Qi Shifeng shot him a cold look, which effectively silenced him and made him scurry out of the office in a hurry.
Soon, even the old man of the Qi family was alerted by the trending news and called Qi Shifeng.
"What's going on with this news? Are you still entangled with that girl named Yu? Didn't I warn you to cut it off immediately?"
"Let me tell you, she will never be the daughter - in - law of the Qi family. A actress who always makes it to the news, making others laugh at us."
"I've arranged a blind date for you with the granddaughter of the Sun family. She just returned from abroad last week. She's an outstanding girl. Go and meet her."
The old man spoke on the phone in a domineering and commanding tone.
Qi Shifeng rubbed his temples. After the old man finished, he said, "I'm still married. Is it appropriate for me to meet Miss Sun?"
This rhetorical question left the old man stunned for a few seconds, and then he flew into a rage.
"So when are you going to get divorced? There are still twelve days. If you don't, I'll have to take your son away."
"Or, if you insist on going against me, then return all your shares to me."
"I know you're proud enough to return them, but think it over. After you return everything related to the Qi family, can you still protect what you want to protect?"
"Shifeng, I've always thought you were a smart kid, just like I was back then. So don't disappoint me. Don't make a foolish choice."
He used both carrot and stick, exerting great pressure.
Qi Shifeng was silent for a long time. Finally, he only said three words.
"Give me one more year to sort things out. Youyou is too young to be separated from his mother. Or, give the child to her."
He didn't lie to Xu Tingyu. He really hadn't signed the contract.
For this, he had a portion of his shares taken away. He was even locked in a dark room in the old mansion and given a family punishment.
The stick left large purple - black bruises on his back.
But he still refused to sign.
This was the first time he proposed a one - year buffer period to the old man, a sign of his concession.
The old man was first angry. "Are you bargaining with me? Everything you have today is given by me."
"I know, but, Grandpa, I really don't need the company. You know very well that I've never been interested in the company from the start."
His voice was deep and his tone was calm, but it was like a thunderclap in the old man's ear.
The old man was so angry that he smashed the phone.
When the busy signal came from the receiver, Qi Shifeng was a bit dazed.
He wasn't lying or putting pressure.
He was telling the truth.
As the second son in the family, he really never thought of taking over the burden of the Qi Group.
Many people said he had changed a lot. That was because before his marriage and before being forced into the Qi Group, he was free - spirited.
Racing cars, bungee jumping, hiking, skydiving...
These were all the things he loved to do back then.
It was not until his father's death that the old man chose him as the heir.
He was then trapped in a shackle, and everything that followed was imposed on him.
His career, his future, his wife...
He had no time for himself and became a tool for the Qi Group. At his busiest, he was on business trips for 340 days out of 365 days a year.
He was so exhausted that he suffered from gastric bleeding and even fainted during a meeting...
He had also paid many painful prices.
Sometimes when he stood in front of the mirror, he hardly recognized the person in it.
Qi Shifeng rubbed his throbbing temples and stood in front of the floor - to - ceiling window.
The setting sun cast a warm yellow glow on him.
Twenty minutes later, the old man's secretary called him.
Eight months.
This was the old man's final concession.
In these eight months, he had to sort out his relationship with Xu Tingyu and cut off all ties with Xie Yu.
Otherwise, he would take Youyou away and tell Xu Tingyu all the truths.
Qi Shifeng didn't say anything else and just took it as an agreement.
Eight months was two months more than he had expected.
He thought the old man would only give him half a year at most.
After all, Youyou would be eight or nine months old in half a year and would start to recognize people.
Eight months was long enough for many things to happen.
He sat back at his desk and made a phone call.
At the same time, sitting at home, Xu Tingyu saw the news on TV.
She didn't have a phone. When she came back, she didn't even have the chance to take the phone Chen Chunyao gave her and had to dispose of it.
Now, looking at the gossip news on TV, a faint smile appeared in her eyes.
All the servants in the house except Aunt Zhang had been replaced.
She even noticed that many new faces had appeared in the bodyguard team.
Seeing her watching the news, Aunt Zhang carefully observed her expression. "Madam, it's all just media speculation."
It was really a pity. She had just given birth and come back from the brink of death, and now the media was saying that her husband had feelings for someone else.
No woman could bear this.
Xu Tingyu really laughed. "Aunt Zhang, you were there when Xie Yu came yesterday. The media isn't completely making things up, is it?"
She seemed to be watching someone else's story and even took a good look at the photos of Qi Shifeng and Xie Yu.
To be honest, they were a good - looking couple and really matched each other.
No wonder they had a group of CP fans.
First love, being separated against their will, reuniting after a broken relationship... These tags were really eye - catching.
Xu Tingyu stared at the photos of the two on TV and was a bit absent - minded.
If it were her, would she still be entangled with a married man?
The answer was no.
It was this day and age. No matter whether he was forced or had some hidden reasons, once he was married, that was his answer.
She wouldn't want a married man.
Even if he was divorced, she still wouldn't want him.
After all, she didn't want what others had discarded.
Thinking of this, she even felt a bit secretly pleased and couldn't help laughing out loud.
Aunt Zhang was a bit startled. She suspected that Xu Tingyu was so angry that she had lost her mind.
How could someone be so open - minded and laugh so happily?
Aunt Zhang had clearly seen Xu Tingyu's love for Qi Shifeng in the past few years of marriage.
It could be said that in the few years of marriage, Xu Tingyu had always put Qi Shifeng first and had really done everything she could.
Now, how had she become like this?
After laughing, Xu Tingyu said to Aunt Zhang, "Aunt Zhang, I really want to eat the lily and lotus seed soup you make. Can you make a bowl for me?"
She didn't even turn off the TV, and the news about Qi Shifeng and Xie Yu's scandal was still on.
But she didn't care at all. Instead, she wanted to eat a bowl of lotus seed soup while listening to these reports.
She was clearly smiling when she said it, but Aunt Zhang just felt extremely heart - broken. She even turned around and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Sure, I'll go and make it right away. Madam, if you want to eat anything else, I'll make it for you."
When people are in extreme pain, they always want something familiar to ensure their sense of security.
Having no one to rely on, Xu Tingyu could only drink the first soup she learned to make when she first got married.