Chapter 345: Chapter 312 Is Qini My Child?
Mu Qinian was truly unable to run any longer. Dragged out of bed to run early in the morning, his heart was almost overflowing with resentment.
They always said he was fat, where was he fat? It was just that his butt and thighs were a bit bigger and thicker than other kids, but his face was small. When wearing clothes, you couldn’t tell he was fat, and besides, this was just baby fat, which would naturally slim down when he’s no longer a baby.
"Dad, I can’t run anymore. If I run another lap, you might as well pretend you don’t have a son like me," Mu Qinian gasped for air, his little cheeks all flushed.
Mu Shuoqian had always been athletic, but unexpectedly, his son was both clumsy and lazy.
He was preparing to run a few more laps when suddenly Mu Qinian zoomed past him, shouting as though it was the end of the world: "Ali!"
Mu Shuoqian squinted his eyes. Mu Qinian had already stopped in front of a taxi, stretching out his arms, gazing straight inside the car.
The taxi driver, who was about to turn around, was blocked by the little guy who had dashed in front of the car, poking his head out of the window and shouting, "Hey, kiddo, that’s very dangerous."
The next second, Gu Qili quickly opened the car door, rushed over, pulled Mu Qinian to one side, and held him close like a protective mother cow. It was fortunate that the taxi was just turning at a slow speed; otherwise, his sudden dash out would have been incredibly dangerous. She had been sitting in the back, her heart practically leaping out with fright.
"Qinian, that was very dangerous, do you understand?" Gu Qili’s voice carried a hint of reproach, with the remaining seven parts worry and heartache.
Mu Qinian didn’t take it seriously and just looked at her with a beaming smile: "Ali, you finally came to see me, I knew you wouldn’t be able to bear leaving me."
Gu Qili had impulsively run out of the car just now because she was overly worried, initially intent on leaving.
Now caught by Mu Qinian, she hurriedly let go of him and hastily tidied her hair at her temple, "I’m leaving."
"Ali, is it because my dad scared you?"
"Don’t blame him, it’s just his natural demeanor; everyone gets scared when they see him."
Mu Shuoqian’s face darkened, and he cursed the damned kid silently in his heart while staring intensely at the hands of the adult and child clasped together, his gaze filled with a complex and indiscernible sentiment.
"Is there something wrong?" He shifted his gaze towards the woman who refused to turn back and look at him,
It had been four years. She had grown more worldly, but the one thing that hadn’t changed were those eyes, always clear and bright, untainted by a single speck of dust.
Gu Qili’s ears echoed with his familiar voice, and memories flooded back like a movie reel, forming a tumultuous love elegy. Despite over a thousand nights passing, some people and things still occupied the deepest recesses of her memory. Burying them was easier said than done.
As if she had made a decision, Gu Qili turned her head, her gaze falling lightly on his face: "Do you have time? There’s something I want to ask you."
Sitting in the Jingshan living room once more, there was a sense of surreal detachment, like stepping through time. Gu Qili never thought she’d return here one day. To her surprise, the two grape vines outside the window were flourishing, covering the trellis, and though they hadn’t lost their leaves yet, by next autumn, they should bear fruit. She thought the courtyard would be abandoned after she left, but instead, it was blooming with life. If they hadn’t become enemies, would they be sitting under the grape arbor at the Qixi Festival, savoring grapes and wine?
"Miss Gu, please have some tea," Uncle Yu said as he placed a freshly brewed cup of tea in front of her.
Gu Qili’s feelings towards Mu Qinian were complex at the moment; she didn’t know if her guess was correct. If it was, how was she to face Mu Qinian in the future, with Mu Shuoqian between them; if it wasn’t, then what kind of disappointment would it be?
"Mu Qinian, go back to your room," Mu Shuoqian emerged from the bedroom, now dressed in casual home attire.
"I won’t go, I want to stay here with Ali."
"Go back," Mu Shuoqian gave him a cold warning look, his voice growing heavier, "Don’t make me say it a third time."
Although Mu Qinian was defiant, he had to succumb to the tyranny of his father, snorting forcefully and pouting at Gu Qili: "Ali, I’ll come down in a bit, don’t leave."
"Get going now," Mu Shuoqian glared at him again, and Mu Qinian obediently ran upstairs.
Gu Qili disapproved of Mu Shuoqian’s violent and threatening style of parenting, but she had no place to judge or criticize him.
"So, what is it?" Mu Shuoqian sat opposite her, picked up the tea Uncle Yu had prepared for him, lifted the lid slightly, and steam with the fragrance of tea spilled out. His attitude was as mild as the tea.
"Is Qinian my child?" Gu Qili looked at him directly. "I want you to tell me the truth. Even if you deny it now, I will find out for myself."
Mu Shuoqian knew that what was inevitable would eventually come.
He slowly put down the teacup, lifted his head to face her questioning gaze, and as her eyes became increasingly disorganized, he lowered his gaze: "Yes."
Gu Qili, agitated, knocked over the teacup beside her. The ecstasy overflowed like boiling water, leaving her brain sluggish with surprise and joy, and at a loss for what to do.
Niannian really was Niannian, her child. He hadn’t died; he was still alive and well.
That’s great, he’s still alive, her Niannian, her son.
Gu Qili covered half of her face, unable to control the glistening tears rolling down her cheeks. A person thought to be dead from her memories had suddenly reappeared alive before her—this feeling was beyond what words could describe.
"What happened? Why did Niannian..." Gu Qili finally stabilized her emotions, haphazardly wiping away her tears, "He was obviously kidnapped and fell into the sea; the water was so deep, he couldn’t possibly..."
"My people saved him," Mu Shuoqian said calmly, clutching the teacup, while a tempest of rage surged deep within. Even now, he could not face that horrific memory, unable to imagine if it were not for A-Zhong deciding to stand by him at the critical moment, Mu Qinian would not exist in this world.
"Your people?" Gu Qili was confused, "Wasn’t it you who sent people to take him away?"
"Miss Gu, what makes you think that those people were sent by me?"
Gu Qili could not forget the words she heard before she passed out, the words that plunged her into an abyss.
"That nurse said she knew the child was your flesh and blood, and that she would be careful." Gu Qili, mentioning this and once again facing Mu Shuoqian’s intelligent and profound dark eyes, seemed to understand something and blurted out: "Qiu Lan?"
Yes, Niannian was indeed Mu Shuoqian’s flesh and blood, but he was also Qiu Lan’s grandson, her blood as well. It was because of the words Qiu Yufei spoke in the hospital room that she had unhesitatingly thought of Mu Shuoqian.
Had she misunderstood him?
Her words were not denied by Mu Shuoqian; she probably guessed right. The kidnapping of the child was orchestrated by Qiu Lan alone, but she could not understand why Qiu Lan would know about her pregnancy and childbirth?
Her face suddenly turned cold: "Even if it wasn’t you, it still can’t be separated from your family’s involvement. I don’t understand what your mother and you are plotting. If Niannian grows up in such an environment, will his thoughts also become twisted? So, I am going to take Niannian away."
Sure enough, he heard these words, and Mu Shuoqian’s heart trembled fiercely with fear.
"Mu Shuoqian, I know you won’t hand over Niannian. Rest assured, I will go through legal procedures. We’ll see each other in court," Gu Qili said and then prepared to leave.
Passing by the side of the sofa,
"Mu Shuoqian, let go."
Let go? How could he bear to let go? But what could he do if he didn’t let go? After all, they were bound to be estranged from each other.
A surge of despair sprang up in his heart,
The familiar scent instantly caused all the blood in his body to rush to his head, and the fingers resting on the back of her head trembled uncontrollably.
Grief had no cure, and at this moment, he only wanted to indulge his selfishness and greed, just this once.
She hurriedly walked away, running away from the Mu residence almost in escape.
What did Mu Shuoqian mean by this? Their relationship had already reached rock bottom. Didn’t he loathe her to the extreme? If he lacked women, he could easily find a dozen; this would only make her despise him more.
After walking a few steps, Gu Qili saw the parked Maybach 62S at the entrance. Yesterday, when she saw it, she was already surprised because, after all this time they were apart, he was still driving the same car with the license plate number 5277.