The two left the beauty salon refreshed, returning to their respective homes before dinner.
Opening the door, the enticing aroma of food greeted He Qi. Xu Yan had prepared a full table, and He Yunping sat at the table without touching his phone, refusing even to grab a pair of chopsticks from the kitchen.
He Qi glanced at the man who refused to move, said nothing, and went into the kitchen to help — arranging bowls and chopsticks, clearing the cutting board and countertop.
Xu Yan, smiling, placed the last bowl of fish on a plate and handed it to He Qi: “Your favorite crucian carp. Careful, it’s hot.”
He Qi held the long plate carefully. “Mom, maybe you don’t need to cook tomorrow. We can eat out or order delivery.”
“Tomorrow noon your dad won’t be home, and the neighbor lady invited me to play mahjong. You can order delivery yourself. I’ll cook in the evening,” Xu Yan replied, scrubbing a pot.
He Qi said nothing further and quietly placed the dishes on the table.
He Yunping, finally able to talk to his daughter, asked what she’d eaten for lunch. He Qi simply said hot pot, and the family quickly settled to eat.
At first, the atmosphere was fairly relaxed. But halfway through, Xu Yan brought up Chen Jin again. He Qi’s internal alarm blared. She responded politely while chewing quickly.
She usually ate slowly, but now, anxious, she managed to finish a whole bowl of rice.
Then she suddenly stood up with a “I’m full” and put the bowls into the dishwasher herself.
Xu Yan and He Yunping exchanged looks — one pursed his lips uncomfortably, the other huffed in dissatisfaction — watching their daughter retreat to her room and quietly close the door.
He Qi collapsed on her bed, scrolling on her phone until late at night.
The next day, Xu Yan and He Yunping were out all morning. He Qi woke around ten, washed up, ordered herself some spicy hot pot skewers, and spent a delightful morning at home chatting with Li Jiajia.
By afternoon, estimating their return time, she heard footsteps in the hallway and quickly ran back to her room.
Shortly after, the front door opened.
Xu Yan had returned with groceries to cook.
She washed some fruit and brought it to He Qi’s room, seeing her seated and playing with her phone: “Eat a little first. I’ll cook soon.”
He Qi said “Okay,” and popped a small tomato into her mouth.
When He Yunping returned, He Qi had just brought dishes from the kitchen. She suspected he might have some radar — he always seemed to appear exactly when the table was ready.
The three sat down. Today’s dishes were simpler — no big seafood. A steamed egg, a plate of stir-fried green beans, a bowl of potato-stewed pork ribs, and a side of fermented bean curd for He Yunping.
All home-style dishes, very appetizing. He Qi blew on the steamed egg for a while, but still got slightly burned when she took a bite.
Her tongue tingled with pain.
He Yunping, already in a sour mood since returning home, seemed ready to explode.
Sure enough, after a brief quiet, he spoke in a low voice: “Why isn’t Chen Jin coming this time?”
He Qi felt an icy “thud” in her chest, as if her brain had just frozen. She lowered her gaze and scooped a few grains of rice into her mouth: “I said he’s busy with work, the company only gives him a two or three-day leave.”
He Yunping frowned in dissatisfaction, his voice rising: “Didn’t even bring a gift? You young people, really!”
Damn it, He Qi cursed inwardly. No matter what she said, it was wrong—bring one, or not bring one, always a trap.
Before she could think of a reason, Xu Yan spoke up: “Chen Jin has always been very polite. How much did he get in the red envelope last time he met you? And how much did he give us? You don’t know your daughter yet; surely she didn’t want to bring one, just to avoid us nagging her.”
A mother knows her child best. He Qi had no words to reply, and a flicker of annoyance stirred in her at being seen through.
“That old lonely man,” He Yunping muttered in the county dialect, taking a bite of the steamed egg, “not sure who she takes after.”
Xu Yan didn’t like that, glaring at He Yunping: “A kid only has a father and mother, who do you think she got it from?”
He Yunping slammed the ceramic spoon on the table with a “bang,” his eyebrows shooting up: “I never said I’d stay unmarried forever!”
He Qi’s temples twitched violently. Her mood plummeted, a queasy feeling rising in her stomach, appetite completely gone. She got up to leave.
He Yunping’s face twitched with anger: “What’s this attitude? You leave after just a few words? Don’t think that just because you work and earn money outside, you’re the boss at home!”
He Qi, originally heading to her room, now turned directly toward the front door.
Xu Yan’s eyes welled up instantly, calling after her: “Qi Qi, you have to listen to your father and mother! Would we ever harm you…”
Her words were cut off as He Qi swiftly put on her shoes and closed the door. The old apartment’s poor sound insulation meant that even through the thin door, every word landed clearly in He Qi’s ears.
There was also the sound of utensils being thrown and a woman sobbing.
He Qi turned her back to it all, exhaled, and walked step by step down the stairs.
Standing at the entrance of the building for a moment, wary of Xu Yan following, He Qi decided to first walk around the community park, which had been renovated last year, and at the same time send an unfortunate update to Li Jiajia.
“I ran away from home again. Escaped.”
Less than three seconds later, a voice call popped up on the other side.
He Qi answered. The background noise was a bit loud, sounding like a gathering.
Li Jiajia’s voice was muffled, as if she were eating: “What happened? Another fight?”
It was quite cold outside at this hour, and He Qi, lightly dressed at home, shivered in the wind, sniffling. She felt unlucky: “Yeah… you eating?”
“Family gathering, outdoor barbecue,” Li Jiajia said. “I asked Li Leyi and that other person to come pick you up. If no traffic, they’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“‘That other person’?” He Qi grabbed onto the key detail.
Li Jiajia pretended not to hear: “North gate of the community. Wait there.”
Then she decisively hung up.
He Qi sent a message back, but Li Jiajia feigned ignorance, asking what she wanted to eat and saying she could start roasting now.
With no choice, He Qi wandered around the park once, still puzzled, then slowly made her way to the north gate after about ten minutes.
As soon as she stepped out of the security booth, another voice call came in on her phone. She guessed Li Jiajia would have Li Leyi drive her car out, so she focused on looking for the pink BMW. Instead, she saw an SUV parked by the roadside—it was a Land Rover.
He Qi raised her eyebrows. Which kid in the community has such resources?
But her phone kept ringing, forcing her to stop investigating. She lowered her gaze and, seeing the caller ID, jumped in surprise.
Fang Yi?
Why was Fang Yi sending her a voice call at this time?
The cold wind hit her, nearly freezing her brain. She pressed the answer button, holding the phone to her ear, puzzled.
At that same moment, a few steps away, the Land Rover suddenly drove up in front of her without warning. The driver-side window rolled down, revealing a young, handsome face.
Fang Yi rested one arm on the window, holding a phone in the other, his gaze fixed intently on He Qi.
His voice came from both the phone and the direction of the car, surrounding He Qi. She could clearly see the angle of his lips curling as he spoke.
“Sister, I came to pick you up.”
Before she could process the logic of the scene, the rear door opened from the inside. Li Leyi popped his head out, loudly calling: “He Qi! Get in!”
He Qi obediently, though bewildered, slid into the back seat.
Inside, it was warmer than outside. Her frozen brain gradually began to think clearly. Fang Yi turned the car around onto the main road, seeing that He Qi was thinly dressed, and quietly turned on the heater.
“Wasn’t it a family gathering?” He Qi glanced at the driver, then asked Li Leyi.
Li Leyi nodded: “It’s a family gathering. Fang Yi is an unofficial member of our family, and you’re an unofficial member of my uncle’s family.”
He Qi didn’t expect that answer. She sniffed lightly, then remembered something: “Right… is your mom there too?”
“My mom?” Li Leyi blinked. He didn’t understand what connection He Qi could have with Li Xiulan, finally deciding she must have heard something from Li Jiajia.
“Yes, she’s there,” he said matter-of-factly. “Don’t worry, just stick with Jiajia. When they argue, it’s fifty-fifty who wins.”
He Qi choked slightly, glancing at him in mild exasperation.
Li Leyi was a born socializer. He could chat about anything. He had just unloaded complaints about being bossed around by his sisters at He Qi’s place, then patted the seat, switching topics:
“He Qi, isn’t Fang Yi’s car nice? I begged forever to go for a ride with him. Just happened to be today’s barbecue, and he only agreed to drive us. You’re lucky—you got in immediately.”
Seeing that, He Qi realized the car really was Fang Yi’s and looked at the driver in surprise, thinking he must be half a rich kid.
She replied honestly: “It’s pretty nice.”
Fang Yi said nothing, just checked the back seat in the rearview mirror.
The twenty-minute drive passed with Li Leyi talking almost the entire time, first nagging He Qi, then bothering Fang Yi.
He Qi responded when needed, while Fang Yi, probably recently licensed, kept focused on driving, speaking little.
The car entered a suburban area with many self-built villas. He Qi remembered Li Jiajia’s parents had a house here. The villas had front yards, ideal for outdoor barbecues.
Fang Yi parked the car. The three got out and walked toward the nearest house.
As they approached, the smell of smoke and fire hit them. In the yard, two barbecue grills were set up. Li Jiajia stood by one, left hand holding a large squid, eating recklessly, right hand holding a skewer, haphazardly roasting meat.
She clearly looked like a last-minute temp. Seeing the three arrive, she tossed aside the squid she had been holding, grabbed another plate of large squid, and walked over.
“Made this for you, eat quickly.” Li Jiajia stuffed the squid into He Qi’s hands without ceremony.
Li Leyi’s eyes widened, letting out a squeal like a kicked tail: “Sis! You said I get to eat it after it’s cooked!”
Li Jiajia leisurely glanced at him, her face saying, “Not happy about it?”
He Qi had no intention of competing with an eighteen-year-old for the squid. She passed it back: “I’m not that hungry, and it was yours anyway.”
Li Leyi, caught by He Qi’s gentle look, became speechless. He stammered for a while, managing only: “I was joking, He Qi, eat it. I’ll roast the meat.”
Then, embarrassed by his own behavior, he slipped away.
Left with the large squid, He Qi went to greet Li Jiajia’s parents, who were kind and already familiar with her. After a few polite words, they handed her a freshly cooked skewer and let her chat with Li Jiajia aside.
Li Jiajia ate most of her squid, then grabbed a skewer of meat from He Qi, sauce smearing her mouth, looking like a rascal: “Your parents nagging you about marriage again?”
He Qi thought for a moment: “I don’t know if it counts as nagging. Just scolding me, really. I knew if I stayed longer, there’d be a fight, so I ran.”
Li Jiajia grinned mischievously: “Xia Yan’s going to be sad.”
“Xia Yan cried,” He Qi replied.
Li Jiajia shrugged, unsurprised: “Xia Yan cries a lot.”
He Qi lowered her eyes, picking a vegetable skewer, eating slowly. Her breathing calmed. A few images lingered in her mind—Xu Yan carefully plating the fish for her, bringing fruit to her room, telling her to eat less, crying and saying it’s all for her own good.
She chewed weakly, thinking: “Sometimes I can’t tell… what’s really her, the good or the bad?”
Li Jiajia, sensing He Qi’s sadness and overthinking, patted her butt: “Don’t tell Xia Yan that, she’d just get more upset.”
He Qi let out a faint sigh. She really couldn’t tell—just like when He Yunping occasionally acted kindly, it was him pretending to be a good dad.
Li Jiajia’s hand kept patting in rhythm. He Qi suddenly turned: “Are you wiping your hands?”
“Nope,” Li Jiajia immediately withdrew her hand, then remembered something and spun He Qi around.
“My aunt is here too. I’ll take you to meet her.”