In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 33: The Partial Dad (13)

Qi Sheng hadn’t actually left the capital. After all, he still couldn’t set his mind at ease about Qi Xiangnan. However, since he hadn’t brought any spare house keys, he could only find a decent nearby hotel to stay in. When he suddenly received a call from his eldest son, he couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows.

“Dad, did little bro get hit by something? I think there’s something wrong with him…”

Qi Xiangdong told Qi Sheng all about the fight — or rather, how he got beaten up one-sidedly — and even repeated in detail the “strange” things Qi Xiangnan had said. He originally thought his dad would be very alarmed, but to his surprise, the person on the other end of the phone remained calm.

“Mm, I already noticed it this morning. That’s why I stepped away for a bit. He’s probably been too stressed from work — spending all that time in the OR operating on car crash victims… His mind might be a little muddled. Don’t be mad at your brother. After all, we weren’t very good to him in the past. Now that he’s older and started to realize things, it’s only natural he’s got some resentment. Just don’t go near him for a few days. Once he calms down, we’ll go back and try to patch things up.”

Qi Sheng could already picture the scene at lunchtime and even felt a bit schadenfreude that his eldest son was finally paying the price for his past idiocy. Still, he spoke soothingly: “Don’t take today’s incident to heart. Just treat it as payback for the way you used to bully him. Put some ointment on yourself, and if things are quiet at the company for now, take the time to rest at home.”

After hearing this, Qi Xiangdong’s resentment about being beaten lessened considerably. It wasn’t until he hung up the phone that he realized something felt off — his dad had known something was wrong, yet didn’t warn him!

But thinking about how his dad had quietly run off to avoid the situation, Qi Xiangdong felt somewhat better. Since even his dad was hiding, he figured he better stay out of that brat’s way for now too. With a sigh, he looked in the mirror and saw his bruised and battered face. Qi Xiangnan that little punk had aimed only at his face — how was he supposed to go outside like this?!

On the other side, having finally vented his rage on Qi Xiangdong, Qi Xiangnan closed his eyes and sank back onto the sofa.

At the doorway, Shen Qinglan cautiously walked in, looking worriedly at Qi Xiangnan. Seeing how different his behavior and emotions were from usual, she didn’t even know how to begin asking.

When Qi Xiangnan opened his eyes and saw the concern on his wife’s face, he waved her over. As she hurried to his side, he pulled her into his arms and couldn’t help pouring out the grievances he had suffered in the past. Of course, he didn’t mention the car accident — that was a secret he kept to himself. Thinking about how the turning point in this life came after that, he suspected the other person must have known something too. Shen Qinglan had never known her man had suffered so much. He had shared a few stories about his childhood, but always downplayed the hurt. And after meeting the Qi family, her impression of her father-in-law and brother-in-law was nothing like what her husband had described. She trusted her man deeply, but was astonished that someone could change so much!

She couldn’t help asking, “Dad must’ve really been blind back then! So what made him slowly start to change?”

Ugh, that was a tough one for Qi Xiangnan to answer truthfully. So he responded in a speculative tone, “Maybe he started to take pride in me after I got into college, and that made him realize he should treat me better.”

He couldn’t exactly say, “Maybe because he got replaced by someone else!” Thinking about that person, and how he’d suddenly left town on short notice, Qi Xiangnan narrowed his eyes. He’d just started acting a little different, and the man noticed right away — there’s no way he believed that guy didn’t know what was going on! And yet he just ran off. Hmph!

Shen Qinglan, indignant, said, “That’s way too much! So if you hadn’t gotten into college, he would’ve just ignored you for life? You’re his son, not some employee! Just because you couldn’t win him face, he’d stop treating you like a son?!”

In that moment, her respect for Qi Sheng dropped sharply. She was even a bit disappointed that her father-in-law turned out to be that kind of person.

Seeing his little wife all puffed up with anger, Qi Xiangnan realized that if he kept complaining, that guy was going to end up taking the blame for everything. Even though he was annoyed at him for running away, he still tried to explain, “Actually, Dad didn’t have it easy either, raising two kids all alone. And Qi Xiangdong was his firstborn from a happier time in his life — of course he favored him more. But he has been making it up to me over the years. Just look at the assets he’s given us.”

Shen Qinglan thought about it and agreed. The Southeast Food Group was already a big name in China, and the annual dividends alone were enough to make countless people jealous. Her husband hadn’t contributed a cent, yet received treatment equal to his brother’s. If someone were to ask now who Qi Sheng favored, anyone who knew the details would probably say Qi Xiangdong was the one getting the short end of the stick.

So she looked up at her husband and asked, “So… you don’t resent Dad anymore?”

“Mm, Dad treats us very well now. The past is the past—we should be filial to him from now on.”

Shen Qinglan nodded. Since her husband had already let go of the past and their father-in-law was clearly favoring them now, she wouldn’t cling to old grievances either. After all, elders aren’t saints. As long as they can admit their mistakes and change, she would still respect them as elders.

However, remembering what just happened, Shen Qinglan asked curiously, “Then why did you still have such a serious conflict with Big Brother earlier?”

Qi Xiangnan: “…”

Sure enough, lying is never that easy!

He could let go of the wrongs his father had committed because, in his heart, he separated the two versions of him into different people. But Qi Xiangdong, no matter how much he changed, was still the same person—so naturally, he still resented him!

Since he couldn’t tell the truth, Qi Xiangnan had to put on an air of mock arrogance and said, “Father is an elder, it’s not appropriate for us to argue with him. But Qi Xiangdong, that bastard, is only two years older than me. I’m not about to let him off so easily!”

Shen Qinglan naturally sided with her husband. He had suffered so much—if he didn’t vent a bit and ended up hurting his health from bottling it up, she’d be the one to feel distressed. So after thinking about it, she figured her brother-in-law could afford to suffer a little.

But she still advised, “Big Brother already knows he was wrong. Besides, with Dad around, try not to go too far.”

Qi Xiangnan was reluctant in his heart but had to admit she was right. Some things really shouldn’t be taken too far, so he agreed, “Don’t worry. I know my limits.”

For the next few days, Qi Xiangnan stayed home to rest. During that time, aside from spending time with his beloved daughter, he would occasionally stare blankly at the phone in the house.

Three days passed, and there was still no sign that the man was coming back. Qi Xiangnan was frustrated and couldn’t help but start doubting—had he guessed wrong? Was this man actually the same as his father from his past life, just here to make amends in this life? The thought made him feel sick. When he died in his previous life, he had already stopped recognizing that man as his father.

With those thoughts circling in his mind, Qi Xiangnan’s mood hit a low.

He stared at the phone sitting in the living room for a long time, but in the end, he still didn’t dial.

Qi Sheng hadn’t expected his younger son to be so clever, able to see through his “disguise” so quickly. He was still worrying about how to deal with this thorny issue.

Compared to Qi Xiangdong, Qi Xiangnan must hate their father from the previous life even more. That hatred was so deep it seemed to transcend the bounds of this world. Qi Sheng couldn’t help but wonder if the only way to resolve this was to pay with his own life.

But then he remembered how, on the morning of Qi Xiangnan’s discharge from the hospital, the boy had still managed to act normal in front of him. That made him worry even more—what if the child mistook these extra memories for a sign of mental illness?

Unable to bear the worry anymore, he decided to return home after three days. No matter what, he needed to see the actual situation before he could come up with a solution.

That day, Shen Qinglan happened to take the child back to her family’s home. Since Qi Xiangnan had been waiting for Qi Sheng to come back, he didn’t go with her. Distracted and out of sorts, he endured the workday until he finally arrived at the door to their house. Seeing the lights on inside, he wondered whether it was Aunt Liu the housekeeper, or that man who had returned.

Then he noticed the lights were on in the upstairs bedroom—that man’s room—and his spirits lifted. Without another moment’s hesitation, he hurried into the living room.

On the dining table beside him were several dishes already set out. Aunt Liu, seeing he was home, was about to ladle out the soup that had been kept warm on the stove, but before she could say a word, the man who had just entered the living room had already rushed upstairs in the blink of an eye.

Aunt Liu was puzzled—she had a vague feeling that something strange had been going on in the Qi family lately.

Qi Sheng had originally planned to eat dinner with him so he could observe Qi Xiangnan’s condition. But then he thought that if the boy saw him and got so upset he couldn’t even eat, that would be worse. So he could only return helplessly to his room, slumping on the couch with a sigh—being a dad shouldn’t be this cowardly!

“Coward Dad” Qi Sheng flipped through the latest news, but his heart was filled with nerves, his mind constantly turning over how to handle the situation with Qi Xiangnan.

Unfortunately, in Qi Xiangnan’s eyes as he opened the door and entered, this scene looked very different. Qi Xiangnan frowned as he saw the man lounging there calmly reading the newspaper. After all the turmoil he’d been through these past few days, the sight made him feel sick—how could he be in the mood to read the paper at a time like this?

“You’re back,” Qi Xiangnan said.

“Xiangnan? Why are you home? Didn’t you go to your father-in-law’s place?”

Qi Sheng looked up, naturally folding the newspaper in his hands. His surprised expression at seeing his son at the door was surprisingly convincing.

“Someone has to stay home.”

Qi Sheng nodded. Neither spoke again. The atmosphere grew quiet for a moment. Seeing that his son clearly had something on his mind, Qi Sheng finally broke the silence.

“Is something wrong?”