Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Actually, no, I don’t.” Song Yu shook her head.
“Exactly, this is probably his texting style. I mean, if he didn’t care about you, he wouldn’t call you now, would he?” Ruan Danchen had just only finished speaking when Qi Chengzhi’s call came again.
Evidently, it was the same ringtone but it carried more urgency when her phone rang a second time.
“You see? Isn’t he calling you again? If he didn’t care, why would he call you again and again? Go pick it up,” Ruan Danchen urged.
Song Yu smiled awkwardly and brought the phone with her as she walked out of the hall.
Ruan Danchen shook her head and smiled as she looked at Song Yu’s rear figure. Perhaps Song Yu was oblivious to the fact that her feelings toward Qi Chengzhi were much deeper than she thought.
If a woman could fret so much over a man’s response, was there really any other reason for such an action if that woman did not love him?
Song Yu walked to a quiet spot on the corridor and answered the call.
She barely had the chance to say anything as Qi Chengzhi immediately asked, “Why didn’t you pick up the call?”
“…” Song Yu turned to face the wall and watched as the tip of her toes kicked against the skirting of the floor.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Qi Chengzhi asked again from the other end. His voice was deep and Song Yu could almost see him frown through the phone.
“I thought you were busy cause your reply just now was just an ‘Mm’.” Song Yu could not refrain from being slightly resentful. Even her tone had a touch of coquettishness that she was unable to detect.
Qi Chengzhi’s frown relaxed gradually and the pursed lines of his lips softened too. The corner of his lips began curling upward.
“The client wanted me to drink with him, it wasn’t too convenient,” Qi Chengzhi explained.
Song Yu felt relieved immediately. She looked down and rubbed the edges of her foot against the wall.
“Miss me already?” Qi Chengzhi sounded pleased on the other end of the phone.
Song Yu did not speak much during the call. Perhaps it was because she was not used to it, since it was the first time they called after they got together. Nevertheless, she thoroughly enjoyed the kind of quiet and blissful atmosphere shared by the both of them.
Silence triumphed over noise.
Song Yu was quiet for a moment. She pressed her left index finger on the wall, then her middle finger. Both fingers took on the shape of a tiny person’s legs, taking small steps up the wall.
“When are you coming back?” Song Yu asked softly. Despite not actually answering his earlier question, her own question served as an indirect affirmation of it.
“New Year’s Eve. Morning flight.” Qi Chengzhi was pleased when he said, “I’ll be going directly to my grandfather’s place.”
“Mm.” New Year’s Eve was a day of reunion. A big family would be particularly busy and Song Yu had no intention of asking him to meet her on that day.
Unable to find something to talk about, she became silent again. She then asked, “Are you still smoking?”
“No. I stopped.” Qi Chengzhi turned and leaned his right shoulder against the wall.
Song Yu face felt hot. “Did you stop when I sent you the message?”
Instead of answering, he asked, “How did you know I was smoking?”
Song Yu could simply say that she knew it but facing Qi Chengzhi, she failed to concoct any sort of lie. Even a half-truth was hard for her.
“Luo Yushu sent me a message saying all of you are at a club, there are even escorts!” Song Yu made a show of being slightly more serious. Although Qi Chengzhi’s vicinity was devoid of women in Luo Yushu’s picture, the whole place was still full of escorts. She found it disgusting and uncomfortable.
Qi Chengzhi chuckled. “When did you bribe Luo Yushu to spy on me?”
“I didn’t!” Song Yu denied it vehemently because she was afraid there would be a misunderstanding. Men hated women who did such things, what more a man like Qi Chengzhi. “Luo Yushu was the one who sent it to me. Even I was confused when I received it.”
“So, you yourself aren’t curious then?” Qi Chengzhi asked, as though he was the one who wanted to relish some control.
“…” Her curiosity had never been strong. She would not think about how he was and what he did when he was drinking and discussing business outside. Besides, she was unable to imagine someone like Qi Chengzhi being in such a disgraceful situation.
When she received Luo Yushu’s text however, she truly could not contain her curiosity.
With his handsome and virtuous appearance as well as his strong and slender figure, he was covered in a refined exquisiteness from head to toe.
Such a man would inherently attract the attention of various women, no matter where he went. It was only then that she did not feel too at east with letting him be out in the open all by himself.
She felt repulsed when she thought of the women who would throw themselves over him even though he was not a tease.
After a pause, she answered tranquilly, “I trust that you’re not someone with bad taste.”
Qi Chengzhi laughed. Was that praise for himself or for herself?
His mood became much better after hanging up. Sternness disappeared from his forehead and he looked much more amicable. He went back into the room and found a nice corner to sit.
Song Yu stared blankly at her phone. She was still in amazement of how things flowed so naturally when she was with Qi Chengzhi.
With a slightly shy look, she turned around but was left stunned.
At some point in time, Qi Chengyue was standing behind her. God-only-knew how long she was eavesdropping on Song Yu’s phone call.
Such rudeness made Song Yu frown because she felt like it was an intrusion of her privacy.
“How fast of you to get a new boyfriend,” Qi Chengyue asked sarcastically. She had disdain for fickle women like Song Yu.
Song Yu used to like Jian Yi but it did not take her a long time to get comfortable with a new man.
If Qi Chengyue was not on the phone with Jian Yi at the same time that Song Yu was also on the phone, Qi Chengyue would have thought that Song Yu was getting involved with Jian Yi again.
Song Yu wanted to ignore Qi Chengyue. She was fed up to even nod at Qi Chengyue and she simply wanted to go back into the hall.
Qi Chengyue stretched out an arm abruptly and obstructed Song Yu’s path. “You used to like Jian Yi so much but now you’ve found a new lover. You have the audacity, don’t you Song Yu? Don’t you think you’re a bit too fickle?”
“What do you expect me to do? You’re afraid that I’d be involved with Jian Yi if I’m single and now you’re calling me fickle when I have a boyfriend? There’s a limit to stubbornness, you know. If I were you, I’d be rejoicing that I have a boyfriend,” Song Yu chided without holding back. Qi Chengyue was unable to utter a single word to refute that statement. Song Yu shot her a glance and walked past her.
She pitied Qi Chengyue when she thought about the picture that she received, the one where Jian Yi was hugging another woman.
Someone like Qi Chengyue would have no problem finding any other guy. Why did she have to be so stubbornly attached to someone like Jian Yi?
Song Yu did not mention anything about the picture. Meddling with the affairs of someone like Qi Chengyue would only lead to Song Yu being admonished.
Qi Chengyue groaned with an ugly expression. She stomped her foot and gnashed her teeth before leaving.
By the time Song Yu returned, the lucky draw had concluded and she was shocked to see a Philips hair curler on top of her chair. It was the all-encompassing type that could curl coarse hair and delicate hair.
“What’s this?” Song Yu picked the hair curler up and sat down.
“I told you your luck is changing for the better,” Ruan Danchen giggled and said. “You’ve been blessed with fortune ever since being together with Qi Chengzhi. Not long after you left, the lucky draw called out your number, so I claimed it on your behalf.”
Song Yu broke into laughter.
‘Was Qi Chengzhi really bringing her luck?’
…
…
Qi Chengzhi returned in the noon of New Year’s Eve. He rushed to his grandfather’s place the instant he came back.
During the journey, he called Song Yu.
At that time, she was pasting rhyming couplets on the outside of her door. Once she saw Qi Chengzhi’s name, she went to the balcony beside the staircase and answered the call.
“I’m back,” he said two simple words. It felt like they were an old couple.
When she heard his voice, she understood what it meant to feel empty all those days before. At that moment, she was feeling content.
“Tired?” She did not overlook the exhaustion in his voice.
Qi Chengzhi laid his head on the chair and massaged the corner of his eyes. However, his lips curled into a faint smile and he said, “Mm, a bit.”
“You’re not driving, are you?”
“Chang Lai picked me up.” The lines on Qi Chengzhi’s face began to melt because Song Yu seemed to be slowly entering into a state of self-realization that she was his woman.
Hearing her gentle, caring voice, Qi Chengzhi’s mood became uplifted.
“Don’t… drink so much at night.” Song Yu did not want to say it at first but after some consideration, she decided to just say it.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“At my parents’ home.” From above, Song Yu watched as the trees swayed in the wind.
“Address.” Qi Chengzhi glanced at his wristwatch and saw that there was still time.
“You wanna come here?” Song Yu was shocked because she was afraid to let her parents see him.
“…” Qi Chengzhi remained quiet and waited.
After all their interactions, Song Yu could roughly make out his character. Such silence was actually a quiet insistence and if she did not tell him, he would not let it slide.
Furthermore, Qi Chengzhi’s silence only made her feel pressured.
There was nothing she could do apart from telling him her address.
Qi Chengzhi hung up and passed the address to Chang Lai. “We’ll head there first.”
Upon ending the call, Song Yu picked up a jacket from inside the house and looked out, standing by the window.
About half an hour later, a Range Rover approached.
It was New Year’s Eve and not a lot of people were out at their yard. Everyone was busy getting ready to celebrate the new year.
Song Yu’s phone rang and on the other side of the phone, a voice spoke. “You can come down now.”
Song Yu dashed downstairs, half running.
Chang Lai greeted Song Yu with a nod after he got down from the car and stood aside; somewhere near but away from the car. Song Yu wondered why did he have to do so…
“You… ugh…” Just as Song Yu started speaking, the man in the car threw himself at her. She was pressed against the door and being kissed forcefully.
Song Yu was shocked at first but she slowly relaxed her body. She gave in and slipped her finger through his hair, grabbed it hard and kissed back.
Qi Chengzhi had slightly cold lips but both their lips turned warm upon the interaction.
Both of them had not seen each other for a long time and had longed for each other. Hence, it was difficult to let go as their skin touched.
Song Yu had her chest on his. Not only that she could smell the refreshing fragrant on his body, she could clearly feel his heartbeat. Her heart rate increased when she suddenly remembered that Qi Chengzhi came to her before even going back to his family, as planned, upon returning from the trip.
At this moment, she did not want to let him go. All she wanted was to own this brilliant man entirely by herself.
Subsequently, the photo in the club of that night emerged in her mind; the proud and aloof figure with a cold expression touched her like never before.
Song Yu’s lips pursed tighter as her fingernails dug deeper into Qi Chengzhi’s scalp.
‘Shoo… Bang!’
A firework exploded nearby and Song Yu was frozen in shock.
Qi Chengzhi loosened his grip on her as he pressed his lips on hers, then proceeded to the corner of her lips.
There was a peculiar angle of his lips that made her lowered her head uncontrollably to kiss his lower lips. There, she found her lips being poked by his unshaven mustache.
Song Yu’s initiation had got Qi Chengzhi besotted and aroused; his body could not take it anymore.
It was only natural that Song Yu felt the changes on his body. With a reddened face, she buried her head into his beefy shoulder.
“Go home,” he said as he pinched her waist. His hands did not let go even though he had instructed her to leave.
After a while, he knew that he had not much time left. With a sigh, he loosened his grip.
Song Yu, on the other hand, looked up at him anxiously then angle her gaze downward to the zip at his crotch.
She did not know what had got hold of her to be eyeing on his crotch.
At this point, Qi Chengzhi was even more aroused and encouraged. It was as if she was a drug, an addiction he did not want to recover from. Looking at that blushed cheeks and the plump moisturized lips, how could he ever let her go?
“We’d have to head to a hotel if you don’t…” That hoarse voice was so mesmerizing it sounded like vintage wine.
However, it sent Song Yu dashing out of the car. Back in the car, Qi Chengzhi could only smile as he watched her dwindling figure disappear in a distance. Subsequently, he retrieved a cigarette from his pocket, lit it up, and smoked a puff.
Qi Chengzhi waited until he made sure that Song Yu entered the house safely before instructing Chang Lai to drive.
Song Yu dashed into her room with her lips pursed tight, feeling anxious because she was worried that Song Donglin would call her out. That was because Qi Chengzhi kissed her so hard as if he was about to suck her into his body and her lips were always swollen after they make out.
She could only leave her room after the swelling subside.
Yu Qianyin was coincidentally back home when Song Yu left her room. Before Yu Qianyin could even organize the groceries that she had bought, she ran to Song Yu, tugged her sleeves and asked, “Are you dating someone?”
“Why do you ask?” Song Yu was shocked. ‘Was I busted?’
“Silly! It’s good news that you’re dating, why are you hiding it from us? Uncle Xu from the sixth floor was cleaning his window when he saw you entering a black jeep, a big car! And you left the car hastily after a long period of time.”
Yu Qianying scrutinized Song Yu’s face. She squinted with the intention of finding a slip-up in Song Yu’s expression. Unfortunately, Song Yu had practiced the art of remaining calm because she had the experience of meeting countless different kinds of people in her field.
“No, Uncle Xu must’ve made a mistake. I was pasting the couplets at home all this time. Ask dad if you don’t believe me,” Song Yu replied with a poker face.
All of a sudden, Song Donglin – who was busy analyzing his kifu – looked up and blinked his eyes blankly. He was not paying much attention because he entirely focused on studying his kifu.
Since Song Yu called him, he just nodded and answered, “Mm.”
“See. If I had a partner, I’d definitely tell you. It’ll save you from harping about it all day and my ears will finally have some peace and quiet.”
Song Yu made quite a show of being earnest, so Yu Qianying was not very sure about it anymore.
Earlier, she became emotional upon hearing what Lao Xu said. She rushed back home thinking that Song Yu finally had someone and that she no longer had to worry about her.
Whenever Yu Qianying went out, the people she met would first greet her, followed by – “Is your maiden daughter in a relationship?”
Every single time, Yu Qianying would laugh and reply, “Not yet! She hasn’t met the right one. Maybe you can introduce someone?” Deep down, however, she felt very uncomfortable.
Once her excitement finally calmed down, Yu Qianying – whose happiness was in vain – grabbed Song Yu by the sleeve and began nagging unhappily. “Don’t aim too high! So-so is good enough. You’re already twenty-five, but after tomorrow, you’ll be twenty-six. In the blink of an eye, you’ll turn into an old lady. Let’s see if anyone wants you after that!”
“Men nowadays all want young women. Who would want someone like you, who’s been left behind? You’re always using your beauty to say that this one’s not good enough, that one’s not good enough. Once you’re older, who’s do you think will still look at you?”
“Enough, enough.” Song Donglin finally placed his kifu down. He took off his presbyopia glasses and said leisurely, “it’s the new year. Don’t keep saying all these negative words to our child. You’re always saying that she doesn’t come back, but once she’s back, you nag at her. Do you think she’ll want to come back?”
“Forget about it. I’ll go and make the dumpling fillings,” Yu Qianying grumbled as she walked to the kitchen. “No one understands how much I’m worried!”
…
…
It was almost noon by the time Qi Chengzhi reached his grandfather’s residence. As soon as he entered, he heard the liveliness and laughter coming from within.
“Young Master!” Aunt Liu was even wearing a shawl on her waist. She saw Qi Chengzhi and smiled immediately.
Qi Chengzhi flashed a rare smile in return and entered the living room.
Grandfather Qi was seated at the prime seat in the living room. Meanwhile, Grandmother Qi was carrying Qi Chenglin’s five-year-old son, Qi Youxuan, and giving him an endless flow of snacks.
“Grandma, stop giving him so much snacks. His body weight is already above the norm.” Qi Chenglin watched helplessly as his grandmother ignored him and gave Qi Youxuan a packet of QQ Candy. “Our little Youxuan is just the right weight. He’s not heavy at all. How could that doctor be so irresponsible with his words?”
“Not heavy you say? Look at how chubby he is!” Qi Chenglin said helplessly.
“It’s only a tiny bit of fat!” The elderly lady asserted her view that her heavy grandson was not fat. “If you’re really worried for him, find him a mother. All you do is talk, but I don’t see you taking good care of your child.”
Five years ago, Qi Chenglin carried Qi Youxuan home, but broke off the engagement with his already-pregnant fiancée. From then onward, he remained single.
Her few grandsons were not sparing her any worry. There was nothing she could say about the eldest, Qi Chengzhi. He was already thirty-four but still had yet to have a woman. Gossip about him liking men had started to spread.
Her second grandson, Qi Chenglin, had a son whose mother no one knew. There was not a single person out there who knew who the mother was, and his son was already so grown-up. With everything in such an unclear state, which woman would be willing to be with him?
The third grandson, Qi Chengze, was murdered by his wife two years ago. No children were left behind.
With Qi Chengze as an example, Qi Chenglin’s parents did not simply want him and Qi Chengyue to be in arranged marriages. They allowed the two of them to search for love by themselves. Regardless of how much better someone else’s family background was, their children’s safety was still the most important thing.
