In the Years When I Was a Father-Chapter 130: The Hypocritical Stepfather (9)

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Qi Sheng became completely busy again. Of course, since he had promised the kids he would take them out to play, he still made time a few days later to take them on an outing—finally wiping away the resentment in their little eyes.
Work was work, but Qi Sheng had always been very attentive when it came to the children’s education. One evening during dinner, the family was discussing the kids’ hobbies. Education at the time wasn’t yet as intense as it would later become, and the boys still had ample free time. Qi Sheng, acting like a regular devoted dad, planned to enroll them in some extracurricular activities.
“Haohao, Lele, what are you interested in?”
“Watching cartoons!”
“Reading books.”
The brothers gave different answers, which didn’t surprise Qi Sheng at all. With how Lele could entertain himself all day with a picture book and how focused he got while watching cartoons, it was no mystery what he liked. As for the older boy, his preferences were just as clear.
Qi Sheng asked, “Is there anything you want to learn? Like drawing, piano, basketball, soccer… whatever you like, Daddy will support you.”
Lele looked at him with innocent eyes and didn’t reply. Instead, he blinked and turned to his brother. “Big Brother, what do you like?”
Lele hadn’t yet formed a concept of structured learning—just going to kindergarten every day already felt like a big achievement to him. So the word “learning” instinctively made him think it wouldn’t be fun.
After thinking for a bit, Haohao said, “Daddy, I want to learn drawing.”
Qi Sheng nodded, then turned to the still-hesitant little one and began coaxing him: “Lele, do you want to learn with your brother? Once you learn how, you’ll be able to draw animals and make up your own stories!”
That was far too tempting—Lele’s eyes lit up immediately. “Daddy, I want to learn too!”
So, after Qi Sheng enrolled both kids in a drawing class, it only took a few days for them to unleash their imaginations. On fresh white drawing paper, they proudly drew a picture of their family of four.
“This big one is Daddy?”
“Mm-hmm! Daddy! And next to him is Mommy. These two are me and my brother!”
Qi Sheng asked, “Then what about this one Haohao drew? These two bigger ones are Daddy and Mommy?”
Seeing Haohao nod too, Qi Sheng was speechless. The little guy’s drawing looked suspiciously like some of the creatures from their current favorite cartoon—Digimon. If he remembered correctly, the round blob-shaped one was called Motimon?
Looking at the four characters on the paper, all drawn as differently sized Motimons, Qi Sheng couldn’t help but palm his forehead. At least the little guy remembered to draw a flower on the head of the one representing Mommy. That’s clever, right?
His older son did slightly better. He even upgraded his depiction of Daddy—giving him three horns and a dinosaur-like body. Qi Sheng guessed this was probably Motimon’s evolved form. Since he’d occasionally watched Digimon with the boys, he concluded: apparently, their whole family had now become Digimon!
The two kids, fueled by endless inspiration, became extremely enthusiastic about drawing. Besides occasionally having his aesthetic challenged, Qi Sheng actually found their little huddled drawing sessions—whispering and planning what to draw—utterly adorable. So much so that he bought a camera specifically to take pictures of them.
This made Lele, who loved showing off, absolutely thrilled. Every time he saw Qi Sheng take out the camera, he’d immediately strike a pose. His vanity was so over-the-top that even Haohao felt the urge to cover his face in second-hand embarrassment.
While Qi Sheng enjoyed teasing the kids, he never slacked off in business. He had recently opened another clothing store downtown, and was currently preparing to set up a factory.
One day, while checking the accounts at his downtown store, he looked up to see his wife walking in—sporting a fresh hairstyle, wearing an outfit he had just picked out for her, and carrying a new bag, smiling brightly.
Qi Sheng’s previously serious expression instantly softened. He took her hand and smiled, “What’s the happy occasion today? That hairstyle really suits you.”
Mi Fei giggled. “Nothing special, just wanted a new look. Do you like it?”
Of course, Qi Sheng nodded and praised her. But when he noticed her glancing occasionally around the shop, he couldn’t help but tease with a laugh, “What’s this? Suddenly realize your husband’s become a hot commodity?”
Hearing that, Mi Fei gave him a glare, a little embarrassed. Seeing that there was no one at the counter, she suddenly leaned forward and kissed Qi Sheng on the cheek.
That really caught Qi Sheng off guard. He looked at her turning shy like a startled ostrich and couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Seeing her blush, he immediately teased, “Not bad, not bad—making progress. But next time, don’t just kiss the cheek!”
That one line made Mi Fei’s face flush red again. A few days ago, she had brought lunch to Qi Sheng at the store and saw a young, pretty salesgirl in trendy clothes smiling and joking around in front of her husband. Mi Fei didn’t say anything at the time, but she had felt quite upset.
After going home, she holed up in the bedroom by herself for a while. Her first marriage had ended in failure, and looking back, she realized that aside from her ex and the other woman falling for each other, she herself probably had shortcomings too.
She thought of her ex-husband—they had been college classmates, came from similar backgrounds, and got married shortly after graduation. She had believed it would last forever. But just like what she saw in the shop that day, a beautiful and seductive assistant appeared by his side. At first, she was confident her husband wouldn’t be swayed by looks, but in the end, reality slapped her hard. He didn’t even care about their newborn son and insisted on a divorce.
She still remembered what he said when she reluctantly asked during the divorce proceedings, “Why are you willing to give up your son just to be with her?” Mi Fei didn’t think she looked any worse than the other woman, but she had still lost—completely.
What he said back then still echoed in her mind: “You’re great. You’re a good wife, and you’ll be a great mother. But You are too ordinary. After meeting her, I realized that life could feel fresh and exciting every single day.”
Mi Fei hadn’t understood at the time and thought it was just a lame excuse. Only after she’d distanced herself from his influence did she realize—it wasn’t about being unfaithful, he just thought she wasn’t as good at dressing up or being flirtatious.
Having already failed at marriage once, Mi Fei still chose to believe that Qi Sheng truly cherished their family. Still, she had learned a lesson from her past and decided not to be so passive anymore—at the very least, she should be more proactive with Qi Sheng.
Qi Sheng, of course, had no idea about the emotional journey she’d just taken. He closed the account book and took Mi Fei’s hand. “Let’s go. The little rascals are probably waiting at home, getting impatient.”
Mi Fei nodded, then casually asked, “There’s a new face among the salesgirls today. Are you planning to expand the store again?”
Qi Sheng chuckled and looked at her. “No. Liu Qin, the previous one, quit, so I hired someone new.”
“She left?” Mi Fei was surprised. She couldn’t imagine that scheming girl would leave on her own. While she was still wondering, she noticed the faint smirk on her husband’s lips—what more did she need to understand?
She was touched and couldn’t hide her happiness. She leaned closer to Qi Sheng again, not caring about the people around them—and this time, her kiss finally landed in the right place!
Life as a family of four was peaceful and happy. Qi Sheng’s business was booming—so much so that even Mi Fei’s parents were surprised.
“I never saw it coming—this kid Qi Sheng really has a head for business. I was honestly a little mad when he quit his job back then.”
“Same here. I was worried that Feifei and the kids would suffer because of it. Who would’ve thought he’d get this far? I’ve heard that the daughters and daughters-in-law of my old friends are all scrambling to buy his clothes.”
After their shared amazement, Lin Yufen (Mi Fei’s mother) asked worriedly, “Now that he’s doing so well, has he ever shown any dislike toward Haohao?”
Mi Fei rolled her eyes. “Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? Qi Sheng isn’t like that!”
The old lady huffed. There she goes again, defending him before she could even finish a sentence. Last time Haohao visited, she’d asked him secretly if he’d been wronged. But the kid had called Qi Sheng “my dad” so naturally that anyone listening might think he was the real biological father!
Still, seeing both her daughter and grandson so loyal to Qi Sheng meant the man must have put in real effort. That thought reassured her.
“Next time he’s off, bring him over. I’ll make him something nice.” Then the old lady remembered something. “By the way, Qi Sheng himself is great, but what about his family back home? Now that he’s making money, is that old lady of his even more overbearing?”
Mi Fei paused. Qi Sheng had been too busy to return for the National Day holiday, and she had planned to take Lele back for a visit. But when Qi Sheng found out, he insisted she not tire herself out, so the trip was canceled. That meant they hadn’t been back in nearly ten months.
She shook her head and explained, “Qi Sheng’s been too busy. He hasn’t gone back since New Year, so I don’t really know.”
The old lady grew concerned. “That woman in his family always liked to give you a hard time. Who knows how bad it is now! But Feifei, listen to your mother—when it comes to in-law relationships, don’t always be the one to back down. You’ve got to be firm sometimes, you hear?”
Mi Fei smiled. “I know, Mom. But we don’t live with them. Even when we go back for the holidays, it’s just for a few days.”
The old lady rolled her eyes again. Why did she have such a soft-hearted daughter? “That was before. Now things might change. What if Qi Sheng buys a big house and brings his parents to live with you guys? Then you’ll have to deal with it every day!”
Mi Fei hadn’t thought about that. Her mom’s words made her uneasy. Her expression turned slightly worried.
Feeling bad for her daughter and thinking of her eldest grandson, the old lady said, “If that day really comes, let Haohao come live with us. That room of yours is still empty. The two of us old folks can take care of one kid just fine.”
Mi Fei nodded absentmindedly. But when she remembered how much Haohao cared about Qi Sheng, she couldn’t help but frown. “Let’s wait and see, Mom. If Haohao really came to live with you, he’d be heartbroken. He really loves Qi Sheng as his father.”
Both elders sighed. It seemed that Qi Sheng being rich wasn’t necessarily all good.
When Mi Fei got home, she was still thinking about all this. She had just taken a sip of water when she heard her husband say, “Big Brother’s coming tomorrow.”