In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 81: The Runaway Dad (6)

The days at the maternity center were especially relaxing. Yang Ting comfortably regained her health here, and with a cheerful mood, she was able to handle the five little babies, who were still so tiny, with ease. Every day, she wore a smile that left Qi Yuxi, who had been worried about her, particularly astonished. This was so different from what I remembered!

He still couldn’t figure out what was going on, but he vaguely felt that many things were changing quietly.

What the others didn’t know was that the little ones, although small, were hiding something in their hearts. Today was the last day at the maternity center, and as a family with five babies, the Qi family had mobilized nearly all the adults.

Qi Sheng and his wife, Grandpa Qi, Grandma Qi, and Aunt He, the nanny, with five adults, each holding a baby, marched downstairs in a grand procession. It attracted the attention of a large crowd. Of course, they had gotten used to this. Since the news of the five babies spread in the maternity center, new mothers who were also there to recover would often come to see the spectacle. They would either marvel at how cute the babies were or look at Yang Ting, the super mom, with admiration.

Yang Ting was almost numb to these gazes. Looking at her five sons, who could only be held in her arms with difficulty, she couldn’t help but sigh, “Honey, will we ever have time to go out and have fun again?”

Back when they didn’t have children, their life had been as carefree as it could be—on holidays, they either lounged at home, sleeping, watching movies, or went out to eat, shop, and play. But now, looking at the baby in her arms, sucking his fingers and sleeping soundly, she doubted whether they would ever have any free time again.

Qi Sheng comforted her, “Don’t worry, when they’re not so clingy anymore, I’ll take you out to have fun alone.”

Yang Ting perked up at this. She hadn’t realized before how precious their alone time would be, but now, she really appreciated the idea of having some time just for the two of them.

Not long ago, Qi Sheng had bought a seven-seater car, and this was Yang Ting’s second time riding in it. Looking at the spacious car, she was shocked to see that once everyone was seated, it was full. Going out in the future, just the five little ones would take up all the seats.

Qi Yuxi also curiously observed the car. Was this their family’s? He secretly glanced at Qi Sheng. How could this be so different from his memories? Who exactly was this person?

The little baby’s body couldn’t let him think too much. When he woke up again, he found that he had been moved to a different sleeping place.

With his big, round eyes, Qi Yuxi curiously looked around. Unfortunately, he couldn’t roll over yet and could only vaguely make out some outlines. Was this their home?

The more Qi Yuxi thought about it, the more he realized that something was amiss. He started to analyze bit by bit. Grandpa Qi and Grandma Qi still felt familiar, although they were much younger and smiled more, he could still tell they were the same grandparents who had raised him and his siblings. As for his mother, he wasn’t very familiar with her, but he had heard a lot of gossip about her. Compared to that, he felt that the current dad was really strange!

Based on his years of reading online novels, this person had either been reborn or transmigrated!

Which one was the truth?

Qi Yuxi carefully recalled past events. When he and his siblings were just a few months old, his dad had left without even informing the family. He had gone abroad for work, saying the pay was better there, and he could earn more for the family.

At first, it seemed like he did send some money every month, but over time, the amount started to decrease. Then it kept getting smaller and smaller, until it seemed like he was only sending five thousand yuan a month. After more than a decade, the price of living had skyrocketed, but the money he sent stayed the same. The worst part was that when his mother passed away, it seemed like the man never came back. Qi Yuxi didn’t know if that man had secretly returned, but someone who didn’t care for his wife and children, and didn’t even try to understand his elderly parents, he didn’t think such a person could have a good future.

So was this person transmigrated?

Qi Yuxi felt conflicted. A person whose background he didn’t know had transmigrated to become his father. It felt strange, but he couldn’t say it was bad. He knew very well that if this person hadn’t come, the past tragedy would have been repeated. Even if he had been reborn, he wouldn’t have been able to do anything to help.

Qi Yuxi was feeling very complicated inside, so when facing Qi Sheng again, he behaved much more obediently. He didn’t dare act too differently from other people because he didn’t want to reveal the truth about his rebirth.

What Qi Yuxi didn’t know was that he had already revealed himself. Every day, he continued playing the part of a baby, which made Qi Sheng, who had planned to “battle” with him for a while longer, raise an eyebrow. This little one was pretty smart.

Since Qi Sheng resigned and changed jobs, he rarely had contact with his old colleagues. His former colleagues still knew about the original owner’s professional abilities, but in the real world, a person with mediocre skills wasn’t worth associating with. Of course, if Qi Sheng hadn’t gotten married, it would have been a different story—there were still a lot of girls who only cared about looks.

His old colleagues didn’t think that changing jobs would lead to a better career, but one unexpected event left them completely shocked.

Qi Sheng’s previous company was a small one that often took on external projects, and this time, they had just taken on a project from Qi Sheng’s current company.

“Hey? Isn’t that Brother Qi?” This question came from a member of the same project team from his former company.

Team Leader: “It really looks like him.”

The team leader doubted if she had mistaken someone. The Jiang Teng Group wasn’t just any company; not everyone could get in. She had been in this industry for so many years, and every time she applied to Jiang Teng, the chances were slim. How did that brat Qi Sheng get in?

However, before she could dwell on her confusion for long, Qi Sheng walked over, and when they faced each other, they realized it really was a familiar face.

Qi Sheng didn’t think much of it, but his former colleagues were in shock. Qi Sheng/Brother Qi, what kind of strange encounter had he gone through?

Especially when they noticed how the person in charge of the project they were collaborating with seemed to show great respect for Qi Sheng. This only made them more puzzled. Wait, was this still the same colleague they knew?!

The changes in Qi Sheng weren’t just a surprise to his old colleagues; even the vice president of the group found it strange.

“Bro, do you think Qi Sheng faked his resume? His previous project experience was pretty average, right?”

The group’s general manager, Jiang Mingye, glanced at his clueless younger brother and said, “Resumes can be faked, but skills can’t. Haven’t you noticed? No matter what task you give him, he can complete it smoothly, and he always finishes on time. Not everyone can do that.”

“Maybe he hired an outsourced team! You saw the news about that incident a while ago.”

The general manager, Jiang Mingye, couldn’t help but laugh at his silly younger brother’s sharpness. “No, he doesn’t have the resources for that.”

“Huh? Why not?”

Jiang Mingye replied, “Because he has a son to raise.”

The vice president, Jiang Mingyang, was confused. “How valuable can his son be? Our salaries aren’t low.”

“One is indeed not costly, but what about five?”

“What? Five?… Five…”

“Quintuplets?!”

“Shit!”

Jiang Mingyang was stunned and no longer doubted Qi Sheng. He was now completely overwhelmed by the quintuplets. This… this… Qi Sheng must be a warrior reincarnated.

Before he could recover, he heard his older brother say, “Since you’re just sitting around, why not spend more time with Qi Sheng and build a good relationship with him?”

“Huh? Bro, why?”

Jiang Mingye glanced at his silly younger brother and helplessly explained, “He won’t stay with us for long. He’ll probably quit soon.”

“Then why should I bother building a good relationship with him?”

Jiang Mingye glared at his younger brother for interrupting him and continued, “He’s probably going to start his own business soon. Whatever project it is, look for opportunities to invest.”

Jiang Mingyang was confused: “Wait, bro, why are we so eager to invest in him? Is he really that impressive?”

“Just go when I tell you to go, no more nonsense.”

Jiang Mingyang was forcibly sent away by his older brother, feeling confused and curious. How did Qi Sheng manage to catch his brother’s attention so much?!

Qi Sheng had no idea that he had been noticed by the sharp-eyed members of the Jiang family. He had never planned on working for others forever. If he wasn’t worried about the change being too abrupt, he wouldn’t have stubbornly stayed in the company for over a year.

Of course, he hadn’t been idle during that time. In addition to his work, his daily life was quite rich.

Sometimes, the brothers showed great unity, crying together, eating together, sleeping together, and even… going to the bathroom together…

During the day, at least two adults had to stay at home, so aside from Qi Sheng, the other four adults’ most anticipated task was going out to buy groceries. Even that had to be done on a rotating basis.

The little ones were especially clingy to Yang Ting when they were awake. If she wasn’t in sight, two or more of them would start whimpering. This naturally included Qi Yuxi, who was particularly close with his brothers. They all expressed an unusual fondness for their mother, pushing their grandparents to the back.

Yang Ting: She didn’t feel particularly proud about it…

Now, Yang Ting regretted not learning how to cook earlier. She now thought that as long as she didn’t have to look after the kids, she was willing to do anything!

During the day, she couldn’t let the little ones nap, so Yang Ting spent most of her time accompanying them. By the time Qi Sheng returned in the evening, Yang Ting would swiftly return to her own bedroom and refuse to respond even when the old lady called her.

“Hubby, you must be tired after a whole day’s work. Your parent-child time has arrived. Your five sons really miss you. Hurry, go take care of them!”

With just a few words, she tried to push the responsibility of watching the kids onto Qi Sheng.

Qi Sheng looked at her lying on the bed, wrapped in the blanket, and asked, “Did you have dinner? Now you’re already asleep?”

“Mm, I ate when they fell asleep just now.”

Seeing that she had eaten, Qi Sheng didn’t say anything more and went into the living room, where the old lady was already getting his meal ready.

“Son, wait a bit, don’t go see them right away. Eat first, or they’ll wake up and want you, and then they won’t let you go.”

Second only to being adored by the babies, Qi Sheng, as the “dad,” was a favorite too. Though his time spent with the children wasn’t as much as the two elders, the babies’ innate radar could sense that Qi Sheng was their long-term provider, so their affection for him skyrocketed.

Their love was very straightforward: When they saw Qi Sheng, they wanted hugs — and all five of them wanted a hug together! They even wanted him to feed them when they ate, or they wouldn’t eat! If they woke up at night and didn’t see him, they wouldn’t calm down!

A truly luxurious love package, which Qi Sheng, who feared nothing, found hard to endure.

The old lady had a good plan: let him eat first. But the little ones wouldn’t allow it. Just halfway through his meal, one of the babies started whining.

Used to these situations, Qi Sheng quickly took a couple of bites, then went to the nursery, where he found his father already skillfully soothing the children.

This formerly stern old man had no principles in front of his precious grandkids, making funny faces and acting cute with ease. However, as soon as he saw his son enter, he immediately restrained his expression. The third baby, who had been amused by the faces, immediately became unhappy, as if saying, “Come on, keep going!”

Qi Sheng coughed to hide the smile on his face and walked over, pretending not to notice. “Dad, they’re not making trouble, right?”

“No, our babies are being good.”

Standing in front of the crib, Qi Sheng looked at them. Five pairs of sparkling eyes were staring at him, and he couldn’t help but look from one to the other. This was why, whenever they were awake, the adults couldn’t get a break.

Except for the one pretending to be a baby, Qi Yuxi, the others would look around whenever they were awake, wanting someone to watch them. After going through all five, Qi Sheng’s neck started to feel sore…

To avoid all five of them asking for hugs at once, Qi Sheng didn’t dare hold them. But just because he didn’t dare didn’t mean the little ones didn’t. When the second baby saw a familiar person, he happily reached out, wanting a hug.

Qi Sheng: …

One of the daily headaches!