章 31: Mr. Qi suspicion
Mrs. Qi forced a smile, brushing away the regret that threatened to surface. She couldn't let her emotions get the better of her. "Have you eaten?" she asked, her voice gentle but strained.
"I haven't had dinner yet, but I did have lunch with cousin Zeqing today," Qi Jianyi replied, deliberately mentioning her cousin in an attempt to shift the conversation away from the sadness lingering between them.
She hesitated, unsure how to comfort her parents. How could she tell them that it was fine, that their lack of understanding of their own daughter was forgivable? The words felt foreign, impossible to form. It wasn't her place to forgive them for abandoning a daughter she herself had never been. They owed that apology to the original Qi Jianyi, the girl who had long disappeared.
Mrs. Qi tilted her head in surprise. "Oh? You had lunch with Zeqing today? Why?"
Her reaction was understandable. Mrs. Qi knew how distant her daughter had always been from her cousins, even from her younger brothers.
"Hm, Ling Xi and Young Master Song were there too. Cousin Zeqing took his friend to our university to visit a filming set he invested in, and Ling Xi and I ran into them. So we all had lunch together," Qi Jianyi explained. She didn't take offense to her mother's surprise. The original Qi Jianyi had indeed been aloof, even toward her own relatives.
At the mention of Song Chengfeng, Mr. Qi, who had been discreetly eavesdropping, quickly joined the conversation. "Song Chengfeng was there too? I've heard that his mood has been quite bad lately. How is he?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern.
Not many knew the real reason behind Song Chengfeng's forced retirement. Only those close to the Song family were privy to that information. However, as the only son-in-law of the He family, Mr. Qi had access to certain details from the military.
"Well, he seemed normal, I guess?" Qi Jianyi responded uncertainly, not knowing what the difference between 'normal' and 'bad mood' might be for someone like Song Chengfeng.
But her curiosity about his retirement, which had been simmering beneath the surface, suddenly surged. Since she couldn't ask him directly, she decided to try her luck with her father. "Dad, do you know why Young Master Song was forced to retire?"
Her abrupt question caught Mr. Qi off guard, raising his suspicion. "Why do you want to know about that?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. His protective instincts flared, scrutinising every nuance of his daughter's expression.
Mr. Qi's thoughts darkened as he silently muttered, "Is that bastard trying to steal my daughter?" A protective resolve hardened within him, determined to ensure that Song Chengfeng would be kept at a distance—whether the young man intended anything or not.
Unbeknownst to Song Chengfeng, he had been blacklisted long before he could even make a move.
Qi Jianyi, oblivious to her father's internal turmoil, shrugged casually. "I heard from my friends that he was forced to retire because he murdered his own comrade. I doubted that, so I'm just curious if the rumor is true, that's all!" she explained swiftly, hoping to dispel any odd thoughts her father might be harboring.
Mr. Qi's relief was palpable, but he still kept his suspicions in check. He was determined not to lose his daughter so soon. As he recalled the real reason behind Song Chengfeng's retirement, his expression darkened.
"Dad doesn't know all the details, but it's true that Song Chengfeng killed his comrade," Mr. Qi admitted with a sigh. "However, the soldiers he killed were traitors, spies on that mission."
Qi Jianyi frowned, confused. "If they were bad guys, then why was Young Master Song forced to retire?" Part of her wasn't surprised by the truth. She had never believed that Song Chengfeng would murder a comrade without cause.
"Because he killed them without receiving a command. He overstepped his authority," Mr. Qi explained, his tone heavy with resignation. "But even if that incident hadn't happened, he would have retired anyway. His injury made it impossible for him to continue working in the field."
"Was the injury that serious?" Qi Jianyi asked, her curiosity deepening.
Mr. Qi shook his head. "I don't know the specifics. Why are you so interested in his injury?" His wariness flared up once more, his protective instincts on high alert.
Qi Jianyi stifled a laugh, caught between amusement and exasperation. She was just genuinely curious, but her father seemed to misinterpret her every question about Song Chengfeng.
On the other hand, Mrs. Qi, observing her husband's overly suspicious attitude, rolled her eyes.
'What's wrong with their daughter being interested in Song Chengfeng?' she thought. She had always found the young man to be a fine match, having known him since he was a child.
Regrettably, Song Chengfeng and Qi Jianyi had never crossed paths in their younger years. Song Chengfeng had spent most of his time in the military, while Qi Jianyi had seldom visited the He family's mansion.
If they did end up together, Mrs. Qi believed she would be the happiest woman alive. At least she would know and trust the man her daughter loved, rather than facing the uncertainty of a stranger who had yet to enter their lives.
"Why do you have so many questions?" Mrs. Qi pinched her husband's waist, giving him a look before turning her attention to Qi Jianyi.
"Did Zeqing talk to Chengfeng about what your grandpa asked for?" she asked, recalling the favour her father had requested.
Qi Jianyi shook her head, uncertainty clouding her expression. "I don't know. Cousin Zeqing didn't mention it."
Mrs. Qi sighed, feeling a sense of helplessness. She had heard from her mother that ever since Song Chengfeng retired, the young man hadn't returned home at all. He hadn't even visited his parents and seemed to have vanished.
As a mother, Mrs. Qi could empathize with Song Chengfeng's mother. At least she had two sons and one daughter, but Mrs. Song had only her son—and now, he was refusing to communicate.
"Jianyi, if you happen to see that boy Chengfeng in the future, try to ask him why he doesn't want to go home. His parents must be heartbroken right now," Mrs. Qi suggested, a note of sadness in her voice.
Qi Jianyi was taken aback by her mother's words. Talk to Song Chengfeng? They weren't even friends!
On the other hand, Mr. Qi strongly opposed his wife's suggestion. "Why should we have our daughter talk to that boy? If he had even a shred of filial piety, he would've returned home long ago!" Mr. Qi grumbled, his dissatisfaction clear.
'Asked my daughter to talk to Song Chengfeng and gave that kid a chance to woo my daughter? Humph! In his dream!' Mr. Qi thought.
Mrs. Qi, however, wasn't about to let her husband's interference slide. She shot him a sharp look, clearly dissatisfied. "Oh, so you want to talk about filial piety now? When was the last time you visited your parents, huh?" she demanded, her voice carrying a hint of challenge.
Seeing the clear dissatisfaction from his wife in addition to her sharp words, Mr. Qi immediately fell silent, the weight of his wife's words sinking in.
He knew she was right—he was hardly in a position to lecture anyone about filial piety. It had been ages since he last visited his own parents, a fact that gnawed at him. But he couldn't help it. They had never shown much care for him anyway.
Qi Jianyi watched the exchange with a playful smile tugging at her lips. It was always amusing to see her father, so often strong and confident, rendered speechless by her mother's sharp tongue. Time and time again, Mrs. Qi seemed to have the upper hand in these little battles, and it never failed to entertain her.
"Dad, when was the last time you visited Grandpa?" Qi Jianyi asked, her tone light as she feigned innocence.
In truth, she was genuinely curious. Since her grandmother passed away five years ago, she couldn't recall a single time her father had returned to his parents' home. She suspected a rift had formed between them, but the specifics were a mystery to her.
Mr. Qi stiffened at the question, caught off guard. If it had been his wife who asked, he would have brushed it off. But it was his daughter—a daughter who rarely showed interest in such matters—who was now seeking answers.
He exchanged a glance with his wife before swallowing hard. "Well, your grandpa and I had a little misunderstanding," he replied, his voice clipped.
"Oh," Qi Jianyi murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "Then won't Grandpa feel lonely?"
Perhaps it was because she had never known the warmth of her grandparents' love in the real world, but Qi Jianyi had always harboured a soft spot for the elderly. Her heart ached at the thought of her grandfather being alone.
Mr. Qi felt a sharp pang in his chest at her words. He had felt wronged during the argument with his father all those years ago. The blame had been unfairly placed on him when, in truth, it was his older brother who had been greedy.
Despite knowing deep down that as a son, he should have been the one to apologise, his pride had kept him from taking that first step. The years of silence between them were the result of two stubborn men—his father, too proud to admit his mistake, and himself, too prideful to forgive without an apology.
Mrs. Qi, sensing her husband's turmoil, gently placed a hand on his back, offering silent comfort. She wanted to say something to soothe him but found herself at a loss for words.
After a long sigh, Mr. Qi grasped his wife's hand. "Shall we visit him on his birthday next week?" he asked, uncertainty lacing his voice.
Mrs. Qi nodded, a soft smile tugging at her lips. "Sure. I'll try to find a popular calligraphy piece for dad later," she replied.
"I'll go with you, Mom," Qi Jianyi interjected, eager to help.
The best calligraphy pieces were often found at auction events, and Qi Jianyi was interested in that kind of event since she had never been to one.
Mrs. Qi accepted her daughter's offer with a warm smile. "Sure, fortunately, your Aunt Li is holding an auction this Saturday. We can start there."
Aunt Li, or Li Xingyi as she was once known in the fashion world, was a close friend of Mrs. Qi. Their bond went way back to their days in the fashion industry, where they had achieved numerous successes together—Mrs. Qi as a designer and Aunt Li as a model.
Though Aunt Li had chosen to remain single, never believing in marriage, the two had remained close friends over the years.
It was a stroke of luck that Aunt Li was hosting an auction just in time for Mrs. Qi to look for a suitable calligraphy piece.
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