The Qiao family mansion

When darkness fell, the second young master Qiao Chengyu arrived. Qiao Chengyu had been to this mansion several times, all very recently, but he didn’t live here. It wasn’t his home.

The housekeeper who politely took his coat was aloof and indifferent to him, dislike in her eyes. She was an old hand who had worked for Mother Qiao for over 20 years. She had watched Qiao Wenxing grow up, and though she held her tongue about him being recognized into the family, Qiao Chengyu could feel her clear rejection in the silence.

He didn’t like coming to this place.

Taking off his coat, Qiao Chengyu went straight to the study on the second floor. After knocking and obtaining permission, he pushed open the door, made his way to the desk, ducked his head, and said, “Father.”

Father Qiao raised his head and looked at the son he had not raised, feeling very complicated.

He had given Qiao Chengyu his name, just as Qiao Chengyu was well aware, to pressure Qiao Wenxing.

He had also allowed Qiao Chengyu to come into contact with Han Yanyan. Han Yanyan  was a child born with a golden spoon in her mouth. Her father’s family was wealthy, and her mother’s family politically influential. Her eyes should never have deigned to look down upon Qiao Chengyu, so he had never imagined that she would end up taking a liking to his illegitimate son of an affair, even though… this son was a truly excellent one who had inherited his genes.

As a result, they were now engaged, and Father Qiao was suddenly in a passive role.

“Have you and Yanyan discussed when the engagement ceremony will be held?” father Qiao asked after a long silence.

“Not yet, since we haven’t spoken to Father yet on the matter. The elders should weigh in before a decision is made. Us of the younger generation will do as we are told,” Qiao Chengyu replied indifferently.1

Father Qiao nodded. “Then I’ll speak with Old Han tomorrow. No need for you to worry about it.”

Qiao Chengyu raised his head to meet his father’s eyes. “I have never once worried about Father’s capabilities.”

His greedy mother had squandered his child support. It was his biological father who had made that child support into something real – kindergarten and primary school  fees had been paid directly to the school, and everything he had needed in daily life had been prepared, from clothes, shoes and socks to cars and chauffeurs, had been supplied.

Unable to touch a penny, his mother had gone into a rage2.

But the things his biological father had prepared for him had been too high in quality. She had eventually stolen them and sold them for money. When Father Qiao found out, he had immediately sent Qiao Chengyu to a boarding school to separate him from his mother. He had gone from primary school to high school in boarding school, and though he was able to see his mother once every month or two, he had gradually grown apart from her.

By the time he graduated from high school, his biological mother was nowhere to be found. He was well aware that she had probably deemed him unprofitable and run away with another man. Then he had been sent abroad, received the best education he could, and finally returned to China with a master’s degree.

When he had come home, his biological father had given him a house and a sum of money, and then never cared for him again.

He had sat down and given the matter some thought before choosing the offer given to him by the company headed by his father’s family. Anyway, no one knew who he was there, let alone his relationship with the group chairman. He could work hard there silently, hoping that one day, he might stand in front of his father face to face.

Although his father had never once recognized him since birth, he had given him a good life and an excellent education, ensuring his safety and rights.

Father and son looked at each other silently with their similarly-shaped eyes.

After a while, the older one sighed quietly. He opened the drawer and took out several folders. “Go back and look over these. Don’t fool around. There will be a meeting at headquarters at 10 o’clock tomorrow, and you should be there…”

Qiao Chengyu had waited a long time for this day, in which his father finally came face to face with his existence and… gave him a chance.

He felt his hands tremble as he stood in the corridor with the folder in his hand and the door closed. Taking a deep breath, he went downstairs. As he passed through the empty hall, he felt a strange feeling, and looked up to see a dignified middle-aged woman leaning against the third-floor railing, looking coldly down at him.

This was his biological father’s wife, a woman of high birth.

Han Yanyan’s mother, too, was from a prominent family.

Qiao Chengyu had yearned for a mother just like that, a mother who was surrounded and complimented everywhere she went.

But his mother was a promiscuous woman who was always bringing men home, a different one each time, or staying out for days on end. She was also a drug addict. The last time he had seen her was when he had just come home from university and Father Qiao had had someone pass him the news. She had been in rehab, hopelessly thin, her eyes dull and glazed over when she looked at him.

Years of drug abuse had damaged her brain.

He was destined to have no high-born, elegant mother in this life, but he could still have a dignified and elegant wife. This was his dream, once ridiculous and out of reach, but now soon to be realized.

Qiao Chengyu felt a fire ignite in his heart as he drove.

Han Yanyan had not gone out to play that day. When she got a call from Qiao Chengyu, she was idly staying at home, watching TV.

“I’m outside your door,” he said.

He was here to see her. Han Yanyan didn’t think it odd. Perhaps he had something important to tell her face to face. She put on her coat and walked out, through the courtyard and outside the gate, until she saw Qiao Chengyu’s car. He got out when he saw the wrought iron door open and strode towards her.

His manner reinforced her feeling that he had something important to tell her immediately, so she hastened toward him.

But before she could even say “What”, Qiao Chengyu strode forward suddenly, and cupping her face, lowered his head to her lips.