Chapter 22: Calm Before the Storm
The sudden voice startled the two in the living room. They both turned to look towards the staircase. Li Qi stood there, his expression indifferent as he looked at them.
“Xiao Qi, you…” Song Jin was surprised. She had been worried about her plan failing.
“This is absurd! You can’t take him without my permission! I’m his legal guardian!”
Li Ru’s face flushed red with anger. He glared at Li Qi with disgust.
Since Li Qi had been brought back to the Li family, he had never called Li Ru “father.” He usually showed no expression when seeing him, making it impossible to know what he was thinking.
Because of Song Jin’s indulgence, Li Ru had turned a blind eye, assuming it was due to his young age and illness.
But now, he was betraying him to help a woman with no blood relation, a humiliation he couldn’t bear.
“Eighteen years old, already an adult.”
Li Qi’s voice rang out again, clearly stating that he was old enough to decide where he went.
This was the first direct conflict between father and son, and the first time Li Ru realized Li Qi was a complete rebel.
He should have known better than to bring him back from the red-light district! He’d have been better off dead at Zhang Yongmei’s hands!
“You’re both out of your minds! Go home and calm down! I’m not signing this!”
Li Ru’s chest heaved with anger, his handsome features contorted with rage.
He angrily stormed off.
“Aunt Song, I’m willing to go with you.”
Li Qi came downstairs and repeated his statement beside Song Jin. Li Qi’s confirmation made Song Jin overjoyed. Her decision to divorce was a desperate gamble.
Her parents would never agree to her divorce from Li Ru. There had never been a couple in the Song family who divorced at middle age.
Her parents were quite traditional, believing that a woman unable to bear children would disgrace the family if divorced.
Three years ago, when she had first mentioned divorce, her parents had forcefully suppressed her. Now, three years later, with Li Qi’s support, she was no longer alone.
“Good… good child.”
Song Jin’s voice choked with emotion. She reached out to hug Li Qi, but remembering his dislike of physical contact, she changed her mind and patted his shoulder instead.
Li Qi’s eyes flickered, and he reached out, pulling Song Jin into a hug. Though brief, for Song Jin, it was a huge step in Li Qi’s acceptance.
The conversation ended poorly. Li Ru thought his firm stance would leave Song Jin helpless.
But unexpectedly, with Li Qi’s support, Song Jin disregarded everything.
Song Jin let Li Qi go to school as usual and went to tell her parents. The outcome was as expected; their attitude remained firm.
They even threatened to disown her if she divorced. Even so, Song Jin remained resolute.
Compared to Song Jin’s turmoil, Li Qi’s life was far more peaceful.
Since Li Qi had taken Chen Jiamu to see his secret base, their relationship had grown closer.
Chen Jiamu followed Li Qi everywhere. In his words, his leg was crippled, and he always needed someone.
However, the doctor worried about muscle atrophy and specifically instructed him to exercise regularly.
In the indoor stadium, Chen Jiamu directed Zhao Hu to get his crutches. “Go, get my crutches.”
Slowly standing up from the wheelchair, Chen Jiamu trembled. Luckily, Li Qi supported him, preventing him from falling.
“Boss, here are your crutches.”
Chen Jiamu found “Chen Shao” awkward and asked Zhao Hu to call him “Boss.”
With the crutches, Chen Jiamu was filled with excitement and rushed forward, forgetting his leg was still in a cast.
He lost his balance and stumbled forward. Li Qi instinctively reached out to catch him, but his shin was hit hard by Chen Jiamu’s crutch.
The impact pulled Li Qi down too. Knowing a fall was unavoidable, Li Qi, fearing Chen Jiamu’s leg would be re-injured, pulled Chen Jiamu towards him as they fell.
Due to gravity, Chen Jiamu landed heavily on Li Qi, his head hitting Li Qi’s shoulder.
Turning his head, his lips brushed against Li Qi’s neck. The warm sensation made them both flinch.
“Oh my, Boss, are you okay!”
Zhao Hu frantically helped Chen Jiamu up. Chen Jiamu’s face was flushed red, his heart pounding.
“I’m fine.”
Ensuring Chen Jiamu was alright, Zhao Hu remembered Li Qi on the ground. When he looked, Li Qi had already gotten up.
He was adjusting his glasses, which had been knocked askew. Catching his gaze, Li Qi glanced at him.
Then his gaze fell on Chen Jiamu. They met eyes, and neither spoke.
“Use your crutches and walk slowly, don’t rush.”
After fixing his glasses, Li Qi stood with his hands in his pockets. Chen Jiamu paused, replying dryly, “Okay.”
After the fall, Chen Jiamu was much more careful, moving forward slowly with his crutches. He took his first successful step, happily looking up, meeting Li Qi’s deep gaze.
At that moment, Chen Jiamu felt a sharp pang in his chest, a strange emotion rising in his heart.
Quickly averting his gaze, Chen Jiamu continued cautiously. Li Qi stood just a step or two away, watching him.
One carefully moving forward, the other’s gaze following, a distance of only a couple of steps between them.
Zhao Hu stood to the side, nervously wringing his hands. These two… something felt strange…
In the afternoon, Chen Jiamu called Zhao Hu, saying Li Qi’s mother wanted to treat them to dinner to thank them for saving him.
Zhao Hu was nervous, afraid Song Jin would look down on him.
After all, a school delinquent like him hanging around with a scholar like Li Qi was bound to cause misunderstanding.
However, when they arrived at the restaurant and saw Song Jin, all his worries vanished.
At dinner, Li Qi spoke very little, quietly watching them eat.
After dinner, Chen Jiamu saw Li Qi leave and followed without hesitation.
“What’s wrong?”
Chen Jiamu worried that Li Qi had something on his mind; he’d looked up information on depression.
On the balcony, Li Qi looked ahead, silent, glancing at him.
His gaze held deep meaning that Chen Jiamu didn’t understand. He just assumed Li Qi wasn’t in a good mood.
“Nothing.”
“Let’s go back and eat.”
Li Qi said nothing more, pushing him back towards the private room. Chen Jiamu had no choice but to comply…
After dinner, Song Jin had their drivers take them home individually. Before leaving, Chen Jiamu told Li Qi that he had found a Taoist temple and they could visit together in a couple of days.
Li Qi didn’t respond, standing quietly outside the car. After Chen Jiamu left, Li Qi relaxed his tightly held hands…