Chapter 118 - When A Man of His Composure Made Such A Demand, He Seemed Like an Insecure Little Child (2/2)

Those who call themselves mothers would always love their children dearly. She was worried that Song Yu might get the worst out of the situation. It happened once already, so she should have the brains to learn from that mistake, should she not?

Song Yu, however, remained stubborn, and all Yu Qianying could do was be angry and start worrying. She rued not being able to protect Song Yu.

A reassuring hand held her shoulder, and Song Donglin’s voice subsequently began resounding from beside her. “Let our daughter make her own decision on this. Our bankruptcy isn’t necessarily a bad thing. At least Song Yu has the power to make her own choices now. If today she chooses Qi Chengzhi, all we can do is hope that the man will not let us down.”

“Dad, Mom, I too had doubts about being with him. It took a lot for me to make up my mind and come to this decision. But I believe he’ll protect me. He placed his trust in me right from the very beginning, and I’m now trying to trust in him wholeheartedly. I know that it’s brave of me to do this, and although it’s a gamble, I’m confident that it’s a gamble that will pay off. Even if you don’t trust him, you can trust me. How about it?”

“It wasn’t easy for me to find someone that I really liked, and I really do want to continue being with him. Mom, I know that you were always tolerant of my stubbornness. Let me be stubborn one more time, please?”

“You…” Yu Qianying let out a sound but paused firmly. She wanted to lift her trembling hand, but she could not do so. She simply turned her head away in anger.

There was nothing else Song Donglin could do except to place his hands on her shoulder and comfort her. “Our daughter’s all grown up. A lot of things aren’t for us to decide. It’s her journey, and she should be the one to live her own life. I trust my daughter. You should have a bit of faith in her, too.”

Song Donglin shot Song Yu a glance and led Yu Qianying into the room so they could talk.

Song Yu sat in the living room but was still able to hear the loud arguing between both her parents. For the most part, it was Yu Qianying who raised her voice when speaking. Song Donglin’s voice was virtually indiscernible, but on the rare occasion that his voice was heard, he was advising her patiently in a very warm tone.

After a while, both of them came out. Yu Qianying’s eyes were still red, but there was an added hint of determination in her look; it was no longer the outright disapproval that was present in the beginning.

Yu Qianying took a few deep breaths. Her blocked nose made her voice rather muffled, and she seemed quite uneasy when she said, “Stay for lunch. You haven’t been home for a long time now.”

Song Yu did not forget that Qi Chengzhi was waiting for her, but even so, she did not want to disappoint Yu Qianying, considering that things took a somewhat ugly turn that day. It was difficult to get Yu Qianying to relent and cease the objection, and if Song Yu did not stay back for lunch, it really would break her parents’ hearts.

Therefore, Song Yu had no choice but to nod in agreement, albeit somewhat hesitantly.

Once Yu Qianying went to make lunch, Song Yu sneaked out to the balcony and called Qi Chengzhi.

“Have you finished talking with Grandma?”

“Yes. She went home already.” Qi Chengzhi’s deep voice resounded from the other end of the line.

As soon as Song Yu heard his voice, her anxieties and her insufferableness gradually turned calm.

“My mom told me to stay for lunch. I don’t know when I’ll be able to leave. I don’t want to make them even sadder than they are now,” Song Yu explained as her eyes darted across the room. Yu Qianying had yet to come out of the kitchen. Song Donglin caught Song Yu making the phone call on the balcony, but he paid no mind to it. “You should go back first. Don’t wait for me. I’ll take a cab there once I’m done.”

“Mm,” Qi Chengzhi replied crisply and directly. Song Yu was somewhat taken aback by his response.

Based on her understanding of him, he was a single-minded man when he had his heart set on something. When she saw him off earlier, he insisted on bringing her home with him, so she felt uneasy upon hearing his response.

He was a strong-willed and dominant man, but his dominance was exactly the things that made her felt spoiled. When he answered her without kicking up a fuss, she felt as though she did not feel adored anymore.

It was then that Song Yu realized that she had been spoilt far too often by him.

Song Yu shook her head and giggled at herself. There was no doubt that he had spoiled her quite a bit. She was never that petty in the past and she would never have taken such an insignificant thing to heart. Moreover, she was the one who suggested that he should leave, and repeated insistence was not her character at all.

Slightly hurt, she stroked her heart and listened as Qi Chengzhi’s voice rang through the phone, “When you’re ready to leave, tell me.”

“Okay,” Song Yu answered before hanging up.

Upon entering the house, there was a momentary awkwardness between Song Yu and Song Donglin, as she had no idea what to say to him.

Song Donglin adjusted his glasses, flashed her a smile, then shifted his attention back to his kifu.

Yu Qianying laid out all the dishes on the dining table and called on the two to eat. Song Donglin then removed his glasses and set his kifu aside. He promptly got up and headed for the dining hall.

“I heard your lease is expiring, so when it does, move back here. After all, I don’t feel too reassured with your quality of life when you’re living by yourself out there.” Song Yu had just taken some vegetables when she heard Yu Qianying’s words.

“It won’t be convenient for me to go to work if I stay here.” That was all Song Yu could say.

“Oh, so it’s convenient if you stay at Qi Chengzhi’s place?” Yu Qianying’s face turned sour, although she was not a close-minded person. When feelings between a young couple reach a certain point and they were more or less certain that they were each other’s life partner, living together before marriage was no big deal. If Song Yu were to reach that phase, Yu Qianying would not object.

However, Song Yu and Qi Chengzhi had not even been together long. The Qi family had yet to accept her and the marriage arrangements were not even discussed properly. It was nuts of her to stay with Qi Chengzhi so quickly!

If something happens in the future, Song Yu would be the one who would get the worst of it!

“You’ve known each other just recently, but you’re already staying with him. Aren’t you afraid that he wouldn’t appreciate you well enough because he thinks you’re too carefree?” Yu Qianying placed her chopsticks down and asked.

“I trust him.” Song Yu placed her chopsticks down too, before she continued calmly, “If he really did think about that, then he’s no longer Qi Chengzhi, he’s no longer the man I love. He never treats me half-heartedly. Hiding the relationship was my choice. He always wanted to meet you, and to bring me to meet his family, but I’m the one who’s afraid that you can’t take it. I told him to keep everything a secret, as if our relationship was something shameful.”

“He’s a man full of pride. He kept everything secret because of me, but not once did he complain, because he respected my decision. He brought me home to visit the Qi family, and they objected of course. But at least his attitude remained the same. Otherwise, why do you think the elder Qi lady would come here today? If this is what you call half-hearted, what is your definition of sincerity, then? In my opinion, he wouldn’t treat me any less seriously if we stayed together.”

‘Slap!’

Yu Qianying hands slapped the chopsticks on the table and the resulting contact produced a crisp slapping sound, “You can say whatever you like now that you’re older. It makes me look like I’m the one who’s in the wrong.”

“Mom, that’s not what I meant, I…”

“Do whatever you like! If you don’t like hearing my sincere advice, then forget about it.” Yu Qianying cut Song Yu off and did not allow her to finish her sentence. Without even bothering to continue eating, Yu Qianying stormed off into the room.

Song Yu lost her appetite after hearing the loud ‘bang’ caused by slamming the door. She stared at the array of dishes on the table and felt a sourness rising in her throat.

Song Donglin sighed and patted Song Yu’s shoulder. “About all this, you can’t expect her to accept it all at one go. The least you could do is tell her bit by bit so she can take things one by one. I’ll check on her.”

“I think…I’d better leave.” Song Yu stood up and felt unworthy of facing her parents, especially when Yu Qianying took the trouble to cook so many dishes.

Song Donglin nodded and headed for the room. Then he heard Song Yu call out, “Dad. I’m sorry.”

Song Donglin chuckled. “Silly child. You just need to know what you’re doing.”

Song Yu watched as Song Donglin entered the room and closed the door behind him. Once again, her parents’ voices could be heard from within: Song Donglin was advising and explaining, while Yu Qianying was grieving.

A sour taste manifested in Song Yu’s throat and her eyes felt sore too. She grabbed her bag and left silently.

She took her phone out and thought about calling Qi Chengzhi, but after thinking about it for a moment, she decided not to.

As she neared the entrance to the building, she stopped and rubbed her eyes, which had teared up unknowingly. She looked up and tried stopping the tears from coming out, though she did sniffle a few times before taking a few deep breaths. Finally, she took as deep a breath as she possibly could and walked out of the building entrance.

A few more steps later, she found herself glued to the spot as she laid her eyes on a Range Rover, parked not too far away. The vehicle body, as well as the window tint, was completely black. Its car plate number was blue, and she could not possibly mistake it for another car.

‘Didn’t he go back? Why is his car here?’

She walked a couple of steps forward and saw the car door swinging open. Every single movement seemed to slow down considerably, and she spotted those slender and fair-skinned fingers popping out from the door, as well as a pair of long legs extending out from the car.

Song Yu froze on the spot. Her heart thumped strongly all of a sudden when he got down from the car and stood silently in front of it.

Sporting a black Burberry windbreaker, he looked tall and stylish as the garment highlighted his slender frame. It made his long legs even longer, as though he was an unfinished work of art.