"Jianyi, dad rarely see you at home lately," Mr. Qi remarked calmly.
The whole family was having lunch together. Qi Jianyi raised her head to look at her father, wondering about the sudden question. She thought they would never bring up this topic again.
Qi Jianyi put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth slowly, and replied, "My coursework has increased. I am too busy to return home, so I stayed at my dorm."
Mr. Qi controlled his expression and glanced at his wife, signalling her to join the conversation. Clearly, it was Mrs. Qi who had asked her husband to bring up this topic.
However, Mrs. Qi had an entirely different topic in mind, she quickly changed the subject, "Do you have some time tomorrow evening? We'll go back to your grandparents' house to have dinner together. Your little uncle is back from overseas," Mrs. Qi inquired softly.
Qi Jianyi paused at the sudden question. She really wanted to say no. She wanted to reject her mother. Qi Jianyi didn't want to meet her grandparents or any other relatives.
Half of her was uncomfortable with the thought of pretending to be part of the family, while the other half didn't have the heart to reject them.
A half-hearted smile appeared on her face, but Qi Jianyi avoided making eye contact with her mother.
"I'm not sure yet. I'll try to be there," she replied with an unsure tone.
Mrs. Qi frowned for a moment at the unexpected answer but said nothing. However, Mr. Qi, on the other hand, felt a sense of crisis with his daughter's sudden change in attitude.
He was aware of the alienation between his daughter and the rest of the family. But, for some reason, Mr. Qi felt that his daughter had become more estranged lately, as if she was trying to cut off their relationship.
"Try to free your schedule and be there. It's been awhile since you visited your grandparents." Mr. Qi said firmly as if saying that Qi Jianyi must be there no matter what.
Nodding her head, Qi Jianyi accepted her father's words with no objection, "Sure." Her short remarks left Mr. Qi speechless.
He thought his daughter would retort and they might end up arguing. But who would have expected that Qi Jianyi would wave the white flag first, even before the argument began.
"I've finished. I'll go first," Qi Jianyi took her bag and quickly escaped from her father. Leaving him no chance to say anything.
"Do you really have to talk to our daughter like that?" On the other hand, after watching Qi Jianyi escaped, Mrs. Qi quickly pinched her husband's waist. Obviously dissatisfied with his performance.
Mr. Qi rubbed his waist and rebutted, "What's wrong with how I talk to Jianyi?" The old man couldn't figure out his fault.
"Huh? Do you have to talk to her in that bossy tone? What, do you think Jianyi is your employee and you're her boss? If you keep talking to her like that, what if she starts thinking we're picking on her?" Mrs. Qi scolded angrily.
"Well, you saw it too. It seems our daughter doesn't want to join us at your parents' house tomorrow. Ling'er, maybe we need to be a bit stricter with her," Mr. Qi suggested, worried about the possibility of losing his only daughter to who knows what.
"Jingxuan, stop with that nonsense. We have no right to stop her from doing what she wants or force her into things she doesn't want to do. Let her be. That's the least we can do for her," Mrs. Qi advised her husband, seriously urging him to stop considering restraining their daughter.
Mr. Qi frowned, disagreeing with his wife, but he didn't have the courage to argue back. Although he was the breadwinner, his wife was the true head of the household when it came to anything in their family.
Understanding the meaning behind her husband's expression, Mrs. Qi shook her head in deep disappointment and walked away from the dining table, leaving her husband alone with their twin sons.
Mr. Qi gritted his teeth, regretting his actions. He glared at his two troublesome sons, who had said nothing to support him, and snapped, "Don't you have school? What are you still doing here?"
The twins, suddenly scolded by their father, clicked their tongues in annoyance. Qi Jinlu shook his head at his father, his face reflecting the same disappointment as his mother's.
"Dad, this is why Mom dislikes you," the teenager retorted before running off.
Mr. Qi was so infuriated by his son's insolent remark that he threw a chopstick at him. He wondered how he could have fathered a cold daughter, a troublesome and rude son, and an obedient one all in the same family.