In the Years When I Was a Father-Chapter 37: The Gangster Dad (1)

Qi Wei walked slowly along the road, kicking a pebble by his foot, already worrying about what he’d eat for lunch today.
Looks like I’ll have to find another job again, he thought with frustration. He had basically tried every place in the area that hired part-timers. That damn old man not only refused to earn money himself but even caused him to lose his own job. After cursing that bastard countless times in his heart, he finally felt a little better.
Qi Wei didn’t have time to dwell on the old bastard anymore. He was still worrying about lunch, but before he could come up with a solution, a group of people suddenly blocked his way.
Seeing them, Qi Wei immediately had a bad feeling. These guys looked strong and muscular— even though he had a reputation around here for being good in a fight, he wasn’t confident he could escape from a group like this.
Damn it! They’ve completely surrounded me. Qi Wei frowned, trying to think if he had offended anyone lately. Could it be someone that old bastard messed with again?
Qi Wei stopped and looked at the man clearly leading the group. Forcing a smile, he asked, “Big bro, what can I do for you?”
The man didn’t reply, his face expressionless. Instead, he signaled the men beside him to take Qi Wei down directly.
Qi Wei struggled a few times at first but was quickly subdued after receiving a few hard kicks. Realizing resistance would only bring more pain, he obediently quieted down and began silently praying that the old bastard hadn’t stirred up serious trouble this time.
Unfortunately, before he could think of a way out, he was dragged into a dimly lit private room. Before he could even react, four men beat and kicked him mercilessly. Qi Wei knew resistance was pointless and only curled up, shielding his head in silence.
When the beating finally stopped, there wasn’t a single part of his body that didn’t hurt. Qi Wei trembled as he tried to stand, only to be kicked down again by someone behind him. He didn’t dare get up again and simply crouched there, trying to recall whether the old bastard had done anything unusual recently.
The more he thought about it, the more hopeless he felt. That bastard caused trouble wherever he went—this time it must be something big.
Before he could figure anything out, a man walked in, wearing a big gold watch on his left wrist and a piece of yellow jade hanging around his neck.
The people around instantly stood straight and respectfully called him “Brother Yue.” Judging by their attitude, Qi Wei guessed this so-called Brother Yue must be the boss.
Brother Yue frowned as he looked at Qi Wei and said, “Your old man, Qi Sheng, borrowed a high-interest loan from me and ran off without paying. Since a father’s debt passes to his son, you’re staying here to work it off. Once the debt’s paid, you can leave.”
Qi Wei felt a chill run through his entire body. Anyone willing to lend the old bastard money had to be from some shady loan shark operation. Now that the bastard had vanished, they were leaving him behind to face the consequences.
If it weren’t for the tense situation, Qi Wei would’ve cursed out loud. Why did he have to be that old bastard’s son!
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Qi Wei asked, “How much does he owe you? Give me some time—I’ll find a way to pay it back.”
Liu Yue walked over and patted his face mockingly. “Three million! What, planning to pay it off in a few days?”
Qi Wei was shocked. Three million?! These people had to be trying to scam him. He seriously doubted that bastard could’ve borrowed that much. But given the current situation, he could only grit his teeth and go along with it for now.
“Give me a year. I’ll find a way to gather the money. I swear you won’t have to wait long.”
Right now, Qi Wei just wanted to get out of here. As for the money, he’d figure that out later. Unfortunately, these people clearly had no intention of letting him go so easily.
“You think I’m an idiot, or are you the idiot?” Liu Yue towered over him, looking down with disdain.
Qi Wei didn’t know how to respond. Just as he started to panic, his chin was grabbed tightly, and he heard a mocking voice near his ear: “Not bad-looking.”
Then, before he could react, two men lifted him up and dragged him away. Under Liu Yue’s appraising gaze, Qi Wei heard him say again, “Alright, don’t worry. As long as you behave, you’ll live a decent life.”
With that, Liu Yue turned and left, while Qi Wei was taken to a sealed, isolated room.
Looking around, Qi Wei couldn’t see any chance of escape. In despair, he collapsed onto the only bed like a corpse, staring blankly at the spotted ceiling, not even bothering to check his injuries.
Remembering Liu Yue’s words as he left, Qi Wei felt a growing sense of unease. All he could hope for now was that these people still had some fear of the law and wouldn’t do anything too outrageous.
It wasn’t until night that the torment of the unknown finally came to an end. Unfortunately, what awaited him was an even darker abyss.
“I’m still underage. What you’re doing is illegal!” Qi Wei shouted in panic as he looked at the contract on the table. But aside from that desperate cry, he had no strength left to fight back.
His words didn’t help at all. One of the thugs responded by punching him hard in the stomach.
Curling up in pain, Qi Wei looked up just in time to see someone entering the room with a knife.
“What are you trying to do…” Qi Wei demanded, but the tremor in his voice betrayed his fear.
The man in charge said coldly, “Either sign the contract, or leave your two hands here. Choose.”
Qi Wei didn’t want to sign the contract, but they didn’t give him much time to hesitate. Two of the thugs pinned him down on the table, his arms immobilized. As the knife was about to slice across his palm, he could only accept his fate and agree to sign.
At this moment, Qi Wei felt utterly hopeless. Though he was a bit of a delinquent, he had never thought he’d end up working as some male escort in a club. A fifteen-year contract—this basically sold off the best years of his life.
Once they got what they wanted, those people no longer paid him any attention. Arrogantly slamming the door on their way out, they left him alone, slumped dazedly on the floor.
Qi Wei didn’t know how long he sat like that. It wasn’t until the numbness in his legs sent sharp tingles through his nerves that he snapped out of it. He struggled to his feet and sat back on the bed, glaring at the stained pillow on the headboard. Enraged, he punched it over and over. That damn bastard!
He had even thought, foolishly, that once he earned some money, if that old bastard stopped whoring and gambling, he’d be willing to support him in his old age.
Ha! He really shouldn’t have expected anything from him. Qi Sheng, you son of a bitch! You’d better never show up in front of me again, or I swear I’ll beat you to death!
The next day, Qi Wei was brought into a room where seven other young men were already standing. He discreetly sized them up—most looked to be around twenty, all fairly tall and good-looking. Qi Wei quickly guessed their identities—these guys were probably his future “colleagues.”
Some of them looked like they were forced into this, while others appeared willing. Just from their expressions, Qi Wei could more or less tell the difference.
The room resembled a dance studio, with floor-to-ceiling mirrors on all four sides. A stern-looking middle-aged woman wearing glasses stood at the front. She was the training instructor. Seeing that everyone had arrived, she didn’t bother with pleasantries and went straight into the lesson.
Qi Wei moved mechanically with the class, clearly disinterested and uncooperative. Two others behaved the same way. The instructor, however, didn’t react at all to their non-cooperation or intentional disruption. At the end of class, she simply gave them a cold glance and left with a smirk.
Qi Wei frowned bitterly. He had a bad feeling about this.
The other two exchanged looks with him as well, clearly worried about the consequences to come.
Fortunately, the repercussions were manageable—no thugs came to beat them up. They were simply denied lunch and dinner.
That evening, Qi Wei lay weakly on his temporary bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, feeling hopeless. Was he really going to spend the next fifteen years buried in this place? He knew that today, he still had the strength to resist, but in a few more days—maybe even just tomorrow—he’d have to give in.
Over the following days, Qi Wei stopped making trouble for himself. He attended the classes and cooperated, even if without enthusiasm, making sure the instructors had no reason to single him out. During this time, he also figured out something important—this was their “pre-employment training,” scheduled to last three months.
At first, Qi Wei held out some hope that he might find a way to escape during those three months. But after nearly two weeks of observation, that hope grew dimmer by the day. Qi Wei grew anxious—after all, he would be turning eighteen in just three months. Once he was legally an adult, even the flimsy protection of being a minor would vanish.
Every day, he continued with these absurd lessons. Even though he felt disgusted inside, he had no choice but to force a smile—because that was the current rule.
The other two who had initially resisted had also begun to force themselves to smile. Some of the others, those who had accepted their fate more readily, tried to talk to Qi Wei, but he ignored them all. Qi Wei was deeply miserable—he was already beginning to “accept” this. He feared that one day, he might never be able to escape this environment.
One month passed in this torment of varied training. That day, Qi Wei was practicing etiquette as usual when, without warning, the door was kicked open and police officers stormed in, shouting for everyone to squat down.
Qi Wei had never been so thrilled to hear a cop’s voice. He couldn’t help but pray that the people’s public servants would come through and completely shut this place down. He even swore to himself that if he got out alive, he would become a law-abiding citizen and never cause trouble for the police again.
Even after being taken into a police car and brought to the station, Qi Wei never stopped praying.
“Age?”
“Seventeen.”
“Name?”
“Qi Wei.”
After finishing his statement and being told he could leave, Qi Wei nearly cried from relief. He solemnly bowed to the officers who escorted him out before quickly walking away.
As he left, he vaguely heard the officers muttering.
“There were even minors! These people are absolutely lawless!”
“Hey, did you hear? Someone must’ve seriously pissed off the Liu family—someone went and posted all their illegal dealings online! Now the higher-ups can’t even cover for them if they wanted to!”
“I’ve hated them for ages! It’s people like them who’ve turned China into such a filthy mess. They totally deserved what’s coming to them!”
Qi Wei didn’t catch the rest, but it was enough. In his heart, he was deeply grateful to that mysterious person behind the scenes. Breathing in the fresh outdoor air, Qi Wei couldn’t hold it in anymore—he broke down in tears. Only now did he truly understand that compared to being broke or going hungry, freedom was far more precious!
After leaving the police station, Qi Wei just wandered aimlessly, not knowing where to go.
The place he used to live was the cheapest rental he could find in the eastern district. The landlord had probably reclaimed it by now. And honestly, he didn’t want to go back—there was nothing worth missing.
With not a single coin to his name, Qi Wei knew he had to find a job that at least provided food and board. Unfortunately, not long after he started walking, he noticed someone was tailing him.
His first reaction was panic—he thought those loan sharks were coming for him again. Without even turning around, he took off running.
“Son! Don’t run, it’s me!”
Qi Sheng had been chasing after him for quite a while and finally managed to shout him down. But just as he caught his breath, a fist came flying at him.
“You old bastard! You’ve got the nerve to come looking for me?!”
The moment Qi Wei realized it was Qi Sheng, he completely lost control. All the fear, pain, and humiliation he’d bottled up over the past month came crashing down. This man—this so-called biological father—had almost ruined his life!
He only stopped when he got too tired to punch anymore. He turned to leave, but Qi Sheng shamelessly called out, “Son, don’t go yet. I’ve got something to explain to you.”
Qi Wei didn’t want to give him the time of day, but Qi Sheng just wouldn’t leave him alone. Furious, Qi Wei spun around, clenched his fists, and warned, “Stop following me. We’ve got nothing to do with each other anymore. If I see you again, I’ll beat you up every single time!”
He turned to leave again.
Qi Sheng, ignoring his aching body, followed behind with a forced smile. But the moment he moved his face, it tugged at a fresh bruise from the punches.
He didn’t even have the strength to raise a hand to block the beating earlier—he could only shield his face with his arms. Inside, he was bitterly amused, but he still tried to coax his son, “You’ve got me all wrong. I’m your real dad! How could I ever cut ties with you?”
Seeing Qi Wei ignore him, Qi Sheng went on, “My dear son, just hear me out. I didn’t run off to abandon you—I went to try and raise money.”
Qi Wei actually stopped walking when he heard that, turning to glare at him. His voice was laced with barely suppressed rage: “You think I’m three years old? You? Raise money? Please. What, things are fine now so you want to come back and freeload off me again?”
He raised his fist as a warning. “Don’t follow me. Or I really will hit you again.”
Of course, Qi Sheng had no intention of letting him go so easily. He blinked and kept following, trying to explain, “Son, seriously, you’ve misunderstood me. Just listen to me, okay? Let me finish talking. If, after that, you still don’t want anything to do with me, I promise I’ll never bother you again.”
Only then did Qi Wei finally stop and glare at him. “Then hurry up and talk.”
Qi Sheng looked around and noticed a hotel nearby. “Come on, let’s get a room first.”
But Qi Wei didn’t budge. Qi Sheng tugged at him a couple times with no success, assuming the kid didn’t want to follow. But then Qi Wei said, “I don’t have any money.”
Qi Sheng froze. That’s when he remembered—Qi Wei hadn’t received a single cent from the original Qi Sheng since graduating middle school at fifteen. He’d dropped out and had to work hard just to cover his own living expenses and even the family’s rent. Sometimes when the old man was broke, he’d even go begging to his underage son for money.
Qi Sheng cursed his predecessor in his heart for the thousandth time and smiled at the kid. “No worries, I’ve got money. Let’s go.”
He booked a standard room, then walked in with the key card and saw the kid still standing outside.
“Come in, what are you doing out there?”
Qi Wei finally stepped in, but stared hard at him and asked suspiciously, “Did you get into trouble again? Where’d you get the money?”
Qi Sheng checked the room quickly—no hidden cameras or anything—and then sneakily pulled out his phone and opened a text message to show the kid.
“Look! This is the money your old man won at the casino. Two hundred thousand, kid! Isn’t that a lot?” Qi Sheng looked proud like he’d just struck gold, but instead of impressing Qi Wei, it only triggered panic.
“Where’d you rob that money from?!”
It was the only logical explanation Qi Wei could think of. Otherwise, how could this old bastard possibly have that kind of cash? “You won it gambling? Ha! You’ve been gambling for years. If you win a thousand, it’s already a miracle.”
“Don’t talk nonsense! I won this fair and square!”
Qi Wei gave him a cold snort. “I know exactly what you’re capable of. I’m warning you—if you got that money illegally, turn yourself in right now. Once you’re out, I’ll still be willing to support you. But if not, then we’re done. No more contact. Ever.”
Qi Sheng felt oddly touched—after all this, his son still talked about supporting him in old age. But he quickly explained, “I really did win it gambling! I went to your second aunt’s in South City to borrow some money, but things aren’t going well for her either. She only managed to give me a few thousand. I couldn’t scrape together enough and didn’t know what else to do, so I tried my luck at a casino over there. Would you believe it? Heaven didn’t give up on me—I actually won big this time! I rushed back, only to find out you’d been taken. I’ve been racking my brain ever since, trying to figure out a way to get you out. I even considered trading myself to get you back. Who knew? Those guys got busted before I could even act. Heh.”
Qi Wei glared at him. “You still have the nerve to laugh? You almost ruined my entire life!”
After a moment, he added angrily, “You went out to scrape together money and dared to gamble? Keep that two hundred thousand for yourself. Don’t ever come looking for me again!”
Seeing his son about to leave, Qi Sheng quickly blocked the door, trying to appease him. “Son, sweet son, I really know I was wrong. I swear I’ll never gamble again. After going through all this, I don’t dare mess around anymore. Consider this two hundred thousand a fresh start—how about you manage the money, okay?”
Qi Wei didn’t believe a word of it. The man continued, “I promise I won’t gamble again. Look—why don’t you hold onto the money for now? If you ever catch me gambling again, take it and go wherever you want. I won’t chase after you anymore! Son, it’s been just the two of us for all these years… you can’t just abandon your old man!”
Qi Wei was slightly moved. He’d grown up without a mother and had no other close relatives. His second aunt had been given away by his grandparents as a child. Though they eventually reconnected, they rarely kept in touch—he barely even remembered what she looked like.
He’d grown up scraping by with this man, often hungry, living hand to mouth. He had resented and hated him, sure—but now that it came to a possible final parting, a part of him was reluctant.
“You really didn’t just ditch me and run?” he asked.
“No, no! Otherwise, how would I have shown up at the police station right on time? I’d been watching that club for a while, trying to figure out how to get you out!”
Qi Wei reluctantly believed him. This was the best attitude the old bastard had ever shown—and he had actually offered to hand over a large sum of money to let him keep.
Qi Wei still wasn’t entirely convinced. “You’re sure this money wasn’t stolen or robbed?”
“It wasn’t! I swear it was all won by me gambling. If you don’t believe it, let’s not touch a cent for a few months. If no one comes looking for me by then, you’ll know it’s clean and safe to use.”
Qi Sheng silently cursed his fate. To make his son trust him, he’d swear off twenty million, let alone two hundred thousand. In reality, even earning twenty yuan shocked his kid.
Qi Wei felt slightly reassured. The old bastard had a point—the money did come too suddenly. If it really was obtained illegally and Qi Sheng was hiding it from him, he could always turn it in later and maybe help reduce the man’s sentence.
Unaware that his son was already mentally preparing to help lessen his prison time, Qi Sheng heard him say, “Hand over the bank card. I’ll hold onto it.”
Qi Sheng obediently handed it over. Then Qi Wei continued, “We’re making three rules. First, no more gambling or whoring. Second, you’re going to find an honest job. Stay away from all the shady places you used to hang out. Third, if you ever disappear without a word again, we’re done. I’ll cut ties completely.”
Seeing Qi Sheng remain silent, Qi Wei pressed him: “If you agree now, we’ll try to live properly. If you can’t do that, take your money and go. Don’t ever contact me again. And I warn you—if you say yes now and then break your promise, I’ll take this money and go somewhere you’ll never find me. Let’s see who’ll take care of you then!”
He waited for an answer, but after a long pause with no reply, the hope that had just sparked in Qi Wei’s heart was quickly extinguished. Just as he was about to turn and leave, the old bastard finally answered.
“I agree, I agree! Nothing matters more than being with my son.”
Qi Sheng had paused not out of hesitation, but because he was worried that if he answered too quickly, his son wouldn’t believe him. Only when he saw Qi Wei’s expression shift did he quickly speak up.
Satisfied with the answer, Qi Wei couldn’t help but smile. He held up the bank card and waved it in front of Qi Sheng like a temptation. “You really thought it through? From now on, you can’t just spend this money however you want!”
Qi Sheng put on a deliberately stern face. “You little brat. You know what kind of guy your dad is, and you still try to tempt me? No conscience at all!”
Qi Wei finally laughed. Seeing the bruises on the old bastard’s face, he felt a little guilty about hitting him so hard earlier. “Wait here. I’ll go buy some medicine.”
Qi Sheng remembered his pitiful injuries and immediately started playing the victim. “You brat! You actually dared to hit your own father? Look—my arm and chest are all bruised!”
He pulled off his shirt and dramatically showed his wounds, openly blaming Qi Wei with his battered body.
Qi Wei scratched his nose, feeling a little guilty. But then memories of the abuse he suffered when he’d been captured flashed in his mind. He’d wanted to snap back, but the words caught in his throat. In the end, he let it go. It was over. Thank goodness the heavens had finally shown him a bit of mercy. The old bastard seemed to genuinely regret things now—what was the point in holding on to old grudges?
Though that’s what he thought, he still said, “If you acted like a real father, would I have done that? Do you want anything to eat? I’ll get it while I’m out.”
Qi Sheng noticed the brief flash of grievance in his son’s eyes and felt too guilty to keep milking sympathy. He followed the question and said, “Yeah! I want some meat… and a bottle of beer—uh, Coke!”
Qi Sheng sighed bitterly to himself. Even having a beer was something his kid controlled now.
Qi Wei stopped glaring at the old man, took the bank card, and went out.
Left with nothing to do, Qi Sheng lay on the bed and started thinking about what kind of job he could take on to support his son. Unfortunately, after racking his brain for a while, he realized that aside from eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, he wasn’t good at anything.
He was in despair. All the money-making methods he knew were off-limits now!
If things were different, he could settle for a plain life with his son. But Qi Wei—this kid—had never had a good life, not even once in his previous one.
No mom from the start, raised by an irresponsible bum who barely fed him. Forced to quit school after middle school and start working, and even the money he earned was often taken by that bastard. Then, when the original owner got into debt with loan sharks, he ran off, leaving Qi Wei to get caught and forced to sign a 15-year labor contract.
Even after regaining his freedom and trying to start over in a new city, the original scumbag came back and ruined everything—cost him his jobs and even his relationship.
Eventually, Qi Wei was worn down, with no other choice but to agree to support the old man in his later years. Even though he tried all sorts of ways to keep the scumbag out of trouble, with that kind of baggage dragging behind him, no woman was willing to marry him. In the end, once he’d saved up some money, he simply adopted a child of his own.
Thinking about how the kid’s whole life had been wrecked by that scumbag made Qi Sheng feel miserable. It might’ve been easier to grow up as an orphan.
Still, he admired the boy’s resilience. No matter how hard life got or how many troubles he faced, he’d never thought about giving up.
Forget it. One step at a time. Without that rotten bastard around anymore, maybe the two of them could finally live a decent life.