In the Years When I Was a Father-Chapter 35: The Partial Dad (15)

Qi Xiangdong’s heart tightened—so it really wasn’t going to be that simple!
He wanted to bargain a little, but seeing his younger brother’s calm and stern expression, he had no choice but to relent. “One condition is fine, but don’t go overboard, alright?”
Qi Xiangnan remained unmoved by his brother’s low posture and replied coldly, “It’s simple. From now on, you’re not allowed to step foot in my house again.”
Qi Xiangdong frowned, feeling that something was off, and instinctively responded, “You’re trying to cut ties with me? Isn’t that a bit too much?”
Qi Xiangnan shot back sarcastically, “Did you feel it was too much when you bullied me back then?”
That one line instantly choked Qi Xiangdong into silence. But he couldn’t help trying to negotiate, “If you’re still upset, I’ll take anything you throw at me, just don’t cut me off. Besides, Dad is staying with you. How am I supposed to not come over? Why don’t I bring him back to live with me?”
Qi Xiangdong’s intention was to use their father as a middleman—they were blood brothers, after all. How could they just stop visiting each other’s homes?
Unfortunately, that sentence lit Qi Xiangnan’s fuse. “He’s my dad—he can only live with me! Don’t even think about coming into my house again!”
Qi Sheng had initially wanted to step in and mediate, but the look of hurt and grievance in his younger son’s eyes silenced him. He’d smooth things over with the older one later.
The fire that Qi Xiangdong had been holding back flared up. He had already humbled himself so much, and yet this guy still took it this far?
“Qi Xiangnan, that’s enough! I’ve done everything to let you vent. You really want to sever ties? Fine! I swear I’ll never set foot in your home again! But I’m the eldest son of the Qi family—Dad must live with me!”
Qi Xiangnan scoffed coldly, “Keep dreaming!”
He was about to say more, but Qi Sheng silenced him with a look. Qi Xiangnan’s eyes reddened immediately.
Qi Sheng knew that if he didn’t take a stand now, things could really spiral out of control.
He stepped up and patted his elder son’s shoulder. Once he’d calmed him down a bit, he said, “I’ve gotten used to living here. You should head home.”
“Dad!”
Qi Xiangdong’s eyes also turned red. He hadn’t expected that even now, his father would take Qi Xiangnan’s side.
But Qi Sheng had no other choice. The two sons didn’t have the same information. Qi Xiangdong only thought his brother resented being bullied when they were younger. But for Qi Xiangnan, it went far deeper—because of their torment in his past life, he’d gotten into a car accident and had ultimately been “driven to death” by them back in their hometown.
So, of course, he had to put Qi Xiangnan’s emotional well-being first. This life was meant to give him happiness.
Qi Xiangdong saw all the desperate looks his father was throwing him, then glanced again at his younger brother, who was glaring at him, and finally left in frustration.
After the house quieted down, Qi Xiangnan glanced at his father’s impassive expression, suddenly feeling both nervous and aggrieved.
He should understand the pain I went through—why is he angry with me too?
Qi Sheng’s heart ached seeing him like this. He sighed and tried to comfort him, “Alright, you’ve already driven Xiangdong away—why are you still so upset?”
Qi Xiangnan pouted, “You’re my dad because I begged for you. Qi Xiangdong is just benefitting from my effort! I didn’t even get revenge on him, I just don’t want him coming to my house. What’s wrong with that?”
“There, there, I never said you were wrong. I’ve been on your side the whole time, haven’t I? But he is your blood brother. Do you really want to turn him into an enemy you can’t avoid? I’ll side with you this time, but no more cutting off ties like this again, alright?”
Qi Xiangnan nodded. His obedient expression made him look like the gentle and well-behaved youngest son again.
The next morning, Qi Sheng took advantage of his younger son being at work and went to find his elder son. Qi Xiangdong was in a meeting, so Qi Sheng waited in his office for a while until he came out.
“Dad.”
Qi Xiangdong called out as he walked in and sat silently off to the side. Qi Sheng’s mouth twitched at the sight. Did they both really think they were still five-year-olds who needed coaxing?
“Come on now, your brother just said you can’t go to his house. He didn’t say I couldn’t come to see you. He just doesn’t want to see you right now—is that really worth getting this mad about?”
Qi Xiangdong felt his father was being way too biased, and couldn’t help complaining, “Aren’t you being too indulgent with him? If he’s going to tear this family apart, and you’re just going to let him?!”
Qi Sheng let out a helpless sigh. “Ah, what can I say? I didn’t know how to be a good father before. For the first twenty years, I was biased toward you. Your brother had to handle all the chores, and whenever you bullied him, I sided with you. So now, for the next twenty years, let me favor him a bit. How about that? Feels more balanced now, doesn’t it?”
Qi Xiangdong was stunned. He hadn’t expected his father to use that kind of logic. But when he thought about how they had treated his younger brother all those years, he couldn’t help but cover his face with his hands.
If only he had been more mature back then, and known to take care of his little brother—maybe things wouldn’t have turned out like this.
The room fell into a temporary silence. After reflecting with guilt for a while, Qi Xiangdong suddenly realized something, “It’s fine if I don’t go to his house usually, but what about during holidays and festivals? I still have to come visit you, don’t I? What if he doesn’t agree to let me bring you over during those times—what am I supposed to do then?!”
Qi Sheng coughed awkwardly and said with a bit of discomfort, “Then just go to your wife’s family home with her.”
Qi Xiangdong’s eyes widened, “Dad, so you’ve already thought this all through!”
When Qi Xiangdong got home, he immediately began whining and complaining to his wife, accusing the old man of being absurdly biased. He was expecting some comforting words, but instead, his wife said, “I really didn’t expect you to have been such a jerk in the past!”
Qi Xiangdong, who had been acting all dignified: “…”
He had accidentally exposed himself. Flustered, he quickly tried to explain, “I admit I was wrong in the past, but haven’t I changed? Besides, I was young and didn’t know any better back then.”
Even he blushed a little after saying that. He had been in his twenties when, out of jealousy, he had destroyed his younger brother’s college admission letter. Thinking back now, he couldn’t believe he’d actually done something so malicious. If their father hadn’t caught up in time and tackled him, something terrible could have happened to his little brother…
He didn’t even want to imagine the consequences!
Letting out a long sigh, Qi Xiangdong rubbed his face and began obsessively thinking about how to win his father’s favor again.
He thought back to when his father started siding with his younger brother. Oh, right—it was after his brother got into college. From that point on, his brother became their father’s precious baby. Even though he was now a successful professional, it still didn’t change the fact that their father clearly favored the younger son!
He hadn’t realized before that their old man had such a soft spot for academic achievement. Qi Xiangdong felt a bit dejected—how was he supposed to compete with that?
Just then, his gaze landed on his son, who was happily playing with building blocks on the living room carpet.
Qi Xiangdong’s eyes lit up. He rushed over and scooped the boy into his arms.
Little Qi Xiaobao, who had been deeply engrossed in his building project, looked at his father in confusion, only to hear the man say excitedly, “Son, you’ve got to make your dad proud! You must get into the best university in China so your grandpa can see how outstanding our family’s precious boy is!”
Thinking of how his younger brother had gone on to earn a PhD, Qi Xiangdong added, “And you’ve got to get a PhD too—from the best university in the world—just to put your uncle to shame!”
Qi Xiaobao, still holding his building blocks and not really understanding what his dad was saying, nodded out of habit. “Okay, Daddy.”
Completely unaware of the enormous promise he had just made.
Meanwhile, Lin Yu, sitting on the couch, looked on sympathetically at her son. Just now, she had clearly seen the sincerity in her husband’s eyes.
By the time Qi Xiaobao realized just how deep a hole he’d fallen into, it was already too late to resist the powerful fate and even more powerful dad awaiting him.
Nowadays, Qi Xiangnan was living a very comfortable life. He had a lovely wife and daughter by his side, an affectionate and indulgent father nearby, a smooth-sailing career, and best of all—no annoying Qi Xiangdong to bother him.
That day, Qi Xiangnan was in his study, hunched over a desk and working hard on an academic paper, when Qi Sheng walked in with a plate of fruit. Noticing his youngest son’s furrowed brow, he glanced over at the stack of drafts.
“This section’s been giving you trouble for three days now. Still stuck?”
Qi Xiangnan rubbed his throbbing forehead with a pained expression. “There are still a few issues I haven’t figured out. I’ve gone through tons of foreign reference books and still haven’t found a solution…”
He sighed and took a big bite of apple to comfort himself.
Seeing his son like this, Qi Sheng felt a pang of concern. He peeked outside the door—his daughter-in-law was working at the hospital, and the housekeeper was cleaning the yard. No one would come upstairs for a while, so he picked up the papers his son had already written and started reading.
“For this problem, you could try approaching it this way…”
Qi Xiangnan’s eyes widened. Hearing his father effortlessly spout out one professional term after another, he found it almost unbelievable.
“Dad… you understand medicine?!”
Qi Sheng simply smiled and didn’t answer. Instead, he asked, “Did you understand what I just explained?”
Qi Xiangnan nodded, then shook his head, quickly refocusing to digest the knowledge his father had just shared. The more he thought, the more his eyes sparkled. He eagerly asked for more.
One of them explained seriously, while the other listened intently. The whole morning flew by in academic discussion.
By the time lunch rolled around, Qi Xiangnan was still reluctant to stop.
Thinking about his father’s hidden expertise, a bold and whimsical idea popped into Qi Xiangnan’s head.
“Dad… are you a celestial being?”
At that moment, Qi Xiangnan was half-kneeling in front of Qi Sheng, eyes filled with curiosity and hope.
Qi Sheng chuckled. “You silly boy, don’t let your imagination run wild.”
But Qi Xiangnan wouldn’t let it go. “Dad, I don’t ask for anything else—I just want you to stay with me a little longer, okay?”
Qi Sheng flicked his forehead lightly. “Is this how you make a request?”
Still, seeing the hopeful light in his son’s eyes, he finally relented, replying, “I’ll do my best.”
Only then did Qi Xiangnan break into a satisfied smile. With a father who loved him so deeply in this life, he had no more regrets.