“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.
“Don’t talk nonsense!” The old lady’s expression turned sour too. She lambasted Qi Chengyue, “Don’t assume that I don’t know why you’re so against it. You’re still overly suspicious of everyone even though you’re already married to Jian Yi! You shouldn’t be worried that someone comes and ruins your marriage; you should be careful not to ruin it yourself.”
“Grandma!” Qi Chengyue was in utter disbelief because her grandmother took a swipe at her right in front of everyone else.
Out of everyone else in the family, Grandmother Qi adored Qi Youxuan the most. Nevertheless, it was not because she favored men over women; rather, it was because Qi Youxuan was still young, and there were two generations separating her from him. It was only natural that she doted on him a bit more.
In spite of all that, she still looked at Qi Chengyue with all smiles, as though not a single harsh word had ever been said.
“Chengyue, I think you’ve probably misunderstood. Song Yu and I never had feelings for each other in the first place. We were like brother and sister. Truth is, I wanted to wait until I grew up and had the capability to find a way to break off the engagement. This was the common understanding we came to even before the Song family went bankrupt. It wasn’t just because I liked Wei Ran at the time. Even if there was no Wei Ran, the both of us could never be together,” Qi Chengji 1 explained. It was the first time he told his family about his original plans.
“But the Qi family will turn into a laughingstock! You can’t deny that! Are all of you going to just watch our family turn into some kind of joke?” Qi Chengyue rattled off without a care in the world. She did not expect Qi Chengji to care so little about it. Her hand formed a tight fist because she no longer had her bargaining chip. ‘Why did he have to help them? He’s the one who has the strongest reason to object against them.’
“Even if you’ve broken off the engagement, Song Yu’s still not good for anyone. Why must she insist on being with Big Brother? Isn’t this a disgrace to our family?” Qi Chengyue squealed. “She’s bringing our family’s reputation down on purpose!”
“Qi Zhongxun! Is this how you raise your daughter? Letting her be as rude as she wants with the family? Your mother and I are still here. How dare she show this kind of attitude!” The old man slapped the back of the sofa and stared angrily at Qi Zhongxun. “If she’s already this rude at home, how much ruder would she be outside? I’d like to know to what extent she has sullied our Qi family’s name outside this home!”
Qi Chengyue stood up abruptly with her eyes full of tears. “I only want what’s best for the family. Grandpa, Grandma, you can’t let Big Brother’s moment of selfishness ruin our family completely. I’d like to be able to leave my home and meet people! Before this, when Big Brother’s relationship with Song Yu was still vague and uncertain, my circle of friends was already gossiping, what more now that their relationship is official! Wouldn’t it be even worse?”
“ENOUGH!” Qi Zhongxun warned her sternly. As her father, he felt ashamed when the old man scolded him for Qi Chengyue’s rudeness in front of her own elders.
“Why must you talk about all this nonsense in front of Youxuan!” Qi Zhongxun berated her.
Qi Chenglin called Aunt Liu over and told her to bring Youxuan out to play in the courtyard.
“All of you…” She felt as though her entire family had gone mad because no one was siding her!
Furious, she dashed upstairs.
Guan Liya was hesitant to say anything as she looked at Qi Chengyue disappearing through the stairs. She sighed and said, “Father, Mother, I’m sorry, she…”
Guan Liya stopped talking and looked at Song Yu, then shook her head rather disapprovingly as she said, “I’ll go and talk to her.”
She lowered her head and went up as soon as she finished her sentence.
Jian Yi stood up too, and his face had an apologetic look. “Grandpa, Grandma, I’ll go up to check on her as well.”
The old lady waved him off in irritation. “Go, go!”
Qi Zhongliang was silent for a moment, but he later stood up and said, “You two. Come with me.”
Song Yu looked at Qi Chengzhi, and the latter kneaded her hand gently to calm her down. He brought her and followed Qi Zhongliang into the study.
Seeing how Qi Chengzhi was unwilling to let go of Song Yu even in such a situation, Xia Wenna shook her head helplessly knowing that she was unable to do anything else.
“Close the door!” Qi Zhongliang ordered loudly, but by then Song Yu had already shut the door.
Before Qi Zhongliang said anything else, he fished out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and took one from it. Just as he was about to light it up, Qi Chengzhi’s insipid and moderately-toned voice was heard. “Song Yu doesn’t like the smell of smoke. I never smoke in front of her.”
“It’s nothing to make a fuss about!” Qi Zhongliang retorted. He did not care and still wanted to smoke.
Qi Chengzhi did not bother replying as he began to lead Song Yu out of the study room. The door was already open and he was about to go out.
“I haven’t said anything yet! Where are you going!” Qi Zhongliang bellowed.
“Song Yu can’t stand the smell of smoke. If you want to smoke, we’ll wait until you’ve finished smoking and we’ll come in when the smoke smell disappears,” Qi Chengzhi replied curtly.
“Bloody hell! She’s not even in the family yet and there’s already so many problems. What’s going to happen once she is!” In a flurry of anger, Qi Zhongliang threw the cigarette and the lighter to the floor.
Qi Chengzhi turned around and remarked indifferently. “You may be able to disregard how much I care for your daughter-in-law, but this is Grandfather’s study room. He too will not allow you to smoke.”
One mention of the old man left Qi Zhongliang speechless. His only reason for wanting to take a smoke was because he was not in a good mood earlier, but in the end, he forgot about his parents’ peeves.
“Shut the door!” Qi Zhongliang roared.
The door to the study was closed, and Qi Chengzhi once again brought Song Yu over.
Qi Zhongliang let out a deep breath before saying, “About the two of you, our family doesn’t care anymore and we don’t want to care. If you insist on being together, we won’t object.”
Song Yu listened carefully, she had a feeling that there was a ‘but’ waiting to be said.
“But…” There was one indeed, and she subsequently heard Qi Zhongliang continue, “Because of Song Yu and Chengji’s earlier relationship, we feel that you should lay low when you get married. When the time comes for us to fix a date, we don’t have any problems with the marriage and we won’t object, but you can forget about a wedding reception. A simple meal with the family is enough.”
Qi Chengzhi dragged Song Yu off without waiting for Qi Zhongliang to continue any further.
“Why the hell are you walking away when I haven’t finished talking. Am I still your father in your eyes or not!” Qi Zhongliang could not contain his anger. Qi Chengzhi did not show him an ounce of respect right from the very beginning. He was patient at first, but time after time, Qi Chengzhi would try to leave without even saying anything to him.
Qi Chengzhi hid the fact that he instigated the Song family’s bankruptcy, then got together with Song Yu. Regardless of how much the family objected, it was all pointless. Right from the start, Qi Chengzhi did not attach even the slightest importance to his family, going so far as to threaten them, even.
He ignored their prestige time and again, and there was no way that Qi Zhongliang would be able to contain his near-exploding anger. He pointed at Qi Chengzhi’s back and his whole arm, including the tip of his finger, was trembling.
Qi Chengzhi turned around without letting go of Song Yu’s hand. His lip curled slightly and he said, “There’s nothing shameful about Song Yu. I want to marry her officially and openly, so that everyone will know that I’m marrying her, that she is Qi Chengzhi’s wife. She will no longer be known as Chengji’s ex-fiancée. If anyone sees her next time, they’ll have to call her Mrs. Qi. Anyone who sees her will gasp behind our backs and say, ‘That’s Qi Chengzhi’s wife’. That’ll make everyone forget her past connection to Qi Chengji, and they’ll all forget that she used to be his ex-fiancée.”
Song Yu could feel his grip tightening slightly, and within it, his determination.
“When I marry her, I don’t just want a simple wedding ceremony; I want a huge one, a special one, one that is truly spectacular. She is worthy of being treated as such, and I’m not going to do her injustice by compromising just because I want to wed her. She did nothing wrong. She should not suffer such mistreatment.” Qi Chengzhi could visibly see his father’s face turning redder and redder. He did not know whether his father’s blood pressure was rising, but he still continued to say what he wanted to say.
Although Qi Zhongliang did not say ‘Get out’, his facial expression was clearly saying as much.
Qi Chengzhi brought Song Yu out of the study room without waiting for his father to continue with the insults.
The walkway from the study to the living room was quite far in terms of distance. After walking for a bit, Song Yu finally could not resist the urge to tug on his hand.
Qi Chengzhi stopped and shifted his gaze down to her. His tall frame was very close to her, and without needing to look, she could feel his broad chest around her, as if it was able to protect her with utmost steadiness.
His eyes were black and abstruse, and although he was an insipid character all along, those words that Qi Zhongliang said to him made her very heartbroken.
She stood on her tiptoes and threw her arms around his neck. She could care less that they were at a walkway inside the Qi residence, that any member of the family could see them. Only a small amount of energy was exerted by her action, but Qi Chengzhi moved along with her rhythm and lowered his head.
She tiptoed as much as she could and stretched her neck out, taking the initiative to kiss his lips.
As both their lips came into contact with each other, Qi Chengzhi hugged her tightly and wrapped himself around her body. Her ribs were pressed against his waist and it was slightly painful. Although it felt like the air in her lungs were squeezed out from her, the surging flame within her still remained unrestrainable.
Her soft fingertips swept across the tips of Qi Chengzhi’s short hair. They moved upward past his hair ends, and dug into his scalp, messing up his hair in the process. She pulled him tight all of a sudden, pressing his face onto hers more intimately than before, ensuring that both their lips were sealed tight with each other.
Qi Chengzhi then increased the intensity of his kisses abruptly. He pushed her onto the wall and pinned her with his stiff body, trapping her between himself and the wall so she was unable to move an inch.
Song Yu completely forgot where they were at that time. Her mind went blank, and all she thought about were his kisses and his chest pinning against her.
She could feel the softness underneath her clothes begin to swell and turn tender, and she could not resist rubbing them against his body. She even thirsted for him to the extent that she raised both her legs and wrapped them around his waist.
Soon, his warm tongue licked her lips and the heat made them tremble.
Qi Chengzhi slowly released himself from her lips, but even then, he was reluctant to part with her. His moist lips were tempted to rub against hers: up, down, left, right, he rubbed in one direction and back at the other.
The tip of his nose was pressing against hers, his irregular breathing crashing all over her face and her lips. It integrated seamlessly with her own breathing, enabling her to take in all of his scent—something she could never get tired of.
She noticed a flash of chaos in his clear yet dark pupils—he wanted so badly to devour her whole right then and there. It fed the fire within Song Yu even more, causing it to burn incessantly, which in turn led her to shudder continuously.
“You’re awfully brave today, aren’t you?” His rich voice brought with it a touch of delight, and his lips glided against hers as he spoke.
The stern crease of his lips morphed into a gentle upward-curving arc, and though he was speaking, he found her red lips so irresistible that he had to kiss them.
Song Yu relaxed and leaned back on the wall. Her front body was still glued to his chest, and because she was held captive in his embrace, no one else could see her except for him.
Her fingertips took on a mind of their own and played with his hair ends. She told him softly, “As long as I’m marrying you, I don’t need a grand wedding. All that matters to me is that I become your wife.”
“It matters to me,” he replied. It was not purely because of the injustice that he caused her parents; it was something that he sincerely wanted for her.
There was nothing else Song Yu could say. All she could do was bury herself in his embrace and wrap her hands tightly around his neck in the same way that he had always wrapped himself over her.
Qi Chengzhi lowered his head and nuzzled himself within her neck. He breathed in the fragrance of her hair and parted them constantly so he could plant a few delicate kisses on her neck.
The two of them lost track of how long they were embracing each other, and a sudden awkward cough rang from one end of the walkway. “Ahem!”
It was Grandmother Qi’s voice, and as awkward as Song Yu was, she was not afraid. Her face was burning hot and she scrambled off Qi Chengzhi.
Qi Chengzhi’s face remained nonchalant, as though he did not feel the slightest embarrassment. His firm arms continued to hug her by the waist, firmly disallowing her from escaping him.
“Where’s that…I’m looking for Youxuan.” The old lady stood at the far end of the walkway and did not continue walking. “It’s almost time to eat. Wherever did he go and play?”
“We didn’t see him,” Qi Chengzhi answered.
“I’ll help you look for him,” Song Yu replied hastily. It was her that made advances toward him after all, so she felt very sheepish after being caught by the old lady.
She scooted off Qi Chengzhi’s grasp before he could protest.
…
…
Jian Yi held his phone to his ear and listened to Zhou Mingyan’s sharp impatient voice, “Finally, you’re back from your honeymoon, but why did you go to your wife’s family home instead of coming back to your own home first? Did Qi Chengyue force you to do it? You think you’re so high and mighty because you’re rich now? Are you putting us aside just because you have the money? Do you think that we’re just climbing up the social circle because the Qi family’s rich? Is that why you’re listening to her all the time?”
Jian Yi sighed and frowned. He was getting irritated at Zhou Mingyan’s persistent scolding. “If this spreads out, everyone’s going to laugh at us! Even now, a few of the neighbors are saying behind our backs that you’re living with your wife’s family just because you want her money. They put on a fake smile in front of me and say that you’ve found a good wife. It’s obviously an insult that you are incapable and that you only rely on your wife for support.
“If this continues, sooner or later you’ll be living with the Qi family. Are you really going to move in with your wife’s family?” Zhou Mingyan raised her voice even louder and said, “I’m telling you, Jian Yi, bring Qi Chengyue home right now! If I keep letting this slide, her family and her will cross the line one day. It’s not just us who won’t have a say on things. You won’t have a say, too.
“It’s already happening now. When the future comes, will you still have the latitude to make your own decisions? Even during your wedding, I wanted a word with her because there’s no such thing as having a toast with the wife’s family before the husband’s family! But I kept it in. I didn’t want to ruin her mood since the two of you were going on a honeymoon. I also felt that since she was the Qi family’s precious young woman, she was probably spoiled a bit. It wasn’t appropriate for me to tell her publicly how she should conduct herself. I wanted to give her another chance to prove herself, but I didn’t expect that the first thing she did was bring my son to her family home! What is the meaning of this!
“When you bring her home, I’m going to give her a good teaching on how to be a wife and a daughter-in-law!” Jian Yi could imagine how furious Zhou Mingyan was through her piercing voice alone.
Faintly, he could hear Zhou Mingyan saying something to Jian Shibo, “Why are you pulling me for? I didn’t say anything wrong! I’m worried that our son is in a bad position and is as cowardly as you! If he keeps on letting her have his way, he’ll be eating out of her palm soon! The more she acts like this, the more we need to show her that the husband’s family is a force to be reckoned with. We can’t let her do whatever she likes!”
“Mom.” Jian Yi called out in frustration, but Zhou Mingyan did not hear him because Jian Shibo and her continued arguing. Finally, Jian Yi shouted, “Mom!”
“Enough! I’m talking to my son!” Pursuant to that sentence, Zhou Mingyan’s attention shifted back to Jian Yi. “Yes?”
“Mom, I didn’t come back home not because you’re not important, but because the Qi family has two elders, Grandpa and Grandma. Logically, since they’re there, it’s only right that we come and greet them first.”
“Well you’ve already greeted them. Come back for a meal. I bought a lot of fresh food from the market because I knew you were coming back. I was going to cook lots of dishes, but now that you’re telling me you’re not coming back, what would you have me do with all that food?” Zhou Mingyan asked.
“Mom, during the honeymoon, I’ve already told you that we were going to visit the Qi family first and have a meal with the elderly couple. Then we’ll go home. You’re the one who’s…” Jian Yi spoke and spoke, but he left his last sentence unfinished.
“I’m the one who’s what? I expect my son and daughter-in-law to come home and have a meal, to have tea. What’s wrong with that?” Zhou Mingyan raised her voice even louder, as if Jian Yi’s words provoked her.
Soon after, Jian Yi heard the sound of choking and sobbing. “I raised my boy into a man. Please don’t tell me you can’t even drink a cup of tea with me after you get married? I was busy all morning just because I wanted to make my son and daughter-in-law happy, but it was all for nothing. Don’t I have the right to feel angry, to feel wronged? I just wanted my son to bring her wife over for us to have a happy meal together, as a family. I…”
What followed was the endless sound of crying.
Jian Yi had had enough of it. He had listened to those sobs ever since he began to understand the world around him.
First, it was directed at Jian Shibo, but when Jian Yi grew up, the cries were directed to him. Tears were Zhou Mingyan’s weapon of choice when it came to persuading them.
It got to a point where Jian Yi was numb to her tears.
His expression was impassive when he decided to relieve his ear from the phone for a moment. He sought to clear his mind when a figure came and went from the corner of his eye.
Jian Yi had no qualms about hanging up the call at that instant. He raced forward and grabbed Song Yu’s wrist. “Song Yu!”
With her wrist in his hand, Song Yu had no choice but to turn and look at him. She looked at his hand on her wrist and tried to break free from it. Her intentions were clear without her needing to say a word. Jian Yi looked over into the house and let go of her hand slowly.
“I’m sorry to bother your call. I was looking for Youxuan,” Song Yu remarked. She searched in the villa but was unable to locate him, so she tried her luck in the backyard. Little did she know that she would chance upon Jian Yi making a phone call, and from the things that she heard, she knew that he was in an argument with his mother.
She had no interest in their conversation and turned to leave; she had decided to come back after Jian Yi left, but she did not expect him to catch her so quickly.
“You’re progressing well with Qi Chengzhi I see. I never thought the Qi family would come to terms,” Jian Yi remarked softly, his gaze landing lovingly on her face.
Song Yu pursed her lips and kept quiet. She turned to leave, but Jian Yi grabbed her wrist once more.
“Jian Yi. You’re married and this is your wife’s home. Kindly pay attention to what you’re doing. I don’t want Qi Chengzhi to get into a misunderstanding and I certainly don’t want Qi Chengyue to curse at me like a lunatic.” Song Yu pulled a long face and warned him. She felt so disgusted having his hand on her wrist that she had goosebumps all over her.
“I have something to tell you,” Jian Yi said. He glanced briefly at the house and felt that the place that they were standing was much too near to the French windows of the house. Anyone who was inside could see them with crystal clear clarity. “It’s important!”
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