7. Settle accounts

◎"What did you say your sister-in-law's name is?"◎

Song Chiyu took two red envelopes and went to the kitchen to find Qi Yanzhou.

Qi Yanzhou was serving soup. "What do you mean?"

Song Chiyu explained succinctly, "Too many."

She felt unworthy of it.

He smiled slightly: "Of course, take it."

She still had reservations, glanced outside, and secretly moved closer to him, saying, "But we are, after all... it's not appropriate for me to take so much from your house."

"What is it?" He didn't understand.

Song Chiyu glanced back furtively, then leaned close to his ear and said, "It's fake."

"Where is it fake?" he asked naturally, lowering his eyelids.

Song Chiyu: "?"

Isn't this all fake from beginning to end?

"Our marriage certificate is a valid legal document issued by the marriage registration authority. Who dares to say that our marriage is fake?"

"But..." Isn't everything else fake except for this?

Qi Yanzhou smiled and said, "Alright, keep it."

After saying that, he carried the bowl of chicken soup outside.

Song Chiyu felt like she was dreaming all night.

Qi Jianguo assumed that Song Chiyu had prepared the entire meal and praised her culinary skills extensively. Song Chiyu tried to explain several times, but Qi Yanzhou quietly stopped her each time, thus saving face for her.

Taking advantage of the others' inattention, Song Chiyu covered her face with her drink cup, turned her head close to Qi Yanzhou's ear and said, "Don't you usually cook at home? How come they can't even taste the difference in your cooking?"

“Hmm,” he replied, one hand resting on the back of the chair behind her, staring at the eloquent Qi Jianguo with a calm expression, “I won’t do it.”

Song Chiyu was startled, "Then what happened today..."

"Just to make you look good."

Song Chiyu became even more anxious, her full chin resting on his shoulder: "What am I supposed to do if your family has any major events in the future that require me to show off my skills? Won't that kill me with exhaustion?"

She's trying to save face; she'd be digging a hole for herself instead.

She didn't want his family to think she was capable at all because of this.

Qi Yanzhou lowered his head and chuckled, then turned to look at her: "No, if I don't ask, no one will dare let you show off your skills."

"You can't even speak up," Song Chiyu corrected seriously, completely unmoved by the handsome man so close to her.

I won't speak.

When Song Chiyu heard him say that, she realized that she was indeed being a bit of a worrier. However, the instinct to take precautions is ingrained in the Chinese people, so she didn't think there was anything wrong with thinking that way. The only problem was that she had been a bit too mean to him, and she felt quite embarrassed: "You and your older brother don't look alike at all."

"What's not like it?" Qi Yanzhou knew she was changing the subject, but he went along with her and asked.

She initially thought they didn't look alike at all, but after his question, she looked closely and could see some similarities in their faces. They were clearly brothers, so she couldn't help but marvel: "If you look at the two of you separately, you don't look alike at all, but if you put them together, you can see some similarities."

"The power of genes."

Song Chiyu scrutinized Qi Jianguo for a moment, then suddenly noticed something and sat up abruptly to look at him. Qi Yanzhou tilted his head in confusion: "Hmm?"

"You'll gain weight and end up like your brother, won't you?" Song Chiyu asked worriedly.

Qi Yanzhou was immediately amused, "No."

"Which one won't you?" Does it mean you won't get fat or you won't turn into his brother?

"I don't know either."

Qi Jianguo hadn't seen such a relaxed and frequent smile on Qi Yanzhou's face in a long time. Since he took over the mantle of the Qi family head, he had mostly been serious and unsmiling, looking even more like an old man than his father, who was over seventy years old. The advantage of this was that everyone in the family was afraid of him, including Qi Jianguo.

Seeing the two of them whispering to each other from time to time, he couldn't help but smile and leaned closer to his father, saying, "Look how good the young people's relationship is."

Qi Qingfang sneered: "So you know the original wife is the best, huh?"

"Who told you about the original wife..."

“I’m telling you, you’re not allowed to bring any of those women you’re seeing back home.” Qi Qingfang had always been unhappy about his mistresses. “If it weren’t for coming to see Yanzhou and his wife today, I wouldn’t have come all this way with you.”

Qi Jianguo: "..."

Qi Yanzhou was also watching him, showing no intention of helping, and even adding fuel to the fire: "Don't think that once Dad is gone, your other women can enter the Qi family. As long as I am in charge of this family, I will only recognize your original wife."

Qi Jianguo immediately became anxious: "Yanzhou, Dad's hearing isn't good, but aren't you? Who mentioned the first wife?"

"Yeah, if it weren't for the problem with your son, would your kid be so resistant to marriage?" The old man, having heard something else, immediately brought up the very thing he didn't want to discuss: "Have you found someone yet?"

"Who told you about Eva?" Qi Jianguo was speechless. His father really said whatever he wanted to hear, but he still replied in a good-natured manner: "You're with Eva every day, don't you know if Eva has come back or not? No, there hasn't been a single word from her for months."

When the topic of Qi Zhannan's escape came up, Qi Yanzhou unconsciously looked towards Song Chiyu.

Song Chiyu couldn't understand the dialect and didn't know what Qi Jianguo was saying. She was happily munching on the lamb chop in her hand.

"It's still your fault for not paying enough attention to the child. You don't even know what the child is thinking. Isn't that unfair to that girl?"

Now, let's get to the main point.

Qi Yanzhou knew his father all too well. Although he was deaf, he still had the same charm as when he was young. He immediately tried to absolve himself of the blame, placing all the responsibility for making Qi Yanzhou apologize on Qi Jianguo's shoulders.

Qi Jianguo was still completely unaware that he had been betrayed. He was thinking that the old man was really good at bringing up the most awkward things. Yanzhou hadn't even mentioned this matter, so why was he saying it here? This made Qi Jianguo feel compelled to ask, "Yanzhou, about the time you went to apologize for Xiaonan, did that girl's family give you any trouble?"

"No, that girl and her family are all very nice." Qi Yanzhou glanced at Song Chiyu indifferently. He answered in Mandarin, and with her keen senses, she must have already guessed what they were talking about. Sure enough, her chewing motion with the lamb chop slowed down imperceptibly.

"Then you should apologize to them properly on Xiao Nan's behalf, and you can offer any compensation they need."

“Of course,” Qi Yanzhou said calmly, “After we find Xiao Nan, you, Dad, me, and Xiao Nan will go to their house to apologize.”

Qi Jianguo nodded: "Okay, do you remember that girl's name?"

"Song Chiyu".

Song Chiyu tried to stop him, but it was too late. She grabbed Qi Yanzhou's hand under the table and coughed.

Qi Jianguo thought Song Chiyu had choked on a bone and was about to change the subject by showing concern for her when he suddenly realized something and stared blankly at Qi Yanzhou: "What did you say that girl's name was?"

"Song Chiyu".

"What about your sister-in-law?"

"Song Chiyu".

Qi Jianguo: "..."

The dining table was unusually quiet, except for the sound of Song Chiyu coughing with her chest hanging down.

"I'm going to get some water." Song Chiyu got up and walked towards the kitchen. It was too awkward; if she sat there for another second, she would have scratched Qi Yanzhou's palm raw. Qi Yanzhou moved to her seat and stared intently at the two people in front of him. Qi Jianguo, who was originally sitting diagonally opposite him, suddenly felt the pressure increase. He patted his father next to him, but his father had closed his eyes at some point and could no longer hear or see.

Qi Jianguo: "..."

Qi Yanzhou knew all too well why the old man would suddenly say these things. He felt that there were many things he couldn't say in front of Song Chiyu, so he took the initiative to prevent the old man from settling scores later.

Unfortunately, he misjudged Qi Yanzhou in this matter.

Qi Yanzhou did have a lot to say, but none of it concerned Song Chiyu. He coldly glanced at the two people at the opposite table: "Are you two really unable to find him, or are you afraid he'll be punished when he comes back? Qi Jianguo, Qi Qingfang, don't blame me for not warning you, if my men find him first, I'll definitely break his legs."

Qi Jianguo stood to the side, not daring to utter a sound.

When Qi Qingfang heard him call his full name, he had no choice but to open his eyes and let him scold him.

Song Chiyu hadn't expected him to have such a high status at home. His father and brother sat opposite him like two quails. No wonder Qi Zhannan didn't dare to come back after running away. If he did come back, he would probably get a beating.

"Don't think that just because I'm married to Miss Song, it has nothing to do with him anymore. My business is my business, and his mistakes are his mistakes. The two things cannot be confused, much less offset each other."

Qi Qingfang looked up at him.

Suddenly, she understood why he had previously criticized Qi Jianguo for having affairs. It was to make his stance clear to Miss Song, so that she wouldn't misunderstand him as being the same kind of person.

Qi Yanzhou knew he had discovered it, but his expression didn't even change.

She got up and walked towards the kitchen: "I don't know why you guys thought of letting him go on blind dates. What girl would be blind to want someone as irresponsible and unreliable as him?"

Qi Jianguo had initially thought his son had made the right decision to run away. Otherwise, if Qi Zhannan and Song Chiyu had actually gotten together, and Qi Yanzhou had developed feelings for her, the situation would have become even more complicated. But after hearing what he said, he realized that it was indeed a different matter. Even if Qi Zhannan had gone, the girl might not have been interested, but his running away changed the nature of the situation.

"Understood, I'll send out more people to look for him in the next couple of days."

Song Chiyu had been eavesdropping by the door, but when she saw him walk in, she quickly turned her back and coughed a few times, pretending she hadn't heard anything. He took the cup she had placed on the table and poured her a glass of water. "Still coughing?"

"Much better," Song Chiyu took the water glass he handed her and took a sip. "I didn't expect..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qi Qingfang's cheerful voice suddenly came from outside the door: "It's not that I want him to go, it's just that those responsible and dependable people don't want to go. Otherwise, I would have been at home taking care of my grandson long ago, and I wouldn't have the mind to worry about these things."

Qi Yanzhou knew that Qi Qingfang had some reservations about his previous reluctance to get married, but he ignored them and asked, "Can't think of anything?"

Song Chiyu choked suddenly, seemingly lost in thought.

He coughed several times, his face turning red, and after recovering a little, he said, "I didn't expect you to have such a high status in your family."

Qi Yanzhou sensed that she was changing the subject, so he drank some water while answering her questions, "Don't worry, I won't have any more."

Qi Chiyu hadn't expected him to find out, and she coughed even harder. "What nonsense are you talking about? Who was saying that?"

"I was afraid you'd overthink it." He smiled slightly.

"Just say less."

“Yes,” he said in a calm and gentle voice, his previous aggressive tone completely gone. “I understand.”

[Author's Note]

Mini-theater:

Qi Jianguo: My god, my daughter-in-law turned into my brother's wife!

Qi Qingfang: It's alright, it's alright, we're all family after all.