Chapter 021: I Want to See You
Time flew by in a flash and in the blink of an eye, it was already the Christmas holiday.
Qi Yu returned to Newtown and saw Qi Yuancheng by noon. Father and son shared a meal together. Qi Yu once again brought up Mei Wei’s financial problems which had been weighing on his mind for a long time “Dad, how’s the situation with Mei Wei?”
Qi Yuancheng: “It’s a bit better than before.”
Qi Yu was surprised. “It’s better?”
Qi Yuancheng nodded. “The profit has gone up in the last quarter.”
Qi Yu frowned, it was obviously a good thing, but he didn’t feel relieved. Rather, he found it strange, The business problems reflected in the financial report have been going on for three years and the person creating mischief behind the scenes certainly knew it. For it to suddenly get better now, it surely couldn’t be because they were struck by their conscience, right? Or did they realize that Qi Yuancheng was starting to investigate and so they decided to restrain themselves?
Qi Yuancheng, who was sitting opposite, seemed to be thinking about something. After a while, he turned to him and asked, “I heard that you found yourself an online friend?”
Qi Yu choked. “Who did you hear that from?”
Qi Yuancheng said, “Who else could I have heard it from?”
Qi Yu was inexplicably annoyed. “Xu Jing told on me? What did he say?”
Qi Yuancheng was at a loss. “Told on you? What shameful thing are you doing that would make you think he ‘told on you’?
Qi Yu panicked, knowing that his attitude had let the cat out of the bag.
During summer vacation, he had asked Xu Jing not to tell his dad about him asking Complex Number to analyze Mei Wei’s financial report. However, during their last phone call, he had forgotten to ask Xu Jing to do the same to their conversation about his ‘online friend’.
He instinctively thought Xu Jing would also keep it a secret for him, but Xu Jing hadn’t, so he felt betrayed.
But if he were to explain Complex Number’s identity to his dad, it would inevitably expose the fact that he had sought out an investigation company to analyze Mei Wei’s financial report…
Originally, Qi Yuancheng hadn’t taken it too seriously. He just wanted to have casual chat with his son. However, Qi Yu unexpectedly had such a big reaction, so he subconsciously took it seriously.
“You’re not associating with someone dubious are you?” He said, brows furrowed.
He didn’t expect that this question would once again stab at Qi Yu’s sore spot. Qi Yu angrily retorted, “Who told you that he’s someone dubious?”
Qi Yuancheng restrained his tone of voice, trying his best to make himself look calm. “Then tell me, what is his name? What does he do? What kind of person is he?”
“I…” Qi Yu was rendered speechless by these three successive questions.
This was because he realized that he really couldn’t answer anything except to say that Complex Number was an employee of an investigation company.
Qi Yuancheng saw him hesitate. In his heart he was almost certain Qi Yu had been incaution in making friends. With a grave expression on his face, he said, “Qi Yu…”
“Dad,” Qi Yu was under so much pressure that he became panicked. He immediately interrupted him, “You promised that as long as I find out the problems in Mei Wei’s financial report, you wouldn’t interfere with whom I make friends with!”
Qi Yuancheng couldn’t help raising his voice, “I won’t interfere who you’re friends with but that doesn’t mean I won’t make sure that you’re safe. If that person is upright and honest, then why can’t you tell me?”
Qi Yu placed his chopsticks on the table, directly spoke up and confronted his father in English, “You’re interrogating me from the standpoint of a thief. This is my private matter. I have the right to refuse to answer you!”
Qi Yuancheng: “You…!”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
In order to prevent himself from saying anything more irrational, Qi Yu immediately stood up, said “Excuse me”, then turned around and left.
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Him speaking so impetuously, looking so severe, rather than say it was to defend Complex Number, it was more that he was trying to hide his guilty conscience —chatting online for a full half-year with a stranger whose name he didn’t know, whom he wouldn’t recognize if he passed him on the street; even arguing with his dad for his sake…
All signs indicated that he was losing control.
Before he could face his father with a clear conscience, he needed to seek answers from Complex Number that would make him feel at ease.
Qi Yu took out his phone. With a grim look in his eyes, he looked at that familiar profile picture. After a couple seconds of hesitation, directly clicked on the video call.
Five seconds, six seconds, seven seconds——
“The other party has rejected your video call request.”
Qi Yu tried twice more in a row, but was once again rejected both times.
Anxiety and uneasiness filled his heart. He suddenly had an urge to smash things.
At this moment, Complex Number send him a voice all.
Qi Yu immediately accepted the call and said immediately, “Why didn’t you pick up just now?”
Complex Number’s low and muffled voice came from the other end, it carried with it the distinct grumpiness from having been woken up. “Do you know what time it is? What do are you up to calling me in the middle of the night!?”
But the obsession in Qi Yu’s mind was too strong. He couldn’t hear anything else and said directly, “I want to see you.”
Complex Number: “…………”
Complex Number: “What did you say!?”
Qi Yu still said the same thing, “I said I want to see you!”
Complex Number was almost driven to laugh from anger. “This!? You say you want to see me, so you’re going to see me!?”
Qi Yu said fiercely, “Am I going to get to see you or not?”
“You…” Complex Number didn’t know what Qi Yu was being so stubborn about. He simply followed his words and goaded him, “Fine, I’ll let you see me. Come, I’ll wait for you in Haicheng!”
Qi Yu was dazed when he heard these words: “You’re actually okay with meeting?”
Complex Number: “Why wouldn’t I?”
Qi Yu: “Didn’t Xu Yizhou say that you’re mysterious?”
Complex Number: “Just because I’m mysterious doesn’t mean I can stand under the light of the sun, right?”
Qi Yu frowned, “Then why have you never done a video call with me?”
Complex Number: “Am I not allowed to value my privacy when I take on a private job? I’m not allowed to worry that you might do a screen recording while we’re doing a video chat and run with it to report me?”
Qi Yu was suddenly convinced by his words. He breathed a sigh of relief: “You didn’t say it earlier…”
Complex Number gritted his teeth. “Didn’t say it earlier? You called at three in the morning just to tell me this?”
Qi Yu: “……”
Wait, three o’clock in the morning! ?
Qi Yu then came back to his senses and hurriedly explained, “I just came back from California and I forgot to account for the time difference.”
Complex Number’s anger dissipated from being tossed about. “Little boy, you’re already on vacation, while I, your gege, has to go to work soon!”
Qi Yu knew that he was in the wrong, and his tone became a lot more timid, “But didn’t you say before that you wouldn’t answer my call at this hour…”
Complex Number said, completely exasperated, “You sent three video call requests like mad and then asked my why I didn’t answer — what was I supposed to do when you were being so domineering!?”
The corner of Qi Yu’s eye twitched. “Then you should… go back to sleep?”
“You woke me up with such a racket and now, you won’t tell me the reason. How am I supposed to go back to sleep?” Complex Number took two deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. His tone was both resentful and helpless, “Go on, what exactly happened? Why are you acting so strange?”
Qi Yu kept quiet, not knowing what to say.
However, though he said nothing, Complex Number managed to guess it in a matter of minutes. “The day before yesterday you said you were going home for the holidays, You saw your dad already? Oh, did your dad ask about me?”
Qi Yu was taken aback, and said dejectedly, “How are you able to guess everything?”
Complex Number: “I thought about it for a while, and felt this was more likely. Didn’t you say that he’s the cautious sort? He loves you so much, how could he let his son chat every day with some man of dubious origins on WeChat?”
Qi Yu: “…” Damn, this person’s logical reasoning ability was too strong! ?
Complex Number asked, “So he asked you who I am, but you couldn’t answer? So you wanted to see me?”
Qi Yu: “…………”
Complex Number snorted out a laugh, “Are you this partial towards me?”
Qi Yu hesitantly asked, “If my dad wants to see you, would you be willing to see him?”
Complex Number: “Why not? He’s a billionaire. Maybe if likes me he’ll hire me to work for him. That way I won’t have to tossed around by you, earning money in this high-stress, low-paying job.”
Qi Yu: “You…”
Complex Number: “Me what?”
Qi Yu grabbed the cushion on the sofa and said gloomily, “It’s nothing. Go back to sleep. I’ll wait until you wake up.”
Complex Number yawned, muttered a “..di..” something and then said, “I’m hanging up.”
Qi Yu let out an “en”, still thinking about that vague muttering just now… Wait, it seemed like he’d said “little idiot”?
“……???”
Qi Yu hung up the phone and sat in the study for half an hour, hesitating whether to apologize to his father.
But unexpectedly, Qi Yuancheng was already one step ahead and came looking for him before he even got up.
Hearing a knock on the door, Qi Yu hurried over to open it.
He saw his dad standing outside, holding a plate of fruit. Weighed down with anxiety, he asked, “Have you calmed down?”
“En…” Qi Yu’s anger had already deflated. He lowered his eyes and called out, “Dad.”
“Sit down. You left without finishing your meal. I never knew you to be so bad tempered.” Qi Yuancheng was also a little helpless.
“……I’m sorry.”
The father and son sat down face to face. Qi Yuancheng looked at him and said, “Dad’s attitude just now was also a bit wrong so I apologize. But I didn’t mean to violate your privacy, I’m just worried about your safety.”
“I know……”
Under the reassurance he got from Complex Number’s phone call and Qi Yuancheng’s warmth offensive, Qi Yu has long finished his sulking.
He let go of his wariness and began to tell Qi Yuancheng about how he got to know Complex Number. At the same time, he came clean about asking him to check Mei Wei’s financial report, including Complex Number’s initial stance towards the flaws in Mei Wei’s financial affairs.
He spoke of Complex Number’s rich knowledge reserves and his detached competence. Qi Yu’s tone could not conceal his admiration.
Qi Yuancheng listened very carefully, showing great tolerance for his son’s previous lying and defiant behavior. However, after listening to him, he frowned and said, “This person spends so much time and patience teaching you, how can he only charge you five thousand yuan a month?”
“This is also what has me baffled. At first, I thought it was because I’d scored a deal–” Once Complex Number explained the meaning behind his personal signature in his profile, Qi Yu began to ponder this matter. He thought, Complex Number being such a shrewd person, certainly couldn’t have failed to realize that this was a loss-making venture, “——I know that there’s such thing as a free lunch, but I’ve been associating with him for half a year, and I really haven’t sensed him having any other purpose… I just thought, that since I already spent the money, I might as well benefit from it. Might as well use it for now.”
Qi Yuancheng thought for a moment, and said, “I think he might not be after your present, but rather your future.”
Qi Yu was startled, “My future?”
Qi Yuancheng nodded. “You said just now that he knows your background, and of course he also knows how many resources you will have in the future. Him charging this trivial amount might be his way of investing a favor in you.”
Qi Yu: “……!”
This analysis was a lot more reasonable!
Qi Yuancheng said again, “In the future, you will have to make use of the people around you. You finding such a good person to teach you, also shows that you are motivated to improve. However, the two of you chatting online like this, really is quite mysterious. If there’s nothing the matter, and if he’s really a capable person, you might as well let him come and see me. At worst, I’ll pay him a salary and give him a decent position.”
Hearing what his father said, Qi Yu couldn’t help thinking of Complex Number’s words over the phone.
These two truly are together from the first beat…
——————
【Interlude】
Qi Yuancheng: What’s with all this sneaking around and being all secretive? At any rate, this person should be given a proper identity!
Fu Yansheng: Thank you, Father-in-law. Little Fish really is too good at hiding. I’ve actually wanted to see you for a long time!
7 fish: Who did you say you wanted to see…? ?
They’re so cute…. despite being continents apart and not truly knowing each others identities… help… the diabetes…
thank you for the translation!
dad reveal?!? le gasp
ah wait no.. boyfriend reveal?? help ah google, me needs help
Gah, this…….. Teacher Yu is really too handsome, i simp.
💙💙💙
Hahaha!!! 🤣
Thanks for the chapter.
actually, after these 20 chapter, i can see a subtle similarity between the twins. thanks for the chapter!
thanks for the chapter!
are we going to have a ‘meet the parents’ scene already??? lol
He can guess everything because… it’s really incredibly obvious, with the most minimal deductive reasoning. It only takes a brain cell or two. Unfortunately, Qi Yu….
The father-in-law just saw right through him. LOL
Hmm, this Fu is good at ruffling Qi Yu’s feathers. The initially aloof guy at the bar is acting more like his energetic twin lol