In the Years When I Was a Father-Chapter 40: The Gangster Dad (4)

The next day, Qi Wei met with Xue Yuan. However, before signing the contract, he made sure to explain his family’s background to Xue Yuan.
“If I dare to sign you, of course I’ve already looked into your past. The company has a dedicated PR department that will help clean up any unfavorable information. But your father is still a ticking time bomb. I hope you’ll keep a close eye on him.”
Qi Wei nodded and promised, “I already talked to him yesterday. He’s changed a lot now, you don’t have to worry about that.”
Xue Yuan twitched the corner of his mouth. A man who’s been a thug for decades—he couldn’t say for sure how he’d act once money started rolling in. But since the big boss had no objections, he wouldn’t make a fuss either. Besides, he could tell this kid was smart and knew what was in his best interest—he didn’t need to babysit him.
After the contract was signed, Xue Yuan took full control of Qi Wei’s schedule. Taking into account Qi Wei’s actual situation, he arranged an intensive course schedule for him.
Xue Yuan’s thinking was simple: since the big boss wanted to see his “son” on screen, there was no way he’d let Qi Wei take on trashy productions. But just having powerful backing wasn’t enough to join a high-quality crew—you needed to have the skills, too.
So in addition to acting classes, he arranged for comprehensive training to build Qi Wei up from the ground.
During this period, Qi Wei met with that Manager Lin once. From Lin’s demeanor, Qi Wei couldn’t tell if there was anything special about him. But since he was already here, he might as well go with the flow. Worst case, he’d just go back to delivering food.
Now, Xue Yuan had arranged for him to live in a private residential complex with good privacy. Considering he still had a “tagalong,” Xue Yuan specially got him a two-bedroom apartment.
After a full day of training, Qi Wei dragged his tired body home—only to find a freshly prepared dinner already set on the table.
Surprised, Qi Wei glanced toward the kitchen and asked, “Dad, did you make this?”
When they were living in the studio apartment with no kitchen, his dad always bought food from outside. From what he remembered, the old man rarely ever cooked.
Qi Sheng proudly took out some chopsticks and showed off, “Look at that, I made all this. Try it, I guarantee you’ll like it.”
Qi Wei picked up the chopsticks and tasted each dish. To his surprise, the food was actually pretty good. He couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up and praise, “Dad, who knew you had a talent for cooking!”
Qi Sheng laughed happily and asked about his training: “Isn’t your schedule a bit too intense?”
Qi Wei rolled his shoulders and shook his head. “It’s alright. I’m just not used to it yet since everything is new. But I’d rather have a packed schedule than none at all—makes me feel more grounded.”
Qi Sheng nodded and didn’t say much more. His original intention was to help his son live a different life—not to wear him out. But since the kid was enthusiastic about it, he wouldn’t interfere.
Because Qi Wei’s foundation was too weak, Xue Yuan had arranged an intense six-month crash course. Qi Wei took it seriously—he didn’t need anyone to push him to study or memorize anything.
“This is a xianxia drama. Take it home and study it carefully. You’re playing the third male lead. It’s not the main role, but the character is likable. If done well, you’ll attract a solid fanbase.”
Worried that Qi Wei might overthink, Xue Yuan added, “You’re just debuting and have no acting experience. Giving you a lead role right away wouldn’t help your long-term career in this industry.”
“I understand, Brother Yuan.” Qi Wei accepted the script with both hands, showing no dissatisfaction. He knew that laying a strong foundation was much better than being thrown straight to the top.
Over the past weeks working with Xue Yuan, although the man clearly had his own motives and calculations, he’d treated him well overall. Qi Wei was grateful—not just to the mysterious Chairman Bai behind the scenes, but also to Xue Yuan for his care and guidance during this time.
Seeing that Qi Wei had a good attitude, Xue Yuan said a few more words: “This is a female-led drama. Your role is a man who admires the female lead early on and later sacrifices himself for her. But don’t worry—your character doesn’t die until the end of the story, so your screen time won’t be short. The female lead is Xia Qing, who has a huge fanbase and strong appeal. As long as you apply what you’ve learned in class, you won’t mess this up.”
Xue Yuan had watched Qi Wei’s acting classes. While he wasn’t an explosive talent, he had made noticeable progress in just a few months. At the very least, he could pull off an idol drama role without making the audience cringe.
Qi Wei nodded and listened attentively. Looking at the script in his hands, he couldn’t help but feel excited.
Before leaving, Xue Yuan introduced someone else.
“This is your assistant, Wang Yue. From now on, you can go to him for anything related to your daily life or schedule. I won’t always be around, so if anything comes up that you can’t handle, let him pass it on to me.”
Qi Wei nodded and got to know Wang Yue briefly. In just two weeks, filming would begin—he had to hurry and fully digest the script.
“Son, don’t be nervous. From what I’ve seen of your training, you’re more than capable of handling this kind of minor role. Come on, have some fruit first.”
Ever since returning home, Qi Wei had been focused on practicing his acting. He spent a week thoroughly studying the script and began analyzing the personality and image of the character he was playing. At the moment, he was reciting his lines while performing in front of a flower vase.
Hearing his father’s words, Qi Wei put down the script, sat up from the carpet, and started eating the fruit with a toothpick. Seeing his dad heading back to his room to play games again, he couldn’t help but say, “Dad, you should cut back on the gaming. You’re not that young anymore—you should at least go for walks or do some exercise.”
He used to worry about his dad constantly being out messing around, and now he had to push him to leave the house for a walk—what a change!
“What do you mean ‘not that young’?! Your dad’s not even forty-five yet! Going for walks is something old men and women do.”
“Well, video games are for young people too. How about I get you a gym membership? That way you won’t be cooped up at home all the time.”
Qi Sheng, who was now staying home to “earn money and raise his son” all day, nodded and said, “Alright then, get me two sets of swimwear too. I want to go swimming.”
Qi Wei agreed and pulled up a sportswear website to pick out some items. Although his dad was much more well-behaved now, Qi Wei still didn’t dare give him too much money. Usually, whenever Qi Sheng wanted something, he’d tell Qi Wei and have him buy it for him.
Thinking about being away at the filming location for two months, Qi Wei decided to withdraw 3,000 yuan and went to his father’s room. “While I’m away, just buy groceries and cook for yourself. If there’s anything you want, wait until I get back.”
Qi Sheng counted the money and looked a little dissatisfied. “I don’t feel like cooking just for myself. Add another 2,000 so I can order delivery.”
Qi Wei was speechless. After a pause, he transferred another 2,000 to him on his phone and reminded him, “Don’t stare at screens all day. Be careful not to ruin your eyesight playing games, or that’ll be a real problem.”
Then he glanced at the laptop and desktop computer on the desk and couldn’t help twitching the corner of his mouth—he had quite the gaming setup!
In two weeks, Qi Wei had already memorized his lines fluently. When Wang Yue came to pick him up, he had already packed all his luggage.
The two had gotten to know each other better over those weeks. Qi Wei found Wang Yue to be diligent and reliable—just as expected from someone arranged by Xue Yuan.
Wang Yue was actually a distant relative of Xue Yuan. However, his looks were too average for a career in front of the camera, so he ended up as a celebrity assistant. Originally, he’d hoped to work for big stars like actress Zhang Ningxin or maybe actor Xiao He or rising star Xia Qing. But unfortunately, his relative had assigned him to a complete newbie.
Still, Wang Yue had good professional ethics. After working together for half a month, he found that Qi Wei didn’t have any of the aloof airs of a big star. He handled most things himself, had a good temper, and was hardworking. Though Wang Yue wasn’t sure whether fame might change him in the future, for now, working with him was easy, and so he was willing to continue.
“Cut! That’s a wrap for this scene. Fifteen-minute break. Prepare for the next one!”
Qi Wei pursed his lips and walked over to the rest area. Once he sat down, he quickly shook off the emotional state from the scene.
Wang Yue was already there waiting and handed him a bottle of water. “Here, Xiao Wei, drink some water.”
After spending more time together, they had become quite familiar. Since Wang Yue was five years older, he usually called Qi Wei “Xiao Wei.”
Qi Wei took the water and thanked him, drinking a large gulp. Then he turned and asked in a low voice, “Brother Yue, how did I do just now?”
Wang Yue sat proudly on the other chair, raising his eyebrows with a smug smile. “Not bad at all. No one would guess it was your first time acting. I was watching the director too—he seemed very pleased with your performance.”
Qi Wei smiled. He knew Wang Yue was trying to boost his confidence, but the fact that his first scene didn’t need a retake really eased his nerves.
This was his third day on set and the first time he was actually filming. The previous two days, he hadn’t had any scenes scheduled. He mostly sat on the sidelines, observing how others acted and analyzing how to position himself in front of the camera. Even though the scene he just shot was quite simple compared to others, he had still spent the whole night preparing for it.
After the break, Qi Wei gathered his courage and walked back to the set with a bit more confidence.
At the end of the first day of filming, Qi Sheng guessed the timing and called for a video chat.
“Son, how was your first day of shooting?”
Qi Wei had just finished showering and was relaxing on the bed. He smiled and said, “It went pretty well. The director was very supportive, and the scenes today weren’t too difficult. I didn’t have many NGs.”
On Qi Wei’s first day with the production team, Xue Yuan had specially taken time to visit the set and privately treated the main crew and cast members to a meal—essentially paving the way for Qi Wei’s smooth integration. The director, who already had a good relationship with Xue Yuan, naturally gave him this favor when he saw how much effort he was putting into supporting a new actor.
Qi Wei’s journey into the entertainment industry had officially begun. Once filming started, apart from shooting his own scenes, he spent most of his time quietly watching others act.
Besides him, there were a few other fresh faces in the cast, but they were all playing minor roles. As the third male lead, Qi Wei, even as a newcomer, naturally stood out.
People in the entertainment industry are usually shrewd. Xia Qing, who had some inside knowledge thanks to Xue Yuan, looked after Qi Wei quite a bit. Others, upon learning that he was under Xue Yuan, were surprised and began to speculate about his mysterious background.
Xue Yuan, that old fox, hadn’t signed any new talent in years. Xia Qing was the last person he’d taken in, and that was when she was already at the peak of her popularity. With that kind of track record, how could anyone dare to look down on Qi Wei?
Whether it was the crew members or seasoned actors and younger performers, everyone on set treated Qi Wei with respect, which made things a lot easier for him during his first experience on a production team.
But Qi Wei wasn’t some naïve pushover. After a few days, he quickly understood the situation. He wasn’t the kind to let early success get to his head and turn arrogant. Over the course of the two-month shoot, he managed to leave a good impression on everyone he worked with.
Qi Sheng would call him once a week for a video chat, and seeing that his son looked energetic and in good spirits most of the time, he felt reassured.
Since he had the means to clear the path for his son in the entertainment industry, Qi Sheng naturally didn’t want him to experience the darker sides of showbiz—the schemes and betrayals. Fortunately, everyone involved was smart enough to respect the power behind Qi Wei. With Xingyu and Xue Yuan’s backing, nobody dared to mess with him easily.
After finishing the xianxia drama, Qi Wei pressed on and landed roles in two more shows. One was a political drama where he played a naïve young prince who constantly supported the male lead, and the other was a modern suspense drama where he played the antagonist male second lead. Though neither role was a protagonist, both dramas were from production teams known for their quality work and high ratings. Seeing the kinds of resources Qi Wei had access to, more and more people began to take him seriously.
During the filming of the suspense drama, his first xianxia show began airing. Qi Wei hadn’t expected that right after his debut, he’d already have a major fan on the well-known video-sharing site D-Station.
When he clicked on one of the fan edits made for him by this big fan, he was amazed. The visuals were stunning, the music was well-chosen, and the whole video portrayed him as a devoted and dashing immortal. Qi Wei couldn’t help but give a like for the editor’s skills.
Qi Sheng had actually been active on D-Station for over six months already, gaining a large following through editing and adding music to animated characters. Once his son’s xianxia drama aired, he went full-on fan mode and became Qi Wei’s number one supporter. Yes, for safety reasons, Xue Yuan had given Qi Wei a stage name: Qi Changwei.
[The editor did an amazing job, the music is great too! Love to my Wei, and love to the editor!]
[My favorite character in the drama is the young lord—so devoted and kindhearted, but tragically destined not to win the heroine’s heart…]
There were drama fans and newly converted Qi Wei fans leaving comments, as well as some of the editor’s long-time followers who joined in for fun.
[This guy looks so good in ancient costume. I can’t help it—I’m joining the fandom!]
[Where did this god-tier cutie come from? Count me in!]
This xianxia idol drama had chosen the mainstream route and gained major traction, bringing Qi Wei into the spotlight even though he was only the third male lead. Still, the waves he made were significant.
With rising fame inevitably comes scandal. Especially since Qi Wei’s looks were particularly striking, actors who shared a similar market demographic couldn’t sit still anymore.
At this time, a well-known gossip forum started digging up Qi Wei’s past.
[Let’s expose the fresh little pretty boy who climbed up by stepping on Xia Qing!]
[User “Immortal Again”: As everyone knows, my Qing’s idol dramas always draw huge ratings and attention. There are countless D-list actors trying to leech off her popularity. But I’ve never seen one as shameless as this one—he not only rode on my Qing’s coattails, he even dared to overshadow her!]
The moment this thread was posted, it caught the attention of Xia Qing’s fans. But since Xia Qing was currently one of the hottest young stars, her fanbase was both organized and disciplined. They could tell right away that this post was bait.
Qingbaobao Is My Love (2F): OP is clearly just trying to smear our girl. Don’t drag our Qing into everything. Taking her and leaving—our Qing’s not interested! [manual goodbye.jpg]
Ants On Trees (3F): +1 to second floor!
Fatty Beef Noodles (4F): Same here.
…
Spicy Noodles (26F): Waiting for the tea!
…
For every rational fan, there were also plenty just there for the drama. And the original poster was clearly prepared for this. Ignoring the backlash from Xia Qing’s fans, they continued to post their opinions.
Immortal Again: Everyone knows that when Qing acts in idol dramas, she’s the top-billed cast member—sometimes even outranking the male lead. Yet somehow, this random male third lead got Qing to throw him the spotlight at the press conference? Not only that, during filming, when Qing was standing, he actually dared to sit! [.jpg][.jpg][.jpg]
Three photos were posted, all showing Qi Wei and Xia Qing together. But because of the angles, it looked like Xia Qing was taking the initiative while Qi Wei appeared indifferent or uncooperative.
While Xia Qing’s fans were busy verifying the images, some of the forum lurkers couldn’t hold back anymore.
Watermelon Juice (108F): OP, do you even know how to spill tea? What exactly in these photos shows him “stepping on” Xia Qing? Weak sauce…
Strawberry Ice (109F): Yeah, OP’s exposé is seriously low-level. I don’t get it.
…
Immortal Again didn’t care about the comments from these so-called “water posters” (people just spamming for fun). They kept dragging Qi Wei’s name through the mud, continuously trying to stir up conflict between him and Xia Qing. Eventually, the persistent trolling brought in more and more Xia Qing fans looking to tear the OP apart.
Yang Wine Master (1112F): Time to disperse, folks. The OP is clearly just a lousy troll, and not even a clever one. Do your homework next time!
Rainbow Candy (1113F): I can’t believe this garbage post made it to over a thousand comments. Has our forum run out of people?!
…
As more and more netizens called out the OP’s unprofessionalism and lack of substance, Xia Qing’s fans also flooded in to denounce the thread. The post became a chaotic mess of accusations and defenses—but in the process, it propelled Qi Wei, who hadn’t yet fully broken into mainstream stardom, to the top of the trending charts.
Post #3060: “These days, it seems like anyone can be a celebrity. I’ve completely lost faith in this generation’s entertainment industry!”
…
Just as the comments started heading in the direction that “仙又仙” had hoped for, Qi Sheng took action and quickly gained control of the narrative before things could spiral.
Post #3205: “Coming from a poor background doesn’t automatically mean there’s shady business going on. What’s wrong with people nowadays? Just because you have a dirty mind doesn’t mean everyone else does too!”
…
Post #3210: “There’s absolutely no evidence. Just because of some past experiences, you’re accusing someone of shady deals? Friendly reminder to the OP: careful you don’t get sued for defamation!”
…
Post #3221: “The OP is clearly just a hater. Anyone remotely familiar with the entertainment scene knows that Xingyu has signed several new talents in the past year. Why single out QCW as having some kind of backing? Honestly, it’s not suspicious at all. In this industry, looks are king, and QCW’s face is more than enough to land him on a high platform. The OP’s just jealous!”
…
Qi Sheng was skillfully steering the narrative using his sockpuppet accounts, quickly shifting the direction of the thread into a more favorable one.
He had prepared a lot of these dummy accounts in advance, and his ability to switch personas—from cute and silly to sharp-tongued—was enough to impress even the best drama queens online.
Xue Yuan also made sure to instruct the PR team to keep an eye on Qi Wei’s online reputation. Any deliberate smear campaigns or malicious rumors had to be handled swiftly and properly.
Thanks to Qi Sheng’s guiding hand, public opinion began to split into two camps: One camp firmly believed that for Qi Changwei to sign under Xue Yuan right after debuting, he must have a sugar daddy behind the scenes. The other camp insisted the original poster was just bitter over someone else’s lucky break and kept promoting Qi Changwei’s good qualities throughout the thread.
Both sides stood their ground and passionately argued their points, and just as the thread was starting to spread wider and attract more attention, “仙又仙” suddenly got into trouble themselves.
A headline skyrocketed up the trending topics list: [#仙又仙 falsely accuses Zhang Lei#] It shot to the top of the day’s gossip rankings at lightning speed.
Netizens still remembered Zhang Lei—a fresh-faced actor who rose to fame through a modern idol drama. Shortly after his breakout, he was bombarded with a flood of negative rumors. Some veteran gossip fans had even contributed to those old smear threads. Now, out of curiosity, many clicked into the new post.
The content was packed with hard evidence, revealing transaction records and chat logs between “仙又仙” and their client.
The tone of the messages was arrogant and aggressive: “As long as the money’s there, I’ll ruin them so bad they’ll never recover.”
The star who had paid for the smear campaign was also exposed—it was none other than Wang Fan, a currently red-hot idol.
The netizens who had unknowingly played along with these smear campaigns were outraged. Besides rushing to apologize to Zhang Lei, they also unleashed furious condemnations toward both “仙又仙” and Wang Fan. Compared to the hitman “仙又仙”, Wang Fan’s high profile made him a bigger target.
For a while, the entire internet was ablaze with hate toward Wang Fan. His millions of fans couldn’t stay quiet and began flooding the post to defend him.
“Why is everything being pinned on our FanFan? He’s the most dedicated, the kindest—”
“If you want to accuse someone, show proof! These are clearly Photoshopped!”
…
Wang Fan’s fans continued to resist desperately, but one after another, undeniable pieces of evidence surfaced.
“Ew. You wanted proof? You got it. Wang Fan fans, satisfied now?”
“Haha, no surprise—turns out the biggest hidden black fans are always the die-hard stans!”
…
Evidence of Wang Fan buying smear campaigns against others kept piling up—not just targeting Zhang Lei, but also other up-and-coming male idols.
The fans of those wrongly attacked stars couldn’t sit back any longer. They flocked to Wang Fan’s Weibo to tear into him. While his fans continued to struggle to defend him, even more dirt from his past began to surface.
Hookups, drug use, acting like a diva, entertaining clients at nightclubs—there was overwhelming evidence of Wang Fan’s dark past. It was clear these weren’t rumors; even powerful industry veterans who had worked with him subtly confirmed the authenticity of the evidence during interviews.
At that moment, Wang Fan could no longer sit still. He had already trashed the room in a fit of rage and was now glaring at his manager.
“What the hell is going on?! Didn’t you say this was all dealt with? How did anyone get their hands on this stuff?!”
His manager was just as baffled. It was like the world flipped overnight. He frowned, trying to figure out which big shot they could’ve possibly offended to have someone come at Wang Fan this hard and this thoroughly.
The manager could already see where this was going, but having worked alongside Wang Fan for over three years, he still felt obligated to offer some consolation.
“Don’t panic. Right now, netizens are at their most worked up. We can’t go against them directly. The company’s PR team is already looking into ways to suppress this. Internet users are forgetful—after a while, if we do some more charity appearances, this mess will blow over.”
But Wang Fan was having none of it. He’d always been the one dishing out dirt—how could he allow others to smear him?
Ignoring his manager, he grabbed his phone and tried calling the bigwig he had recently gotten close to. But not only was the call unanswered, he then received a chilling message on WeChat—complete with a photo of him in bed.
“Don’t call me again. Don’t try to associate with me in any way. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee these photos won’t be leaked.”
Wang Fan stared at the message, feeling a cold chill sweep over him. How had everything changed in just one day?
His manager also got a phone call. After hanging up, he looked at Wang Fan with hesitation.
Wang Fan sensed something was very wrong. Before he could even ask, the manager spoke: “They just called from upstairs. You’re to lie low for a while. This time, the scandal is too serious, too real. The company’s decided not to spend any more resources cleaning up your mess. Wang Fan, you…”
Wang Fan looked at him in disbelief and shouted, “I’m the company’s top star! How could they just give up on me? No way—I’m going there to ask them myself!”
His manager blocked him with a sigh. “You know what you’ve done. The company has no choice. If you go against their arrangements, even more of your dirt is going to surface.”
Wang Fan remembered the bed photo. Hands trembling, he covered his face. How did it come to this? Is it really all over for him? It wasn’t supposed to end like this.
Online, netizens were stuffed full of gossip about Wang Fan and “Xian You Xian.” The rumors had become so overwhelming, people felt overloaded. The original post where “Xian You Xian” tried to smear Qi Wei had been deleted over the past couple of days.
Users who had been lurking in that thread waiting for juicy drama now looked at the deleted post and the legal notice sent to “Xian You Xian,” feeling disgusted, like they had to spit the gossip back out.
Post #7806: “Congrats to the OP! After all that shady muckraking, you finally got what you deserved—a lawyer’s letter!”
Post #7807: “A professional hater like you totally had this coming.”
Post #7808: “Honestly, I kinda feel bad for QCW. He was just starting to get noticed, and suddenly he gets hit with a smear campaign? Everyone following this drama, wake up already!”
…
With Qi Sheng’s behind-the-scenes guidance, more and more people in the thread began to support Qi Wei. As the backlash against “Xian You Xian” for accepting money to defame others grew stronger, users soon noticed the thread had been deleted.
Spectators assumed “Xian You Xian” got scared of being sued and deleted it themselves. This led to even more sympathy for Qi Changwei, who was the target of the attack.
Meanwhile, at his desk, “Xian You Xian” stared at the blacked-out screen, fuming and on the verge of smashing his computer. But before he could log back in on his phone, things took an even worse turn.
Cold sweat drenched him. He finally realized—this time, he had kicked the hornet’s nest.
Qi Sheng had watched the tide of online comments shift in favor of his son and then directly hacked into “Xian You Xian’s” account to delete the thread.
He didn’t want his son’s past to be dragged out into the public. After cleaning up all the old photos of Qi Wei from the internet, Qi Sheng smiled with satisfaction.
The current situation was just right—people would remember a bit, but not enough to dig deeper.