Chapter 505 Forget it, Qin Jixiu

The Vice President Qin Jixiu wanted to meet was named Yuan Liang. He had long believed that the moon wasn't rounder abroad and never approved of his students pursuing fancy, superficial master's degrees abroad, a sentiment that resonated with his grandfather. The two had met at a bar and, after just three rounds of drinks, became close friends, becoming close friends regardless of age.

I knocked on the door, and a strong voice came from the office with a sign saying "Vice Principal's Office": "Come in."

Qin Jixiu pushed the door open and walked in. Principal Yuan was diligently mopping the already spotless floor. Seeing him enter, he said in a friendly tone, "Xiao Qin, are you here? Wow, you look so smart today. If no one told you, you wouldn't be able to tell you're already 28."

With his years of understanding of Principal Yuan, Qin Jixiu immediately heard something else. He pretended not to know, stepped forward and took the mop from his hand, calling out, "Principal Yuan."

Principal Yuan straightened up and tapped his back lightly a few times.

Qin Jixiu then explained with a smile, "Coming to campus to recruit people, I have to get closer to university life, so I'm not wearing a suit. I'm sorry to bother you."

"You, you..." Principal Yuan saw that he was good at pretending to be stupid, and that his posture when mopping the floor was stiff and awkward. It was obvious that he was a person who didn't know the difference between grains and was lazy, so he couldn't help but criticize him in the manner of a teacher.

"Look at you, you're quite good-looking, but you've never been in a relationship at this age, right? And you'll probably be a hands-off boss at home, not knowing how to do laundry, cook, or take care of the kids. What girl would be willing to go through all the hard work with you?"

Qin Jixiu nodded in agreement, his face sincere. "Yes, it would be a mistake for the girl to follow me. However, my family happens to have a few bucks, and we can afford a nanny. I definitely can't let someone else's precious child take care of my household chores. Principal Yuan, am I being sensible enough?"

Principal Yuan snorted through his nose.

"That's because I still think of you and say a few words. Your grandpa hasn't bothered to care whether you have a girlfriend these past few years. I even tried to persuade him last time that children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. Maybe your destined marriage will come later than others. But, even though he didn't get a grandson's wife, at least he's angry."

Principal Yuan was nearly sixty, yet his vocabulary was quite modern. Qin Jixiu was about to offer a few words in his defense when, from a nearby desk in the classroom, the ringtone for senior citizens' cell phones, "Go Home Often," suddenly blared.

Principal Yuan answered the phone and called out with concern, "Lao Qin."

The "Old Qin" Principal Yuan was referring to was most likely Qin Jixiu's grandfather. The timing was perfect. Qin Jixiu rubbed his chin, thinking for a few seconds. The next moment, he heard a familiar and commanding voice coming from his phone: "Where's that unfortunate kid? Did you say anything about him for me?"

"Ah..." Principal Yuan coughed loudly a few times. "He's here. I told him. Not only that, but I also made him stunned. He promised me that he would bring back a good girl for you to meet this year."

"Eh?" Qin Jixiu was anxious, "I didn't say that..."

Principal Yuan raised his hand to signal him to calm down, and said into the phone, "But Xiao Qin also has a condition."

"What conditions?" The old voice sounded a little surprised.

Qin Jixiu had already walked over to the table and was standing there, mopping his hands aside, fearing that the unreliable vice-principal would say something fabricated. Although it was a blatant act, he was ready to cover his mouth at any moment.

Principal Yuan suddenly glanced at him, a look of embarrassment on his face, but he still spoke, "Old Qin, don't blame me for being nosy. Jixiu's father is your son-in-law, so he's half a Qin family member after all. He's been working hard out there on his own for so many years, and I've heard people say he's been through a lot, probably been criticized and gossiped about. Before, when Jixiu was still young, Jingxuan had to be both his father and his mother. Now that Jixiu has finally grown up, he's so capable and promising. Jingxuan has made some contributions, but he's also worked hard. Why are you trying to separate them?"

Qin Jixiu's father, surnamed Chen, came from an ordinary family but possessed remarkable looks. He was instantly smitten by Qin Lu, the eldest daughter of the Qin family. Despite the strenuous opposition of Qin Jixiu's grandfather, they married and had Qin Jixiu. A few years later, Qin Lu fell ill and passed away, leaving behind a son who could only cry and a rough-hewn man who worked at a research institute.

In order to take care of his children, Chen Jingxuan quit his job and gave up the path of scientific research.

Because Qin Jixiu and Qin Lu looked like two peas in a pod when they were little, his grandfather, who had lost his only daughter, didn't dare visit him for the first few years for fear of being heartbroken. Only when he was about ten did he officially take part in raising his grandson.

From that moment on, Chen Jingxuan's grandfather unilaterally deprived him of his custody rights. Furthermore, if Qin Jixiu's life trajectory deviated from his grandfather's plans and arrangements, the blame would be placed on Chen Jingxuan, blaming him as a father for failing to raise his child well.

Qin Jixiu's face unconsciously darkened a little.

Grandpa said coldly, "Is this Jixiu's idea?"

"He didn't say that—"

"I do think so—"

The two voices almost overlapped. Qin Jixiu looked at Yuan Liang, whose face showed a hint of regret. Without caring whether it was in accordance with etiquette, he directly took the other person's mobile phone and turned off the radio.

"Grandpa, how are you feeling lately?"

Qin Jixiu laid the groundwork first, not responding to Grandpa's "not dead yet" comment. Instead, he continued, "You always say I'm rebellious and hard to learn, like my dad. But we're actually completely different. He was humble and motivated, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten into the research institute. I'm more like my mom, but she passed away early, and I'm actually following in your footsteps. That's why I've become the way I am now—arrogant, self-righteous, and overbearing."

Grandpa's angry, heavy breathing could be heard over the phone. He was about to burst into a curse the next second, but Qin Jixiu wisely said, "Grandpa, I love you."

Before the once powerful Qin family leader could catch his breath, Qin Jixiu immediately said, "Seventy-five is the right age to make breakthroughs. Grandpa, I will continue to follow your steps and move forward."

He hung up the phone, his legs weakening as he immediately leaned on the table. Challenging his grandfather's authority was still a bit difficult for him. Qin Jixiu had been afraid of his grandfather since he was a child, so afraid that he would wake up crying from nightmares. As he grew up, he became even more afraid, so afraid that he would not even dare to have nightmares about his grandfather.

"Xiao Qin..."

Hearing the sound of Principal Yuan also becoming "weak", Qin Jixiu forced a stiff smile.

"I'm sorry to trouble you."

Principal Yuan was worried about him: "Causing trouble is secondary. Can you still go back to the Qin family at the end of the month?"

He had to go back even if he couldn't. Besides disobeying grandpa today, he didn't know how long he could keep the fact of his car accident a secret. If grandpa knew about it, he would definitely give him a scolding.

After bidding farewell to Principal Yuan, Qin Jixiu drove away from F University. His mind wandered briefly on the way, and he unknowingly pulled up to the entrance of a small restaurant. With the car window halfway down, Qin Jixiu spotted a man with an increasingly down-to-earth face. He didn't have the long gown of Kong Yiji, who couldn't be removed. After leaving the Qin family's protection, he didn't maintain the pride of a scholar. Instead, he picked up his pots and pans and opened this restaurant.

The restaurant was called "Firefly Food House." Everyone was a unique firefly, tiny yet radiating light. Qin Jixiu sneaked in to take a look. In a secluded corner, someone had written something like this in yellow chalk.

Through that modest, smiling face, Qin Jixiu recalled a distant memory. It seemed like one winter night, Qin Jixiu passed by the dim living room on his way to the kitchen to drink water, and saw a hunched figure standing in front of his mother's photo.

It was quiet, with the faint sound of suppressed sobs.

A man who missed his deceased wife late at night held on to the wall with one hand because he could not stand steadily.

This scene was unimaginable to Qin Jixiu at the time. His father had always acted calmly, never mentioning his mother for years. He continued to live his life as usual, making others forget that the person he left behind would live the rest of his life in endless rain and pain.

Qin Jixiu still chose to leave silently this time.

Because of what happened during the day, he was in a low mood. In order to avoid Ye Ting noticing, he forced himself to be alert and practiced with Jian Chun in Old Chang'an all night using the newly bought Tiance.

Before going to bed, Ye Ting reminded him again: "Brother, car."

Qin Jixiu smiled and said, "Okay, I won't forget." If nothing goes wrong, Ye Ting will receive the Panamera filled with fresh red roses as soon as he gets up tomorrow.

That night, Qin Jixiu had a dream.

He saw his father again, who could only sob secretly in the darkness, expressing his hidden love after their eternal separation.

It started to rain.

What got wet was not the hair and bodies of the father and son, but every ordinary day of their best years.

Upon waking, Qin Jixiu felt moisture at the corners of his eyes and wiped them away. He remembered immediately checking to see if the car had arrived; the app showed "signed for." He sat at the head of the bed and scratched his slightly sweaty short hair.

[Baby, do you see the car?]

After the message was sent, Qin Jixiu began to wonder if Ye Ting would call him out of happiness, excitedly telling him how much he liked the gift he gave her, or if she would be so moved that she would send him a video request while sitting in a car full of roses.

However, Qin Jixiu did not receive a call, but a piece of news that he could not understand for a moment -

[Forget it, Qin Jixiu.]

This time, he was being addressed by his real name, not the "Qin Zheng" from the game. Qin Jixiu felt like he'd been hit on the head, his soul leaving his body. Just as he was about to get to the bottom of this, his phone started to ring with notifications of new messages.

[Boss, why did Ye Lansheng suddenly quit the group?]

[Why did Ye Lansheng suddenly delete me as a friend? We even played 33 together. How could he be so heartless and ungrateful?]

[Are you going to A with Ye Lansheng? ? You two are finally going to elope together]

[Did you end your relationship with Cang Jian? Are you okay, boss?]

The news came from several veterans in the gang, who are also administrators of the group.

Qin Jixiu's fingertips were numb as he typed on the chat screen with Ye Ting: [What do you mean?]

Sent a message but it was unsuccessful.

Qin Jixiu saw a glaring red exclamation mark appear on the screen, followed by a line of text: "The message has been sent, but was rejected by the other party."

She didn't delete it earlier, didn't delete it later, but only after he delivered the car. Even Qin Jixiu, who was slow to react, noticed something was amiss. She couldn't wait two months, and fawned over him, saying how hard it was to squeeze in the subway and asking him to change the delivery time, only to dump him the next moment. Instead of a proper "breakup," she said a perfunctory "forget it"...

Holding the bed tightly with one hand, Qin Jixiu looked tense as he called Ye Ting.

"Sorry, the number you dialed is busy, please——"

The phone number was also blocked. Qin Jixiu laughed out loud at the boy's cruel heart. Ridiculous, too ridiculous, it was a great shame and humiliation. He, Qin Jixiu, had been dating his boyfriend for more than two years, and with just a few words, he threw him into the mud.

The author has something to say:

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Mr. Qin, don't be angry, there are more things to be angry about.