Chapter 5: The Weight of a Father’s Love

The helper immediately summoned the security guards.

Dong Jiao and Gu Shenghai tried to follow him upstairs to explain themselves to Wei Nianxi, but before they could even reach the foot of the stairs, they were intercepted, followed by an unceremonious ejection.

Wei Nianxi’s word was absolute in this household.

Gu Qingnan paid no heed to the two of them, following upstairs after Wei Nianxi went up.

Inside the room, Shen Qing was disinfecting Wei Yeban’s wound.

Wei Yeban had struggled so violently that the back of his left hand had been scratched at some point; while the wound was not deep, a child of this age had weak immunity.

“Mr. Wei…”

Seeing Wei Nianxi enter with a dark expression, Shen Qing stepped aside somewhat apprehensively after finishing the disinfection.

Wei Nianxi sat down beside Wei Yeban.

Because he had been touched and due to the recent fright, Wei Yeban’s brow remained furrowed even in sleep.

“What happened?” Wei Nianxi asked, looking toward Gu Qingnan after gently stroking Wei Yeban’s head.

Gu Qingnan recounted what had just occurred.

Recounting it made Gu Qingnan feel his anger, which had only just subsided, boil over once more.

Wei Yeban had finally been willing to go downstairs…

Simultaneously, heartache and guilt surged in; Wei Yeban had actually gone quite some time without crying.

After listening, Wei Nianxi said nothing, merely looking down at the curled-up Wei Yeban.

After that, Wei Nianxi did not return to the company.

Throughout the evening, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere hung over the entire Wei Family Mansion.

Likely having exhausted himself from crying, Wei Yeban did not wake up even as night fell.

Wei Nianxi took care of Wei Yeban that night.

During the night, Gu Qingnan worried constantly, tossing and turning without being able to sleep.

Fortunately, he heard no cries from Wei Yeban during the night.

***

When Gu Qingnan went downstairs the next day sporting dark circles under his eyes, Ji Wen was carrying dishes to the table.

Wei Nianxi was seated at the table eating.

Shen Qing was not there, presumably watching over Wei Yeban.

Gu Qingnan was somewhat surprised.

“Where is the helper?”

“Fired,” Ji Wen said as he set down the tray.

“Along with the security guards on duty yesterday.”

Whether Dong Jiao and Gu Shenghai had done it deliberately was impossible to prove, but the helper and security guards had been explicitly instructed, and they never should have let such a thing happen.

Ji Wen looked at Gu Qingnan, as if implying Gu Qingnan bore responsibility as well.

Just as Ji Wen opened his mouth to speak, Wei Nianxi’s voice rang out, “Eat.”

Ji Wen glanced at Wei Nianxi and sat down obediently.

There was breakfast prepared for Gu Qingnan as well.

Gu Qingnan sat down across from him.

“…I’m sorry.”

Yesterday’s incident had not been caused by him, but he was certainly not completely unrelated to it.

As for Dong Jiao’s family, Wei Nianxi would not let them off easily.

Gu Qingnan had no objections to that.

“I will return by dusk,” Wei Nianxi said.

“Mm.”

Gu Qingnan hurried to finish his breakfast.

Having slept through half the afternoon plus the entire night, Wei Yeban was due to wake up soon.

Wei Nianxi left right after finishing his meal.

Gu Qingnan immediately went upstairs after finishing his meal.

Wei Yeban was not awake yet, so Gu Qingnan quickly brought clothes to dress him.

While Gu Qingnan was busy, Wei Yeban opened his eyes.

Gu Qingnan hastily tucked the little rabbit into his arms.

“The little rabbit said it wants to play with you, and it was just asking why you weren’t out of bed yet.”

Wei Yeban took the little rabbit rather sleepily, then furrowed his brow and looked around at his surroundings.

Gu Qingnan hurriedly brought the little plush beast over as well.

“The little beast missed you too…”

Wei Yeban’s attention was diverted once more.

However, this still did not last long, and soon he began looking around again.

Seeing nothing frightening around, he did not cry, but he remained visibly distracted all morning, his repetitive behaviors increasing.

Gu Qingnan felt an aching pity seeing this and could only keep fabricating stories.

By the end of his storytelling, the villains knocked away by the little beast were enough to form an entire regiment.

Wei Nianxi returned early in the afternoon, finally giving Gu Qingnan a chance to rest.

Wei Nianxi watched over the child again that night.

By the third day, Wei Yeban’s condition had visibly recovered, and aside from still disliking physical touch, he was essentially back to normal.

Gu Qingnan let out a massive sigh of relief.

With the upcoming press launch and having come home early two days in a row, Wei Nianxi would be extremely busy going forward.

Gu Qingnan also began preparations for his mother’s memorial anniversary.

Logically speaking, he should not take Wei Yeban outside right after such an incident, but after discussing it with Shen Qing, Gu Qingnan decided to proceed according to plan.

It was not that Gu Qingnan was obsessed with having his parents see Wei Yeban; if they truly wanted to go, they could visit anytime.

His decision to go was for Wei Yeban’s sake.

The treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder required time and patience, but one could not merely let things drift passively; sometimes, an appropriate push was essential.

He and Shen Qing had discussed before that it was about time for Wei Yeban, and with few people up on the mountain, it was an excellent choice.

Post-traumatic stress disorder manifested in many forms, and Wei Yeban’s belonged to the more severe kind; however, he was still very young, and theoretically, if he recovered before forming lasting memories, he could completely forget the ordeal.

Gu Qingnan hoped he would forget.

***

The weather was cooperative, bringing an overcast day.

While Shen Qing packed their supplies, Gu Qingnan mentally prepared Wei Yeban.

It was unclear whether Wei Yeban was listening; even when Gu Qingnan spoke until his mouth was parched, the child gave no reaction.

Gu Qingnan did not plan to stay outside for long, so they departed in the afternoon.

Wei Yeban showed no reaction before getting into the car, but after being placed inside and realizing what was about to happen, he clearly grew restless.

Nevertheless, the situation was not severe.

Wei Yeban disliked strangers, so only Gu Qingnan and Shen Qing were in the car.

Since Gu Qingnan needed to accompany Wei Yeban, Shen Qing took the wheel.

“The little beast is here, and Daddy is here too, everything is alright…” Gu Qingnan soothed.

The one-way drive took over an hour; half an hour in, Wei Yeban’s anxiety became more pronounced, and past the one-hour mark, he grew thoroughly fidgety.

Gu Qingnan tried to hold him, but he would not allow it either.

When the car pulled into the parking lot below the cemetery, Wei Yeban had reached his limit, and Gu Qingnan was drenched in sweat.

Gu Qingnan quickly opened the door to let Wei Yeban down.

Aside from theirs, only two other cars were in the entire parking lot, making it very quiet.

Finding himself in a completely unfamiliar environment after stepping out of the car, Wei Yeban was visibly tense, his hand repeatedly slapping his own thigh.

“Do you remember this place? We’re visiting your grandparents; we’ve been here before…” Gu Qingnan squatted in front of him.

Wei Yeban leaned into him, seeking an embrace.

This was the very first time Wei Yeban had done this since falling ill, yet Gu Qingnan did not feel happy in the slightest.

Wei Yeban was clearly terrified—a terror so deep that it outweighed his aversion to physical contact.

He treated him as his sole lifeline.

Gu Qingnan even felt a surge of regret, wondering if perhaps he should not have brought Wei Yeban out so soon…

“Let’s go,” Shen Qing said, picking up their bags.

Gu Qingnan lifted Wei Yeban into his arms and stood motionless in front of the car.

Shen Qing glanced at Gu Qingnan’s somewhat pale face and comforted him, “It’s alright, this stage is just like this.”

If fear caused them to halt in their tracks, Wei Yeban would likely remain trapped in his own world forever.

Gu Qingnan took a deep breath and led the way up the mountain.

When his mother was laid to rest, the family had already been financially destitute; fortunately, the cemetery plot had been purchased back when his father died, situated in a decent spot.

After arriving at the plot, Shen Qing helped set down the yoga mat, plush dolls, and other supplies.

“I’ll head back down first, call me if anything comes up?”

Visiting was rare for Gu Qingnan, so he surely had things he wanted to say in private.

“Alright.”

Shen Qing checked on Wei Yeban once more, and seeing that the situation was under control, she walked toward the parking lot.

Gu Qingnan sat down on the yoga mat with Wei Yeban in his arms.

No sooner had he settled than Wei Yeban scrambled down impatiently; Gu Qingnan had been holding him for too long.

Gu Qingnan quickly brought him the plush toys.

They had brought plenty of dolls, enough to form a protective ring around him.

The toys were familiar to Wei Yeban, and with nobody else around, though he remained tense, his condition was fairly stable.

Gu Qingnan watched him for a while longer, and after confirming there were no issues, he turned toward the gravestone before him.

Etched into the headstone were two youthful faces.

Gu Qingnan retrieved the offerings and incense from a bag nearby.

“Dad, Mom, I’m here to visit you again.”

“Wei Nianxi was going to come, but I told him not to; he has a press conference coming up, and that product ties directly to the Wei family’s revenue for the next two or three years…”

“Some things happened with Pan’er this year, but he is doing much better now…”

Gu Qingnan sometimes hoped that spirits truly lingered in heaven as legends claimed, so that he would not be utterly alone.

Yet sometimes he feared they could genuinely see him, which would make his lies completely pointless.

Calling his relationship with Wei Nianxi an arranged marriage was an exaggeration on his part; more accurately, it was a blatant transaction laid out in black and white.

A tripartite deal between himself, his uncle’s family, and Wei Nianxi.

His grandfather had built everything from scratch.

The old man possessed business acumen and had caught favorable economic tides, so by the time his father and eldest uncle entered the workforce, the family already owned over a dozen factories.

His eldest uncle was five years older than his father and had joined the company five years earlier, but he possessed little business talent, remaining thoroughly mediocre over those five years.

His father, on the other hand, had inherited the old man’s business mind, and being young and daring, he secured numerous large contracts within two years, earning more favor from his grandfather.

Seeing this, his uncle clamored early on to divide the family estate, terrified that his share would vanish in the end.

Annoyed by the ceaseless squabbling, the old man agreed.

Naturally, after the separation, his father’s side flourished while his uncle’s side steadily declined.

When Gu Qingnan was in elementary school, his father passed away in an accident; his mother lost a leg, but survived nonetheless.

His mother stayed in the hospital for some time, and by the time she was discharged, his uncle had already seized control of the family business.

His mother had put up a fight for a period.

Yet while they claimed the estate had been divided, it had all been verbal agreements.

Being a family business, countless assets were deeply intertwined and impossible to untangle easily, and because the legal representative of the company was still the old man, raising a fuss bore no fruit.

The old man did give his promise: the company could not be handed to an outsider with a different surname like his mother, but once Gu Qingnan grew up and joined the company, his due share would not be withheld.

At first, their life remained manageable, but good times never lasted.

Unable to bear the shock of his son’s death, the old man fell gravely ill soon after, languishing in poor health from that point onward.

Right after that came the sudden diagnosis of his mother’s cancer.

Examinations, surgeries, chemotherapy…

Medical technology back then was far less advanced, and the cascade of treatments drained the entire household’s finances dry.

Yet that was only the beginning; before radiation therapy was even completed, tests revealed the cancer had metastasized to multiple areas.

Following that was another brutal round of treatments.

By then they had completely run out of money, leaving him with no choice but to seek out his grandfather.

Only when he arrived did he learn that the old man had already passed away, and the company’s legal representative had long since become his eldest uncle.

He was only a high school sophomore at the time, his sole remaining kin in the intensive care unit urgently needing funds, forcing him to swallow his pride and borrow money from his uncle with thick skin.

Perhaps feeling guilty, they handed over money quite readily in the beginning.

Yet that sum fell far short of supporting the extensive treatments.

The metastasis was severe, and because his mother was frail after undergoing earlier treatments, the required medications were prohibitively expensive, forcing him to borrow again before long…

Perhaps because he asked too many times, and knowing he had no leverage against them, his uncle’s family soon grew thoroughly impatient.

Initially, they offered thirty to fifty thousand, which shrank to three to five thousand, and eventually dwindled down to a few hundred…

Gu Qingnan could not remember how many times he had hidden away crying in the hospital stairwells.

His mother passed away during his senior year of high school.

He had been completely numb with shock at the time.

Upon returning, he slept for three days straight in his rented room.

Three days later, he went to school to borrow textbooks from his teacher, spending the next month and a half doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and studying.

A month and a half later, he took the college entrance exam.

Two months later, the admission notice arrived: he had been accepted into a respectable university.

He took out student loans for his tuition, but he had to earn his living expenses himself, and having borrowed significantly from others besides his uncle’s family, he spent his entire university life working part-time jobs outside of classes and sleep.

When his eldest uncle approached him holding a contract, it coincided with his university graduation.

At the time, he was overwhelmed with stress from looking for a job.

Barely attending class in high school and passing the college entrance exam with just a month of self-study was undoubtedly a remarkable feat, yet it counted for nothing when searching for employment.

Wei Nianxi had taken an interest in him.

Faced with this unexpected windfall, his uncle’s family naturally did not refuse; not only did they not refuse, they even considered substituting Gu Shenghai in his place, though Wei Nianxi mercilessly rejected that proposal.

If it was not Gu Qingnan, Wei Nianxi would choose an entirely different partner.

His uncle had no choice but to come to him, promising that if he agreed, the previous debts he owed them would be wiped completely clean.

He agreed.

However, on top of forgiving the borrowed money, they had to pay off all his external debts, return the apartment his parents had originally purchased and later sold to pay for medical bills, and grant him an additional apartment in the city center.

Combined, everything amounted to roughly five million yuan.

That was the absolute limit his uncle’s family could tolerate.

The company’s business had deteriorated long ago.

His uncle’s family indeed agreed, for Wei Nianxi offered far too much.

After that followed their marriage, and Wei Nianxi’s pregnancy…

Gu Qingnan had originally intended to live out his days properly.

“He treats me pretty well too, he’s just always too busy to see…”

Gu Qingnan genuinely could not weave the lie any further.

While Gu Qingnan was lost in thought, a sudden weight landed on his lap.

A stuffed rabbit had appeared on his lap at some unknown moment.

Gu Qingnan froze, glancing sideways.

Wei Yeban, who was supposed to be sitting amid the pile of dolls, had stood up at some point, placing his own little rabbit onto his lap.

That rabbit was his security blanket, and without it, he was visibly anxious.

He walked toward the little plush beast and clutched it tightly in his arms.

The little rabbit would protect Gu Qingnan, and the little beast would protect him.

Understanding what this meant, Gu Qingnan’s eyes rimmed with red instantly.

He wanted to embrace Wei Yeban, yet feared startling him.

All he could do was pull the little rabbit on his lap into a fierce hug.

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