54 Happiness

◎“He loved her more than she imagined”◎

Qi Yanzhou immediately smiled, his eyes crinkling, a hint of cynical mischief appearing on his usually serious face.

Song Chiyu was somewhat dazed.

"What's wrong?" A smile still lingered on his face, but he realized he shouldn't have teased her about it and gradually became serious.

"If you don't want to be a teacher, what do you want to do?"

"I haven't thought about it," he replied, leaning back in his sofa. "Maybe I should learn a trade and become a carpenter?"

Song Chiyu was amused when she remembered the storage box he had made for her.

Seeing that she started to smile, Qi Yanzhou slowly stood up and said, "Well, we didn't buy any groceries today, so let's eat out."

"good."

Song Chiyu changed into a new set of clothes before going out.

Qi Yanzhou tilted his head slightly as he looked at the cheongsam she was wearing.

Song Chiyu thought it was because she didn't look good, so she looked in the mirror and asked, "What's wrong? Aren't you pretty?"

She bought this dress a long time ago, but rarely wore it; the last time was when she went to see Xie Yunjin's parents.

“She’s beautiful.” He stared at her intently, as if lost in a memory from long ago, but he didn’t say, “Let’s go out.”

"I want to have a nice meal today," Song Chiyu suggested as they walked out the door.

He naturally had no objections.

The two drove out and found a nice restaurant to eat at. While Song Chiyu was taking pictures, she suddenly pointed the camera at him from her plate, saying, "Teacher Qi, look at me."

His response was more like a "yes".

Song Chiyu was immediately amused by his serious expression, put down her phone and said, "Qi Yanzhou, I've discovered that you really are the kind of person who seems old-fashioned but is actually not a spoilsport."

"Am I old-fashioned?" He raised an eyebrow slightly. "After all, I'm only in my early thirties."

"You call thirty-five a little over thirty?"

"Is thirty-five no longer considered attractive?"

"Qi Yanzhou—" Song Chiyu was immediately reminded of his first meeting with Qi Yanzhou, recalling his harsh words back then, and wished she could find a crack to crawl into and said, "Don't mention it again."

He nodded knowingly.

Whether it was her imagination or not, she noticed he started to enjoy teasing her, often making her both laugh and cry, yet ultimately leaving her amused. After dinner, the two went to the supermarket to buy some things before driving back to the apartment.

As she drove into the residential area, she saw a familiar figure at the entrance. Unexpectedly, Qi Yanzhou had already stopped the car.

When Xie Yunjin saw the SUV stop in front of her, she knew who it was, but when she saw Qi Yanzhou and Song Chiyu's faces appear in the car window at the same time, her breath hitched for a moment.

He deliberately ignored Qi Yanzhou's indifferent and deep gaze, and said directly to Song Chiyu in the passenger seat, "I didn't say anything."

Qi Yanzhou didn't understand, but Song Chiyu did and nodded, "Thank you."

Xie Yunjin stared at her for a long time without saying anything.

Her gratitude was tinged with deliberate estrangement. He actually knew from the big argument he had with Song Chiyu that this was probably the end of their relationship.

The scales in her heart have completely tipped towards another person.

Just thinking about how his face used to be so gentle and joyful, and how it has become like this now, still makes me a little sad.

He licked his lips: "I don't know how I can help, but if there's anything I can do, I will."

Song Chiyu didn't expect him to be of any help; it would be good enough if he didn't kick her when she was down.

"That's fine."

Qi Yanzhou generously rolled down his car window and waited for him. He gave Qi Yanzhou a deep look, and Qi Yanzhou was also looking at him with a subtle, provocative scrutiny. Xie Yunjin deliberately ignored his provocation, and only took a step back and turned to walk towards his car after Song Chiyu took the initiative to look away.

To this day, he still doesn't know what the Qi family does, but no matter what they do, he feels that the Qi family's money is definitely not clean.

He wasn't worried about Qi Yanzhou, but he was afraid of implicating Song Chiyu.

But seeing her today, and seeing that she herself doesn't care about being implicated, what else can he say?

If you've tried your best but it's all in vain, then there's nothing to regret.

I wish her happiness.

He sat in the driver's seat, recalling the cheongsam she was wearing. It was the same cheongsam she wore when she met his parents. Her hair was tied up in a low bun, and her tassel earrings made her look as beautiful as a lotus emerging from the water, but she still didn't please his parents, and they even said the most hurtful things they had ever heard in their lives.

He wronged her.

He pursed his lips, his eyes slightly glistening, and murmured with the breeze drifting in from the window: "Song Song, I hope that in the end, he will give you everything that I couldn't give you."

**

Song Chiyu once thought that Qi Yanzhou would be jealous of Xie Yunjin, but he only commented lightly, "It means he still has some feelings for you."

Even his aloof face betrayed a hint of reluctant agreement.

Song Chiyu couldn't tell whether his words were true or false before, but now she understood that he wouldn't mind others' kindness towards her, but he would hate others taking advantage of her.

Song Chiyu leaned gently on his shoulder, "But I feel that you are the most affectionate towards me."

"Isn't it because you've been kind and loyal to me?" Even after this happened, she didn't ask him too many questions.

Song Chiyu smiled and said, "I believe you."

He smiled and responded.

Back home, Song Chiyu was at her desk repairing ancient books she had previously taken on, while Qi Yanzhou was outside mopping and cleaning, as if nothing had happened, just like any other day.

At 10 PM, Song Chiyu went to bed as usual, seemingly unaffected by the incident. Qi Yanzhou was even more so; he went to work as usual the next day. When Song Chiyu saw him about to leave, she was startled: "You...aren't you also being investigated because of my situation?"

"Okay, I'll go see how they're investigating me," Qi Yanzhou replied calmly.

Song Chiyu: "..."

This mentality.

She felt inferior and said, "Then you go ahead, I'll sleep a little longer."

He gently kissed her forehead. "What do you want to eat for lunch?"

"Anything is fine, just not too spicy."

After Qi Yanzhou left, Song Chiyu went back to bed and slept for a while, but found that she still couldn't fall asleep, so she got up again to repair the ancient books.

When Qi Yanzhou returned, the two ate and talked together. In the afternoon, Qi Yanzhou didn't go out. Instead, he stayed at the dinner table writing about his interpretation of history.

When Song Chiyu was bored, she would go to check on him, and he never seemed bothered, always cooperating perfectly with whatever she said or did. When it was time for dinner, he would put away his computer and documents and go into the kitchen to cook.

Song Chiyu wanted to laugh when she saw his light blue shirt tied with an oddly shaped apron, but she also felt genuinely happy and at ease. Qi Yanzhou sensed her watching him from outside the door, turned around while picking vegetables, and asked, "What's wrong?"

She gently shook her head.

The genuine happiness and smile on her face betrayed her true thoughts.

The kind of small happiness she had once longed for.

Now she is certain that she has it.

A sense of pride welled up within her. Yes, how could someone as wonderful as her not be loved? It's just that no one loved her like that back then, not that no one will ever love her.

"Teacher Qi."

"kindness?"

Song Chiyu made a heart shape with her hands and said, "I love you."

Qi Yanzhou assumed she was just coaxing him, and immediately smiled with his eyes crinkling, "Okay, I know. I love you too."

**

Song Chiyu spent three days doing nothing.

The unit's internal investigation finally came out, and the result was naturally that the allegations were inconsistent with the facts, which was equivalent to giving Song Chiyu a three-day leave.

The young woman never imagined that the man who sounded like a tough guy, "Master Qi," would actually be her husband, and she was even more surprised that the courtyard house in Beijing actually belonged to her husband's family.

After a series of investigations, it was confirmed that all the proceeds were indeed legally obtained.

She had clearly done a background check. Qi Yanzhou was from Anxi, an ordinary university professor, owned a car worth over 100,000 yuan, had no real estate, had simple social connections, his mother had passed away early, his father was old, and he had an older brother who ran a small business in Beijing.

No matter what she did, she couldn't help but associate this person with the "Master Qi" that others talked about.

She firmly believed that Song Chiyu had an affair with a wealthy man and was using her spineless husband, who shared the same surname, as a shield. Little did she know that the so-called Professor Qi and Master Qi were the same person.

She had mistakenly thought that Song Chiyu had climbed the social ladder here, which was why she had switched places with Song Chiyu.

I never imagined that this relationship had simply never been used.

This verification had no impact on her.

So what if we made a mistake?

She gave Song Chiyu a perfunctory apology and shifted the blame onto others, saying that she only believed it because she heard others say so.

Song Chiyu asked her to name "others," but she refused to say a single one.

Song Chiyu also memorized the little girl's name—Chen Qinqing.

Song Chiyu couldn't help but ask, "Do you hate me that much?"

"I don't hate you, it's just that you were the easiest to deal with in the ancient book restoration room back then." Chen Qinqing didn't hide anything; everyone else had connections, but she didn't.

Song Chiyu hadn't expected this reason. "Fine, so even if I'm easy to bully, what do you mean by saying I stole things in Suzhou?"

“It’s not my opinion, it’s what everyone suspected back then. After all, before I went there, it was just you and that strange old man. The old man ran away, so of course they suspected you,” she said nonchalantly. “Now that everything has been investigated and I’ve apologized to you, and I’ve stayed in Suzhou for so long for you, what more do you want?”

"Replacing me? Haven't I been replacing you all along?" Song Chiyu didn't think the working environment there was that bad; on the contrary, sometimes the atmosphere was even better than here. "Besides, is the archaeological station really that bad? You're really that..."

“Isn’t it good enough?” Chen Qinqing retorted, “If you think it’s so good, why don’t you stay there?”

"Why should I stay here for you? Do you think it's bad?" Song Chiyu didn't waste any more words with her: "Serves you right!"

"you--"

Song Chiyu ignored her and turned to leave.

After what happened to Chen Qinqing, she felt nothing as she stayed in the recovery room, with an attitude of "If you don't like me, you don't like me, so what can you do to me?"

People kept their distance from this person.

**

After returning home, Song Chiyu couldn't help but complain to Qi Yanzhou. Qi Yanzhou was quite surprised: "Your museum has people like this?"

"Where can't you find people like that?"

"However, people in these kinds of organizations tend to be more naive," Qi Yanzhou said after a moment's thought. "They don't just let it go after one unsuccessful report; they should keep escalating—"

Fortunately, it wasn't him trying to mess with her.

Song Chiyu quickly covered his mouth.

"Please, please stop making things worse."

Qi Yanzhou immediately laughed, "You really don't plan to use the money I earned in Anxi?"

Song Chiyu immediately shook her head. Although he had worked hard to earn it, she still considered it ill-gotten gains.

"Then I'll use it?"

"what are you looking for?"

"A bronze artifact that was auctioned overseas."

“After all, those things are still from our ancestors.” Song Chiyu never had a good face about this, but she knew it wasn’t Qi Yanzhou’s fault, so she nodded: “Okay, go buy them. It’s good that you can buy them back.”

He noticed her displeasure and gently stroked her hair: "Mm."

Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Just as Song Chiyu was beginning to forget about the matter, he suddenly heard that a patriotic businessman wanted to donate the bronze square zun that had been auctioned at an international auction recently to their institute. This immediately caused a huge uproar.

Since their previous prized possession had already been exhibited at the National Museum, this inscribed square zun was no less impressive, which naturally caused a great stir.

After the State Administration of Cultural Heritage held discussions overnight, the donation ceremony was to be held in Beijing. However, the donor insisted on choosing Beijing, for a simple reason: it is the birthplace of Shang and Zhou culture.

On the day of the donation, the entire museum was on high alert. Even the veteran workers who had worked there their whole lives had never seen anything like it. Many leaders from Beijing also came.

The hospital staff sent several representatives from each department.

Chen Qinqing and Song Chiyu were the representatives of their restoration room. Although the two were arranged to sit together, Song Chiyu did not want to sit with him and switched seats with the colleague behind her.

Chen Qinqing rolled her eyes, about to scold her for pretending, when the leader who came in from outside suddenly beckoned Song Chiyu to the front.

Song Chiyu and the others were unaware of what had happened. It wasn't until she saw Qi Qingfang and Qi Jianguo enter, surrounded by a crowd, that she gasped in surprise: "You…"

The two of them were dressed formally, which was rare for them, and they looked particularly energetic.

Qi Jianguo smiled at her first, then realized that Qi Yanzhou hadn't told her, and asked in a low voice, "Yanzhou didn't tell you?"

Song Chiyu then remembered what he had mentioned to her before.

"Could this be him...?"

“It’s you.” Qi Jianguo interrupted her.

Song Chiyu sat down between Qi Jianguo and Qi Yanzhou, looking puzzled. She looked around but didn't see Qi Yanzhou and asked, "Didn't he come?"

"They're here." Qi Jianguo was also looking at them. "But it seems they ran into someone they know, so they'll be here a little later."

Song Chiyu didn't ask any further questions.

Soon, the donation ceremony began. She initially thought the donation was made in the name of the Qi family until the host announced the donor's name and invited her to the stage.

Song Chiyu subconsciously looked around and finally saw Qi Yanzhou three rows behind her.

He was wearing a black shirt, with one leg resting on his knee, quietly watching her. Noticing her gaze, he gently raised the corners of his lips and gestured towards her.

He gestured for her to walk forward.

Song Chiyu stood up somewhat bewildered and walked towards the center of the stage amidst countless spotlights and the astonished gazes of her colleagues. The host asked her what she thought.

She was completely unprepared, and only had one heartfelt thought: "I hope that all the cultural relics that have been lost overseas will one day return to their homeland."

It wasn't just her.

This is the wish of countless Chinese people and those involved in cultural heritage. When people think about why cultural relics have been lost overseas, they can't help but get teary-eyed. This is also the goal that everyone is striving for—may our motherland be prosperous and strong, and may the world be at peace.

When Song Chiyu came down with the donation certificate, Qi Qingfang clapped for her with a happy expression. She smiled embarrassedly and looked at Qi Yanzhou again.

He had moved from the third row to the second row behind her and gently touched her hair.

Seeing this, Chen Qinqing, who was sitting in the back, immediately got up and left, her face burning with pain.

The gazes of others were equally cold towards her, their social standing immediately apparent. This was especially true considering her previous accusation that Song Chiyu had colluded with others to sell and steal artifacts from the museum for personal gain.

He Zhuren wasn't there, but she had already sent her a WeChat message: "Teacher Song, how come I didn't know you had this kind of ability before? I bow to you, sir!"

Song Chiyu had only just learned of her abilities, so he went along with it, saying, "Keep it low-key, keep it low-key—"

"I now believe that your family owns a courtyard house in Beijing. Please give me the opportunity to visit next time I am in Beijing."

"You're welcome," Song Chiyu reverted to her previous carefree attitude, "There are also hotels in Anxi city, so feel free to stay wherever you like next time you come to Anxi."

It's impossible to tell which of her statements are true and which are false.

He Zhu didn't believe it: "Are you sure? You're not kidding me."

"Yes," Song Chiyu assured.

However, He Zhu still didn't entirely believe it, but she didn't delve into the topic further: "Let me tell you, Chen Qinqing might be shooting herself in the foot. Is our institute really investigating whether any cultural relics have been switched? I heard they've already traced it back to Director Chen—"

Song Chiyu: "?"

No wonder she doubted herself; it turns out she had seen others do it this way before.

Song Chiyu was engrossed in eating melons and didn't notice Xie Yunjin watching her from behind.

Xie Yunjin silently looked at Qi Yanzhou not far away. He still sat upright and dignified, his slightly raised face revealing a nonchalant composure, as if nothing could disturb him, and the fame and fortune that the world fought for were nothing more than a drop in the ocean in his eyes.

I underestimated him after all.

This Master Qi is indeed not a petty thug, because ordinary petty thugs wouldn't have such a vision; he... must have had wealthy ancestors.

This is the highest praise Xie Yunjin could give him.

If he keeps praising him, Xie Yunjin will be the one crying.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, Xie Yunjin left with them. Qi Jianguo was busy preparing a meal for everyone when Song Chiyu quietly stepped aside to Qi Yanzhou's side, and he gently took her hand.

"Thanks."

"Why are you thanking me? Wasn't that money originally yours?" Qi Yanzhou explained, "I just took it upon myself to decide how to spend it for you."

“Yes,” Song Chiyu said, her eyes red, “it’s fine.”

Qi Yanzhou gently touched her face.

Just then, a young man walked over. "Yanzhou."

He was wearing a badge from the National Museum and greeted Song Chiyu, saying, "Hello, I'm Zhao Zijun, a friend of Qi Yanzhou. We were classmates in college and later studied under the same mentor for our master's and doctoral degrees."

But Qi Yanzhou never mentioned him.

Song Chiyu pursed her lips. "Hello, I often hear Teacher Qi mention you."

"He would mention me?" Zhao Zijun clearly knew him well. "Impossible, right? The last time I had dinner with him was five or six years ago. We were both in Beijing all the time. He's such a boring person, he doesn't participate in any activities. I've completely forgotten how I even managed to get you to come out that time—"

Zhao Zijun couldn't remember, and Qi Yanzhou didn't offer any hints. Suddenly, he remembered something. "I remember there was a beautiful woman who was meeting her boyfriend's parents, and you kept staring at her."

“No, not all the time.” Qi Yanzhou finally began to argue.

Song Chiyu was surprised: "Teacher Qi, you also have times when you look at beautiful women?"

“Right!” Luo Zijun immediately found resonance in this statement: “There were so many girls chasing after him in school, but he was only interested in history. In class, his eyes were more focused on the artifacts than on the pretty girls. He was notoriously clueless about romance. So I remember very clearly that he was sitting opposite me in a private room, and he could see that girl. He looked at her at least three times, otherwise I wouldn’t remember it so clearly. I even reminded him that she was already engaged, and told him to give up on her.”

"And then?" Song Chiyu wasn't jealous; instead, she became gossipy, wanting to know what kind of beautiful woman could make someone like Teacher Qi stare at her for so long.

"And then that was it—"

"I married her." Before he finished speaking, Qi Yanzhou had already looked into her eyes and replied.

"What?" Song Chiyu and Zhao Zijun were both startled.

Qi Yanzhou remained silent, simply staring at her.

Zhao Zijun suddenly realized that the Miss Song next to him was the beautiful woman from before. "No wonder you were just laughing back then, it turns out—"

“No,” Qi Yanzhou refused to let her friend label her that way. “I knew very well at the time that she was getting married. It wasn’t until I saw her on the subway on my way home that I understood.”

Song Chiyu had no idea what he was talking about. It seemed like he was talking about her, but it didn't sound like her at all.

Qi Yanzhou held her hand and continued to explain to his friend, "Her makeup was ruined, and she appeared alone at the subway station, so I guessed that things had fallen apart. But I hesitated at that time. It wasn't until I decided to chase after her and ask for her contact information that I realized I couldn't find her no matter what."

"That……"

"Later, my nephew ran away during a blind date, and when I went to apologize on his behalf, I found out that the girl was her." His eyes were firm as he recounted the story: "And then, we got married."

Song Chiyu finally became convinced that he was talking about himself.

Suddenly, her memory was pulled back to that distant night. After a big fight and breakup with Xie Yunjin, she had nowhere to go and unknowingly walked into the subway station.

She must have been in a terrible state at that time, yet he, a man who would ask for her contact information at that moment, still did so.

She couldn't help but look at him with some incomprehension.

He accepted her gaze without hesitation.

Song Chiyu belatedly realized that what he said to Li Li when he first went to her house was true.

"—Those I like"

"—I liked it from the first moment I saw it."

"—She likes to talk."

That's why the first thing he does when he enters the coffee shop is introduce himself to her.

It turns out he had already missed her.

Zhao Zijun never expected to hear about his relationship with that beautiful woman years later, and that she actually became his wife. He could only say one word about it: "Amazing."

Song Chiyu thought so too, until Zhao Zijun was called away by the others, at which point she asked, "Was I very pretty back then?"

He said thoughtfully, "I can't remember."

“You’re lying,” Song Chiyu said mercilessly, “You recognized me the moment you walked into the coffee shop.”

“Yes,” he stopped teasing her, “very pretty.”

"Then tell me more details," Song Chiyu said smugly.

"I'll talk about it when I have time."

Song Chiyu couldn't help but fantasize: "When you looked at me back then, did you look at me like I was a fairy?"

Qi Yanzhou suppressed a laugh and said, "Yes."

Song Chiyu continued to tease him, and he accepted all the bills and followed behind her, letting her tease him.

As she spoke, a hypothetical scenario suddenly occurred to her, and she turned her back to him: "What if I really do fall for your nephew?"

He had discussed this issue with Qi Zhannan a long time ago.

At the same time, he didn't tell her anything, but patted her head and said, "Just do what needs to be done, go eat."

"Oh, Qi Yanzhou, if your friend hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known you liked me so much." Song Chiyu immediately became smug.

"Yes," he said calmly, his eyes lowered, "I love it to death."

I'm serious—

“I mean it.” He bent down and stroked her head. “I love you more than you can imagine.”

Song Chiyu stared at him blankly, wanting to say something more, but Qi Jianguo was already urging them to leave.

Qi Yanzhou took her hand and walked forward first. Suddenly, Song Chiyu's gentle voice, mixed with the sound of the wind, came: "I like you too."

He paused in his forward steps.

Her face was bathed in the setting sun, radiating a warm smile: "Whether you are Teacher Qi or Master Qi, I like you both."

He didn't say anything, but his eyes betrayed his deep emotion.

She led him forward as if she hadn't heard him, saying, "The road ahead is long, let's keep going."

He watched her retreating figure, couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips, and followed her, saying, "Mm."

Let's go together.

"End of main text"

[Author's Note]

That concludes the story for now. Thank you for your company during this time.

There will be some bonus chapters later, so interested sisters can check them out. I have so much to say, but I don't know what to say, just like how I'm very cautious with my words in this story, afraid to discuss or publicize them. Looking forward to seeing you all again! Thank you everyone for your long-term support! *bows* [heart emoji]