Shi Ning looked at Qin Heye, confusion clouding her face. “When my mother died, you were also a child. How do you know all this?” Were they childhood neighbors, perhaps?
Qin Heye met her innocent gaze, his ears growing hotter. He simply mumbled, “Yeah,” a vague, noncommittal answer.
[It is suggested that the female supporting role sit at the same table with the child. The wheels are on her face, but she is still kneading mud.]
[Do it yourself and have enough food and clothing.]
Shi Ning frowned, bewildered. Then, the barrage’s meaning finally clicked: !!! But seeing Qin Heye’s blushing face, his inability to meet her gaze directly, or the hungry, possessive look in his eyes when he did, Shi Ning suddenly understood. She was flustered!
She quickly brought the conversation back to the present. “Dad, everything started when my second uncle’s family moved in. That’s when our relationship began to worsen.”
Shi Guoqiang’s brow furrowed. “Your second uncle’s character must be fine…”
Shi Ning immediately cut him off, her voice firm. “Dad, do you still want to be a ‘brother-supporting demon’?”
Shi Guoqiang shook his head vigorously. “That’s definitely not the case. But your second uncle truly is a good man. Back then, his grades were better than mine, yet he quietly dropped out of school to support me through college! Also, the initial capital for my business was secretly given to me by your second uncle, using your second aunt’s dowry. Your second aunt almost had a miscarriage and divorced over it!” He sighed, his expression serious. “A lot of things happened back then. In short, your second uncle’s character is good, and Dad owes them too much.”
Shi Guoqiang looked at Shi Ning, his expression still unhappy and stern. “Don’t worry,” he assured her, “Dad’s kindness will not be outsourced, and you won’t have to help me repay it. The property that is yours will remain yours.”
Shi Ning didn’t care about the money itself, but about the insidious intentions of Shi Guogang’s family. Shi Guogang had clearly used these past favors as leverage to exploit Shi Guoqiang, a man who believed in repaying even a drop of kindness with a gushing spring.
Shi Ning glanced at the comments; these particular details weren’t mentioned, likely because Shi Qingyin hadn’t brought them up yet. Shi Ning didn’t press her father to sever ties entirely, instead proposing, “Then, from now on, whenever it concerns Second Uncle’s family, Dad will discuss it with me first! Let’s not have any more misunderstandings.”
The father and daughter had misunderstood each other for over a decade, their relationship strained for just as long. Shi Guoqiang regretted missing out on the most crucial ten years of Shi Ning’s life. He absolutely did not want to return to a life where his daughter wouldn’t come home for years, avoiding all contact.
Shi Guoqiang nodded emphatically. “Of course. From now on, what they say, what they eat, what they…”
Shi Ning quickly raised a hand to interrupt him. “It’s not necessary to go that far.” She then turned and playfully poked Qin Heye with her index finger. “See, this is the kind of misunderstanding caused by not asking questions. You can miss out on a lot!” Her small finger seemed to prod at Qin Heye’s deep desires.
He hummed softly, a low rumble in his chest. “I won’t.”
Shi Ning chatted with Shi Guoqiang for a while longer. She was now certain he no longer trusted Shi Qingyin and would be wary of Shi Guogang, which brought her immense relief. Take your time, she thought. You can’t get fat in one bite.
Meanwhile, Tao Bichun arrived at their new residence, a cramped apartment in a nondescript community. She looked around with disdain. “It’s one thing to rent, but why such a shabby place? It’s not even as big as the toilet back home!”
Shi Guogang glared at her. “You should say less.” He then turned to Shi Qingyin, who remained silent, her face red and swollen, no longer pretty. A flicker of paternal concern awakened within him. “Does it hurt?” he asked.
Shi Qingyin, terrified, shook her head. “It doesn’t hurt.”
Shi Guogang’s tone softened slightly. “It’s not that your parents want to beat you, but you went too far today. I’ve told you many times not to be too hasty.” His voice grew bitter. “If you hadn’t bragged to Shi Ning, we would be living in a villa now! We’d have our own company.”
Shi Qingyin felt a surge of injustice. “I didn’t say those things to Shi Ning! I’m not a fool!”
Shi Guogang’s face suddenly darkened. “Only the three of us know what I planned to get from your uncle. We didn’t say it, you didn’t say it, so how did she know?”
She didn’t know! What a hell! And no one believes her! Only Shi Ning! Shi Qingyin was speechless, her heart swelling with an even deeper sense of grievance. So consumed by her injustice, she barely registered the pain in her face, her hatred for Shi Ning burning fiercely.
Shi Guogang didn’t hit or scold her further. He simply taught her, “Before you get it, don’t get carried away. The villains on TV all die because of talking too much.” He paused, his gaze hardening. “Also, don’t be too radical and try to ruin everything. Shi Ning and Qin Heye haven’t divorced yet, and your uncle’s property hasn’t been obtained yet…”
Shi Guogang lectured Shi Qingyin in a low, grave voice, but she was too caught up in her own bitterness to truly listen. Still, her hatred for Shi Ning intensified with every word. She was profoundly unwilling to accept this defeat. After Shi Guogang finished, she couldn’t help but ask, “Dad, are we just going to let this go? We have a share of uncle’s property. Uncle is ungrateful, kicking us out and making us live in this shabby house. I’m not willing to accept this!” In her mind, her uncle was truly ungrateful! She believed his company’s wealth stemmed from the “first pot of gold” her father had provided, and therefore, those properties should rightfully belong to her.
Shi Guogang glared at her. “Don’t say that in the future. You should be more obedient recently and take good care of your face.” He continued, more to himself than to her, “Coax Shen Xizhou first. As for other things, I will arrange it myself.” Because of today’s incident, his elder brother would no longer trust him as before, nor would he feel close. He needed to do something to regain that trust and closeness, to surpass Shi Ning. For instance, he had already bought a villa, but he wouldn’t live in it yet. He would move into this ordinary community and rent a house, maintaining the appearance of hardship.
Dawn broke. Qin Heye woke with his eyes wide open, taking in the soft pink curtains, the pink princess bed, and the pink lace duvet he lay upon. And nestled deeply in his arms, Shi Ning slept soundly. The whole scene felt like a dream to him .
Shi Ning stirred, roused by his movement, and asked in a sleepy haze, “Getting up so early? Are you going to the company?”
Qin Heye looked down at Shi Ning, her small face buried in his arms, her eyes still closed. Afraid of waking her fully, he resisted the urge to pinch her cheek and kiss her. “Yeah,” he whispered. “You continue to sleep. I’ll wash up and go to the company.”
He gently pushed Shi Ning’s hand away, then quickly got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. His brisk, almost cold, attitude made Shi Ning, who was still half-asleep, suddenly wide awake. She opened her eyes, watching Qin Heye’s retreating figure. “Running so fast? Will I eat people?” she murmured to herself. They hadn’t truly slept together last night, just shared the bed, and he was still so reserved? Was Qin Heye truly interested in her?
[The female supporting role won’t eat people, but the big villain will eat people! Men who get up early, that’s not to be messed with!]
[Eat one person, and then give birth to another? Eat! Eat hard for me! Give birth! Give birth to me hard! Give birth to a football team!]
[Can you two take the initiative to cook some meat? Fans of the vicious couple are so hungry!]
[What is the vicious female partner still confused about! Go to the bathroom quickly, Qin Heye has a big accident! It’s a big deal…]