In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 41: The Gangster Dad (5)

Although there were still some minor rumors online about Qi Changwei having connections, no one was really paying attention to him anymore.

Qi Wei had been nervously glued to his phone when he first saw netizens discussing his past. Now that fewer and fewer people were paying attention, he wasn’t sure whether to lament how low his popularity had dropped, or to be secretly relieved that people online didn’t seem to care much about his history.

“Son, stop looking at that. What’s done is done. So what if you’ve worked menial jobs before? Why should that be considered a black mark? Don’t worry—once you have more and better works under your belt, no one will have the right to bring up the fact that you only graduated from junior high!”

Qi Sheng had been watching his son’s expression closely, afraid he’d get caught up in negative thoughts.

Qi Wei turned off his phone and looked at the old man comforting him. He couldn’t help but grumble, “This is all your fault!”

“Yes, yes, it’s all because your dad used to be a loser. But I’ve got a successful son now, haven’t I?”

As he earnestly “confessed his guilt,” Qi Sheng cheerfully coaxed his son, successfully making Qi Wei laugh.

Qi Wei didn’t dwell on it any longer. He knew he still had good opportunities ahead. As long as he kept working hard and improved his acting, producing more quality work, no one would have any right to hold onto his rough past.

After the xianxia drama aired, Qi Wei gained a wave of new fans. When the political intrigue drama aired later, most viewers already had a favorable impression of him. Now, the slightly smug Qi Wei couldn’t help but show off to his dad as he looked at the fans squealing and acting cute online.

“Dad, look—so many people like me!” Qi Sheng took the phone and scrolled through the comments, teasing, “Wow, lots of people want to be my daughter-in-law!”

Having spent plenty of time around his dad, Qi Wei had thickened his skin. He didn’t even blink at the teasing. While the drama was still airing on TV, he started calculating the earnings he’d received so far.

Once he had a rough idea, he glanced over at his dad, who was still fiddling with his phone, and asked, “Dad, are you getting into photography these days?”

Qi Sheng had already switched back to his own phone and was now logged into a private account, sharing photos of Qi Wei with other fans. He nodded casually and said, “Yeah, once I get good at it, I’ll take your promo photos. I promise the quality will be world-class!”

Qi Wei didn’t really believe his dad would master photography, but he knew that being a photography hobbyist could be expensive. Thinking about how the old man had been behaving himself this past year, he asked, “Are you doing okay with your allowance?”

Qi Sheng looked up in surprise. Was his stingy son actually offering money voluntarily for once? He closed his phone and looked at him playfully, saying, “Well, well, looks like someone’s grown a conscience. Finally realized he should give his old man a raise in allowance?”

Qi Wei rolled his eyes. So much for the good behavior being real!

“We need to save up to buy a house! Don’t you want to move into a bigger place that’s really ours?”

Seeing that his dad wasn’t pleased, he added, “Photography is expensive. How about this—I’ll raise your allowance by a thousand. From now on, I’ll transfer you three thousand a month. But! You’re not allowed to gamble!”

Qi Sheng nodded, satisfied, but when he heard the last condition, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Son, you may not be tired of saying it, but I’m tired of hearing it. All my hobbies now are decent. Look at my abs—I’ve been working on them!”

As he spoke, he lifted his shirt to proudly show off his latest fitness results.

Unfortunately, his son was on a completely different wavelength. Qi Wei immediately tensed and asked, “You’re not trying to charm some young girl again, are you?”

Qi Sheng, exasperated, grabbed a nearby cushion and chucked it at Qi Wei. “Do I look that untrustworthy? Can’t a man admire himself? Besides, this is called staying healthy!”

Qi Wei caught the cushion and gave his old man a once-over. He had gotten him that gym membership a year ago. After sticking with it for a year, his face had slimmed down and his figure had improved. With a bit of grooming, he did look decently presentable.

Qi Wei stroked his chin. Back in the day, this old guy had been one of the top-tier heartthrobs. Otherwise, his mom wouldn’t have willingly had a kid with a street punk. But that bastard hadn’t changed even after becoming a father, and in the end, his mom left the two of them behind to suffer on their own.

Looking at the now image-conscious old man, Qi Wei warned, “Don’t go messing with naive girls. If you want to date, find someone who’s in it for the long haul. Otherwise, I’m cutting your allowance.”

Qi Sheng didn’t want to entertain that. He kicked his son and said, “Your dad partied enough in his youth. Now I just want peace and self-cultivation! Why do you have to control everything?”

Qi Wei wasn’t fazed and chased after him, asking, “So you really don’t plan on dating? I’m taking that as a promise.”

Qi Sheng replied impatiently, “No, no!”

But right after he said it, he paused—wait a minute, weren’t their roles reversed? He was the father!

So, with a scheming look, he asked, “Son, with all the beauties in your company, is there anyone you like?”

Qi Wei laughed and replied, “I’m in the middle of a career upswing right now. If I even get a day off, that’s a miracle—I don’t have time to think about romance.”

Qi Sheng advised him earnestly, “You’re only twenty. It’s the perfect age to fall in love. Don’t just think about work—enjoy life like a normal young man.”

Qi Wei didn’t respond, keeping his eyes on the TV. Right now, what he wanted most was to solidify his career. He hadn’t yet met the legendary Chairman Bai, nor had they ever interacted. Qi Wei didn’t know how long that man intended to support him. Maybe one day, Chairman Bai would suddenly decide he no longer wanted to see his “son’s” face on screen. If that happened, Qi Wei might just be completely iced out.

After a year in the entertainment industry, Qi Wei had become increasingly aware of how powerful capital could be. Since he couldn’t fight it, all he could do was ensure that when the worst eventually happened, he’d already built a foundation for survival.

Qi Sheng had no idea about his son’s worries—if he did, he’d definitely arrange a meeting between his son and this mysterious “Chairman Bai.” As for himself, he was living quite the carefree life lately, using the allowance his son gave him to openly embark on his grand photography career.

Whenever Qi Wei was resting at home or studying scripts, Qi Sheng would always find a way to sneak some candid shots of him, and sometimes even dragged him over to pose outright.

“Come on, show some professionalism! These photos are going on Weibo!”

Qi Sheng directed Qi Wei to strike poses, but Qi Wei strongly resisted and looked at him with deep suspicion.

Qi Sheng wasn’t discouraged though, and kept trying: “If they turn out bad, I swear I’ll delete them right away. Come on, just stand like that, yes—just like that!”

After a whole day of being tormented, Qi Wei was already dreading the sight of a camera. But when he took a look at the results, he was actually surprised—they were pretty good!

Qi Sheng, brimming with pride, chattered on beside him: “See? Not bad, right? They’re practically magazine-level even without retouching. But don’t worry, son, I even went and learned Photoshop just for you—every photo that goes out will be flawless and make your fans fall head over heels!”

Qi Wei didn’t respond, but the corners of his mouth kept lifting, unable to hide the smile. Still, not wanting to give his dad too much satisfaction, he buried his head in reviewing the photos, trying to hide his grin.

Unfortunately, he didn’t realize that the sly old fox next to him had already seen right through him.

[Ahhh! Weiwei’s casual outfits are so good-looking! My screen’s about to melt… PS: Is the blogger part of Weiwei’s team? How do they have photos of him clearly posing for the camera? As a fan, I really hope the blogger changes their Weibo name—otherwise people might think Weiwei’s team isn’t very professional.]

After Qi Sheng posted three of his son’s casual photos, curious fans quickly flocked to the newly created alt account.

But Weiwei’s fans were now well-organized and disciplined. The sudden appearance of this account called “Little Weiwei is the Best” screamed “unofficial” to them.

If this was a staff member, the username was way too fan-like. At the very least, the bio should say something like “assistant” or “part of the team,” right? But there was nothing—plus, the account had just been created. Totally unprofessional!

But if it was just a fan… how did they get photos not even posted by Qi Wei or his agent?

Fans were suspicious but also couldn’t resist saving the photos. Compared to the official promo shots, they adored these candid, casual ones even more.

They were excited and jealous—Weiwei looked like such a sweet guy in private. He clearly felt helpless, but still cooperated with the photo-taking. Ahhh, who is this blogger?! The curiosity was killing them!

Eager to unearth the blogger’s identity, fans flooded the comments under the post. Some even guessed it might be Qi Wei’s girlfriend—but that theory was shot down fast. During the promo tour for his last drama, Qi Wei had been asked about relationships, and both he and his manager had confirmed he was single. The official word was all that mattered to the fans!

Sadly, “Little Weiwei is the Best” was extremely aloof—completely ignoring all comments. They stuck to a strict schedule: one post every Monday at 8 PM, nothing else. Fans loved and hated them in equal measure.

Then something unexpected happened—Qi Wei’s recently filmed suspense drama, which no one had high hopes for, became a surprise hit. Even Xue Yuan hadn’t seen it coming. That project had been meant as a way for Qi Wei to try out different roles, yet it ended up earning him a solid reputation for his acting skills.

Xue Yuan scrolled through the online reviews and couldn’t help but sigh at Qi Wei’s good fortune.

Playing a villain with the second-most screen time after the lead, Qi Wei had come off as both cool and ruthless. Every time he appeared, audiences were on edge. This dark, edgy persona earned him tons of fans—but today, those fans were in an uproar.

[WTF, who is this blogger?! How do they have such intimate photos of our Wei?!]

[Hand over the camera or else! Please, mighty blogger, share all the photos you’ve got—we’d even take DMs!]

…

Alongside the chaos of fans begging for more, the “girlfriend” theory popped up again—especially after a photo surfaced of Qi Wei just waking up, looking a bit helpless but also amused. Totally soft and adorable.

Curiosity reached its peak. Seeing how much attention he was getting, Qi Sheng finally added a line to the profile: Not staff, not girlfriend.

But that statement did little to clarify anything. Fans were losing their minds, desperate to figure out who was behind it all.

Then came the reveal—when Qi Wei went on a variety show to promote his upcoming fantasy drama, bringing along other cast members.

After one round of games, his team lost and had to answer three questions from the host. The first two were about the new drama, but by the third question, the host couldn’t resist stirring the pot:

Host: “Weiwei, are you currently living alone? Or with family or friends? Fans are dying to know who you live with!”

Qi Wei covered his face in embarrassment but didn’t keep them hanging: “Not alone. I live with my dad. Lately he’s been getting into photography and using me as practice.”

His helpless tone had the live audience screaming with laughter, and the fans who had figured out the identity behind “Little Weiwei is the Best” instantly stormed the Weibo account with comments before the show had even finished airing.

“Greetings, Father-in-Law! Can we get a few more pics? There were three the first time, remember? 😭”

“Reporting in to pay my respects—your daily dose of flailing fan here!”

“Aaaaah I can’t believe I didn’t recognize your greatness, Father-in-Law! A humble bow from this little lady!”

…

After the reveal that “Little Weiwei is the Best” was actually Qi Wei’s dad, a flood of fans rushed to follow and comment. The once-tough, picky fanbase suddenly became cute and polite, acting sweet and begging for photos.

But Qi Sheng stayed cool—still sticking to his once-a-week schedule. His Weibo remained quiet otherwise.

In reality, though, he was quite smug watching his account blow up. After all, after putting in all the hard work of being a dad, he deserved a little moment to bask in the spotlight!