The thing he’d least wanted to see had happened anyway.
Chen Hansong felt something he couldn’t quite name right now. Not exactly anger, not exactly fury, and not quite grief either — more than anything, it felt like being wronged.
He didn’t think he’d done anything wrong. His divorce from Jiang Meilin hadn’t come from either of them cheating; it was purely an emotional matter. And being consumed by work was hardly a choice. Yes, he was a bank branch president — but only the branch president in a prefecture-level city, with a provincial president above him, and above that the head office president, and every month came another set of target quotas handed down from on high. Miss the quotas, and the entire branch’s performance would take the hit…
Chen Hansong let out a long sigh. He didn’t fly into the rage Chen Qingqing had braced for. If anything, his tone softened considerably.
He spoke with heartfelt weight. “Qingqing, you’re an adult now. There are things you can decide for yourself. But your dad still needs to tell you this — a relationship is a lifelong matter. When you make decisions in this area, you have to be careful, careful, and careful again.”
The scene wasn’t unfolding the way Chen Qingqing had imagined. She didn’t quite know what to say.
Xu Ye had the distinct sense that Chen Hansong’s words were partly aimed at him.
Seeing his daughter stay quiet, Chen Hansong went on. “Dad specifically took two days off to come here. I have to go back tomorrow afternoon. Take me around your school, will you?”
He said it almost pleadingly.
Chen Qingqing hadn’t agreed yet when Xu Ye spoke up. “Uncle Chen came all this way, it’s not easy. Go with him.”
Only then did Chen Qingqing stand, ready to leave the hotel. Chen Hansong hurried to follow. When the father and daughter reached the door, Chen Qingqing suddenly stopped, turned, and looked at Xu Ye, still sitting on the couch.
She didn’t say anything, just kept staring, her eyes saying: Come with me!
Xu Ye’s expression, awkward, seemed to say: That’s hardly appropriate, is it?
Chen Qingqing: Are you coming or not?!
In the end, Xu Ye steeled himself, got up, and followed them out.
The two of them were communicating entirely through their eyes — and Chen Hansong saw every bit of it, and it ached in his chest.
The hotel was close to the school, seven or eight minutes on foot. From the gate onward, Chen Qingqing said nothing the whole way. Sensing how awkward the atmosphere was, Xu Ye took it upon himself to start introducing the various buildings on campus to Chen Hansong.
“The Shanghai Conservatory of Music is roughly divided into four zones. To the left as you come in the main gate is the music exhibition area, to the right is the international academic exchange area, this middle section is the teaching and research area — rehearsal halls, classrooms, practice rooms, the concert hall, administrative offices are all around here — and at the very back is the support-facilities zone: cafeteria, gym, dormitories, logistics, all over there…”
Xu Ye had been to the Conservatory many times and knew the layout well. Like a tour guide, he narrated wherever they went, and his steady stream of chatter kept the atmosphere from being quite so unbearable.
If Xu Ye hadn’t tagged along, father and daughter probably wouldn’t have exchanged more than a few words.
“And this is the cafeteria.”
Xu Ye pointed it out and was about to keep walking.
“Xu Ye!” Someone suddenly called his name from behind. He turned around, surprised to find it was none other than Chen Qingqing’s classmate Qin Wenwen — someone he’d crossed paths with twice before. [TL: Qin Wenwen appeared back in Ch. 60, where Qingqing once introduced Xu Ye to her as her “slave”]
Xu Ye smiled. “Qin Wenwen? What a coincidence.”
She smiled too. “I just got back from off-campus myself. You two out on another date?”
“Uh.”
“And this is…?”
“Qingqing’s father.”
Qin Wenwen quickly said, “Hello, Uncle.”
Chen Hansong forced a smile and nodded.
“Xu Ye, Qingqing — I’ll see you two later.”
“Bye~”
Chen Hansong hadn’t expected Chen Qingqing’s classmate to know Xu Ye too — and to seem quite familiar with him at that. Which meant Xu Ye came to Qingqing’s school often.
Chen Hansong knew Xu Ye attended the finance university. He’d looked up the distance between the two schools. Back over the summer, he’d figured that a commute of over an hour meant the two of them wouldn’t see each other much once they started university. But he hadn’t expected…
“And these are the girls’ dorms. Qingqing’s room is on the second floor — 205.”
Chen Hansong looked up at the building, then turned to Chen Qingqing. “It’s getting late. Call your roommates down, let Dad treat all of you to dinner?”
Chen Qingqing was still hesitating when Xu Ye cupped his hands to his mouth and started shouting up at the building. “Zhang Ruowei! Jiang Yu! Shen Xinyi!”
Two seconds later, three heads appeared on the balcony.
Zhang Ruowei rolled her eyes. “Xu Ye, why are you yelling? Ever heard of sending a message in the group chat?”
Xu Ye smiled. “Isn’t this more convenient?”
Jiang Yu huffed. “If you’ve got something to say, say it. If you’ve got gas, let it out.”
Xu Ye explained, “This is Qingqing’s dad. He wants to treat you all to dinner tonight.”
“Hello, Uncle~”
Chen Hansong smiled and nodded.
In that moment, he finally started to understand why Jiang Meilin was so good to Xu Ye. This kid, unreliable as he looked, seemed to make everything easier just by being around.
He does have a bit of value after all. But only a little bit…
As Chen Hansong was thinking this, the girls came down from upstairs.
“Qingqing, what do you want to eat tonight?”
Chen Qingqing couldn’t make up her mind and instinctively looked at Xu Ye. With her decision paralysis, she’d already gotten used to handing the choice over to him.
One glance was all it took. Xu Ye caught her meaning instantly and smiled. “How about the seafood buffet we couldn’t bring ourselves to splurge on at lunch?”
Zhang Ruowei bumped him lightly with her hand. “That’s a bit much, isn’t it.”
The seafood buffet was 198 yuan a head, and with six of them, one meal would run over a thousand. Their embarrassment was understandable.
Chen Hansong smiled. “Let’s go for that, then.”
“Uncle’s so generous~”
“Haha~”
The Shanghai Conservatory of Music sat right in the bustling downtown, with several malls nearby — far more convenient than Xu Ye’s campus. About ten minutes on foot and the six of them were riding the elevator up to the fourth floor of a mall.
The group made its way, familiar with the route, to the door of the seafood buffet restaurant. A server came to greet them. “Welcome, how many in your party?”
“Six.”
“Right this way~”
Xu Ye led them in while Chen Hansong stayed at the counter to pay.
By the time he’d paid and come back to sit down at the table, the five of them were already deep in animated conversation…
“Xu Ye, what if this song of yours actually blows up?”
“Well, if the song sells, the royalties go to me.”
“You’re already a chairman, do you really need that kind of money?”
“Who ever thinks they’ve got too much money?”
“So what time are you heading back to school tomorrow?”
“Checkout’s at noon. I’ll head back after lunch — there’s a whole pile of stuff waiting for me at school.”
“Qingqing, next time you go visit Xu Ye at his school, how about you bring us along too?”
“Sure~”
Xu Ye said, exasperated, “Why’d you agree to that so readily?”
Chen Qingqing said, “You got a problem with it?”
“Yeah, exactly.” Zhang Ruowei backed her up. “You got a problem with it?”
Xu Ye changed his tune immediately. “Wouldn’t dream of it. It’s just — with this many gorgeous women around me all at once, I’m worried all the guys at school will be green with envy, jealousy, and pure hatred.”
“Please~”
Chen Hansong couldn’t find a way into their conversation. Over the entire meal, he barely said a few words. But he watched, with his own eyes, as Xu Ye peeled a crab and handed it to his daughter — and then watched, with his own eyes, as his daughter set the food she didn’t want into Xu Ye’s bowl.
Aside from Chen Hansong, no one thought there was anything remarkable about any of it.
He’d known a day like this was always coming. He’d just never imagined it would come this soon.
(End of Chapter 128)