“After I graduated from university, the family was doing better. So, I got the dressing table.” Song Yu pointed to the dressing table. The dressing table had a distinct style, unlike the bookshelf and study table. It was those ready-made types from Furniture City.
“This bed was originally a small single bed, but after I graduated and started working, my parents changed it because they thought it would be uncomfortable for an adult to be sleeping on a bed for kids.” She pressed down on the Simmons mattress and smiled sheepishly.
Qi Chengzhi followed her as she pointed out everything in her room. He felt like he was in the middle of a mini-tour.
He could not help but realize that he knew no details about her life even though he had seven years’ worth of time to do so.
Ever since the bankruptcy, Qi Chengzhi watched her like a hawk, scrutinizing her every move. At times, he would even request for her information to be dug up, but when it came to the tiny details like her room, it was obvious that he had no means of investigating them.
In a flash, he felt like he returned to the time where he was not yet present in her life, the point at which she was still a young girl living in this tiny room.
“Were you used to the sudden transition from a villa to a small apartment? It’s really quite a sorry sight compared to your earlier home.” Qi Chengzhi carried her up and placed her on his lap with both arms around her body. His thin lips rubbed against the corner of her eyes and he planted a few solid kisses on her lips.
She felt tingly in the corner of her eyes as a result of the kisses from his soft moist lips.
Song Yu could hear the adoration in his husky and magnetic voice. She too had her arms wrapped around his waist, and she buried her head into his neck and nuzzled him. “It’s okay. I was never much of a materialistic person anyway, so a change of environment wasn’t something serious. And, I didn’t know too many people here. I didn’t need to force myself to engage in meaningless conversations with all those young men and women from the rich circle.
“Most importantly, the engagement with Qi Chengji was successfully broken off. When he liked Wei Ran, I was already thinking if there’d be any chance for us to break the engagement off. I even had hopes that the Qi family and Wei family would agree to both of them. If that happened, then our engagement would automatically be voided.
“After the bankruptcy, I was actually very relieved even though we weren’t as well-off as we were before. Of course, we weren’t immediately used to it when we moved here. I mean, our lives before and after the bankruptcy were complete opposites. I also had to learn how to get used to a new school and new teaching methods. Normal high schools were very different from Jixia High School, and because the school had students from all kinds of backgrounds, the way those professors taught us were very different too. It took a long time for me to get used to it. The good thing was I didn’t delay my college entrance exam. Our family wasn’t in a good condition at the time, so it’s not a good thing for me repeat another year.
“Regarding other things, it took me about a year to finally get accustomed to it and integrate into this normal life.” He felt her forehead move ever so slightly on his neck. She was looking up at him, and as if worried he would be distraught about it, she said, “Things are good.”
Qi Chengzhi hugged her even tighter and planted his soft lips hard on her cheek. It was not the kind of devoted kiss, but she could feel his particularly somber expression. “I’m sorry, to have let you suffer so much.”
Song Yu blinked her eyes a few times in confusion. Her eyelashes fluttered against his chin and she extracted herself from his neck. “Why are you saying sorry? It’s not your fault.”
Qi Chengzhi fell silent for some time. His enigmatic eyes looked at her face in all seriousness, and she could feel him tighten his grip on her. Soon, she heard his low voice. “I’m really sorry I wasn’t by your side all these years.”
Song Yu smiled and felt a warmth in her heart. She cupped his face and kissed his thin, stern lips—she was the only one who knew how soft and warm they were.
When her tongue took the initiative to brush across his thin lips, Qi Chengzhi let out a satisfied groan. He tensed up his shoulders, placing one hand on her back to support her and placing the other at the back of her head so he can kiss her more passionately.
He absolutely adored her spontaneity. Like his own mischievousness, it would appear once in a while without going overboard. It was slightly timid, but it was also vivacious, seducing his heart and making it dance to her tune.
Unable to control himself, his kisses were constantly increasing in intensity. Holding on to her, he turned his warm and muscular body around and pressed her onto the bed.
His hand slid into her clothes through her soft waist. Both of Song Yu’s hands were left to their own devices as she buried them in his hair. He was not the only one taking the initiative to kiss her; she too was kissing him, absorbing all of his energy and sucking on his lip. Her tongue was entwined with his, as though they did not want to be apart for even a fraction of a second. She could taste the deliciousness of brandy when her tongue was wrapped around his.
A few of the buttons on Song Yu’s shirt had been opened by him. Her fair-skinned shoulders were showing, as were her black bra straps. Peeking out from under the bra were her delightful breasts.
His lips remained in contact with her body as he moved them from her lips to her breasts.
‘Knock knock knock!’ A sudden knock on the door startled the both of them, and of course, it could not have been anyone else except for Song Donglin or Yu Qianying. Song Yu was anxious regardless of who it was that knocked.
She pushed him gently, but he refused to budge. His refusal though, was involuntary, as he was not in a position to move easily.
With his head still embedded in her bosom, he finally got off of her after taking a deep breath. Song Yu saw the unpleasant expression on his face, he looked so austere and expressionless.
Song Yu fastened her buttons hurriedly and combed her hair. Then she made sure Qi Chengzhi’s clothes were looking alright. She found it amusing to see him trying to restrain himself, but at the same time, his patient yet aching expression worried her.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
Qi Chengzhi inhaled deeply and said hoarsely, “I’m fine.”
His eyes—filled with lust that had yet to fully subside—looked somewhat depressed as he glanced at the door. “Go ahead and open the door. If you don’t do it soon, their imagination might run wild.”
Song Yu blushed and got up, glimpsing at her own reflection as she passed her dressing table mirror. Her appearance then was not at all normal; though her hair was alright, her clothes were wrinkled and her lips were so swollen that they were deep-red in color.
She touched them but realized she had no other option but to open the door and walk out bravely.
At the door was Yu Qianying, who was holding a pair of pajamas. Yu Qianying felt so awkward when she saw Song Yu’s appearance that she had no idea where to look.
Having been around the block herself, Yu Qianying knew full well about the things that youngsters would do. Furthermore, Song Yu was already living under the same roof as Qi Chengzhi; it would be ludicrous to expect that they would sleep in different rooms and do nothing with each other.
At the end of the day though, Song Yu was still her daughter, so it was not very appealing to have that thought in her mind.
All Song Yu could do was stroke her hair a couple of times and say, “Mom…”
Yu Qianying’s gaze shifted across Song Yu’s shoulder and onto Qi Chengzhi, who was sitting on the bed. He was still not in a condition to stand up. Yu Qianying saw his sour face and unhappy expression.
Knowing that she had disturbed the young couple getting it on, Yu Qianying made no mistake in deciphering that Qi Chengzhi had that look on his face to show his displeasure. Yu Qianying then said, “This is your dad’s pajamas. I don’t think it’ll fit him perfectly, but let him try them on first. If it doesn’t fit at all, then maybe you can go and buy a set.”
Qi Chengzhi felt himself getting back to normal, so he promptly walked over to take the pajamas.
Compared to Qi Chengzhi, Song Donglin was slightly plumper during his younger days. However, the main issue with the pajamas was the discrepancy in their height: Song Donglin was much shorter than Qi Chengzhi.
The pants and top were noticeably dwarf on Qi Chengzhi’s body.
Yu Qianying noticed that problem as well and could not help but giggle. She told Song Yu, “Bring Chengzhi to the nearby supermarket and get a pair of pajamas. While you’re at it, get anything else that you need.”
The huge supermarket was very near to their home, requiring only a fifteen-minute, moderate-paced walk.
Song Yu and Qi Chengzhi left the house at about half-past-seven. It was still early, so they were in no rush. They treated it as a slow, post-dinner walk.
The days were still rather short and nightfall came quickly. It was dark, with a yellow glow arising from two rows of streetlights along each side of the street. High above their heads was the whitish-silver crescent moon.
Barely a short distance after they left, they met a few neighbors who were preparing to do some aerobic exercise. Most of them were about Yu Qianying’s age, but one or two youngsters were present nonetheless.
“Eh? Isn’t this Song Yu?” Lao Xu—the man who stayed in the same building as Song Yu—spotted her, and when the other neighbors heard his voice, they too looked toward Song Yu and Qi Chengzhi’s direction.
Yu Qianying frequently chatted with those people, so they knew Yu Qianying well and were aware of who Song Yu was.
Song Yu greeted each one of them while Lao Xu looked at Qi Chengzhi, “Going for a walk with your boyfriend? Two days ago, your mother told me that you had a boyfriend. The same one that I saw during the new year. Oh, you. You were even hiding it at that time.”
“Ay, you’re very handsome, young man.” Lao Xu’s wife, Mrs. Xu, smiled at them.
Song Yu turned to look at Qi Chengzhi, whose face was now obscured partly under the glow of the streetlight. His facial features looked even more mystifying, not to mention the added dourness. Since his face was shaded by the shadows and only half-illuminated, his true feelings were rather indecipherable.
Unexpectedly, Qi Chengzhi took a few steps forward, greeted them with a warm smile and said hello to those elders.
Song Yu stood on one side and observed him in surprise. Had it not been for her standing there and watching him act that way in front of her eyes, she would never have imagined that Qi Chengzhi was able to interact so warmly with other people.
Qi Chengzhi had such grace and humility that many of those middle-aged ladies were praising him continuously. Song Yu constantly heard voices saying, “So well-mannered!”
Eventually, Song Yu dragged Qi Chengzhi’s arm and led him out of the swarm of praises.
As they walked, they passed by a building and saw a red Camry stopping at the side of the road.
Qi Chengzhi cocked a brow; he had a sixth sense when it came to red Camrys.
It was no coincidence when the Camry door swung open and the driver came out.
Qi Chengzhi’s other brow cocked up as well, and he continued walking with Song Yu as though he did not see anything out of the ordinary.
“Song Yu!” Wang Yifeng’s voice was heard. Unable to ignore him, Qi Chengzhi stopped walking and looked at him with an expressionless face.
Wang Yifeng saw Qi Chengzhi well this time. He recognized Qi Chengzhi as the man who got into an accident with him, and realized that he was right when he saw Qi Chengzhi at Jian Yi’s wedding.
“I didn’t think that he was your boyfriend.” Wang Yifeng smiled awkwardly.
Song Yu smiled equally as awkward as well. She tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear and apologized to him, “I’m really sorry about your car.”
Recalling every nasty comment he had made about Qi Chengzhi to Song Yu, Wang Yifeng felt flustered and changed the topic hastily. “It seems you’ve formally met each other’s parents.”
He originally thought that the reason for not telling her family about it was because she had a boyfriend with a bad background, someone her parents would not approve. In reality, it was the complete opposite, and her boyfriend was actually someone with a high social standing.
If he had not attended Jian Yi’s wedding, he would have known the Qi family’s eldest son in name only. He would not have recognized Qi Chengzhi even if they met.
When Wang Yifeng told Song Yu that he wanted to meet her boyfriend, it was a serious proposition. He wanted Song Yu to do a comparison between both men, and it was his intention to show off that he was better than the boyfriend.
At that point though, Wang Yifeng was reduced to swallowing his own saliva under Qi Chengzhi’s cold stare. There was absolutely no way he was a match for him.
Song Yu failed to cough up a suitable response to Wang Yifeng, but Qi Chengzhi spoke calmly, “We’re going to buy some stuff, but we’ll be back soon. If you’re not busy, you can come visit us at home.”
Song Yu sneaked a glimpse at him. He said those words with such self-confidence as if the Song family was his own family, and he was so natural about it.
Wang Yifeng was taken aback. In the beginning, Song Yu was so reluctant about introducing her boyfriend to her family, yet there he was, being on such good terms with her family that he treated it as his own.
Qi Chengzhi’s obscure eyes shot him a cynical glance as another sentence was added, “We’re staying here for the night so we’re quite free.”
Wang Yifeng froze completely. He had been to Song Yu’s house before and he knew that there were only two bedrooms…
Ignoring Wang Yifeng’s stupefaction, Qi Chengzhi nodded and brought Song Yu away.
Song Yu looked up at him and spotted the satisfied curl on his lips. After their evening walk, everyone in the area would know that he was Song Yu’s boyfriend by the next morning.
…
…
The two of them went to the supermarket and bought a pair of pajamas. They also bought a few sets of underwear for him and later decided to buy some clothes from a nearby branded clothes store.
They reckoned that this would be the first of many times that he would come over and stay the night, so having a few spare clothes there would save the hassle of needing to bring over a luggage bag.
For Qi Chengzhi, nothing was better than turning her room at her parents’ place into their own little nest, where he could just come in and stay without bringing anything with him.
Consequently, Qi Chengzhi went on an enthusiastic spending spree. Song Yu was the one who had to restrain him from buying anything further.
Qi Chengzhi took the bags from Song Yu and carried everything by himself.
Song Yu stretched out her hand and said, “Let me carry some.”
Qi Chengzhi looked askance at her, “Just keep walking.”
“You’re bringing too many things, let me help you carry them,” she insisted.
“Don’t argue. We need to go home soon or else your parents will be worried,” he replied. The bags, though many, did not pose any problem for him, but Song Yu looked at him and felt as though the bags covered up his charm.
Yu Qianying and Song Donglin looked on as they came back with bags of all shapes and sizes. Their mouths were agape and they seemed to be in so much disbelief that they did not know how to respond. Was Qi Chengzhi preparing to call their place home?
Song Yu tidied up her clothes in her wardrobe cabinet and freed up half the space for Qi Chengzhi’s newly bought clothes.
Satisfied, he looked at how his underwear and clothes were placed neatly in Song Yu’s cabinet. He remarked, “If Jian Yi visits, you can bring him for a tour.”
Song Yu, “…”
Qi Chengzhi turned and walked out into the living room. He faced Song Donglin and Yu Qianying—who were both slightly uneasy because of his presence—and said to them, “Dad, Mom, goodnight.”
Song Donglin, “…”
Yu Qianying, “…”
“Isn’t it a bit inappropriate for him to call us Mom and Dad? Even if Song Yu’s now…” Yu Qianying paused momentarily and felt uncomfortable after remembering the locking sound of Song Yu’s room door. “He can’t simply just call us Mom and Dad. They’re not married yet.”
“I’ve told him already, but he pretended not to listen. Maybe you can try telling him?” Song Donglin shook his head and had no intention of bringing the matter up with him again.
“…” Yu Qianying too did not want to bother about it anymore. She got up and grumbled as she walked into her room. “Why didn’t I know before this that he was so thick-faced?”
…
…
In the morning, Qi Chengzhi was still asleep when Song Yu got up. He was lying on his stomach and the upper portion of his slender body was showing since the blanket only covered him up to his waist.
After Song Yu tidied everything up, she looked at his sleeping pose and smiled. She promptly went to the bathroom, but not before giving him a peck on the lips.
Yu Qianying was already busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen, so Song Yu went to a roadside snack stall in the neighborhood and bought some Youtiaos as well as some meat pies. Qi Chengzhi was not a fan of sweet things, so she did not buy fried glutinous rice cakes.
When she came back, Qi Chengzhi was already awake. He changed into the clothes that they had bought the night before and was sitting with Song Donglin on the dining table; they were both reading newspapers.
Since the two of them had promised to visit Grandmother Qi on that day, Yu Qianying was a little reluctant for them to leave since she knew that they would be taking off after breakfast. “You only stayed here for a little while. The sofa’s not even warm yet and you’re already leaving.”
“We’ll come back and stay here tonight. We’ll only be leaving tomorrow night,” Qi Chengzhi said.
Song Yu looked at him dumbfounded; she did not expect him to answer like that.
Yu Qianying was happy to hear his answer.
As a result of Qi Chengzhi waking up rather late in the morning, it was already nearing noon by the time they reached the Qi residence.
Aunt Liu opened the door for them, and when Song Yu walked in, she saw a row of shoes in the entrance hall and heard bursts of faintly audible laughter coming from the living room.
“So, how was it going on a vacation alone with Jian Yi? You didn’t let your temper get the better of you, did you?” Guan Liya asked with a smile and looked at Jian Yi. In fact, she was worried that the two of them would be at loggerheads even though they were newly-weds.
“Of course not! It’s just the two of us, so it was really sweet! I’m not a stubborn girl, so as long as there aren’t any phony people around to provoke me, why would I stir up trouble for nothing!” Qi Chengyue smiled tenderly, revealing the tiny dimples on the corner of her lips. She wrapped herself around Jian Yi and stuck closely to him.
Everyone smiled awkwardly because they knew who she referred to when she said ‘phony people’.
“Grandfather, Grandmother, Dad, Mom, Uncle, Auntie.” Qi Chengzhi brought Song Yu into the living room and greeted all his elders.
The instant she heard Qi Chengzhi’s voice, Qi Chengyue’s expression turned unsavory because he really did bring Song Yu over. The tender sweet expression from Qi Chengyue’s face vanished completely and she looked at Song Yu with full of hatred.
‘Today’s supposed to be a happy day. Why did he have to bring Song Yu along all the time!’
“You’re late. Come and sit down!” Grandmother Qi’s expression lit up when she saw the two lovebirds holding hands so sweetly.
She carried Qi Youxuan—who was busy eating some chocolate—and moved aside slightly, making space for Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu to sit down.
Qi Chengyue’s expression changed dramatically. It seemed like the whole family accepted Song Yu during her honeymoon.
She blurted out without even thinking, “Grandma, what’s the meaning of this? Uncle, Auntie, she’s just barging into our home, are you agreeing to it? Don’t you care if others badmouth us? Don’t you care about how my fourth big brother will feel about it?”
“How I will feel about what?” Qi Chengji was still in military uniform when he came in. He heard Qi Chengyue’s words from outside, and although he did not understand it at first, he got the full picture when he came in and saw Song Yu.
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