In the Years When I Was a Father-Chapter 4: The Playboy Dad (4)

When the old man was about to go to bed, he still couldn’t help calling Qi Sheng to his study.
“The kids are all growing up. You can’t keep fooling around all the time. I’ve long given up hope that you’ll become anything great, but as a father, you should at least try to set an example!”
This wasn’t the first time the old man had said these things, but the original Qi Sheng used to let it go in one ear and out the other. Now, with the current Qi Sheng here, maybe the old man could be a little more satisfied. Just as well—he could use Wenyan’s return as an opportunity to change his image.
“Got it, Dad. Don’t worry,” Qi Sheng replied simply. Either way, whether he changed or not would have to be proven through actions later.
The old man didn’t take his son’s words too seriously. After all, he had heard countless promises from him over the years, and his trust level in his son was near zero. Still, with everything that had happened in the family recently, he couldn’t help but nag a little more.
“You’d better keep an eye on Zhou Yan. If you let her manipulate you again, just see how I’ll deal with you!” Just thinking about it made the old man flare up again.
Qi Sheng hurriedly nodded in agreement. Though the old man was still in good health, Qi Sheng truly didn’t dare provoke him anymore. At his age, he not only had to worry about the company, but also constantly clean up after his son. Compared to others his age who were living peaceful, retired lives, it was honestly kind of sad.
But Qi Sheng had lived as a playboy for decades. If he suddenly turned into a brilliant and domineering CEO, it would only seem suspicious. So this time around, he didn’t plan to shine in business. As long as his three kids could live smooth, steady lives, the Qi family didn’t really need him to step up and manage the company.
Seeing that Qi Sheng finally had the patience to listen to his nagging, the old man felt a little comforted. “Wenyan’s had it rough all these years. As his father, you need to show more care. And from now on, stop going to those messy places. If you corrupt my grandson, I won’t leave you a single cent after I die—you can go live on air and sunshine!”
Although Qi Sheng was acting all obedient now, his past actions had left the old man fuming more times than he could count. He originally meant to speak calmly with his son, but couldn’t hold back his temper again.
“Yes, yes, I hear you! Don’t worry, just look at Wenyan—he’s so well-behaved, he’s not the type to go astray. And if he ever does go off track, I’ll be the first to straighten him out!” Qi Sheng said with a grin, acting as if every word the old man said was absolutely right.
Being coaxed like this, the old man’s mood finally eased a little. He gave his grinning son a sidelong glance, then said, “As for Wenfeng—he’s still a child of the Qi family. I don’t plan to treat him unfairly. But things are messy enough right now. Your wife might not have paid much attention to you over the years, but she’s far more filial and sensible than you. You should continue raising Wenfeng outside for now. Once things settle down, bring him home.”
Noticing the surprised look on Qi Sheng’s face, the old man’s tone turned stern again: “I can accept Wenfeng—but that woman, you’d better deal with her properly. Full of schemes and tricks…”
The old man had already compromised, so as the son, of course he had to express his stance.
“Dad, I’ll look into this carefully. If it really was that woman pulling strings behind the scenes, I’m not someone who likes being controlled either. Don’t worry—after all this, I’ll make sure everything gets handled properly.”
Hearing his son finally taking his words seriously, the old man relaxed a little and waved his hand. “Alright, as long as you understand.” With that, he got up and left the study.
Over the next two days, Qi Sheng stayed obediently at home. But since he wasn’t actually doing anything serious, he spent his time either making sarcastic comments during Wenyan’s etiquette lessons or nitpicking while Wenyu was writing out banquet invitation lists—successfully drawing countless exasperated looks from both kids.
On New Year’s Eve morning, after finishing breakfast, Qi Sheng saw the old man walking in the back garden and quietly snuck out with his car. It was the holidays, and he had another son out there. As a father, he couldn’t just leave the kid alone—he had to go check on him.
Qi Wenfeng was fifteen this year, in his third year of middle school. His grades were average—not bad, but not great. He wasn’t very interested in studying; instead, he liked music and idol chasing. Unfortunately, his mother was determined to make him a top student and insisted on comparing him to Qi Wenyu in everything. But no matter the area, he couldn’t measure up.
Over time, Zhou Yan became resentful but could do nothing about it. Eventually, she started to quietly accept the reality. As for Qi Wenfeng, he didn’t have a good impression of his “model student” big brother, who was always being held up as the gold standard. To him, Qi Wenyu’s existence was nothing but a constant reminder of his own inadequacy.
Now that they had discovered Qi Wenyu wasn’t actually a Qi family child, both Zhou Yan and Qi Wenfeng were overjoyed. Zhou Yan felt like the heavens had finally opened their eyes—just when entering the Qi family seemed impossible, fate had cleared the roadblock standing in her way. She was already secretly planning to hire more tutors in the coming days to ensure her son was properly groomed for success. He couldn’t compete with Qi Wenyu, sure—but she had thoroughly investigated Qi Wenyan. Hmph.
Qi Wenfeng also felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders—finally, he didn’t have to compete with that guy anymore. Without Qi Wenyu looming over him like a mountain, he was practically floating with relief. But he had no idea what plans his mother was cooking up, nor that in a few days he’d be facing something even more brutal than before.
Qi Sheng arrived at the upscale residential complex where Zhou Yan and Qi Wenfeng lived. He had bought this four-bedroom apartment for them in the city center, not far from one of the top middle schools, making it convenient for Wenfeng to attend school.
When Qi Wenfeng saw his father, he immediately ran up and hugged him excitedly. At fifteen, he wasn’t a little kid anymore, but he still knew how to act cute—clinging to Qi Sheng and calling him “Dad” over and over while chattering about funny things that had happened lately.
Compared to the serious, little-old-man-like Qi Wenyu, the original Qi Sheng had always preferred this child.
Though Qi Sheng was a notorious playboy who strutted around under the Qi family name, he knew full well that the respect he got from others was entirely because he was the Qi family’s only son. Deep down, he did have a shred of pride and dignity.
Qi Wenyu, even at a young age, was wise and decisive. Everyone praised his maturity and competence. While Qi Sheng was proud, he couldn’t help feeling a little unsettled too. That boy had stood up to him several times for his mother’s sake, speaking in such a logical and righteous tone that Qi Sheng ended up getting scolded like a child himself. Compared to that, Wenfeng—who would act cute, roll around, and say all the sweet things—naturally won more of his favor.
“Come here, good boy! Look what your dad brought you!” Qi Sheng said, pulling his hand out from behind his back, successfully prompting a squeal from Wenfeng.
“Dad!”
It was a violin Qi Sheng had specially ordered a few days ago. He knew how much his son loved music. But Zhou Yan didn’t like him spending too much time on it—hobbies were fine, but making a career out of it? Absolutely not. Her son was a Qi family child, the future head of the family! She would never agree to him wasting his future on music.
Sure enough, Zhou Yan frowned when she saw it and said, half-jokingly, “Why would you buy him that now? The high school entrance exams are right around the corner—Xiaofeng needs to focus on his studies!”
Her voice was crisp and always gentle when speaking to Qi Sheng. She gave off an impression of being soft and graceful. But her snow-white skin, long legs, and curvy figure made it hard for any man to resist.
Qi Sheng, as a playboy, had spoiled Zhou Yan for all these years largely because of her looks.
“If the kid likes it, of course we should indulge him. I’ve told you before—if Xiaofeng really can’t do well in school, don’t force him. I wasn’t any good at studying either. Why insist he kill himself over it? Let him do what he loves—he’ll be happy that way.”
Zhou Yan hadn’t even responded yet when Wenfeng eagerly nodded: “Mm-hmm! Dad’s right! Mom, you should listen to Dad!”
Unfortunately, despite her soft appearance, Zhou Yan was firm when it came to certain things. “There’ll be plenty of time to pursue hobbies in the future. Right now he’s still young—he should be focusing on his studies. Isn’t the old master always saying he likes kids who do well in school?”
“He’ll be proud even if Xiaofeng excels in other areas. Come on, good boy, ignore your mom. Just do what you like—Dad’s got your back!”
Qi Sheng knew exactly what Zhou Yan was thinking but didn’t bother arguing. He just focused on coaxing his son, earning himself a joyful hug in return.
Watching Wenfeng happily open the violin case and test the sound, Qi Sheng spoke up: “Good boy, go play in the music room for a bit. Dad needs to have a word with your mom.”