In the Years When I Was a Father-Chapter 8: The Playboy Dad (8)

At that moment, in a run-down house, Xu Ning and her family of three were eating dinner, laughing and talking.
Xu Ning had a big smile on her face, thinking about how she would be able to buy a new house and live a better life after the New Year. She secretly thanked herself for following that person’s advice back then.
“Mom, why are you so reckless? You’ve already fallen out with Qi Wenyu. What if Grandpa Qi decides to take him back later?”
Since learning the whole story, Shen Yao had specifically inquired about the Qi family’s affairs. He knew that the head of the Qi family greatly valued Qi Wenyu. While feeling jealous of Qi Wenyu’s good fortune, he also resented that their family had already cut ties with these people so quickly.
Xu Ning shot him a glare and said in a displeased tone, “What could I have done? You’re in such a hurry for money, and that person has a hold on me. If I hadn’t done what he asked, the Qi family might have sent me to prison for intentional kidnapping by now.”
Thinking about it made Xu Ning even angrier. She couldn’t help but curse at Shen Yao, “It’s all because of you! You said you were just fighting with someone, but you ended up stabbing them. Those bastards, they extorted so much money. If I wasn’t afraid they’d drag you out and kill you, do you think I’d have to come up with all this money?”
Xu Ning’s family had borrowed every penny they could, but unfortunately, they were still short by several hundred thousand for the compensation. If those people weren’t so tough, Xu Ning would have fought the lawsuit and refused to pay such a large sum.
But those ruffians were too difficult to deal with, so the family had to think of more ways to raise the money.
The deadline for paying the money was fast approaching, and they still couldn’t come up with enough. In their desperation, Xu Ning suddenly thought of her son, who was living a life of luxury in a rich family.
Twenty years ago, Xu Ning was a dishwasher in the cafeteria of a prestigious university in the city. Every day, she wore a stained apron, washing an endless pile of plates, earning a meager wage. She worked so hard that her back ached, and she could barely make ends meet.
During her breaks, she would often see girls her age, dressed neatly, laughing as they talked about clothes, jewelry, and makeup, or discussing academic topics that she couldn’t understand. Their eyes always sparkled with hope when they talked about the future.
She had left school after middle school to work, experiencing the coldness of the world countless times, doing numerous odd jobs. She had no idea when her life would improve.
If the lives of those ordinary girls made her long for something better, then the appearance of Bai Ruoqing made her realize that some girls could live such dazzling lives.
The difference between their lives was like heaven and earth. At first, she couldn’t even feel envy, but life always played tricks on people.
She clearly remembered that afternoon when, as usual, she was collecting plates. Without realizing it, she bumped into the dazzling princess Bai Ruoqing, spilling oil from the plates onto her beautiful dress.
Before she could react, she heard a girl who was with Bai Ruoqing exclaiming in shock and sympathy. She didn’t remember exactly what the girl said, but the boy following Bai Ruoqing pushed her aside, scolding her for being careless while fawning over Bai Ruoqing. Xu Ning didn’t even dare to rub the pain on her arm from being pushed. She could only apologize in panic. Compared to the pain in her arm, she was more afraid that these people would make her compensate for the damage.
Fortunately, Bai Ruoqing had said “forget it” and ended the matter. When the group walked away, Xu Ning finally relaxed. She had suffered many grievances from working, but that day she couldn’t take it anymore.
Later, she left the cafeteria, worked several different jobs, and eventually met Qi Wenyu’s biological father. The man was handsome and sweet-talking, making her dizzy. By the time she was five months pregnant, she had not received any proposal from him. Instead, during a hospital visit, he disappeared without a trace.
The doctor told her that if she aborted the child, she might not be able to get pregnant again in the future. She hesitated for a long time but ultimately couldn’t bring herself to do it. Those were very difficult times for her, but fortunately, she had met her current husband.
During the days she was about to give birth, she stayed at the hospital, and coincidentally, Bai Ruoqing was also there, giving birth in the upscale ward upstairs, while Xu Ning stayed in the regular ward downstairs with other pregnant women.
She often walked in the hallway and saw the nanny taking care of Bai Ruoqing going up and down. She vaguely had an idea but thought it was unrealistic. However, it seemed that even fate had shown her some favor. To her surprise, things turned out better than expected, and her unrealistic idea actually succeeded!
She didn’t tell anyone about this. Her current husband, although caring for her during that time, didn’t pay much attention to the child that wasn’t his. And since newborns changed every day, he didn’t notice she had swapped the baby.
She gave birth naturally and, feeling guilty, didn’t stay in the hospital for long. She returned to her husband’s house.
At first, she planned to wait until her son took control of the Qi family, and then she would go back and reunite with him. Her plan was well thought out, but unfortunately, her youngest son was the one who held her back.
Without other options, she could only go to her eldest son to make contact. She thought that even if he didn’t want to recognize her, he would at least have to accept her demands to stay in the Qi family.