In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 89: Phoenix Dad (2)

Qi Ningrui went straight home after getting off the plane. Since it was only five in the morning, Ning Man was still asleep.

He first put away his luggage and planned to rest for a bit, but when he passed by the study, he couldn’t resist stepping in for a look.

No one had used this room for a long time. Only the housekeeper came in daily to clean it. Qi Ningrui couldn’t help but recall how that person used to work late into the night here.

He had been mischievous back then. Every time he saw that person working, he would intentionally cause trouble. Sometimes, that person would get angry, but at most, he’d give him a light smack and then smile and coax him, promising to take him out on the weekend or buy him something.

Qi Ningrui didn’t want to dwell on those meaningless memories anymore. No matter how good they once were, they were nothing but dreams crafted by someone with ulterior motives. He no longer had a father.

After a simple wash, Qi Ningrui lay down to rest. In the days ahead, there would be many tough battles to fight, and he had no idea how things would turn out.

He slept until eleven o’clock and had just started to get up when he saw his mother sitting on the edge of the bed.

He had been so tired that he hadn’t even noticed someone entering the room.

“Mom, how long have you been sitting here?”

“Not long. Did you rest well?” Ning Man sat quietly, with no makeup on her face, and her lifeless eyes made her look somewhat spiritless.

Seeing her like this, Qi Ningrui naturally understood the pain in her heart. He sat up and came over to her, holding her hand to comfort her.

“Mom, you still have me. Let me take you out for a walk later. It’s been so long since we went out together.”

Ning Man shook her head, looking at her concerned son. She forced a small smile and said, “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine. Now that you’re back, he no longer has a reason to drive you away.”

“Mm. I’ll never leave you again, and I won’t let him bully you anymore.”

Ning Man didn’t refute those words, though she chuckled at herself. Looking at her now more mature son, she patted his hand and said with suppressed hatred, “Xiao Rui, I know this is unfair to you, but we have nothing left now. If you don’t fight for it, and your father brings out an illegitimate child one day, then everything your grandparents left will truly be gone.”

At this point, Ning Man could no longer hold back her tears. Thinking of her late parents, she hated how foolish and naive she had been back then—and hated even more how good Qi Sheng was at pretending.

Qi Ningrui held his mother in his arms and comforted her in a low voice: “Mom, don’t worry. This isn’t a grievance. That man pretends to be a good father and husband? Then I’ll pretend too. I will personally take everything from the Ning family back.”

“Don’t cry. Your son will succeed. Just wait for my good news.”

Looking at her once mischievous and willful son now being so sensible, Ning Man felt both heartache and sorrow. Holding back her tears, she said with hatred, “Your dad is very interested in a young starlet recently. He’s been spending all his time with her. I’m afraid if this goes on, they really will have an illegitimate child. Son, go see your dad this afternoon. Don’t confront him directly. For now, you’re still his only child. Go along with him a little and get a foothold in the company. We’ll plan for the future afterward.”

“As for that woman, don’t clash with her. I still have some money. I’ll take care of her.”

Qi Ningrui didn’t want his mother to be too involved. He frowned and said, “You don’t need to worry about me. I know what to do. But you… those people aren’t worth dirtying your hands over. Mom, I don’t want them to taint you.”

Ning Man shook her head and gave a sarcastic smile: “Son, I’m not going to do anything stupid. A young girl clinging to your dad—how good could she possibly be? I’m just having someone keep an eye on her so she doesn’t give birth to some bastard.”

The mother and son chatted a bit more, then went downstairs to eat lunch. Before he left, Ning Man gave him some more reminders and only watched his car leave with worried eyes.

As Qi Ningrui left home, thinking that he was about to see that man again, he couldn’t help but feel a wave of bitterness and hatred. He parked the car and took a long moment to calm himself. Thinking about having to pretend to be a loving father-son duo again made him feel sick.

At this moment, Qi Ningrui couldn’t help but wonder—when that man had once looked at them with such affection, had he also secretly felt disgust?

Arriving downstairs at the company, Qi Ningrui adjusted his expression before carrying his laptop bag upstairs. He had visited once or twice in the past few years, so his access was still relatively free. The elevator quickly reached the top floor. Before the doors opened, Qi Ningrui composed his expression once more and walked out, pretending to be relaxed.

At the chairman’s office, Qi Ningrui didn’t ask the secretary to announce him. He simply knocked on the door.

Qi Sheng, who was working inside, didn’t hear the secretary’s voice and guessed it must be his son. He cooperatively said, “Come in,” and, sure enough, it was.

And so began the father-and-son performance.

Qi Ningrui stood in front of Qi Sheng with an obedient smile, his tone slightly nostalgic. “Dad, I’m back!”

Qi Sheng, who was “seriously” working, looked up in surprise at the sound. When he saw his son’s face, he froze momentarily before getting up and walking over to him, pretending to look him over carefully and asking, “Why did you come back so suddenly? You didn’t even tell me in advance—I could’ve sent someone to pick you up.”

Qi Ningrui smiled. “I wanted to surprise you. I’ve completed my master’s degree. Here, this is my diploma. Are you satisfied now?” As he spoke, he opened his laptop bag and pulled out the prepared documents.

Qi Sheng took them and looked over them carefully before praising, “Not bad, not bad. You even graduated early. I was actually worried you wouldn’t make it. It looks like our Xiao Rui has really matured these past few years. See? I told you—sending you abroad was for your own good.”

Back then, the original host had insisted on sending his son overseas mainly because he didn’t want Qi Ningrui interfering in his personal life. Without his son around, he could finally indulge himself without concern for appearances. The boy used to barge in all the time, completely ruining his mood. Moreover, Qi Ningrui often sided with his mother in both words and actions. The original host found it hard to accept. Though he had some feelings for his son, the boy always believed he was in the wrong. Not only did he stand by Ning Man, he also thought the host’s resentment toward Ning’s parents showed a petty character. The original host had disciplined Qi Ningrui many times over this.

Later, when the son’s respect for him dwindled, the original host’s affection also diminished.

It wasn’t until he had an illegitimate child and began suppressing Qi Ningrui that he convinced himself he wasn’t at fault. This son had only ever cared about the Ning family—after spoiling him for so many years, what did he get in return? A thankless brat?

Qi Sheng, recalling the original host’s twisted thoughts, was nearly sickened by the shamelessness and double standards. With a father like that, what child could respect him?

But now that the boy had returned, he had to stick to the story that he’d sent him abroad for his own good. It was the only angle left to maintain even a facade of peace between them.

Qi Ningrui, having been deeply hurt by his father’s indifference all these years, had mentally prepared for this kind of encounter before deciding to come back and fight. But no matter how well-prepared he was, hearing this man shamelessly claim it had all been “for his sake” still made him sick to his stomach—he couldn’t even speak.

Seeing the boy’s poor attempt at pretending, Qi Sheng had no choice but to carry the conversation himself to avoid awkward silence.

So he tucked away his son’s diploma and began asking about his studies abroad in a seemingly concerned manner.

“I can tell you’ve lost weight. You didn’t eat well overseas, did you?”

Qi Ningrui replied, “Yeah, I wasn’t used to the food.”

“Sigh, you’ve always been a picky eater. But sending you there might have helped fix that.”

Qi Ningrui acted displeased: “I was starving—weren’t you worried?”

Qi Sheng laughed. “But you’re doing fine now, aren’t you?”

They chatted for a while, and when Qi Ningrui saw that the man still hadn’t brought up the topic of him joining the company, he had no choice but to raise it himself.

“Dad, now that I’ve graduated, there’s no point in staying idle. I might as well come over and help you out—and maybe learn a few things while I’m at it.”

Qi Sheng feigned surprise. “Eh? You actually want to work? I was worried you’d come back and only want to fool around. You used to be quite the playful one.”

Qi Ningrui acted coy. “I’m all grown up now. If I keep playing around, people will start calling me some spoiled rich kid. Besides, I’m a top graduate from an internationally renowned school now—I can’t let that go to waste.”

Qi Sheng nodded in satisfaction. “Good, you’ve really matured.”

He didn’t drag it out any longer. He wasn’t the original host—upon realizing that the son might be “lying low to prepare for revenge,” his instinct was to send him away, and so he did, assigning him to a branch office in another city.

So Qi Sheng asked, “Since you want to work, do you have any ideas or plans in mind?”

Qi Ningrui’s goal was, of course, Lemon E-commerce. As one of the top trading platforms in the country, its annual revenue far exceeded that of Ning Appliances. Back then, Mother Ning had left all her shares in Lemon E-commerce to him. Unfortunately, he had trusted this man too much at the time—when he asked for the shares, Qi Ningrui handed them over without a second thought.

Now, if he wanted to enter Lemon E-commerce, he needed this man’s approval. Let alone taking back the shares—Qi Ningrui even began to doubt the path ahead. Would pretending to be a loving son to this man really get him what he wanted?

But at this point, he had no other way. Many domestic industries were already set in stone. Trying to overthrow the dominance of Lemon E-commerce and Ning Appliances in their respective sectors would be extremely difficult through entrepreneurship alone—unless he had an opportunity or ability to shake the entire industry, which wasn’t something that could be conjured up by wishful thinking. What he could do now was infiltrate from the inside. Of course, he had made a backup plan as well: he had partnered with He Hongfei to start a gaming company. If things didn’t work out here, he would still have a way out.

“Dad, I want to join Lemon E-commerce. You know I studied abroad for seven years—I’ve grown quite interested in import-export. Why don’t you assign me to that area?”

Qi Ningrui’s real target was actually the home appliances business, since Lemon E-commerce worked most closely with Ning Appliances online. Naturally, he cared more about that sector. But he also knew this man wouldn’t necessarily agree, so he had to settle for something adjacent and ease his way in.

Qi Sheng instantly saw through the boy’s thoughts and inwardly marveled at the fact that he at least knew how to employ strategy now. He readily agreed: “Sure. I’ll speak to Gao Xin in a bit—he’s the head of that department. Learn from him properly. When you become interested in other departments later, come talk to me.”

Qi Ningrui was momentarily stunned by his response. This was quite different from what he had imagined. In the past, he had been a bit foolish—always siding with his mother and maternal grandparents, which had led this man to believe he only had the Ning family in his heart.

It wasn’t until the last two years abroad, when he had time to truly reflect, that he realized this. That’s why, during this entire conversation since his return, he hadn’t once mentioned his mother.

He had thought the best-case scenario would be to be placed somewhere within Lemon E-commerce, but that he’d be kept away from any core business. This sudden cooperation from the man was completely unexpected.

Qi Ningrui’s first reaction wasn’t to think this man had suddenly grown a conscience, but rather that he was being placed there to be watched—or deliberately sidelined.

Regardless, his plan to enter Lemon had succeeded, and Qi Ningrui finally revealed a genuine smile.

Qi Sheng found this amusing. Still too green, he thought. No wonder he lost so miserably when he first tried to fight the original host.

Still, Qi Sheng intended to gain some favor in front of him, so he suggested, “I’ll have the secretary take you over in a bit. After work, how about we grab dinner together—just us two?”

Qi Ningrui happily agreed. He needed to build a good relationship with this man now, so of course he wasn’t foolish enough to refuse.

Qi Sheng didn’t keep him long. After chatting a while, he had the secretary take him to the business department. Initially, Qi Ningrui had been worried about how the afternoon would go, but when he saw the core documents forwarded to him by Gao Xin, he was filled with disbelief and confusion. Was this man really okay with him getting involved in the company’s core business?

Having been hurt so badly before, he didn’t believe for a second that this man was trying to become a good father. Qi Ningrui silently wondered, What the hell is this old bastard thinking?

With that suspicion still lingering, Qi Ningrui met Qi Sheng after work, and they went to a nice nearby hotel for dinner.

Qi Sheng asked, “How was your afternoon? Settling in okay?”

Qi Ningrui replied, “Pretty good.”

“Gao Xin’s quite capable. You should learn from him—he’s been in this field for over ten years. He’s experienced and insightful. Don’t hesitate to ask him if you’re unsure about anything.”

Qi Ningrui nodded obediently. While Qi Sheng was eating, he even sneaked a glance at him, wondering—Does this man still care about me after all?

But just as that thought surfaced, it was driven away by a wave of heavy perfume. He heard a delicate, flirtatious voice.

“President Qi! What a coincidence!”

Qi Sheng looked up at the beauty in front of him, then glanced at his son’s suddenly darkened face. The food in his mouth nearly choked him.

That little bit of favorability I just earned—gone!