Chapter 11 The Demon Pill Stepfather 11
Zhou Qing thanked him softly, "Thank you, Uncle."
"Don't call me uncle, call me godfather."
"Girls are so much better. My child is much younger than her, and I don't know if she'll be as well-behaved as her in the future."
Ji Huaizhi had intended to smoke but then put it down: "What good is being obedient? You still get bullied, don't you?"
Looking down at the timid Zhou Qing, he said, "Why are you so cowardly? Stand up straight when you're out in the world. If anyone bullies you, fight back!"
"If you can't beat someone, just grab someone and beat them up. Kick them in the stomach and slap them in the face. If it's a man, kick him in the groin. If it's a woman, pull her hair."
"Did you remember?"
Zhou Qing straightened his back immediately after being yelled at.
Then she immediately deflated and looked up at Ji Huaizhi: "They didn't hit me, but they tore up my books, hid my homework, isolated me, and put bugs in my desk. I also told the teacher."
Ji Huaizhi, holding a cigarette but not lighting it, spoke loudly: "Telling the teacher is the most useless thing. Even though I didn't hit you, this is still bullying you."
"If I were you, I would have smashed a stool into the leader's head."
"Just this once, and then no one will dare to bully you again."
Zhou Qing pursed her lips. How could she dare?
She couldn't afford to pay for it, and even calling her parents wouldn't bring anyone to help. She was afraid of troubling Grandpa and Grandma Ji.
The only thing she could do was stay away from those tough guys and girls in her class.
"Your dad's right, what's your name again?" The bald man scratched his head.
"Zhou Qing."
"Yes, Qingqing, listen to your dad. Your dad's child can't be a coward."
"Back then, your dad had a sharp tongue and got hit on the head by someone. Your dad was so tough, the first thing he did after he recovered was to find someone to take revenge. That person immediately knelt down and begged your dad to apologize."
“Back then, nobody dared to mess with your dad in this area.”
Ji Huaizhi hissed and kicked the seat in front of him: "Why are you saying all this? Besides, I don't have any children."
Zhou Qing lowered her head, pursed her lips when she heard him say that he didn't have any children, and thought about how he had just kicked down the classroom door and hugged her, and how she seemed to have been calling him "Dad" the whole time.
Actually, she was willing to be his child.
Before, it was for a place to stay; now it's because he really looks like his father.
"Hey! What are you saying?" The bald man narrowed his eyes. "Who was in such a hurry to look for the child just now?"
"Qingqing, you must be filial to your father in the future."
"I will." Zhou Qing's voice was very soft, but the car was overcrowded and no one could hear her.
The group arrived at the barbecue restaurant where they often gathered.
With a cigarette in his mouth, Ji Huaizhi handed her a plate: "Go get whatever you want to eat."
Zhou Qing was a little reserved, and Ji Huaizhi chuckled, "If you don't like it, go sit down."
As soon as they sat down at the table, they couldn't resist bringing out a case of beer: "Since we're here, let's have a drink."
"Drink, drink, drink!" The man, whose eyes fell on Zhou Qing, shouted again, "Boss, another bottle of soy milk!"
The meat skewers in front of Zhou Qing were rather bland, and she was also given grilled small steamed buns and stir-fried noodles. She had been locked up for so long and was starving.
Not long after, the owner brought out another bowl of congee and placed it in front of her: "Wait a minute, this congee is very hot."
The bald man criticized Ji Huaizhi, saying, "What kind of father are you?"
"Here, let me serve it to you."
Zhou Qing whispered a thank you.
Looking up, Ji Huaizhi smiled as he watched the other uncles talk. He pushed the porridge in front of him, and Ji Huaizhi squinted at him, looking like a big star on TV with a cigarette in his mouth.
"Eat something first before you drink," Zhou Qing said softly, noticing him looking over.
The people at the table couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Look, your daughter knows how to be filial to you now."
Ji Huaizhi laughed and cursed.
It was already past midnight when they got back; Zhou Qing had fallen asleep at the barbecue restaurant long ago.
Ji Huaizhi carried her back slowly, the evening coolness dispelling the smell of alcohol.
Zhou Qing, wearing a coat of unknown origin, nestled in Ji Huaizhi's neck and softly called out, "Dad."
"The dad you're calling? Your biological father died a long time ago. The one carrying you now is your stepfather, who has no blood relation to you."
Zhou Qing tightened her grip on Ji Huaizhi's hand: "I'm calling you."
Ji Huaizhi: "I don't have money to recognize me as your father. You'll have to support me when you grow up."
“You and Grandpa and Grandma will take care of me now, and I will take care of you when I grow up,” Zhou Qing said in a childish voice.
"Can you afford to support me? You'll work yourself to death."
“You have retirement pensions, and with what I earn, we can definitely afford to support you.”
"You brat, pretending to be asleep, huh?"
~~
When Zhou Qing woke up the next day, it was almost noon. Still half asleep, she looked around.
Hearing the door open, Mr. Ji put down his phone: "Awake? Come and eat after you've washed up."
"Your dad is really something, bringing you home so late last night."
Zhou Qing finished tidying up and came over to help get the bowls and chopsticks: "I'll go wake up Dad."
Upon hearing her address, Ji's mother glanced at her husband and said, "Did you hear that?"
"I heard that." Father Ji couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile: "It seems the two of them get along well. I guess she's become dependent on Huaizhi because of what happened yesterday."
Mother Ji laughed too: "Don't call Qingqing anymore, your father got up early this morning and went out."
"Just stay home and rest today. We've asked for leave for you. As for your homeroom teacher... never mind, let your dad handle it."
Zhou Qing felt a little disappointed when he saw the empty bed, wondering if he still remembered what they had said last night.
"Dad got up so early today?" Zhou Qing glanced at her grandparents.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she found that they didn't react to her address, but she also felt embarrassed.
“He went to your school. It’s impossible for your family not to react at all when you were being bullied.” Ji’s mother urged her to eat: “You were being bullied outside and didn’t even come home to tell us.”
"If it weren't for what happened yesterday, my family wouldn't even know."
Zhou Qing ate his meal in silence.
Seeing her stubbornness, Ji's father said, "If there's anything wrong, just tell the family. You call him Dad, so you can't not react if your own child is being bullied."
"Okay, I understand." Zhou Qing appeared calm on the surface, but inside she was already getting excited.
Did Dad go to school?
When Ji Huaizhi arrived at the school gate during class, the security guards immediately called the principal as soon as they saw him.
"Open the door for me!" Ji Huaizhi shouted. "You come in with me too."
The security guard, with an ingratiating expression, said, "I'm at work right now, I can't leave."
Not long after, Ji Huaizhi was invited to his office, where security guards were also present.
Several students in Zhou Qing's class had strange expressions, and the damaged classroom door was still leaning against the wall.
Just then, the class monitor, who had taken the homework to the office, rushed in and pointed at the people who had bullied Zhou Qing, saying, "You're all finished, you're really finished."
"What's wrong? What exactly is wrong?"
"That guy didn't keep us in suspense. Zhou Qing's dad is here. He's scary, and he has tattoos. He looks like a gangster. He's causing trouble in the office right now. You guys better watch out."
Upon hearing this, the classroom erupted in chaos.
Those who felt guilty exchanged glances, their expressions turning rather unpleasant.
"Didn't they say she didn't have a father? Her mother ran away too, what happened?"
"We don't know, what should we do?"
"What do you mean, 'what to do'? We were just kidding."
"Yes, it was just a joke."
The boys who had bullied Zhou Qing acted indifferent, but their shaking legs betrayed their unease.
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