Ah, this man! Even though they were family, how could Cheng Dongge be shameless enough to say these things out loud?

Cheng Dongge did not mind. He looked down to see that the back of his hand had turned red from Qi Chengyu's pinches. She must have been quite distressed because her pinch was quite forcefully. Cheng Dongge's hand hurt slightly.

However, it did not bother him. Rather, he caressed her hand lightly. Although his gaze was fixed on Grandmother Qi, his fingers still moved lovingly across her hand.

His response made Qi Chengyue feel guilty. As she looked down and saw the red patch on the back of his hand, her heart ached. She laid her tender fingers on the back of his hand and massaged the spot gently. That was her way of apologizing without words.

Cheng Dongge's eyes darted to her hands. His lips curled up into a grin. Then, he turned back to Grandmother Qi and Guan Liya. "Chengyue isn't thick-skinned. She's too shy to say it."

"..." Qi Chengyue froze. Staring at Cheng Dongge's reddened hand, she had the urge to smack him out of humiliation.

Nonetheless, she did not have the heart to do so.

Grandmother Qi was overjoyed. Even Grandfather Qi, who rarely smiled, grinned from ear to ear.

"Come, come. Let's all go to the temple." Excited, Grandmother Qi stood up quickly and was ready to leave. She truly was a spontaneous woman. "You guys are working hard yourselves, so we have to keep up with your pace too."

Qi Chengyue: "..."

Thus, they all got in their cars and set off for the temple.

…

…

The Qi family's handful of cars have only left for a couple of minutes when a white BMW drove up to the old mansion and stopped across the mansion.

Liu Ronghua got out of the car and looked left and right before entering the courtyard. She looked around inside.

The courtyard was unusually quiet. There seemed to be no one at home.

Liu Ronghua contemplated whether she should ring the doorbell or call Ruan Danchen directly.

She was already at the door — there was no way Ruan Danchen would refuse to see her, right?

Liu Ronghua hesitated for close to 30 minutes already. Suddenly, a woman in her 50s came out of the house with a grocery trolley in hand. Her hair was combed in a plain and simple way.

The woman closed the door and locked it before walking toward the courtyard entrance.

Before Liu Ronghua could hide, the woman spotted her.

Aunt Liu saw Liu Ronghua standing at the courtyard entrance. She approached her in a guarded manner and stared at her with suspicion. "Excuse me, madam, can I help you?"

"Ah… No… Sorry for intruding." Liu Ronghua shook her head vigorously. Having said that, she bolted out the door.

Liu Ronghua furrowed her brows. She was troubled by Liu Ronghua's suspicious actions. However, Xiao Fang was out fetching Grandmother Qi and Grandfather Qi to the temple while she had to buy some groceries from the market nearby for the meal to be prepared when they return from the temple.

Aunt Liu stood at the courtyard entrance for a long time. She looked left and right but could not spot Liu Ronghua. After seeing that Liu Ronghua did not return, she finally left.

Once Aunt Liu was out of sight, Liu Ronghua slipped out from a corner and carefully scurried back to the courtyard entrance. She stuck her head in through the entrance and scanned the courtyard.

"Are you looking for someone?" A voice sounded from behind Liu Ronghua, giving her a huge fright. She turned around with her hands clutching her chest. Behind her stood a woman in her 60s dragging a shopping trolley behind her.

Liu Ronghua got herself together and put on a smile. Faking her composure, she said, "That's right. I'm here to visit but I didn't inform them beforehand. Now that I'm here, it seems like no one is home."

Aunt Ge lived in the mansion right across the street. When she was going out, she ran into Grandmother Qi and had a brief conversation with her. Aunt Ge knew where they were.

Aunt Ge was not suspicious of Liu Ronghua. Affably, she revealed, "They all went to the temple."

"The temple?" Liu Ronghua inquired for the address and thanked Aunt Ge. Immediately, she hopped back into the BMW.

Seeing this, Aunt Ge became even less suspicious.

She thought, 'It must be a woman from some rich family coming to visit Grandfather Qi and Grandmother Qi.'

…

…

Grandmother Qi, Xia Wenna and Guan Liya were kneeling on futon cushions while praying to Buddha. Although they had come to give alms for three days, they still wanted to thank Buddha sincerely for the blessing.

"Thank you, Buddha, for protecting my eldest grandson, Qi Chengzhi, and letting him escape safe and sound. Buddha, please bless my eldest grandson's wife and let her go through birth safely. I pray for a healthy great-grandchild. My younger granddaughter is also married. Please bless the couple with a successful pregnancy. My second grandson has also found his match. I pray that everything goes smoothly and the two can have eternal love," Grandmother Qi murmured earnestly. She had her hands together, praying wholeheartedly.

After praying, Xia Wenna and Guan Liya helped Grandmother Qi up.

Although they only kneeled for a short while, Grandmother Qi's knees were already hurting. As she was standing up, her knees were buckling. It took her a while before she could stand on her own again.

Immediately after, she went up to Qi Chengzhi and dragged him along. "Hurry. You have to thank Buddha yourself too."

"..." Qi Chengzhi stood there arrogantly, his back straight and his long legs fully extended. In his whole life, he had never kneeled before — except during the incident with Yu Qianying. It was hard to imagine him kneeling on the futon cushion.

Song Yu knew that Qi Chengzhi was a non-believer. Besides, it was difficult to get a man with such strong aura and sense of pride to kneel down — even if it were only to pray for a few minutes.

Nonetheless, Grandmother Qi prodded, "Hurry up! The fortune we drew previously is so accurate! If we hadn't come here to pray for you, who knows how you'll end up. Hurry up and thank Buddha."

"..." Qi Chenglin turned to Grandmother Qi. She may be old, but her heart was still young — her hair was dyed a modern and youthful maroon color; her skin looked like that of a fifty-year-old's. Despite that, when during Qi Chengzhi's incident, Grandmother Qi looked many years older than she did now.

Thinking back on the incident, Qi Chengzhi finally kneeled down. He thanked Buddha just as Grandmother Qi instructed.

What Grandmother Qi did not know was, while kneeling down, Qi Chengzhi silently prayed for Buddha to look after Grandmother Qi and wished for her health and safety. He wanted her to stay beside them forever and be the cheerful Grandma she was.

Qi Youxuan blinked his huge, beautiful eyes again and again. He turned to Grandmother Qi then suddenly slumped onto the futon cushion, giving Grandmother Qi a shock.

Kneeling on the cushion, Qi Youxuan placed his little chubby hands together and closed his eyes. He shook his hands exaggeratedly. "Buddha, oh Buddha, please bless my father so that he can successfully marry Aunt Ruan. Please let my father marry Aunt Ruan quickly, then I can finally have a mother."

Qi Chenglin: "..."

Having said that, Qi Youxuan opened his eyes. Grandmother Qi felt immensely proud. She hurriedly helped Qi Youxuan up and praised, "Ah, this kid is getting smarter and smarter."

Next, Grandmother Qi led Xia Wenna and the others to get talismans. Xia Wenna feared that the smoke from incents would affect Song Yu and her baby, so she instructed Qi Chengzhi to bring Song Yu away for the time being. She asked them to rest somewhere away from the smoke or to return straight to the car.

Qi Youxuan's eyes stung from the smoke. They were turning red. He kept his eyes closed, afraid to open them. His little hands were constantly rubbing his eyes and wiping his tears away.

Ruan Danchen took out some tissues hastily. She did not want him to use his hands as they were already tainted with smoke particles. Moreover, the curious child had been touching everything he saw, so his hands must have been covered in bacteria.

She handed the tissues to the little boy to wipe his eyes. She then led him out too.

The few of them headed toward the parking lot in front of the temple.

The temple was packed. The prayers made in this temple were extraordinarily fruitful and the fortunes were extremely accurate. Thus, believers came one after another, crowding the temple.

When they were coming out of the hall, they saw a horde of believers praying with incents in hand.

Qi Youxuan's eyes stung so much that he could not open his eyes. Tears flowed continuously. Ruan Danchen was afraid he would bump into others, so she picked him up.

Qi Youxuan was very heavy now. Even though they put him on a diet, he was still a portly round child. Ruan Danchen was struggling a little.

He turned to see Ruan Danchen looking at Qi Youxuan sorrowfully. In her arms, Qi Youxuan kept wiping his tears with tissues. His eyes were red and swollen. He looked terribly pitiful. Qi Chenglin had never been one to pamper the child, but seeing this, his heart softened too.

Qi Chenglin sighed. He could not stand seeing the mother and child looking so pitiful. He extended his arms and offered, "Let me take him."

Qi Youxuan turned to Qi Chenglin as if he was contemplating who's arms would be more comfortable around him. Alas, he decided that he preferred Ruan Danchen's soft embrace. His tiny, short arms wrapped around Ruan Danchen's neck. Without a word, he turned away from Qi Chenglin.

Qi Chenglin: "..."

Ruan Danchen smiled. Although he was heavy, she would still hold him gladly. "I'll hold him."

"What are you saying? Your arms are shaking." Qi Chenglin eyed her slender arms — they looked like they could be snapped like sticks. How could those arms stand Qi Youxuan's weight?

Hearing that, the little boy looked down and noticed Ruan Danchen struggling to hold him. Finally, he let go of her and reached for Qi Chenglin instead.

Qi Chenglin took Qi Youxuan over. To Qi Chenglin, his weight was nothing. Qi Chenglin was not struggling the least bit and was not tired at all.

Qi Chenglin was wearing a blue V-neck sweater that day. On top of the sweater, he wore a black wool coat that reached the length of his knees. In that coat, his tall figure appeared even taller.

It was freezing but he was wearing such thin clothes. Nonetheless, he did not appear to be cold at all.

The hands holding Qi Youxuan had a pair of leather gloves on. From top-to-toe, he looked exceptionally elegant.

Qi Chenglin looked elegant and stylish but also emitted a cold and distant air. However, once he had Qi Youxuan in his arms, his cool manner was replaced with an aura of warmth.

Gazing at the father-and-son duo, Ruan Danchen could not help but let out a tender smile.

As Qi Chenglin's gaze fell onto her beaming face, his heart melted. He held Qi Youxuan in one arm and reached for Ruan Danchen's hand with the other.

Qi Youxuan's plump and heavy body seemed weightless on Qi Chenglin's muscular arms. Qi Chenglin was very relaxed despite of the weight on his arms.

Ruan Danchen had always thought that men looked especially manly when holding a child. They possessed a certain charm that men without children could never have. She found them especially attractive.

Seeing Qi Chenglin now, Ruan Danchen's heart raced. She was completely allured.

Qi Chenglin noticed this. He wondered what happened that made her stare at him so captivatedly. Nevertheless, he was more than happy to see his woman bewitched by his charms. He felt complacent.

Seeing Ruan Danchen's spellbound appearance, he also felt more and more attracted to her. Disregarding the fact the Qi Youxuan was still in his arm and the fact that they were surrounded by people, Qi Chenglin leaned toward Ruan Danchen and peaked her on the lips.

He did not lean back instantly. His lips lingered on hers for a while, feeling her soft lips against hers, then finally let go. Ruan Danchen could taste his lips on hers. They carried a fresh and masculine smell.

Ruan Danchen could not wrap her head around how every inch of this man's body could smell so good. His whole body gave off a seductive aroma.

With just a quick peck, Ruan Danchen's heart pounded insanely fast. There was no way she could calm down.

Ruan Danchen's lips parted slightly. Her heart was still racing. Suddenly, she caught a glance of Qi Youxuan, who was still in Qi Chenglin's arm. The thought of the little boy watching Qi Chenglin kiss her was so humiliating that she did not dare to look at him anymore.

Even married couples would usually not do these kinds of things in front of their children.

Ruan Danchen's face was completely flushed. She did not know what to do or say — all she could do was glare at Qi Chenglin helplessly.

Qi Chenglin sneakily pinched Qi Youxuan's waist. Qi Youxuan was going to ask why he did that.

However, when Qi Youxuan turned around, he saw from Qi Chenglin's expression that he was silently trying to tell him something. Thus, Qi Youxuan refrained from asking. After pondering on it for a while, he abruptly understood Qi Chenglin's signal.

"Aunt Ruan, don't be shy. After all, it's not my first time seeing you two kiss. Next time, you two can kiss as much as you want — just pretend I'm not here." Qi Youxuan had one arm around Qi Chenglin's neck while the other was waving around. "There are many scenes like that in TV series too."

Ruan Danchen: "..."

Qi Chenglin glanced at the boy coolly, then told him, "Next time, don't watch those dramas."

"..." Qi Youxuan was vexed. "Dad, you can't… what's that idiom again? How could you abandon me right after you used me? Dad, you're too vile! Are you this traitorous when doing business with others?"

The little boy was infuriated. He could not tolerate his dad's betrayal. At the same time, he blamed himself for letting that last sentence slip out.

Qi Youxuan's extreme reaction seemed as if Qi Chenglin had played with his emotions.

"..." Qi Chenglin was completely speechless. His exaggerated reaction was clearly learned from TV series. This only made Qi Chenglin even more determined to limit his TV time. "The idiom you're looking for is to destroy the bridge after crossing the river1."

"..." Qi Youxuan thought that his dad was too shameless — not only did he not feel ashamed, he even had the mood to teach him idioms.

Ruan Danchen watched as the father-and-son duo talked back at one another. In this situation, she was powerless. Qi Chenglin took her hand and they continued walking with Qi Youxuan in his arm.

After a moment of silence, Qi Youxuan abruptly asked, "Aunt Ruan, I'm very heavy, aren't I?"

Ruan Danchen staggered. Then, she shook her head. "No, you're not."

"Dad said that your arms were shaking when you were carrying me," Qi Youxuan pointed out, not believing Ruan Danchen's words.

"He was just talking nonsense," Ruan Danchen lied. She did not want to hurt the little boy's feelings.

Qi Chenglin: "..."

"Why are you constantly twisting the truth for him? When you're worrying about his feelings, why don't you think about mine too?" Qi Chenglin grunted discontentedly. His expression appeared calm but his tone suggested otherwise. "Besides, his teachers in school teach him to not lie. You're his role model — don't be a bad influence."

Ruan Danchen: "..."

What kind of man would complain about this over his own son?

"Aunt Ruan, I will definitely lose weight!" Qi Youxuan announced resolutely, raising his little clenched fist.

He wanted Ruan Danchen to be able to carry him again.

Ruan Danchen patted his head and grinned from ear to ear. That boy was just too adorable. She could not help but kiss his delicate little cheek.

Qi Youxuan blushed. He was shy because they were surrounded by so many people.

Ruan Danchen's heart melted at the sight of the bashful little boy. The more he blushed, the more she wanted to kiss him. It was like teasing an adorable little doll.

to destroy the bridge after crossing the river 過河拆橋 - a Chinese idiom which means to abandon one's benefactor upon achieving one's goal