In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 84: The Runaway Dad (9)

Qi Yudong didn’t even pass the entrance exam for primary school, so Qi Sheng had to shamelessly ask Jiang Mingyang for help to get him in through the backdoor.

“No problem, Brother Sheng! This is nothing. The board of directors of this school has a long-standing relationship with our family. You can rest assured!” Jiang Mingyang patted his chest and promised.

Now, Qi Sheng was the darling of the investment world. His AI brain A1 version, launched a year ago, had caused a stir in the whole artificial intelligence industry. In this situation, people in the investment circle were waving money, eager to invest in Qi Sheng’s tech company. Unfortunately, the competition was too fierce, and whether or not they could successfully get a piece of the pie depended on Qi Sheng’s mood. So, as the first family to get on board, Jiang Mingyang was eager for Qi Sheng to ask him for help.

With the issue of the kid’s school solved, Qi Sheng, taking advantage of their summer break, decided to take the whole family on a trip. This delighted Qi Yudong, who had been “studying hard” for days. From the moment the plan was set, he couldn’t contain his excitement.

Qi Sheng teased him just in time: “How many English words have you memorized? Should we take your books with us this time?”

The ecstatic Qi Yudong: …

Is this really coming from my biological father at this moment?

The rare family outing of the Qi family made even the second brother, who usually loved reading, temporarily forget his books. The five little ones gathered together and started coming up with mischievous plans.

Qi Yudong, who loved causing trouble: “Let’s all wear the same clothes on this trip and see if anyone can recognize us!”

The academic genius, the second brother: “Not just the clothes. We also need to change our personalities. Otherwise, Dad will recognize us immediately.” The third brother, hearing this idea, his eyes lit up: “Then I’ll be the second brother today!”

The second brother nodded in agreement and then said, “Then I’ll be the third brother.”

The fourth brother glanced at the other two options, looked at the most troublesome eldest and fifth brothers, and after a moment’s thought, said, “Then I’ll be the fifth brother.” At least, if it doesn’t work out, he can still sleep.

In the end, the eldest and fifth brothers had no choice. The fifth brother was reluctantly crowned as the eldest, his mouth stretching into a delighted grin: “Well, I’ll begrudgingly be the eldest. Hehe.”

Qi Yudong looked at his expression and couldn’t help but ruffle his head. So you’re still plotting to rebel!

Qi Yudong, with a bitter face, thought about how he would impersonate the fourth brother. Oh boy, what was he supposed to do—keep looking in a mirror and admire himself? Or carry around a sketchpad and pretend to be drawing? Drawing was out of the question; he’d give himself away with one stroke. Maybe a camera? He could quietly take photos…

After making the plan, Qi Yudong was once again speechless. They all came from the same belly, yet the fourth brother had so many artistic talents!

With the plan ready, the five little ones quickly changed into their outfits, strapped on their corresponding little backpacks with numbers, and each put on their signature accessories. They exchanged glances, proudly switching their expressions.

So when Yang Ting came upstairs to pick them up, she was momentarily stunned seeing them all dressed in exactly the same clothes. She didn’t think much of it and casually tapped the fifth brother, who was closest to her, saying, “Big Treasure, check your brothers’ backpacks and see if anything’s missing.”

The fifth brother, pleased with his successful expression earlier, continued to mimic the eldest, looking like the head of the family. He said, “Don’t worry, Mom. We’ve checked everything. Nothing’s missing!”

Yang Ting felt something was off, but she didn’t pay it much attention. Nodding, she urged them to head downstairs.

The eldest, who had been quietly fiddling with the camera, took a discreet look at the smug fifth brother, thinking to himself, “He’s doing a pretty good job at impersonating, but his intentions to usurp the position are a little too obvious.”

The five of them went downstairs together. The grandparents, who were waiting in the living room, saw the little ones dressed in matching white cartoon T-shirts and light blue shorts, and they were instantly smitten. “Oh, my dear grandchildren, why are you all so cute!”

Completely ignoring the little ones’ unusual behavior.

Qi Sheng took the little ones to the second car, while the others got into the first car, driven by two bodyguards, heading to the resort center.

As soon as Qi Sheng got in the car, he noticed the little ones’ strange behavior. There was nothing he could do—this was the first time the fifth brother was the “eldest,” and his excitement was a bit much. Although he was wearing the children’s sunglasses that the eldest loved, he talked nonstop because of his excitement. Qi Sheng, listening to him chatter endlessly, confirmed that this was indeed the fifth brother.

He glanced at the quiet “fourth brother” next to him, and seeing him sneakily glance back, he casually pulled him into his arms and started teasing him.

The fourth brother liked to act coquettishly in front of Qi Sheng, but this “fourth brother” was different. Even though he was holding a small camera, looking quite professional, he wasn’t nearly as sweet as the real fourth brother.

Qi Sheng teased him, “Fourth brother, be good and sing a song for Daddy.”

Qi Yudong: …

Ugh, why did he have to pretend to be the fourth brother? How was he supposed to act from here on out?

Just as he thought he was about to be exposed, the real fourth brother couldn’t hold back his desire to act spoiled.

The fourth brother pounced into Qi Sheng’s arms and, feigning a yawn, said, “Daddy, I want to sleep!”

Qi Sheng cooperatively held him and adjusted him into a more comfortable position, glancing at this little darling. Yep, this was definitely the real fourth brother.

The fifth brother, who had been making a racket earlier, was now a bit tired. Watching the fourth brother curled up in Qi Sheng’s arms, sleeping peacefully, his eyelids began to feel heavy. He too wanted to sleep!

Unfortunately, the real eldest brother was the most energetic, and he wasn’t about to go to sleep so early. The third brother, seeing him like this, quietly squeezed his hand.

The fifth brother understood what the third brother meant. He could only force his eyes open, enviously watching the fourth brother sleep in Daddy’s arms, feeling extremely wronged inside. Sigh, who is really being tortured right now?

Qi Sheng had already recognized the three of them. Looking at the quiet second and third brothers sitting opposite, he raised an eyebrow. It was actually hard to tell them apart—these two always liked to stick together, and their personalities were quite similar. If Qi Sheng didn’t look closely, he might’ve really made a mistake.

So next time, he’d have to take them to get five different hairstyles. Otherwise, as soon as they changed clothes or wore the same thing, he’d have to play a game of “Guess the Picture,” and the problem was, it was the same picture every time.

He looked at the third brother, who resembled the “second brother” more, and asked, “Second brother, did you solve that math problem last time?”

The third brother, hearing his name, became alert and replied confidently, “I solved it! The steps are like this: first…”

Qi Sheng nodded as he listened to the little one’s answer. Hmm, that’s a good response. This is definitely the third brother. Just look at that proud little glint in his eye. The second brother was always calm and composed.

After answering, the third brother quietly exchanged a glance with the second brother, and they silently communicated with each other, which was completely seen by Qi Sheng and the eldest brother sitting opposite.

Qi Yudong facepalmed. Could you two stop being so smug? Can’t you see that Dad is trying hard not to laugh?

But he didn’t say anything to remind them. He couldn’t let his character break today!

By the time they arrived at their destination, it was already noon. Qi Sheng settled everyone down and then led them to a small buffet restaurant.

The restaurant was small, but the variety of food was abundant. The grandmother, not too hungry yet, eagerly started serving food for her grandkids.

Although the five little ones had similar tastes, they still had different favorites. The fifth brother looked at the tempting strawberry cake in front of the fourth brother, then glanced at the chicken drumsticks on his own plate. Sigh, he liked chicken drumsticks, but he liked strawberry cake even more. He wanted to eat the strawberry cake…

After finishing his chicken drumstick, the fifth brother looked at the strawberry cake again. Unable to resist, he reached out and grabbed a piece, shoving it into his mouth.

The grandmother, seeing this, was a bit curious: “Eldest, don’t you dislike sweet things?”

The fifth brother quickly took a bite, holding back a satisfied expression, and explained with difficulty: “I’m just trying it.”

While the fifth brother ate, feeling wronged, the eldest wasn’t doing much better. After finishing his chicken drumstick, he wanted another, but was stopped by Grandpa sitting beside him.

“Fourth brother, if you can’t eat anymore, don’t force yourself. Come, finish this bowl of vegetable porridge.”

Qi Yudong: …

I want to eat the chicken drumstick! I don’t think it’s forcing myself!

Qi Sheng, watching the two little ones looking pitiful, couldn’t help but laugh in his heart. He signaled to his wife to join him in enjoying the show. Then, they watched as Grandpa took a few more pieces of cake, cutting them into small portions and placing them on the fourth brother’s plate.

“Fifth brother, be good, do you like these?”

The fifth brother, sitting opposite: I want to eat!

The fourth brother, who had no choice but to accept the cake: I can’t eat this…

Yang Ting had already figured out the little ones’ trick, so she purposely took a bowl of sesame paste, which the third brother hated the most, and placed it in front of him.

“Second brother, be good and drink some sesame paste.”

The third brother looked at the sticky sesame paste, clearly disgusted. The little ones exchanged looks and couldn’t keep up the act any longer. The eldest protested: “Grandpa, you’re mistaking me for someone else! I’m the eldest! I want to eat the chicken drumstick!”

The fourth brother: “Grandpa, I’m not the fifth brother. I’m the fourth brother.”

The grandmother, looking at her well-behaved grandchildren, asked in confusion: “Then, are you the fifth brother?”

The fifth brother nodded heavily, finally able to eat the cake without hiding.

Grandpa and Grandma: Huh? Did they mistake their own grandchildren?

The grandmother looked at the children’s sunglasses hanging from the fifth brother’s collar and curiously asked, “Fifth brother, why are you wearing the eldest’s sunglasses? And eldest, why are you wearing the fourth brother’s camera?”

The eldest brother, feeling guilty, tried to explain: “I was worried about tiring out the fourth brother, so I helped him carry it.”

At this point, the grandmother still hadn’t figured out that the little ones were deliberately causing trouble. She teased the fifth brother: “You little rascal, tricking grandma on purpose. No cake for you today!”

Upon hearing this, the fifth brother immediately put on a pitiful face. Why was he always the one getting punished?

The little ones’ costume game had successfully tricked Grandpa and Grandma, but unfortunately, none of them got away unscathed. After a heavy analysis of the process and outcome, they decided that in the future, this kind of trickery should be saved for outsiders. They’d better not mess with their family again…

The vacation time passed in the blink of an eye in Qi Yudong’s eyes. After starting elementary school, he still hadn’t given up on his dream of becoming the top student in school. However, during this time, he also had to improve his grades.

Every day, he had to listen attentively in class and memorize his lessons. Qi Yudong was so moved by his own efforts that he almost cried. Although he passed the first exam with over 80 points, he was still far from the top ten in the class…

Qi Yudong was truly impressed by the current generation of elementary school students. You guys are amazing!

In order to avoid being punished, Qi Yudong finally realized that he needed to adjust his attitude and study seriously. Unfortunately, when he finally managed to make it into the top ten of the class and proudly showed his report card to Qi Sheng, he heard words that made him collapse.

“Hmm, not bad. What’s your rank in the grade this time?”

Qi Yudong, with a proud face: “Fifty-fourth!”

Qi Sheng praised him: “As expected of the eldest, you have potential! Not bad, not bad. So, next time for the final exam, can you make it into the top twenty of the grade? That shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

Qi Yudong was shocked: “Dad, didn’t we agree on the top ten of the class?!”

“You should make some progress every semester.”

Qi Yudong never expected it to go like this. He collapsed and asked: “What about the semester after that?”

“The semester after next, top ten in the grade. Then the next one, top five in the grade. Of course, if you can consistently stay in the top three of the grade, I’ll be completely satisfied.”

Qi Yudong was so shocked that he sat down on the carpet, feeling wronged as he looked at Qi Sheng and complained: “Dad, you’re too much! Second brother and third brother have already occupied two of the top three spots in the grade. If I take one too, it’s unfair to the other kids!”

Qi Sheng, nodding seriously as if agreeing: “What our eldest said is right. From now on, just make sure you’re in the top five of the grade.”

Qi Yudong: …

Top five in the grade is hard enough, why does this also need to be upgraded!

Qi Yudong clung to his dad’s leg, pitifully complaining: “Dad, you’re biased! You don’t have such high expectations for the fourth and fifth brothers!”

Qi Sheng explained: “How could I not? They’re your younger brothers, they can take it slow.”

“Our eldest, on the other hand, is the leader, so of course, you need to be treated a little differently.”

Qi Yudong: …

Qi Yudong wanted to cry without tears. Dad, actually, I don’t have to be the eldest. Really, I’ve been the second brother for over ten years! Ugh… being the eldest is so hard!

While he was on the verge of a breakdown, Qi Sheng wasn’t planning to let him off easily. “Son, just a little reminder from Dad: these expectations will last until you graduate with your master’s degree. So, you can’t be lazy, okay?”

Qi Yudong: ???!!!

Qi Yudong’s little face turned pale with fright as he looked at his dad with a pitiful, hurt expression, like a little cabbage being crushed.

Seeing how terrified his son was, Qi Sheng quickly pulled him into his arms and comforted him: “Our eldest is smart. Dad believes you can do it.”

Qi Yudong sniffed and almost wanted to cry two streams of painful tears. Dad, where do you get all that confidence from?!