, smiling as she continued, "It's not too early. Collins will be a university student soon. I'm eager to hold a grandchild early."
The latest enacted law granted female university students the right to have children.
Of course, this law was more for the benefit of older female students pursuing master's or doctoral degrees, giving them more choices during their advanced studies.
This had no relevance whatsoever to Collins, who had just been admitted to university and was in the prime of her youth.
Hearing her mother's nonsense, the girl's ears turned red, and she shyly called out, "Mom—"
"Haha, look at our little sweetheart, she's all shy." Mrs. Tuohy laughed aloud, then said in a relaxed tone, "Don't worry, I was just joking with Mike. I wouldn't want my precious daughter to suffer so early."
With Mrs. Tuohy's words, the atmosphere in the dining room lightened. Sean and Michael, sitting opposite like quails, also smiled in agreement.
Mike, seated at the foot of the table, let out a sigh of relief while secretly wiping away nonexistent sweat from his forehead.
Mrs. Tuohy's initial expression just now didn't seem like she was joking.
This wealthy lady was indeed not as simple as she appeared.
"Let's talk about something more relaxed." Mrs. Tuohy, like someone whose prank had succeeded, resumed her casual chat mode after laughing: "Mike, I heard you only started playing football last year. How did you become so good so quickly? I mean, how do you usually train…?"
Michael, adopted by Mr. Tuohy's family, had also only been playing football for a little over a year.
In terms of physical talent, Michael could be considered a chosen one.
Moreover, his rigorous training was something the Sean family had witnessed firsthand.
Even under these circumstances, Michael, as a chosen one, had repeatedly lost to Mike on the field.
Therefore, Mrs. Tuohy was very curious how Mike, who didn't look particularly strong, had achieved his current success.
As mentioned before, thanks to the newspaper's relentless promotion, Mike was already a well-known sports rising star in Texas.
When Mrs. Tuohy asked her question, Michael and young Sean, seated to the side, also showed interested expressions.
"Actually, there's no special method, it's mainly about perseverance…" Mike certainly wouldn't say that he had a special physique and extraordinary talent, thereby dampening Michael's enthusiasm.
After all, it was somewhat unfair to compare the talent of an ordinary person to a monster.
"Can you tell me specifically about your usual training regimen? It would be a good reference for Michael," Sean, like a little adult, asked.
Perhaps treating Michael as a spiritual anchor, young Sean had poured a lot of effort into him, including Michael's training plan.
And Michael, entering Mississippi University as a sports scholarship student, was bound to embark on a professional football career.
Now that there was an opportunity to make his professional career smoother, young Sean naturally wouldn't let it pass.
Mike, of course, wouldn't be stingy with his training experience.
To be honest, to have such an excellent performance on the football field, his usual training intensity was not low.
And Michael, without any external enhancements, could achieve his current football prowess, meaning his diligence and talent were certainly not inferior.
Therefore, after Mike shared his training insights, Michael also exchanged training techniques based on his own situation.
Before long, the atmosphere in the dining room became enthusiastic.
Mr. Tuohy, who arrived a few minutes late, saw this scene upon entering the dining room.
"Cough, cough—" Mr. Tuohy, carrying a bottle of dark red XO, feigned seriousness and coughed twice, announcing his presence.
Indeed, hearing his cough, Michael and the others' expressions also became serious, and they all sat up straight.
Clearly, Mr. Tuohy had instructed his family beforehand.
"Dad, is your throat bothering you?" Well, young Sean was not among those who had been instructed.
At this moment, the little guy was also being clever.
"Hmm?" Mr. Tuohy almost broke character internally, but on his face, he adopted a parental demeanor and glared sideways at his youngest son.
The threat was self-evident.
"Alright," Sean, feigning fear, made a zipping motion over his mouth and instantly quieted down.
But where his father couldn't see, he didn't forget to raise an eyebrow at Mike.
This little guy truly was a mischievous spirit.
Then, under everyone's gaze, Mr. Tuohy went to the head seat and sat down, his eyes sweeping across the table, oppressively looking at Mike at the foot of the table.
So the situation became: Mrs. Tuohy and Collins on the left, Michael and young Sean on the right, and a stern-faced Mr. Tuohy opposite.
This was the rhythm of a "three-way interrogation."
Mike was no stranger to this situation; he had received such treatment before at Cady's house.
As the saying goes, once bitten, twice shy, Mike could still maintain a calm demeanor at this moment.
"If I'm not mistaken, you just entered twelfth grade this year. What are your plans for the future?" After a tactical silence, Mr. Tuohy asked.
At this stage, Mr. Tuohy's franchise business had expanded into the catering and supermarket retail industries. With his unique business philosophy, he rode the wave and achieved a leap in his assets.
Conservatively estimated, his current total assets had already ranked him among the top five wealthiest individuals in Texas.
Looking nationwide, he belonged to the super-rich class.
Coupled with a happy and fulfilling family, Mr. Tuohy was truly a life winner.
This situation meant that his vision and perspective were not bad.
Similarly, his standards for choosing a son-in-law were also high; at the very least, the other party couldn't be useless.
"It's hard to say about plans, but my assets in the stock market will definitely give me more options in the future…" Mike naturally knew what to talk about with a wealthy person like Sean.
"Oh, the emerging stock market. Can you tell me what gives you your confidence?" Mr. Tuohy indeed became interested. As a social elite, he had clearly also noticed the booming development of the stock market.
"Relying on the rapid momentum of the real economy, the automatic retail industry, medical industry, and raw materials industry in the stock market are all performing very well. As long as you ride this tailwind, achieving personal financial freedom is not difficult…" Mike, with his foresight, spoke about economic trends with a high-level perspective.
The current stock market was huge, and Mike didn't mind Mr. Tuohy getting a piece of the pie. Therefore, he briefly revealed his recent stock trading situation to him.
Hearing that Mike had invested over two million in principal into the stock market and had actually made money, this decision-making ability and courage truly surprised Mr. Tuohy.
It was worth noting that Mike was still a high school student.
"Interesting, I'm starting to appreciate you, kid." Mr. Tuohy poured two glasses of brandy with ice and pushed one to Mike across the table.
This gesture indicated that he had initially recognized the other party and was willing to treat him as an equal.
"Everyone, dig in—" After taking a sip of brandy, Mr. Tuohy motioned for everyone to enjoy the meal.
As the main course began, the interrogation-like atmosphere in the dining room vanished.
Afterward, Mr. Tuohy also took the time to share some of his business experiences with Mike.
[Business Experience +88]… [Business Experience +66]…
Surprisingly, Mr. Tuohy showed no emotion on his face, yet he genuinely revealed some real insights during their conversation.
It seemed he had unilaterally accepted Mike's status as a "son-in-law."