Inside the Porsche, Song Xinya sat in the driver's seat.
Song Tingyou turned her face toward the outside of the car, looking through the clean window glass to observe the middle-aged man at the entrance of the SKP mall.
He had a handsome face, distinct features, and a tall, elegant posture. Although he was over fifty, his appearance was still striking and eye-catching.
This man...
Although her sister hadn't introduced him to her, from the conversation between her sister and him, Song Tingyou deduced it.
He was her biological father.
The Porsche started, and Song Xinya turned the steering wheel with both hands. The strawberry-pink car flowed like liquid gold as it drove away from the mall.
In the rearview mirror, Song Xuanli, Li Cuirou, and Zhang Yingying stood together. Their figures grew smaller and smaller, turning into tiny people, then tiny ants, then little black dots, before disappearing completely.
Song Xinya glanced at the passenger seat and saw that Song Tingyou was still looking at the rearview mirror.
Song Xinya hadn't yet told Song Tingyou about the Song family's dynamics.
But such things couldn't be kept a secret forever.
The hardest thing to control in this world is other people's mouths.
Even if she didn't say anything, Song Tingyou would eventually hear the gossip from others.
Rather than letting Song Tingyou hear exaggerated, inflammatory, and distorted rumors, it was better for her, as the older sister, to tell her the truth directly.
Song Xinya said, "That man is named Song Xuanli, and he is your biological father."
Song Tingyou replied, "He and those two women beside him seem very close."
Song Xinya explained, "The older one is named Li Cuirou, his second wife. They were already messing around together before our mother even passed away. The younger one is Zhang Yingying, the child the mistress brought with her. Whether Zhang Yingying's father is some other man or Song Xuanli is currently unknown. One thing we do know is that Song Xuanli treats this Zhang Yingying a hundred times better than he treats us three siblings."
Concise and to the point. In just three sentences, Song Xinya clearly explained the Song family's network of relationships to Song Tingyou, sending a distinct signal:
Don't hold any expectations for that scumbag father, Song Xuanli.
A man like Song Xuanli only loved himself.
In his eyes, others were only divided into useful and useless. He favored whoever was useful to him.
In the past, Song Xinya was a chubby girl weighing nearly two hundred pounds. She couldn't accompany him to banquets with a glamorous image, couldn't win him face, and couldn't help him maintain client relationships with her beauty. So, he was full of disgust toward her.
Zhang Yingying could help him do these things, so he treated her as his own.
Now that Song Xinya had successfully lost weight, possessed a slender, graceful figure and stunning beauty, and had married Qin Yuhe to become the top lady in the capital circle, Song Xuanli was eagerly coming over to curry favor with her.
Having already seen his true colors, Song Xinya naturally ignored him.
Song Xinya worried that Song Xuanli would play the role of a loving father in front of Song Tingyou for the sake of his own interests, deceiving and using her.
She asked, "What are your thoughts on this biological father of yours?"
Song Tingyou's voice was soft, like a quietly flowing brook. "Sister, you risked your life to go to Bilao Mountain to save me, and you're the one who has been looking for me all these years. When I was little, my grandmother taught me a simple truth: I treat those well who treat me well. You treat me well, so of course I will treat you well."
"As for that biological father, Sister, I can tell he isn't a good dad."
"What kind of good father would have the nerve to ask his own daughter for money, demanding she sell her bags to give him the cash? Truly good fathers are always thinking about working hard to make money so their daughters can live a better life."
Although Song Tingyou grew up in a small mountain village with a father who was addicted to eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, and her life was indeed poor and difficult, she had experienced love.
The grandmother who raised her loved her very much.
If someone gave her grandmother an apple, she couldn't bear to eat it; she would put it in her pocket and bring it home for Tingyou.
When she was little, her health was poor and she was always getting sick. Her grandmother raised many hens at home and would stew one for her every week to nourish her body. The delicious parts like the drumsticks and wings were all given to her. Her grandmother only ate the chicken head and claws, saving all the remaining meat to heat up for her every day.
Her grandmother had never been to school and had no education, but she loved her in the most pure and sincere way.
Therefore, Song Tingyou could easily distinguish what true love and care were.
Song Xinya asked, "Do you feel any regret not having a good father?"
Song Tingyou replied, "I do. It's human nature to hope that all good things happen to you. But if I don't have it, I won't force it. I won't focus my attention on the bad things. I'll think more about the good things, because there are many other beautiful things in life worth pursuing."
Song Xinya smiled. "To be able to see things so clearly at such a young age, Miss Song Tingyou, you are my idol from now on."
Song Tingyou said, "I wouldn't dare claim that in front of you, Sister. You are my light, and I will always sail alongside you."
Song Xinya teased, "Little flatterer."
Song Tingyou replied, "My Queen."
Song Xinya's lips curled up, amused by the little girl's sweet talk.
Song Tingyou looked at Song Xinya's profile. Her cherry-pink lips parted, then closed again, and she lowered her head.
Noticing this change in expression, Song Xinya asked, "Youyou, what do you want to say? Don't feel embarrassed or afraid. Just tell me directly. If it's a good thing, I will support you. If it's a bad thing, I will help you analyze the pros and cons, but I won't criticize you."
Song Tingyou lifted her porcelain-white face. "Sister, I want to go see my grandmother."
Her grandmother had raised her; she was her family, just as her sister was her family.
Thinking from her sister's perspective, her sister hadn't received her grandmother's care and didn't share that deep, accumulated affection with her. After all, her grandmother was the mother of the human trafficker who had abducted her own younger sister.
Song Tingyou looked at Song Xinya somewhat nervously, her hands clasped tightly together.
Song Xinya said calmly, "Youyou, I will accompany you to visit grandmother tomorrow."
...
Zijin Mansion.
Qin Yuhe walked out of the study, holding a water cup in his hand.
In the spacious living room with high ceilings, Song Tingye and Jin Ruizhi were playing badminton.
Jin Ruizhi raised his arm and swung his racket. The shuttlecock, carrying the sound of the wind, traced a sharp arc and flew toward Song Tingye.
Song Tingye leaped up, his slender figure clean and agile. His arm drew back like a fully drawn bow, and he struck the shuttlecock with force.
"I'm definitely winning this round!"
The shuttlecock whizzed through the air and, without deviation, plop, landed right into Qin Yuhe's water cup.
Water splashed everywhere, splashing Qin Yuhe's face with West Lake Longjing tea.
A green tea leaf stuck to his face, and another green tea leaf stuck to his head.
Song Tingye's eyes widened. "Oh crap! The shot went wide!"
He rushed over in a panic. "Brother-in-law, are you alright?"
Qin Yuhe, his face dripping with water drops, a green tea leaf on his face, and another on his head, replied, "Do I look like I'm alright to you?"
Song Tingye shrank his neck, reaching out to pluck the green tea leaves off his face and hair: "Are we good now?"
Qin Yuhe: "Right now, I want to smash a racket into your face."
Song Tingye rubbed his hands together like a fly and laughed sheepishly: "Brother-in-law, I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."
Qin Yuhe's gaze swept over him and Jin Ruizhi: "The yard is so big, yet it can't hold you two. You just had to play badminton in the living room."
Song Tingye: "It's too hot in the yard. The living room has air conditioning, and the space is huge, so that's why we played here."
Qin Yuhe: "Listening to you, does that mean you plan to keep playing in the living room in the future?"
Song Tingye: "From now on, I will turn over a new leaf and mend my ways. I won't play anymore!"
Qin Yuhe looked at Jin Ruizhi and asked: "What time is it now?"
Jin Ruizhi: "Ten o'clock at night."
Qin Yuhe: "Are you a stray child? Why are you still at my house this late?"
Jin Ruizhi: "Mrs. Qin is my tutor. I'm staying here to ask her questions about my studies."
Qin Yuhe: "You sure know how to pick your moments. Didn't you notice my wife hasn't been home all day?"
Jin Ruizhi suddenly understood why President Qin's words were laced with such sarcasm and spikes.
He looked at Song Tingye: "Hurry up and call your sister. Tell her to come home quickly."
After speaking, Jin Ruizhi peeked at Qin Yuhe from the corner of his eye. Sure enough, President Qin's expression softened, and he stopped lecturing the two youngsters.
However, Song Tingye, this pig of a teammate, said: "Why should I call my sister? If she hasn't come back, it means she doesn't want to. When she wants to come back, she'll naturally come back. I'm not calling."
Qin Yuhe's face darkened.
Jin Ruizhi fished the phone out of Song Tingye's pocket and pressed down hard on his head: "Call her! Call her! You'd better call her!"
Song Tingye's head was pushed down to the level of his belly button, looking like he was about to faceplant onto the floor: "I'll call! I'll call! Let go of me!"
Dialing Song Xinya's number, Song Tingye said: "Sis, when are you coming back? If you don't come back soon, my neck is going to be snapped by a psycho, and I'll become a headless male corpse!"
"Aren't I back now?" Holding her phone, Song Xinya walked in gracefully, her figure elegant and charming.
"Sis, you're back!" Song Tingye ran over and took the shopping bags from her hands.
Jin Ruizhi walked over and took the shopping bags from Song Tingyou's hands.
Song Tingye lifted the shopping bag in his hand and examined it: "Men's items. Sis, did you buy this for me?"
He reached out to open it.
Song Xinya snatched the shopping bag back: "It's not for you, it's for your brother-in-law."
Song Tingye crossed his arms, looking completely displeased: "We're both your men, why did you buy something for my brother-in-law and not for me!"
Song Xinya raised her hand and flicked his forehead: "You're not my man, you're my little brat."
Song Tingye: "Who cares about being your little brat? I'm seventeen this year, well past the age of being a little kid."
Song Xinya: "Then you're my little rascal."
Song Tingye: "Drop the word 'little'. We men don't like the word 'little'."
Song Xinya: "Big rascal."
Song Tingye: "Although I'm still not entirely satisfied, it sounds a bit better than little rascal."
Qin Yuhe walked toward Song Xinya: "Did you have fun shopping today?"
Song Xinya opened her mouth to speak, but Song Tingye interrupted: "I'm not having fun!"
Song Xinya: "I'll buy you an Ultraman Tiga tomorrow."
Song Tingye: "Yay, I'm happy now!"
Watching this scene, even Song Tingyou found her brother incredibly childish.
Song Xinya: "Where's the little princess?"
Song Tingye: "She said studying today gave her a nervous breakdown and a headache, so she went to sleep."
Song Xinya: "You guys hurry up and go to sleep too."
The three youngsters headed toward their bedrooms.
In the huge living room, only Song Xinya and Qin Yuhe were left.
Song Xinya ran toward Qin Yuhe like a colorful butterfly. She hugged one of his arms, her rosy lips close to his thin ones, and spoke in a sweet, coquettish voice: "Hubby, did you miss me today?"
The sweet, warm scent of the woman drifted into Qin Yuhe's nose and lips, invading his senses and lungs, feeling like a feather gently tickling inside his body.
"I missed you."
Song Xinya chased after the question: "How much did you miss me?"
Qin Yuhe lowered his eyes to look at her tempting lips: "I missed you so much that my mind is full of censored scenes."
Song Xinya playfully punched his arm: "Why are you like this, only thinking about dirty things."
Qin Yuhe: "When a husband thinks of his wife and immediately 'stands at attention', it's the greatest respect he can show her."
Standing at attention... the way he phrased it was enough to make anyone blush.
Song Xinya: "So if someone doesn't stand at attention, they don't respect their wife?"
Qin Yuhe: "That's called impotence. They couldn't stand up even if they wanted to."
Song Xinya: "Or maybe they just cherish their wives too much and can't bear to exert the effort."
Qin Yuhe: "Don't make kidney deficiency sound so noble. Weak is weak, no need for so many excuses."
Song Xinya couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
She asked him: "Why aren't you in the study? What are you doing in the living room?"
Qin Yuhe glanced at the water cup in his hand: "I originally wanted to drink West Lake Longjing tea, but your brother brewed me a cup of badminton tea."
Song Xinya looked down and saw a badminton birdie soaking in the cup.
She put her hands on her hips and marched toward Song Tingye's bedroom: "I'm going to teach that big rascal a lesson."
"No need, I already scolded him."
Qin Yuhe grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms: "It's getting late, let's go upstairs."
Song Xinya carried the shopping bags and followed Qin Yuhe to the second-floor bedroom.
She placed the shopping bags on the conspicuous nightstand.
Qin Yuhe knew she was deliberately waiting for him to ask, so he spoke up: "What gift did you buy for me?"
Song Xinya: "One is expensive and common, the other is very special. Which one do you want to see first?"
Qin Yuhe: "The very special one."
He wanted to see just how special this "very special" thing was.
Song Xinya took both gifts out, laid them on the bed, and said: "I'll show you the expensive and common one first."
What an unconventional train of thought.
Qin Yuhe chuckled and replied: "That works too. I'll look at the expensive and common one first."
Song Xinya opened the exquisite packaging box and took out a black tie. It was exquisitely crafted, with a premium texture, intricate crisscrossing patterns, and a design that was both minimalist and extremely elegant.
"I see you wear black suits often, so I bought you a black tie."
The clothes Qin Yuhe usually wore were either custom-tailored or luxury designer brands. Thus, at first glance, he recognized that this tie had appeared in this year's fashion week and was very expensive.
He asked her: "Do you still have enough money to spend?"
Song Xinya: "Yes, enough."
Qin Yuhe: "I'll transfer some more to you."
Song Xinya tilted her head, looking at him pitifully with her watery eyes: "I already said I have enough, why are you still transferring more?"
Qin Yuhe: "Because my wife is too virtuous and considerate. Even when she has no money left, she still says she does."
Song Xinya pursed her lips and smiled. Today, she had spent almost all of the eleven million she had on hand, leaving barely a few pennies behind, yet he was still calling her virtuous.
He was sitting on the bed. She crouched between his legs, resting her chin on his thigh, and looked up at him with her beautiful, shimmering eyes. "Mr. Qin, do you really have to spoil me this much?"
"I haven't really spoiled you that much," Qin Yuhe replied. "I just gave you some money to spend."
Song Xinya was speechless. Did he even know how to talk to a woman? What kind of answer was that!
She leaned over and bit his thigh. "Say you spoil me. Say it now, or I'll bite your thigh again."
Qin Yuhe rubbed her head with his hand. "Alright, I spoil you. I do."
Song Xinya planted a kiss on his thigh. "Mwah."
"Now, can you tell me what that very special gift is?" Qin Yuhe asked.
"Sure." Song Xinya cleared her throat and said, "The gift is..."
"A ball pouch."
Qin Yuhe: "???"
Song Xinya explained, "It's a naughty version of men's underwear. It only holds the balls and leaves everything else completely exposed. A ball pouch."
