In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 56: The Weak Dad (2)

When they returned home, they found Qi Jin sitting anxiously in the living room, waiting for them.

“Dad…”

The child got up to greet them, his expression dejected, his eyes red from crying.

“Good boy, go pack up the things you want to take with you. We’re moving out today.” Qi Sheng couldn’t be bothered to stay in this house for even a second longer. He had no desire to deal with Lin Hui anymore, and with his son’s emotions so unstable, it was better to take him away and settle somewhere else.

“Okay,” Qi Jin replied, turning around to head back to his room to pack without even sparing Lin Hui a glance.

“You heartless ingrate!” Lin Hui couldn’t help but curse out loud. But when she met Qi Sheng’s cold gaze, she finally shut her mouth. She hadn’t noticed before, but after the divorce, this man had grown much tougher. Still, Lin Hui didn’t regret her decision. Now that she was free of these two burdens, she could pursue the life she truly wanted.

Qi Sheng called a good friend to drive over. He quickly packed up some clothes and essentials, organized the books from the bookshelf into boxes, and then went to Qi Jin’s room.

“Dad!” Qi Jin burst into tears and threw himself into Qi Sheng’s arms. The events of the day had been too overwhelming, and he finally broke down.

Qi Sheng gently rubbed his son’s head and comforted him, “Don’t be afraid. Dad’s here.”

Once they had almost finished packing, Qi Sheng’s friend, Li Jun, arrived. Without asking any questions, Li Jun helped carry the luggage and drove them to a nearby hotel. Sitting in the front passenger seat, Qi Sheng couldn’t help but feel amused seeing his friend sneak glances at him. He had already mentioned over the phone not to ask anything once they met, but clearly, the situation now had left Li Jun shocked. Still, Qi Sheng had no plans to explain for the time being. His priority was to settle his son first.

After getting out of the car, Qi Sheng took a few pieces of clothing and his laptop while leaving the rest of the luggage in the car for now. After checking in and settling Qi Jin in the hotel room, he followed Li Jun outside.

“Bro, seriously, what happened?” Li Jun finally couldn’t hold back. He didn’t want to believe that Qi Sheng had gotten divorced — he knew how much his brother cared about his family. But this wasn’t just a simple fight if he was moving out with both his belongings and his son. Having held it in all the way here, Li Jun was now visibly anxious.

“I got divorced.” Qi Sheng briefly explained the situation. Then he planned to head to a nearby restaurant to buy some food. His son hadn’t eaten properly at lunch and must be starving by now.

Listening to the story, Li Jun didn’t know what to say. It was often said that “a woman’s heart could be the most vicious,” but wasn’t it also said that “even a fierce tiger won’t eat its cubs”? How could a woman be so cruel as to push her own child into a living hell, all while claiming it was for his own good?

As a teacher himself, Li Jun had some understanding of those so-called youth management training schools — “military-style management” was just the nice way of putting it. In truth, it was basically violent suppression. Once a kid was sent there, who knew what they would turn into?

Thinking that his brother must be feeling terrible and still had a child to care for, Li Jun didn’t say much more. “Just stay here at the hotel for the next few days. I’ll help you look for a rental nearby. What kind of apartment are you thinking of?”

“A three-bedroom, preferably with a study,” Qi Sheng replied after a moment’s thought. He still had enough money to get by for a while, and since he had work to handle, a study would be convenient.

Li Jun frowned, still unable to hold back his concern. “Rent prices are crazy high right now, especially around here with it being near a top high school. Your monthly rent’s gonna be almost the same as your salary. How will you manage to raise a kid?”

“It’s okay. I’ll figure it out later.”

After sending Li Jun off, Qi Sheng went to a restaurant and ordered a few of his son’s favorite dishes before heading back to the hotel.

Worried about his son’s emotional state, he only booked a business suite. Seeing his son quietly sitting on the bed, Qi Sheng felt a pang of heartache. The once mischievous and lively child had now become so well-behaved and silent.

“Come here, I specially ordered your favorite dishes.” Qi Sheng called his son over for dinner, setting out the food and pouring him a glass of water.

The two of them ate quietly, the atmosphere heavy but warm. Qi Sheng thoughtfully picked out his son’s favorite dishes and placed them into his bowl. Watching Qi Jin obediently finish his meal, Qi Sheng couldn’t help but reach out and rub his head.

“Dad… I… I’ll listen to you from now on. I’ll never play games again.”

Qi Jin had thought long and hard about this decision just now. He really loved gaming, loved studying all kinds of techniques and battle strategies, and had even met a few other skilled players online. They had dreams of forming a team together.

But not every parent could understand this. He had tried explaining to his parents many times, but they just saw it as him wasting his life.

Now, because of his stubbornness, their family had fallen apart. Qi Jin deeply regretted his previous persistence.

If he had listened to his parents earlier and focused on his studies, maybe none of this would have happened.

But even so, he couldn’t help but feel bitter. He really wasn’t cut out for academic study, and the one thing he was passionate about — the thing he had talent for — was seen by his parents as a disgraceful hobby.

After saying this, he lowered his head in guilt. Dad had sacrificed so much for him; he couldn’t afford to be selfish anymore.

“We’ll talk about this later. First, help Dad clean up the dishes.” Seeing his son’s sorrow, Qi Sheng deliberately changed the topic.

After tidying up, Qi Sheng handed his son a glass of milk.

“Come, son, sit down. Let’s have a proper talk about what you just said.”

Qi Jin obediently sat in front of his father, mentally prepared for another lecture about studying hard. In the past, he would always agree on the surface but secretly continue doing what he liked. But now, having made up his mind to listen, even if his grades didn’t improve much, he would at least try to be obedient and sensible.

“Tell me why you like playing games. Most kids your age are focused on their studies, but you often skip classes to hang out at internet cafes. Isn’t that considered rebellious?”

Even though he had already decided to give up gaming, Qi Jin still couldn’t help but defend himself: “I’m not! I know my own academic abilities. No matter how hard I try, I’ll never get into a prestigious university like you and Mom did. And even if I end up at an ordinary university, after graduation, I’ll still only find an ordinary job.”

Toward the end of his explanation, Qi Jin’s voice weakened. After voicing what was on his mind, he worried that his father might be disappointed, so he quickly added, “Dad, don’t worry. From now on, I’ll focus on my studies. When school starts, please sign me up for a few extra classes. I’ll work hard to improve my grades.”

Seeing his son become so obedient made Qi Sheng feel a pang of heartache. “If studying hard can’t guarantee you a bright future, do you really think supporting you in playing games will?”

“I can’t guarantee it one hundred percent,” Qi Jin admitted, “but the e-sports industry is developing rapidly. In countries like M country, there are already major, professional e-sports tournaments. Even our own country has officially classified e-sports as a type of athletic competition—it’s just that the general public doesn’t really know. I’ve met a few top players online. We were even planning to form a team. If we win competitions, the prize money is quite substantial. This could be a real career!”

He snuck a glance at his father’s face and, seeing that Qi Sheng wasn’t angry, couldn’t help but add more information about e-sports. It felt like a small catharsis, letting him speak freely about the thing he loved most before giving it up.

Watching his son speak so passionately about gaming, Qi Sheng couldn’t help but sigh. So many parents were accustomed to imposing their own ideas on their children, even projecting their unfulfilled dreams onto them, wishing their sons to become dragons and their daughters to become phoenixes. They forced their children to achieve what they themselves could not, completely disregarding the children’s feelings and aspirations.

Just as Qi Jin said, forcing him to study hard might not necessarily lead to success. And in doing so, his spirit could be crushed, turning him into just another average person among the millions.

However, worried that Qi Jin was simply chasing a fleeting passion, Qi Sheng decided to temper his excitement a bit: “You’re still young. You’ve seen so little of the world. How can you be sure that the gaming industry is really the most suitable path for you?”

“But people have to dare to try!” Qi Jin argued. “Clinging stubbornly to something with no future is worse than taking a leap of faith. And Dad, I’m really good at gaming! In online PK battles, hardly anyone can beat me!”

As he spoke, Qi Jin couldn’t resist boasting about his achievements in the gaming world.

Every child wanted their parents’ recognition. Having been belittled and criticized for his grades for so long by his mother, Qi Jin had always longed to do something that would make his parents proud. But when he finally succeeded at something he was passionate about, they only dismissed it as “wasting time.” That made him deeply frustrated. Now, seeing that his father was willing to listen, he couldn’t stop the pride from bubbling up.

“Alright,” Qi Sheng said with a smile, looking at his son’s excited expression. “Let’s see your skills over the next couple of days. If you’re really as good as you say, Dad will support you in pursuing gaming.”

“Really, Dad?!” Qi Jin looked at Qi Sheng in shock, wondering if he was hearing things.

“Of course it’s real. Now go wash up. Tomorrow, I’ll test your real ability before making any final decisions.” With that, Qi Sheng headed off to shower, not looking back at his stunned son.

Qi Jin sat there, stunned, watching his father disappear into the bathroom. Was all this just a dream? Had today’s events overwhelmed him so much that he was hallucinating?

Silly and happy, he washed up and climbed into bed, sneaking glances at Qi Sheng several times. When the lights went out and Qi Sheng pulled him into his arms, Qi Jin couldn’t hold back his question: “Dad, did you really mean what you said? Will you really support me playing games?”

Qi Sheng chuckled at his son’s silly expression and teased, “Of course not.”

Seeing the sudden disappointment on Qi Jin’s face, he added, “Dad needs to first see if you truly have potential. If you do, I’ll support you. If not, you’ll have to follow the same path as most kids.”

Realizing his father was just teasing him, Qi Jin puffed out his chest confidently and said, “Don’t worry, Dad! Tomorrow, I’ll show you the future e-sports champion in action!”

Qi Jin, thrilled to have his father’s approval, rolled happily around on the bed. The sadness and guilt he had been feeling about his parents’ divorce were slightly eased. After celebrating a bit, he snuggled back into Qi Sheng’s arms and said, “Dad, I’ll definitely become a top player and use my prize money to take good care of you!”

“Alright. Dad will be waiting for that day.”

The next morning, Qi Jin woke up early and stared blankly at his father’s sleeping face. Remembering what Qi Sheng had said the night before, he couldn’t help but worry—was Dad just saying those things impulsively because he was too upset about the divorce?

But thinking back over everything that had happened, Qi Jin calmed down. He buried his face in Qi Sheng’s chest and thought, Even if Dad was just saying it to comfort me, it’s okay. I only have Dad now. I can’t act spoiled anymore.

When Qi Sheng woke up, he saw his son snuggled up in his arms and ruffled his hair affectionately. “You’re awake? Then let’s get up. After breakfast, we’ll go to a nearby internet cafe.”

Knowing his son couldn’t wait, Qi Sheng decided they’d stick to the plan after breakfast.

“Dad!” Qi Jin, who had just resigned himself to giving up, shouted out in excitement.

“You’re that happy? Then hurry up and get ready.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the boy who had just been curled up in his arms sprang out of bed, threw on his clothes, and raced to the bathroom. Qi Sheng couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. Still, he felt relieved and happy to see his son so full of energy again.

The reason he agreed so quickly to let Qi Jin pursue gaming was because he was worried the recent upheaval with Lin Hui might damage the boy’s spirit.