You Have the Right to Keep a Secret Love

Chapter 69 : Will Qi Xi be afraid? No, she won't.

After receiving advice and encouragement from Gu Xuehan, Qi Xi felt a renewed determination. She urgently conveyed Gu Xuehan's suggestions to Xie Wen and Gu Yan, reexamined the evidence, obtained a copy of Wang Juan's ID from Li Jie under some pretext, and prepared the materials for the upcoming legal proceedings.

Today was the day when Qirui Ming returned from his business trip, and Qi Xi, despite the prolonged psychological preparation, still felt a bit nervous. Holding her phone, she pressed the send button, sharing the photo of Wang Qiliang she found on the school's public account with Qirui Ming.

As expected, Qirui Ming, who usually responded slowly, immediately called Qi Xi upon seeing the photo.

"Xixi, what did you send to Dad?"

Even though she had thrown the photo of the illegitimate child in his face, Qi Xi was surprised at how shameless Qirui Ming could be. Nevertheless, caught off guard, Qirui Ming's voice sounded accommodating, with a hint of probing.

But Qi Xi's inner response was a cold laugh. Qirui Ming had never been so patient and enthusiastic with her before.

"Wang Qiliang, second grade, Class A, Fengling International School. Your illegitimate child. You can't possibly still be pretending not to know, right?"

Clearly caught off guard by Qi Xi's knowledge, Qirui Ming on the other end of the call sounded noticeably flustered. Realizing he couldn't deny it any longer, he lowered his voice, attempting to reassure Qi Xi, "Xixi, listen to Dad. There's a misunderstanding in this matter. It's not what you think. Please don't tell your mom. Where are you? I'll come to see you and explain everything."

Fifteen minutes later, Qirui Ming, who had never attended any significant moments in Qi Xi's life due to his busy schedule, appeared in the agreed-upon café, looking somewhat disheveled. With a fatherly smile on his face, he handed a bag to Qi Xi before even taking a seat, saying, "Xixi, this is a souvenir Dad brought back for you on this business trip."

Oh, so now he's playing the emotional card.

Qi Xi didn't even extend her hand. She stared at Qirui Ming expressionlessly. Despite this, Qirui Ming, apparently possessing good psychological endurance, just chuckled and took a seat on his own. "You must be tired from carrying this. Later, Dad will help you take it home."

However, he didn't exchange pleasantries with Qi Xi; instead, he couldn't wait to get straight to the point, "How did you find out about those things you mentioned? Did you investigate, or did someone intentionally sow discord in our family and tell you something?"

Qi Xi remained silent. At this moment, silence was golden. The more someone talked, the more likely they were to reveal their true colors.

Seeing Qi Xi like this, Qirui Ming couldn't extract any information with just one sentence. Clearly getting agitated, especially with the sudden revelation, he pressed on, "This matter, Dad can explain. Dad made a mistake, but it was just because Dad had a bit too much to drink. You know, as a lawyer, we often need to socialize. Sometimes, things get out of hand."

"Couldn't avoid putting on a show," he continued, "It happened just that one time, and I never saw that woman again afterward. Unexpectedly, in September, she showed up with a child, claiming it was my son. She left the child with me and disappeared. The child did resemble me, and legally, I have an obligation to support him. Dad can't help it; after all, the child has already been born."

Qi Xi stared at Qirui Ming's face. He still looked the same, but she felt like his features and entire face had contorted. Stripped of the filter of being a father, all that was left was a middle-aged man spewing lies, evading responsibility, and concocting falsehoods. It was repulsive on a visceral level.