In the Years When I Was a Father-Chapter 32: The Partial Dad (12)

Qi Xiangnan was conflicted the entire way home from the hospital, struggling with how to face Qi Sheng. The thoughts churned in his mind endlessly, leaving him torn. Unfortunately, before he could come to any conclusion, Shen Qinglan, who had specially taken leave to come home at noon, walked in with a puzzled look.
“Dad called me this morning,” she said. “He said he had to go on a trip for something. Brother Nan, what could be so important? He never mentioned anything about this before.”
Qi Xiangnan froze for a moment, and the grip of his hands tightened slightly, making the baby in his arms, Niuniu, feel uncomfortable. The little one saw her mother return and began squirming, wanting to switch to her arms. Carefully, Qi Xiangnan handed her over and muttered, “Oh… I don’t know either.”
Shen Qinglan didn’t notice anything unusual in his demeanor, her attention entirely taken by the little darling in her arms.
“Grandpa~” Niuniu called, twisting around in her mother’s arms to search for the familiar figure, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Smiling, Shen Qinglan teased her, “Grandpa went out. You won’t get to see him for a few days!”
Niuniu didn’t quite understand, but still wriggled to be let down. Qi Sheng used to love holding her while basking in the sun at the door.
Following her daughter’s lead, Shen Qinglan walked toward the door. Meanwhile, sitting on the sofa, Qi Xiangnan stared blankly at the mother and daughter’s disappearing figures.
What a coincidence. The moment he heard that man wasn’t coming back, Qi Xiangnan’s first reaction was relief. But right after, a gnawing doubt crept in.
Since last night, Qi Xiangnan had been contemplating all the possibilities behind those memories—split personality? Hallucinations? Or memories from a past life?
It wasn’t until this morning, when he saw that man again, that he finally decided to categorize the extra memories as a “past life.”
So… in his past life, his father had truly been so heartless? Was this life meant to compensate for that?
Thinking along those lines, Qi Xiangnan chuckled bitterly. More and more inconsistencies surfaced in his mind.
If that truly was his past-life father, he didn’t believe the man ever thought he had done anything wrong.
In that man’s eyes, he had always been a jinx, a bringer of bad luck. No matter how obedient or sensible he was, it never changed the indifference he received.
How could he have forgotten? On the day he fought with Qi Xiangdong, their father was still as biased as ever, siding with Qi Xiangdong without hesitation. When he lashed out in anger and declared he wouldn’t let him go to college anymore, it wasn’t just an impulsive remark—it was something he meant.
Even when his grades came out, essentially confirming his entry to university, the man didn’t show any joy. That’s why he had gone out of his way to gather information on how to save money in college—because his father had no intention of paying for his education.
Suddenly, Qi Xiangnan stood up abruptly, recalling something important. When he was bedridden and paralyzed, his father resented him for being “so inconsiderate” and blamed him for dragging down the entire family. After he died, there was no grief, only a sense of relief and liberation from them.
Could such a man ever come to regret his actions? Ha!
Recalling more and more inconsistencies, Qi Xiangnan began to scrutinize the differences between his father in the past life and the man today.
His past-life father had only an elementary education. Even if he had some cooking skills, there was no way he could’ve had the guts and vision to break into the Beijing market during his first time traveling far from home.
Could it be… that his father, after living a full life in the past, also came back just like he had?
No, that can’t be right. If he had past-life memories, he might’ve had knowledge of future events, yes—but his personality, speech, and manners wouldn’t have changed so drastically.
Qi Xiangnan couldn’t help but laugh. That’s right—if not for the past-life memories, it would’ve been really hard to doubt the man’s true identity.
Even though the man tried to imitate his past-life father’s habits and demeanor, he wasn’t the same person. And in the details, it all showed.
His past-life father was the unchallenged patriarch of the household, always stern-faced due to his tough background. Maybe he had some abilities, but he wasn’t exactly a virtuous man. When Qi Xiangnan got into a car accident, that so-called father’s first reaction was to ask the driver for compensation!
And when it came to raising Qi Xiangdong, all he did was teach him how to cook—he never cared about the boy’s emotional needs or future development. That’s why Qi Xiangdong, even at twenty, was still an immature slacker.
But this man was different. Although his manners weren’t exactly refined, from the moment he arrived in Beijing to building the Southeast Food Group step by step, no matter how complex the industry or how difficult the partners, he always appeared calm and confident. His methods even earned the respect of many competitors. Every move he made left Qi Xiangdong in awe.
Back then, Qi Xiangnan had simply thought their father was older and perhaps naturally gifted in business. But now, he was starting to think—this man might not be their father at all.
Qi Xiangnan grew more and more excited the more he thought about it. Deep down, he actually hoped that this man and his father were not the same person. He couldn’t help but let his mind lean toward that possibility, and he started to actively seek out more differences between the two.
And the more he thought about it, the more discrepancies he uncovered. His father from the previous life had a bit of a drinking problem, couldn’t handle spicy food, and didn’t enjoy reading. But this man was different. In the early years, he had indeed resembled his father quite a bit—but in recent years, the differences had become more and more obvious. This man never got drunk, liked spicy food, and especially enjoyed quietly reading alone in his free time…
There were just too many differences, and the more Qi Xiangnan dwelled on them, the more he became convinced they were two different people.
This idea made his resistance toward Qi Sheng ease considerably. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but frown—if this man wasn’t his father, then who exactly was he, and why was he so good to him?
Could it be that there really were gods in this world, and they had heard his dying wish?
But then, why was this man also treating that bastard Qi Xiangdong so well? Shouldn’t that guy be punished instead?
Just as Qi Xiangnan was deep in thought, the “bastard” in question walked in.
“Xiangnan, how are you feeling? Still feeling unwell?”
The sound of his voice, the sight of his face—Qi Xiangnan immediately felt disgusted. And seeing the guy casually walk into his home only made it worse. Narrowing his eyes at him, memories of the six months following the car accident flooded his mind once more.
Qi Xiangdong sensed something was off with his brother, but he didn’t think it had anything to do with him. So he asked again, “Are you still not feeling well? You should stay home and rest these next few days. If you ask me…”
“Qi Xiangdong!”
The voice was cold and carried a trace of hatred. Qi Xiangdong, who was used to dealing with all kinds of people over the years, picked up on the hostility right away. But before he could react, a punch landed squarely on his face, knocking him to the ground.
Qi Xiangnan had been suppressing the hatred in his heart since he woke up last night. When he met Qi Sheng in the morning, he’d held himself back. But now, upon seeing Qi Xiangdong, he couldn’t contain it any longer. He wanted—needed—to release the despair that had built up inside him from all those memories.
One was unprepared, the other burning with fury. Even when Qi Xiangdong finally snapped out of it and tried to fight back, he was still beaten mercilessly by Qi Xiangnan. If not for Shen Qinglan rushing in after hearing the commotion from outside, Qi Xiangdong probably would have ended up in the hospital.
With Shen Qinglan’s desperate pleas, Qi Xiangnan finally stopped.
Lying on the floor, Qi Xiangdong pushed away Shen Qinglan’s helping hand and struggled to his feet. He glared at Qi Xiangnan and shouted, “What the hell is wrong with you today?! Qi Xiangnan, if you don’t give me a proper explanation, this isn’t over!”
Unfortunately for him, his rage only earned a cold glance from Qi Xiangnan. Furious, Qi Xiangdong nearly lunged at him again—but managed to hold back, thanks to a shred of remaining rationality and Shen Qinglan quickly apologizing on her husband’s behalf.
“Big brother, please calm down. Brother Nan, he…”
She wanted to help explain, but truth be told, she had no idea why her husband had suddenly lashed out. Her voice faltered, and she didn’t know what to say.
“Qinglan, go outside for a bit.”
“Brother Nan, you…”
“Be good. Don’t ask. Just go.”
Shen Qinglan hesitated, but seeing the determination in her husband’s eyes, she could only remind him, “Whatever it is, talk it out calmly, okay? Don’t hit anyone again.”
“Mm.” Qi Xiangnan reassured her. After that burst of rage, he felt much lighter, and he could now speak with a calmer demeanor.
Under his gaze, Shen Qinglan finally decided to step out, giving Qi Xiangdong an apologetic smile as she left, thinking the two brothers probably had some unresolved misunderstanding to work out.
Once again, only the two of them remained in the living room.
Qi Xiangdong rubbed his numb cheek and glared at Qi Xiangnan. “You better explain what the hell that was about!”
“Explain?”
“Heh, Qi Xiangdong, when you were bullying me and ordering me around back then, did you ever give me an explanation?”
“When did I ever bully—”
Qi Xiangdong was going to say when did I ever bully you, but the words caught in his throat.
Over the past few years, after he’d started to mature, he’d treated his brother much better. As their relationship improved, he’d gradually forgotten all the unpleasantness from before. He never expected that, nearly ten years later, his usually gentle brother would suddenly blow up like this.
He felt a bit guilty—but also unconvinced. “That’s all in the past! Haven’t I treated you well these past few years?”
“The past?”
“In the one day and one night I was in a coma, I remembered over and over the pain you caused me, Qi Xiangdong. You tore up my acceptance letter. You caused my car accident. You killed me! And you think that’s just the past?!”
Qi Xiangdong stared at the man in front of him, locked onto those bloodshot eyes. His heart skipped a beat. Did his brother hit his head too hard in that coma? What car accident? What death?
He nervously swallowed and asked tentatively, “Are you… okay?”
Only then did Qi Xiangnan realize what he’d just said aloud. Looking at Qi Xiangdong’s nervous and concerned face, he loosened his collar and turned away, his voice cold: “You can leave now. This is my house. From now on, you’re not allowed to step foot in here again.”
Qi Xiangdong wanted to say more, but his brother’s abnormal behavior left him feeling both worried and a bit scared. Rubbing his sore mouth, he thought it was better to retreat for now.
Outside the door, seeing Shen Qinglan waiting nearby, Qi Xiangdong forced down the pain and said, “Qinglan, Xiangnan’s not acting right. Keep an eye on him. I’m going home first. If anything comes up, call me or come get me.”
Before she could respond, he turned and hurried back to his house. Ignoring the housekeeper’s curious looks and his own son’s cheerful greeting, Qi Xiangdong rushed straight into the study, picked up the phone, and called Qi Sheng.