In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 145: The Villain Boss’s Prodigal Father (9)

If Song Xuan hadn’t mentioned Sun Yuan’s name today, Qi Sheng would have almost forgotten that his son used to be the villain hopelessly in love with the female lead. But now, watching this lovestruck fool who grinned like an idiot several times a day, completely absorbed in his romance, Qi Sheng no longer worried about that so-called original female lead.

The only thing that puzzled him now was—was the original female lead actually chasing after his son?

This development was something Qi Sheng hadn’t expected. Out of curiosity, he drove to Qing University while his son was in class. As he strolled around the campus, he was mentally communicating with his system.

“277, scan the area. Is there a reincarnated soul nearby?”

Qi Sheng suspected that Sun Yuan had been reborn. But he couldn’t figure out her thought process—did she realize the original male lead was unreliable and now wanted to turn around and go after his son?

Qi Sheng was struck dumb by that thought. Was this girl way too self-confident? Sure, in the original world, Qi Ming’an had truly loved her. But this was a different world now—how could everything still follow the same trajectory?

While Qi Sheng silently mocked her in his mind, 277 diligently completed the scan.

“Host, host! I’ve really found a reincarnated person! Her name is Sun Yuan. Soul age: 45. Coordinates: 500 meters ahead, in the small garden. Would you like to receive the full video report?”

Qi Sheng declined the system’s data on Sun Yuan. Now that he knew she was reborn, he couldn’t care less about her past. Whether she had come back to make up for past regrets after a once-perfect life, or had her grand love story fall apart and now returned searching for “true love”—none of that had anything to do with his son anymore.

Qi Sheng turned and went home. Meanwhile, Sun Yuan had no idea that someone had just seen through her secret. At this moment, she was sitting on a bench by a flowerbed, expressionless, listening to her roommate try to talk some sense into her. “You need to give up on Qi Ming’an. He’s officially Song Xuan’s boyfriend now. Do you even know who Song Xuan is? Her dad is the Minister of Transportation. In this city full of elite second-generation kids, practically all of them are her friends. Trying to steal her boyfriend? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Sun Yuan didn’t believe it. Just a few days ago, they had only been friends. Besides, Qi Ming’an should have feelings for her—wasn’t she the one in his heart? How did everything suddenly change?

Seeing her roommate still fuming, the girl continued to persuade her: “Why don’t you consider Jiang Weifeng? I don’t think he’s any worse than Qi Ming’an. Sure, he doesn’t have his own company at such a young age like Qi Ming’an, but he’s the eldest son of the Jiang family. I’ve heard their assets are worth at least tens of millions. With that kind of family backing, Jiang Weifeng is way more stable. Qi Ming’an’s dad is just some small-time property manager. There’s no comparison at all.”

When Sun Yuan heard Jiang Weifeng’s name, she immediately felt irritated and started falling back into painful memories. But the mention of Qi Ming’an’s father suddenly pulled her out of her thoughts.

“What did you say? Qi Ming’an’s dad?”

“Yeah, I’m not totally sure, but I heard his dad’s just a brewer or something. Probably just an ordinary guy.”

“I… I’ve got something to do. I’m leaving.”

Sun Yuan’s mind was a mess. So much of what she thought she knew no longer lined up. First, there was Qi Ming’an—his personality had changed so much. That she could still convince herself was heaven’s way of giving her a second chance. But then she ran into Jiang Weifeng—her former lover and husband—and realized that things were far more complicated than she imagined.

The Jiang family had started with a jewelry business, and later, by chance, ventured into the antique market. She remembered Jiang Weifeng once told her that the family’s luckiest moment was when they spent a thousand yuan to acquire an ancient painting of immense value. In 2000, they auctioned it overseas for a huge profit. With that windfall, they jumped into land and property development back home, eventually becoming one of the country’s most prominent wealthy families.

Right now, it wasn’t even the year 2000 yet. The Jiang family still had a strong foundation, but it didn’t match what she remembered.

Currently, their main business was still jewelry. They had barely touched the antique market, and their primary base was still in Hong Kong. In Beijing, they only owned a modest two-story villa.

At first, Sun Yuan had assumed her friends were simply unaware of the truth. But now, it seemed everything they said was accurate.

If the Jiang family hadn’t been lucky enough to buy the old house that had belonged to Qi Ming’an’s family, then they never would’ve gotten that priceless painting.

Having once overheard her in-laws talking, Sun Yuan knew even better than Jiang Weifeng where the Jiang family’s fortune came from. Back then, she had loved Jiang Weifeng and was already the Jiang family’s daughter-in-law. After learning the truth, she had chosen to quietly keep it to herself and never told Qi Ming’an.

Now, Sun Yuan finally realized where all the changes had begun.

She looked from afar at the sweet couple walking hand-in-hand ahead. Seeing Qi Ming’an’s confident, radiant smile, her gaze dimmed, and she finally turned away with an emotionless expression.

Just like her friend said, Song Xuan was not someone she could mess with. And Qi Ming’an was no longer that pitiful boy who once desperately chased warmth for a little comfort. The chances of making him fall in love with her again were slim. But Sun Yuan was no longer willing to go back to living an ordinary life.

Her roommate’s advice suddenly echoed in her mind—about the Jiang family’s millions, and those two women who always looked down on her: Madam Jiang and Miss Jiang. Thinking of them, Sun Yuan couldn’t help but curl her lips into a cold smile. Jiang Weifeng, huh? I wanted to stay away from you, but it seems fate has other plans.

Qi Sheng had no idea the original female lead was once again on a path tangled with the Jiang family. At that moment, he was leaning against the doorway, watching his son sneakily trying to take a ten-year-old bottle of aged liquor from the storage room. He cleared his throat to signal his presence.

“…Dad.” Caught in the act, Qi Ming’an glanced sheepishly at Qi Sheng and hurriedly tried to hide the wine jar behind his back.

Qi Sheng raised an eyebrow. “How many times has it been now?” This brat—he’d only just gotten a girlfriend, hadn’t even married her yet, and already he was sneaking liquor!

Qi Ming’an said, “First time, Dad. Xiao Xuan said Uncle Song knows about our relationship now and wants me to officially visit their home.”

Qi Sheng chuckled. “It’s not like you haven’t met before. What’s the point of all this formality?”

Qi Ming’an sighed. “Still gotta go through the motions.” In reality, it was far more than just “going through the motions.” His girlfriend had warned him sternly: next time he visited without bringing a bottle of aged liquor, he shouldn’t even bother showing up. And it had to be at least ten years old!

Even Song Xuan had felt a little helpless saying that. On the very first day she officially became Qi Ming’an’s girlfriend, she’d happily and smugly announced to her family that she had successfully “married herself off.”

Madam Song had long known her daughter’s feelings. Seeing her dream come true, she was simply happy for her. But Minister Song’s reaction was… more complicated.

One moment, he was shocked—who dared snatch away his delicate little cabbage?!

The next, when he found out the “pig” in question was Qi Ming’an, he froze for two seconds and then said, “So Qi Sheng will be my in-law?”

Song Xuan, still giddy with joy, grinned and nodded. “Yup! You know Uncle Qi. Ming’an’s been over to our place loads of times. You know exactly what kind of person he is—you don’t need to worry about me being mistreated!”

Minister Song, who had never once worried about his daughter getting the short end of the stick, nodded a bit guiltily. After a moment, he added, “Well, next time Ming’an visits, it can’t be as casual as before.”

Song Xuan didn’t catch on immediately. She asked dumbly, “Dad, what do you mean by that?”

Her eldest brother, sitting nearby, laughed. “Future son-in-law coming to see the father-in-law — shouldn’t he bring a gift?”

Song Xuan’s face immediately went dark. She turned to her mother and complained, “Mom, look at Dad…”

Madam Song sighed. “He finally has a reason to ask Ming’an for liquor openly. I told you this would happen.”

Song Xuan was completely defeated by her father’s shamelessness. But to prevent Ming’an from being made the scapegoat during his next visit, she had no choice but to relay Minister Song’s “expectation” to him—hence today’s sneaky liquor run.

Qi Sheng looked at his good-for-nothing son, then turned to glance at the five oldest wine jars hidden in the back of the storage room. He gestured at them and said, “Tell your father-in-law: when he hands over his daughter, he can take all five jars with him.”

Qi Ming’an beamed and gratefully passed the message on to Song Xuan, a trace of pride in his tone.

“My dad said, when we get married, he’ll take out the wine he brewed the first year and give it all to Uncle Song as part of the bride price.”

Song Xuan started counting on her fingers, recalling how old that wine would be by the time they got married. Then she frowned.

“Wait—I have something to say about this!”

“What?” Qi Ming’an blinked in confusion. Wasn’t this the moment they were supposed to laugh and feel sweet? Why was she objecting?

“Well, as the person in question, shouldn’t I get one jar too?”

By the time they got married, that wine would be nearly twenty years old! As a dedicated little wine lover, how could she possibly miss out on such a treasure?

Qi Ming’an was caught off guard by her logic, but eventually offered, “Then we keep one jar for ourselves?”

Song Xuan immediately nodded. “Definitely keep one! If we don’t, once my dad finds out, he won’t let me have any of it!”

The young couple happily discussed how to split the bride price. One day, Song Xuan needed help from her older brother. After he repeatedly refused, she tempted him with a deal:

“My future father-in-law personally said, when Ming’an and I get married, he’s giving four whole jars of his aged liquor as a bride price.”

Her brother raised an eyebrow. “Four jars?”

“Four,” Song Xuan confirmed. “Think about it, can Dad drink that much?”

Her brother laughed. “Alright. Give me one of the jars, and I’ll help you with this today.”

Song Xuan won her little victory and left all smiles. Those four jars technically belonged to her dad, but she used them to bribe her brother—flawless logic!

Thus, without Minister Song’s knowledge, his son and daughter had already divvied up his future wine.

Meanwhile, Qi Ming’an’s career was thriving. He was either busy with school or business, and spent all his remaining time on romance. He’d paid no attention to Sun Yuan. Even when, much later, he heard she had a boyfriend, he didn’t think much of it. So he had no idea that Sun Yuan was currently trying to borrow money from her boyfriend, Jiang Weifeng, to make investments.

Qi Ming’an had always planned out his career carefully. He never put all his eggs in one basket. In addition to his early investments in factories and logistics companies in the south, he had also set aside funds to venture into the internet sector—a nascent but promising field in China, already booming abroad.

Song Xuan wasn’t idle either. Being in love hadn’t changed her career goals. She still aimed to become a great diplomat, just as before. Hand in hand, the young couple worked hard toward their futures. Qi Sheng, observing all this, felt totally at ease.

As for Jiang Weifeng—currently lost in love—and the scheming Sun Yuan, they weren’t even on Qi Sheng’s radar.

Now, he spent his days occasionally brewing wine, and otherwise had taken up woodworking again. He was planning to add a few handcrafted items to his son’s bride price.

Qi Sheng, contentedly living his life, could honestly say— This time around, life was pretty damn good.