0010 010 Summer has arrived, and I'm thinking of her too.
Qi Shuyao heard all the chatter in the crowd clearly; she had heard it since she was a child. She maintained a polite smile and kept her eyes straight ahead.
However, the discussion continues.
"After all these years, no one knows who the child's mother is. This is such a well-kept secret."
"Logically speaking, now that Minister Qi has risen to this level, most women would want to fawn over him, right? But his biological mother is nowhere to be found, and his stepmother is nowhere to be seen either. It's really..."
"What is it? Your ugly husband who has kept more than a dozen concubines is a treasure, while the other woman who raised her daughter all by herself is a good-for-nothing. Stop talking and you're embarrassing yourself."
"But think about it carefully. Minister Qi is only thirty-five years old, and he already has a seventeen-year-old daughter. How old was she when he had her? She was seventeen years old at the time. How old do you think she is? Probably around the same age as him. It's possible that her family didn't accept her and took her back home, which is why they didn't stay together after that."
"I heard before that the woman was also from a prestigious family, but maybe her father felt it was too embarrassing and buried this part of the story."
"What? Qi Yu is just a greenhorn who entered politics halfway through his career. How did he get into politics? Anyway, nobody knew where he was when he was seventeen or eighteen. A lady from a prestigious family? How could he possibly know her?"
“Didn’t he come from Xijin? That place is the back garden of the Jingyang officialdom. You’re bound to run into some important person there. I don’t believe he climbed all the way up on his own.”
"What useless talk are you spouting? If you ask me, this child's mother must be a great beauty. She must be stunningly beautiful, at least unforgettable. How come we can't find her in the whole of Jingyang? She's either from out of town, lives a secluded life, or maybe she doesn't even exist."
"This little girl is really pretty and has a great figure, but she has a bad temper. However, she's quite popular. Her dad is about to get a promotion, and she's his only daughter, so he spoils her rotten. That's why I say Old Bei has foresight. Look at his son's lapdog-like behavior. Hey Old Joe, why don't you let your son go too? Being close to the source will give you an advantage."
"My son is only ten years old, you should take a break."
"Now, siblings are all the rage, hahaha..."
Qi Shuyao was seeing this new era's model opera performed behind her for the first time. There were all sorts of performances, from those that were meant to set the stage, to those that were sarcastic and sarcastic, from those that were about a wife beating up a mistress, to those that were vicious, gentle and considerate, to those that were mean, from those that were trying to reconcile, to those that were just enjoying the show... In short, there was everything, and they were all clearly and completely different. As soon as you heard it, you just wanted to smash a wine glass over her head.
Her hands gripped the blanket tighter and tighter, outwardly showing no sign of distress, but inwardly she was frantically trying to calm herself down.
"You can't drop or smash it. If the cup breaks and falls on the ground, your family will have to clean it up. It's too tiring."
After thinking for a while, she let it go and silently calmed herself down. She had heard all sorts of nonsense before, but today she was in a good mood and suddenly heard it and got a little angry. Let them talk, they're just a bunch of old fogies.
No matter how well she imagined it, the flowers and jewelry in her hands no longer smelled sweet or dazzled her. She casually made an excuse to leave, grabbed a glass of wine, and walked towards Qi Yu, who was chatting with someone.
He leaned against the table, his eyes not moving, but his body turned towards her, and he took his hand out of his pocket.
A small movement extinguished most of Qi Shuyao's anger, and her furious steps slowed down.
In fact, she knew from a very young age that she didn't have a mother. For a long time, the word disappeared from her life until Qi Yu became rich and hired a nanny, whom she called Aunt Han.
After that guilty feeling welled up inside her, she was actually grateful for her mother's absence, as if that allowed her to monopolize Qi Yu. But every time her classmates and friends casually said, "My mom said," her smile would freeze, and she would hide under the covers at night, hugging her knees and crying. As dawn approached, she would look up at the sky and say...
"Look, this is the price you pay for your absence. Your daughter has fallen in love with your husband. If you show up again later, you have no right to scold me. It's your own fault for not wanting me."
The more she thought about it, the more upset she became. Her vision blurred, and she automatically blocked out the onlookers around her. She could only see Qi Yu raising his hand to stop her, but this time she was faster. She downed a whole glass of wine and buried her face in his chest.
The guests next to him chuckled and teased, "Your little darling is so clingy," before getting up to leave. Qi Yu dragged her to a seat further back, grabbed her wrist, snatched the empty wine glass, and whispered...
"What's wrong? Didn't you promise me you wouldn't drink until you turned 18?"
"Mmm...mmm..." A fluffy head rubbed against his chest, so hard that it left red marks on her forehead. Her self-harming behavior was stopped by a large hand. Qi Shuyao was caught off guard and met his gaze. Her eyes drooped down. She exhaled a breath, which smelled of alcohol mixed with a pleasant fragrance.
"Dad, I feel so bad."
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Qi Yu helped her up, examining her here and there, frowning. But after saying that, she fell silent again, wriggling out of his arms and sliding down the pillar behind her to sit on her skirt. She chuckled to herself, tilted her head back, and asked a question that almost made Qi Yu's legs buckle.
"Dad, have you ever been in a relationship?"
"What?" He seemed particularly excited, whether from surprise or something else.
"Why are you shouting so loudly? I can hear you. But why haven't you found a girlfriend all these years? So many women like you, how come none of them like you? Or do you already have a girlfriend outside, but you just haven't told me?"
"I told you not to drink, look at you now."
Qi Shuyao raised her hand to try to remove the heavy crown, but it was secured with clips at the bottom and her hair was twisted several times, so she couldn't reach it. She then pulled her hair fiercely, and the braid that had been in place all day was finally messed up. Qi Yu couldn't bear to watch and took over to help her untangle it gently.
"No, I don't have a girlfriend."
"So, why haven't you had a girlfriend all these years? Is it because of me, or because of my mom?"
These two seem to be the first time they've been brought up, but it's not that difficult to bring them up. It's just that the air between the two of them suddenly seemed to be sucked away, making it hard to breathe.
Qi Yu shook his head almost subconsciously and without realizing it, but she grabbed his neck and shook him violently.
"You're lying! Then tell me, who is my mother? Where is she? What was your relationship before? What happened between you? Why do I only have you? Tell me!"
She used to drink with her friends, but she never got drunk. Her friends said that she became very talkative after drinking and could say a few words about anything. But she didn't know that she was actually capable of saying anything.
Now that all the questions she had kept hidden for so many years had finally been asked, she felt as if she had exhausted all her strength and collapsed completely to the ground. Her crown was finally removed, and she felt completely relaxed. She tilted her head to the side and could only feel the slight stinging sensation of the alcohol continuing to spread in her mouth.
The lavish birthday party ended as usual amidst the protagonist's drunken ramblings. The guests were generous, polite, and kind, but even when they were all standing in a row, Qi Shuyao couldn't figure out who had just spoken.
Song Yusheng tried to find her several times, lifting her skirt, but she had already collapsed to the ground, with Xiao Lan supporting her, completely blocked by the table in front of them.
Not seeing anyone, Song Yusheng had no choice but to give up and went home with the driver.
After seeing the guests off, Qi Yu strode back, pulled Qi Shuyao, who was clinging to Xiao Lan's neck, out of her arms, and held her close as they walked upstairs. When they got to the bedroom, she still clung to Qi Yu and pretended to be asleep with her eyes closed. So he held her as he removed her jewelry and makeup. When it was time to change her dress, she didn't move, so he closed his eyes and waited for Han's mother to remove the heavy dress and change her into a light nightgown.
Her face, after removing her makeup, was pinkish-white, with redness around her eyes—not from crying, but from rubbing them. Her eyes were clearly darting around under her eyelids, but she was deliberately keeping them closed.
Qi Yu put her back on the bed, propped himself up on his arms and looked at her. The smooth feel of the girl's skin lingered in his palm for a long time. He sat on the edge of the bed, brushed away the stray hairs on her forehead, and couldn't bear to touch her cheek with the calluses on his palms. He couldn't help but touch the skin that she had scratched red.
"Yaoyao, open your eyes and look at me."
Qi Shuyao obediently opened her eyes, her eyelashes brushing against his palm, her gaze focused solely on him, and she spoke before he did.
"Do you hate me? You raised me all these years out of necessity..."
Before she could finish speaking, Qi Yu interrupted her by rubbing her cheek, cutting off her hurtful words.
"You ungrateful wretch, have you forgotten how I've treated you all these years? You come here to hurt my feelings when you're unhappy, without ever thinking about how I'll be hurt."
No one, not even Zhou Cheng, would believe that Qi Yu could speak in such a tone. Qi Shuyao was also briefly stunned, then suddenly straightened up.
"So how was I born? Did you... did you expect me to come?"
"Looking forward to it, really looking forward to it."
"Then what."
She didn't look drunk at all; her mind was very clear, even clearer than usual.
What hurts more than indifference is deception; without expectations, there is no disappointment.
Qi Yu held her shoulders with both hands, his thumbs stroking her pretty face, his smile gentle yet tinged with bitterness.
“I haven’t been in touch with your mother for a long time, and I don’t know what she’s thinking. I can’t answer for her. But to me, Yao Yao is the most important person in my life. She is more important than my own life. She is my everything, past, present, and future.”
Qi Shuyao suddenly felt relieved. Why should she dwell on the thoughts of someone she had never met? Even if she gave birth to her, it didn't matter anymore. Even if she came back now and appeared in front of her, so what? Their relationship was severed the moment she didn't want her anymore.
She should cherish the people in front of her.
"Thank you, Dad."
This serious statement was tinged with a nasal tone. After saying it, she got out of bed embarrassed and rushed into the bathroom, where the sound of water immediately filled the air.
Qi Yu stayed there to tidy up her blankets, opened the window to let in some fresh air and dissipate the smell of alcohol before going into his own bathroom to take a shower. After coming out, he hung a towel on his arm and leaned against the door in a daze until there was no more noise downstairs before opening the door and going to his daughter's bedroom.
Qi Shuyao had just finished drying her hair and climbed into bed, not yet fully covered by the blanket, when Qi Yu went over to tuck her in and leaned down to leave a goodnight kiss on her forehead.
"Go to sleep."
Two small hands emerged from under the blanket and grabbed his wrists.
"Dad, stay here with me."
"good."
He agreed to everything she wanted, but he couldn't be presumptuous anymore. That day, the tall man slept on her little princess sofa all night, his calves hanging out, his right hand outstretched for her to grab all night.
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