In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 103: The Abusive Dad (9)

Wang Qing and Lin Xuan’s father arrived at the office first. After understanding everything that had happened, neither of them could bring themselves to scold the children. Wang Qing tapped her son on the head and, seeing that Qi Yang was still there, said, “Yang Yang, go home with the teacher in a bit, pack your clothes and head back. Don’t keep your dad waiting too long.”

Not only were the two boys afraid that Qi Sheng might return to his terrifying “Big Demon King” state, but Wang Qing also shared the same concern. So upon seeing Qi Yang, she immediately wanted him to leave first.

Qi Yang shook his head and was about to speak when Teacher Chen interrupted, “Wang Tao’s mother knows it was Qi Yang who hit her son, and she specifically asked to see Qi Yang’s guardian. I tried persuading her for a long time, but it didn’t work. If we let Qi Yang leave now, I’m afraid she’ll cause an even bigger scene.”

There were no outsiders in the room at the moment, and Wang Qing couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “She’s the one acting unreasonable and yet thinks she has the moral high ground!”

Unfortunately, reality often worked just like that. When Wang Tao’s mother learned that Lin Xuan’s parents were both teachers at the school, it only gave her more ammunition.

“No wonder you’re saying my son’s at fault—you’re all in this together!”

With the teachers around, Wang Tao’s mother couldn’t even bribe a doctor into issuing a disability certificate, and with nowhere to vent her anger, she suddenly latched onto this new opportunity.

“Oh, so the school’s basically yours, huh? Bullying my kid like this? I’m going to report you all to the Education Bureau. Just you wait!”

And so, Qi Sheng happened to arrive at just the right moment—to stop certain people from leaving.

Seeing Qi Sheng, Wang Qing worried he might lash out at Qi Yang in the heat of the moment and immediately walked over to explain. Qi Sheng frowned. “Yang Yang wasn’t involved?”

Before Wang Qing could speak, Wang Tao’s mom snapped, “What do you mean ‘wasn’t involved’? It was your little brat who hit my son! My boy is seriously injured now—how are you going to compensate me for that?”

Qi Sheng raised an eyebrow. “You have a medical report? Show me.”

Wang Tao’s mom was momentarily stumped by the question and angrily shouted, “My son bled! Isn’t that proof enough? Who knows if you teachers colluded with the hospital!”

Qi Sheng replied, “If I’m not mistaken, it was just a nosebleed, right? As a parent, you might want to be a bit more accurate when describing the injury—just so others don’t get the wrong idea.”

“What do you mean ‘just’ a nosebleed? Blood is blood! If you all don’t give me an explanation today, nobody’s getting away with this! They’re teachers—I’ll definitely report them to the Education Bureau. As for you—your son injured mine, so you’ll have to pay up.”

Qi Sheng nodded. “You’re right, compensation is in order. But it’s just a nosebleed. How much were you thinking?”

Seeing someone finally yield, Wang Tao’s mother got smug and eased up a little. “At least you’re a reasonable parent, unlike those teachers—so shady. I won’t ask for much. Since you have a good attitude, let’s say 100,000 yuan, and I won’t press charges against your son.”

Qi Sheng smiled. “A hundred thousand? That’s not too much. Alright, since it was mainly my son who hit your kid, we’ll take full responsibility. And let’s not drag the teachers into this anymore. Just tell me what you want, and we’ll settle this privately.”

Wang Tao’s mother’s eyes lit up—looking at Qi Sheng was like seeing a walking ATM. Was this guy planning to settle everything with money?

She glanced at Qi Sheng’s clothes and spotted the watch on his wrist worth nearly a million yuan. Her heart skipped a beat—he really was rich!

She tried to act reserved, barely holding back her glee. Who would’ve thought that her son getting into a fight could turn into a windfall? Today was her lucky day.

“You really know how to talk things out. Okay, I won’t go after the teachers anymore. Let’s see… My son’s injury is quite serious, and future medical expenses won’t be cheap. Let’s say… two or three hundred thousand. How about 300,000 yuan? And I promise I won’t come after your son again, even if there are any lingering effects.”

Qi Sheng nodded again. “Three hundred thousand. That’s fine. But…”

While Wang Tao’s mom anxiously waited to hear what the “but” was, Wang Qing finally couldn’t hold back anymore.

“How can thirty thousand be acceptable? As a parent, we all know there’s nothing really wrong with Wang Tao. The city hospital already confirmed that. Now you’re demanding such a high medical fee—are you trying to extort money?”

Wang Tao’s mother had been happily dreaming about making thirty thousand a day, but when Wang Qing interrupted and ruined the moment, she immediately lashed out. A second ago she was smiling politely at Qi Sheng, but now she turned on Wang Qing and snapped, “He’s the one who offered to pay—what’s it got to do with you? And you’re a teacher? My child got beaten up—why shouldn’t we get compensated for medical expenses?”

She paused, then looked at Lin Xuan, who was glaring at her from the side, and spat, “My son said it himself—the one who hit him hardest was your little brat. Do you think I’m scared just because you’re a teacher? If it weren’t for this parent here pleading with me, I’d definitely report you to the Education Bureau today. Let’s see if you still have your jobs after that!”

Wang Tao’s mother was being so aggressive because she knew both of Lin Xuan’s parents worked at the school. Whether or not her son was in the wrong, if she made enough of a scene, the school would likely punish them just to protect its reputation. That thought alone made her smug and emboldened—whether they liked it or not, they had to put up with her!

Standing nearby, Lin Xuan couldn’t bear to see this shameless woman threatening his mother. Angrily, he rushed forward to argue, but before he could get far, Teacher Chen stopped him.

Qi Yang, watching his furious little friend, felt his own fear about getting in trouble and calling his dad fade a bit. He instinctively turned to Qi Sheng for help.

“Dad, Wang Tao was bullying a girl, and he tried to hit Xuan Xuan with a brick. I got scared and accidentally hit him with my backpack. This auntie is being so unreasonable—Wang Tao was clearly in the wrong…”

The little boy rushed to Qi Sheng’s side, tugging at his clothes and complaining with a wounded expression.

Qi Sheng had already subtly looked Qi Yang over when he came in. Seeing his red-rimmed eyes now, he worried his son had been hurt somewhere invisible. Ignoring the woman who had just been flattering him, he quickly pulled his son into his arms to comfort him.

“It’s okay, don’t worry. Daddy will take care of it.”

He hadn’t planned to pay someone like that thirty thousand yuan anyway. Now, seeing how distressed his son was, he decided there was no need to play nice any longer.

“Mrs. Wang, you heard what my son just said. Since your son was mainly at fault, I really can’t settle this privately just to avoid trouble. My son wouldn’t agree to that.”

Mrs. Wang panicked. “No compensation? Are you kidding me? If you don’t pay today, I’ll take you to court—no, I’ll go to your company and let everyone know your son injured mine!”

Qi Sheng didn’t care. He shrugged and said nonchalantly, “Go ahead.”

Seeing his indifferent attitude, Mrs. Wang panicked even more. Just when thirty thousand yuan seemed within reach, it was slipping away. Furious and desperate, she screamed at everyone present, “You just wait! If I don’t get that money today, none of you are getting away with this!”

Qi Sheng raised an eyebrow. “Mrs. Wang, friendly reminder—your actions just now qualify as extortion. And since you’re demanding over 30,000, that’s considered a significant amount. According to Chinese criminal law, you’re looking at a minimum of three to ten years in prison.”

That startled Mrs. Wang, but she quickly convinced herself she was only talking and it wasn’t illegal. She puffed up again. “You think I’m scared of you? Throwing the law at me now?”

She paused, then realized Qi Sheng wasn’t easily threatened, so she turned back to intimidate the teachers. “And you so-called teachers—if you don’t give me a proper explanation today, I’m going straight to the Education Bureau!”

Qi Sheng smirked. “Mrs. Wang, complaints require evidence. Your son’s hospital checkup says nothing’s wrong—what are you going to report? Need help gathering materials?”

He pulled out his phone, stopped the recording and saved it, then hit play. “Here—loud and clear, everyone can hear.”

Qi Sheng’s phone had excellent audio quality, and soon the entire office was filled with Mrs. Wang’s shrill and domineering voice.

Realizing her words had all been recorded, Mrs. Wang lunged at him, trying to grab the phone. But the height and strength difference between them made it impossible.

Just then, Lin Xuan’s dad, who had been quiet all this time, smiled and added, “I’ve got a recording too—also very clear. I think we can let the police handle the extortion charge at least.”

Hearing the word “police,” Mrs. Wang froze. She stopped trying to grab the phone and collapsed onto the floor, crying.

“You’re all ganging up on me! Is this how you treat people? Even if my son was in the wrong, he was still bleeding! How can you still come after me like this…”

Everyone present: …Now you want to talk about reason? And how exactly are we ‘coming after you’?

Even the two kids were stunned by her shamelessness. They exchanged wide-eyed looks, clearly thinking the same thing—what kind of bizarre character did they encounter today?

Mrs. Wang cried and wailed on the floor for a while longer until Qi Sheng got fed up.

“Looks like I’ll have to call 110 and let the police handle it,” he said, unlocking his phone to dial.

Mrs. Wang, who had been keeping an eye on them, panicked and quickly jumped up to stop him. “This is just a little scuffle between kids—no need to get the police involved. Nobody really got hurt. Let’s just drop it, okay?”

Qi Sheng glanced at her and sneered, “Didn’t you just say Wang Tao was seriously injured? Perfect. Let the police take him to another hospital for a thorough checkup.”

Mrs. Wang forced a laugh. “I was just being dramatic! What parent wouldn’t panic seeing their child bleeding? Look, my son suffered a bit, but the other two boys are fine. Why make such a big deal out of it?”

She glanced at the now grim-faced teachers, swallowed her nerves, and turned back to Qi Sheng. “Look, the kids’ parents are both teachers at this school. If we blow this up, it’ll affect the school’s reputation and their jobs—it’s not worth it.”

Wang Qing coldly snorted. “No need to worry about that, Mrs. Wang. We’re not afraid.”

Qi Sheng had actually avoided calling the police earlier because he didn’t want the teachers to get dragged down with the mess. Now that Mrs. Wang seemed genuinely frightened, he didn’t want to drag things out either—especially since he still wasn’t sure if Yang Yang had been hurt.

“It really was just a scuffle between kids. I don’t want to escalate this either. Let’s do this—since your son was mainly responsible, he needs to apologize and accept the proper disciplinary action. That sound fair?”

Mrs. Wang, relieved he wasn’t calling the police, quickly nodded. “No problem, no problem—I’ll have Wang Tao come apologize right now.”

Just as she was about to leave the office, Lin Xuan’s dad reminded her again, “Mrs. Wang, Wang Tao has already received two major demerits. This time, bullying a female classmate off-campus is very serious and will result in another major demerit. According to school policy, three major demerits mean probation. Do you have any objections to that?”

Of course Wang Tao’s mom had objections, but right now she could barely protect herself. Whether her son could even stay in school was another question entirely. So she put on a bitter face and said, “No objections, no objections, it’s what he deserves.”

Meanwhile, Wang Tao, who had been happily chewing on chicken at the KFC near the school gate, thinking his mom would definitely get revenge for him, was shocked by the dark look on her face when she arrived.

“Mom?”

“You little brat, come with me!”

The next moment, the previously arrogant Wang Tao was dragged into the office and forced to loudly apologize to his “enemies” in front of everyone. At first, he was reluctant, but then his own mother slapped him across the face.

“You little brat, this whole mess is your fault! Apologize now or I’ll hit you again!”

Finally, Qi Yang and Lin Xuan felt their frustration ease a little after receiving Wang Tao’s apology. Qi Yang was fine, but Lin Xuan looked so smugly satisfied it almost made Wang Tao explode again.

Seeing the resentment and grievance in Wang Tao’s eyes, Qi Sheng couldn’t help but remind his mother, “Mrs. Wang, let this matter end here. But if your son causes any more trouble for the kids in the future, I won’t be so polite.”

Mrs. Wang forced a smile and nodded repeatedly. “He won’t! I’ll make sure to teach him a proper lesson at home.”

Seeing that no one was saying anything else, she quickly dragged her son away. Her flustered retreat was a stark contrast to the arrogance she displayed when returning from the hospital earlier.

With Mrs. Wang dealt with, Wang Qing looked at Qi Yang, who stood by Qi Sheng’s side, and said again, “Mr. Qi, I’m really sorry about today. This matter was mostly my Xuan Xuan’s fault. Yang Yang has always been a well-behaved child and never gets into fights. Please don’t blame him when you get home.”

Qi Sheng smiled and nodded, not planning to linger. It was already past mealtime, and he wasn’t sure whether his son had eaten or was hungry.

After leaving the school, Qi Sheng took the child to a nearby mall for a meal. The whole time, the little one in the passenger seat kept sneaking glances at him, only to lower his head in guilt and fear.

Qi Sheng, who was driving but keeping an eye on his son: What’s with that reaction?

At the restaurant, Qi Sheng noticed that the once-confident little guy who used to order for himself had now shrunk into his shell, refusing to look at the menu and only saying, “Whatever Daddy orders.”

Afraid the boy was hungry, Qi Sheng didn’t rush to talk to him. He just ordered a few of the child’s favorite dishes, and only relaxed once he saw him eating obediently.

When they got home, before Qi Sheng could say anything, the soft voice of the little one came through.

“Daddy, I’m sorry…”

Qi Sheng sat on the couch and motioned for his son to come over. “Yang Yang, why are you saying sorry to Daddy?”

Qi Yang lowered his head, not daring to look at Qi Sheng. He was nervous and scared but still answered obediently: “I got into a fight today.”

Qi Sheng gently lifted the child’s head. “So you think you shouldn’t have fought?”

Forced to meet his father’s eyes, Qi Yang’s nervous little brain momentarily froze. Then he suddenly remembered Lin Xuan getting beaten up and blurted, “They were hitting Xuan Xuan. I couldn’t just watch and do nothing.”

Qi Sheng smiled. “Then why are you saying sorry to Daddy?”

Qi Yang tried to lower his head, but his chin was still in his father’s hand. He mumbled, “I was wrong… I made Daddy get called to the teacher’s office.”

Qi Sheng, seeing how tense and frightened he was, simply pulled the child into his lap. “Yang Yang, Daddy doesn’t think it’s a big deal to go to your teacher’s office. You’re this scared—do you not trust Daddy? Do you still think I’d hit you?”

Qi Yang instinctively shook his head. But since his father was still looking at him, he nervously curled up a bit more and said softly, “Daddy… you’re not mad? I thought you hated being called to the office…”

The original Qi Sheng did hate it. The few times the teachers called when Qi Yang was sick, he had seemed impatient. In his memory, his dad disliked anything that wasted his time. Even though things were better now, Qi Yang was still scared that today’s fight might have made his dad unhappy.

Qi Sheng ruffled his son’s soft hair, then couldn’t resist kissing him on the head with a smile.

“Yang Yang, didn’t Daddy say that when we moved into our new home, we’d forget the past? I promised I’d never hit you again, and I meant it. Even if you make a mistake, I’ll find another way to punish you—but it won’t be physical. Can you believe in Daddy?”

Qi Yang’s eyes widened as he looked at his father with excitement. “Daddy, even if I make a really big mistake, you won’t hit me?”

“Of course.”

Qi Sheng solemnly promised. But seeing the kid visibly relax, he smiled and added, “Yang Yang, even though I won’t hit you, Daddy still has other ways to punish you. For example, today you didn’t trust Daddy—so for the next two days, all our meals will feature bitter melon.”

Qi Yang was instantly terrified. He hated bitter melon.

“Daddy…”

Qi Sheng chuckled as he rubbed the boy’s soft hair. “Don’t be scared. Daddy’s a great cook—it won’t taste that bad.”

So the next morning, Qi Yang miserably ate his bitter melon omelet. Looking at his lunchbox, which was filled with bitter melon stir-fried with eggs and meat, he nearly cried.

Qi Sheng said, “Yang Yang, don’t try to hide food from Daddy. You must finish everything. Can you do that?”

Qi Yang didn’t want to nod, but in the end he pitifully said he could—maybe he could swap with Xuan Xuan?

At lunchtime, Lin Xuan, who was forced to eat bitter melon with him, gave his little buddy a sympathetic look. He didn’t know yet that, come dinner, his buddy would still have a cup of bitter melon juice waiting for him.

When he found out the next day, Qi Yang’s whole face had turned green.

“Xuan Xuan… honestly, maybe getting a beating wouldn’t be so bad…”