In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 99: The Abusive Dad (5)

After dinner, Qi Sheng took his son upstairs to pick out a phone. The mall they were in was the largest electronics center in Haishi, home to all the major global electronic brands. Qi Sheng had done his homework before coming, so he headed straight to the Xingjia brand experience center, which focused on integrated smart electronics and home systems.

Xingjia’s electronics were not only top-tier in terms of quality and functionality, but also came in a wide variety. In addition to standard products like computers and phones, they had a broad selection of smart home devices. But the most exciting section was the smart toys area—robotic building blocks, remote-controlled drones, smart toy cars, and more. The toys were diverse and highly interactive. At the moment, several children around Qi Yang’s age were already trying them out.

They were operating the little drones, making them fly into the air. These were a kind of toy drone, easy to use, and once the kids got the hang of them, they quickly began competing with each other. Soon, several toy drones were weaving through the air about two meters above the ground, bobbing and occasionally bumping into each other. Every collision sparked cheers from the kids and onlookers.

As soon as Qi Yang stepped into Xingjia, he was captivated by their flying antics. He couldn’t help but steal a few glances, though he resisted the urge to go over and continued obediently following Qi Sheng.

Qi Sheng naturally noticed how lively the toy section was—and more importantly, he noticed the look in his son’s eyes. He turned to ask, “Yang Yang, do you want to go check it out?”

Qi Yang really did, but he was afraid of wasting Qi Sheng’s time, so he hesitated, unsure how to respond.

Seeing this, Qi Sheng playfully flicked the boy’s delicate nose and said, “Didn’t Daddy say earlier? If you want something, you have to say it. And don’t lie to Daddy.”

Encouraged by Qi Sheng’s gentle tone and gesture, Qi Yang mustered up his courage and asked, “Daddy, can we go take a look?”

Qi Sheng ruffled his hair and replied, “Of course.”

He took Qi Yang’s hand and led him to the toy section. Seeing the eager look in his son’s big eyes, Qi Sheng smiled silently. He knew the little guy was used to holding back and not asking for things. Today, he’d already encouraged him a lot, but there was no need to rush breaking through all his defenses in one day.

Qi Sheng walked over to the display, received a drone from a staff member, and turned to wave it at his son. “Yang Yang, come try it out.”

When Qi Yang saw the drone in Qi Sheng’s hands, his eyes lit up with surprise. He hurried over and took the toy carefully, caressing it lovingly for quite a while.

Noticing that Qi Yang was unfamiliar with how to use it, a staff member promptly came over and patiently explained the controls. Qi Sheng stood by and quickly picked up on the basics himself—it worked similarly to a game controller with clearly marked buttons. Even though Qi Yang had little experience with such things, he picked it up quickly.

The little guy was shy at first and only flew the drone about a meter in front of them. Still, he was clearly delighted—his eyes sparkled, and he couldn’t stop smiling, his whole body practically buzzing with energy.

He was immersed in his own corner of fun, but the other kids weren’t all quiet little angels. One of the more competitive children noticed how smooth Qi Yang’s drone maneuvers were and flew his own over to “crash” into it, dragging Qi Yang into a playful aerial dogfight.

Qi Yang was clever and quick to react. Qi Sheng watched proudly as the drone in his son’s hands never lost ground—if anything, it seemed to be winning. He was clearly enjoying himself, and Qi Yang even more so.

Because he had to focus so hard on operating the drone, Qi Yang gradually let go of his mental restraints. His eyes stayed locked on the sky, sometimes nervous, sometimes confident. Every time he dodged an attack from another child’s drone and saw their frustrated reactions, he couldn’t help but giggle.

Qi Yang won several rounds at first, prompting a few kids to team up against him. With multiple opponents, it became much harder to dodge attacks.

Qi Sheng stood nearby, listening to the boy sigh and groan with frustration, sometimes laced with pride and excitement.

Pouring his full attention into the drone game allowed Qi Yang to truly let his personality shine. Qi Sheng, seeing his son’s bright, beaming smile, felt that the trip to buy a phone had been totally worth it.

Eventually, the mock battle ended only because one child’s parent had to leave. Qi Yang safely landed his drone on the ground and, turning back to look at Qi Sheng, suddenly remembered how absorbed he’d been.

“Daddy…”

Qi Sheng rubbed his hair and praised him, “Our Yang Yang did amazing just now!” That one sentence was enough to make Qi Yang relax again.

Most people, when not strapped for cash, tend to get carried away shopping. Qi Sheng was now fully in that mindset.

The drone? His son had so much fun—not buying it would be criminal!

The robotic building blocks? Perfect for keeping his son occupied at home—definitely getting that too!

A kids’ smartwatch? It makes calls, video chats, has GPS—what more could a parent ask for? A must-buy!

…

So what started as a simple trip to get a phone and computer quickly turned into a shopping spree. Qi Sheng thought everything seemed suitable for his son and grabbed one of each.

Qi Yang tried to stop him at first, but Qi Sheng, now in shopping mode, couldn’t be swayed. He wasn’t short on money, and after all, what was the point of earning so much if not to spend it on his precious child? He had already noticed how little the boy owned, and he wasn’t about to let his son grow up with childhood regrets.

By the time they finished shopping, there were so many items that the staff had to help carry everything to the parking lot.

Once in the car, Qi Sheng buckled Qi Yang’s seatbelt and saw the boy staring at him with shining eyes. He couldn’t help but ask, “What is it?”

Qi Yang pursed his lips, then shyly said, “Thank you, Daddy.”

Qi Sheng stroked his soft hair and, seeing how obedient the little guy looked, said, “Yang Yang, Daddy ignored you a lot in the past. Let’s leave that behind us, okay? From now on, I won’t ignore you again.”

Qi Yang nodded firmly, eyes full of trust as he looked at Qi Sheng.

By the time they got home, it was nearly ten o’clock. But Qi Yang was still excited and couldn’t resist wanting to open all the boxes laid out in the bedroom.

Seeing the rare sight of his son letting loose, Qi Sheng didn’t want to ruin his mood. Since the boy didn’t have school the next day anyway, staying up late once wouldn’t hurt.

Qi Yang sat on the cushioned carpet and began unboxing everything one by one.

“Daddy, we bought an extra drone!” He hadn’t noticed at the mall, but now that he was opening everything carefully, he realized it.

Qi Sheng was helping his son assemble a computer. Seeing his surprise, he explained, “I remember you have a good friend—Lin Xuan, right? If you have time, you can invite him over to our house to play.”

His son had only ever had this one friend growing up. Qi Sheng remembered that little guy being very kind and enthusiastic toward his son. After learning about Qi Yang’s situation from Wang Qing, Lin Xuan had even volunteered to sit with him.

It was rare for someone to be able to play with his child, so Qi Sheng was more than happy to prepare an extra one.

Qi Yang hadn’t expected his father to be so considerate. He was pleasantly surprised to find that his father now was exactly the kind of dad he had always dreamed of—always thinking of him, gentle and doting.

At the moment, Qi Sheng was sitting at the child’s desk, installing software on the computer, unaware that the little one was watching him intently with his beautiful eyes. When Qi Yang softly said “Thank you, Daddy,” Qi Sheng smiled and replied, “You’re welcome.”

After unpacking all the boxes, Qi Sheng urged his son to go wash up.

He applied medicine to the boy’s injuries again, then carried him to bed. Seeing the child staring at him so seriously, Qi Sheng couldn’t help but lean down and kiss his forehead. “Goodnight, Yang Yang.”

Qi Yang obediently said goodnight. After Qi Sheng turned off the lights and left, he reached up to touch the lingering warmth on his forehead. Daddy is so nice today!

The next day, Qi Sheng went to work. Qi Yang had intended to study, but he couldn’t resist glancing at the phone, watch, and the toys on the carpet from time to time. Well… I’m not behind on schoolwork. Playing a little won’t hurt!

With that thought, he immediately picked up the phone and started fiddling with it. Qi Sheng had already installed SIM cards in both the phone and the watch the day before, so Qi Yang now sent Lin Xuan a message with his phone number.

He thought he might have to wait a while for a reply, but Lin Xuan responded instantly.

“Yang Yang! You finally got a phone! Quick, register a QQ account and add me!”

Lin Xuan had just finished class. After hearing yesterday that Qi Yang would be getting a phone, he’d secretly brought his own phone to school. He thought he was being sneaky, but Wang Qing had already noticed. She just didn’t say anything—she, too, was curious to see if Qi Sheng would actually buy it.

Qi Yang had used Lin Xuan’s phone before, so he was already familiar with many of its functions. He quickly registered a QQ account and added Lin Xuan as a friend. The two began chatting happily.

“Yang Yang! Put 110 in the first slot, then put me in the second. I’ll also send you my taekwondo coach’s number—he’s super tough. If the big bad guy ever hits you again, contact us!”

Qi Yang stared at the message in silence for a moment. Even though he had promised Xuan Xuan yesterday to do this, he suddenly didn’t feel like it anymore.

He thought of how Daddy had kissed his forehead again this morning before leaving for work. On a strange impulse, Qi Yang put Daddy’s number in the first slot.

Hmm… Daddy really has changed for the better. I’ll put him here for now. If… if he ever breaks his word again, then I won’t trust him anymore.

Lin Xuan didn’t know that his little buddy had secretly bumped the “big bad guy” to the top of the list. He was eagerly recommending anime apps to Qi Yang, but just as he typed a few words, the class bell rang. The teacher walked in, and Lin Xuan reluctantly put away his phone.

Qi Yang waited a while without getting any more messages and figured Lin Xuan must be in class, so he put the phone down and started exploring the watch instead. The morning flew by as he immersed himself in his new gadgets. He didn’t snap out of it until he heard the sound of Qi Sheng opening the door.

Qi Yang quickly set the watch down and walked out of the bedroom. Seeing Qi Sheng carrying groceries, he instinctively ran over to help.

Qi Sheng, as usual, asked, “What did you do this morning?”

Qi Yang, who had accidentally spent the entire morning playing instead of studying, panicked at the question. His hands trembled slightly as he held the groceries. He instinctively took a step back and his eyes began to redden.

“Daddy, I… I’m sorry, I, I…”

Qi Yang was completely flustered. He had been too caught up in playing and hadn’t done any schoolwork. Would Daddy be angry? Thinking of how nice Daddy had been lately, Qi Yang grew even more upset. Tears began to fall.

Qi Sheng had never seen the child like this before. Seeing the fear in his eyes, Qi Sheng didn’t care about anything else—he put the groceries down and walked over to crouch in front of the boy. “Yang Yang, what happened? It’s okay, take your time. Daddy’s not angry.”

Qi Yang was still trembling. Even though Qi Sheng was being very gentle, he still couldn’t say a word.

Qi Sheng simply picked him up and kissed his little face twice to comfort him. Seeing that the boy was still nervous, he carried him to the bedroom.

Qi Sheng couldn’t figure out what “bad” thing the boy had done to be so terrified. But when he looked around the room, he didn’t see anything out of place.

Except… the phone and watch were on the bed. That was the only difference he noticed from when he left.

Just then, he noticed the boy staring nervously at the two devices, his little body shaking even more.

Qi Sheng suddenly understood. He kissed the boy again and asked, “Did you spend the morning playing on your phone?”

Qi Yang was now crying big, heavy tears. When he heard Qi Sheng ask, he choked out a plea, “Daddy, I-I was wrong… Please don’t hit me… sob… I won’t do it again…”

Qi Sheng’s heart melted at the sight. Seeing the boy still begging, he quickly comforted him. “Silly boy, Daddy never said you couldn’t play. I’m not mad, and I won’t hit you. Don’t cry, okay?”

Qi Yang kept muttering pleas for mercy until Qi Sheng kissed him again, finally pulling him back to reality.

“Daddy… You really aren’t mad?”

“Of course not. I bought that robot for you to play with during the day. You’re still recovering—you can play a bit. If you fall behind in your lessons, Daddy will help you catch up.”

Qi Yang stared at Qi Sheng, wide-eyed. Seeing that he really wasn’t angry, his tears finally stopped. After one more kiss, he finally felt the embarrassment settle in. He shyly leaned against Qi Sheng’s shoulder, and thinking about how Daddy hadn’t gotten angry even when he skipped studying to play, he couldn’t help but feel a little happy.

Daddy really has changed for the better!