QTIMP -Chapter 267 Character Persona – Vicious (Part 30)

After calming down a little, Mother Lan grabbed the hand carrying his luggage.

“Xiao Wu, are you trying to break your mother’s heart? It’s not that I went looking for trouble with that woman. The truth is, she never intended to spend her life with you in the first place.

If you don’t believe me, ask your eldest sister. She admitted it herself.

No matter how inattentive I may have been toward you, I would never harm you! Xiao Wu, just listen to me. Stop seeing that woman.”

Looking at his mother, Lan Qing replied calmly,

“Mom, I’m already in my twenties. I’m not ten years old anymore. I’ve long since decided what choices I want to make. I’ve weighed everything carefully and confirmed that I can bear the consequences of those choices.

So there’s no need for any of you to worry about me, and don’t go bothering Si Qiu either. Otherwise, don’t blame me for turning hostile. After all, who doesn’t have a few secrets they’d rather keep hidden?”

The threat in his words completely silenced everyone in the room. No one tried to stop him any longer.

Lan Qing successfully moved into an apartment he had prepared earlier. It wasn’t a dormitory-style building but a standard apartment of over seventy square meters, with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.

Now that he no longer had to deal with endless questioning from his family, he practically treated the apartment like a hotel.

Every morning, after getting himself ready, he would bring breakfast to Si Qiu.

Sometimes he would simply come over and cook breakfast for her directly. At noon, the two would eat together in the cafeteria. In the evening, he would buy groceries, cook dinner at Si Qiu’s house, and after they finished eating, he would roll up his sleeves and help with the housework.

Fortunately, the little courtyard was rather secluded. Only a few households occupied that row, and directly across from them stood the entire wall of the Public Security Bureau.

Because of that location, it was especially safe. If anything happened, a single shout would bring help immediately.

Although the neighboring families gossiped among themselves at home, none of them spread rumors outside.

Two more days passed.

That day, after work, Si Qiu went to the Si family home. The moment she stepped inside, she noticed that the brother and sister were beaming with joy.

Before she could even ask what was going on, both of them excitedly announced that they were about to get married.

“You’re getting married? Which families are they from? Aren’t you both still underage?”

Faced with Si Qiu’s feigned surprise, the two actually looked rather proud.

They had already discussed it between themselves. Once they got married, they would have their spouses stop Si Qiu from coming over.

Even if they couldn’t completely prevent her visits, they could at least reduce them.

After all, every time she came, their reputations suffered a little more. Life was already difficult for them both in the residential building and at the factory.

This was, after all, the family housing compound of the machinery factory.

Everyone worked together, and rumors spread at lightning speed.

“I’ve been dating Brother Zhang Wei for a long time now,” Si Xi said. “He agreed to marry me and move into our house so he can take care of Mom and Dad.”

There was obvious resentment in her voice.

If Si Qiu hadn’t imposed those conditions back then, she could have transferred the job to her beloved Zhang Wei.

That way, people wouldn’t be calling Zhang Wei a kept man living off a woman.

Si Bei, on the other hand, wasn’t quite so blinded by love.

“I accidentally became the hero saving a damsel in distress. In the process, I unintentionally offended the girl, and a lot of people saw it.

She also happens to be trying to avoid being sent to the countryside. Her stepfather doesn’t look out for her and can’t arrange a marriage for her.

I’ve already discussed everything with her. She’ll help take care of Mom and Dad. I’ll hand over all of my wages to her, and after Mom and Dad pass away, if I get the chance, I’ll even buy her a temporary job.”

It wasn’t that Si Bei was particularly responsible.

He simply figured that once he got married, there would be someone else helping him support the family.

As for Father Si and Mother Si, despite Si Qiu’s earlier promises that she would come take care of them, the reality was different.

At first she came every day.

Now she only stopped by once every two or three days.

As her attention slipped, the two younger siblings naturally became negligent as well. What started as bringing them one meal a day and leaving them to lie in a damp bed gradually became something worse.

Now, nobody checked on them for a day or two at a time. They were barely hanging on, lingering between life and death, suffering endlessly.

Because of the hot weather and poor care, both of them had long since developed bedsores. Hungry and thirsty every day, they were living a fate worse than death.

Yet by this point, even dying wasn’t easy for them.

Since both couples were eager to transfer their household registrations, they quickly obtained their marriage certificates. As for Si Bei’s fiancée, her biological mother begged her husband—the girl’s stepfather—

and insisted that Si Bei receive three months of his salary in advance so they could hold a simple wedding. Si Xi also scraped together some money, and the two weddings were held together.

As their elder sister, Si Qiu naturally attended.

At the wedding, she ran into Wu Jiaojiao, and only then did the two realize their connection.

The woman about to marry Si Bei was actually the stepsister whom Wu Jiaojiao’s stepmother had brought into the family.

Back when Wen Hongying had not yet left, Wu Jiaojiao had come to celebrate Si Qiu’s housewarming and had mentioned this stepsister.

She said the woman was jealous that she had gotten a job and had even tried once again to harm her so she could take over the position and avoid being sent to the countryside.

Fortunately, Wu Jiaojiao had been prepared and caught her red-handed. But because the stepmother had given birth to a son for her father, she cried and pleaded endlessly.

If Wu Jiaojiao’s uncle hadn’t stepped in and forced her father to pay a large sum of money, the matter might have been swept under the rug.

Although her father completely lost any goodwill he had toward that stepdaughter,

she still managed to escape punishment.

At the time, Wu Jiaojiao had said that the woman would never let things go. Old grudges and new grudges were piling up together, and the next time she struck, her methods would surely be even more vicious.

So Si Qiu rolled her eyes and discussed a plan with Wu Jiaojiao.

They took advantage of the woman’s next attempt to cause trouble. Wu Jiaojiao gave the situation a little push,

then had Si Bei step in and play the hero rescuing the damsel in distress. Coupled with some carefully spread rumors and gossip, and with Wu Jiaojiao’s father no longer wanting anything to do with that stepdaughter,

he quickly agreed to the marriage.

Thus, that proud and arrogant woman had no choice but to marry into this complete mess of a family.

The wedding itself went fairly smoothly.

However, no one from Si Qiu’s side had visited the Si household for several days. The moment the door was opened, a nauseating stench rushed out.

Even those eager to watch the excitement refused to step inside.

In the end, staff from the neighborhood committee who had come to attend the wedding severely scolded the siblings.

They then ordered the two newlyweds to take proper care of the elderly couple.

After a round of stern warnings, the wedding came to an abrupt and rather shabby conclusion.

Si Qiu never spoke with Wu Jiaojiao during the event.

Instead, before leaving, she took out the agreement they had signed earlier and read it aloud once more,

making sure the two newcomers to the family clearly understood their own responsibilities and obligations.

“You’re back? The watermelon has been chilled. I’ll cut you a slice to cool off. This lingering autumn heat is really something—look how red your face has gotten.”

As Lan Qing spoke, he carried the chilled watermelon off to cut it.

The way he acted like the perfect husband made it hard to believe that this man was the youngest bureau chief in the entire city.

After cutting the watermelon and bringing it over, Lan Qing glanced toward the main room.

“The mailman delivered a package for you today. I put it on the table in the front room.”

Si Qiu eagerly grabbed a slice of watermelon to cool herself down.

“Who sent it?”

Lan Qing looked at her with a resentful expression.

“Who else could it be? It’s from the Southern Military Region.”

Si Qiu froze for a moment.

She had assumed that she and Wen Luo would never have any further contact.

She hadn’t expected him to send another package.

Thinking about the timing, he must have mailed it only a few days after arriving at his new unit.