“Sister-in-law, please don’t be so courteous. I didn’t expect your daily lives to be so full of disappointment.” Liang Lihua then scanned the living room as she pleased. “It’s just tea leaves. You don’t need to be so courteous with me.”
“I don’t care for any of those tea leaves. Rather than giving us tea leaves, how about you return the money we borrowed Yu Zidong last time, for him to run the company? How about that? I won’t even ask for the interest, just the amount we borrowed. I think the total amount we lent you is somewhere around seven or eight billion!” Yu Qianying chided as her heart burned with anger.
Back then, Yu Zidong and Liang Lihua’s constantly spewed out words of gratitude and appreciation when they borrowed money from the Song family, but as soon as the Song family went bankrupt, Yu Zidong and Liang Lihua severed all ties with them. Like wolves, Yu Zidong and Liang Lihua gobbled up all the money that the Song family lent them!
That was precisely the reason why Yu Qianying felt unworthy of facing Song Donglin ever since the bankruptcy.
When Yu Zidong needed help, Song Donglin agreed to it without so much as another word, but when Song Donglin needed help, Yu Zidong broke their hearts by hiding away.
Liang Lihua inhaled sharply through her lips. Yu Qianying’s attitude made Liang Lihua unable to discuss the matter properly. She took a deep breath and said, “What’s seven or eight million? If you put a leash on your daughter, I’ll ask Zidong to give you the money, and you can build your company up again. Of course, it won’t be as great as it used to be, but at least it’ll be better than your current situation. I can also bring you back into the upper circle.”
Yu Qianying’s expression changed. “What does it have to do with Song Yu!”
Liang Lihua lips pursed into a stern line. She took a deep breath and began speaking, “Well, it seems like you still don’t know about the ‘good deeds’ she’s doing out of the home.”
“Qi Chengzhi’s mother likes our Keyao. You know full well that Qi Chengzhi’s still single at his age, so his family is getting worried. They were very particular about introducing Yu Keyao to him, but who would’ve known that Song Yu had no self-respect at all! She was angry that her cousin sister is having it good, so she seduced her cousin’s man just to take revenge on us!”
“I came here today to tell you this: teach your daughter some morals. Don’t let her do such shameful things to others. The Qi family doesn’t agree to them being together, and yet she shamelessly came to their home. Are other men not good enough? Or is she unwilling to see her cousin sister in a much better position than herself?”
Liang Lihua’s words were like a nuclear bomb exploding inside Yu Qianying’s heart.
Yu Qianying never expected that Song Yu was in a relationship with Qi Chengzhi.
When Lao Xu saw the SUV the other day, and when Auntie Zhang mentioned about her thirty-something handsome boyfriend, were they all referring to Qi Chengzhi?
“Liang Lihua, don’t talk nonsense!” Yu Qianying could no longer maintain her composure. Liang Lihua’s solemnness did not suggest that she was lying, and in truth, there was no point in making lies about the whole matter.
Previously, however, when Jian Yi mentioned that Song Yu might be involved with Qi Chengzhi, Song Yu crossed her heart and said that their relationship was purely a professional one!
“Nonsense? What do you mean by nonsense? Why should I make this up? There’s nothing glamorous about her seducing my daughter’s man!” Liang Lihua stared frigidly at Yu Qianying, and since the latter was standing up, Liang Lihua stood up too because raising her head and looking up made her feel inferior.
“Yesterday was Jian Yi and Qi Chengyue’s wedding. Song Yu and Qi Chengzhi attended the wedding and held hands when they came. Every single guest saw it. It’s clear that the Qi family hates her. They all looked at her like they saw a ghost. Still, she had the decency to sit at their table and kiss around with Qi Chengzhi. Do you know what every guest was saying about her?”
“They said she was shameless. She was engaged to Qi Chengji in the past, but now she’s with the elder brother. What kind of woman could do such a thing? Only a wanton one!”
“You’d better clean your mouth with soap!” Yu Qianying shouted furiously because her own daughter was being treated with contempt. She could care less about Song Yu and Qi Chengzhi due to how Liang Lihua was slandering Song Yu.
“What of it, if the both of them are together? You say that Song Yu stole Yu Keyao’s man, but are Yu Keyao and Qi Chengzhi engaged or married? Are the both of them in a relationship? All that the Qi family did was introduce Yu Keyao to Qi Chengzhi, and to put it bluntly, it’s just a blind date. Do you really think that after the introduction, Qi Chengzhi would fall in love with her immediately and want to be together with her forever?”
“It’s nothing more than a simple introduction. Qi Chengzhi’s not her significant other, so if he wants to be with Song Yu, who are you to stop them? You’re the one who ran over to our home, and yet you have the decency to talk about how unashamed Song Yu was and how Song Yu stole Yu Keyao’s man. It’s only called stealing if the man belonged to Yu Keyao from the start. If not, it could have been your Yu Keyao who stole him!”
“Even if Qi Chengzhi was together with Yu Keyao, who are you to say that he can’t break up with her and like someone else? Are you going to control a man who’s had a change of heart? Why come looking for us? Qi Chengzhi likes our Song Yu, so if you have what it takes, go directly to Qi Chengzhi! Don’t act like an upper-class woman in front of us! Do you think I’ve forgotten how you conducted yourself in the past?”
Exposed and unmasked, Liang Lihua’s eyes glowered and she gnashed her teeth while shouting, “With your attitude, I don’t blame the daughter for doing something as vile as snatching another woman’s man!”
At that point, the doorbell rang.
Song Donglin ran to the door and peered through the entrance. Speak of the devil. Song Yu and Qi Chengzhi, the current subjects of Yu Qianying and Liang Lihua’s argument, were standing right outside the door. Song Donglin was shocked, and he opened the door immediately.
“The both of you…” Song Donglin looked at the two people in front of him. His daughter was standing prim and proper, while Qi Chengzhi was standing behind. Qi Chengzhi’s hands were carrying various bags of gifts, a mismatch with his solemn and handsome face.
“Dad, we’re…” Song Yu had just opened her mouth to explain when she heard her mother’s unhappy voice. “Watch your damn mouth, Liang Lihua!”
“You guys should come in first.” Song Donglin muttered softly and looked at Qi Chengzhi.
Liang Lihua wanted to say something, but when her eyes laid upon the two people entering, she paused and trembled in rage.
“Mom,” Song Yu called out.
Yu Qianying turned around abruptly and fell silent once she saw Qi Chengzhi.
“Auntie,” Qi Chengzhi greeted plainly. Although he was solemn and reserved, his respectful attitude toward elders was still clearly heard from his voice.
Qi Chengzhi placed the gifts that he bought on the table. Among them was a handheld massager, some health supplements, a ladies’ scarf, and a watch for Song Donglin.
Qi Chengzhi poured a lot of thought into those gifts. If they were too expensive, he was afraid that it would give him a bad first impression, so he decided to adapt it to their tastes.
Gifting a massage chair for their first meeting was a bit too much, so a handheld massager seemed just nice.
Before the Song family went bankrupt, Yu Qianying was in the habit of collecting scarves. She loved them, and the one that Qi Chengzhi bought was a brand that she liked very much. It was a hobby that she had to give up, since the upkeep of their home was reliant on Song Yu’s wages and what little pension that they had.
Song Donglin, meanwhile, loved watches, and the one Qi Chengzhi bought was not too expensive, somewhere around the eighteen thousand marks.
“Dad, mom.” Song Yu held Qi Chengzhi’s hand and felt a strength coming from him. She worked up the courage and said, “Qi Chengzhi is my boyfriend, and we’re dating.”
Liang Lihua’s face turned ugly. Qi Chengzhi was so serious about the relationship that he even brought gifts to visit Song Yu’s parents!
Qi Chengzhi’s tall frame stood there, and not once did he look over to Liang Lihua. He faced Yu Qianying and had an incredibly warm expression on his face. It was obvious that he respected her very much, and it made Liang Lihua feel deeply hurt.
Yu Qianying was exploding at Liang Lihua’s words earlier, so when she saw Song Yu and Qi Chengzhi standing together, she lost her train of thought.
She spent a good long while being blank, and when she slowly regained her senses, she glanced briefly at Liang Lihua and took a deep breath. “Well, since both of you are here, we can get to the bottom of things right now.”
Yu Qianying’s gaze landed on Song Yu’s face. “Song Yu, your aunt came to our house and told me that you stole your cousin’s man. What actually happened?”
“Lady Liang said the same thing to me before. I don’t know what’s going on in her mind. We were together way before Yu Keyao and Qi Chengzhi met,” Song Yu explained. She could feel Qi Chengzhi holding her hand a bit tighter and she looked at him and smiled. “If we’re talking about stealing men, I can only say that Yu Keyao wanted to steal my man. But she failed.”
Qi Chengzhi then nodded indifferently at Liang Lihua, as if he just noticed her presence. His voice became even more impassive as he greeted, “Mrs Yu.”
That was the extent of his greeting. His attention then shifted entirely to Yu Qianying and Song Donglin. “Mrs Yu misunderstood, I’m afraid. At that time, my family said they wanted to have a family dinner, but it was only an excuse. I only noticed that Mrs Yu and her family were there when I arrived. Yu Keyao was also there, and it suddenly became dinner and a blind date. So, I left. I was together with Song Yu much earlier than the blind date, it’s just that I didn’t tell my parents then. The misunderstanding happened because my family didn’t know at the time, but now that they do, this kind of thing won’t happen again.”
It was a rare occasion for Qi Chengzhi to explain everything so clearly. His handsome face was very sincere and not at all impatient; on the other hand, his rich voice was neither too hurried nor too slow.
Qi Chengzhi’s clarification prompted Yu Qianying to remember Song Donglin’s birthday celebration at Dynasty. Qi Chengzhi must have been referring to that time!
She met Yu Keyao and also Qi Chengzhi right outside the room door.
In that case, if Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu were together at that time and taking into account Lao Xu seeing that SUV, then the both of them might have already started dating since the new year.
To think that they were such good actors when they pretended they did not know each other at Dynasty!
“Song Yu? Stealing a man? Me?” Qi Chengzhi looked insipidly at Liang Lihua. His lips curled into a sarcastic smile. “She doesn’t need to steal me. I’m the one who came to her voluntarily.”
Liang Lihua’s lips pursed tightly, and she clutched her bag with such anger than her hand was trembling wildly.
She did not expect to meet Qi Chengzhi there and suffer such humiliation!
Yu Qianying waggled her eyebrows at Liang Lihua and snickered, “Well, well, sister-in-law, it seems like your daughter is the one stealing my daughter’s man, and she wasn’t even successful in doing that. As the saying goes, it’s much easier for a woman to chase after a man than it is the other way around. If the woman is initiating it, half the work’s already been done. It’s such a pity that Yu Keyao failed so miserably even though she’s the initiating party. Looks like she’s not really that charming. After all, she was rejected even though she practically offered herself to him.”
“Oh really?” Liang Lihua pursed her lips coldly and shot a disdainful gaze at Song Yu. “Just because they say that it doesn’t automatically mean it’s true. Who knows if they hid some other things from you? Am I just supposed to believe the both of you when you say that you’re together from the start?”
“I came here today to talk about old times and see if there’s anything I can help with. I want to mend our relationship, but it seems like you don’t want that at all, and I came here for nothing,” Liang Lihua held her bag and chided, leaving without so much as another word.
Song Donglin stood in a position that obstructed her way somewhat. Liang Lihua sported a sullen look and rammed right past his shoulder.
“What’s wrong with them? Their whole family is full of ungrateful people who don’t know how to separate truth from fiction!” The door was closed, and Yu Qianying shouted furiously at the direction.
“It’s not like this is the first time you’ve seen her attitude. She’s not worth getting angry over,” Song Donglin advised and held her shoulder.
Yu Qianying turned around and saw Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu still standing up. She took in a deep breath and exhaled. After looking at them for some time, she said calmly, “Please sit down.”
…
…
A Volvo stopped at the entrance to the Song family’s apartment building. The driver got off, opened the door, and helped Grandmother Qi out with Aunt Liu behind her.
Grandmother Qi raised her head, looked up, and sighed audibly. She then ordered the driver to take out and carry the bags of gifts from the rear boot.
The driver could not handle every bag all at once, so Aunt Liu and Grandmother Qi helped to carry a few.
It was time for her to send some wedding sweets to the neighbors since Qi Chengyue’s wedding was held the day before.
When they were Xiao Chen’s house earlier, they talked a little, since Xiao Chen was the neighborhood’s know-it-all.
Grandmother QI found out from Xiao Chen that Qi Chengzhi was kissing his girlfriend out in the open and hugging her so tightly. It was like he wanted to press her into him, and his kisses even left the young lady out of breath.
Xiao Chen thought that she was mistaken, but on her second glance, she saw that it really was him. She was shocked because she never thought that Qi Chengzhi would do such a thing in public.
Was he not always so serious whenever she saw him?
On that day, he was surprisingly friendly and even greeted her, leaving her feeling quite astonished.
She mentioned how the young lady’s face was so red. The young lady was pretty and obedient, standing quietly beside Qi Chengzhi without talking much. They looked quite fitting with each other.
Xiao Chen also brought up how Qi Chengzhi was constantly holding the young lady’s hands, and from the looks of it, he was treasuring her dearly.
Grandmother Qi questioned Xiao Chen about when all that happened and discovered that it happened when Song Yu was brought home. In light of that, the young lady that Xiao Chen saw was likely Song Yu.
As his grandmother, the old lady knew Qi Chengzhi’s attitude well. He was not someone whose eyes would wander around; if he had his heart set on something, he was a single-minded man. Grandmother Qi did not doubt the status of the young lady whom Xiao Chen spoke of.
Grandmother Qi could hear from Xiao Chen’s words that Qi Chengzhi was serious about Song Yu, since he treated her much differently from other people.
Previously, he did not even have a girlfriend, yet he was now kissing and hugging her out in the street. To what extent did he like her, that he would even disregard his image and lose all control of himself in public?
Grandmother Qi still had no clue about what the Song family had been up to. A huge rift with the Qi family resulted from the Song family’s bankruptcy, and Grandmother Qi was afraid that they would not agree to Qi Chengzhi’s relationship with Song Yu.
However, Grandmother Qi was eager to hold great-grandchildren in her arms, and when she thought back about Qi Chengzhi’s words, she realized what he said was true. If he was not allowed to be together with Song Yu, he might not be able to find a more suitable person in the future.
He was thirty-four, going on thirty-five in the blink of an eye. He was no longer young, and since he was a fussy person to begin with, God-only-knew how long he would need to find a woman, if he managed to find one at all. He would be forty in a couple of years, so how long more did Grandmother Qi have to wait to carry great-grandchildren in her arms?
Grandmother Qi thought about it a lot and realized that there was nothing wrong about Song Yu’s background. ‘Qi Chengji was only engaged to her right? It’s not like they were swapping partners.’
It was a small matter compared to the old lady’s desire to have great-grandchildren.
After bidding goodbye to Xiao Chen, the old lady mulled it over while on the way home. Once she reached home, she ordered Aunt Liu to take whatever food and drink that was available.
The box of birds’ nests was taken out, along with a crate each of Maotai liquor, red wine, and king crab that were gifts from other people. Grandmother Qi was not about to be stingy.
She wanted to see what Song Yu’s parents had to say. Grandmother Qi was aware of her own seniority in her family, and with all the gifts at hand, perhaps Song Yu’s parents might not put on a sour look?
Grandmother Qi was old and her legs were not as strong as they used to be. The absence of elevators in the building meant that she had to walk very slowly. She allowed the driver and Aunt Liu to walk in front of her. The two crates of alcohol were carried by the driver, and she told him to climb up the stairs first. Next was Aunt Liu with the king crab, and finally, Grandmother Qi held the box of birds’ nests.
Grandmother Qi was fond of going out on walks, but most of the places she went was flat ground, so when she faced the prospect of climbing stairs, tiredness set in barely a few steps later. She took out her handkerchief and wrapped it around her hand before leaning on the wall. A short rest later, she resumed her journey up the stairs.
Liang Lihua ran down the stairs with her lips still pursed tightly and her breathing still heavy.
She never entertained the possibility that Qi Chengzhi would show up at their doorstep to visit them. Every single sentence that she said prior to his arrival had turned into a joke.
She still could not understand what was so good about Song Yu. Yu Keyao did not fall short of Song Yu and the Song family had nothing! What use would it be if he got married to Song Yu?
Regardless, she did not want to lose to the Yu family!
Her mind was still busy thinking of all that when she ran into the corner of the wine crate that the driver was carrying. Both crates contained liquor and were heavy, so when Liang Lihua bumped into them, nothing happened to the contents of the crate. Instead, it was Liang Lihua’s collarbone that felt a sharp pain, forcing her to clench her teeth in agony.
“My apologies,” the driver said immediately.
“Don’t you have eyes? If you see someone coming and you’re carrying so many things, why do you have to insist on going first? Can’t you give way?” Liang Lihua suffered hell in the Song family, and when she suffered pain from bumping into the crates, she cursed her lack of luck on that day. Her anger had yet to subside, so at that moment, she unleashed it all on the poor driver.
The driver, Xiao Fan, was a very earnest man. Whenever he went out with the elderly Qi couple, he would always value harmony and calmness before everything else, so when Liang Lihua bumped into him, he could only reply with a simple apology.
Liang Lihua let out a loud ‘hmph’ and stomped her way downstairs. She did not even give way when she passed the old lady, bumping directly into her and knocking the box of birds’ nests. The nest rattled within the box as a result of the force from the bump.
The old lady even heard Liang Lihua’s grumbles after the latter turned a corner to the staircase. “This is exactly the kind of run-down place where people don’t have any manners! A few boxes and they’re already acting like they’re some parvenu who’s never seen the real world!”
“What kind of people complains about such a place but comes here anyway?” The old lady was seething because she had never met such an unreasonable person before. ‘She thinks she’s so great just because she has that bit of money? If she has what it takes, why not take out her family’s money and see if she can compare with our mighty Qi family!’
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“Sister-in-law, please don’t be so courteous. I didn’t expect your daily lives to be so full of disappointment.” Liang Lihua then scanned the living room as she pleased. “It’s just tea leaves. You don’t need to be so courteous with me.”
“I don’t care for any of those tea leaves. Rather than giving us tea leaves, how about you return the money we borrowed Yu Zidong last time, for him to run the company? How about that? I won’t even ask for the interest, just the amount we borrowed. I think the total amount we lent you is somewhere around seven or eight billion!” Yu Qianying chided as her heart burned with anger.
Back then, Yu Zidong and Liang Lihua’s constantly spewed out words of gratitude and appreciation when they borrowed money from the Song family, but as soon as the Song family went bankrupt, Yu Zidong and Liang Lihua severed all ties with them. Like wolves, Yu Zidong and Liang Lihua gobbled up all the money that the Song family lent them!
That was precisely the reason why Yu Qianying felt unworthy of facing Song Donglin ever since the bankruptcy.
When Yu Zidong needed help, Song Donglin agreed to it without so much as another word, but when Song Donglin needed help, Yu Zidong broke their hearts by hiding away.
Liang Lihua inhaled sharply through her lips. Yu Qianying’s attitude made Liang Lihua unable to discuss the matter properly. She took a deep breath and said, “What’s seven or eight million? If you put a leash on your daughter, I’ll ask Zidong to give you the money, and you can build your company up again. Of course, it won’t be as great as it used to be, but at least it’ll be better than your current situation. I can also bring you back into the upper circle.”
Yu Qianying’s expression changed. “What does it have to do with Song Yu!”
Liang Lihua lips pursed into a stern line. She took a deep breath and began speaking, “Well, it seems like you still don’t know about the ‘good deeds’ she’s doing out of the home.”
“Qi Chengzhi’s mother likes our Keyao. You know full well that Qi Chengzhi’s still single at his age, so his family is getting worried. They were very particular about introducing Yu Keyao to him, but who would’ve known that Song Yu had no self-respect at all! She was angry that her cousin sister is having it good, so she seduced her cousin’s man just to take revenge on us!”
“I came here today to tell you this: teach your daughter some morals. Don’t let her do such shameful things to others. The Qi family doesn’t agree to them being together, and yet she shamelessly came to their home. Are other men not good enough? Or is she unwilling to see her cousin sister in a much better position than herself?”
Liang Lihua’s words were like a nuclear bomb exploding inside Yu Qianying’s heart.
Yu Qianying never expected that Song Yu was in a relationship with Qi Chengzhi.
When Lao Xu saw the SUV the other day, and when Auntie Zhang mentioned about her thirty-something handsome boyfriend, were they all referring to Qi Chengzhi?
“Liang Lihua, don’t talk nonsense!” Yu Qianying could no longer maintain her composure. Liang Lihua’s solemnness did not suggest that she was lying, and in truth, there was no point in making lies about the whole matter.
Previously, however, when Jian Yi mentioned that Song Yu might be involved with Qi Chengzhi, Song Yu crossed her heart and said that their relationship was purely a professional one!
“Nonsense? What do you mean by nonsense? Why should I make this up? There’s nothing glamorous about her seducing my daughter’s man!” Liang Lihua stared frigidly at Yu Qianying, and since the latter was standing up, Liang Lihua stood up too because raising her head and looking up made her feel inferior.
“Yesterday was Jian Yi and Qi Chengyue’s wedding. Song Yu and Qi Chengzhi attended the wedding and held hands when they came. Every single guest saw it. It’s clear that the Qi family hates her. They all looked at her like they saw a ghost. Still, she had the decency to sit at their table and kiss around with Qi Chengzhi. Do you know what every guest was saying about her?”
“They said she was shameless. She was engaged to Qi Chengji in the past, but now she’s with the elder brother. What kind of woman could do such a thing? Only a wanton one!”
“You’d better clean your mouth with soap!” Yu Qianying shouted furiously because her own daughter was being treated with contempt. She could care less about Song Yu and Qi Chengzhi due to how Liang Lihua was slandering Song Yu.
“What of it, if the both of them are together? You say that Song Yu stole Yu Keyao’s man, but are Yu Keyao and Qi Chengzhi engaged or married? Are the both of them in a relationship? All that the Qi family did was introduce Yu Keyao to Qi Chengzhi, and to put it bluntly, it’s just a blind date. Do you really think that after the introduction, Qi Chengzhi would fall in love with her immediately and want to be together with her forever?”
“It’s nothing more than a simple introduction. Qi Chengzhi’s not her significant other, so if he wants to be with Song Yu, who are you to stop them? You’re the one who ran over to our home, and yet you have the decency to talk about how unashamed Song Yu was and how Song Yu stole Yu Keyao’s man. It’s only called stealing if the man belonged to Yu Keyao from the start. If not, it could have been your Yu Keyao who stole him!”
“Even if Qi Chengzhi was together with Yu Keyao, who are you to say that he can’t break up with her and like someone else? Are you going to control a man who’s had a change of heart? Why come looking for us? Qi Chengzhi likes our Song Yu, so if you have what it takes, go directly to Qi Chengzhi! Don’t act like an upper-class woman in front of us! Do you think I’ve forgotten how you conducted yourself in the past?”
Exposed and unmasked, Liang Lihua’s eyes glowered and she gnashed her teeth while shouting, “With your attitude, I don’t blame the daughter for doing something as vile as snatching another woman’s man!”
At that point, the doorbell rang.
Song Donglin ran to the door and peered through the entrance. Speak of the devil. Song Yu and Qi Chengzhi, the current subjects of Yu Qianying and Liang Lihua’s argument, were standing right outside the door. Song Donglin was shocked, and he opened the door immediately.
“The both of you…” Song Donglin looked at the two people in front of him. His daughter was standing prim and proper, while Qi Chengzhi was standing behind. Qi Chengzhi’s hands were carrying various bags of gifts, a mismatch with his solemn and handsome face.
“Dad, we’re…” Song Yu had just opened her mouth to explain when she heard her mother’s unhappy voice. “Watch your damn mouth, Liang Lihua!”
“You guys should come in first.” Song Donglin muttered softly and looked at Qi Chengzhi.
Liang Lihua wanted to say something, but when her eyes laid upon the two people entering, she paused and trembled in rage.
“Mom,” Song Yu called out.
Yu Qianying turned around abruptly and fell silent once she saw Qi Chengzhi.
“Auntie,” Qi Chengzhi greeted plainly. Although he was solemn and reserved, his respectful attitude toward elders was still clearly heard from his voice.
Qi Chengzhi placed the gifts that he bought on the table. Among them was a handheld massager, some health supplements, a ladies’ scarf, and a watch for Song Donglin.
Qi Chengzhi poured a lot of thought into those gifts. If they were too expensive, he was afraid that it would give him a bad first impression, so he decided to adapt it to their tastes.
Gifting a massage chair for their first meeting was a bit too much, so a handheld massager seemed just nice.
Before the Song family went bankrupt, Yu Qianying was in the habit of collecting scarves. She loved them, and the one that Qi Chengzhi bought was a brand that she liked very much. It was a hobby that she had to give up, since the upkeep of their home was reliant on Song Yu’s wages and what little pension that they had.
Song Donglin, meanwhile, loved watches, and the one Qi Chengzhi bought was not too expensive, somewhere around the eighteen thousand marks.
“Dad, mom.” Song Yu held Qi Chengzhi’s hand and felt a strength coming from him. She worked up the courage and said, “Qi Chengzhi is my boyfriend, and we’re dating.”
Liang Lihua’s face turned ugly. Qi Chengzhi was so serious about the relationship that he even brought gifts to visit Song Yu’s parents!
Qi Chengzhi’s tall frame stood there, and not once did he look over to Liang Lihua. He faced Yu Qianying and had an incredibly warm expression on his face. It was obvious that he respected her very much, and it made Liang Lihua feel deeply hurt.
Yu Qianying was exploding at Liang Lihua’s words earlier, so when she saw Song Yu and Qi Chengzhi standing together, she lost her train of thought.
She spent a good long while being blank, and when she slowly regained her senses, she glanced briefly at Liang Lihua and took a deep breath. “Well, since both of you are here, we can get to the bottom of things right now.”
Yu Qianying’s gaze landed on Song Yu’s face. “Song Yu, your aunt came to our house and told me that you stole your cousin’s man. What actually happened?”
“Lady Liang said the same thing to me before. I don’t know what’s going on in her mind. We were together way before Yu Keyao and Qi Chengzhi met,” Song Yu explained. She could feel Qi Chengzhi holding her hand a bit tighter and she looked at him and smiled. “If we’re talking about stealing men, I can only say that Yu Keyao wanted to steal my man. But she failed.”
Qi Chengzhi then nodded indifferently at Liang Lihua, as if he just noticed her presence. His voice became even more impassive as he greeted, “Mrs Yu.”
That was the extent of his greeting. His attention then shifted entirely to Yu Qianying and Song Donglin. “Mrs Yu misunderstood, I’m afraid. At that time, my family said they wanted to have a family dinner, but it was only an excuse. I only noticed that Mrs Yu and her family were there when I arrived. Yu Keyao was also there, and it suddenly became dinner and a blind date. So, I left. I was together with Song Yu much earlier than the blind date, it’s just that I didn’t tell my parents then. The misunderstanding happened because my family didn’t know at the time, but now that they do, this kind of thing won’t happen again.”
It was a rare occasion for Qi Chengzhi to explain everything so clearly. His handsome face was very sincere and not at all impatient; on the other hand, his rich voice was neither too hurried nor too slow.
Qi Chengzhi’s clarification prompted Yu Qianying to remember Song Donglin’s birthday celebration at Dynasty. Qi Chengzhi must have been referring to that time!
She met Yu Keyao and also Qi Chengzhi right outside the room door.
In that case, if Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu were together at that time and taking into account Lao Xu seeing that SUV, then the both of them might have already started dating since the new year.
To think that they were such good actors when they pretended they did not know each other at Dynasty!
“Song Yu? Stealing a man? Me?” Qi Chengzhi looked insipidly at Liang Lihua. His lips curled into a sarcastic smile. “She doesn’t need to steal me. I’m the one who came to her voluntarily.”
Liang Lihua’s lips pursed tightly, and she clutched her bag with such anger than her hand was trembling wildly.
She did not expect to meet Qi Chengzhi there and suffer such humiliation!
Yu Qianying waggled her eyebrows at Liang Lihua and snickered, “Well, well, sister-in-law, it seems like your daughter is the one stealing my daughter’s man, and she wasn’t even successful in doing that. As the saying goes, it’s much easier for a woman to chase after a man than it is the other way around. If the woman is initiating it, half the work’s already been done. It’s such a pity that Yu Keyao failed so miserably even though she’s the initiating party. Looks like she’s not really that charming. After all, she was rejected even though she practically offered herself to him.”
“Oh really?” Liang Lihua pursed her lips coldly and shot a disdainful gaze at Song Yu. “Just because they say that it doesn’t automatically mean it’s true. Who knows if they hid some other things from you? Am I just supposed to believe the both of you when you say that you’re together from the start?”
“I came here today to talk about old times and see if there’s anything I can help with. I want to mend our relationship, but it seems like you don’t want that at all, and I came here for nothing,” Liang Lihua held her bag and chided, leaving without so much as another word.
Song Donglin stood in a position that obstructed her way somewhat. Liang Lihua sported a sullen look and rammed right past his shoulder.
“What’s wrong with them? Their whole family is full of ungrateful people who don’t know how to separate truth from fiction!” The door was closed, and Yu Qianying shouted furiously at the direction.
“It’s not like this is the first time you’ve seen her attitude. She’s not worth getting angry over,” Song Donglin advised and held her shoulder.
Yu Qianying turned around and saw Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu still standing up. She took in a deep breath and exhaled. After looking at them for some time, she said calmly, “Please sit down.”
…
…
A Volvo stopped at the entrance to the Song family’s apartment building. The driver got off, opened the door, and helped Grandmother Qi out with Aunt Liu behind her.
Grandmother Qi raised her head, looked up, and sighed audibly. She then ordered the driver to take out and carry the bags of gifts from the rear boot.
The driver could not handle every bag all at once, so Aunt Liu and Grandmother Qi helped to carry a few.
It was time for her to send some wedding sweets to the neighbors since Qi Chengyue’s wedding was held the day before.
When they were Xiao Chen’s house earlier, they talked a little, since Xiao Chen was the neighborhood’s know-it-all.
Grandmother QI found out from Xiao Chen that Qi Chengzhi was kissing his girlfriend out in the open and hugging her so tightly. It was like he wanted to press her into him, and his kisses even left the young lady out of breath.
Xiao Chen thought that she was mistaken, but on her second glance, she saw that it really was him. She was shocked because she never thought that Qi Chengzhi would do such a thing in public.
Was he not always so serious whenever she saw him?
On that day, he was surprisingly friendly and even greeted her, leaving her feeling quite astonished.
She mentioned how the young lady’s face was so red. The young lady was pretty and obedient, standing quietly beside Qi Chengzhi without talking much. They looked quite fitting with each other.
Xiao Chen also brought up how Qi Chengzhi was constantly holding the young lady’s hands, and from the looks of it, he was treasuring her dearly.
Grandmother Qi questioned Xiao Chen about when all that happened and discovered that it happened when Song Yu was brought home. In light of that, the young lady that Xiao Chen saw was likely Song Yu.
As his grandmother, the old lady knew Qi Chengzhi’s attitude well. He was not someone whose eyes would wander around; if he had his heart set on something, he was a single-minded man. Grandmother Qi did not doubt the status of the young lady whom Xiao Chen spoke of.
Grandmother Qi could hear from Xiao Chen’s words that Qi Chengzhi was serious about Song Yu, since he treated her much differently from other people.
Previously, he did not even have a girlfriend, yet he was now kissing and hugging her out in the street. To what extent did he like her, that he would even disregard his image and lose all control of himself in public?
Grandmother Qi still had no clue about what the Song family had been up to. A huge rift with the Qi family resulted from the Song family’s bankruptcy, and Grandmother Qi was afraid that they would not agree to Qi Chengzhi’s relationship with Song Yu.
However, Grandmother Qi was eager to hold great-grandchildren in her arms, and when she thought back about Qi Chengzhi’s words, she realized what he said was true. If he was not allowed to be together with Song Yu, he might not be able to find a more suitable person in the future.
He was thirty-four, going on thirty-five in the blink of an eye. He was no longer young, and since he was a fussy person to begin with, God-only-knew how long he would need to find a woman, if he managed to find one at all. He would be forty in a couple of years, so how long more did Grandmother Qi have to wait to carry great-grandchildren in her arms?
Grandmother Qi thought about it a lot and realized that there was nothing wrong about Song Yu’s background. ‘Qi Chengji was only engaged to her right? It’s not like they were swapping partners.’
It was a small matter compared to the old lady’s desire to have great-grandchildren.
After bidding goodbye to Xiao Chen, the old lady mulled it over while on the way home. Once she reached home, she ordered Aunt Liu to take whatever food and drink that was available.
The box of birds’ nests was taken out, along with a crate each of Maotai liquor, red wine, and king crab that were gifts from other people. Grandmother Qi was not about to be stingy.
She wanted to see what Song Yu’s parents had to say. Grandmother Qi was aware of her own seniority in her family, and with all the gifts at hand, perhaps Song Yu’s parents might not put on a sour look?
Grandmother Qi was old and her legs were not as strong as they used to be. The absence of elevators in the building meant that she had to walk very slowly. She allowed the driver and Aunt Liu to walk in front of her. The two crates of alcohol were carried by the driver, and she told him to climb up the stairs first. Next was Aunt Liu with the king crab, and finally, Grandmother Qi held the box of birds’ nests.
Grandmother Qi was fond of going out on walks, but most of the places she went was flat ground, so when she faced the prospect of climbing stairs, tiredness set in barely a few steps later. She took out her handkerchief and wrapped it around her hand before leaning on the wall. A short rest later, she resumed her journey up the stairs.
Liang Lihua ran down the stairs with her lips still pursed tightly and her breathing still heavy.
She never entertained the possibility that Qi Chengzhi would show up at their doorstep to visit them. Every single sentence that she said prior to his arrival had turned into a joke.
She still could not understand what was so good about Song Yu. Yu Keyao did not fall short of Song Yu and the Song family had nothing! What use would it be if he got married to Song Yu?
Regardless, she did not want to lose to the Yu family!
Her mind was still busy thinking of all that when she ran into the corner of the wine crate that the driver was carrying. Both crates contained liquor and were heavy, so when Liang Lihua bumped into them, nothing happened to the contents of the crate. Instead, it was Liang Lihua’s collarbone that felt a sharp pain, forcing her to clench her teeth in agony.
“My apologies,” the driver said immediately.
“Don’t you have eyes? If you see someone coming and you’re carrying so many things, why do you have to insist on going first? Can’t you give way?” Liang Lihua suffered hell in the Song family, and when she suffered pain from bumping into the crates, she cursed her lack of luck on that day. Her anger had yet to subside, so at that moment, she unleashed it all on the poor driver.
The driver, Xiao Fan, was a very earnest man. Whenever he went out with the elderly Qi couple, he would always value harmony and calmness before everything else, so when Liang Lihua bumped into him, he could only reply with a simple apology.
Liang Lihua let out a loud ‘hmph’ and stomped her way downstairs. She did not even give way when she passed the old lady, bumping directly into her and knocking the box of birds’ nests. The nest rattled within the box as a result of the force from the bump.
The old lady even heard Liang Lihua’s grumbles after the latter turned a corner to the staircase. “This is exactly the kind of run-down place where people don’t have any manners! A few boxes and they’re already acting like they’re some parvenu who’s never seen the real world!”
“What kind of people complains about such a place but comes here anyway?” The old lady was seething because she had never met such an unreasonable person before. ‘She thinks she’s so great just because she has that bit of money? If she has what it takes, why not take out her family’s money and see if she can compare with our mighty Qi family!’
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