"That young master Song was there too," Qi Jianyi replied casually, though she couldn’t quite hide her smile.
She felt as if, from now on, whenever Song Chengfeng’s na was ntioned, she’d be reminded of his persistence. Who would have thought that the once-arrogant and cold young master could smile so openly and beco so clingy toward soone he liked?
They weren’t even in a relationship, yet he’d insisted on staying by her side, no matter what. Qi Jianyi could only imagine how clingy he might beco if she actually accepted him.
At this mont, she hadn’t even realised that the thought of being with Song Chengfeng no longer felt as unappealing as it once had.
"And I thought he’d given up on you?" Mrs. Qi arched an eyebrow, sowhat excited to know that Song Chengfeng hadn’t yet given up on her daughter.
Qi Jianyi laughed, glancing at her mother. "He’s very stubborn—and annoying too," she muttered softly.
"Did he say anything to you?" Mrs. Qi, in her gossipy way, leaned closer to Qi Jianyi.
"He just said he wouldn’t give up," Qi Jianyi replied casually. It was obvious she was trying to act nonchalant, but the smile on her face gave her away.
"You seem happy?" Mrs. Qi teased, earning an eye roll from Qi Jianyi.
"A little bit, to be honest," Qi Jianyi admitted. "But he’s such a nuisance. I’m really annoyed to death by him," she added with a sigh.
Mrs. Qi chuckled at her daughter’s resigned expression. "Well, n are like that—a little bit annoying. Your dad is living proof," she said with a hearty laugh.
Then, her tone softened as she looked at Qi Jianyi more closely. "Jianyi, tell Mom... do you like him?" she asked seriously, watching her daughter’s face, which seed a little less guarded than it used to be.
For a brief mont, Qi Jianyi was caught off guard by her mother’s sudden seriousness. The question touched on sothing she’d been doing her best to avoid thinking about.
With a small smile, she quickly changed the topic. "Before, you and Dad—who fell in love first?" Her swift shift in conversation succeeded in diverting Mrs. Qi’s attention.
"Oh, you cheeky girl," Mrs. Qi laughed, her gossipy curiosity imdiately rekindled.
Mrs. Qi leaned back with a soft, nostalgic sigh. "Your dad, of course! He was smitten the mont he saw . He would find any excuse to talk to , though he was awkward about it at first."
Qi Jianyi smiled, leaning in, genuinely curious. "Awkward? Dad? I can’t imagine that."
"Oh, yes! Your old man could barely string a sentence together without tripping over his words," Mrs. Qi chuckled, her eyes twinkling at the mory. "But your dad? Just like Xiao Feng, he was persistent. No matter how many tis I brushed him off, he kept coming back, each ti a little bolder."
Qi Jianyi tilted her head, her gaze softening as she imagined Mr.Qi and Mrs. Qi’s younger days and she was also reminded by her real parents’ younger days. Just like how her real parents used to tell her about their relationship. It seems like her parents’ love life in this world was not much different. "And you? Did you fall for him imdiately?"
Mrs. Qi smiled gently. "Not imdiately. I thought he was just like all the others, infatuated but shallow. But your father... he surprised . He was always there, quietly supporting , never asking for anything in return. It took a while to realise how much he truly cared."
A quiet pause settled over them as Qi Jianyi considered her mother’s words. There was a strange warmth in her chest, a small flicker of sothing she hadn’t felt in a long ti—a sense of possibility, maybe even hope.
"Love’s a funny thing, Jianyi," Mrs. Qi said softly, patting her daughter’s hand. "It doesn’t always appear how we expect it to, but it finds its way in, slowly but surely."
Qi Jianyi glanced down, hiding the faint smile forming on her lips. The mory of Song Chengfeng’s words ca to mind, his stubbornness, his quiet determination, and how he’d said he would wait for her, no matter how long it took.
"I’m not sure if you’re right, Mom," she murmured, almost to herself. Rembered by her purpose, also a doubt that had taken root in her heart, Qi Jianyi couldn’t find herself to accept love as easily as Mrs.Qi did.
"What was that, dear?" Mrs. Qi asked, leaning in with a mischievous smile.
"Nothing, Mom," Qi Jianyi replied, rolling her eyes playfully. "Just that... maybe love is more stubborn than we give it credit for."
With a satisfied smile, Mrs. Qi gave her hand a gentle squeeze, her eyes filled with warmth and quiet understanding.
Mrs. Qi chuckled at her daughter’s resigned expression. "Your father and I, we had our ups and downs, obviously. Sotis, he was just an annoying jerk whom I wished I could kill." Qi Jianyi chuckled at her mother’s words; she could imagine how this elderly couple would argue with each other.
"But your father was and is the only person in this world who could truly understand . He knows what I want, what I need, even before I have the chance to see it myself. Your father—he’s the most ignorant when it cos to feelings, yet he always knows when sothing is hurting ." Mrs. Qi’s tone softened as she continued, "Jianyi, Mom says all this just to let you know that no one is perfect. Yet, a perfect man can be defined by ourselves. As long as he knows you well, treats you well, and you’re happy to be with him, your dad and I will always support you."
Mrs. Qi spoke softly, feeling as if she were in a dream. It felt like only yesterday that she’d held the newborn Qi Jianyi in her arms, and now her eldest daughter had grown up so well and was beginning to spread her wings.
Seeing how happy and in love Mrs. Qi was with her husband, Qi Jianyi felt envious. She, too, had once yearned for that kind of love with soone she could imagine spending her life with. Sotis, Qi Jianyi found herself pitiful.
She was only twenty, still in her youth. She had only fallen in love once, but that guy had left such a deep impression on her heart that the thought of being with soone else felt like a betrayal.
Therefore, the appearance of Song Chengfeng, who was so bold and confident in his feelings, left Qi Jianyi stunned. She had been the one to chase her lover before because she had fallen in love first. Yet now, for the first ti, being pursued so openly by a man who claid he would always wait for her left her dumbfounded.
"Mom saw that Xiao Feng was really sincere when he confessed to you at the hospital. You really have no plans to give him a chance?" Mrs. Qi deftly redirected the conversation back to its original topic. Her daughter had made a clever move, shifting the discussion to Mrs. Qi’s love life, but she still couldn’t outwit her mother.
Qi Jianyi realised her mother hadn’t let go of the topic and chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "I don’t have any plans like that now. He said he’d stay by my side whether I accept or reject him. There’s no use pushing him away anymore so let him be. He’ll disappear when he gets bored." She tried to sound indifferent, but Mrs. Qi still caught a slight tension in her voice.
"You really don’t like him? Even a little bit?" Mrs. Qi asked, a hint of curiosity in her tone. She knew her daughter’s reserved nature well, yet she hadn’t expected Qi Jianyi to leave soone’s feelings hanging like this without giving a clear answer.
"Mom, don’t look at like that. I’ve told Song Chengfeng many tis already that I don’t want to be with him, but he insists on sticking around," Qi Jianyi explained, trying to sound more casual than she felt.
"And yet you’re just letting him stick around like that? Qi Jianyi, do you realize what this looks like? It’s no different from playing with his feelings." Mrs. Qi’s tone was laced with disapproval.
Qi Jianyi shrugged. "I don’t know what to say anymore. He insisted, and I’m too tired to argue about it."
"You truly have no feelings for him at all?"
"Mom," Qi Jianyi turned to face her mother, a cold glint in her eyes as she spoke words that had been locked in her heart for a long ti. "There’s soone I still can’t forget after all these years. Accepting Song Chengfeng would only hurt him more because I might end up looking for soone else in him."
She closed her eyes, as if to hide the emotions beneath them or to mask her exhaustion. But she knew she couldn’t quite et her mother’s gaze now.
"I can’t like him, mom. Just like you said, love is a funny thing. It’s a blessing for so, but it can be a disaster for others."
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