In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 97: The Abusive Dad (3)

A new day began. The first thing Qi Sheng did after getting up was to check on his son. The child was still sound asleep, his small body curled up, looking quiet and soft. Watching him like this, even Qi Sheng himself felt his heart soften.

He quietly exited the room, washed up briefly, and started making breakfast for the two of them. The first step to building a bond: win over his son with delicious food!

So when Qi Yang woke up and hurriedly got dressed, intending to make breakfast, he saw two bowls of porridge already placed on the dining table.

Qi Yang’s eyes widened. He tiptoed lightly to the kitchen doorway and saw the tall figure in an apron standing at the stove.

Qi Yang froze for a moment. It wasn’t until the man turned around that he instinctively greeted, “Good morning, Dad.”

Qi Sheng smiled. “Good morning, Yang Yang. Go wash your face and brush your teeth. The buns are ready. We’ll eat soon.”

Qi Yang nodded obediently. He walked into the bathroom still in a daze, mechanically filling the sink and squeezing toothpaste. It wasn’t until his mouth was full of foam that he remembered to rinse. After washing up, Qi Yang looked at himself in the mirror with growing brightness in his eyes—Dad hadn’t changed back today either!

When he came to the dining room, a plate of beautifully pleated white steamed buns was already on the table, with a lifelike little pig-shaped bun in the center.

Qi Yang’s eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he looked at the piggy bun.

Qi Sheng said, “Our Yang Yang was born in the year of the pig. A little pig eating a little pig bun.” Qi Yang was happy hearing that—this was specially made by Dad for him!

The father and son quietly ate breakfast together. Qi Yang normally didn’t eat much, but this time he made an effort to finish everything Qi Sheng gave him: two regular buns, one piggy bun, and a small bowl of porridge.

Qi Sheng was naturally good at cooking—the bun filling was especially delicious. Qi Yang’s eyes lit up after the first bite. Even though he felt a little too full afterward, he still wanted another bun. But Qi Sheng didn’t let him eat more, worried he’d get a stomachache.

“Daddy has to go to the company later. Will you be okay staying home by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“What do you want for lunch? I’ll make it for you.”

“I like anything Daddy makes.”

Qi Yang didn’t know what else his dad could cook and was afraid to make any specific requests, so he gave the safest answer. But it was also sincere—compared to bland bread, today’s breakfast was a feast. Thinking of yesterday’s sweet-and-sour fish, he believed anything his dad made would be delicious.

Qi Sheng rubbed the boy’s head with a smile, already planning what to cook. After cleaning the kitchen, he came back out to find the child still quietly sitting in the living room.

Qi Sheng frowned slightly. When the child noticed, he immediately sat up straight and put on a proper expression again.

The former Qi Sheng’s habit of nitpicking had made the child overly cautious around him, always keeping up a perfect, obedient facade. Qi Sheng knew this wasn’t something that could change overnight, but seeing the child so sensitive still made his heart ache.

Qi Sheng walked over and scooped the boy up. “Daddy has to go to work soon. Let me put your medicine on first, okay?”

Qi Yang replied softly, his cute, sweet tone making Qi Sheng kiss him on the cheek. “Our Yang Yang is such a good boy. But Daddy thinks it’s okay if Yang Yang is a little naughty sometimes too.”

Qi Yang smiled shyly and buried his face into Qi Sheng’s neck but didn’t agree like he usually would.

Qi Sheng didn’t rush. He had time to slowly help the little one change.

It was now the fourth day. The bruises on Qi Yang’s back had mostly faded—some purple still remained, but there was no pain. However, the worst injury on his butt, where the skin had broken, was healing more slowly.

Qi Sheng gently applied the medicine and, seeing the boy so quiet, coaxed him: “Once your butt doesn’t hurt anymore, Daddy will take you to the amusement park, okay?”

Qi Yang turned to look at him, seeing that he truly meant it, and couldn’t help smiling and saying yes.

Lying back down, Qi Yang still had a smile on his face. He had thought his dad only said that to cheer him up in the hospital. But it turns out he really meant to take him?

At that moment, Qi Yang couldn’t help but feel a little hopeful. He had never been to an amusement park. Every time Lin Xuan talked about all the fun rides, he’d be envious and curious. Could he really go this time?

When Qi Sheng left for work, Qi Yang was still lying on the bed with medicine drying on his skin. Hearing the door close, he couldn’t help glancing outside—even though he couldn’t see anything.

Qi Yang felt strange. In the past, his favorite times were when Dad wasn’t home or when he was at school. Anywhere without Dad felt safe—even if sometimes Dad would smile at him or try to be nice.

But now it was different. Just now, he had even felt a little reluctant to see Dad leave. He actually felt… comfortable being with Dad. So weird.

The little boy was very sensitive, but it was precisely that sensitivity that let him notice Qi Sheng’s change so quickly.

The old Qi Sheng had been violent. Even when he smiled, Qi Yang stayed tense around him—he never knew what word or action might provoke another outburst.

But Qi Sheng now was different. He was strong inside, gentle, and tolerant. He didn’t let his negative emotions take over. Being around someone like that, it was hard not to feel safe.

So perhaps Qi Sheng didn’t realize that, because his aura was so different from the original person, Qi Yang was much more receptive to him than he had imagined.

If he hadn’t been away from the company for several days, Qi Sheng would’ve thought it unnecessary to go in at all—handling work from home while looking after the little guy was far preferable to facing a group of subordinates trying to win sympathy.

Subordinate A: “Boss, thank goodness you’re back. Mr. Zhang specifically requested to speak with you directly. He wasn’t too pleased last time when you sent me instead.”

Subordinate B: “Boss, Mr. Liu you contacted a few days ago replied—he’s available the day after tomorrow at 10 a.m.”

Subordinate C: “Boss, Mr. Wang from the previous project is complaining again. Our tech team has done its best, but he’s still not satisfied. Would you consider handling him personally?”

…………

Qi Sheng hadn’t even been at the office long before work began piling up. That’s the downside of a small company—everyone wears multiple hats, including the top boss who still has to deal with trivial matters.

The original person had been in software outsourcing, dealing with low-tech projects in a low-barrier industry. To keep the company afloat, constant socializing and entertaining with all sorts of clients was necessary.

The work pressure made the already problematic original man vent all the humiliation and frustration from those business dinners onto his family. First, it had been his ex-wife. Then, his only child.

Qi Sheng shook his head, pushing thoughts of the past aside, and started to familiarize himself with the company’s operations while planning for a business pivot.

He still had to spend time with his adorable son—no way he’d waste so much time catering to difficult clients. Raising the company’s technical bar was a much more efficient approach.

He spent the morning buried in work, and by 11:30, he was on his way home—he couldn’t bear the thought of his son going hungry, nibbling on tasteless bread.

On the way, he passed a supermarket and quickly picked out premium ribs and chicken wings. For lunch, he planned to make braised ribs and Coca-Cola chicken wings.

As soon as he opened the door at home, Qi Yang came out of the bedroom. Seeing him, the boy immediately called out in a soft voice, “Daddy.”

“Yang Yang, what did you do this morning?”

Qi Yang replied, “I memorized a text and did some math preview.”

Qi Sheng nodded. Remembering what the homeroom teacher had said on the phone the other day, he added, “Your teacher might come by today or tomorrow—she said she’s bringing you some study materials.”

Qi Yang smiled at the thought of his gentle teacher. When he saw that Qi Sheng had brought back a lot of groceries, he walked over to help carry them.

“Daddy, let me help you cook.”

Qi Sheng reached out his free hand to ruffle the boy’s soft hair and smiled. “Okay, you can help Daddy wash the veggies and green onions.”

“Okay!”

With his new task, Qi Yang went to work seriously and diligently.

Qi Sheng smiled as he watched the boy’s earnest little face. Remembering how the original man had feared Qi Yang would contact the outside world or call the police, he hadn’t bought the child any communication devices. So Qi Sheng said, “Yang Yang, after work tonight, Daddy will take you to the mall to buy a phone and a computer. That way, you can always reach your teacher—and if anything happens, you can contact Daddy right away.”

Qi Yang’s eyes lit up. He turned to look at Qi Sheng, stunned for a moment before smiling brightly. “Okay, thank you, Daddy!”

Qi Sheng chuckled and started preparing the ribs and wings. When he noticed the boy still hadn’t left after washing the veggies, he continued to assign him tasks: “Yang Yang, help Daddy rinse the rice.”

Qi Yang replied obediently and went right back to work.

The little guy was focused and quiet, and this obedient look made Qi Sheng’s heart soften even more. He didn’t want to send the boy off to rest or play—doing things together was the fastest way to build their bond.

So even though Qi Sheng could have cooked faster alone, he intentionally had the boy fetch soy sauce or pass him chopsticks.

Qi Yang followed every instruction, happy to help. His eyes sparkled, and his lips curved up in a smile—it felt good to be needed.

With their teamwork, two dishes and a soup were soon ready. Qi Yang helped set the table and looked at the colorful, fragrant braised ribs and Coca-Cola chicken wings. He couldn’t help swallowing—everything looked so delicious.

When he realized how he must’ve looked, he snuck a glance at Qi Sheng, only to see him smiling back. His heart, which had just tightened in embarrassment, relaxed again.

Phew, Daddy still wasn’t angry!

Qi Sheng served the rice and placed a few ribs and wings on a small plate to cool down. “Let them cool before eating.”

Qi Yang obediently said “okay,” but only waited a little before he couldn’t resist and started eating.

Qi Sheng watched him closely and saw him close his eyes in enjoyment after the first bite—he couldn’t stop himself from feeling proud. As a master chef, of course he could win over his son with food!

Delicious meals are the best comfort. After eating such a satisfying lunch, Qi Yang felt even more relaxed around Qi Sheng. He even thought happily to himself: Daddy is really amazing now!