At that time, Zhang Qi was having dinner at the old house.
Lou Yuming's sudden return today had the entire family sitting rigidly, the atmosphere at the dinner table impossibly stern.
His expression was grim, but because he usually had a stern face, no one could tell if this great Buddha was truly angry or not.
As the only junior in the family, Zhang Qi naturally did not dare to be too presumptuous. He secretly sought help from his parents with his eyes, but it was clearly of no use.
In the end, it was Father Zhang who felt that the atmosphere was affecting his appetite. He spoke with the air of an elder.
"Yuming, you must have worked very hard abroad these past few years. What are your plans now that you've returned to China? Are you still leaving?"
Lou Yuming gracefully put down his chopsticks. Under the intense gazes of several people, he said unhurriedly, "I'm not leaving."
The expressions of the other three people changed drastically, all at once.
Father Zhang tentatively said, "Then... then there are still spare rooms at home, I'll have them tidy one up for you—"
Before he could finish, a sound came from under the table, and Father Zhang fell silent, in pain.
Lou Yuming glanced at Mother Zhang, who was smiling without a word, out of the corner of his eye. His expression remained calm, "No need to trouble yourselves. I have a place outside."
Zhang Qi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that the rice in his mouth could finally be swallowed smoothly.
Just then, the phone on the table suddenly rang, one after another. Zhang Qi's face turned awkward, "...I'll reply to a message."
Lou Yuming's expression was indifferent. He merely caught sight of the characters "Song Xi" appearing in the chat box, and his tone grew a little colder, "Don't talk while eating, don't talk while sleeping."
Zhang Qi had no choice but to retract his hand.
This meal left everyone with indigestion.
After it ended, Lou Yuming went upstairs to see the old lady.
Mother Zhang took the opportunity to vent her anger at Father Zhang, "He's practically moved in and taken over, and you're still not worried!"
Father Zhang pouted and said nothing.
"You useless man, the Zhang family will be ruined by you sooner or later. Qi'er, Mom is counting on you!"
Zhang Qi blinked, clearly still preoccupied with the earlier message, "Mom, I haven't graduated yet."
"What are you afraid of? When he comes out later, tell him you want to intern at the company. Remember, the company is yours, and you can't let outsiders snatch it away!"
As they were speaking, the sound of a door closing came from upstairs.
Zhang Qi braced himself and walked over, "Uncle, there's something... I'd like to discuss with you."
The phone began to be restless again. Lou Yuming looked down at him from above, his chin slightly raised, indicating that he should deal with it first.
Zhang Qi was furious. Who the hell had no sense! As soon as he opened it, it was all Yi Xiaoling.
After quickly scanning the chat content, he couldn't control his temper and cursed.
"What the hell are you doing in broad daylight! Spreading rumors outside that Song Xi and I broke up is one thing, and now you're falsely accusing her here. Even if you gave her ten times the courage, she wouldn't dare cheat on me!"
"Whoever dares to touch my woman, Zhang Qi's woman, I'll die for them!"
He was immersed in his own emotions, completely unaware that his chat content had already been seen by Lou Yuming.
The man's eyes were like deep, cold ice. He paced away silently. Before leaving, he took the keys to the sports car he had given Zhang Qi.
By the time Zhang Qi came to his senses, the other person had long since disappeared. He frantically WeChat-ed Lou Yuming to ask about his car keys. The other party simply replied,
"Adults must take responsibility for their actions."
Zhang Qi was confused. He thought that the rumors outside had reached Lou Yuming's ears and made him unhappy, but he had been well-behaved lately. Could it be that due to today's breakup rumors, his uncle thought he was irresponsible?
What was going on? That damned Yi Xiaoling was always causing trouble!
Without a second word, Zhang Qi immediately went to Song Xi's house and happened to see her returning from class.
"Xi'er!"
He walked over, unceremoniously cupped her face, and kissed her. "Why didn't you call me today? I missed you so much."
Song Xi was a little stunned.
Zhang Qi explained, "I'm sorry, I was too busy today. Don't take the school rumors seriously, they're all fake. How could I break up with you when you're so obedient?"
Song Xi forced a stiff smile, not understanding what Zhang Qi meant.
"Oh, right. Let's take a picture together, I'll post it on Moments."
Song Xi looked even more startled. Forget posting on Moments, Zhang Qi never even took pictures with her usually. What was wrong with him today?
Zhang Qi put his arm around her waist and quickly took a selfie. He noticed a red mark on her neck and frowned, "What's wrong with your neck?"
Song Xi pouted aggrievedly, "A mosquito bite, it's so itchy. I have many on my arms too, I'll show you."
"No need!"
A hint of disgust flashed in Zhang Qi's eyes. Because of his haste, he didn't bother to group them and directly posted the photo.
"Oh, right." He suddenly took out a box from his pocket and handed it over, "A necklace for you. If you see Uncle next time, remember to wear it."
"???" Song Xi's face was full of question marks. What did this have to do with Lou Yuming?
After doing all this, Zhang Qi turned and left潇洒ly, not even saying goodbye.
He came quickly and left quickly. Song Xi couldn't understand Zhang Qi's actions at all.
However, the necklace wasn't cheap and could probably be sold for a lot of money. Song Xi returned to her bedroom, still contemplating how much to price it at for Xianyu. Suddenly, a large hand covered her mouth from behind, and the bedroom door was slammed shut with a bang.