In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 119: Cuckold Dad (12)

On the way home, Qi Sheng was driving in front, and the two children sat silently in the back seat. The car was quiet, and Qi Sheng had no intention of explaining anything about what Zhong Jin had said earlier.

He thought the silence would continue until they got home, but just as they approached the supermarket near their neighborhood, Qi Yuancheng suddenly spoke.

“Dad, we’re out of groceries at home. Let’s stop by the supermarket to get some.”

Qi Sheng glanced at him through the rearview mirror and nodded. “Okay.”

The three of them entered the supermarket together. The two boys, very goal-oriented, pushed the shopping cart straight toward the produce and meat section. Seeing this, Qi Sheng quickly stopped them.

“There aren’t any snacks left at home either. Grab some sodas and drinks too—you guys usually like those, don’t you?”

Qi Yuanzhe, who had been closely following behind Qi Yuancheng, immediately turned around to look at Qi Sheng, which momentarily puzzled him.

“What is it?” Qi Sheng asked.

Qi Yuanzhe glanced at him cautiously again, then suddenly mustered up some courage, walked up, grabbed his arm, and acted cute.

“Dad, what do you want to eat? We’ll get more of it.” Qi Sheng chuckled, ruffled his hair, and said with a smile, “Get more chips. As for the rest, just pick what you want.”

Qi Yuanzhe happily accepted the task and enthusiastically began searching for snacks. The slight tension that had hung in the air between the three of them finally dissipated. Qi Yuancheng looked at his little brother’s happy face and couldn’t help but smile as well.

When they got home, it was once again the two kids who took the initiative to prepare the meal. Seeing that he couldn’t help much in the kitchen, Qi Sheng started packing up Zhong Jin’s belongings. Whether it was clothes, bags, or shoes, he threw everything together into a pile. There happened to be a self-service donation bin downstairs in the community, so after packing everything up, he carried it all downstairs.

As for the makeup and jewelry boxes, he threw away anything disposable. The few valuable items he packed into a small box, planning to sell and donate the proceeds.

While Qi Sheng was packing, the two boys stayed quietly in the kitchen preparing food. They probably knew what he was doing but didn’t say anything. By the time the meal was nearly ready, Qi Sheng had already thrown out most of the stuff from the bedroom, leaving only a few valuable pieces of jewelry he planned to take to a pawn or jewelry recycling shop.

During lunch, the boys were very quiet. Seeing this, Qi Sheng said, “You two stay home and study this afternoon. Xiao Zhe, your midterm exams are coming up, right? Make sure you prepare well.”

The younger boy obediently replied, “Okay.”

Qi Sheng then turned to his older son and reminded him, “You should still study the required courses at school. Don’t spend all your time skipping class to work on coding.”

Qi Yuancheng replied, “Got it, Dad.” Then, after a glance at Qi Sheng, he added, “Dad, I don’t want to study abroad anymore. I want to apply to a university in Hang City.”

Qi Sheng wasn’t surprised. He thought for a moment and said, “Then make sure you catch up on what you missed in your first year. The college entrance exam here isn’t easy.”

Qi Yuancheng nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been reviewing the material I missed.”

The three of them chatted as they ate. With Qi Sheng taking the initiative to talk, and the boys eager to build a good relationship with him, the atmosphere at home became much more relaxed.

In the afternoon, Qi Sheng didn’t go back to the office—he had taken the whole day off. He used the time to deal with the leftover jewelry, driving out of the community. As he left, he saw Zhong Jin pacing around near the neighborhood gate.

He smiled faintly but didn’t stop. He just drove away.

Zhong Jin, on the other hand, went to their building and, upon seeing her old makeup dumped in the trash bin, felt uneasy. Just as she was about to go upstairs to find her sons, she heard the auntie nearby sorting the clothes donation bin sighing.

“What a waste—such good stuff, and he just donated it all. Sigh…”

Another middle-aged woman took a quick glance and said, “Hey, look at these bags. My daughter said some of them are luxury brands. They’re donating them just like that. What do you think, should we take a few home?”

The woman who had spoken earlier was tempted too. She thought some of these items would be perfect for her own use.

As the two ladies picked and sorted through the pile, Zhong Jin looked on in pain as her favorite dresses and coats were tossed aside by Qi Sheng like they were worthless. And those bags—each one had cost tens of thousands!

At that moment, Zhong Jin felt an urge to rush over and reclaim everything. But her pride wouldn’t let her. All she could do was watch helplessly as the possessions she had accumulated over the years were picked through like cheap discounted items.

She shook her head, her hatred for Qi Sheng deepening even more. She never expected him to be so ruthless when he got serious. Zhong Jin took a deep breath and comforted herself—It’s fine, it’s fine. Once my elder son inherits the Kang family estate, I won’t even look at these things!

Just as she was about to head upstairs, she suddenly remembered that the elevator in this building required a keycard to access, and each floor was restricted to its own unit. Without the card, she couldn’t go up—nor could she see her sons. Frustrated, but unwilling to give up, she decided to try her luck with the property management office.

Unfortunately, today wasn’t her lucky day. The person on duty wasn’t one of the warm, friendly men, but Ms. Wu, a strictly professional and by-the-book staff member.

“Ms. Zhong, I’m sorry, but Mr. Qi has instructed us that you are not allowed upstairs,” Ms. Wu said.

Zhong Jin hadn’t expected Qi Sheng to move so quickly. She forced down her anger and gave Ms. Wu a smile. “Oh, it’s like this—I just want to see my two children. They’re upstairs, and I only need a moment to say a few words.”

Ms. Wu maintained her professional smile and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Ms. Zhong, but we don’t have the authority to use our cards for that. Perhaps you could try contacting Mr. Qi or your children directly?”

Zhong Jin was momentarily speechless. If I could get through to Qi Yuancheng on the phone, why would I come all this way and embarrass myself like this? Her forced smile was starting to crack, and she could only pretend to say, “Ah, my phone… I lost it. I don’t remember their numbers. I just missed them too much. Why don’t you help me just this once? You’ve let me up before when I forgot my card.”

Ms. Wu kept smiling professionally, though she couldn’t help but mentally roll her eyes—Yes, before. Back when you were a resident here, of course we served you well. But now that Mr. Qi says the two of you are divorced, and you no longer have anything to do with this apartment, how could we let you up?

Still, Ms. Wu didn’t want to offend Zhong Jin outright. Judging by how thoroughly Mr. Qi had thrown out her things today, it seemed unlikely they’d reconcile—but better safe than sorry. So, she said politely, “Ms. Zhong, how about this: I’ll call the third floor. If your children want to see you, they can come down to meet you?”

Each building in this complex had six floors, and the Qi family lived on the third. Since Zhong Jin didn’t refuse, Ms. Wu directly dialed the third floor.

Before Zhong Jin had time to worry, the call was picked up. It was Qi Yuanzhe who answered.

“Sister Wu, is something wrong?” Despite being only 27, Ms. Wu was always addressed by him as “Sister Wu.”

Hearing the boy’s sweet voice, Ms. Wu smiled and said, “Xiao Zhe, your mom is downstairs. She wants to see you and your brother.”

As soon as Qi Yuanzhe heard that Zhong Jin was downstairs, his face immediately darkened. He wanted to hang up right away, but remembering that it was Sister Wu who had called, he had to hold his temper.

“Sister Wu, my mom wanted to marry into a rich family and didn’t want us anymore. That person downstairs can’t be her. Just ask her to leave. I’ve got stuff to do—bye.”

After hanging up, Qi Yuanzhe felt quite satisfied. Hmph, serves you right for trying to ruin our relationship with Dad!

Ms. Wu now stood awkwardly facing Zhong Jin, who could no longer maintain her smile. In her heart, Ms. Wu thought, Serves you right. In her eyes, Mr. Qi had more than enough to offer—a good man with wealth, a great personality, successful in his career, and still able to take care of his family despite being busy. The two kids were well-mannered, good-looking, and said to be academically outstanding.

As for the female head of the household—well, the property staff had been gossiping about her for a long time.

Yes, she was indeed a great beauty. But she neither worked nor took care of the household. She wore designer clothes and bags every day and treated the property staff with cold indifference, never giving them a second glance.

Several staff members had discussed her before. The men thought that a beautiful woman like that deserved to be pampered, though they’d often sigh in sympathy for Mr. Qi—marrying a “vase” like her was bound to be a burden. The women, however, didn’t see her through such a rosy lens. When women judge other women, their instincts are usually accurate. They had all agreed: the lady from the third floor was all surface and no substance.

Though, admittedly, their conclusion might’ve been laced with a bit of envy—after all, the lady on the third floor had lived quite the enviable life.

But looking at it now, a good life doesn’t necessarily last forever. Some people just seem determined to ruin themselves—like the woman standing in front of her.

Without even knowing the details, all the women in the property management group were convinced that this was entirely her own doing. On the surface, Ms. Wu maintained her professional smile toward Zhong Jin, but in her heart, she couldn’t help but think—Here’s another juicy bit of gossip for later. Even her own sons don’t want to acknowledge her—who would believe she did nothing wrong?

Zhong Jin wasn’t willing to give up just yet. Her two sons had blocked her, and she couldn’t get through to them. Other than waiting here, her only option was to try catching them at school.

But Zhong Jin was prideful. Over the years, Qi Sheng had pampered her like a princess. She had grown as proud as a peacock with its tail spread wide and couldn’t bear the thought of being pointed at and gossiped about in front of so many people at school.

Even now, facing just a single property staff member with an unwavering smile, she felt utterly humiliated. Still, she had no choice but to hold it in and continue pleading with Ms. Wu.

“Could you call again, just one more time? This time, let my elder son answer. He won’t ignore me.”

Ms. Wu felt like her professional smile was about to crack. This woman still hasn’t given up? With an awkward smile, she hesitated for a moment but eventually picked up the phone again. As she dialed, she couldn’t help but wonder—Am I lucky or unlucky to be on duty today? Is this drama a juicy scoop or just a rotten mess?

The call connected quickly. It was once again Qi Yuanzhe who answered. He frowned, “Sister Wu, she’s still there?”

Ms. Wu glanced at Zhong Jin and said, “Xiao Zhe, your mom wants your brother to take the call. Could you get Xiao Chen for me?”

Qi Yuanzhe rolled his eyes at that. He wanted to hang up immediately, but after thinking it over, he reluctantly called for his brother. “Here, it’s that woman’s call.”

Hearing the way Qi Yuanzhe referred to Zhong Jin, Ms. Wu accidentally made eye contact with her. The two exchanged an awkward smile. As Qi Yuancheng picked up the phone, Ms. Wu couldn’t help but wonder—What kind of attitude will this one have?

She didn’t have to wonder long. On the other end of the line, Qi Yuancheng spoke in an exceptionally distant tone: “There’s no need to meet. Tell her to leave. I won’t be involved in her affairs anymore.”

With that, he hung up as well, leaving Ms. Wu awkwardly facing Zhong Jin.

Ms. Wu felt a bit deflated. Even a dramatic scene like this wasn’t enjoyable—especially when it ended in failure. Zhong Jin, having failed to get her sons to come down, suddenly turned her anger toward Ms. Wu.

“You should’ve let me go up! Those two little brats—I have to teach them a lesson today! I’m their mother! How dare they treat me like this!”

Cursing inwardly, Ms. Wu’s smile faded slightly. “I’m sorry, Ms. Zhong. We are not authorized to unlock the elevator for you. If you want to go upstairs, you’ll have to contact the resident on the third floor directly.”

Hearing yet another brush-off, Zhong Jin was so furious she no longer cared about appearances. She rolled her eyes and glared at the elevator doors, trying to calm herself. But Ms. Wu simply ignored her. After fuming for a while, realizing she had no other options today, Zhong Jin stormed off in a huff, high heels clicking angrily as she went.

Once she was gone, Ms. Wu took the opportunity to roll her eyes too. What kind of person is that? Serves her right to end up like this!